Thankfully, the Allfather wasn't occupied, at the moment, and could immediately devote all his attention to the two brothers. It wasn't something that happened often, so Thor was grateful. Loki, of course, was oblivious, and burst into a sunbeam of smiles, and immediately ran forward, and scrambled up onto Odin's lap.

"Father!" He grinned, clapping his hands cheerfully.

"What in the Nine?" Odin's eye widened, and he looked to his firstborn for an explanation. "What child is this?"

Thor sighed, and bit his lip. Here went nothing, he supposed. "That's Loki, Father."

"I'm little, now." Loki helpfully supplied.

"Why?" The king demanded, incredulity over every line. "And… how?"

Thor shook his head. "We don't know. I just walked down to the cell, and found him like that. Small. Cute."

"Not!" Loki corrected with indignation. "I'm a mighty warrior! Warriors aren't cute!"

Odin and Thor shared a glance, both of them clearly overwhelmed by the cuteness. "It could be a trick." Loki solemnly intoned. "I could be going to murder you all in your sleep." A thoughtful pause. "But then I'd be awful lonely…"

"Is it a trick?" Odin turned to the small child, who was one of the two children in the history of Asgard who could be comfortable on the old king's lap, and had made himself very much so.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think so. I don't feel tricky." Just to make sure, he patted at his face in concern, feeling for Norns only know what. "Nope! No tricks, today!"

Just as it had convinced Thor, it convinced Odin. The precious innocence, the overwhelming optimism, despite the fact that he could be moments away from being sentenced to death, it was too much. Whatever this was, it was not a trick.

"He lacks all his memories." Thor explained. "He doesn't even know what he did, Father. You can't punish him for something he's no longer guilty of, right? It would be a breach of justice."

Loki stared up at his Father's face in worry. "You're not gonna give me a spanking, are you? Or send me to bed with no supper? I'm good now, I promise."

Odin smiled fondly, and patted Loki's head. "No. I shan't punish you. The real question," He turned back to Thor, "Is what to do with him, now."

Thor could only helplessly shrug. The palace hadn't had a child in it for years, and it would be more difficult to convince the staff of Loki's innocence. His whole youth, he had tormented them relentlessly, and by now, they were ready to blame anything and everything on the younger prince. Besides that, they'd have to arrange for tutors, hire a tailor to make new clothes for him, find the toys they'd packed away when he was a youth, and generally brace themselves for another childhood of the mischievous Trickster. There was probably more to be done, but Thor honestly didn't know what raising a child entailed, to a full extent.

They could only hope the effects of whatever had turned him into a child were temporary.

But, then again… if they had a second chance, here, a true way to start over, and mend the wrongs they'd done him, that was not an opportunity to be thrown away lightly. They might be able to be happy, again, together, and leave the Incident on Midgard behind them forever.

Of course, they would tell him what he'd done, eventually, and they'd tell him of his heritage, obviously at a much younger age, when he could wreak less destruction in his grief. Or, perhaps, that would avoid any grief, altogether.

Secrets, this time around, were to be avoided at all costs. They did no one any good, anyway.

"We'll have to speak to your mother about this." Odin sighed. "But she's engaged, at a council meeting with the board of security, presently. Perhaps we can discuss this over supper."

Loki gently tugged on Odin's sleeve, and restlessly squirmed.

"In the meantime, Thor, please go get him some properly-fitting clothes from the tailor." Odin went on, all business. "And keep him safe and occupied the rest of the day."

"Father…" Loki whispered, an embarrassed flush rising to his cheeks.

"Yes, what is it?" Odin turned to him patiently.

Loki wriggled, again, and spoke in hushed tones. "May I be 'xcused? I gotta go potty…"

"Of course." Loki slipped off his father's lap, and took Thor's hand, once more, cheerfully dragging his brother in the direction of the washroom.

The tailor hadn't strictly needed to know who Loki was, so, to save time, and possible heartache, as even Loki's name was a source of disdain for the staff, especially since Midgard, Thor hadn't told him. For all the tailor knew, the child he had measured for clothing was a random urchin off the street Thor had adopted.

He was a master at his skill, and, to Loki's fascination, he was finished with the first outfit in only forty-five minutes. Loki had no shoes, but he didn't seem to mind running around bare-foot.

Keep him safe and occupied, Odin had instructed. Where could the little Trickster play where he would be safe, until supper? They had a whole day to waste.

He recalled the two of them playing in the gardens, in their youth, so he took his small brother out to the luscious beds of flowers, trees, and all manner of vegetation. Loki had always loved it, here. It was his second-favorite place on the palace grounds, only trumped by the library.

Could this version of Loki even read?

Now that was a thought… Loki, unable to read? Had there ever been a time, or was his brother born with his nose in a book?

"Play with me, Brother!" He pleaded, tugging on the Thunderer's trouser leg to shake him from his thoughts.

"Very well." Thor smiled at the sunny expression on his small face. "What shall we play?" He hadn't exactly played make-believe, or such things, in years, but perhaps he hadn't quite lost the ability. Anything to keep the little boy happy.

"Hide and seek?" He suggested, bouncing on his toes hopefully. "I can be seeker first!"

Darling little thing. Of course he would remember how Thor had always wanted to be the one to hide, despite how terrible he was at it, for Loki was a master at this game, and being seeker mainly consisted of searching half-heartedly for twenty minutes, then giving up, only to find he'd been standing behind you the whole time with a wicked grin on his face.

"Alright." Thor agreed. "No illusions, though, that's cheating."

Loki only blinked up in confusion. "Illusions?" He furrowed his tiny brow. "What's that?"

This… this was before Loki had even learned how to use his sedir. Loki without magic seemed as much of a contradiction of terms as day with no sun, or a tree with no trunk. It had been a part of him as long as Thor could remember. Apparently, he had a shorter memory than he thought, though, as this meant Loki hadn't known how to do this when Thor was seven.

"Never mind." He shook his head. "How long are you counting?"

"Elevnty?" Loki blinked up innocently. "Is that enough time?"

"That's not a number!" Thor protested.

"It is, too!"

"Is not!"

"Is, too!"

"Not!"

"Is!"

"Not!"

"Thor?" Volstagg's voice spoke up behind him in confusion. "Why are you arguing with a toddler?"

Loki looked up, and blushed furiously. "I'm not a toddler…" He muttered, plopping down on the grass with a huff. "Just small…"

"Oh, Volstagg!" Thor grinned cheerfully, and stood up. He hadn't seen his friend in days, and was eager to catch up. "It's good to see you, my friend! How have you been?"

"Pretty well." Volstagg's eyes were remained on the still-pouting Trickster. "Who's this?"

The prince mentally groaned, and lowered his voice. "It's Loki. He doesn't remember anything. Don't mention Midgard, or the coronation to him, and I'll be much obliged."

The warrior stared in disbelief. "How?"

"We're still working on that." He sighed, then spoke up so that Loki could hear him. "I'm about to play hide and seek with him, though. Would you like to play?"

The tiny prince looked up in awe. "Your friend wants to play? With me?"

"Sure, why not?" Volstagg beamed down. "I just so happen to be very good at this game."

Loki's adorable grin spread across his face, once more, and he scrambled to his feet, brushing twigs and leaves from his clothes. "What's your name?" He bounded up next to Thor. "I'm Loki! It's nice to meet you! You don't think I'm too small, do you?"

"Of course not." Volstagg grinned. Thor should have thought of his friend earlier, honestly. The warrior was amazing with children, what with having three of his own. "My name's Volstagg."

"Thor doesn't think eleventy is a real number." Loki grumbled, crossing his arms in frustration. "But it is, isn't it? Cause ten times seven is seventy. Ten times nine is ninety. So ten times eleven has got to be eleventy! Right?"

Volstagg and Thor shared an impressed glance. Even though he was technically wrong, they had to admit that most six-year-old children didn't even know what multiplication was, let alone be able to make deductions like that.

"So, you'll count to eleven ten times, to get to eleventy?" Volstagg guessed, to which Loki eagerly nodded. "Well, I don't know, I'm terrible at mathematics. But it seems reasonable to me." He sent a wink Thor's way.

With a gleeful giggle, Loki knelt down on the grass, and buried his face into his hands. "One… two… three…"

Thor and Volstagg shared another glance, but this one stated, we're going to get slaughtered at this game, before they fled in opposite directions.

Almost three hours flew by, with Loki winning almost every game, and letting them win the others, after Thor began feeling a little put out. He was certainly having fun, and, for the most part, staying out of trouble, save the fact that his clothes were frightfully dirty, and, thanks to a well-placed rose bush, ripped in places. Eventually, Volstagg had to leave to attend to his duties, elsewhere, and after that Loki seemed a little cranky.

It was a rather warm day, and he was most likely overheating, as Thor recalled he was likely to do, in his childhood, and, despite his cranky protests that he was fine, there was nothing wrong with him, he could still play, Thor managed to convince him to go indoors, where he'd be more comfortable.

After a quick luncheon, (one which contained minimal vegetables; Thor had no wish for a battle so soon after his last, and Loki absolutely loathed his greens) Loki sprawled out on the floor of Thor's room, cheerfully coloring cheerful doodles on scraps of parchment, as Thor worked through the stack of paperwork, awaiting at his desk.

Thor, doing paperwork? Surely, it could never be. But the truth is, being the firstborn son of a king is not all fun and games. Thor had many legal matters and princely duties to attend to, and despite the Allfather's orders to care for his brother, he had to get them finished, as he'd been putting many of them off for a week, already.

Loki considered all this to be "boring adult stuff", and vehemently proclaimed as much when Thor jokingly tried to get him to help him. When he had been older, however, Thor recalled how he'd been exceptionally good at tending to the commoner's desires, almost to the point that he enjoyed the paperwork.

Sometimes, Thor really wished he was the one gifted with a strong mind, instead of body.

Two hours passed with the only noise being Loki's cheerful humming, and the soft scratch of quill on paper, until Thor looked up to see the shadows had lengthened, and Loki was sound asleep, his head resting on his arms.

With a soft smile, Thor scooped up the tiny boy, and laid him against his pillows. It would be alright for him to nap until supper. After all, he'd had a rather long, confusing day. Come to think of it, watching a rambunctious six-year-old all day was exhausting, as well, and the writing for hours had made his hand sore and his eyes crossed.

Perhaps he could use a nap, as well.

An hour later, Odin sent a servant to fetch his two sons for the evening meal.

From the snores behind the door, Thor was obviously asleep, but when the young servant pushed past it, intending to rouse him, she found him sprawled across his bed, one arm around his small brother, who contently leaned against his brother's ribcage, lips parted as he slumbered, his hand tightly wrapped around a lock of Thor's hair.

TheOnlyHuman.