Disclaimer: I don't own Thor, or any of the characters used in this fic. They all belong to Marvel and their respective creators. I only own any original characters that I choose to include, as well as any original plot ideas.

Chapter 25: Slaves Of The Cold

Merciless winds and snow bombarded the land, gave everything that hardened feel, that chill that so many found to be distasteful. The torches that lined the palace halls, the bonfires that burst in their containers in each of the large rooms all seemed to burn the brighter, what with the fog that had settled in with the strange beauty of the blizzard. Overnight, the lake had been turned to solid ice, the pines on the mountainsides covered with a thick, heavy coat of snow. Even the tender flowers and plants of the magnificent gardens had shut down for the season, gone quickly to sleep at the first sign of the biting winter.

Many found the weather to be bothersome, too cold, too much of an interference with their daily tasks. Thor, on the other hand, found it to be quite stunning as he stood at one of the wide windows of his room, peered out across the whitewashed kingdom and smiled gently. The Allfather had been telling him, for weeks now, about his ceremony, the ancient tradition that would forever seal him and the strength of Mjolnir together, just as he had been bound to Gungnir many years before. Thor was pleased with this, though not nearly so much as he was with the change in weather. He was not accustomed to the cold as his brother was, did not sneak out of his bedchambers in the dead of night to walk through the snow, watch as the powder caused his steps to vanish in the dark. But he rather liked how brightly the world seemed to glow with flame, how much warmer the expanse of the palace seemed when the sky outside was bleak and frozen.

Still smiling, Thor held the fresh and folded garments in his hands, a deep red tunic and his dark pants to accompany it, as he headed down the halls, standing straight and tall as he wound his way though the palace, darted quickly outside for a second to reach the bathhouse. A hand closed around the handle of the door and pulled, and Thor was immediately overcome by the comforting feel of steam closing around him, filling his lungs. His things were placed quickly on a shelf, the cloak that sat about his frame pulled away as he seized a towel. It was only then that the prince heard a sound of utter disgust.

"Honestly," came Fandral's voice, and Thor turned a nearby corner to see the Warriors Three sitting on a bench by the wall, staring awkwardly at the divide that separated them from the heated waters.

Thor nudged the man with a hand, caused him to jump as he sat beside him, mussed up Fandral's hair and smiled. "What can be so terrible on this day that you refrain from enjoying yourselves so?" He looked to Hogun and Volstagg as well. "Surely, the cold has not eaten away at your bones as of yet."

Hogun shook his head, nodded in the direction of the baths and leaned on an elbow. "Not quite," he said, and Thor detected the slightest bit of discomfort in his voice. "There are things that, as warriors of the realm, as men, we are not comfortable with."

This sounded curious to Thor, and he glanced at Volstagg for clarification. "What things?"

The bearded man, who seemed to shudder a bit as he breathed, made a face and pursed his lips tightly together for a moment. "You see, Thor, it is one thing for women to be seen and heard in the privacy of one's own chambers." He flinched, balled his hands into fists. "But, as Sif has said numerous times, there are always those who hold contempt for such... practices."

Thor snickered and bumped Fandral with an elbow, thought that, perhaps, the lot of them had been chased by one of the young maidens so eager to bed him again. But the blond warrior's eyes turned to him, as if to say that it was not he that Volstagg spoke of. And, as the realization dawned upon the prince, there came a sharp yelp through the room, one that he had not heard in quite some time.

"Loki?" he said, hoping that the answer would be otherwise. But the others nodded and Thor ran a hand across his chin. "Loki and–?"

"Oh, who do you think?!" Fandral hissed, shoving Thor until he teetered on the edge of the bench. "She's been following at his heels for the better part of three weeks now! Clinging to his sleeve and refusing to be parted from him!" The warrior sighed and covered his eyes. "In more than just one sense of the word."

Thor bit his lip, hesitated a moment. "So, you mean to tell me that the lot of you refuse to enjoy yourselves because my brother and Sigyn are...?"

He trailed off as the warriors stared at him, as if implying that he'd hit the nail right on the head. Thor sighed, slapped Fandral on the arm and stood.

"An hour," Thor told the men, and ushered for them to leave. The three pairs of eyes widened simultaneously. "I can promise you that, by then, you will have the baths to yourselves."

They said not a word more, simply shrugged and filed around the corner to collect their things. Thor stood with bated breath until he heard the door open and shut again, and promptly marched around the divide to sit and stare until Loki decided to notice him.

Had he not known any better, Thor would have thought that the steam radiating throughout the wide room came from the ravenous pair glued together at the far end of the bath. He smirked and scooted to the edge, tossing the towel away, and allowed himself to drop quietly into the heated water. With a deep breath, Thor sank below the surface and moved slowly, waited until he could feel the water being pushed before leaping up and shouting.

Sigyn screamed, turned and backhanded him across the face. As he fell back, eyes cracked open, Thor wasn't sure as to how Loki was looking at him. Some bizarre cross between utter shock and satisfaction. Thor went down with a heavy splash, surfaced just as quickly to spit water from his mouth, wipe it out of his face and sputter. When his blue eyes opened again, any hint of pleasure that Loki had gained from that short moment was gone, replaced by little more than that omnipresent irritation.

"What is it with you people and your constant interruptions?" he growled, and Thor bit his lip to keep from smiling as Sigyn made a face at him.

The thunderer shrugged, moving back through the water as though Loki would lose sight of him if he got far enough away.

"I don't know what you mean," he said, and Loki's eyes narrowed. Thor tapped the tips of his fingers together. "I had no idea the two of you were so... close."

Loki groaned loudly and nudged the woman, who had decided it best to sink down into the water until only her eyes and nose could be seen. Clearly, she didn't want Thor to be quite as familiar with her anatomy as his brother was. When the two of them glowered at him, the thunderer turned his back and hid his eyes, pretending as though it were a game of hide-and-seek. The joke was ill-received, as Loki promptly struck him in the back of the head with a bar of soap. As soon as Thor heard her climb out, he waited several seconds so that she could don her robes before turning back around.

Thor sank down in the water as Sigyn had, just enough to hide his mouth as she leaned back over the edge of the bath and plastered her lips to Loki's.

The prince snickered under his breath, willing himself not to laugh aloud as he could have sworn she made some quiet comment about having a better use for that silver tongue later on. The look on his brother's face was absolutely priceless.

"That was rude," Loki snorted once she had gone, and Thor searched the bottom of the wide tub to see if he could find the lost bar of soap with his foot. "I don't barge in on you and your fun."

Thor smiled cheerily. "Oh. So you were having fun. That's new." Loki grimaced. "No, you don't interrupt, but you give plenty of lectures about propriety afterwards."

The trickster groaned loudly just as Thor pulled himself through the water to sit at his brother's side. He raised a hand and started poking Loki in the neck.

"Stop that," he said, and slapped Thor away, moved off to the right a few feet as if expecting the thunderer to listen.

Thor didn't.

He followed quickly, managed to hook one arm over Loki's head and hold him steady even as he squirmed. "I do hope you intend on wearing something with a collar for the party," Thor told him, and Loki's thrashing immediately ceased. "Otherwise, Mother will have means to raise the dead."

"Thor!"

The prince laughed loudly and leaned forward, threatening to shove his brother to the bottom of the bath.

"Idiot!" Loki barked, and Thor tumbled back, having slipped on the soap that had gotten caught beneath his feet. "Are you trying to kill me?!"

"Oh, hush. You can swim just fine. You won't drown in four feet of bathwater."

His eyes closed as Loki splashed him and moved away again.

Wiping the water from his face, Thor sat still for a moment, surveyed the room a few minutes before turning his gaze back to his brother. It wouldn't do if his friends, or Sigyn, had decided to linger. What was said between the two of them was nobody's business.

"It's tomorrow, isn't it?"

Thor nodded. He hadn't said anything on purpose, having decided that he'd rather have Loki mad at him than walk about with a gloomy, depressing rain cloud on his heels for the rest of the day. That taste pervaded his mouth again, and Thor spat to rid himself of it. It didn't have a name that he was aware of, but, over the years, he'd come to define it as a byproduct of obvious discomfort.

"You don't have to–"

"Don't be stupid." Loki sighed. "Mother would never forgive me if I didn't attend. You're my brother. I should be there."

"You're a good boy," Thor told him, and Loki smiled slightly.

He hadn't said that in years, since his brother had been much smaller. They hadn't known how to express affection for one another in eloquent words or lengthy monologues, so they had settled for using that which had belonged to so many of the teachers in their young lives. Most notably their mother. She had always told them what good boys they were.

Thor's eyes fell and he moved slowly through the water, lifted a hand that came to rest on his brother's head.

"I'm proud of you," he whispered, but Loki said nothing. Didn't even move. Thor breathed deeply, rested a stubbled cheek atop his hand. He'd say that forever, mean it with everything he had.