Disclaimer: I was bored. I don't own anything, bitch!
THOR
Thor observed Elsa as she carefully cleaned the wounds on Loki's arm. She dipped a cloth into a small basin of warm water. After she squeezed the excess liquid from the cloth, she tenderly wiped away the blood and the crusts that had formed around Loki's wounds.
"You're very good at that," Thor said eventually.
Elsa looked up and smiled. "I have to be. I hope you're paying attention because this will be your job until…"
Thor looked away quickly and busied himself with sifting through the medical supplies. "Don't you think he's looking better?" Thor asked. He brushed a strand of hair out of Loki's face and tucked it behind his ear. When he looked up, Elsa was staring at him with a sad expression on her face.
"A little," she said quietly. She quickly put on a small smile and went back to her work. "You want to make sure you clean it properly and then when you're done you apply the salve-"
"What's the point?" Thor asked suddenly.
Elsa looked up at him. "What do you mean?"
"If he…if he's not healing, then why should we keep applying medicine to his wounds?" Thor asked.
"Because I'm sure it brings him some comfort. Most of the cuts have healed; it's just these big ones that…aren't. I don't understand, I thought you said he looked better—"
"That is what I thought. But your face indicated otherwise," Thor said harshly.
Elsa regarded him for a few moments and then she went back to applying the salve to the wounds. "As I was saying, you want to make sure you put this on the wounds before you wrap them—"
"This is pointless! Loki will not wake. He will not wake," Thor said angrily. He got up from his chair and stormed out of the room.
Elsa rose up and followed Thor out of his chamber. Another healer stood in the hall with an awkward expression on his face. "Which way did he go?" Elsa asked.
"Towards the solar," the healer replied.
"Can you please finish up inside? I already did his right arm. Bandage it and get started on the left. And stay with him until I return," Elsa instructed.
The healer nodded and started toward the chamber when he stopped. "Elsa, he looks…really upset. Perhaps you should leave him," he said.
"I appreciate your concern, Adam, but I can handle my own affairs," Elsa said. She motioned toward the chamber and set off toward the solar.
When she entered, Thor stood at the window staring out at the sea. She stared at him for a few moments before she spoke.
"You wanted to know why I care so much," she said.
Thor had his arms crossed over his chest and he did not move or turn his head. "It is because you're a woman…" Thor said dismissively.
"No. It is not. You care, even though you try to hide it. I know you care, my lord," she said.
Thor turned angrily on her. "So what? He will die. He will die and he will leave me here to…regret…to hate myself," he said.
Elsa chewed on her lip and then she looked up at her king. "My lord, will you come with me?" she asked.
Thor frowned. "I am in no mood for games, Elsa," he said sternly.
"This is not a game, nor has it ever been one," she said simply. "Come with me, there is something I'd like to show you," she said.
Thor regarded her warily and then he sighed. "Fine."
Thor and Elsa were standing in front of a modest home by Asgardian standards.
"What is this?" Thor asked.
"This is my home," Elsa said.
Thor regarded her and then smirked. "You have quite a large place for such a young healer," he said.
"It was a gift. Will you come inside?" she asked.
Thor nodded at his two guards and followed Elsa to the door. The two guards took their positions outside the door as Elsa and Thor entered the home. When Elsa stepped inside, a young boy ran up to her and wrapped his little arms around her legs.
"Mama!" he shouted.
Thor could not help but smile at the little boy. He had short, sandy colored hair and chubby cheeks. His little mouth was set in a little pout even when he smiled up at his mother. Thor cleared his throat.
"Love, this is the King, King Thor," Elsa said.
The little boy looked up in wonder at the large man before him. His eyes widened and then he buried his face in his mother's legs.
"That is no way to behave. Greet him properly," Elsa said sternly.
The little boy pulled himself away from his mother and he looked up at Thor once more. He bowed his head quickly and then returned to his mother's side.
"You must forgive him, he is young," she said. "Go on and play," she said to the boy.
He ran off into the other room. An older woman with a kindly face came out into the living room and she bowed when she saw Thor. "Well it's not everyday I step out into the main chamber and meet the King," the older woman said.
Elsa smiled at the woman and beckoned to her. "My lord, this is my mother, Anna, she takes care of Nörr while I am at the castle."
"I did not know you were wed," Thor said.
"My lord, would you like some wine, something hot to drink, perhaps?" Anna asked.
"Wine will suffice," Thor said.
Anna kissed her daughter on the cheek and walked out of the chamber.
"I am not wed, my lord," she said.
Thor walked over to one of the seats in the room and sat down. "Please stop calling me my lord. I am tired of the formalities," he said tiredly.
Anna returned with two glasses of wine and placed them on the table. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything," she said.
"So, Elsa, you are not wed. Why have you brought me here? Do you need coin to maintain this lovely home?" he asked.
"No my—I mean, Thor. It sounds so strange to say it," she said.
Thor shrugged and drank his wine.
"I brought you here to meet Nörr, actually," she said.
Thor regarded her suspiciously and placed his glass back on the table. "Why?"
Elsa chewed on her lip.
"Elsa, did we...is he mine?" Thor asked softly.
Elsa made a face. "Do you really not remember all the women you lie with? How many of them has there been?" she asked.
Thor rolled his eyes. "I'm the King, I was a Prince. I've slept with countless women. It's impossible for me to remember them all. Is he mine, Elsa? Tell me the truth," Thor said.
Elsa shook her head. "No…he is not," she said. Elsa licked her lips and took a large gulp of wine. She waited for it to settle in the pit of her stomach and then she took a deep breath. "He is Loki's," she said.
Thor looked up at Elsa. "What?" he asked.
"He is Loki's son," Elsa said again.
Thor picked up his glass and swallowed all of the wine in one go. He then reached forward and grabbed Elsa's glass and chugged it down as well.
"I don't understand," he said.
"When two people lie together—"
"I know how fucking babies are made, Elsa. Don't get smart with me," Thor snapped. "How in the world is he Loki's son? And why does no one know of his existence till now?"
"Loki and I…met at the library."
"Naturally," Thor said.
"It was when I was studying to become a healer. I was still an apprentice. We spent several weeks together, mostly talking and…doing other things. It was strange for me. A prince, one of the princes, and here he was in my bed with me as though…it were the simplest of things. I knew for him I was only a blip in a long stream of women and whatever else he liked. I had no high hopes for anything except, when it was all over I found myself pregnant. Loki had no interest in being a father but he would not allow me to raise him on my own. He bought me the house and he gave me enough coin to take care of Nörr until he is old enough to make his own way in the world," Elsa said.
Thor sat quietly absorbing all of the information Elsa had just unloaded on him.
"So you're telling me that the little…he's my nephew? He is an heir to the throne of Asgard and you have him here in this house with your mother? He should be in the castle. He should be training and going to lessons with the masters. He should not be here. Why is he here?" Thor asked.
"I have seen what power does. It twists you until you are no longer the person you were. I've seen people become ugly reflections of themselves. I will not have that happen to Nörr."
"That is not for you to decide."
"But it is. When he was born, Loki visited me in the infirmary. He looked at him for a moment and then he handed me a bag filled with coin. He stayed long enough to name his son and then he left," Elsa said. "He had no interest in being a father, and I don't hold it against him. He was young and so was I; and foolish. I can't be mad at him because he's given me one of the best things I've ever had. My son is my world, Thor. I love him."
"It makes sense now," Thor said.
"What does?" she asked.
"You. How adamant you were about me coming to see Loki," Thor said.
"I didn't want to bring Nörr into this but I saw that I had no choice. Having Loki moved to your chambers was the best thing you could have possibly done. I want Nörr to meet his father, I would have liked him to know him better, but…we cannot always have what we want," Elsa said sadly.
Thor opened his mouth to speak but closed it immediately. He did not know what to say.
"I know this must be a lot for you to digest," she said.
Thor stared off into space and after a long moment of silence, he spoke. "I feel like I killed him, Elsa," he said softly.
Elsa shook her head. "Loki had his own demons. Everyone in Asgard knew it. I think perhaps, you did not want to believe that he could do something so wrong," she said.
"But it was my fault. I did things to him, Elsa, when we were younger, and I can't let go of them," Thor said sadly.
Elsa reached out and took Thor's large hand in hers. She squeezed it gently and smiled at him.
"We all do things we regret and we all make mistakes. We can't allow them to hold us down, or keep us from ultimately doing the right thing," she said.
"And what is the right thing?" Thor asked.
"Taking care of your brother in his last days. Here let me give you something," she said while getting up.
Thor watched as she walked over to a large bookshelf. She scanned the contents for a few moments and then she found what she was looking for. She pulled out the hardcover book and walked back over to him.
"When Loki and I were talking, he told me that…this was one of his favorite books. It's from Migard. He gave me a copy but I never got the chance to read it," she said. She handed the book over to Thor and he hesitated a moment before accepting it.
When Thor held the book in his hands, he felt something inside of him move. His heart ached for everything that he did and for the good times he had spent with Loki. He opened the front cover of the book and saw Loki's familiar scribble on the inside. It simply said: Read it for Nörr one day. "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone? What is this about?" Thor asked.
"Something about a boy with magical powers who was treated badly when he was younger," she said.
Thor smiled. "Sounds like Loki," he said.
"Loki always spoke highly of you. Even though he was angry, and I mean, you could tell that he was angry with you, but you could also tell that he loves you very much. And I'm sure he still does," Elsa said.
Thor looked at Elsa and then down at the book in his hands. He let her words wash over him and he closed the book. "Thank you, Elsa. I'm afraid I must take your leave. I'll come back to see Nörr. I would like to meet him properly," he said.
She nodded. Thor and Elsa stared at each other for a moment and then he pulled her into an embrace. She looked alarmed for a moment and then she allowed the King to hug her and she hugged him back.
When Thor left, Elsa sat on her chair staring at the two empty wine glasses on the table. She smiled sadly, hoping that perhaps Loki would finally get what he wanted.
When Thor entered his chambers, another young healer sat at Loki's side.
"You may leave," Thor said.
The healer nodded and quickly evacuated the room.
Thor sighed and took the large seat next to Loki's bed. He observed Loki's face carefully. Some color had returned to his cheeks but his face was still gaunt. Thor wondered if perhaps Loki's body would accept some food today and with great effort, he connected the tubes up to the tube that was sticking out of Loki's arm. Thor watched as the food was sucked into Loki's body. He sat and waited to see if Loki would retch the food and he eyed a basin that had been placed next to the bed just in case he did so. A few minutes later, Thor realized that Loki's body was not rejecting the nourishment and he had tears in his eyes.
"You will get well, brother. I know it. You must get well so you can raise your son in the proper way," he said as he gripped Loki's hand.
He opened the book that Elsa had given him and turned to the first page.
"The Boy Who Lived," he said. Thor smiled at his brother, squeezed his hand and began to read.
A/N: Thank you for all the lovely reviews! I hope you enjoyed this chapter :D Please let me know what you think!