AN: All of the secrets revealed in this chapter come directly from Norse Mythology.


Chapter Eleven

Nerves were not something that Loki was used to but as he sat facing Thor and Jane around the table in the King's private council chamber, he couldn't help but feel unease thanks to his newfound knowledge.

"You look unwell, Loki," Thor noted.

"I have felt better," he said, hardly able to meet Thor's eye. "Last night, Mira and I decided to take a walk in Odin's memories and we found… well, we found far more than either of us expected. We intended to find information that we could use against Odin, to bargain for my freedom once he is awakened, but… I find myself unable to keep what I learned from you."

"Loki, I don't think I have ever seen you so unsure. By the Norns, what could you have uncovered that is so bad?"

"I debated whether to tell you this or not," Loki said, finally meeting Thor in the eye. "Ignorance is bliss, as I myself can attest, but Mira insists that you deserve to know."

"Tell me, Brother, for surely there can be nothing so awful as you imagine."

"Oh, Thor." Loki almost sounded sad. "Our whole lives have been a lie, not just mine. Odin himself is a lie for while his father was Bor, his mother was Bestla, a Jotun. Odin is half Frost Giant."

Thor laughed. "You do spin some tall tales, brother, but your lies will not help you here."

"He's not lying, Thor, and we can prove it," Mira insisted. "The magic that keeps Loki looking Aesir fades when he touches the Casket of Ancient winters. If Odin is half Jotun, his appearance should also change when it touches it."

Thor actually seemed to be considering their point. "How do I know such a test will not just be your illusions?"

"We also discovered that Odin has a vault," Loki went on to explain. "I believe proof can be found there of everything we tell you today. He also has two brothers, Vili and Ve, both of whom he banished so that his true parentage might never be discovered. If we can find them, they will corroborate our story."

"So I am one quarter Jotun? That hardly seems like a terrible lie, especially in light of your heritage, Brother."

"I'm truly sorry, Thor," Loki took a deep breath, "but Frigga is not your mother."

Thor actually seemed to pale slightly. "Surely this is a cruel prank, Loki?"

"I wish it were, Thor. I know what it's like to have everything you believe to be true, torn asunder, but I speak the truth. Did you never wonder why Odin waited until so late in life to have children? Frigga was unable to have them. Odin is your father but your mother is called Jord, also a… Jotun. Odin brought you home following a diplomatic mission and gave you to Frigga to raise. Laufey saw his taking of you as theft, and it is part of the reason the Jotun waged war against Asgard. You were supposed to be their hero, not Asgard's."

"No," Thor whispered, now looking a rather sickly shade of green. "That cannot be true, I cannot be a…"

"Frost Giant? Because you are too good and pure to be three quarters Jotun?" Loki seethed.

Mira put her hand over Loki's. She could understand his anger, Thor thinking that it was all right for Loki to be a Jotun, but feeling himself above such things. However, hurling insults wouldn't help any of them.

"The Casket of Ancient Winters is in the weapons vault," Mira said calmly. "It seems that is one sure way to prove your parentage once and for all."

"This is your doing!" Thor glared at her, pure malice in his eyes.

"I convinced Loki to tell you the truth, yes, because I lived a lie on Earth and I was desperate to know the truth. I didn't cheat on Frigga with a Giantess though, and I didn't steal you from your birth mother. You're angry, and you're right to be angry, but not with me or Loki."

"She's right," Jane piped up. "If what they say is true, don't kill the messenger."

"So what, you would have me believe that we are a family of Jotun leading the Aesir and Asgard? The idea is preposterous."

"Only one way to find out." Loki waved his hands and the Casket appeared in the middle of the table they were sitting around.

Loki stood and placed his hand on the casket. Almost immediately his hand turned blue and ridges appeared on his skin.

Mira stood next, laying her palm on the top of the box. Nothing happened to her skin.

Thor remained seated, staring at Loki as the blue crept up his brother's neck, over his face and up into his hairline, while his eyes began to glow red.

Mira also found herself staring at him and when Loki glanced at her, he expected to see something similar to the distaste on Thor's face; instead he saw fascination.

She took her right hand off the casket and replaced it with her left, so she was facing Loki. She raised her right hand tentatively.

"May I?"

Loki hesitated then gave her a curt nod. Slowly she reached out and brushed her fingertips over his cheek and once assured his skin wouldn't burn her (it was supposed to be only a defence mechanism) she cupped his cheek in her hand.

"Oh wow, you're beautiful." She seemed to have forgotten the reason for doing this and appeared oblivious to their audience. Her hand migrated north and she traced the ridges on his brow. "Kiss me," she whispered.

"Now is hardly-"

"Please."

Loki leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. He had meant it to be a quick, chaste kiss but she deepened it and the delicate mewling noised she made were almost his undoing. Tempted as he was to throw her on the table and fuck her senseless, he had enough reason left to realise they had an audience and when Jane coughed uncomfortably, he realised that Mira had dropped her hold on the casket and seemed to be attempting to climb him.

"Later," he assured her. He had to let go of the casket to pick her up by her hips and place her back on the ground.

It was not her turn for a change in skin tone, to a rather fetching shade of pink, as she realised how she had behaved in front of Thor and Jane.

"Sorry about that, folks." She placed her hand back on the casket, as did Loki, whose skin quickly turned blue once more.

Jane stood up next. "Will it hurt me?" she asked.

"No," Loki assured her, and she placed her hand next to his.

As expected, nothing happened and she turned to Thor.

"It's better to live with a hard truth than a pretty lie," Jane told him.

Mira had never seen Thor so reticent before; even when he was nervous, he had always covered it with bragging and bravado.

Jane reached out and took his right hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze and finally, he slowly reached out with his left hand and placed it between Mira and Jane's on the casket.

As soon as he touched it, the skin on his hand took on a slightly blue hue and he ripped his hand away, as if burned.

All three of them remained where they were and after a few more moments, he reached out and touched the casket again.

His skin was not as dark as Loki's but it wasn't far off and he had the same raised ridges, although the pattern was different to Loki's.

The brothers finally looked each other in the eye, red eyes staring into red.

Thor had no words for this but Loki did. Of course, he wasn't sure if they would be much of a comfort.

"We may not be blood relations, but it seems we are kin, Brother."

Feeling that Thor had been tortured enough with truth for one day, Loki removed his hand from the casket and the others did the same. Thor stared at his hands as the blue receded, flexing his fingers as if he felt different in his Jotun form.

"Before we discuss anything else to do with Odin," Loki began, "I suggest you take some time to… come to terms with this revelation."

"No!" Thor said firmly. "I want to know what else you discovered."

"Really, Thor, I think the rest can wait. Speaking from experience, I wasn't at my most rational when I learned the truth."

"No, tell me what else you have learned."

Loki sighed but since none of his other revelations were this fundamental, he supposed it couldn't really hurt.

"Do you remember your first battle," he asked Thor, "when Odin sent you to fight Harbaror?"

"Yes, of course, who doesn't remember their first victory?"

"That was Odin in disguise, he wanted you to feel strong and confident, so he staged that fight."

Thor frowned.

"And do you remember your friend, Brynhildr?"

"Yes, she married a mortal man, did she not? I was sorry when she left."

"She didn't marry a mortal, Thor. Do you recall that she was chosen as judge in a duel? Her task was to decide a fight between the kings, Hjalmgunnar and Agnar, and she did so as fairly as she could, trying to judge based on their battle skills. Odin wanted Hjalmgunnar to win and when she chose Agnar as the victor, Odin put a sleeping curse on her. I dare say the only reason he allowed her to live at all, is because you had a crush on her. I've already sent Sigurd to the castle she is being kept in to retrieve her body, and we can only hope that she can be revived."

"What else?" Thor demanded.

"Do you remember the second Aesir-Vanir War?"

"How could I forget, it is what brought Little Dove into our lives."

"And do you remember Father's justification for it? That they were practicing dark magic and he had heard rumours that they intended to move against Asgard?"

"I remember."

"The real reason, was that as a peaceful and generally thought, wise culture, the Vanir were becoming too popular among the other realms. Odin feared they would try to overthrow him and rule in his stead, but there was absolutely zero justification for his fears, other than their popularity. We slaughtered thousands of them and for what? So that one old man's vanity could be pandered to. And you already know how seriously he took the peace treaty, sending a fake instead of a wise man, but what you don't know is that he had to sign the treaty because he was afraid he would lose, and he send the fake hoping that the Vanir would do something and allow him to break the peace, because while the Vanir had believed a lasting peace had been reached, Odin had used the intervening years to train up more troops so when war threatened to break out again, the Vanir had little choice but to acquiesce. Odin's henchmen now rule their realm, as well you know."

Thor walked away from them and went to the window, gazing out over the Asgardian skyline. Mira thought that it was eerily reminiscent of how Loki behaved when he was perturbed.

"I knew that Father could he ridged and inflexible, but I never dreamed that so much of what I took for granted was a lie."

"Believe it or not, I am sorry, Thor."

"I suspect you are the only man alive who can understand how I am feeling right now."

"Quite possibly," Loki agreed. "And I wouldn't recommend waging a war," he tried to lighten the mood my teasing Thor.

"Do you know, when I told him that I wished to return to Midgard and not take up the mantle of king, I thought that perhaps he was mellowing in his old age. He told me he was proud of the man that I had become, but that was you, Brother, wasn't it? I should have seen it but I wanted to believe that he was proud of me."

Loki didn't bother to confirm it, why rub salt in the wound?

Eventually Thor turned to them. "I have much to think on. I believe I will take you up on your offer of time, Loki; with a clearer head, we can better decide what to do."

Loki nodded. "There is a banquet this evening, to celebrate your victory against Muspelheim."

"I shall put in an appearance but you will forgive me if I am not in the mood for much merriment."

"Of course."

Thor turned to Jane and seemingly reluctantly, he held his hand out towards her.

Loki understood that his hesitance was not a rejection of Jane but rather, a fear that she would reject him. Luckily, Jane knew nothing of the Frost Giants and hadn't been raised to see them as monsters, so she went to him without hesitation.

"I never thought I would say this, but he is lucky to have found her," Loki said once Thor had left. "Where else in the nine realms can one find someone with no prejudice towards the Jotun?"

Mira slipped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest.

"Here," she answered.


It took Thor nine days days before he was ready to discuss that to do with Odin, not until the day after Sigurd returned with an unconscious Brynhildr in tow. Loki would be willing to bet that until that point, when his friend was returned to him by another trusted friend, Thor had hoped that everything he had learned about Odin might have been Loki's trickery.

With Mira's help, Loki was able to break the sleeping curse she was under, and Brynhildr confirmed Loki's story for herself, albeit in far more detail than Loki had provided.

Thor came to see him the next morning, demanding that they talk.

Loki had considered all possibilities that Thor might suggest and was ready to steer Thor towards Loki's preferred solution, so he was surprised when almost as soon as they sat down, Thor said "I believe we should leave Odin asleep."

That had been Loki's choice and Dove had told him, in the alternate version of the future, where Loki ruled both Midgard and Asgard, she had said that he 'awoke Odin' when Thanos attacked.

"What makes you say that?" Loki asked, genuinely interested in how Thor reached the same conclusion.

"My instinct is to reveal the truth and tell the people our true heritage, but gather Thanos will attack the nine realms in the not too distant and I cannot be sure if the Aesir will trust either of us if they learn that you are fully and I am three quarters Jotun. We cannot afford to take that risk."

"I agree," Loki nodded. "But why not kill Odin?"

"Because for all his faults, he has a mind for battle that I do not. His insights might mean the difference between victory and defeat."

Loki nodded slowly. So far, truth had worked well for him with Thor and he decided to reveal an additional truth, this time a personal one.

"There's something you should know about Thanos," Loki said.

"Oh?"

"I'm the reason he's coming."

"You? You are still in league with him?" Thor sounded affronted.

"I was never in league with him!" Loki snapped, then took a moment to collect his thoughts so that he could explain as succinctly as possible. He had no desire to relive certain memories. "Thanos sent me to Earth with one infinity stone, the mind stone, to collect a second, the space stone, what the humans called the Tesseract. Instead I made sure he lost both. He coerced my cooperation and promised my death if I failed but honestly, I didn't foresee Odin allowing me to live long enough for Thanos to take his revenge."

"You planned to lose?" Thor sounded flabbergasted.

"Always. My target on the helicarrier was never the Hulk, he was just a distraction, my plan was to take the life of someone the humans cared for. Nothing unites people like the desire for revenge. Banner did not know Coulson, so him I had to antagonise separately to ensure he joined in the fight against me and you, of course, you were easy, I knew you would always fight for the underdog."

"Why didn't you tell me your plan?"

"Thanos was watching me, he had to believe that I was loyal or he would have taken steps to derail my plan. I knew you wouldn't, and that the humans couldn't hurt me, but if Thanos thought me disloyal, he would have killed me and sent The Other in my place."

"Why did you not use that in your defence?"

"Why?" Loki demanded. "I knew Frigga loved me regardless, and I had no desire to try and win your or Odin's approval."

He turned away, the mention of their mother reminding them both of their loss.

"Had I known then what I know now, I may have explained myself," Loki admitted.

"I'm sorry I thought the worst, Loki."

"You thought only what I intended you to think," Loki assured him.

"Still-"

"I don't wish to discuss it further," Loki interrupted. "We can discuss plans for Thanos at some later date, for now, we must decide what happens to the Kingdom with Odin in an eternal Odinsleep."

"You wish to remain as King," Thor stated.

Loki turned back to his brother. "Actually, much like you, I find the throne has lost much of its allure."

"You prefer to spend your time with Little Dove?"

"As you do with Jane," Loki added.

"So what do you propose?"

"That we share the burden. As far as Asgard is concerned, Odin never officially crowned me and with his Odinsleep lasting far longer than usual, you and I have agreed to share the throne. That should allow us both time for ourselves and still fulfil our duty to the kingdom."

Thor nodded as he contemplated the idea. "I will have to discuss it with Jane. She is still getting used to her immortality, she may not wish to move to Asgard."

"Then perhaps rather than ruling together, we could alternate," Loki suggested.

"Alternate?"

"If Jane wishes to remain on Midgard, I would rule for a month, or two, then you would return to Asgard to take over the throne for the same period of time, before returning to Jane."

"That seems rather disjointed, but I will put it to her."

"Now I have a favour to ask of you," Loki said, his gaze fixed on an invisible speck of lint on his cuff.

"Oh?"

"I, uh, I have yet to ask again but I assume the first acceptance still holds, in which case, I was wondering…"

"Just ask, Loki," Thor encouraged.

Loki glanced at his brother, then returned to fiddling with his cuff. "I would like to marry Little Dove…"

"And you would like me to bless the marriage?"

"Actually, I was hoping you might perform it. Odin is indisposed and I cannot perform my own wedding."

"You would choose me over an Elder?"

"You are royalty, it would be seen as a sign of acceptance of Dove, especially given that she was supposed to have been executed. There is much gossip about her reappearance."

"I would be pleased to, Loki, not just as a Prince but as your brother. I hope you realise how much I regret what happened back then."

"I'm not generally much for forgiveness," Loki admitted. "In this instance though, if you would agree, we can consider that particular slate wiped clean."

"It will be an honour, Loki."

"Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I shall ask Dove her feelings on the matter."

"Of course."

"Let me know as soon as you and Jane decide what you want to do, the sooner I can announce it, the sooner we can change our practices to account for dual rule."


"What did he say?" Dove asked, putting her book aside as Loki returned to their rooms.

"I believe he will agree, the only questions seems to be the division of our roles."

"And how is he?"

"Angry."

"It will take him some time to get over the betrayal."

"I'm not sure you can get over something on this scale," Loki admitted. "You can learn to live with it, but you can never regain the lost trust. He was the one who suggested leaving Odin asleep; now he's seen Brynhildr awaken from a nearly 500 year sleep with no ill effects, I think he's happy to avoid the confrontation."

"And you? How do you feel?"

"I'm fine."

Mira noticed that he often avoided talking of his emotions now but she was hopeful that in time, she could get him to open up to her again.

"Are you settling in all right?"

"Somewhat," Mira sighed.

"What troubles you?" Loki came to sit beside her.

"Thor might have matured but his friends seem not to have. They are as impulsive as ever."

"What did they say?"

"Nothing important," she shook her head, which Loki had learned meant that that had said something unkind about him. She never liked to tell him when people said cruel things about him.

"Tell me, darling, I promise I won't have them killed."

"I wouldn't mind if you did," she gave him a pointed look. "It's not them I'm worried about."

"Darling, I am your Master and you will tell me what they said, or I will make you regret it."

He could see Dove waver slightly, then she met his gaze, challenging him. Honestly, he could guess what they had said, and he would bet good money that it had been said by Sif, but he knew that Dove was finding it difficult to reintegrate with Asgardian society, not only because of Loki's reputation, not even mostly, but because she actually missed her human life. He knew that she felt she had a purpose on Midgard but until the roles of he and Thor were settled, Loki couldn't provide her with employment and a way to be useful here.

She needed to let off some steam, and he was more than happy to help her with that.

"Assume the position, darling, on the side of the bed."

Mira stood up and with a wave of her hand, her clothing disappeared and she knelt on their bed, her knees spread, her forehead pressed into the mattress and her wrists folded above her head.

Loki came up and caressed her cheeks.

"You were very disobedient," he told her.

"I know, Master. I'm sorry."

"You must remain absolutely still; any movement will earn you another five blows, do you understand?"

"Yes, Master."

"Good. Count them."

He struck her pert ass and she gasped with shock. It was harder than he usually spanked but that was the point; he knew now that her thoughts were now far from her earlier worries and upsets.

"One," she counted.

After another five strong spanks, he eased off on the intensity; the point was to allow her to release by giving herself over to him, not to beat her black and blue. He paused occasionally to run his hands over her rapidly pinking cheeks but he didn't play with her sex, he wanted to build her frustration as high a she could.

He could see that her folds were glistening with her juices now and that every spank caused her cunt to clench. Her counting had also become more breathless and as he neared 100, her cries were of pleasure, not pain, despite the deep shade of red her ass had turned.

"There there, darling," he crooned, caressing her reddened ass. "It's all over now."

"Please," she whimpered.

"Please what?"

"Please fuck me!"

"You look rather too sore for that, darling."

"I need it, please!" she mewled. She was nearly sobbing with need.

Loki traced the length of her slit with one finger, which only excited her more but provided no relief.

"You are a horny little minx, aren't you?" he mused.

"Please, Loki, fuck my cunt, ram me hard and fast, I don't care if it hurts, just please let me come!"

Loki's clothes dissolved with a shimmer of magic and he stepped up behind her, his skin turning blue. He had been working on overriding whatever spell made him appear Aesir and he was becoming quite good at it. It seemed that shapeshifting might be a latent talent of his and with practice, he might be able to wear this form indefinitely, should he ever choose to.

"You want my cock?" he asked, lining himself up with her entrance but not actually touching her.

"Yes, please, yes!"

"Then take it!" he said, sliding home in one thrust and making sure to press his cold skin against her sore ass.

He expected his cold skin to elicit some reaction from her, especially given how hot her and tender ass was, but he hadn't expected her to come immediately. She screamed as her orgasm crashed through her and her tight sheath clamped down on his shaft, tempting him to come quickly too, but he held still, wrapping his cool arms around her torso and holding her tightly as she rode her climax out.

"Fuck!" she panted as her orgasm finally began to recede. "That was… incredible."

"We've only just begun," he assured her as he began to thrust into her.

He hadn't expected sex in his Jotun form to be very different from regular sex but it was. The combination of her heat and his cool created a mix of sensations that heightened his pleasure, as well as hers.

When he felt close to his own peak, he reached one hand down to her sex and began to rub her clitoris with an ice cold finger, bringing her to another climax far sooner than he expected and to his surprise, when he spilled his seed inside her, she reached a third climax, and it felt as if she was milking him, squeezing every drop of seed from him as her sheath gripped his length in rippling waves.

He collapsed on top of her, rolling to the side and taking her with him until he was spooning her, his softening length still inside her.

"That was amazing," she said after a few moments.

"It was rather, wasn't it?"

The little murmur of agreement that she gave was accompanied by her cunt squeezing his dick once again.

"Marry me," he suddenly said, unable to wait for a more romantic time.

"Of course," she answered, and he could hear the smile in her voice.

"I mean it. The contracts are still on place from before, we can be married tomorrow."

Dove placed her hand over his, where it rested on her stomach.

"Nothing would make me happier," she assured him.

Loki moved away slightly and encouraged Dove onto her back so he could look into her eyes.

"Do you mean that? You still want me?"

She smiled up at him and reached out to cup his blue cheek.

"I will never stop wanting you," she confided.

The huge smile that lit up his face was a sight to behold, one she hadn't seen since they had been reunited, and one that she had never seen while he was in his Jotun form.

Loki leaned down and kissed her and when he pulled away, she rolled onto her side again.

"Now spoon me again, my arse is killing me."

Loki obliged her with a laugh and just before he settled against her, he whispered in her ear.

"Next time I fuck you in this form, I'll spank your cunt first."

Dove's eyes were growing heavy but she managed to smile.

"Just give me fifteen minutes," she answered languidly, stifling a yawn.

Loki chuckled and settled down. He too felt slightly lethargic and he could feel his Jotun form slipping away as his concentration faded. Since he could no longer cool her with his body, he pressed his hand against Little Dove's hip and healed her buttocks, although not completely since he knew that she liked feeling his spankings for the rest of the day.

He wrapped a possessive arm around her waist and closed his eyes.

"Mine," he whispered.

"Yours," she murmured with a satisfied sigh.

The End.