The Neutered Omega

by Samwise Baggins

Loki has been a voluntary prisoner as long as he can remember, but someone crashes into his life and turns his entire reality around. Omegaverse. M/M Thorki. Slash. Rape. Dedicated to Dorkylokifan for encouraging me to write my fantasies and to Pallyndrome for helping my plots.

23. Chapter 23

Chapter Title:

Author: Sam

Story: The Neutered Omega: 23 of ?

Series: The Omega Rights: part one

Settings: AU Omegaverse: Asgard

Note:

xxx

Loki . . .

Loki struggled to open his eyes, his entire body aching, a feeling akin to intense bruising pulsing through him over and over in various places. When his eyes finally slid open, the raven-haired man couldn't suppress the whimper of pain drawn from him; the very darkness around him seemed too painful. He didn't question the oddity of that observation as it felt natural, something he simply iunderstood/i in his core without logic or conscious thought.

Sluggishly, Loki slid one shaking hand over his abdomen, trying to feel the growing child within his womb. Somehow, the safety of the infant didn't feel so urgent. An emotional lethargy seemed to have enveloped the young man and he wondered, in passing, if he'd had a seizure. Except the pulsing pain, it felt like he had. He had always hated that loss of control, of . . . self that had come with the seizures.

Turning around, finding himself standing in the corridor, Loki didn't question how he had gotten there. Rather, he began walking.

The corridor stretched dark and long, near silent in the middle-eve. Marble, polished,

gleaming dully in the starlight and occasionally lit wall sconces, felt cool below his bare

feet, welcome in his fever-state. No one seemed about; even the guards which normally

stood vigil at regular intervals appeared to have dissipated like air dreams. Soft sounds of breathing whispered from the sleep chambers he passed, gentle and dream-lost. The familiar halls seemed to have morphed into strangers in the night, no longer the welcoming halls of recent home. Something undefinable, breathless and malignant, hung in the very essence of the darkened corridors.

Loki frowned softly, hand going instinctively, protectively, over his abdomen and the hidden life within. The miasma of unrest, of near . . . ievil/i . . . seemed to threaten the unborn child. But what, in all the palace, could harm his babe? Something . . . close.

Stopping before a pair of wide doors, decorated with young animals and plants of varied descriptions and origins, Loki lifted a hand and paused. The threat came from inside this child's nursery? Carefully, Loki opened the deep mahogany door on well-oiled hinges, peeking into the softly illuminated room.

Four beds spaced evenly apart sat in the sleep-dark room, but only two were occupied. Both of the children were much alike: stocky, light-haired, and rosy cheeked. They appeared almost of an age, perhaps eight or nine years in all. A third bed lay disturbed but empty, though it wasn't hard to guess the location of the occupant: a soft creaking noise drew Loki's attention to a rocking chair by the open window. The small child with raven dark hair lay curled peacefully in the protective embrace of a tall, blue-skinned male with no hair.

Instantly, Loki feared for the child's safety, knowing Laufey would, in the end, harm it.

Loki stepped forward, reaching out, but an explosion rocked the night. The air filled with thunder, and red-white brilliance blinded him. He winced and instinctively turned away from the open window overlooking a festival.

Turning around once more, Loki felt almost overwhelmed by the crowd surrounding him, the laughing, cheering, drinking Aesir wearing robes of varying colors with matching ribbons tied to their wrists and hair. Explosions of colors rocketed over the festival as people danced all around Loki. He lifted a hand to push his long hair from his eyes, powder green ribbons fluttering at his wrist and blowing into his face. He paused and looked at his hand, his wrist, as if he was unfamiliar with that limb. Blinking slowly, Loki extended his fingers then closed them into a fist. He looked up and over the crowd surrounding him, watching the bursts of color exploding in the sky, blurring with the stars above. Someone nearby called, "the Omegas! Here come the Omegas!"

Whirling, his body moving as if in water: graceful yet slow, Loki watched as several men and women in white gowns or trousers were led, surrounded by guards in temple priest uniforms, towards the front door of the temple. The marble structure blazed in torchlight bedecked in colorful ribbons of every description, much like the crowd. Loki watched the group of Omegas, looking as excited as the crowd, as they disappeared inside the temple.

The sound of his mother's voice, Frigga, came over the crowd, silencing it though the excitement and roar of cheers thrummed over everything. Loki could clearly hear Frigga's soothing voice. "And the roster of Alphas has been submitted. The first pairing for the Omega Fertility Festival is . . ."

Her voice faded, as did the colorful crowd. Loki turned, water-slow, and blinked in the dimness of the narrow stone corridor. He began walking down the unknown area, comfortably aware that something, someone important waited at the end especially for him. He reached a wooden door with a glittering knob of brass, well cared for yet old, used often. A small smile of anticipation played over Loki's beautiful face and he reached out for the knob.

The room before him felt friendly and loving, a small, well kept stone chamber with woven rugs on the stone floor. By the chamber's double bed, beside a dresser with the top drawer open, stood a thin, raven-haired man with bright green eyes. He turned to a taller, beautiful blond man with red-brown eyes, holding a belt of worked leather, runes picked out along the length.

The blond touched his raven-haired companion's wrist. "It's beautiful, Farbauti."

"Passed down through the generations in my family, Laufey. This belt can allow the wearer to harness the elements." Farbauti smiled and began to wind the belt into a roll, careful, precise. "We may not be permitted to unite, my love, but I wish you to have this." The smaller man, the Beta priest, wrapped an emerald-colored silk over the belt then presented it to Laufey.

"I'll keep it with my father's wristlet," Laufey laughed, a sound of happiness, of freedom and love. "He says it holds iseidr/i to let him blank a mind and give it foreign thoughts. He made me promise never to use it."

Frowning, Farbauti shook his head, long curls brushing over the small of his back. "Laufey, that is a powerful artifact. It should be donated to the royal treasury so no one can be tempted to use it. Mind control . . . that is too strong for anyone to use."

Laufey shrugged graceful shoulders, "as if I would ever have need to use it. Relax, Farbauti love. I'll keep it safe and thus no one on the staff of the royal guard might be tempted by its power, either." Taking his lover's hand, the tall Omega asked, "what safer place for it then an Omega Tower?"

With a sigh, Farbauti leaned up to kiss Laufey's forehead. "Very well."

Raising a hand in protest, Loki opened his mouth. He had to warn the priest what Laufey would do, would become. Urgency welled inside, knotting his belly into cramping pain.

Another burst of pain shot through the raven-haired Omega, searing its way through his veins and muscles, causing him to jerk into a fetal position and cry out in agonized protest. Eyes squeezed tight, Loki sobbed out, "no! Don't . . . stop! Please, stop!"

"Loki!" A familiar voice, loud and filled with hope, broke over Loki in painful waves of pure sound. "He spoke! You heard him!"

Something harsh, rough, brushed over Loki's face and he cried out in protest again, "no!" Loki tried to brush it away but his arm felt heavy, his body sluggish. He felt trapped in heavy water, no longer ballet graceful, weighed down, waterlogged. "Move . . . can't move . . ."

"See? He's speaking! He's awake!" the voice dredged through Loki's head like claws.

"Calm down or I'll have you removed," a terse, calming voice rasped out from the edges, still painful but not digging into his skull. The raw feeling of that scratching roughness came again, a little less heavy, a little less harsh. "Yes, he iis/i responding. Go, make yourself useful you great boar. Tell them to stop the ceremony."

The large, vibrating presence Loki had been barely aware of suddenly dissipated and he could breath, the heaviness lifted for the time being. He sobbed softly and forced his eyes to open, surprised by the pain, the stiffness, the idifficulty/i of such a small act. His body felt slow, unwieldy, thick, and pain continued to radiate throughout his core.

Lady Eir sat by him, leaning over him with a frown of worry and a bitter tinge to her normal scent. She brushed a cloth over Loki's face, drawing another protest at the roughness, though it was, once more, a bit more yielding, less unpleasant. "Ah, a good response. You hear me, yes, my prince?"

As much effort as it took to open his eyes, Loki was delighted that making noises felt less so. He didn't even chance trying to form thoughts into words, but he did grunt in response, a sound from deep in his chest that dragged a cough out and left him weak and wracked with pain. Loki decided he didn't need the misery of sound after all; he could remain quiet. The pain coming from his guts and clawing over his back and chest, into his groin, distracted him from sound and sight as he slammed closed ice-green eyes.

"So, you are alert and responsive upon request. That qualifies as being awake and alive," Lady Eir commented, her tone dry yet relieved in some way. "Your timing is impeccable, yet again, my prince. The ceremony was supposed to be today. As always, you have managed to usurp such plans of Kings and have things your own way - - and with a rather dramatic flair I might add."

"Kings?" Loki rasped, hissing, falling into a low groan as his huge belly rippled in pain. iHuge?/i Eyes snapping open, Loki's hands immediately went to his abdomen, swollen so far he feared he might explode. iWhat happened to me? What about my baby?/i "Babe . . ." he rasped in a voice scratchy from disuse.

Lady Eir nodded and said, "we were about to take the babe."

"No!" Horror filled Loki's voice, anguish at the very idea of ending that little flicker of life no matter what ailed him. "Wrong . . . me?" Loki stumbled over his words, a rarity for the silver-tongued former prostitution instructor.

Soft, yet rapid, footsteps came from the hall, and Frigga hurried into the healing chamber. She stopped by her adopted son's side, one soothing hand going to caress over Loki's hair. "iAst/i, my son. You've awaken." She leaned over, head tilting to the side to look at him straight.

"Wrong . . . me . . . babe . . ." Loki desperately tried again.

Frigga glanced at Eir, and the healer smiled softly, a far different expression from the one most people often saw on her. "The babe is fine as far as iseidr/i can tell. And aside from your coma, you seem to be in fine health as well."

"Coma?" Loki blinked, the light no longer piercing, the sounds more soothing than raucous. "Sick?"

Stroking Loki's hair again, Frigga smiled. Loki realized she used her seidr to ease his traumatic waking, though his belly still seized and cramped. "You were knocked unconscious during the battle with Laufey. You were put into a iseidr/i coma to allow your infant the best chance of survival."

"Laufey!" Loki gasped. "Belt . . . wrist . . . has . . . iseidr/i!" The young prince struggled against his debilitating pain to sit, but he collapsed, gasping, "baby!"

"Calm, Loki," Lady Eir said. "You are in labor. The babe is fine."

Eyes widening further, more white then iris, Loki protested. "No . . . not yet! Not my baby!" Loki tried to curl, to protect his unborn child, though his large belly and the intense contractions made it almost impossible.

"Shh, iAst/i, my little love," Frigga cooed. "The babe is well. You've been in iseidr sleep/i for thirty-eight weeks. The baby is overdue for birth, that is all." She stroked his hair, meeting his eyes until her words broke through his fears.

"Thirty . . . it is time?" Loki's eyes flickered to Eir then back to the Allmother. "I slept through everything?"

"Loki - - iAst/i, listen to me. We must finish your infant's delivery. Lady Eir has already begun to weave the delivery iseidr/i. You must help her no matter how tired or pained you feel." Frigga moved her hand from Loki's head to his belly.

Sudden awareness struck the young man: he wore only a sheet and no clothing. "Mother," he gasped. "Help me?"

Frigga covered his hand with her free hand. "Breathe, Loki. Remember the flower. Breathe and weave with me. Together, we will ease your pain so Lady Eir may deliver the babe. Breathe."

Together the mother and son began to match their breaths. Their iseidr/i slowly twined together and formed a glowing net of pure energy nestled warmly over Loki's extended belly. The contractions seemed to bleed into one another by then and Loki gasped, letting out a sort of open-mouthed whimper. Warmth covered his belly and a tugging sensation, but the labor pains felt far worse than anything he'd ever suffered before, overshadowing the calm, soothing iseidr/i net.

"Loki," Eir's stern voice cut through his pain. "Do not push. Relax and breathe. Concentrate on the delivery net."

Ice-green eyes snapping to the Omega healer's, Loki obeyed, though with difficulty. He mentally felt for the iseidr/i layered over his belly and explored its warmth, the edges where it draped down his flanks, and the soft gentle tugging sensation. Latching onto that feeling, Loki concentrated on matching his own iseidr/i to it, weaving with Frigga's while ignoring his pain. Time lost meaning as Loki let the /iseidr/i comfort seep through him.

Then the pain stopped.

A loud, almost indignant wailing filled the chamber. Loki's eyes focused and widened at the sight of the tiny Aesir bundle in Lady Eir's hands. She transferred the infant to Loki, weaving a final bit of iseidr/i to finish the birthing process. Ignoring the healer in favor of his child, Loki began checking every limb, every finger, every toe. He smiled, tears coming to his eyes when he determined he'd delivered a very healthy, and loud, little girl.

Gently kissing her forehead, Loki cooed, "ah, little iAst/i, you are an angry one. You will be a grand princess, my daughter. A grand princess and someday queen." He looked up to the two watching women and said, "why does she cry so hard?"

"Hungry. It's hungry work being born." Lady Eir smiled and offered a bottle of infant formula, since an Omega male had no way to feed his infants. Loki took the small container and looked to his mother for advice. She chuckled and began to show him just how to feed his child, hold her, wrap her warmly, and the many thousands of other tasks any new parent had to learn. The three adults and one infant seemed unaware as yet more time passed.

Nuzzling the infant again as she sucked vigorously at her bottle, Loki smiled, his entire exhausted demeanour one of gentle love. He stroked a finger down her soft cheek, wonder in his ice-green eyes. "She's perfect," he breathed. The sound of running booted feet from the corridor had the new parent curling protectively around his newborn, one hand beginning to glow with green iseidr/i.

Thor pelted into the healing room, unshaven and lean from too few meals during his long vigils at his mate's side, dressed in shining scarlet and sapphire. "Loki! Ingoth said you awoke during the birthing?" Hope ranged through the man's tones, accompanied by relief.

"Thor?" Loki slowly uncurled, revealing the tiny infant. He lowered his hand. A second set of loud boots approaching brought Loki's hand back up, eyes wide and body protectively shielding his daughter once more.

Odin strode in, also in finery, frowning severely. His eye roved over the room then finally settled on the raven-haired Omega in the birthing bed. Crossing his arms, he boomed out, "well, I see you live. And the babe? Thor's son and heir?"

Loki didn't lower his iseidr/i-glowing hand. Instead, he called out, "the child lives and is healthy. Is Laufey detained? Stripped of his belt and wristlet?"

Studying Loki, still curled around the babe, Odin said, "Laufey is detained. He has been tried for his additional crimes and will be held permanently in the holding cells. If you or the babe had died, he would have been executed."

"And the belt? The wristlet?" Loki insisted, still not uncurling, though he did ease his iseidr/i and lower his hand.

"Farbauti's elemental belt is among the artifacts in the royal treasury now. It was confiscated upon capturing Laufey. May," Odin stepped one pace closer to the bed, "may I see my grandchild . . . please?" His tone sounded softer than a moment before.

The new dam finally uncurled and allowed the Allfather to see the wrapped infant. Tiny eyes opened, revealing a vibrant blue. Her hair, a raven black fuzz only, seemed to cover her entire body, not just her head, drawing a frown from Odin and a worried glance towards the women present. While the infant yawned in contentment, Odin asked, "is he furry?"

Lady Eir gave Odin an indecipherable look and said, "all infants are covered in fine hair as a protective cover. It falls out in the first few days. Normally, the fuzz is not so dark, but it will not remain on the child. Even your own sons had baby fuzz, Allfather."

"As long as the babe is healthy," Odin conceded, earning a smile from the women. The Allfather reached down to very carefully stroke a large hand over the infant's tiny head. "And he is healthy? No signs of problems from the attack and long iseidr/i sleep?"

Thor sank to a seat beside his mate on the bed and replaced Odin's hand with his own, wonder in his vivid blue eyes. Loki met his eyes and smiled at the look of relief in Thor's face. The larger man leaned in to capture Loki's lips in a gentle kiss. Humming in pleasure, Loki nuzzled at Thor's neck and sighed, but he couldn't relax knowing Laufey was very much a danger still. He pulled away and looked over to Odin once more. "Allfather, please, did someone confiscate Laufey's wristlet?"

Odin looked over and sighed, shaking his head. "All things Laufey carried or wore were confiscated. There was no wristlet."

"What wristlet should we have looked for, iAst/i?" Frigga asked, laying a hand on the young prince's shoulder.

He looked up at his mother and sighed, "Laufey has a wristlet he acquired from his ancestors." Shifting ice-green eyes to glance at Odin then back at Frigga, Loki said, "but if he didn't have it, that is fine." He met Frigga's eyes, trying to get across his worry without alerting Odin.

The woman seemed in-tune with her adopted son; she smiled and lifted her hand to stroke his hair. "Odin, you have seen your grandchild, Thor's heir. You have seen Thor's mate is well. Go tell those who have come for the wedding the good news, Allfather. There will be rejoicing. Our people worried much over the outcome of Loki's birthing."

Snorting softly, Odin nodded and said, "I shall visit again tonight. After Loki has rested. Consider a name for the boy." The elder man smiled suddenly, delight and pride in his blue eyes. He turned and strode quickly from the room.

After a long few minutes, Frigga asked, "why do you ask about a wristlet, Loki?"

"Laufey's wristlet can channel his seidr so he controls other's thoughts and actions." Loki slid to a sitting position, Thor helping him with a surprised, worried look. "Mother, I saw it. I fear he's controlling the Allfather."

"But no wristlet was found," Thor reiterated, stroking Loki's back, his other hand still cupping their daughter's small head. The infant blinked and yawned again, turning her head enough to nuzzle at the warm, large hand, drawing a smile of wonder from the large man, easily distracting the new father.

"And he was searched, Thor? Inside as well as out?" Loki pressed, urgency in his tone. "There are many places one might hide something small.

Slowly, Thor drew his attention from the baby girl and said, "no . . . not inside. He wasn't searched iin/i his body, Loki."

"That oversight needs to be remedied immediately," Loki let out a low growl, his baby protected in the curve of his arm. "And it needs to be quickly, before he can think to have the Allfather stop the search!"

Thor looked to his mother, but she had already left the room, her steps as quick and sure as when she went to battle. Thor laid a hand on his lover's head and instructed, "remain here, Loki. I will check into this."

Watching as his mother, lover, and others left the room, Loki frowned. He could not rest until he saw his birth mother had truly been stripped of power and could not threaten him or his any longer. Easing out of bed, Lady Eir wisely aiding him rather than stopping him, Loki leaned into the woman for a long moment, drained of energy as much as directly after the birthing. He looked to the older Omega who looked back, face stoic.

"You will regain your strength. It takes much energy to birth an infant. But, if you insist on going to this search, you will have to adjust." Lady Eir never lowered her eyes, though one arm came around the weakened younger Omega.

"I ineed/i to see, Lady Eir," Loki said, softly, cuddling his infant to him. Vaguely, he felt surprise and delight at how quiet his daughter remained. He could tell she lived and breathed steadily so did not fear the quiet was from some illness.

With a nod, the healer guided the prince out of the Healer's Hall and towards the distant prison level. It was certain they would not get there in time to watch, but Lady Eir and Loki walked steadily onward, an eeriness and silence growing as they got closer to the prison level stairs. Exchanging a look without words, the pair slowly made their way down the stairs, unease increasing with each step.

Once at the bottom step the pair saw utter havoc: several guards were wounded or unconscious and there was no energy shield on Laufey's cell. Neither were there signs of Laufey, Frigga, Thor, or Ingolf. A dagger of ice stabbed through Loki's veins and he curled his infant protectively against his chest, wishing suddenly he had thought to leave her in safety in case of this very outcome. Without a word, the prince and the healer hurried back up the steps, hoping to hide in their delicate, precarious positions.

Heading towards the protection of the healing hall once more, neither Loki nor Eir spoke, trying to remain as silent and stealthy as possible.

Rounding a corner, near their intended hiding spot, a door splintered inward, eliciting a wail from the infant. Loki quickly covered her mouth, careful, instinctively, to leave her nose free for breathing. He held his daughter close, slipping without qualm behind Lady Eir as a shield. Fandral fell through the destroyed door and lay, bleeding and unconscious, melting ice encasing most of his torso and sword arm.

Eir turned to hurry Loki back the way they had come, whispering harshly, "hide in the nursery or the library. I will hold them from you." they didn't know who Laufey had aiding him, except perhaps Odin, but any aid would be more than dangerous for the insane neutered Omega.

Shaking his head, Loki made a quickie decision, thrusting his babe into the older Omega's hands. "Run and hide, leave the palace if you must. The princess lives at all costs, Eir. Now!" His voice held the command of hundreds of hours teaching people far older and of higher ranks than he, demanding instant obedience on pain of some undefined punishment. Loki gave the woman a turn and pushed her towards the kitchen corridors. "If you can, Find Hildegund."

The healer didn't protest, too wise to defy the young prince. He was correct. Thor's heir must be protected and Loki was in no shape to do so. Lady Eir hurried off, muffling the babys confused, terrified wails as she went.

Stepping hurriedly over Fandral's unconscious form, not sparing a thought whether his friend be dead or merely injured, Loki slipped into the vast healing hall. He immediately hurried to his own long-term sick bed and started searching, pulling open drawers and cabinet doors until he found what he sought: Angurvadal.

Carefully belting the leather around his non-too-slim waist, Loki felt the comfortable lie of the sheath on his thigh. He pulled his robes closed once more, not taking time to dress further. Resting his hand over his abdomen, a clenching feeling seizing softly inside and below turning his stomach, Loki strode carefully from the healing hall and once more into the vast corridor lined by doors leading into the courtyard. Fandral lay there still, bleeding from a head wound, the ice melted completely from his fine-clothed warrior's frame.

Growing, Loki realized that Laufey had timed things to interrupt yet another wedding. He hoped whomever the couple were, they would be able to get past this and marry once the emergency had ended. The tall, lithe raven-haired Omega carefully worked his way through the broken door and into the courtyard, taking a moment to adjust to the sight before him: Odin and Laufey, not quite side by side but definitely on the isame/i side. Across the courtyard, perhaps halfway, were Thor, Ingoth, Vostagg, Hogun, Sif, and Frigga, all in their damaged wedding finery, and Baldur, dressed in mud-caked, blood-soaked white robes. Between Odin's spear and Laufey's hastily grabbed sword - - Fandral's by the look, the pair held off the others readily enough with Baldur seeming to have taken the brunt of any attacks.

Loki reached under his robe to draw his dagger, her light shining bright and icy true as he pulled her from her sheath and exposed her to the waning sunlight. A soft hum filled him, below hearing range, and he knew Angurvadal sang in approval.

"You!" Laufey apparently noticed the light and Loki at that time. "You should be dead!" He growled and turned towards his son, hefting the sword in a long trained grip, proving he had more than prepared for a confrontation with his enemies. The tall blue-skinned Omega broke away from the main attack and headed swiftly to confront Loki.

Thor screamed out, "No! Leave him alone!" and turned as well, abandoning the confrontation with his own father in favor of protecting his mate. He limped, revealing a bloody gash down his thigh once more, and limped towards the man closing on his prey.

i'He really has to learn to protect that side,'/i Loki thought absently as he circled further away from Laufey, towards the others, knowing strength lay with the group and not alone. He did not say anything, neither taunting or pleading, merely watching warily as they moved, as some life-sized strategy game unfolding in the entry of the palace.

A light radiated from the group, sliding over Loki for an instant before centering on Laufey and causing the man to stumble and flign an arm up to cover his eyes. Bladur, surprisingly closer than expected, called out, "Loki, Thor, to me!"

The brothers met as a group, the rest of the group concentrating on bringing down the Allfather without permanently harming him. Thor hefted Mjolnir and Baldur wielded Svalinn, both trying to get between Laufey with his sword and Loki, protected by the dagger only.

Suddenly, the tiny respite shattered as Laufey threw out his hand and shot a handful of jagged ice chunks towards the men, deflected by Baldur's shield. Thor began to swing Mjolnir in her arching spiral, but Laufey knew that trick by now and tossed another hand of sharp ice towards the blond warrior's face, causing him to duck, breaking his rhythm. The Omega threw an arrogant sneer towards the youngest prince, calling, "and what do you wish to do? Throw your dagger at me?"

Considering with lightning fast thoughts, his ever quick mind seizing on something, Lloki called out, "if you insist." He lifted Angurvadal in his left hand, paused for a precise throw, pulled back his hand, and shot his right in a wide swing from the hip, letting loose a dagger of sharpest, coldest, blue-green ice at the same time he released his steel dagger with the strength and precision of long practice.

Surprise seemed to ripple over Laufey's features as he blocked Angurvadal but not his son's ice. It slipped past uncertain defenses and pierced his right lung, cutting deep, barely missing the Omega's heart. Taking a stuttering, blood-filled gasp, shock vibrated over Laufey and he looked at Loki with confusion and deep hatred.

And like that, as quickly as Loki had arrived, Laufey's battle ended as the man crumpled, bleeding and gasping, to the ground, a stain forming quickly and growing. Baldur fell to his knees and tore an intricately woven wristlet from the larger man's wrist.

Odin let out a scream and crumpled to the ground, the persuasion of Laufey's iseidr/i-driven mind control ripped from him painfully. His eyes rolled back and he fell into a deep iseidr/i sleep, the iOdinSleep/i. Frigga dropped to the side of her husband, checking for life and calling firm instructions for his care and that of the other combatants.

Hardly believing such a battle could end within seconds, Loki stood poised, ready for another attack, his adrenaline pumping through him in rushing jolts of strength, speed, and wary attention. He whirled at the sound of approaching guards, letting out a near feral growl, ready for whatever trick Laufey had conjured next.

But an attack didn't come. Instead, Thor limped towards his overstimulated mate and held up both hands, letting Mjolnir drop to dangle by her cord from his wrist. His lips moved, as if he spoke, but no sound appeared to emerge.

Loki shook his head, unable to comprehend through the roar of adrenaline. He could see Thor approaching, see his lips move, but Loki heard nothing. He shot out another ice dagger towards Laufey, on the ground and unresponsive, calling, "it is a trick! Do not trust him!" The battle icouldn't/i be over so quickly, so . . . almost peacefully.

Thor sidestepped the ice missile, though it wasn't exactly aimed at him, and kept coming, still trying to say something to his mate, something Loki couldn't or wouldn't hear.

A sudden sharp stab of hot pain pierced Loki's neck and confusion filled him, a lethargy all too familiar and feared welling up. He looked up at Thor, betrayal filling his eyes as he realized he'd been drugged - - before falling unconscious into the dirt.

ibxxx/b/i

This time there were no dreams. And waking did not bring pain or even loss of self. This time, upon opening his vibrant ice-green eyes, Loki felt only calm and rested. He blinked slowly and tilted his head to the side. He blinked again at the sight of Thor sitting in the chair at his bedside, their tiny infant dwarfed in the large warrior's arms.

Thor studied his face warily and softly asked, "are you hurting, little one?"

Loki swallowed and carefully pushed to a sitting position, the final battle rushing through his mind. "It is over? It was . . . so quick? One strike . . ."

"By the time you had joined, we'd hit Laufey pretty hard, Loki," Thor answered honestly. "It didn't take much more to fell him, and an ice dagger to the lung was almost overkill."

At the dark-haired man's startled look, Thor hurried to assure, "Laufey lives, Loki, and is imprisoned once more. This time he was searched, inside and out, and no more tricks were found. He is no threat at this time, but Mother wishes to reconsider his sentence and if he is too dangerous to live."

"Mother wishes?" Loki shook his head, surprised again at the lack of pain, the lack of illness from his drugged sleep. The infant made restless, unhappy whimpers, and Loki reached for her instinctively.

Thor passed her over with care and answered, "yes. Father is in a coma. They call it iOdinSleep/i. He will awaken when he is healed, I am told. Mother rules in his place." Thor's summer sky eyes watched intently as Loki pulled back the wrappings and checked over their infant. "You did not tell me we have a daughter, little one. A fine princess." He sounded as proud as he looked.

Glancing up at Thor, Loki relaxed at the man's apparent delight. He smiled and softly said, "does it matter what I birthed? It did to the Allfather."

"Ah, but I am not Allfather. Not for a long time," Thor chuckled. "And I am very content that our first born be a female and future queen. I hope she is every bit as strong as beautiful as her dam."

Loki couldn't help but preen under his lover's praises. He chuckled softly and murmured, "idiot." Kissing his fussing daughter's head, he ordered Thor, "find formula and bottle. Our daughter is hungry."

A near panic seemed to seize the big former gladiator as he rose and began a desperate search for the unfamiliar items, Loki chuckling as he tried to verbally guide the large blond. After several long, amusedly tense minutes, Thor held the bottle and the babe, feeding ehr as Loki instructed, wonder in his summer sky eyes. He seemed in awe of the tiny infant, and Loki knew she would rule her father's heart.

He didn't mind.

Slipping from the bed, realizing he was still disgusting from the brief battle. Loki frowned and imperiously claimed, "I am going to bathe. Don't let her get sick." He saw Lady Eir entering the room and relaxed, knowing she would help.

Loki headed towards the bathing chamber attached to the private birthing room and stripped from the robe as he strode into the shower, kicking the material back onto the chamber floor. He started the hot water and braced his hands on the wall, bowing his head, letting hot rivers of water cascade over tired muscles. He let his mind wander as the dirt and tension washed away, letting the shower soothe him. He was safe and loved.

He was home.

xxx

FIN