A/N Just a note for anyone who doesn't recognize it, the dialogue in the first part of this chapter is taken from a deleted scene from Thor. If you haven't seen the deleted scene and want to, you should be able to find it on YouTube.

Thanks to my reviewers!

Ophelia Lokisdottir

dany1114

BarbyBBones

Agent Ruby Red

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thewriterstory

Bing Bing 9312

A Different Side to the Story

After the scene of Loki collapsing in his chambers, the memories changed to Loki and Thor in all their finery standing together in a corridor lined with tapestries.

"Nervous, Brother?" Loki asked.

"Have you ever known me to be nervous?" Thor asked with a laugh.

"There was the time in Nornheim."

"That was not nerves, Brother. That was the rage of battle," Thor said.

"Ah, I see," Loki said patronizingly.

"How else could I have fought my way through a hundred warriors and pulled us out alive?" Thor asked.

"As I recall, I was the one who veiled us in smoke to ease our escape," Loki said.

"Yes," Thor said with a laugh. "Some do battle others just do tricks."

The comment stung, as those kind always did, but Loki had long since learned how to keep his face from showing any reaction. However, when even the servant laughed at him, Loki felt anger rise up in him. He wasn't sure why. After all, he had had many people laugh and slight him in his life, he should have been used to it by now, but for some reason when it came to Thor, each comment hurt just as much as if it were the first.

Put the impudent slave in his place.

Loki's anger seemed to grow hotter with every word The Voice in the back of his mind spoke until Loki was casting an illusion of serpents slithering out of the goblet on the tray the servant was carrying.

As the man cried out in surprise and dropped the tray, Loki laughed.

"Now that was just a waste of good wine," Thor said.

Just a bit of fun, The Voice whispered.

"Oh, just a bit of fun," Loki said, making the serpents disappear, still chuckling as the man gathered up the tray and quickly left the room.

"Ooh, nice feathers," Loki teased as a guard stepped forward and handed Thor his helmet before retreating again.

"You really want to start this, Cow?" Thor shot back.

"I was being sincere," Loki said.

"You are incapable of sincerity," Thor said.

The comment was made in jest as they always were but it still caused another stinging twinge of hurt that never showed on Loki's face.

"Am I?" Loki asked, keeping his tone good-natured.

"Yes," Thor said.

"I have looked forward to this day as long as you have," Loki said honestly. "You're my brother and my friend. Sometimes I'm envious," he admitted. "But never doubt that I love you."

"Thank you," Thor said, gripping the side of Loki's neck.

"Now give us a kiss," Loki teased, eliciting a laugh from Thor.

"Really, how do I look?" Thor asked.

"Like a king," Loki said even as he thought, 'Even though you're not ready.'

He is a fool! The Voice in the back of Loki's mind whispered. He doesn't deserve to be king! He's an immature fool and he will bring the kingdom to ruin, unless...

'Unless?' Loki thought.

Unless something prevents the coronation. Just delay it a bit.

'Like what?'

Loki chose not to think about the fact that he was having an internal conversation with himself. It didn't exactly sound sane.

Just open a doorway. That's all you have to do. The rest will take care of itself.

'I don't know...' Loki thought, sounding unsure.

Do you want him becoming king! The Voice snapped.

'No. He's not ready,' Loki decided, and without further thought, he used his magic to open a doorway. He wasn't sure how he knew where to open the doorway. He just did. And as soon as he started to think about it too hard, his focus wavered and he couldn't concentrate on the thought. So he ended up giving up on trying to think about it.

By the time the Frost Giants appeared in the weapons vault, interrupting Thor's coronation, Loki had almost completely forgotten he had even opened the doorway.

)()()(

"You didn't think I was ready?" Thor asked Loki, looking away from the memory.

"No, I didn't," Loki answered honestly.

Thor couldn't really hold that against him as, looking back, Thor himself knew he really hadn't been ready. But he had changed. He was better.

"What about now?" Thor asked.

Loki didn't answer for a long moment as he studied Thor.

"I don't know," he said at last.

)()()(

The next scene shift put Loki in the dinning hall as Thor overturned a large table of food before sitting on the steps.

"It is unwise to be in my company right now, Brother," Thor said as Loki sat down beside him.

When is it ever? The Voice whispered.

"This was to be my day of triumph," Thor continued.

Whine. Whine. Whine.

"It'll come," Loki said. "In time."

Get him in more trouble already. You know you want to. Bring The Golden Prince down a few pegs, The Voice whispered into Loki's mind. Just some harmless fun.

"If it's any consolation, I think you're right," Loki found himself saying. "About the Frost Giants, about Laufey, about everything. If they found a way to penetrate Asgard's defenses once, who's to say they won't try again. Next time with an army."

"Exactly!"Thor agreed.

Give him the last push, The Voice ordered.

"There's nothing you can do without defying Father," Loki said. "No. No, no, no. I know that look," he protested, making sure Thor believed it was his idea.

"It's the only way to ensure the safety of our borders," Thor said.

"Thor, it's madness," Loki said, knowing with those words he would bring Thor's idiot friends into the discussion.

"We're going to Jotunheim," Thor announced, and just like that, Thor was doing exactly what Loki had wanted him to do all along.

Unfortunately, a few seconds later, Loki suddenly couldn't remember what it was that he had wanted Thor to do.

)()()(

"Brother, what is that voice that keeps hissing in your mind?" Thor asked. "I can tell those thoughts are not your own."

Loki clenched his jaw and remained silent, staring at the memories and refusing to meet Thor's eyes. But whether it was an act of defiance or of shame, Thor couldn't tell.

"I don't know about anyone else, but it sounds like he was being manipulated by an outside force," Tony said.

"Yeah, I know brainwashing when I hear it," Steve added.

Loki, for his part, refused to confirm or deny anything and kept his eyes glued to the memories in front of him to be sure not to meet anyone's gaze.

)()()(

Next, everyone in the throne room watched the catastrophe that was the visit to Jotunheim, followed by Loki, Thor, the Warriors Three, and Sif's return to Asgard and Odin laying into Thor.

"I was a fool to think you were ready," Odin said to Thor.

You'd better protest or they might realize you wanted this, The Voice whispered to Loki.

Had he wanted this?

Just as soon as the question came up in his mind, it disappeared again and Loki found himself stepping forward.

"Father-"

Odin growled at Loki and the trickster quickly stepped back.

Now look dismayed and upset. You don't want them seeing you happy, The Voice ordered as Thor was banished through the bifrost.

Was he happy? He must have been. The Voice told him so. He just couldn't seem to remember if he was or not.

)()()(

The next memory was of Loki standing in a large golden room as the Warriors Three and Lady Sif discussed Thor's banishment.

As Hogun walked over and started spreading some salve on Volstagg's frostbite, Loki looked down at his own arm, where the Frost Giant had grabbed him, but unlike Volstagg, Loki hadn't been harmed in the slightest.

"How did the guard even know?" Volstagg asked, referring to the guard who had alerted Odin of their trip to Jotunheim.

"I told him," Loki said.

"What?" Fandral asked.

"I told him to go to Odin after we'd left," Loki said.

He should be flogged for taking so long. You should never have reached Jotunheim.

"He should be flogged for taking so long. We should never have reached Jotunheim," Loki said.

"You told the guard?" Volstagg exclaimed.

Loki felt a small stab of guilt for his actions which had ended with Thor getting banished.

You saved their lives. You had no idea Thor would be banished.

"I saved our lives," Loki said. "And Thor's. I had no idea Father would banish him for what he did."

"Loki," Sif said, standing up. "You must go to the Allfather and convince him to change his mind."

Over your dead body!

"And if I do, then what?" Loki asked. "I love Thor more dearly than any of you but you know what he is."

Arrogant. Reckless. Dangerous.

"He's arrogant, he's reckless, he's dangerous. You saw how he was today. Is that what Asgard needs from its king?"

Then Loki walked out of the room and made his way to the weapons vault. He hesitated before entering. He shouldn't go in there. He should just go back to his chambers... But he had to know.

He entered the vault and slowly approached the Jotun Casket of Winters. He stood before it and stared at it for a long moment before slowly reaching out with shaking hands and picking it up. As soon as he did, his fingertips started turning blue.

"Stop!" Loki heard Odin yell behind him.

"Am I cursed?" Loki asked over his shoulder.

"No," Odin replied.

"What am I?" Loki asked as he set the Casket back down.

"You're my son," Odin replied.

Loki slowly turned to face Odin, his appearance eliciting startled gasps from the Asgardians watching the memory.

Every inch of Loki's skin was Jotun blue and his eyes were blood red.

"What more than that?" Loki asked as the blue receded until he was pale and green eyed once more. "The Casket wasn't the only thing you took from Jotunheim that day was it?"

"No," Odin said softly. "In the aftermath of the battle, I went into the temple and I found a baby. Small for a Giant's offspring, abandoned, suffering, left to die. Laufey's son."

The revelation caused several murmurs to run through the spectators.

"Laufey's son," Loki said in disbelief.

"Yes," Odin confirmed.

It makes so much sense now. Now you know why they've never loved you!

"Why?" Loki asked Odin. "You were knee deep in Jotun blood. Why would you take me?"

"You were an innocent child," Odin said.

"No, you took me for a purpose," Loki said. "What was it?"

You know why, The Voice whispered.

"Tell me!" Loki screamed when Odin didn't answer.

"I thought we could unite our kingdoms one day, bring about alliance, bring about peace, through you," Odin admitted.

You were a political move. Nothing more.

"Wha..." Loki whispered, a tear rolling down his face.

"But those plans no longer matter," Odin said.

You are nothing more than another stolen relic.

"So, I am no more than another stolen relic," Loki said, his voice breaking, "locked up here until you might have use of me."

"Why do you twist my words?" Odin asked.

Why didn't he tell you before?

"You could have told me what I was from the beginning. Why didn't you?"

"You're my son," Odin said.

No, you're not.

"I wanted only to protect you from the truth," Odin continued.

"What? Because I'm the monster parents tell their children about at night?" Loki asked.

Yes.

"You know it all makes sense now," Loki said as Odin wavered and collapsed on the stairs. "Why you always favored Thor all these years, because no matter how much you claim to love me, you could never have a Frost Giant sitting on the throne of Asgard!"

Odin slipped into unconsciousness and Loki stared at him for a long moment before reaching out to touch the hand of the man who he still loved as his father despite everything he now knew.

"Guards!" Loki yelled. "Guards! Please help!"

As the guards came running into the room to see to the king, the scene changed again, back to the throne room where Loki was sitting on the throne.

Lady Sif and the Warriors Three walked into the room and stopped upon seeing Loki instead of Odin.

"My friends," Loki said.

Yeah, right, The Voice shot back.

"Where's Odin?" Fandral asked.

"Father has fallen into the Odin sleep," Loki said. "Mother fears he may never awaken again."

Then good riddance.

"We would speak with her," Sif said.

Oh, I'm sure they would.

"She has refused to leave my father's bedside," Loki said. "You can bring your urgent matter to me..."

Don't smile, The Voice ordered as Loki's lips twitched toward a smirk.

Loki kept his expression serious and stood, taping Gungnir forbiddingly.

"...Your King."

The Warriors Three and Lady Sif reluctantly placed their fists over their hearts and knelt down before him.

How good does it feel to finally see them kneel before you?

It felt good. Really good.

"My King," Sif said, a hint of patronization in her tone. "We would ask that you end Thor's banishment."

Of course they would, The Voice said, earning a snort from Loki in response.

"My first act as king cannot be to undo the Allfather's last," Loki said. "We're on the brink of war with Jotunheim."

We are? The Voice asked, sounding amused.

"Our people need a sense of continuity," Loki continued. "In order to feel safe in these difficult times."

You're getting pretty good at this, The Voice praised.

"All of us must stand together for the good of Asgard," Loki finished.

The Warriors Three quickly grabbed Sif as she surged to her feet. They held on to her so she couldn't do something she would regret.

Don't smile, The Voice ordered again.

"Yes, of course," Fandral said.

"Good, then you will wait for my word," Loki said.

"If I may," Volstagg said, "beg the indulgence of Your Majesty, to perhaps reconsider-"

"We're done," Loki snapped and the scene shifted again.

)()()(

"I never get used to seeing him like this," Loki said to Frigga as they sat by Odin's bedside.

"He's put it off for so long now," Frigga said.

How long will it last.

"How long will it last?" Loki asked.

"I don't know," Frigga whispered. "This time it's different. We were unprepared."

"So why did he lie?" Loki asked, unable to hold onto the question any longer.

"He kept the truth from you so you would never feel different," Frigga said.

Sure he did, The Voice said sarcastically.

"You are our son, Loki," she said.

No, you're not.

"And we your family."

No, they're not.

"We mustn't lose hope that your father will return to us," Frigga continued.

Oh, mustn't we.

"And your brother."

What?

"What hope is there for Thor?" Loki asked.

"There's always a purpose to everything your father does," Frigga replied knowingly.

Oh, don't you know it. So Thor could return? We'll just have to do something about that.

A/N Let me know what you think. Good? Bad? Confusing? Let me know.