At the high table in the feasting hall Frigga always sat on Odin's right while Thor sat on Odin's left and Loki to the left of Thor. Now Luka sat on Frigga's right, balancing out the table. Needless to say, Loki was on everyone's lips and the blatant staring and roar of conversation was all about the new prince and princess.
"Brother, how do you feel?" Thor asked Loki.
"I feel well. Different, but well."
"Your hair is red like mother's. I am jealous." Thor said.
"You are jealous of me? That is a first." Loki grinned with pride.
"You look larger than before and you look like you've finally taken in some sunshine."
"Yes, I love it. I am anxious to try out my new body in the sparring arena tomorrow morning. Will you come?" Loki asked.
"Really? You want to spar? I've always had to drag you kicking and screaming before."
"Oh please, I didn't kick and scream. I genuinely liked throwing daggers, it's just that you always wanted me to do other things at which I knew I would not excel. I feel stronger, better able now to hold my own against a giant brute like you." Loki grinned.
"That's wonderful! Will you take up the sword and battle axe then?"
"Yes, I think I will."
"And wrestling?"
"I await it eagerly. In fact, I'll wager you that I win the first bout." Loki said.
"Oh ho! Cocky are we? Your new found confidence suits you well brother." Thor said smiling, earning a joyful laugh from Loki. Thor's smile faltered then as he considered Loki's other half. She looked sullen, self-conscious, and even a little afraid. Her eyes were fixed downward purposefully on her plate, as though she was afraid to meet the eyes of anyone in the room. Thor wondered then, what exactly it was that she feared. He also wondered too then if a compliment to her beautiful new form would be well received or no? The last thing he wanted to do was make her feel insulted.
"Did you really hate yourself so much?" Thor asked. Loki looked away.
"You shouldn't ask questions you already know the answers to." Loki said.
"But surely you did not revile your natural form this much?"
"You know I did. Everything about me that I knew others found abhorrent now resides in her. Her Jotunn skin, her female organs, even my ability to do magic. She inherited all of it. I'm now the Aesir ideal that I've always dreamed of being. I have never felt this happy or free."
"I am happy for you, but I mourn for her. She'll need extra love and attention if she is to endure her existence. Do you not pity her?"
"I do. But her pain is no longer mine." Loki said looking down at this dinner in shame.
"Loki, surely you are not that callous?"
"I am. I know it is selfish and wrong, but I don't want to change back." He confessed.
"Then I will strive to make her more comfortable in her new life and let her know that she is beloved, something I clearly failed to do before you made this monumental transformation." Thor said. He rose from his seat and dragged his chair behind the King to the other end of the table. The chair squeaked as he dragged it garnering attention from everyone. Luka rolled her eyes as Thor pulled up beside her.
"Must you make a scene?" She hissed at him. It was bad enough everyone was already staring at her, but Thor was a master of making her situation worse, like always.
"Forgive me, I do not wish to inflict further pain upon you." Thor said. "Loki…"
"It's Luka now. He's Loki." She sneered.
"You are Loki. That much I know. What I do not know is how to engage you. If a compliment to your beauty would be welcomed or met with anger or sadness. If you would find comfort in it? If the gesture would make you feel as I hope to make you feel, which is loved, valued, and beautiful. So please tell me, how do you wish me to speak to you?"
Luka looked up from her plate then, the first time she had done so all throughout dinner, and stared Thor directly in the eye. She was looking for sincerity.
"You think I'm pretty?"
"How could I not?" Thor said. How could he not be taken in by those lips, that long hair, or that gorgeous swell of rump. How could he be thinking such things about his sister? He looked away then, feeling a flood of desire that was wholly inappropriate.
"You're a terrible liar Thor. Like always. Leave me." She said.
"I mean it with the greatest sincerity." Thor tried, but the moment was lost and she ignored him as she pushed the food around her plate. He could see she was not open to receive such praise and resolved to continue his effort with her each day until she finally believed that she was as lovely as he knew her to be. Thor got up and dragged his chair, squeaking all the way back to his spot.
XxXxXxXx
"Brother! Come fight me!" Loki said as he beamed from ear to ear. His shirt was off, exposing his new musclebound torso to the eyes of the other warriors. He'd spent the entire morning testing his new found strength by training with swords and axes. He'd even engaged a few of the men in some challenges and beaten them, earning a roar of cheers from them.
"Truly you must be anxious for your customary defeat as it will make you feel at home!" Thor banter.
"Not today brother! Today, I am unstoppable." Loki said. Thor removed his tunic and entered the ring to face off with him and everyone went quiet as money exchanged hands all around. Fandral, Sif, Hogun, and Volstagg all took up perches above the ring to watch the fight.
"Look at that! Loki is looking more formidable these days. Good for him." Fandral said.
"His hubris will be his undoing." Sif said.
"You call it hubris; I call it momentum." Fandral said.
"Care to wager?" Sif asked.
"Oh no my lady. I wouldn't want to sully our relationship with anything as tawdry as money." Fandral said in an over dramatic tone, which garnered a cheesy eye roll from her.
Thor and Loki collided with one another and became a tangle of limbs as they fought for a superior position. Like two moose butting heads they grunted and rubbed their sweaty bodies against each other in a bid for victory. Skin rippled and vibrated with each jarring motion. Loki was larger than he used to be but still not as large as Thor. However, he was quick. He had a speed that not even Thor possessed and just when everyone thought Thor had him, Loki whipped away like a ninja ballet dancer. The minutes ticked by as the two princes fought for dominance. Finally, locked in equally compromising positions it came down to a battle of strength, endurance, and will. Thor was clearly stronger, but Loki wanted it more. With their muscles taut like the strings on a violin, they strained until one finally gave way and fell into a heap in the dirt with other above pinning him. It was Loki, victorious.
"HAH!" He bellowed. It was, to date, the best moment of his life. The shocked roar from the crowd fueled his gleeful howl. He stood, arms in the air as the warriors cheered his name. Thor sat up, a small smile on his face as he looked up at his little brother. He could have pinned Loki anytime he wanted to, but his brother needed this and as far as anyone knew, Thor gave it his all. Loki offered Thor his hand to help him up, which Thor took. The men embraced as brothers and for the first time in his life Loki felt like Thor's equal.
From the crowd a dagger zinged through the air, aimed at Loki's head. It grazed his cheek, leaving a small cut before embedding in the wood panel behind him. All the cheering stopped. Everyone turned to look towards the source of the dagger, and there she was.
"Luka." Loki said. She stepped forward to the edge of the viewing platform and looked down on him. "Jealous much?"
"You know I am. I'm you." She said.
"Not anymore." Loki said. "Shouldn't you be with mother at her sewing circle or something?" Luka narrowed her eyes at raised her hand and flicked her wrist. Loki took up his magic defense stance only to remember that his power was gone from him. She had it. Loki's tanned trousers transformed into a ruffled pink dress that was too short and stopped at the knees. His red hair grew long and twinned into pigtails with delicate little pink bows securing them at the ends.
"There now. You're just as pretty as me." She turned and left, leaving a crowd of laughing warriors in her wake.
"Luka wait!" Thor called after her. He trotted out of the arena and disappeared into the crowd. Loki ripped the pretty fluffy dress from his body, snarling like a rabid dog. He took a knife to cut off the braids and ran his fingers through his hair to undo the remaining weaving. Loki stood there, in naught but his under-breaches and new shoulder length red hair, covered in sweat and glistening in the sun. People began to disperse and the Warriors Three descended down onto the wrestling floor to congratulate their friend.
Sif stared Loki up and down. She approved of his new physique, but after an appraising sweep tried to keep her eyes level with his face. Loki, however, was not as subtle. When Sif came and stood before him he took in her form with slow obvious approval. He started at her feet and worked up her carved calves, powerful thighs, and curvy firm hips. Her tiny waist emphasized that glorious bosom, and then there was that face. She was exquisite. Their eyes met and the weirdness factor grew between them like a hot flash of a sizzling pan in cold water.
"My Lady, forgive me. I never noticed just how lovely you were before now." Loki said, his eyes piercing and full of lust.
"Eh hem, so Loki congratulations on the fight. We are very proud of you." Volstagg said. Loki finally broke his gaze with Sif to answer.
"Ah yes, thank you. I'll be in the showers. I'll see you all later." Loki said as he absently wiped his bleeding cheek to check the amount of blood. The others watched him go.
"If there is one thing the new Loki is not, it's ergi." Fandral said.