"There is something you need to read, my son." Frigga hesitated, then handed over the large book with a resigned smile. "Please do not hate me."
The book in his hands was imbibed with power, truth written with every charged word.
So he read, and read, and his world became a mass of questions and doubt, and hate and love. He learned of how Odin and Laufey were in truth twin brothers, and raised as such. One raised to rule the Aesir, the other to be a fellow king, ruling over the frost giants in an agreement his grandfather and grandmother had made. She had agreed to carry a child from each race, both half-Aesir and half-Jotun, so their worlds could finally live in peace. He read of his mother, Frigga, and how she had been forced into marriage by her parents to Odin, though she was in love with Laufey, despite his normal appearance. He read the truth of why the war was started in the first place, over some mortal wench that his father had taken as a mistress, and how Laufey had declared war on Odin to avenge his mothers honor.
He read of how Odin turned it into a war between worlds, instead of a personal fight, as Laufey had intended.
He read about how she had vanished for years during the fighting, only to return pregnant. How Odin had realized exactly who she was pregnant by, and purposely, in a jealous rage, gone and gotten the same mortal woman pregnant. How Laufey, in his own rage over how Odin was treating his wife and unborn children, had taken the war to Midgard, and killed the woman and her demi-god offspring. He read of how Odin had tricked Laufey and taken the Casket, thus confining them to the frozen wasteland of Jotunheim, with no power to rebuild their once glorious world.
He closed the book after reading of how Odin welcomed the twin boys into the world, and raised them as his own.
His world had been thrown into complete chaos, but it was not a kind that he thrived on. Things from his childhood were beginning to make more sense now, and as he slowly stood and began to walk back to where Odin lay with Frigga at his side, any resentment he held towards his brother began to dissipate. When he had first found out about his Jotun blood, he had thought that he had been adopted, despite what his mother had said. Now he knew that he was not, that Thor was his twin, his brother by blood. All the comments that Odin had made through the years, the favoritism, was only because he favored how Thor looked above himself. Laufey was half-Aesir, just like Odin, but Thor had received more of the Aesir looks then Loki. He had read, in his mothers own hands, how Laufey had looked when he had been younger. Loki had received the black hair and green eyes that his real father had favored when he made the effort to look 'normal'.
He blinked himself from his thoughts at a soft touch upon his cheek, and focused on his mother. She was looking up at him, her gaze worried and oh so fearful, afraid of being rejected as his father - no, Odin - must have done so many times.
Slowly, only half aware of what he was doing, he raised his hand and covered her own. "Do you still love him mother?"
She blinked, looking taken aback by his comment, but then her blue eyes softened and filled with tears. "I do my son." Her smile wobbled at the edges. "I do not believe I could ever stop."
He swallowed hard, forcing his emotions down with it, but his voice still came out husky as he asked, "Tell me about him."
She did. She spoke all through dinner, telling him of how much like him Loki was. Laufey used to delight in running amok through the populace, Aesir and Jotun alike. He would often prank Odin, getting his brother into trouble, and out of it just as much. Her face grew sad as she recounted when that all began to change, after the brothers had met her. She had been but a girl of 16, and they in their twenties when she had been called to court. Their rivalry turned deadly after that, as Laufey fought for her hand, even though she was already promised to Odin. She told him of how Laufey truly won her over, when one day, she was sitting bored in the courtyard, unable to read or study her herbs, as Odin fought against some palace guards. He was trying to impress her, and doing an awful job of it. Laufey had come, slipping his hand into hers, and whisked her away with a teleportation spell. They had spent the day arguing over books and spells, catching fish in the river and building a campfire. They both had known what trouble they would get into, and it was that more than anything, that led them to making love through the entire night.
Frigga laughed delightedly at the face Loki made. "Did you think I was celibate? Where do you think you came from my son?"
"I understand that mother," he muttered, fiddling with his wine. "That doesn't make it any easier to hear."
She just laughed again and continued with the stories.
It was dawn by the time they retired to their own rooms, but Loki found himself standing on the balcony overlooking Asgard, Gungnir warm in his hand and humming with ancient power. Now that he knew the back-story, he could understand the bitterness towards them when he and Thor had gone to Jotunheim. Laufey would have known exactly who they were, and to see how they had been raised and molded, how the whole of Asgard had been turned against the Jotun's because of Odin's jealously, well, he couldn't blame him in the least.
He raised his left hand in front of him, and thought of cold. Freezing winds that turned skin black, snow that cut the skin and dulled the senses. Slowly, blue crept over his fingers, and then quickly raced over the rest of his skin. He held it there, memorizing the feel of it as he leaned the spear against his own shoulder, using his right hand to trace the raised markings on his left.
"It takes a high amount of power to be born with those markings. You and your brother both were blessed."
When he took Gungnir again in his blue hand, he frowned at what happened. The metal, once a warm gold, slowly began to change from where his hand was wrapped around the haft. Silver spread slowly, the edges glinting almost blue in the dawn light. The energy flowing through the weapon also changed, gaining a bit of a bite that wasn't there before. It seemed that the spear supposedly made strictly for the crown of Asgard had no issues with the power of Jotunheim.
He looked back out, towards the Bifrost, and frowned. His jealously towards Thor was now redundant, and all the plans that he had obsolete. He could not kill Laufey now, knowing of his mothers feelings and his own heritage. Odin however...he was a liar and a horrible father. Everything that the man had told him in the weapons vault had been a lie, except for being Laufey's son. The only truth out of a pack of lies that had almost turned him against his brother and mother, against Asgard. If it had not been for the truth that his mother had revealed to him, he could clearly see the path he would have gone down, trying to prove to Odin that he was a good son, that he was Thor's equal. He would have used the Bifrost to destroy that frozen world and everyone on it, without a moment of hesitation.
He closed his eyes tiredly and pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. He knew what he had to do now. He needed to speak to Thor, and it needed to be in person, not a shadow spell. After that, after he had explained to his twin the truth, he would decide what to do. Thor may even have some input, though thinking things through had never been a strong suit of his.
He strode to his mothers chambers, hating that he needed to wake her up. He did anyway, but she was understanding as he explained what he was going to do, promising that she would rule over the kingdom while he was gone. It was something that she was used to, since she did it when they had been younger, when Odin had fallen into Odin-sleep.
Soon he found himself in the chambers, book under one arm and Gungnir resting back with his mother. He was having a staring contest with Heimdall, but finally the man's golden eyes flicked to the book, and Loki smirked at the lack of surprise or curiosity.
"So you did know," he said smugly.
Heimdall inclined his head slightly. "I did. I facilitated your mothers affections."
"I believed you were loyal to your king," he returned sharply, watching his face for any sign of falsehood.
"I am sworn to the crown, and to Asgard."
Loki nodded. Truly, that was all he needed to know. "Open the Bifrost to Midgard. I must speak with my brother."
"Very well my king."
Loki couldn't stop the swell of pride that title caused, though he did make an effort to dampen it a bit. Then the Bifrost caught him, and the first thing he noticed upon landing on the other side was the heat. He immediately cast a spell to keep it away, finding it even more unbearable now that he was aware of his other half. He surveyed the area around him, and found nothing but dirt, rocks, and a few weeds.
"Midgard is lovely," he muttered to himself sarcastically, and then closed his eyes to send his senses out in search of Thor. He found him not far away, and gathering his energy, he teleported.
He got a brief look around at all the mirrors, and sneered at the measly confines. He turned to Thor, only to find his brother looking at him in surprise.
"Do they really believe that this can hold you brother?" he asked in disbelief, almost growling when the door opened and men with guns entered. He absently created a shield around him and Thor, smirking when his brother stood and took position behind his right shoulder. He faced the single man who didn't have a gun aimed at him, though no doubt had a few concealed.
"If I may," the man said smoothly, and Loki tilted his head to the side just a bit. "How did you get in here without anyone seeing you?"
He glanced back at Thor, grinning wolfishly when his brother got the message. A large hand was placed on his shoulder, and he looked at the human in front of him. "What is it you mortals say? That is for me to know, and you to find out?"
Then he snapped his fingers, taking both he and his brother away.
"Subtle brother," Thor scoffed when they appeared at the Bifrost site.
Loki stared at his twin long enough for Thor to begin to fidget, as he always did. Loki, for his part, was wondering why he never saw it before. Why he would ever doubt that he and Thor were related. They didn't have the same body type, but he could see it in the slant of their eyes, their noses, and the stubborn jaw.
Finally, he spoke. "Thor, there is much for us to speak on. Mother revealed some things to me, when Odin fell into the sleep not long after your banishment. Many things have come to light, and..." He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly before locking eyes with his brother. "Thor, you must give me your word that what I am about to show you will not affect our relationship."
Thor was confused and it showed, but he nodded. "Of course. You are my brother Loki, nothing will change that."
"Then I need you to take my hand."
Thor did, and it was only a matter of thought for his skin to turn blue, and Thor tried to instinctively pull away, but Loki was having none of it. "Remember your oath, brother," he hissed, and Thor stilled.
He was now staring down at his own hand, where the blue was creeping up, horror and a kind of wonder on his face. It spread, the same way it had with Loki, until it engulfed his entire body. With his free hand Loki conjured a mirror, and Thor's jaw dropped when he saw his own reflection. He was still Aesir size, just as Loki was, but the markings were a bit different, and he still retained his blond hair.
"What matter of sorcery is this brother?" he asked quietly, and Loki released his hand, the blue fading from both of their skins.
"I wish I could say that it was, brother." He held out the book, and Thor took it. "Read it, cover to cover. It is the true account of the war with Jotunheim."
"But..." Thor looked lost and confused, much the same way Loki had when he had first been confronted with the truth.
Loki reached out a hand, and placed it firmly on the broad shoulder. "Just read Thor. I will keep watch for however long it takes."
He did. Through the night and into morning he kept watch, and Thor engrossed himself in the telling's of the now deceased scribe. He watched his brothers face closely, accurately guessing the parts that he was reading by the emotions that flew across them. At the end, as sunrise was staining the horizon, he saw a tear slowly fall from Thor's eye as the book closed gently.
Just then, as Thor met his eyes, thunder rumbled across, and clouds swiftly gathered. The bright blue glazed over, and Loki smiled to himself as he saw Mjolnir rise into the sky, and fly straight towards them. He only took a few steps back as Thor raised his hand, the hammer crashing into it with all the force of a fierce thunderstorm, his armor forming along his body once again. When the wind had settled, and his brother was finally his brother once again, he found tears coursing unashamedly from Thor's eyes. Without thought, he reached out and pulled his brother into a tight embrace, one that was returned with ferocity.
"Mother...I never realized...father, no, Odin...how..." Thor could not have gotten the words out even if he had put effort into it. Reading of the sacrifices that his mother had made, the lengths Odin had gone to make sure the Aesir hated the Jotun's...it made him feel very, very small. It made all of his own feelings of superiority wither and die, realizing that he had begun to act just like Odin had. He suddenly felt like a child again, with the only constant in his life his twin. His arms tightened just a bit more.
Loki had to laugh at Thor's inability to form a coherent sentence. Thor pulled back and punched his shoulder, scowling as he wiped his face. "Tis not funny Loki!"
"My apologizes," Loki muttered though his chuckles, "But I find it quite funny."
"Of course you do," Thor growled, but there was a smile there, and more control.
Loki finally got his mirth under control, and gestured to the intricate markings. "Shall we?"
Thor nodded, a small smile on his face. "Yes, lets."
"Heimdall, open the Bifrost."
In a flash of light, they were back in Asgard. Heimdall greeted them with a nod.
"My king, and prince. Welcome home."
"King?" Thor asked, glaring at Loki.
Loki actually blushed slightly, and shrugged. "Odin went into Odin-sleep, and since you were gone, I was next in line. I received Gungnir and the crown until Odin awakens."
Thor blinked in shock, and then shook his head in disbelief. "You never wanted the throne though."
Loki smiled bitterly as they passed Heimdall, and began walking down the bridge towards the palace. "No, I never wanted the throne. However, if I hadn't accepted, I never would have been able to read that book. I cannot say I regret taking the position for learning the truth."
Thor nodded solemnly, and Loki hummed quietly to himself. It seemed that his time on Midgard had done wonders for his brothers patience. They were stopped right before the gate, as a shimmering white light appeared. Slowly it formed into Gungnir, and Loki smiled slightly as he grasped the now silver haft. It felt good having it back in his hand.
"Gungnir is gold," Thor said quietly, looking to Loki for an explanation.
He obliged as they began walking again. "Gungnir was created by Odin's father. It accepts Aesir and Jotun magic, so my theory is that he created it to be used with both."
Thor just nodded again, and they walked in silence to the room where Odin slept. Frigga was not there, though it wouldn't be long before she sensed that they were back and found them. Thor went to Odin's right side while Loki stayed by the door. He didn't trust his control enough to not kill the All-father.
Thor stood there for a long minute, staring down at the craggy face he had called father for his entire life. "But you're not," he whispered to himself, reaching out to touch the aged hand. Memories began to surface as he stood, things that only solidified the knowledge that he had read in the book. Arguments Odin and Frigga would get into, the vehement way Odin would speak against the frost giants, and especially against Laufey himself. The look on Laufey's face when they had gone into Jotunheim, the look of recognition quickly masked by anger. How Odin always treated Loki as though he was beneath them, and now he knew why. He took after their true father in body type, but their mother in coloring. Loki took after Laufey in colors, but their mother in body type.
He turned to his twin with tears in his eyes, and quickly strode across the room. Ignoring the scowl of surprise, he knelt down before him, taking his hands. "I am sorry brother, for everything I have done to you. For how I have treated you..."
"Thor, don't." Loki sighed and brought Thor up. He smiled slightly, a bit sarcastically. "Now, what have we learned?"
"How to be a better man," Thor said with a shaky laugh, and embraced Loki once again.
Loki closed his eyes and returned the embrace tightly. "It's good to have you back brother."
"Likewise," Thor said quietly.
They separated hastily when a feminine voice cleared her throat in amusement, and they jumped apart like children who had been caught doing something bad.
Loki made a face at his mother as she walked in, a large grin on her face and eyes sparkling with happiness. "My sons! I have someone I would like you to meet, after all this time!"
Loki paled, and exchanged a startled look with Thor when Frigga turned back to the open door. She motioned for whoever was there to enter, but a deep male voice murmured something. Her face turned into a stubborn scowl, and the surprise - and slight panic - became edged with amusement. If the person beyond the threshold was who he thought it was, he didn't stand a chance when Frigga became stubborn.
Finally, Frigga had to drag the person in, and Loki's jaw dropped. His mother had not been lying when she said that he had taken after his father. Standing in front of them with a scowl of embarrassment and also a bit of panic, was Laufey in his Aesir guise. His black hair was shot through with grey, and shorter then Loki's own. The green eyes were a bit lighter with age, but no less sharp. His body was muscled, built like Thor's, but the longer Loki looked, the more he could tell that this was their real father. There were too many similarities, even more so with his mother and Laufey standing next to one another.
"So," he croaked, and then cleared his throat, cheeks turning pink from embarrassment. He walked forward, and held out a hand, figuring that if he didn't, Thor never would. "Laufey, I presume?"
"Yes," Laufey returned, reaching out and shaking his hand. His voice was unchanged from what he had heard in Jotunheim - craggy, deep, and growling. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, my sons."
Thor came forward and knelt, hiding his face. "King Laufey, I must apologize for my brash actions against...my kin. I was unaware of the truth at the time-"
"Thor," Laufey said, his voice quiet. Thor refused to look up, so Laufey crouched down, and made Thor look at him. "You were ignorant of the truth at the time. You were ignorant period. I can see that in a short time you have changed, and it is for the better. I will pardon you now, and you as well Loki," Loki flinched when those eyes shot a look at him, "but if anything similar happens again, you will be punished as I or your mother see fit. Understood?"
"Yes father," they both intoned without thinking of the words. There was an awkward silence after, until Frigga broke it by slipping her arm through Laufey's and beaming at all of them.
"Now, let's have dinner, shall we?"
Loki and Thor hung back as Laufey and Frigga walked before them towards the dining hall, and Loki couldn't help but smile at the sweet picture the two made. It was obvious that even after all this time they were still very much in love with each other. Laufey's face softened when he looked down at Frigga, his eyes crinkling at the corners with happiness, and Loki and Thor exchanged a small, knowing smile.
Dinner was the happiest that either man could remember in awhile. Frigga laughed and joked, and so did Laufey. He told stories about his nieces and nephews, and of the pitfalls of living on the ice. Laufey was definitely a scholar, and easily kept up with Loki when they began to debate the merits of certain spells and herbs. He also kept up with both Thor and Loki as they discussed battle strategies, the pros and cons of weapons and armor, and different terrains. It was long into the night when they finally caught their mother yawning, and the three males exchanged a look.
Laufey stood first, holding out a hand to Frigga with a smile. "Allow me to escort you, milady."
"Oh you're too kind milord," she returned with a wink and a laugh. Both Thor and Loki cringed.
"Please, innocent ears parents," Loki muttered, blushing when they both gave him droll looks.
"We may be old, but we're not dead," Laufey snarked, and Loki couldn't help but grin.
"Then I will keep the healers on standby, just in case," he fired back, and Laufey looked shocked for a moment, but then burst into laughter.
"You mother is more than capable of healing us both, I assure you my son," he purred, and Loki went completely red with embarrassment.
"I'm walking away now," he muttered, and did just that. Thor sputtered and caught up with him, but they were stopped by Laufey's voice.
"My sons. I have one request before you leave." They both looked back at him, and slowly his body grew taller, though not much, and his true coloring appeared. "I wish to see your Jotun skin, if you'll oblige."
The twins exchanged a look, but Loki shrugged at the slight fear that was in Thor's eyes. He had been afraid at first, but he had also been practicing with this new side of him more than Thor had.
With a deep breath, the air in the room quickly became stifling as it pounded on his blue skin, and he looked at Laufey with a cocked eyebrow. "Loki..."
Loki looked over at Thor's pleading tone, and snickered when he saw that his brother had only managed to get the tips of his fingers blue. With a grin he took his hands, and the blue spread quickly after that. "Now concentrate on how it feels. It's the thought that triggers it."
Thor nodded, and they both turned to look at their parents. Loki still had a hard time thinking of Laufey as his father, but it was getting easier, surprisingly fast. The man was extremely smart and had a sense of humor, and was...very normal.
Laufey smiled and walked up to them. "Take off your armor, if you would? I am sure your mother hasn't gotten a chance to explain the markings you were born with."
They did, slowly, and Laufey started with Loki first. He took his left hand, tracing the three parallel lines that ran from the back of his hands and up his arms, to connect with the swirls and more lines that decorated his torso, back and front.
"Lines are a sign of great magic. You would have become an elite sorcerer in our lands. These," Laufey said softly as he traced the shapes across his brow, identical to his and Thor's, "are the mark of our house. They mark you as my sons."
He then turned to Thor, shaking his head in amusement at the spiraling lines that starting at Thor's wrists and continued over his chest and back. "These represent great strength. You have great physical strength my son, but you could learn a thing or two from your brother."
The twins smirked at each other, and Thor nodded. "I know...father. I, we, still have much to learn."
Loki nodded his head in agreement, and they changed back to their normal forms with a thought. Loki refrained from saying anything, but that was the first time that night that Thor had called Laufey father. He could see the emotion in the ruby eyes, though he only acknowledged it with a small smile. Laufey did not change, and instead went over and held out a hand to Frigga. She glanced at them, and it made Loki frown. She looked as though she was scared of something.
"They will see eventually, my love," Laufey said softly, and she sighed. She took his hand, but instead of turning black from frost bite, she also turned blue. Loki and Thor stood dumbfounded as she changed into a frost giant. Then she laughed as she got a good look at their faces.
"It is only a spell, my sons. I needed some sort of protection when I spent the years in Jotunheim with your father, and he developed this for me. With it, the cold of your touch does not affect me."
Loki frowned and walked closer, reaching up to trace the markings on his mothers forehead. They were the same, but slightly different. "What are the meanings of yours mother?"
He mother smiled, and exchanged a warm look with Laufey. "It means that I am the wife of Laufey. We have been married by Jotun standards for...oh, what? A few thousand years now?"
"So those years you spent there..." Thor trailed off, blinking. Frigga nodded.
"Yes, we got married then," Laufey responded instead.
"Mother!" Loki said, mock affronted. "You have been married to two men this entire time! How scandalous!"
Laufey frowned, but Frigga laughed, reaching out to tap his cheek - and not lightly. "Let's not get into scandals now, son. I'm sure your father does not want to hear of your exploits. Either of you."
Loki shut his mouth with a snap.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"
They all whipped around, and in the doorway, stood Odin.