Svartálfaheim, the Aftermath and a New Problem

Summary - The battle with the Dark Elves on Svartálfaheim, goes a little differently and has a different outcome. Takes place a few years after the Tesseract incident.

The dark, stormy Svartálfaheim sky began to roar with thunder and rain as Kurse, the strongest of the Dark Elves saw that he was the only one of his kin left standing. The bloody battlefield around him was littered with the bodies of his fallen comrades. His leader, Malekith the Accursed had been slain only moments ago by Loki's lethal daggers. He'd heard the dying scream of his leader and he looked up from Thor, who was currently lying motionlessly on the ground at his feet, and turned to Loki with fire in his dark eyes.

The beast was taller than Thor and had muscles aplenty as well as thick armour and he seemed somehow impervious to any attack that the Asgardian Princes could throw at him.

Loki straightened and bared his daggers at the behemoth that was currently stalking its way over to him as it growled angrily.

At the same time, Thor was picking himself up off the ground and he held out his hand for Mjölnir. He'd just taken quite a beating from the beast that was now targeting his brother and he was sure that at least two of his ribs were cracked from it, if not broken. He'd never faced something with such incredible strength. Nothing he had done had made any difference and Kurse had even deflected Mjölnir itself. He could feel his limbs protesting and his vision was slightly blurred but he shook his head in an attempt to clear it. He couldn't leave Loki alone to face the strongest of the Dark Elves.

He wasn't as quick as he would have liked though and Kurse reached Loki first. He began reigning down heavy blows with his huge fists but Loki manage to conjure a shimmering green shield to stop it. A dagger would have been of little protection so they had vanished from his hands. The only problem was, that each time Kurse's fists met the shields, they were shattered into a thousand tiny pieces and Loki was forced to conjure another.

The attacks were so rapid that it gave him no chance to retaliate and he was being forced back from the sheer weight of Kurse's fists even though his boots were digging into the dirt beneath them.

Loki wasn't quite sure just why he had such bad luck but he had warned Thor that his plan was ridiculous. As usual, Thor hadn't listened and Loki had been emotionally coerced into accompanying his brother anyway. The Dark Elves had somehow managed to free themselves from their prison and they'd wanted their revenge. Odin had been prepared for war but when it became clear that the battlefield would be on Earth, Thor had panicked. And thus, his latest harebrained scheme had been born. They intercepted the Elves as they traversed the Realms and landed clumsily on the Svartálfaheim wastelands.

It was safe to say that their plan had gone horribly wrong. They'd been fighting alone against an army for hours and they were both exhausted. No reinforcements would arrive for Malekith had made certain of that. His dark magic had made it so that until every last one of his soldiers was dead, Heimdall would not be able to see them. They needed to defeat Kurse but that was easier said than done when both Thor and Loki had little energy left to fight.

"Loki!" Thor yelled as he forced Mjölnir forwards to collide with Kurse's right shoulder. It threw the creature away from Loki a little and forced him to stop his relentless attacks, but Kurse was somehow, still standing.

While he had a chance, Loki let loose a cold blast of air and froze Kurse so that he was encased in solid, shining ice.

"That will not hold him for long," Loki sighed.

"This beast can withstand Mjölnir and my lighting," Thor replied, "I fear it cannot be beaten."

"What's wrong?" Loki asked as Thor sank to his knees.

"I am well," his brother assured him, trying and failing to stand on shaking legs. He feared that his last bout of running when he'd seen Loki in danger, had been all that was left of his strength. Fighting with Kurse for as long as he had, had taken its toll.

"You are not," Loki shook his head.

"I have to be, I have no choice. I will not allow you to face this monster alone."

They heard a quiet cracking sound coming from the frozen Dark Elf and saw that his eyes were moving and his fingers were twitching. He was breaking through the ice.

"Can you freeze him again?" Thor asked.

"I fear the more I do, the easier he will break free."

"Just for...a moment," Thor breathed and Loki nodded. His eyes turned red as he used more and more ice to encase the Dark Elf whose growls echoed eerily through his prison.

"I would estimate that we have perhaps a minute...if we are lucky," he said as his eyes turned green again.

"One minute...is sufficient," Thor said. He held out his uneasy, bloodied hand for Mjölnir which flew over to him quickly and he rested it on the ground as he fought to control his ragged breathing.

"You cannot fight like this," Loki told him.

"We are...almost...victorious."

"We are almost dead," Loki corrected, "We should never have come. I should have stopped you. It was foolhardy for us to take on an army alone."

"We were not to know...that they had managed to conceal their presence...and block our retreat."

"They tricked us," Loki hissed.

"And we fell for it."

"I should have seen through..."

"Loki...you may be the cleverest man I have ever met, but you are not all knowing," Thor said, kindly.

"I am known for my tricks. I am never the one being tricked," he hissed, glaring at the frozen creature before him.

"Alone perhaps, you would not have been. Perhaps I...my impatience lead to this and I am sorry," Thor said, finally managing to stand, albeit a little unsteadily. "If this is to be my final battlefield, I can think of no one I would rather fight beside," he said earnestly and placed a hand on Loki's shoulder.

Loki was surprised to say the least by his brother's defeatism. Thor never admitted defeat, ever. He wasn't even sure that Thor knew what 'defeat' was. But neither had he faced a creature with such brute strength as to be invulnerable to Mjölnir. Thor had no other weapon to fall back on other than the famous hammer. He had no swords for he wanted none. He had no shield and had never even trained with them. Lastly, he knew no magic whatsoever, not even a simply flame summoning spell. Their mother had tried to teach Thor but it had become clear from a very early age that Thor simply didn't have the aptitude for sedir. After expressing an interest some time ago, Loki had attempted to teach him a few simple spells and now he could just about mange to conjure a small flame but he couldn't control it and it would quickly burn out.

"You plan on dying here?" Loki asked him, slowly.

"Plan? No." Thor sighed, "But death is rarely planned...is it?"

"True," Loki said as the ice started to crack again.

"To the death, brother," Thor raised Mjölnir and met Loki's eyes for a fleeting moment.

Loki nodded and then, Kurse broke free from his icy prison with an ear splitting roar as the ice shattered around them in an explosion of tiny, lethal shards. They were forced to shield themselves by throwing their arms up over their eyes which gave Kurse ample opportunity to strike them both down, flinging them aside as if they were mere children.

Loki recovered first and he placed his palm on the ground and from it, a sea of ice flew over the ground, freezing everything in its path and then it froze Kurse's feet in thick ice as well. He was immobilised but he easily smashed it and it seemed to have only made him angrier.

The God of Lies then conjured his daggers and like a viper, he expertly dodged Kurse's fists and stabbed his sharp weapons through the Dark Elf's armour but that didn't seem to stop him either. Kurse was able to throw him aside again and he landed hard enough to made his bones quiver against a stone cliff face and he was buried underneath the considerable pile of rubble that was dislodged from above him. He could only stare up in horror as the rocks buried him alive.

Thor meanwhile, had just a about managed to recover and he raised Mjöliner to the sky which began to glow with pale blue lightning. A strong blast shot down from the clouds and hit Kurse. It was ridiculously bright and it burned Thor's eyes and he could feel the heat from the blast, crackling in the air all around him. He stood and made his way cautiously over to Kurse while the Dark Elf screamed, throwing back his head and balling his fists while the lighting continued.

After a moment it stopped, but Kurse still remained standing. He looked a little damaged perhaps, his armour was slightly singed and he shook on his feet but that was all.

"No..." Thor breathed in shock. "That's...not possible," he said, shaking his head.

He simply couldn't believe that there was a being alive that could withstand such an attack. It shouldn't be possible and yet, there was the proof right before his eyes. He hadn't felt so weak in centuries. He had no idea what to do now. That had been the strongest lighting blast he'd ever made and it hadn't helped at all. There was nothing else he could do. He was going to lose and he and his brother would surely die.

Kurse swung out at Thor and knocked Mjölnir from his grasp. The Dark Elf then punched him in the face and threw him back to the ground where he then stepped on Thor's left hand, shattering the bones in his fingers, laughing as he did so. Then, he was free to land heavy blows on Thor's chest, one after the other.

The rubble above Loki was heavy and it took some time to free himself from it but when he did, he crawled out and was able to breathe freely again. Wine he opened his eyes, Loki suddenly saw a discarded Dark Elf grenade. It was unassuming and could almost be mistaken for a rock but he knew exactly what it was and it might just save their lives. Their attacks might not be enough to pierce Kurse's armour, but one of his own grenades would certainly do the job. The only question was, how would he get close enough to use it? If he simply threw it, the Elf would simply move out of the way and there was no room for error. They wouldn't get another chance.

He snatched up the grenade as well as a spear and a sword that he found and he began stalking over to Kurse who was still reining down rapid blows on Thor leaving him no time time defend himself. It also left Loki with little time to think of an alternative as he lined up the tip of the spear with the Dark Elf's heart. A creature that could withstand Thor's lighting would no doubt be able to survive being stabbed so it wouldn't give him much of an opportunity to attach the grenade to Kurse's armour. But he had to try. And so he did.

Thor never even noticed as he placed the live grenade onto their enemy and then he ran the spear right though Kurse's chest. The beast stopped attacking Thor and turned around to face Loki. This gave him the perfect opportunity to slit the creature's throat with the sword he'd found for good measure. It took a lot of effort and Kurse was now leaking black blood from two typically fatal wounds but it didn't even seem to slow him down as he picked Loki up by the throat and squeezed hard.

Loki's quiet sounds of protest were drowned out by Thor's own sounds of distress and his grip around the sword loosened enough so that Kurse could steal it from him. The Dark Elf then ran it through Loki's chest and tossed him to the ground, leaving him impaled and bleeding.

"No!" Thor cried uselessly as he could barely even move a muscle at this point.

"See you in Hell, monster," Loki managed to hiss at Kurse just before the grenade went off.

It exploded in a spectacular red light and seemed to shatter Kurse's body into a million pieces which then swirled around until they were drawn inwards and they vanished completely.

"Heimdall!" Thor shouted, tears streaming down his face as he looked over at Loki, "Bring us back!"

Loki hadn't been back to Asgard for many years now, in fact, when this whole mess had begun, Thor had been forced to come to him in Alfheim to ask for his help because he'd refused to go home. But now, as the Bifrost pulled both Princes through the technicolored vortex Thor tried in vain to reach for his brother.

"Loki!" he cried, watching as his brother clutched at his wound and weakly touched the sword which was still lodged in his chest.

To Thor, it took far too long for them to land at the golden ground at Heimdall's feet but when they did, he forced himself up and stumbled his way over to Loki. "Loki! Brother!" Thor cried, kneeling down and pulling Loki closer to him.

"...T...Thor?" Loki managed to splutter as he grimaced.

"I am sorry, brother. This is my fault!" Thor wept.

"I was...a fool to let you...persuade me..." his brother scoffed.

"We must get you to the healers," Thor declared. "You will be well, Loki, I swear it," he said.

"Not...not this time...I don't think," Loki closed his eyes and Thor grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently.

"Yes, you will, by the Nine I swear! I will not lose you!" Thor looked up to see the Warriors Three and Lady Sif standing around them in shock.

What he didn't know was that his friends had been waiting for hours with Heimdall to hear news of him and now to see them both looking so defeated was a shock to them.

"Fetch the healers! Quickly!" Thor bellowed and Hogun and Volstagg both ran off.

"You...got what you wanted...a...as always," Loki winced. "B...brought me back...here...I swore I'd...never return...damn you...Thor," he muttered.

"Aye, I will be damned indeed if you die this day," Thor said. "We defeated an army between us, Loki. You will not now be bested by one sword!"

"Hah," Loki managed to snort. "Well...this...one sword is in a...a very inconvenient place," he said.

"Then I will remove it."

"No," Sif laid a hand on his shoulder. "He'll bleed to death," she explained.

"He is bleeding to death as we speak," Thor retorted.

"He may be dying...but his hearing still works...perfectly," Loki said.

"You are not dying, you will be..." Thor stopped when he noticed Loki's skin turning blue. It had already begun to take on a sickly grey shade but now, patches of midnight blue were appearing.

"...No..." the younger God muttered as he breathed out a puff of cold air. He could feel his skin changing and he pushed Thor's hand from his own. "No, no, no, no..." he muttered.

"Thor, what..." Sif forrowed her brow as she and Fandrall looked on as Loki changed right before them.

Of course, Heimdall already knew, so he wasn't surprised in the least, but Thor's friends had never been told. It had been Loki's wish to keep, what he saw as a shameful secret, hidden from the people of Asgard. Thor saw no shame in it but he had done as his brother had wished.

"Say nothing," Thor warned them, quietly.

"But he is..." Fandral muttered.

"He is my brother," the prince said simply but it didn't stop their questioning glances at the now red eyed, blue skinned Loki.

Healer Aslog was a woman almost as old as Odin himself and it was only because of the swift horse from the royal stables, that she was able to make it to the Rainbow Bridge so quickly. At her side, Volstagg and Hogun rode their own horses and they dismounted to watch as she stormmed her way past Heimdall.

"Out of my way!" the white haired, pale skinned woman dismissed Sif and Fandral with waves of her aged hands as she knelt down beside Thor.

"You can save him, yes?" Thor asked, quickly.

"I can do no more than my best," she replied calmly, holding her right hand over Loki's wound. "This will need to be removed. Who knows what it could be infecting him with," she said. Her hand began to emit a golden light and she continued to hold it right over the wound.

"I must order you not to reveal his...condition to..."

"I've been aware of his 'condition' since your father brought him here," she informed Thor.

"You have?"

"Yes. Now...that should be enough," the healer declared as she lowered her hand. "This will not be easy, Prince Loki," she warned him, gesturing to the sword.

"...Just...do it," he closed his eyes.

"Prince Thor, if you will," she sighed.

"I...yes...yes, right," Thor swallowed and reached for the sword. As soon as he touched it, it moved a little and made Loki grit his teeth and claw at the floor. "Thor withdrew his grip immediately. "Is there no easier way?" he lamented.

"Sadly, no," the woman answered.

"Very well," Thor sighed. "I am sorry, Loki," he said, genuinely as he looked down at his brother.

Loki just about gave him a weak nod as he spoke, "Make it...quick," he begged.

The blonde Prince swiped at his eyes for a moment, brushing the tears away before turning to his friends again. "Hold him...gently, please, my friends," he said to them.

Not wanting to injure Loki further and thus incur Thor's wrath, Fandral and Sif knelt on either side of Loki and held him down by his shoulders, taking care not to touch his blue skin. Then, Thor gripped the handle of the sword once more and in once swift movement, he tore it out of his brother's torso and hurled it aside with such force that it was now impaled deep into the golden wall opposite them, still covered in blood.

Loki had screamed and it had echoed through the small space eerily and Thor noticed that his brother was now unconscious. "Loki?!" Thor panicked.

"He lives still," the healer assured him. "But we must get him to the healing chambers at once," she said standing up on aching bones that weren't meant for sitting on the floor any longer.

"I will do it," Thor said.

"You seem to have need of a healer yourself," she noted.

"It is not serious, it will wait," the Prince replied as he very carefully lifted Loki into his arms.

After taking more medicines that he'd seen in a very long time, having his chest and his arms bandaged and being subject to a litany of spells that he'd couldn't even pronounce, Thor returned to Loki's bedside. Healer Aslog and her trusted helper, who Thor had been assured was trustworthy, had worked tirelessly for hours to save Loki's life.

His brother was sleeping and was unlikely to awake for several days. Loki was now in his own bed in his own rooms in the palace after Thor had argued tirelessly that it was for the best. Loki hated staying in the healing halls and he'd be much more comfortable in his own bed. If only to see the back of Thor's endless pleading, healer Aslog had relented but she returned every few hours to check on her patient.

Loki's rooms were filled with books and magical equipment. At one time, Thor used to find this distasteful but now he thought they suited his little brother perfectly. The rooms had been a great comfort to him when Loki was absent from Asgard and Jane, who now sat beside Thor, found it equally fascinating. He knew how difficult it was for Jane to be in Asgard and though things between his father and her had mellowed, he could see that Odin would never fully approve. But Jane had wanted to see Loki. They got along quite well, Thor had been pleased to see over the last few years.

"He hasn't even moved," Thor sighed, "Not once."

"He needs his rest," Jane assured him, "And so do you."

"I am well."

"You look exhausted."

"I am well, Jane. I cannot leave Loki."

"I'll stay with him. You need to sleep, even if it's just for a few hours," she said.

"But..."

"It won't do Loki any good if you wear yourself out watching over him."

"I swear, you and Loki sound so much alike," he shook his head, smiling. "Very well, I will rest. But if there is any change..."

"I'll tell you," Jane said. "Now go," she smiled at him.

"Aye, my lady," Thor smiled back and gave her a light kiss before he left, turning to look back at Loki one last time as well.

Some time later, Jane looked up to see Odin himself walk into the room, albeit slowly and leaning heavily on Gungir as he moved.

"Jane," he greeted her with a nod of his head.

"Your majesty," she replied, cordially yet coldly.

"How is he?" Odin asked her, moving to stand at the foot of the bed.

"You don't know?"

"I was...unable to come sooner," he said, "I...find myself weakening of late. I fear the Odinsleep is approaching."

"Oh, erm...sorry," she muttered, sheepishly. As time had passed, she'd found it easy to only see Odin's every action as derogatory no matter how much she tried to do otherwise. "Well, he was exhausted...magically, apparently, and he was stabbed with a sword. He isn't supposed to wake up for a few days, maybe even longer," she summarised.

"Brashly facing the enemy isn't usually Loki's plan," Odin remarked.

"Erm...well, Thor said it was his," Jane said.

"To save Midgard, I assume. I will discuss this with Thor when he wakes. But for the time being..." he trailed of and reached out his hand to grasp one of Loki's. It began to emit a faint golden light and be longer it shone, the weaker Odin seemed to become. "That is about all I have to give him, but it should help him to heal," he whispered, closing his eyes for a moment. "Now..." Odin sighed heavily and tugged a chair closer to the bed to sit down, "I feel, I should discuss something with you."

"Is this really the best time...or place?" Jane asked, looking at the sleeping Loki.

"Perhaps not," he said, "But I cannot plan ahead as I used to and I have much to arrange before the Odinsleep takes me again. I feel...that perhaps I have seemed to you to be...unfeeling. I would apologise for this, but I believe that I acted in my sons' best interests. I know the pain of heartbreak well and Thor's heart will break once you are gone. However, you both appear determined and I have not the energy to oppose you. I have only one question for you...are you prepared to be a queen of Asgard?"

"...Thor says he doesn't want to be king," she replied after a moment.

"I know and if he refuses, then the throne will fall to Loki."

"He says he doesn't want it either."

"He has told you this? In person?"

"He told Thor, and Thor told me," Jane replied.

"I see," Odin mused, pensively. "Then tell me, Jane of Midgard, you appear to know my sons well, which of them do you believe should take my place?"

"I don't think...I mean, I...it's hardly my choice. I'm not even from here and I..." she stammered.

"I ask only your opinion."

"I...don't know," Jane answered him honestly.

"Neither do I," he said, sadly.

"I'm sorry," she said. "About everything...I never meant to be...rude to you, ever," she explained.

"I know," he repeated. "But you are like Loki. You cannot forget that you were slighted and you become defensive. I cannot apologise for what I believe and I still believe that you are not the ideal match for my son. But I recognise your talents, your intelligence and the fact that you appear to love Thor in spite of my disapproval."

"I do love Thor but I have my own life...on earth...on Midgard. I'm a scientist. I don't plan on giving it all up to be a queen," she said.

"And this is why you do not live here in the palace with him?"

"Yes."

"He understands this?"

"He tries to."

"Hmmm," Odin hummed. "So...I have two sons...neither of which desires to be king," he said, "But it must fall to one of them."

Not knowing what to say to that, Jane simply took Loki's sickly grey hand again and gently began stroking the delicate, cool skin and the long fingers as she and Odin sat in silence. It had been an odd conversation for her after years of mutual silence and she didn't quite know what to make of it.

"I will swear you to secrecy if I must," Thor told his four friends as they sat around his quarters. "But you will not reveal my brother's true heritage. It is his wish," he said.

"How could he be...a Frost Giant?" Sif asked.

"He was...adopted. Father found him abandoned after the Great War with Jotunheim. We never knew. Loki discovered the truth just as I was banished and stripped of my powers," he explained.

"All this time as we never knew," Fandral said.

"It matters not," Thor said. "He is still my brother. However, I fear that Loki has still not found his peace with this truth yet. That is why I want you to say nothing to him. See to it that he does not suspect you of knowing any of this."

"You want us to lie to Loki? Trick the trickster?" Sif scoffed.

"That will not be easy, if at all possible," Hogun added.

"And if he discovers that we know the truth and lied about it, he will not be best pleased," Fandral said.

"Aye...that is true," Thor sighed, "But the alternative..."

"If he remembers seeing us at the Rainbow Bridge, we have little choice but to admit that we know the truth."

"He may remember nothing, he was...badly wounded...at the time," Thor said.

"Or he may remember everything," Sif raised an eyebrow, "Then what?"

"We may never have been particularly close and this will only worsen matters," Fandral remarked.

"Then what do you suggest?" Thor asked him.

"Tell him the truth," the warrior answered.

"Your funeral," Volstagg grumbled.

A day later when Thor was rested and while Loki was still deeply asleep, Odin sat heavily in a chair in his quarters. Thor was standing before him and Frigga was watching with an exasperated expression.

"How could you have been so reckless?" Odin lamented, "Both of you."

"It was my..."

"You are both to blame. The fact that neither of you had the sense to know better...To think that you were both brash enough to take on an army of Dark Elves alone...with Malaketh and Kurse..." the old king sighed.

"We succeeded..."

"And now your brother lies sleeping with a mighty hole in his chest to prove it!"

"Loki saved my life. It was he who bested both Malaketh and Kurse. Had he not been there, I would have died," Thor said.

"Loki might yet die," Odin countered and Frigga closed her eyes.

"...Aye...and the fault is mine, father. My brother tried to dissuade me but I would not hear him," Thor said, sadly. "If Loki...if he does not...I will never forgive myself," he said.

"This is not the first time that Loki has paid the price for your impetuousness."

"No, father."

"I thought you had learned to counter your recklessness, Thor."

"As did I...but when I heard that Malaketh was targeting Midgard and that you were planning to hold the battle there...father, such a battle would have destroyed their world. I confided this to Loki and he told me that it was possible for him to intercept them as they crossed the worlds. We planned to do so and then to call for your aid, thus saving Midgard and this we did...but Malaketh was able to shield us from sight leaving us stranded on Svartálfaheim. We could not call for aid until every last enemy was defeated."

"An unfortunate act which neither of you could have predicted, but it was still foolish."

"Yes."

"I did not intend to have Midgard destroyed in the crossfire but my intentions no longer matter. What is done cannot be undone. The fact that you and your brother destroyed the Dark Elves does not negate the fact that you disobeyed your king and almost destroyed yourselves."

"No, father," Thor said, sadly.

"I grow weary of lecturing you on such matters as this," Odin said, "And while Loki's life hangs in the balance, I will not torture you further. I will do all I can to see that you brother lives. In the meantime, you are confined to the palace."

"Of course," Thor said, inclining his head respectfully before he left, sensing that he'd been dismissed.

It was a few days later when Loki finally opened his eyes to see his mother sitting by his bedside, Thor standing on his balcony and Jane examining one of his bookshelves.

"Hello, my darling," Frigga smiled at him, beatifically and took one of his hand in hers. "You had us all very worried," she told him.

"Loki!" Thor exclaimed and rushed over to the bed, grinning down at his brother. "You are awake!" he declared.

"...Well observed," Loki managed to mutter back, weakly. "But...mother how are you...ah...of course...Asgard," he sighed.

"Please do not be angry with me," Thor said. "I know you did not wish to be brought here but I did it to save your life and I would do so again," he explained.

"I told you not to..."

"And I did not listen," Thor replied, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Loki tried to sit up but he winced when the movement tugged at the still healing wound on his chest and his mother sighed at him.

"Rest, Loki," she said, gently pushing him back to lie down. "You have not the strength for that yet," she told him.

"How long have I been...resting?"

"Three days," Thor answered, "We feared for you, brother."

"You look...about as bad as I feel," Loki told him.

"Aye...sleep has not come easily these three days, for any of us. Father has been worried for you too. He has been by your side every day," Thor said but Loki scoffed. "It is true," Thor assured him, "Why do you doubt me? He loves you, Loki."

Loki said nothing but he didn't look at all convinced. "Brother, he has been giving you his own magic to heal you even though he has been weakening. He would not do so unless he loved you," Thor said, earnestly.

Before anyone else had a chance to say anything further, Odin himself entered the room slowly and leaning heavily on Gungir as he moved. He looked tired and his every move seemed to reflect it.

"Frigga, my love...Jane...will you leave us," he said in a tone that sounded more like a command than a question. His wife, however simply smiled at him and led Jane from the room, leaving her husband and sons alone. "Loki, my son, I am relieved to find you awake," he said, walking over to the bed.

Again, Loki said nothing and Thor sighed. "If nothing I say will convince you of my sincerity, then allow my actions to speak for themselves," Odin said.

The old king sat on the chair that his wife had just vacated and reached out his hand to grasp Loki's. Once again, as he had done for the last three days, his hand emitted a faint golden light and Loki could feel Odin weakening magic bolstering his own. It was something he hadn't felt since his childhood.

As a boy, Loki had been prone to illness, a fact which had been a source of much irritation to others around him. During those times, Odin had helped to strengthen Loki's growing magic so that he would be able to fight off his illnesses. It could only be done if one was truly sincere in his desire to aid the other person. It couldn't be done if there wasn't a considerable love between the one giving and the one receiving.

When Odin withdrew his hand, it looked as though he could barely keep his eye open and Loki felt a little better, much to his own surprise. Clearly Odin was sincere.

"...Why...why would you..." Loki blinked up at him.

"Because you are my son," Odin answered him, "And I love you, even if you do not believe me am done I have missed you greatly. You know as well as I, that I could not have done what I just did, if I did care for you. I know I have made mistakes, Loki, and I can do no more than apologise to you. I should have told you about your heritage but I..."

"You wanted to use me," Loki hissed.

"No!" Odin exclaimed, hurt. "I did not tell you because I feared that you would love us less. It matters not to me that you are not of my blood. I have loved you these last thousand years and that will never change."

"...Why are you telling me this?"

"Because it is the truth. Because I want you to believe me when I say that it was never my intention to cause you pain. I'm your father, I am meant to protect you from pain. And also...I know not when I will see you again, my son," the king answered. "Asgard has not been the same without you and I fear that once you are able...then you will leave again. The Odinsleep approaches...I cannot hold it off for long."

"Again, father?" Thor asked.

"It is becoming more frequent."

"Giving me your magic won't help," Loki remarked.

"This I knew...but it did not deter me," Odin said, clearly surprising Loki.

"Father!" Thor cried as Odin's eye fluttered closed.

"...I am well, Thor," Odin sighed, tiredly. "I am well. I intended on scolding you for your actions," he said, "But...I suddenly find myself unwilling to do so." Odin was simply looking at them both with a loving expression on his face. "I simply wish you would stop taking such risks," he said, "Both of you."

"I apologise for causing you distress, father, but at the time, I believed what we were doing was right," Thor said. "I am only sorry...Loki...that my desire to save Midgard almost cost you your life," he said to his brother.

"I didn't risk my life for the mortals," Loki grumbled.

"No. You risked it for me," Thor retorted. "Thank you for saving my life, brother," he said, holding Loki's hand.

Loki could have said any number of things in response to Thor's sincerity. He had several witty remarks at the ready, but for some reason, the complete and utter sincerity he saw, simply stunned him into silence.

"...You're welcome," Loki eventually said, making Thor smile. "Just...give me a century to recover before you risk it again, will you?" he added awkwardly afterwards.

"Aye, you have my word on it, Loki," Thor laughed.

"I for one, am relieved to hear it," Odin said.

Loki turned to Odin with a raised eyebrow. Though Odin had helped him to recover and even despite the old man's confessions, Loki couldn't simply forget that Odin had kept the truth from him. Part of him would never be able to forgive Odin for that but he also knew that Odin had to care otherwise his spell wouldn't have worked. It would have been impossible. It didn't change anything that had happened, but it was perhaps, a start.

"Thor's word doesn't count for much when there's danger to be had," Loki said, mockingly.

"Sadly, that it true," Odin replied.

"My word is as honourable as any man's!"

"What about the time in Vanaheim when we first encountered the Rock Trolls? We were warned to begin with and I recall quite clearly, that you gave your solemn vow that you would never..."

"I don't believe that father needs to hear that story!" Thor exclaimed, quickly.

"No, no, do go on, Loki," Odin smiled, albeit tiredly.

"Loki!" Thor whispered, but as always, Thor's whispers weren't exactly quiet.

Two days later, against the advise of the much tried healer Aslog, Loki was out of bed and looking out over the city from his balcony.

"Nothing ever changes here, does it?" he sighed.

"I am no student of history, as you know, but I do not believe that 'change' was something our forefathers looked well on," Thor replied. "They did name it 'The Realm Eternal', after all."

"Eternally dull," Loki mumbled.

"Aye, well maybe, but, it was never dull with you around. Father was right...it has not been the same without you here."

"He doesn't care..."

"How can you still not believe him?! He risked the Odinsleep for you!"

"I can't believe him."

"Why not?"

"...You don't know what it's like," Loki said. "To be lied to. To think you're one thing...only to find out that it's all a lie. He had a choice. He could have told me what I was from the beginning."

"Father has apologised to you. You should know how rare an occasion that is. He never apologises."

"That doesn't make it all better. It doesn't change the fact that everything I ever believed...that everything I am...is a lie."

"You still believe that?" Thor lamented.

"You still don't?"

"Of course not."

"Ever the optimist," Loki gave him a rueful smile.

"One of us must be," Thor replied. "So, was there nothing about home that you missed?" he asked after a moment.

"Perhaps one thing."

"And what was that?" he asked, eagerly.

"My library," Loki answered.

"Hah. Naturally. Anything else?"

"Hmmm...my magical equipment."

"Aye, well, that's a given, brother. Anything further?"

"Let me see," Loki said, turning away and idly picking up one of his beloved books which had been left on a table. He then sauntered across to one of the many bookshelves and placed the book in its rightful place. "No, no, I can't think of anything else," he said.

"Ah, Loki, you are cruel indeed," Thor grinned.

"Such a compliment," Loki mocked.

"There is...something I feel you should know about," Thor began, slowly.

"And what is that?"

"Father spoke to me about...well, I don't know what to do. I would value your advise."

"Will you listen this time?" Loki asked, dryly.

"The ten years you gave to the Frost Giants in your agreement...does not seem to be sitting well with him...or with Helblindi. They are growing restless and father says he will refuse to give them the Casket when the time comes," Thor said, seemingly ignoring Loki's earlier sarcasm.

"Of course," Loki shrugged. "I never planned on giving it to them anyway," he said.

"What?"

"I lied Thor," he rolled his eyes, "Surely you're used to that by now."

"But...father says that you were sincere."

"Well, if he believed that, I am a far better liar than I ever thought possible. Why would I simply give away an artefact of such power? Why would Odin? Do you really know so little about him? He does not simply give away power. I knew that when I made the deal with Helblindi in the first place. The decision is out of my hands since he is king now and you are returned, but really, it would be stupidity to let the Frost Giants have the Casket, now or ever."

"I really should not be surprised," Thor sighed.

"No, you shouldn't," Loki replied. "That Casket was all I had to bargain with at the time and don't you dare tell me you disapprove. You know what will happen the moment they get their hands it."

"But you gave your word. They will expect you to honour it."

"I am he who never honours his word. Anyone who bargains with a trickster deserves to be tricked."

"Father wishes for me to journey to Jotunheim to speak with the Frost Giants," Thor sighed. "It is my duty as crown prince. You know I cannot lie...not well. How will I..."

"We just barely managed to avert one war and almost cost us both our lives. If you tell the Frost Giants the truth, you'll bring another war down upon us."

"Then what do I do?"

"Odin knows that I never intended to keep my word. Sending you there is another of his tests..."

"To throw me into a den of Bilge Snipe?"

"So don't go. You don't have to obey his every command. You're the crown prince, Thor, you have power of your own. You've opposed his decisions before. Its time you realised that...that we're not children any more. Odin isn't the saint we once believed he was. He is just as duplicitous as I am and his every thought and command is as calculated as a chess move. If he is sending you to Jotunheim then it is solely for his own gain."

"I...I will speak to father about this."

"Do that," Loki said, gesturing across the room to the door. "And when you have, you'll see that I am right. Then you can return and we can discuss my original plan."

"You have a plan?"

"I always have a plan," Loki looked offended.

Thor sighed as he left the room, leaving his brother smirking behind him.