"Momma, it's disgusting." Loki pushed the green vegetables around on his plate. He had already eaten his soup course, his salad course, his fish, and his bread. Dinner was already a boring affair for a young child, with all those courses, and only the dessert to look forward to.

Frigga sighed. These arguments over green vegetables were becoming tedious. "Loki, it is good for you. And you cannot have your cake if you do not eat all of your dinner. Cook has made your favorite—apple cake with cinnamon swirl."

Across the table, Thor shoveled the last of his food into his mouth, chewing and swallowing loudly before smirking at Loki. Loki stuck out his tongue at Thor, earning himself a raised brow from his mother. Thor smiled sweetly. "I finished my food, Mother."

Frigga turned her head to Thor. "Very good job, my dear. When we are all finished, we will have our dessert."

Thor's smile faded. "All?"

Frigga nodded. "All."

Thor glowered at Loki. "Hurry up and eat, Brother."

Loki continued to push the vegetables around his plate. It was his turn to smirk at his brother.

Odin snapped his fingers, calling for their plates to be removed. "My queen and I will have the cake, if you please." The servant cast a surreptitious glance at Frigga, who shook her head as she patted her lips with her napkin.

"My love, I said only when we have all finished our meals do we get our cake."

Odin shot her a look, his brows nearly reaching his hairline. "But my dear…"

"Don't you 'but my dear' me. I said all and I meant all."

Now Odin was glaring at Loki, who smiled impishly at his father. Odin harrumphed. "Well, get on with it, son. We all want our cake."

Loki sighed and placed a piece of vegetable into his mouth, chewing and swallowing, nearly choking. Frigga turned to one of the servants, calling for tea to be served. As she looked away, Odin pointed at Loki's dish. Most of the vegetables disappeared. Odin cast an eye at Loki, urging him to put the last bit in his mouth. Loki complied, chewing more quickly when he discovered the vegetables tasted like the most decadent vanilla cream. He smiled at Odin as he finished chewing and swallowed the bite, now disappointed that Odin had made the rest of the vegetables disappear.

"Loki! You finished. I'm very proud of you." He turned and beamed at his mother, noting Thor's black look and crossed arms. As Frigga turned once more, to call for the dessert this time, he stuck out his tongue at Thor again, quickly returning his face to angelic before Frigga could catch him. The servants placed the tea and then the cakes before them, and Thor's glare was quickly replaced by a smile as he and Loki tore into their dessert.