Author notes: To the guest who left me reviews on the first chapter. Thank you for your detailed comments. However, this story and these characters are purely based on the MCU versions, not the standard Norse Mythology which I don't know that much about, to be honest. I am not writing a historical documentary here. So like it or not, MCU Loki has blue eyes, not green - and since it was never stated that Odin was half Frost Giant in the MCU, I am just going to assume he isn't. The MCU is clearly only loosely based on the Nordic tales - especially since they changed Hela into Loki's sister instead of his daughter in Thor; Ragnarok. That much I do know. But I love how passionate you are about it all. ;)
2 YEARS OLD
Loki turns two years old before Frigga is finally done perfecting his concealment charm.
It's a long tedious process; layers upon layers of hexes and spells within spells. It takes her hours of work every day to achieve; altering a person's genetic code is no small feat. Even for a Queen of Asgard and especially because she can't trust Loki's true identity with any of her aids; they can't gamble with a secret this big getting out so she's totally on her own. In the end, though, she manages to turn his Frost Giant DNA completely dormant, thus allowing the Asgardian facade to become his dominant trait. Of course, she could have just put a stronger glamour on him, but maintaining such a mirage on a day-to-day basis for centuries just isn't feasible; the risk of exposure too great.
There's not much left of Odin's original hex when she's done, but she's made sure to respect her husband's wish regarding the question of what Loki should look like. They have never talked about it; they didn't have to. She knows her King well enough. It was obvious from the first moment she laid eyes on the child that Loki was going to favor the King in appearance, and since Odin never does anything at random, it was a deliberate choice. She suspects it makes it easier for him to connect with their adoptive son if he sees a bit of himself in Loki. Frigga doesn't have that problem, but she also doesn't hold it against her husband. Odin has been fighting the Frost Giants for so long that the dislike for the race is innate within him; it must be difficult to not see the echo of the enemy hiding beneath the surface whenever he interacts with Loki.
However, if there is one aspect that they do feel the same about, it's the importance of making sure that Loki never finds out what he is until they're ready to tell him. That experience is bound to be traumatic enough as it is. She can't imagine what would happen if Loki were to accidentally stumble upon the truth. This is the main reason it's taken her so long to perfect his disguise.
She wanted to be certain that it would hold indefinitely; no matter what fate might befall her or her husband in the future, and even in the case of Loki's own death. Also, if he were ever to enter a space completely void of magical influence, it wouldn't make a difference either since he's been changed on a fundamental level; what has been done to him goes way beyond a simple illusion.
His molecular structure truly is Asgardian at this point and he won't turn back no matter what; she's made sure of it.
Of course, she should have known better than to believe anything is failproof.
It's a few weeks later when Frigga decides to take Loki with her down to the vault. She likes to go down there when she needs to think. It's quiet and soothing and most importantly, deserted. Being a Queen doesn't allow her much time to herself and the vault is one of her few escapes.
She's only brought Loki since Thor rapidly becomes restless without the distraction of all his fancy toys, and a bored Thor is a fussy Thor. Her oldest son doesn't appear to have much of a patient nature while her youngest seems quite content in his own company. Loki always finds ways to entertain himself while Thor demands her attention every five minutes.
At the young age of two years old, it's already apparent to her that her two sons are total opposites; not just in looks but also in personality. She hopes they will still be able to bond, and it won't become a problem as they grow older. Not only because their future peace treaty plan depends on the two of them forming a solid connection but also because she desires a strong and true family unit; she wants them to genuinely love each other and vows to do everything in her power to make that happen.
Loki is sitting on her arm; his long black curls falling in soft waves and framing his angelic face while his pale fingers play with the emerald necklace around her neck. His clear blue eyes are completely focused on the sparkly green stones; he seems fascinated with anything that has the color green. It reminds her of someone else that they said goodbye to long ago, but she tries not to think about it. Loki is nothing like Hela.
She puts her son down on a table with some objects Odin recovered from Jotunheim; they are yet to be sorted and categorized and the thought that any of it could cause a problem in regards to Loki doesn't even occur to her. Looking back, it should have. She knows better than most how volatile magic can be. Sometimes it's like it has a mind of its own. Sometimes it rebels. You never can be absolutely sure what it will do.
It's not her job to go through these relics, Odin has told her a thousand times, but she enjoys it, and besides, the servants need the help; they are so far behind. She picks up something that looks like an intricate blue box and examines it; it has a shiny blue tesseract inside it and she recognizes it for what it is. The Jotuns call it the Casket of Ancient Winters. She knows it's fairly powerful but not severely dangerous, so she puts it down next to her son and turns to pick up a gorgeous piece of ceramics.
She has only turned her back for a few seconds when Loki lets out the cutest little giggle. She smiles before facing him again but as soon as she sees him, her smile freezes on her face and her eyes widen in shock. In front of her sits a baby Frost Giant; Loki is completely blue, an intricate pattern etched into his skin and his eyes shine with red instead of blue. She drops the vase, and it smashes on the floor into a thousand pieces.
"Loki." She breathes and reaches out to touch him, but his skin is icy, and she withdraws her hand as if burned before the frostbite sets in. She knows he didn't mean to hurt her. That he has no idea what he is even doing but it startles her anyway. "How is this possible?" She whispers to herself. She was so certain she had covered all the bases, so why did he suddenly revert back? What did I overlook?
She has never seen him like this, and she didn't think it would have this effect on her, but it does. Not in a bad way though. Yes, it's a little shocking but only because she didn't expect it. Loki is actually quite gorgeous, even in this state. Unlike her husband, she has never been repulsed by the appearance of the Frost Giants. There are far worse creatures out there. The dark Elves, for example. Something about them has always made her uneasy. She doesn't know why but the feeling she gets around them feels almost ominous. It's like her most primal instincts or maybe the universe itself is trying to give her some kind of warning that she is yet to decipher.
Loki seems entranced by his new blue skin; he's staring at his right hand with a big toothy grin on his face while the left is resting on the blue casket. Her son giggles delightedly before letting go of the artifact in favor of poking his own arm, and suddenly his skin changes again. She watches, amazed, as his Asgardian complexion slowly creeps back along his body until there's no trace of blue left, except for in his eyes.
Interesting. Loki seems disappointed and confused though, and it's not long before he starts wailing.
"Oh, my poor boy." She is quick to pick him up and soothe him, grateful that he is still young enough that he will soon forget all about this. "It's okay, baby." She rocks him back and forth until his cries die down and then she looks at him again. "Did you like the blue?" He looks up at her with big wet eyes and nods. "So did I. You're beautiful to me in any form. You always will be." She smiles at him and kisses his cheek which earns her a tiny smile in return. He's so precious. So innocent. He doesn't deserve what has been done to him. What they have stolen from him.
She sighs and puts him back on the table before bending down to brush a curl off his forehead. "It shouldn't have to be this way." She cubs his face in her hand, tilting his head up to look at her. "I wish you could live your life being your true self but it's just not safe."
She's talking to him like an adult, knowing full well he can't understand most of what she's saying, but it makes her feel better.
She then spends the next hour handing Loki items from Jotunheim but only the casket seems to dispel her magic. She is not sure how or why and it worries her. She can't seem to fix the issue either. In the end, she concludes that it's a magical loophole and the only thing they can do is make sure to keep Loki far away from it. If it was up to Frigga, the casket would be destroyed; she thinks it's too risky to keep it around, but her husband won't hear of it. Instead, Odin doubles the guards by the vault that same night; makes sure they understand that the princes are not allowed entry, and even though she misses his company, she never brings Loki down there with her again.
No one questions this new rule. After all, it makes sense. The vault contains a lot of valuable and dangerous items, it's not a playground suited for children; lest they break something or hurt themselves. But once again the Royal Family is lying to the people they have sworn to protect, and not for the first time Frigga can't help but wonder when this house of cards they have built will come crashing down around them.