The day that I was injured due to Thor's reflexes was also Mother's birthday. Considering her worrying over me was not exactly the best birthday present, we decided to celebrate the following week when I could walk again with little trouble. So when I woke up early on the following Saturday, I got up immediately, which I usually don't do since I love reading when I first wake up.
Donning my green and silver clothing, I comb back my hair and then exit my bedroom. Remembering what Father says, I take off down the hall towards my brother's chambers. Making my way through the grandoise way, I notice the lack of servants, though the guards still hold their place. I figure the absent must be tending to preparing the room we shall dine in, for Father ordered our personal family dining room to be especially rich today. I do not blame him, for Mother makes a fine queen and wife.
Quietly slipping into Thor's bedroom, I am assaulted at once by his snoring and grunting. Wincing at the sudden noise after all the silence, I stiffen and continue to his bedside. I smirk at his slightly tanned face, his jaw slacking in his sleep. I have no idea how he could possibly stay asleep on such an important day. I reach out my hand and close his mouth, wishing not to see his drool anymore. He does not seem to even notice the intrusion so I continue on to clamp his lips completely together with one hand and pinch his nose with the other, cutting off his supply of air.
I wait as slowly Thor notices the sudden blockage. His blonde eyebrows furrow and I can feel his nose twitch under my black fingernails. His heartbeat quickens in fright and I assume he must be awake now. He opens his crystal blue eyes abruptly and looks around in confusion, starting to turn red from lack of oxygen. His eyes widen as he sees the sight of me and swiftly pulls me off of him with his rather large hands, catching my dainty ones in his.
"Brother, what is the meaning of this? Why do you try to kill me in my sleep?" Thor asks, sitting up. His eyebrows are still furrowed.
"Please, Thor, I have no wish to kill you - yet. Nay, I needed to wake you up in a manner that shall not take several hours, and this was the only way I knew how," I defend, smirking ever so slightly at my hidden jests.
"Oh! Right, today is Mother's birthday! Thank you, Loki, for waking me," Thor grins. He apparently had not noticed my insults.
"Well, prepare yourself, Brother. I shall go get my own gift to Mother, so meet me in the hall," I say stiffly, making my way around Thor's mess of room and going back into the hall.
I go back to my own room, relishing in the refound silence. I eye the soundless guards, making one of the new ones squirm under my dark gaze. Facing my green adorned room, I look across the space and then cross over to my closet. Standing on the tips of my toes, I reach up and snag the wrapped box from the top shelf. I smile down at the silver box, proud that I was able to make this while in bed resting. I had pooled together what magic I knew and made Mother the perfect gift. I simply cannot wait for her to see it!
After some time Thor meets me in the hall and we walk down the way together. I clutch my present tightly to my chest, feeling a gentle warmth radiating from it, while next to me Thor cannot help but yawn often, showing his obvious discomfort in waking so early. I roll my eyes and ignore him, blocking out his noises and instead turning my mind to the gentle silence that has blanketed Asgard. Many still sleep, but Father wishes to please Mother to the best of our abilities, so he has told us to join Mother in the gardens today and give her company.
It is my first day back on my feet so I falter several times, catching me by surprise for my movements have always been so fluid and well planned. Whenever I trip, though, Thor always catches me, steadying me and keeping by my side after that to make sure there is no more mishap. There is no pain in these movements, but I definitely feel oddly weak, so when we get to the gardens and stand next to Mother, I let my balance cave in and I collapse onto the grassy ground.
As I catch most of the impact on my elbows, Thor starts to reach out but misses me by seconds, and Mother jerks her head up. I try to catch my breath while Mother picks up her skirts and creeps over next to me, catching my head in her hands and supporting my back with her knees. I breathe a sigh of relief and wrap my arms around my mother's neck, smiling slightly at her protectiveness.
"Happy late birthday, Mother, dear," I whisper. She smiles back at me.
Thor chooses this moment to interrupt, of course. He gives out a cry and pulls Mother into a tight embrace, catching me up along with it. Tilting my head down so I can dodge most of the impact, I slip out of the knot, looking around the garden when I am free. It is only the three of us and the guards, that could not care less about what is going on.
"Mother, where is Father? Has he been called to a meeting?" I ask, my eyebrows raised. But this question only makes the blonde queen let go of Thor and furrow her eyebrows.
"He is...unable...to make it this morning. Some issues have risen in Nidavellir that he must tend to. He cannot even promise he shall make it to dinner," Mother sighs, sorrowful.
"I am sorry, Mother," say Thor and I in unison. We both kneel down and place a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. Our birthdays are the only time we spend with each other, and now Mother's has been ruined twice: once by Thor and me and once by Father. How terrible for her!
"Would you like to open your gifts now, then, Mother? It might make you feel better," I suggest gently, snatching up mine from the ground.
"Oh, yes, come Mother, you must!" Thor exclaims. He digs in his pocket and holds out a small wooden box, grinning. "Open mine first, Mother."
"Well, alright, you two. Honestly, you two alone will spoil me!" she giggles.
"You can never be spoiled, Mother, for you deserve every last treasure you own," I tell her, working my silver tongue, though this is the truth.
She blushes in humiliation and then takes up Thor's. I do not blame her for taking his gift first, for he was shoving it under her nose the whole time. But I really would have liked to have mine opened first. The best is saved for last, I suppose?
Removing the small, wooden lid, she opens the box and peers in. She squeals in delight, sounding so young, and picks up a chain with her long, slender fingers. I peer closer and see that Thor has somehow managed to get her a thin gold chain and upon the end hangs a wooden carving of a leaf, painted green and gold. He had to have had help on this gift, but it is suited for the queen, for she relishes anything related to her gardens. This she shall be able to keep forever.
"I had to obtain the chain from others, but I made the wooden leaf myself, Mother," Thor boasts. He leans behind her and kisses her upon the cheek. Does he compete with me? I raise my eyebrow ever so slightly. No one will notice.
"Well, it is beautiful either way, Thor. Thank you kindly for this gift, my son. I will wear it from now on, I promise," she cooes, tying the chain around her neck and fingering the delicate leaf.
"Here, Mother, mine next," I say, sitting back on my knees and handing her the silver box.
"How about this, Loki. Tonight when your Father comes to dinner, we shall show him Thor's present to me, and then you shall present yours so Father can see it. How about that, Loki?" she suggests. "You two are spoiling me, I swear!"
"Yes, Mother, sounds like a plan," I nod, keeping my face masked as a smile. So Thor comes first. Typical. Whatever. "Here, let me help you with that, Mother."
I lean over to the rose bush Mother was working on and take up the small metal scissors that she was using to cut the stems. I snip off a nearby silver leaf and hold it up to the bright sun, making the light fall onto the small plant and gleam beautifully. I take Thor's leaf necklace in my hand and press the silver leaf against the wood work, gently, and whisper incantations.
"There, Mother. It shall feel and look exactly as it did before, but now it shall give off the perfume of your rose bush," I smile. Next to me Thor looks slightly enraged by my tampering with his gift. "No offense against you, of course, Thor. But should we not work together to give Mother the best birthday she has ever had?"
"Oh, my birthdays shall always be the best when you two are there," she says.
She strokes the necklace, taking in the new scent of the wood. Thor looks almost appalled at my work, confused on rather to be angry at me or happy that I made his gift even better. In response I simply leaned over, cut off one of the golden rose and entwined it into Mother's silvering hair. It certainly helps being Mommy's Little Boy. I tend to get my way when it comes to emotional matters with her.
While Thor carries the basket of gardening tools, Mother and I go along the many plants in the garden, cutting off several and placing them in a basket for the servants to take to the dining room later and spread around the table. Mother loves the idea of having newly bloomed flowers in our home, there to give off their wonderful set and present their beautiful appearance. I quite agree. And what makes this better is that Thor hates this kind of work, believing it was designed for women only. He has no idea.
"How do you do it?" Thor asks, lying beside me on the grass under the shade. It was nearing dinner time and we had had a full day of spending time with Mother, helping her with gardening and other such activites. We were about to go in but Mother wished to see the sunset first, so we complied.
"Do what?" I shoot back, a bit coldly. I have no wish to hear what he has to say now, not when I could be enjoying this blood red sunset.
"Get along so well with the women folk. I mean, many of the maidens of Asgard flirt with me because I'm the prince. But you understand Mother and the others, their problems, in such a way that I do not understand. You are not a woman yourself, are you Loki?" Thor asks. He better be joking at the end. He better be.
"Of course you do not understand them, Brother," I start gently, leaning my head back in my hands. "You think with your muscles and strength, but ladies are more delicate and prefer to think with their conscious, taking mental problems over physical. Do you get me, Brother?"
"Yes, Loki, kind of. I understand that mentally you are a lady," Thor chuckles. I glare at him.
"Why are we having this discussion?" I growl through my teeth.
"Because I need you there whenever my own future wife has problems. Perhaps you shall be her top lady friend and translate her words over into guy talk for me."
"All right, enough, Thor. You must not bother your brother just because he thinks more sensibly," Mother scolds, extinguishing the fight.
I wait, watching Thor's expression carefully out of the corner of my eye. No, he did not catch the insult. Amusing.
"My queen, supper is ready in your private dining room. The king, Odin, shall be there as well," a servant tells us, standing stiffly and then leaving after delivering the message.
"Well, come on then," Mother says, putting the last of her gardening tools in a basket.
Thor stands up and groans, stretching his long limbs. As he stands up, I grab on tightly to his wrist and use him as means to stand up, letting go when my feet touch the ground. I turn and help Mother up, taking the basket for her. She tries to wave me off, of course, and I comply since she can full well take care of herself. We simply follow in Thor's steps and make our way to the dining room.
"Ah, there you three are," Father breathes, smiling at Mother. "Shall we commence celebrating such a joyous occasion, love?"
We sit and have dinner first, as is the custom for those who think with their stomach. Mother tells Father that she would most appreciate if he and Thor would not drink alchohol on such an occassion, and I am surprised to find that they manage not to. After supper, we go to an adjoining parlour where there is a fireplace and plenty of resting places. Father and my brother immediately fall back onto the two sofas nearest the fireplace. Once they take up their roost and Mother and I find seating on the nearby armchairs, Father questions of our presents to Mother.
"Oh, Odin, Thor made me this lovely necklace with the leaf. And Loki put a spell on it to have the scents of my rose bush out in the gardens," Mother says, letting the Allfather finger the delicate wood.
"Ah, splendid job there, son. I did not know that you could work wood," Father praises.
"Well, after our smith taught me how simple it could be, I had no trouble," Thor brags.
"And, Loki, what be your gift to your most beautiful mother?" Father asks, raising an eyebrow. He's frowning now, wandering what I could possibly present, but there is still the ghost of a smile on his lips from pride over Thor.
"Well, come, see," I invite.
I pull a small, round coffee table into the middle of the room and take the silver box from my pocket, placing it carefully on the dark furniture piece. Mother stands and comes up next to me and soon the Allfather and Thor join us at the table. Mother carefully lifts the lid and peers in, leaving room for the rest of us to see into the dark crevice. I take a candle and illuminate the interior of the box, letting them see the present clearly.
"What trick is this, Loki? Why do you present your mother with only a box of ashes?" Father asks me.
"It is not just a box of ashes, Father. Just watch, it shall rise from the ashes soon," I whisper calmly.
"What shall rise, Loki?" Thor questions.
"Be patient, Brother." I held up my finger so to tell them to be patient and wait, staring down at the ashes myself.
Then, just as Thor is about to sit back down, two bright eyes open from the midst of grey. There is a soft chirp, and slowly a small bird rises from the ashes that I placed in the box so delicately. It shakes it's body, freeing itself from the ashes. And as we stare down at the little fledgling, I smile smugly as the others gasp in amazement, for in that moment the bird bloomed into a harmless flame and flew aloft with new red feathers in place. It took flight through the air, the fire upon it's feathers dancing merrily and small, gleeful chirps escaping from it's golden beak.
"Call it to your hand, Mother. It shall come to you, and it will not harm you at all," I instruct the queen. She follows my simple instructions and soon the dainty bird is perched upon her finger, nuzzling her hand gingerly with it's bright, head crest.
"Okay, Loki, what is that thing?" Father asks me wearily.
"It is a phoenix, Father, quite a rare bird. When it dies it becomes ashes, and from the ashes it is reborn. Sometimes it can become quite attached to someone who treats it fairly," I tell them, stroking the alight feathers of the creature.
"So it cannot hurt Frigga, right? And where did you get it anyway?" he presses.
"No, it will harm no one unless they have malicious intent," I start.
"Oh, so why does it not bite you, then, Brother?" Thor jokes before I can continue. I shoot him a glare.
"And I came across the spell to have one rise from the ashes in an old book I found in the library. I thought such a loyal and never dying companion would fit Mother just perfectly."
"Ah, yes, well, a fine job you did on that, son," the Allfather tells me awkwardly. "Just don't get too much into this magic stuff, or you might end up in some serious trouble, Loki."
I narrow my eyes. Thor gets the compliment full of pride and I get the uneasy one followed by a warning. How sweet.
"What shall you name it, Mother?" I ask curiously, petting it's beak gently.
"How about Sol?" she suggests.
"Yes, Sol fits it perfectly, Mother. A beautiful name for the fire bird," I agree, nodding my head.
"So does the bird do anything?" Thor asks, questioning rather it is useful or not.
"Yes. It will come to it's master's aide whenever they need it," I answer.
"Must be a smart bird," Thor mumbles, and then goes to join Father at the fireplace.
"Yes, my genius bird from my genius son. Thank you, Loki," Mother smiles, kissing me on the cheek. I blush slightly from the attention.
As I draw my head up again, the bird suddenly leaps from Mother's outstretched hand and flutters away. I watch, gaping, as the fire bird steals out the window and heads to where some of the other's halls are. It must have sensed something that Mother wanted.
"Where is it going?" Thor asks absently.
"Loki, I swear, if it causes any harm to others...," Father vaguely threats.
"Mother, did you ask for it to fetch something for you?" I ask, ignoring the others.
"Perhaps I did, subconsciously. Wait, is it coming back?" Mother answers.
We walk to the window and peer out towards where the bird was heading, and sure enough the red creature was coming nearer, with something in it's claw. As it flew in the window, it dropped something into the queen's hands and then came to rest next to the fire, curious.
"What is it, Frigga?" Father asks, stepping closer.
"It's the necklace that I've been looking for. It's been missing. I wander what it was doing out in the streets of Asgard," Mother answers, amused.
"It looked like it came from Freyja's Hall, Mother," I say, smirking. If anyone here has the care to get mad at the Fertility Goddess for stealing such a precious treasure, I shall count it as my revenge against the woman. I swear, she is totally out to get me.
"Yes, well, we will settle all of that tomorrow," Father says, glancing at me. I raise my eyebrows in innocence.
"Yeah, that bird will be useful," Thor grins. His facial expression concerns me.
"Hush, Thor, Sol shall only be used for beneficial things. Come, my friend, I believe it is time I go to bed," Mother says.
"Yes, it is getting rather late. Goodnight, my sons," Father says, and then exits the room after we reply.
"Thank you for the presents and spending the day with me, dear ones. Have sweet dreams," Mother says, following Father.
After the last light of Sol had disappeared down the hall, Thor and I walk down to where our rooms are situated. After we parted, I briefly saw Thor taking a swig from a bottle of mead before entering his room. I figured as much.
With that I waved out the light of the candles and fell asleep, smiling after having the best day I have had in over a week.