A/N Wow! Guys, I don't even know how I got this chapter done. School was nuts this week! Between my three writing classes I was writing non-stop, but, unfortunately, none of that was fanfic. Then there was the work from my other two classes on top of that. Somehow I got this chapter ready, though, and I really hope you guys like it! :)

And of course, huge thanks as always to my awesome reviewers! You guys really help me get through each week of torture known as school. I'm not looking forward to when this story is over and I won't have you wonderful people to interact with.

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DragonsAddicted- Thank you so much! You are too kind! I'm so happy that you are enjoying this story so much! I do my best to give regular updates without making you guys have to wait any longer than necessary. If it wasn't for school and real life responsibilities, I would update more than just once a week, but I just can't swing that right now. I will definitely keep writing for a long time to come. Writing stories is my passion and I'm not going to stop for anything. Things like school and real life might slow me down some, but it won't stop me. Thanks again for the wonderful review! Now enough from me. Read on and enjoy! :)

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demi may wright- Thanks for the review! Don't worry, I'm definitely going to keep writing. This story will be finished and then I have a million ideas for other stories to write eventually, when I have time. I'm not going to stop writing anytime soon. :)

New Beginnings

It was a full week before Loki was even strong enough to get out of bed, spending most of his time sleeping. It was two weeks before he finally started to feel more like himself. By that time, he was practically climbing the walls, hating having to be cooped up in the healing chambers, but also not having enough energy to try to escape. Fortunately, he had plenty of visitors.

Thor was there almost constantly, and their friends spent quite a bit of time there too. Frigga, of course, visited often and Odin made several appearances. Even Sif and the Warriors Three visited a couple times and it wasn't nearly as strained or awkward as Loki might have expected. They weren't on overly familiar terms, nothing like Loki was with the Avengers, but their interactions were warm and friendly enough and it seemed to make Thor happy to see them so it was good.

Loki was just thankful for his magic, which recovered much quicker than his body and thus helped speed the rest of his recovery. If not for his magic, it would have taken him closer to a month before he was finally released from the healing chambers, rather than just two weeks.

The first week after he regained consciousness, Loki was so exhausted that he always fell into a deep and dreamless sleep. However, as his strength slowly returned, so did his nightmares. It wasn't until halfway through the second week that he began to have them again and even then they weren't very strong or vivid, never causing him to cry out in his sleep. And he had still been tired enough that he could eventually get back to sleep afterward.

However, he found his dreams were steadily growing more troublesome. They weren't from Thanos anymore, but that didn't make them any less disturbing. By the time he was released from the healing chambers, he was once again waking up in the middle of the night, only to sit in the dark alone and wait for dawn, still unwilling to flee to his brother as he so desperately wanted to. He was still fine during the day, though, albeit tired due to lack of sleep.

Once free of the healing chambers, when he wasn't spending time with Thor and the other Avengers, he mostly just lounged around his room or in the library, often reading or looking out the window at the city as he continued to rest and recover his strength.

A few days after Eir released him, Loki was sitting in his room, reading, when Thor knocked on the door.

"Father has summoned us to the throne room," Thor said as he entered the room.

"What for?" Loki asked, setting his book aside as he stood.

"I don't know. We're just supposed to report to the throne room," Thor said, just as in the dark as Loki was.

"Then I suppose we'd better see what this is about," Loki said with a shrug.

With a ripple of green, Loki's more casual attire changed and became slightly more formal but not quite ceremonial, his cape and helmet being excluded. If their father had wanted full ceremonial garb, he would have instructed them as such. Thor's clothing was no more formal than Loki's so the younger prince figured it would be all right. Once Loki was ready, they both left his chambers and headed for the throne room.

They arrived and stepped inside to see the room full of people. They both paused in slight surprise. As soon as the crowd saw them, they began to cheer. Thor and Loki shared a glance and mentally shrugged before moving toward the far side of the room where Odin was sitting on his throne with Frigga next to him.

As they neared the throne, they saw that their fellow Avengers were standing off to the side, near the bottom of the steps leading to the throne. Both brothers came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs and bowed to their father before moving over to stand next to their friends.

Odin stood and tapped Gungnir on the ground, silencing the crowd.

"We are gathered here to honor those without whom Asgard would have fallen to Thanos two weeks ago," Odin declared, causing the crowd to cheer again. Once they quieted down, Odin spoke again. "We will begin with Asgard's newest friends, the five courageous warriors from Midgard who stood with us and helped defend our realm. Step forward Avengers."

Tony, Steve, Natasha, Clint, and Bruce looked a bit surprised but moved so that they were all standing before the king.

"For your service in defense of our realm, the people of Asgard thank you," Odin said as a servant stepped forward bearing a silver tray.

On it were five gold medallions, each attached to a silver chain. On the face of every medallion was a beautiful and detailed etching of the city of Asgard and on the back was the name and alias of whichever Avenger that medallion belonged to.

Frigga descended the steps and came to a stop in front of Steve. She picked up the chain of the first medallion and held it out in front of her. Steve bowed his head and she draped the chain around his neck.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Steve said softly.

"No, thank you. For being a friend to my sons and helping defend our home," Frigga said, smiling warmly at him.

"It was my honor," Steve said.

Next, Frigga moved over in front of Tony and placed a medallion around his neck. Then she surprised him by pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.

"Thank you for everything you've done for my family," she said softly enough that only the two of them, the other Avengers, and Odin could hear.

"I'm just glad it all worked out," Tony replied, giving her a warm, genuine smile.

Then Frigga moved on to the others, giving each of them a medal and words of thanks. Once she was finished, Odin called Thor forward to stand alongside his friends and the eldest prince of Asgard was recognized in much the same way his friends had been, minus the medallion. Thor had enough awards and accoutrements from Asgard. He didn't need any more. Then the six of them stepped back over next to Loki and the youngest prince waited for his father to dismiss the assembly.

He wasn't expecting to be recognized for anything. Therefore, he was surprised when his father didn't dismiss anyone and instead turned his gaze upon Loki before calling him forward like those before him.

"And lastly, step forward, Prince Loki."

It took Loki a moment to get over his surprise and fully comprehend that his father was speaking to him. He slowly stepped forward to stand before his father, wondering what was going to happen next.

"You have helped save this realm more than once in your life, and now have done so yet again," Odin said. "You warned us of the coming attack, you sabotaged the portal, you defeated Thanos when no other could, and you saved my life at great risk to your own. You gave everything you could to protect your family, your friends, your people, and your kingdom from certain destruction. And for that, Asgard, and I thank you," Odin said.

Then the king looked past Loki. The prince turned around to see what Odin was looking at and was stunned speechless.

The first several rows of the spectators in the room were made up of Asgardian soldiers. Behind them, were the Asgardian civilians. As soon as Loki turned around, every single soldier, lead by Sif and the Warriors Three, snapped to attention and placed their right fists against their chests over their hearts. It was the Asgardian equivalent of a military salute.

As if that wasn't shocking enough, a moment later, every last one of the soldiers dropped to one knee and bowed their heads before Loki. Behind them, every single Asgardian civilian bowed at the waist to him. The people of Asgard were saluting, kneeling, and bowing to him. Him. Loki of Asgard, trickster, liar, magic user, and they were doing so of their own volition. Not because of his station, not because he demanded it, but because they... wanted to.

The realization was as staggering as it was humbling and Loki almost laughed in incredulity. The whole room was motionless, seemingly frozen in that moment for several breaths and beats of Loki's heart.

Then Loki collected himself. He straightened, clasped his hands behind his back, and inclined his head in acceptance and mutual respect.

The civilians straightened, the soldiers got back to their feet, and the room erupted into cheers. Loki looked around at the smiling, cheering masses stretched out before him and couldn't help the wonder he felt. They were applauding and praising him and him alone. He had heard plenty of cheering in his life, but this was the first time it had been solely for him.

Odin let the clapping and shouting go on for some time before raising a hand to silent the crowd. Loki turned back to his father as the king began speaking again.

"For your courage, valor, and sacrifice, you are awarded a special honor, befitting of a true hero."

Frigga stepped forward, bearing a long cushion with something on it covered by a cloth. Then she and Odin both walked down the stairs to stand in front of their son. Frigga held the cushion out to Odin and he pulled the cloth off of it to reveal the object beneath.

It was a staff. It wasn't the same one from Earth, which Loki had broken on the battlefield, but it had definitely been fashioned after that one. However, it had some obvious differences. Really, if Loki had to describe it, he would have said it looked like a cross between the tesseract staff and Gungnir.

This one was silver rather than gold, the hue matching that of Mjolnir. The handle of the staff was extendable as the other one had been and this one also had a jewel in the end of it. But although this staff curved slightly as it tapered into a point at the end, it was not quite as curved or wicked looking as the tesseract spear had been. This one was much straighter and regal looking, much more like something a prince would carry. The other major difference was that, unlike the original jewel, this one wasn't glowing blue. It was glowing green, just like... his magic.

Odin picked the staff up off the cushion and held it out to Loki. Loki stared at it in awe before reaching out and taking it in his hands. It felt... perfect. It felt as if it belonged in his hands, as if it were a part of him that he had never known was missing.

Loki experimentally reached his magic toward the jewel and it glinted briefly in response, earning a surprised and wondrous expression that Loki couldn't fully hide. Whereas the blue gem from the other spear had been attuned to the tesseract and could store and funnel the tesseract's power, this jewel was attuned to Loki's magic. He could use the jewel as a funnel to target his magic in bursts of energy. He could place spells into the jewel and use it to put them on a delay. And he could even use the jewel to store his magic as a backup for times when his strength or magic were drained. If needed, he could tap into the storage of magic in the jewel and use it without it draining his strength or needing any extra effort on his part. On the whole, the staff and its shinning jewel were the perfect weapon for him, suited and tailored to him in every way.

"Well, go on. Try it out," Steve said. "We're all dying to see you use it."

Loki glanced at his father who gave a slight nod. A small smirk stole across the trickster's face. He wasn't back to one-hundred percent yet after his ordeal during and after the battle, but he was well enough to try out his new weapon and he didn't hesitate to do so.

Loki gave the staff a squeeze and it extended to its full length. Then he began to spin and turn it in fast and elaborate motions. After just a moment, the staff was little more than a silver blur spinning around Loki. Then Loki joined the staff and began to whirl and spin, striking out with the spear at the air as if he was surrounded by enemies.

It became obvious that the staff was truly the perfect weapon for the trickster as it complimented all of his movements, becoming an extension of himself. If Loki really had been surrounded, he wouldn't have been for long as his staff slashed the air with lightning quick and deadly motions. It all culminated when Loki swung the staff up and laid it across his shoulders as he spun one-hundred eighty degrees, releasing a blast of magic at the wall and blowing a good size chunk out of the marble.

He let the staff roll off his shoulders and down his back, swinging it in his right hand back around in front of him and retracting it to its shorter length. With a wave of his hand, he repaired the damage done to the wall.

The crowd cheered in delight and amazement and Thor and the other Avengers joined in, clapping and whooping in appreciation. Even Frigga applauded him, a huge and proud grin on her face while Odin let a small, barely perceptible smile grace his features, pride shining in his eyes. It took a bit of time for the cheering to die down but once it did, Odin spoke again.

"Now, give it to your brother," the king said, his expression betraying none of the excitement he would never admit to feeling.

Loki looked at him quizzically, a small part of him wondering why, if the staff was truly his, he had to give it to Thor. He quickly tamped that down, though. His mother had once told him his father didn't do anything without reason, and Loki was going to give him the benefit of the doubt this time.

He turned to Thor, who was standing a few feet away and looking just as confused by the order as Loki felt. Thor met Loki's eyes and shrugged slightly. Loki glanced at the staff once more, then tossed it to his brother. Thor reached out and caught it... and was instantly jerked to the ground as the spear crashed to the floor with a loud thud, nearly cracking the marble.

Thor picked himself up from where he had landed on his hands and knees and pulled on the spear. It didn't so much as shift. Thor wrapped his other hand around the handle and pulled again, this time harder, but achieved the same result. He let go of the staff and adjusted his stance to a more stable position. He planted his feet firmly, wrapped both hands tightly around the staff, and pulled with all his strength. This time, he finally got a response, but not the one he wanted. The gem flared and green light skittered over the surface of the staff. Thor jerked back with a yelp.

"It shocked me!" Thor yelled.

Loki was watching, dumbfounded, as his brother tried and failed to lift his spear. It was like watching someone other than Thor try to lift Mjolnir. The only difference was after Thor tried long enough the staff gave him a shock as a defense or perhaps a warning of worse to come if he didn't quit.

"Now, Loki. Call your staff," Odin said.

"Call it?" Loki asked, still trying to process it all.

"Like your brother does Mjolnir," Odin clarified.

"How?" Loki asked, directing the question at Thor.

Loki had seen Thor call Mjolnir to his hand too many times to count, but he actually had no idea how his brother did it.

"Just think of it as a part of yourself and will it to come," Thor said.

Loki stared at the staff and remembered how it had felt like an extension of himself when he had wielded it. He reached out a hand toward it and beckoned to it with his will.

The staff responded immediately, lifting off the floor and flying into the dark haired prince's hand.

"It's attuned to your magic," Odin said to Loki. "It will respond to you, and only you, and it will defend itself against those who try to use it in your place, as your brother just discovered."

Loki stared at the staff, a look of awe plain on his face. His whole life, he had always felt a little jealous of Thor. Thor who had all the recognition, who had all the fighting prowess, and who had the special weapon no one else could wield. But now, just as Mjolnir was Thor's weapon, this staff was Loki's. For the first time in his life, Loki finally felt equal with his brother in all areas and it caused a wide grin to spread across his face.

"Thank you, Father," Loki said, his gratitude shining on his face.

"You have long since earned it, My Son," Odin said, a very slight, but soft smile gracing his face for just a moment as he looked at Loki. Then he and Frigga climbed back up the stairs to stand at the top of the dais. "Now, a weapon of this caliber needs a name."

"Just like Mjolnir and Gungnir," Loki murmured to himself.

His staff was of the same caliber as his brother's and father's weapons and it deserved a name of the same level.

"The staff is your weapon, My Son. The honor of naming it, falls to you," Odin said.

Loki looked at the staff and thought about what it meant, what it symbolized and represented and about everything that had led up to that moment. He knew what it should be called.

"Tyrnir," Loki said.

"Perfect," Thor said with a wide smile.

"Why? Why's that perfect?" Steve asked.

"It means 'new beginnings' or 'fresh start,'" Thor explained.

"Tyrnir," Tony said trying out the name. "New beginnings. Not bad," he said with an approving nod, eliciting a small smile from Loki.

"A worthy name for a worthy weapon of a Prince of Asgard," Odin agreed and Loki beamed up at him. "Tomorrow there will be a feast in my son's honor!" Odin declared and Loki wasn't sure if he was saying sons' as in plural, him and Thor, or son's as in one or the other of them, but Loki was sure it was the former or otherwise was for Thor alone. It wouldn't be for him alone, but he didn't mind sharing the spotlight with Thor. That was always what he had wanted anyway.

The audience cheered at the announcement of one of Asgard's grand feasts. Once the applause died down, Odin looked at Loki and Thor and motioned them to climb up on the dais and stand in front of him. Together, Thor and Loki climbed the stairs and turned to stand side by side at the top of the dais, facing the assembled crowd.

"People of Asgard, behold your Princes!" Odin declared and the people exploded into cheers.

As the cheers continued, Thor took Mjolnir off his belt and raised it in his right hand above his head, causing the crowd's volume to ratchet up a notch. Thor looked sidelong at Loki standing on his left and grinned at him before nodding slightly toward the crowd. Loki grinned back, reading the unspoken message in Thor's expression. With an inward shrug, Loki copied Thor's actions with Mjolnir, by taking Tyrnir in his left hand and raising it above his own head.

The cheering turned into a deafening roar as the crowd applauded and yelled their adoration for their two mighty princes. The smile on Thor's face was only matched by the one on Loki's. The two brother's looked at each other, sharing their wide smiles. Then Thor wrapped his left arm around Loki's back in a sideways hug and Loki slung his right arm around Thor's shoulders. The two princes shook their weapons over their heads drawing the volume of the crowd impossibly higher as they stood there, their arms around one another and their matching worthy weapons glinting silver in the light.

A/N So? Did I do good finally giving Loki his own special weapon? Did I pick the right kind of weapon? He fought so well with Gungnir in Thor and the scepter in The Avengers that I thought it was perfect for him. But let me know what you think! :)

Special thanks goes to MarvelAndDCWriter who helped me come up with the name for Loki's weapon.

BTW, in case you didn't already know, that whole thing about Tyrnir meaning New Beginnings, that's totally made up. Tyrnir is not even a word, it's something that MarvelAndDCWriter and I made up to sound Asgardian while also sounding similar to Gungnir and Mjolnir. Then I just threw the meaning in there for fun and because I thought it kind of fit. I've taken enough liberties with this story already, I figured another wouldn't hurt. :P Anyway, just thought I'd explain that in case anyone was curious/interested.

Next chapter, Loki gains some support and advice from an unexpected place, Loki and Thor open up to each other about some painful subjects, and the Avengers begin to think that maybe they should separate Tony, Loki, and Steve.