Hello everyone! Merry Christmas, Boxing Day and a happy new year unto you all! I hope you're all having a great Christmas! As a late present, I have finally got the chance to update Back To School for all you faithful followers! Hooray! I hope you enjoy the 2nd part of Thor and Loki's banishment! Enjoy! Merry Christmas and a happy new year! :-D

Jasminta Blossom- You'll have to see what happens to George... ;-) And yes, poor Merc does do drugs, you'll have to wait to see why.

Guest- You'll get plenty of Loki in this chapter! Mercutio's not going to die, and certainly not by It. He may not be real, remember?... Or is he?...

Loki watched as Thor left the training arena, his dark green eyes scanning the blonde son of Odin carefully. As Thor stepped out of the arena and into the sunlight, Loki slithered out of the shadows and pounced on his prey.

"Brother," he purred, a sly smile snaking its way onto his lips as he materialised next to him, "good day to you."

Thor seemed amused and raised a blonde eyebrow with interest. "Why hello, Loki. What do you want?" He grinned.

"Nothing but to speak to you, dear brother. As all siblings should."

Thor started to walk away. "Whatever it is, I'm not interested, brother. I do not wish to get involved in another one of your fatalistic schemes."

"They're not all fatalistic, Thor!" Loki started to

say as he ran to catch up with his quick-strided brother. "Some are quite successful!"

Thor rolled his eyes. "No, Loki. I'm not interested. Sorry."

Loki stopped in his tracks. "Not even for Sigyn, brother?" he asked carefully.

That made Thor stop in the tracks of his own. He slowly turned around. "What about Sigyn? Is she in danger?"

"She will be if she marries Theoric, brother."

"Theoric is a brave warrior. He is strong and able to kill over 100 Jotuns. I think that makes him perfectly able to make sure that Sigyn is safe, Loki."

"No! She will be nothing but a housewife for him!"

"As much as she would be for you, Loki."

Loki gasped in horror. Never had Thor said anything like that to him! "I would honour her, Thor. You know I love her just as much as I do you."

"That has yet to be proven, Loki."

"Thor! I jest not! I am serious! I would kill over 1000 Jotuns to keep you safe."

"As would I, brother."

"Please, Thor. Help me out here."

"What for? What will you give me?"

"Anything you want!"

"Mjölnir, then."

"W-what?!"

"You said I could have anything I wanted if I help you marry Sigyn, well I want Mjölnir."

"B-but, Father said that you cannot have that yet. You have to earn it by being worthy. It's still being made!"

"Then get it for me, God of Deception."

"...No."

"Then I will not help you."

Loki snarled. "Fine, then I will get her myself! Like always!"

He stormed off, his fists clenched tightly by his side.

Time went by slowly for Loki, as he planned on how he could get rid of the Captain of the Guard without it seeming to be suspicious or deliberate. His answer came in the Asgardian equivalent of Midgard's christmas, when he noticed Theoric drinking himself into a drunk stupor with his fellow guards. Plan: 1. Engage him in a friendly drinking bout. 2. Get Thor involved- the oaf could never refuse a drink. 3. Get Theoric to sign a betrothal annulment treaty 4. Disguise himself as Theoric and hand it in to Odin 5. Marry Sigyn immediately afterwards.

Loki grinned to himself as he sipped at his wine, watching the drunken squabble take place. Nothing could stop him now.

A few days later, he put his plan into action. Disguising himself as a guard that Theoric would recognise reasonably well, he took the document and placed it in his pocket. As he passed Thor in the hallway, he placed a hand on his arm. "Forgive me, Prince Thor," he widened his eyes to convey shame in interrupting the arrogant God of Thunder, "but the Crimson Hawks and their Captain have invited you to drink with them in the local pub nearby just outside the palace, and have asked me to relay the message to you."

Thor heartily clasped a hand on the guard's shoulder. "My dear fellow!" He laughed. "Do not apologise- I shall join your fellow guards and Captain anon!"

He speeded down the corridor and Loki smirked inwardly to himself. Thor was always so easy to fool, he almost made boring. Almost...

Loki entered the pub to find himself overwhelmed by the booming sound of the drunken shouts of Thor and other men as they drowned themselves in mead while trying to wrestle or fight each other at the same time. He passed his brother, who was lying on the floor while men like Fandral and Volstagg from the Warriors Three pinned him down and threw mead at his face- all laughing out loud- and chuckled. Trust Thor to be drunk by now already...

Sitting down next to Captain Theoric, he clasped his arm in greeting. "Good evening to you, Captain. May I join you?"

Theoric nodded in assent and handed the 'guard' a pint of mead. Loki nodded in thanks and drank heartily. He placed the mug down on the wooden table and wiped his mouth. "So," he breathed, "I hear you are to be married soon, Sir? To a good lady, I hear? Congratulations."

Theoric gave a small smile. "My thanks to you, guard. In the new year I shall be a wedded man to a lady that is indeed beautiful and virtuous." His eyes seemed to flow with delight, but then he sighed sadly. "I just wish that she'd at least glance at me in the way she does to her 'beloved' Prince Loki..."

Loki- the guard- raised an eyebrow, his voice smooth and deep. "Are you certain that she looks at him that way? From what I've seen, the Lady Sigyn is- as you say- indeed virtuous, and has remained dutiful to the orders of her mother, grandfather and the Allfather at all times."

"It does not matter much, I suppose," Theoric sighed. "She is dutiful and will obey the will of her husband, so anything she has been doing with the Prince will need to stop."

"You are certain that she's done anything with the Prince at all? Have you seen anything?"

"I'm certain that she has lain with him, guard. That is all the proof I need."

"If that's the case, then you cannot marry a woman who has shamed you. Surely you are the laughing stock of Asgard if this proof is true?"

"Indeed I am, but there is nothing I can do about it."

Loki's eyes shone. Now was his chance. He handed him another pint of mead. Then another. And another. Until the Captain of the Guard was completely pissed up on alcohol did Loki place the document in front of him.

"I can offer you a way out of marrying a shameful woman and being cukolded any further, Sir..." He purred. "My cousin was betrothed to marry a woman from the nearby village and had the betrothal annulled on the grounds of unfaithfulness and shaming from the signing of this document. Maybe this can help you get away from the shame you've suffered at the hands of the Prince and your betrothed..."

Theoric's drunk enough eyes lightened, and his mouth lazily curved up into a smile with slurred words drooping from his mouth. "I liiiikkkeee the waayyyy you taaalllkk, guaaaarrredd!" He grinned and slumped an arm round the guard's back while drooping forward against Loki's body. "I can marry a womaaannn that I can taaaaammmeee! And not aaacctt like a whoooorrreee behind my baaaccckk!" He spat on the table and a few men drunkenly laughed at him, grinning with glossy eyes.

Loki felt rage swell up within him at the Captain's insult of Sigyn as a whore, but pushed it down. He handed him a pencil and Theoric dropped it due to the lack of motor control in his body. Loki sighed and placed it in his hand again, but then placed his own hand on top to guide the Captain's shaking hand.

With the document signed, Loki smiled and handed the completely pissed Captain another mug of beer. The Captain grinned and saluted him with a wobbly hand. "Thaaaaankkkk yooooouuuuu!" He yelled. "Now I can wed a bonny lass who would only have my hand between their thighs!"

Loki's nose twitched in disgust and he pushed back an urge to stab the poor drunken fool right then and there. He swiped up the document and placed it in his pocket. He bowed to the Captain. "Goodnight, Sir," he said quickly, and turned to leave when Theoric grabbed his arm.

"Come, stay a while and drink some more with us, guard!" He laughed and nearly fell forward to the floor, he was that drunk.

Loki gently pushed the hand away. "No, thank you, Sir, but I have to go home to see my wife and children."

Theoric slapped his arm, roaring with laughter. "Of course! Some luxom bird who thighs are of greater size than the nine realms, I warrant!"

God of Mischief gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Indeed..." He murmured softly, and quickly turned around before he could be held back again. "Goodnight, Sir..."

Later that evening, Loki- no longer disguised as a guard- stood by his window, watching the night go by. He turned and looked down at the document on the table, a snaky smile stretching its way onto his smooth face.

Now he could do one of the things he'd always wanted: have Sigyn for himself.

The next day, disguised as Theoric this time, Loki approached Odin in the main hall and handed him the document. "I hope you understand the reasons why I am doing this, Your Grace," he said as the Allfather read over the document with his one eye. "I cannot bear the cuckolding and shame of this scandal between my betrothed and your son anymore. I hope you grant me the freedom to make my own choices on my marriage- where I can marry a rich and wealthy woman who I am certain will not be unfaithful to me behind my back."

Odin looked up at him, an unknown emotion wavering behind that one eye. He simply nodded. "I will grant you your wish after I have spoken to my son about this matter further, Captain Theoric. That will be enough for you?"

Loki's insides went cold. He hadn't planned this. He nodded stiffly. "That is fine with me, Allfather. May I take my leave?"

Odin dismissed him with the wave of a hand and 'Theoric' bowed and left the room.

There was a knock on the door. Loki stepped forward and opened to see a guard there- a real one.

"The Allfather demands your presence, Prince Loki," the guard said, and Loki nodded in response before closing the door.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door to find the guard gone, and he steeled himself before he headed to the hall alone.

The Allfather seemed imposing and tense when the door to the great hall closed behind his youngest son. He straightened in his throne of gold and steeled his one, lone eye upon him.

Loki stood before him, below the Dias. "Father," he asked, "you called for me?"

"Indeed, I did, my son," Odin replied. "The Captain of the Crimson Hawks came to me today with this document." He presented it to the Trickster God. "It says that he agrees to annul his betrothal to your 'friend'. Might you have something to do with this?"

Loki remained cool and steeled. "No. I do not."

"She is important to you, though, yes?"

"Yes, she is, but I have not seen her since you told me not to."

"Indeed, you have, but I wonder, Loki..."

"What?"

"How far have you gone in your relationship?"

"I beg your pardon?!"

"How far?"

"That's none of your business."

"As your King and as your father, it is entirely my business, Loki Odinson."

"...It's not true."

"What isn't true?"

"What they say about my relationship with her. There are rumours that I have bedded her, Father, but they are not true. I have respected her honour as a maiden and have not taken her virginity. I am not that shallow."

"I believe you, Loki. Please understand that I do, but your reputation precedes you, and I cannot let your attempts to annul her betrothal to Captain Theoric go unpunished."

"I have made no attempts! I have just complained to you about how unfair it is that you won't consider this annulment at all. I would be a good husband to her. I cannot marry any other woman. No woman who you would marry me off to would be loved by me, and within a year, requests for a divorce on her part would have been issued."

Odin stood up, and Loki seriously thought that he would smack him. He wanted to back away but didn't. He was going to fight for this. For her. No matter the consequences.

"This document hasn't been forged. It has own signature, so I cannot blame you for signing it yourself. I have noticed that you have indeed stayed away from Sigyn Idwaldidottir, but from what you have just declared to me, your feelings for her haven't declined. I will be keeping a close eye on you, my son. Any suspected attempts to prevent any decision on her marriage will be punished severely by me as your King, not as your father. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Father. What will your response to the Captain be on this document that he has handed to you?"

"I will decide myself on what the response will be, Loki."

"...You don't believe me, do you?"

"I believe that your relationship with her hasn't gone past intercourse, but I have my doubts on your denied involvement with the declaration of this document. Your reputation precedes you. Keep that in mind."

Loki's fists clenched tightly until they went white. He inhaled sharply through his nostrils and kept his head bowed to the floor.

"I won't see her ever again, does that please you, Father? If I decide never to see her again?"

"It would be the best for you both, my son."

Mischief's head shot up. "Fine. I won't. Sleep on that. Sleep on it well, Father."

He turned around to leave.

"I am sorry, Loki, for this."

Loki stopped, but didn't turn around.

"No..." He murmured. "You're not."

He left the room.

"Captain, I have decided to let your document of annulment be fulfilled. You are no longer obliged to be bethrothed to the Lady Sigyn anymore," Odin announced to the 'Captain' of the Crimson Hawks.

Loki grinned inwardly to himself. "Thank you, Allfather."

Loki shot up in his bed, sweat dripping from his naked chest. Of course, Sigyn's betrothal would be annulled. Odin would never let the document pass, even if it did seem genuine, which it did.

There had to be another way to not let it pass...

After another argument with his father over the matter, Loki collapsed by a column in the outside corridor and sobbed bitterly and openly out loud into the empty vastness of the palace. He slumped down against the wall and clenched his fist, closing his eyes and letting the angry tears fall. He was so absorbed in his anger that he didn't feel a warm hand being pressed against his cheek.

He opened his watery, heartbroken eyes to see his brother knelt down before him. He croaked out a sob and turned his face away. Thor gave him a small smile and placed his other hand on his shoulder. "I am so sorry, brother," he apologised. "I heard what happened in there. I've decided to help you; I cannot bear seeing you like this anymore, and I want to give you all the support that I can."

Loki's head whipped round and his eyes widened in surprise at his brother's statement. "You're serious..." He mumbled. "I cannot get Mjölnir for you, though."

Thor patted his shoulder, smiling. "it does not matter," he said. "I don't care for Mjölnir right now, I care about you. I want to help. Just tell me how."

Loki snuffled and wiped his face with his hands.

Thor pulled him up onto his feet. "Come along, brother mine. Let's go to the sparring ring and vent out all your anger. Then we can discuss what we can do with the annulment of Sigyn's betrothal to Theoric."

Loki gave him a smile and clasped him on the shoulder. "I don't know how to thank you for this, Thor... I guess you're not so self-centred after all."

Thor gave out an amused laugh. "I'm wounded, brother! You can get Mjölnir for me later after Sigyn's yours."

"Which seems highly unlikely..."

"What? You getting your lady or me getting my hammer?"

Loki sniggered and elbowed his brother as they strolled down the corridor. "Keep talking like that and we'll get neither!"

Thor laughed again and smacked Loki on the back. Loki laughed as well and the deep chuckles echoed darkly down the empty corridor...