Custard arrived at every table for dessert, as promised. The Doctor received a half-full bowl, since it had been scooped from to serve him earlier.

Across the room, several people clamored for Odin's attention. "Sire, tell us a tale of Asgard's greatness!"
Odin wiped his mouth before tapping his upper lip in thought. "Would you hear tell once more of how Asgard proved victorious over its worst foe in all the Nine Realms?"

A cheer rose from the company to encourage him.

Odin lifted up his flagon until the yells faded. Only then did he begin his tale. "Very well. Many years ago, when Thor was just a boy, I heard news that the Jotuns were planning a war to take over our home. It would be messy, very bloody, and cost more than a few lives if they had their way. I gathered my best men, Tyr and Heimdall among them. We met the threat on its home turf—Jotunheim.

"I could not afford men to catch the enemy off guard by sending them ahead of my soldiers, so I had companies form a tight circle in order to not be caught unawares. I stepped back, raised Gjall, the war horn, to my lips and blew a single tone. I needed men at my side if I were to best the most powerful Giant in the land. The horde that sought our obliteration was quickly driven back. However, that battle cost our side many good men. At the Jotuns' backs, the dirt wall became as clay under their feet. We shot arrows innumerable and icy balls were lobbed back at us. The hard ice of one such weapon met my helmet's border and my cheekbone. When it fell, I realized I was blinded by this simplistic weapon. One of the monsters' daggers finished the job. Despite my personal loss, we thought victory against the brutes was at hand. The icy monsters broke through our ranks, and I had to sound the retreat to avoid harm. The Asgardians beside me had to be hearty and fleet of foot to not be crunched under a Jotun's heel. Too much time on the icy ground where Jötnar lived was perilous to my forces. Frostbite and exhaustion were easily found there. Luckily for us, they were greedy, bloodthirsty brutes, who wished for nothing more than to annihilate Asgard. Their haste was ultimately their undoing."
Men near the back of the room cheered.
In answer, Odin continued his tale. "Soon, I realized that a circle of seven men was unneeded to best our enemy. Five Asgardians were too much for a Giant to handle at once, so the war spun into a battle, which soon split into a handful of skirmishes. Our victory was at hand.

"At last, King Laufey met me on the battlefield. He was nearly twice my height and kept a guard at his back. He paid dearly for my injury, and it was not long before we quashed their rebellion. He made a treaty with me that no more lives would be taken and we would ensure that Jotunheim would no longer be a force to reckon with. Therefore, I laid hold of the Casket of Ancient Winters, the sustaining cube that kept Jotunheim inhabitable, and stored it in our Weapons Vault as a hard-won prize. It is the means for our merciful treaty and assurance that we will not be nearing oblivion for some millennia yet."
Stomps as well as applause followed that story's conclusion.

The Doctor shook his head from side to side. The tale of victory rubbed him the wrong way. True, peace had been won, and Asgard was resoundingly defended. But that story smacked of a story half-told. Memories old and fresh filled his mind. He was the last of the Time Lords because he had had to make a hard choice to end the Time War. No one else needed to know what the price of his choice had been—He was homeless. That war was long over now, with only his box as relic of his old life. The difference between the Time Lord's victory and Odin's was that Asgard's king knew, he had to know, who was in his audience that night. At least, he had to acknowledge that Loki was a Jotun who sat by his side. The Doctor promised himself he would pay close attention to the king for the rest of his stay.

Later, Prince Loki clattered down the stairs of the palace library and darted into the main hallway. "Doctor! There you are. Oh, I cannot call you that anymore."
The man froze. "And why not?" Did Loki suspect that there was something fishy in his home?

"You have been such a good friend to me that I wish to name you the Magician."
The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief. "All right. Very well, I accept your new title for me; I have quite a few already. Thank you for my new one. I can assure you that not many look upon me in a favorable light."
Prince Loki looked him full in the face. "Aye. I can tell you that I am not trusted by many that know me well."
"Why is that, your Highness?"
"Strange things happen that I may or may not have intended to see done. All harmless tricks began that were havoc-raising for others. Therefore, I am largely mistrusted."

River snickered, remembering the cookie trick. "You are fun, your Highness."

"Yes, well, not everyone enjoys it as you do." Loki confessed. "Far too often, my mischief gets the better of people, especially Thor's friends. I am now often looked upon with suspicion. I wish you would stay here always."

The Doctor nodded slowly. "I understand how you feel. I have many enemies across the universe and there were unavoidable actions I regret to this day." The Doctor let his eyes grow distant.

Loki nodded. "Yes. That is it, exactly."

The Doctor smiled at him before falling deep into thought.

Loki looked at him. "Is there anything else you wish to know?"
"No. I mean, yes. What is Asgard to you?"
"It is my home; my place of best comfort, in which the libraries and green trees welcome me. They share their solitude with me. My place is here. I try to protect Thor, when I can… You saw how well that happened today. I may not be the people's favorite prince, but I find my peace here."

"Thank you. And thank you again for setting River and I up in clothes to suit your home."
"It was a pleasure," Loki insisted as he walked out of the room. Behind him, the other man hung his head, at odds to know what he should do. The prince needed at least to be made aware of who he was, but he had not been told already by those he loved.
Life was never easy, was it?

"Fantastic," the Doctor muttered.

A/N: If you read this and you have something to say, please Read and Review!

-Iris