The air was brisk and biting against his cheeks. Beside him, Thor was going on and on about something he had honestly stopped listening to about ten minutes previous. His mind was elsewhere, though he could acknowledge his focus should be on the mission at hand. It was near to bitterly cold outside, but he found it to be rather a welcome change from the city's constant heat. As Myrkviðr was located closer to the highlands, the change in the air was palpable - sharp and cold and constant - and it was utterly refreshing. He could not explain why it felt so cleansing.

"Don't you agree brother?" Thor was bellowing and Loki nodded, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

"Aye. Of course." He had no idea what it was he was agreeing to, but again, his thoughts were drifting to other topics.

In the two days that had passed between the discovery of their deception and their ultimate departure, Loki had taken it upon himself to research the area they were headed towards. The readings had been dry and without much to truly fixate on. The surrounding counties were the agricultural centers of Asgard, benefiting almost solely on the gains from their produce. The woods that encircled them stretched on for what seemed endless miles, providing much-needed timber for outlying districts. Through trade and their own profitable internal markets, the people had long enjoyed the fruits of their labor in lucrative bliss.

That is, of course, until the beast had first struck six months prior.

The very nature of this creature was incessantly bothering him. From what he could find, there had been no such attack in the centuries before outside of the predictable wolf or bilgesnipe. There felt something almost...ominous about it. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, and the not knowing only furthered his unease. He couldn't stop mulling over what his father had told him about Thor's inevitable disappointment at the lack of an actual confrontation. The rising acknowledgement that he too would fail in solving this mystery hit a cord he wasn't particularly fond of.

The likelihood of them finding anything seemed rather low, but that in itself only added to the bizarre quality of the thing.

They would arrive at their destination by nightfall at the latest, and were accompanied by a band of twelve, the Einherjar - the finest members of their guard. That particular outcome had been the result of their mother's insistence, much to both he and Thor's chagrin. "I do not need to be watched over as if I were a child!" Thor had exploded, and even Loki had understood his frustration.

"I am full aware," Frigga had said. "But even our best warriors would not traverse alone to face an unknown beast. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." And that had been the end of that.

Much to his own surprise, and by what appeared to be mere circumstance alone, none of Thor's boisterous friends had been able to make the journey alongside them. Volstagg and Fandral were already off on some other quest in Vanaheim - slaying a troll of some sort - and so had missed the opportunity entirely. Hogun had just taken on a group of young trainees to begin schooling them in the art of Lausatök and Sif...well, she had outright refused to come along when she learned Loki would be present. "I'll not hunt alongside compatriots I am unable to trust," she had hissed and Thor had been rather startled at her outburst. Loki himself had actually expected such a reaction, but felt no ill will towards her over it. Her hair, though growing back quickly, was still sheared rather close to the base of her neck and no longer held the blonde, sun-kissed color of before.

He honestly thought the darker hair suited her rather well, but she cared little for his opinion as it was.

It had been a long while since he and his brother had been presented the opportunity to go off on a journey with only each other to keep company. Somewhere deep inside he had hoped they could bond again as they had used to, before Thor's insufferable companions had started tagging along. As they'd grown, their disagreements had increased in frequency and he honestly blamed the buffoons, in part if not in whole, for the cause behind it.

Thor had grown all the more arrogant in their company, praising and compliant as they were to his demands. The last thing his headstrong brother had needed was a fawning audience to coo and grovel over everything he did.

"Gods, it is colder out than I thought it would be," Thor was saying. Their horses plodded along beneath them and Loki tightened his gloved grip on the reins. His older brother was draped in a deep blood-red cape that their mother had gifted him as they left. Unbidden, jealousy had gripped his heart when she had done so and he had wondered, childish as it was, why he had not been gifted such a handsome article. Though even he could admit, his brother looked...well, he looked entirely regal and king-like while wearing it. His own ordinary moss-green mantle, though always having served him well, now made him feel rather like a peasant beside the stately authority of his elder brother.

"It is not all that intolerable, is it?" Loki teased. Thor cast him a sidelong glance and his face split into a grin. "If these winds suffer you so, it may suit you well to turn your steed around and head back to the warmth of the palace at once."

"I was merely making an observation," Thor huffed.

"A rare occurrence indeed," Loki smirked. Thor leaned over and punched him squarely in the shoulder and he hollered, smiling all the while.

"You are so insufferable," Thor smirked. "I do believe this entire plan of yours has gone entirely to your head."

"How could it not?" Loki gestured about him. "We are well on our way, are we not? And you have everything you wanted. Tell me, brother, where have I erred?"

"You are not as crafty as all that," Thor snorted. "That stunt of yours nearly made father forbid us from coming at all." Ire rose within him at the familiar accusatory tone, smothered by humor but there nonetheless.

"Well at least I didn't nag him incessantly until he refused to see me. Directly or not, we are here because of me, brother."

"I would have gone with or without father's blessing," Thor declared and Loki rolled his eyes.

"Heimdall would have seen you, you lout," he returned, clicking his tongue. "And you would not have made it past the stables, much less the border of the city."

"That is high talk for one who so overestimated his own prowess in veiling his antics from the Gatekeeper," Thor shot back. Loki turned towards his brother then, an incredulous look on his face.

"A simple miscalculation -"

"It hardly matters now, does it?" Thor's gaze was steely and Loki recognized it as indicative of the trait he most disliked in his brother - his brash, stubborn way of thinking. "We are here because father recognized the importance of it. Not because of some childish trick."

"Do you think it is possible for you to stop repeating yourself?" Loki kept his voice low but failed to mask his irritation. By the gods! Thor had gotten everything he wanted and still he felt the need to degrade him, and for what? His own egocentric valor? "I myself faced father alone after you skipped happily off to your chambers. I would appreciate it if you would stop trying to make me feel like an infantile fool."

"I am not doing that." Thor spoke with assurance, and it only served to further his frustration. "Just simply trying to point out where you need guidance, little brother. Father himself made it clear he found your actions dishonorable, so I do not see why it irks you."

"You know brother," Loki said, his grip tightening on the reins as his mood officially soured, "sometimes you are nothing less than a perfect ass."

"Better an ass than a coward." Loki yanked on his reins then, stopping his horse entirely.

"Are you in earnest?" Thor stopped his own steed and turned it about to face him. "Why are you acting this way?"

"Because we do not know what it is we are about to face," Thor said, almost sounding bored. "And I would have you by my side as a worthy aid."

"As opposed to what, exactly." By this point the guards had stopped alongside them and were watching the argument with alarmed expressions. Loki didn't care.

"Listen." Thor leaned forward. "I do not wish to argue with you. But Sif confided in me shortly before our departure -"

"Oh for the love of the Norns," Loki muttered, eyes rolling to the sky.

"Do not interrupt me," Thor snapped. In the next moment he blinked as if he was unsure why he had used so harsh a tone. "All I am saying is that Sif made it clear she does not trust you, Loki. To the extent that she would not even come with us. And that is a dangerous way to be thought of, little brother. Even more so because of your station."

"So you're acting the pious hero because your lady friend feels slighted. And then you would shame me and call me a coward because she's upset -"

"She is not the only one has shared these concerns, Loki." Thor stared at him, his eyes darting back and forth as if searching his face for understanding. "The others have as well, and on numerous occasions. Your comfort with magic is beginning to alarm even me, you know. You rely far too heavily upon it."

"I suppose I should have expected no less from you," Loki snapped. His body was rigid with tension and he hated the feel of offense coursing through his veins. He dropped his voice to a low, mocking tone. "Your friends are clearly in the right here. Woe to me for thinking your own flesh and blood was worthy of your defense, oh mighty one. I hope you'll allow me a moment to remove the knife from my back before we proceed."

"Loki -"

"Ah, ah," he said, wagging a finger. "Again, perhaps I forget myself. The use of magic is only acceptable when it is utilized towards your benefit. I am willing to bet your companions do not know of how readily you jumped at the chance to cloak yourself in invisibility and spy on the king. All for glory, of course."

"That's enough." Thor's voice had taken on a hard edge, and it was obvious as to why: he did not want the guardsmen to know that he had willingly used Loki's magic to sneak alongside him to the throne room. Gods forbid he be the target of any of the mistrust Loki often found himself subject to. "You cast me in rather an ugly light, brother. I seek only to protect you."

"And to think they call me trickster," Loki spat, enraged now. This had nothing to do with protection and everything to do with his brother's misdirected pride. Oh, their father had been right! Perhaps all he had actually wanted was the glory of the hunt. "You seek only to protect your own status, Thor. And you are more than willing to slander my name behind my back to do so."

"I have not slandered you!" Thor yelled, slamming his hand against his saddle's horn. "You bring these charges against yourself, Loki, for your continued hiding away in the library and near-obsession with a woman's craft!"

"Our father practices sorcery, you dolt! Would you accuse him of such to his face?"

"You are not our father," Thor bellowed, rising up in his seat. "And never would he stoop so low as to practice his seidr to deceive and mock as you do. There is honor in his practice and not an ounce in yours." There was a stunned silence for a moment, Loki barely able to contain his own humiliation. The guards about them did not attempt to hide their own disbelieving stares. He swore he heard someone snicker behind him.

"Far be it from me to bring shame on our house for my interests then," he finally said, biting the words out. "I will shame you no longer with my company." As quickly as he could, he kicked the sides of his horse and took off at a full gallop, breaking through the regiment and up the stony path ahead.

"Loki!" Thor called out, his face lined with blatant annoyance.

"Shall we go after him, sire?" one of the men asked.

"No," he said. Thor adjusted his gloves and stared only briefly at the departing form of his brother before turning towards the soldier. "He's just had a fit of temper is all. He'll not go far."

They were received with pomp and the highest regard upon entering the village.

It was, he supposed, a matter of thrilling excitement for most of the people present. Many had never laid an eye on the royal guard, much less the sons of Odin, and so had cheered near to deafening when they'd entered the town's limits. The people had lined the narrow streets, throwing flowers and small gifts, severely limiting their passage into the town square. Thor had taken it all in stride, beaming and waving, even bending and taking the hands of the people in his own to shake or kiss or assure. And oh, how they had screamed for him. Their love and adoration was obvious, their loyalty and respect unyielding.

Towards him, however, it was abundantly less so.

They acknowledged his presence, yes. With a tight-lipped smile he had accepted their gifts, trailing behind Thor as his brother's dutiful shadow, sullen and angry. Some faces in the crowd he recognized as attendants to the palace when first they'd sought the king's aid.

The very ones who had laughed at his daring to offer his help.

The realization alone had sent him retreating back within himself, angry as he already was with Thor's earlier admonitions. Tall and resentful upon the back of his steed, the people had cared little for his sudden disregard of them. All they knew was that Thor, the golden, chosen son of their king, was in their midst and his brother was merely an added benefit.

And Thor was positively reveling in it.

There had been a brief meeting with Olgar, the village's chief, in which both princes and their guardsmen had partaken in their fair share of wine, food and thrilled company at the dining hall in the center of the square. Loki had taken it upon himself to gather as much intel as possible in the midst of the festivities, but soon found that many simply wanted to regale him with tales of their own bravery. Their embellishments of their encounters with the beast mattered little to him - all wanted to seem important if possible - but he found it increasingly frustrating that little to no real information was passing through.

He wondered, truly, if this was naught but a waste of their time.

It had not been long after the "talks" which had really served more as social time between them and the village elders that Olgar had declared they would be sleeping in his own home that night. Much to his surprise, Thor had stood and declared that he cared not for the comforts of a warm bed but would rather spend the night camping at the base of the forest "lest the beast choose to strike once more." Loki had balked, certain that his brother's rudeness would distress, if not insult the man's generous hospitality; but instead, he had burst forth with nothing but praises, thanking Thor profusely for his bravery and willingness to face the thing head on.

Loki had sat quietly by, watching it all unfold with an ever-growing detachment.

He sat now in his own tent, legs crossed and body hunched over on the ground, his eyes scanning quickly over the tomes he had taken from the palace's library. His left hand hovered over the pages, cupped and holding a ball of green, twinkling light which illuminated the space in front of him. He had read these pages countless times over already, but was hoping for any morsel of information he may have missed the first time around. The other tents around him were silent - while half of their guards slept, the remaining were keeping a vigilant watch. Loki did not know where Thor had ended up and he did not care. He was still quite cross at him and would remain so until he apologized.

Yet he wasn't in the least bit surprised when said brother came bursting into his tent as if it were his own not ten minutes later.

"What are you still doing up? We have an early start tomorrow." Loki did not look up from the pages he was reading and pulled his neck to the side in a near-imperceptive stretch.

"I could ask the same of you," he replied quietly. He turned the page and continued reading.

"Loki..." Loki's fingers that held the light wiggled a little but made no other move. "Will you not look at me, brother?"

"I am busy," he said, curtly.

"You are reading. That is not the same." Loki's eyes narrowed but still he refused to look up.

"Were you not so entirely thick in the head, I would attempt to explain the concept of investigation into one's surroundings, but since it is obviously an obscure notion -" In the quickest of strides, Thor stormed over and snatched the book from his hands, cutting him off mid-sentence. Loki's head snapped up, eyes blazing, and he was on his feet in a minute, the light vanishing instantly from his fingers. "Give that back," he hissed, reaching angrily for it. Thor simply yanked it further from his reach, high and away from his head. "Thor...!"

"I will not," Thor said calmly. His blue eyes were fiery with irritation and mirth alike. "You've not spoken a single word to me all night, Loki. This behavior suits you ill." Loki stiffened and eyed his brother with a steely gaze.

"Suits me ill, you say." He pointed to himself then shrugged, feigning calm. "It seems my behavior suits you ill, brother, regardless of its course."

"Loki, please stop this." Thor's voice took on a defeated tone as his arm dropped, the book still grasped tightly in his hands. "I do not wish to fight with you."

"Nor I with you," Loki replied. "And yet you persist in touching upon subjects you know are of import to me, only to mock and degrade them."

"I did not mean any harm." Thor's eyes narrowed in anger, but he seemed to regain his control in the next moment. Slowly, he held the book out towards his brother and Loki snatched it back before he could change his mind. "Brother, please. You must know I was not trying to degrade you. It is simply that your magic -"

"Is disgraceful. I know." Loki stared him in the eye as he waved his hands and the book disappeared from sight. Thor's eyes widened only slightly. "You have repeatedly made mention of such."

"Must we keep speaking of this? I feel it is a conversation better suited for another time. We have a purpose here, you know, and this petulant fighting will only inhibit us." Loki's mouth pulled into a straight, unhappy line. Thor was so often a brash, impulsive oaf that when he actually spoke calmly and with reason, it struck him as so uncharacteristic that he usually just gave in. But that was just it, wasn't it? He always gave in. He always stood silently by, always accepted full blame even if Thor was just as culpable, always allowed him to talk down to him in this way simply because he was learning to master magic as Thor was mastering weapons. Was Thor truly conciliatory? Likely. But the bitter pulse in his heart had never truly subsided since the night they had faced their father together and it now came rearing back with a ferocity that both startled and thrilled him. The words slipped from his tongue before he could stop them, as smooth and as easy as a babbling brook, because he knew full well what sort of reaction it would invite.

"You are such a fool, Thor. Stop acting as if we are well on our way to glory and honor. We will find nothing out here, just as Tyr and his men did not, and return home like shamed dogs with our tails between our legs." As expected, Thor's face darkened and there was silence for only a second. Then:

"I suppose you would like that, wouldn't you? Traipsing back home with nothing to show. Then you would be spared the humiliation of your own failure in battle."

"You're incredibly predictable." Loki kept his voice level and calm, staring his brother down all the while. It was a clumsy tactic on Thor's part, thinking such a low blow would get him to react. He refused to do so, even as an angry tremor worked its way into his limbs. "Always the same insults. How utterly droll."

"I meant to make up with you Loki, and you act as if I am your enemy. Fine then. Have it your way." He stormed past him, body tense, throwing one last comment over his shoulder. "I have no interest in having you accompany me tomorrow. Stay in your tent and rot with your books, for all that I care." Loki rushed after him, a snarl slipping through his teeth despite himself.

"You know an apology would have also sufficed!" he shouted after him, throwing the tent flaps back. Thor merely waved him off, not even sparing him a second glance. He watched for only a moment as his older brother disappeared into the darkness, then shot a glare at one of the guardsmen who was standing there, watching. "Have you no other duties to attend to?" Loki snapped at him. He fully expected the man to react with action and perhaps busy himself with something other than his nosey inactivity. So he was surprised when the man simply...stared at him, a gaze bordering unbridled hostility and he found he rather did not like it. At all.

He ducked back into his tent and fumed for the rest of the night.

/

Lausatök: a form of wrestling employed by the Vikings some 1,200 years ago. Hogun's involvement in such has no basis in movie canon, but I thought it would be fun to pop that in there. And in case anyone was wondering, Loki just recently pulled that whole cutting-off-Sif's-hair thing.

Thor's just a tad full of himself, isn't he? And Loki hasn't yet developed the ability to mask his wounded pride. Silly boys.

If you feel inclined, share your thoughts! I'd love to hear them. Next chapter, things start to get real.