As some of you may or may not have noticed, I made a pretty glaring error in my last chapter. How can Loki write a letter to his mother when he is illiterate? (And his mom probably can't read it either.) To this I say...Oh look at the squirrel, over there behind you! Not the man behind the curtain. These aren't the droids you're looking for. Magic, unicorns, sparkles...and beer.

Let's just assume Loki dictated the letter to some zit faced page boy and expected his mother to have a neighbor read it to her.

Loki listened quietly as Thor discussed the state of the Asgard's military. He approved a budget to pay for a thousand new swords and 200 battle axes. He was about to listen to a crime report when a very familiar looking boy came running into the throne room and kneeled before Thor. He was clutching a letter in his hand.

"Rise little one. What is your urgent message for your King?" The boy rose. With a ruddy complexion and a voice that squawked back and forth between high pitched and adult male, his eyes shifted to Loki, and he swallowed hard.

"I have news Majesty of the errand you set me on this morning."

"And what word do you have?" Thor asked.

"I searched for the lady, to speak with her and verify that she'd received proper payment." The boy paused again, looking at Loki. Loki rose to his feet as fear set his spine ridged.

"Spit it out boy. What did you find?" Loki barked.

"The front door was partially open and there was no response to my calls, so I entered. The house was destroyed from what appeared to be looters. I found her on the floor, dead." He held out a letter to Thor which he took and examined. It was Loki's letter to his mother, still unopened.

Loki screamed in horror and collided with Thor's chest. His loud ugly sobs were barely muffled by the large pectoral muscles pillowing his head. Strong arms encircled him, and suddenly Loki was weightless. Thor was carrying him out of the hall. Loki cried. Norns he cried until he lost consciousness and woke up crying again, still wrapped in warm golden biceps.

"It didn't happen. It didn't happen. It didn't happen." Loki was hyperventilating. He felt warm lips upon his own then, forcing him to even his breathing. Big hands raked over his body, and then Loki was pinned beneath Thor's massive frame. Loki felt him nuzzling his neck, teeth grazing over his heat gland. Thor bit down, not hard enough to break the skin and mark him, but hard enough to distract.

Loki whimpered and nuzzled Thor's neck in return, licking at the sweat collected there. Thor brought his lips back to Loki's and kissed him passionately.

"Shh, little one. I will protect you. I will make right this injustice."

"How? We don't know who did it! It could have been anyone. Everyone in the kingdom knew how much you bid on me. They knew payment would be forthcoming and they waited."

"I will send out my men to interrogate the auctioneer. We will start with him."

"And if you never find the one who killed my mother?"

"Then I will do all in my power to comfort you." Thor dipped his head down and nibbled Loki's neck again. Loki made a strangled noise that was a combination of a keen and a sob.

"Please…"

"You're not ready yet. I'd rip your womb apart."

"I don't care! Please!" Loki felt hot embarrassed tears slide down into his hair. Thor kissed him again and held him tight.

Thor felt for the boy. He has only known him for a few days, shared intimate pleasures with him. He cannot blame him for wanting more. Loki is an omega, brought to the instinct of desire prematurely. The boy craves the presence and reassurance of a strong Alpha. A reassurance that is usually provided through sexual means. Thor certainly wanted more, but he did not trust himself. The three days with Loki during his heat had been a living hell of temptations filled with moments of mild reprieve. He'd give anything to thrust his cock into Loki and rut him to death. To feel his knot, swell inside him and let loose his seed. To claim him, over and over again. But Loki is not yet fully developed, not internally. He cannot succumb to selfishness.

The sun set and the darkness of night overtook Thor's chambers. He held Loki the entire night, waking him when a nightmare was making his body shake. He kissed his ward back to sleep, only to wake again to the moans of a sleeping Loki dreaming about a Thor that was giving him what he needed. Thor left the bed and masturbated in the bathroom.

XxXxXxXx

Several people were rounded up, and names bandied about, but there was no proof, no witness against anyone that amounted to a tangible conviction.

"Please! Let me interrogate them! Let me question these people. Please Thor I beg you." Loki said. He was furious, barely contained. Thor did not know suffering, had never known suffering. Not like he had. His mother had been the one bright shining star in his otherwise dreary upbringing.

"I am sorry little one, but you are too close to the situation to see clearly. I cannot condemn innocent men to death." Thor said, trying to be calm, fair, and understanding though Loki's tone was bordering on disrespectful.

"You would let a murder go free!"

"Loki!" Thor said in his booming Alpha voice. It was the first time he'd ever felt it necessary to use it on Loki, and he hated himself for it. Loki cowered back. Thor is the one person he cannot displease, and he has everything to lose in doing so. Still, the small taste of freedom and power he has had these past few days have shown him how life could be, if no one had any power or sway over him at all. He bit back the acidic words he wanted to say to Thor, but only just.

"I am sorry…my King." Loki said. That cold impersonal touch at the end hurt Thor and yet Loki was merely showing him respect.

"You are overwrought. My mother is expecting you. She has had the cook prepare every type of dessert there is in the hopes of soothing your soul. She may yet be able to provide you the comfort that I cannot." Thor said. Loki felt unease and panic, feeling he had made a mistake. He knew what a dismal, however gentle, looked like. He nodded and left the room.

The long walk through the corridors of the palace felt like an epic trek. Loki desperately wanted to see the interrogations but knew that disobeying Thor right now would be incredibly unwise. With every step, he willed himself to do as he was told and knocked on Frigga's chamber door.

"I feared you were off to do something foolish." She said when she answered the door. The strange statement knocked Loki off balance. It implied that she had heard the thoughts inside his head. Does the Queen have that power?

"Yes, I was spying on you. Come in dear boy and let me comfort you."

"How did you know?"

"It is not hard to guess what is running through your mind right now. I imagine you must be desperate to see who has been rounded up and put them to the test."

"Yes! Please I need to know!"

"No Loki. Let the authorities sort them out. You need to mourn your mother. Tell me about her." Frigga poured Loki a cup of tea, which smelled of cinnamon sweetness.

"How can I call myself a good son if I do not do all that is in my power to avenge her death?"

"I know the feeling Loki. Did you know that some magic wielders have the power to read the thoughts of others? It is a rare gift, and one where the potency can vary from person to person. Centuries ago Asgard used to have a truth speaker. No one dared commit a crime in Asgard for keeping it a secret was impossible. Anyone accused of wrongdoing could be brought for judgement. It was very effective and Asgard was much more peaceful then."

"Why don't we have one anymore?"

"The truth speaker got a little too nosy for his own good and delved into the mind of the King. He did it so frequently he figured out how to take control of the King's mind and began using his body as a puppet. There was a great conflict then. Members of the royal family were murdered. Investigative telepathy is now illegal. We don't use it anymore, and anyone showing a talent for telepathy is closely watched."

"I wish I were a telepath. I'd go down to those dungeons and rip open their memories and thoughts until I found the murderer and then I'd…."

"Will him to torture himself to death?"

"Yes."

"You are a dangerous man Loki, but your ambition will get you into trouble. Trust my son. Have faith in his judgement. Has he not been kind to you?" Frigga asked.

"He has. He has been more than I ever dared dream."

"Then learn your place. I did not agree with all of Odin's decisions, and there were times when, despite all my scheming, I was powerless to change his decree. But most of the time I was able to see what was coming and plan ahead, offer an alternative approach or opinion. Sometimes my husband would listen to me, sometimes I had to go behind his back for his own good. The one thing I did not do was openly defy him. Ever. You will lean this technique in time. I will teach you, if you are willing to learn patience."

"Patience is not a personality trait I possess."

"You will acquire it if you are to survive in this place."

"Yes my Queen."

"Now tell me about your mother."

"She was the kindest soul." Loki's voice broke and he sobbed, covering his face with both of his hands. "During the lean times she would go without food just to make sure I got enough to eat."

"She was a very good mother, indeed."

"She deserved that money. After a lifetime of hardship and sacrifice, she deserved nice things."

"Then she shall have a very nice funeral."

"Thank you, for being so kind to me. You didn't have to be."

"You have had a hard life Loki. I imagine the relief of knowing that there are those in power that do care about you and people like you must be a bit of a shock."

"I have always questioned why things are the way they are. Why they cannot change."

"We live for thousands of years. Change comes slow to our people. Thor is young and anxious to try new things. You have the unique position of showing him the part of Asgard most in need of his help. Be the eyes he needs to see with."

"It is not that hard to see the hardship of the people. He merely need take a stroll with me."

"Yes, but what would he do to forge a lasting change that would benefit them? Things are the way they are for a reason Loki. Change will be hard and not without intrigue, coups, or outright revolution. We must take head not to cause harm when we intend to help."

"I understand."

"Good. What kind of flowers did your mother like?" Frigga aske. Loki burst into tears again and then told her a story about her from his childhood. They spent the entire day planning her funeral and reminiscing about happier times. Loki returned to his room feeling as well as could be expected. He took a sleeping draught the healers had provided to help him have a dreamless sleep.

The following evening at sunset, his mother was laid in a beautiful funerary boat which was pushed into the water and set ablaze. Many peasants attended, and Loki went to what was left of their family hovel to collect a handful of personal family trinkets. Mostly carved figures his father had whittled out of wood. The rough wood furniture looked even worse for wear after living in splendor for several days. It felt like an empty shell. Loki realized that he was a part of the palace court now. He had attained a whole new life; the better life he'd dreamed of. He would make his parents proud. Loki Laufeyson will be in the history books of Asgard, not as some breeding vessel the King bought, but as a man who achieved great things.

Loki went back home, his new home and vowed to right all wrongs in the world.

I know this chapter was pretty emotional. More fluff and teasing is on the way. I promise.