Chapter 6
Two months had passed since Loki's sudden residence within the Avengers' tower, and little had changed since those first few days. Thor realized that perhaps Loki was a little too practiced in the art of doing nothing, or at least what he thought was nothing. If for some reason he'd been the one in his brother's situation, he would have gone mad within a week. But Loki however, seemed unaffected. He woke, spent most of his days in the common room reading silently, ate his meals with the rest if them, but only spoke when spoken to, and he went back to his rooms, presumably to sleep. Thor had offered to try and see if Fury would allow him out for a day, at least to get some sun on his pale skin, but his brother had just shook his head and went back to his book.
His friends seemed less bothered by it, and said that at least he wasn't causing any trouble. Still, they were kind and did their best to include Loki in their conversations. Out of all of them, Bruce Banner seemed to make the most progress. He had been seen lending books of science to his brother, and Loki had gone through them quickly. Now sometimes late at night Thor would pass by the common room to see his brother and Banner seated at opposite ends of a couch quietly discussing the theories between science and magic.
But despite the small improvements, Loki remained cold and unfriendly towards him, and Thor was forced to think that perhaps he would never be able to have his little brother back.
Everything changed with the appearance of the Warriors Three and Lady Sif in New York. Loki had disappeared the moment their names were mentioned, hiding somewhere in the building. Steve Rogers had said he was reminded of a house cat whose home had been shortly invaded by a dog. Steve had assured him that Loki would come out of whatever hiding place he had found once the perceived threat was gone. But that meant he wouldn't have a chance to say goodbye to his brother. Instead he was forced to leave a short note, explaining that father had fallen into the Odinsleep and he had to return to Asgard to act as king until he woke. The note was placed in Loki's rooms, and Thor left with a promise to his mortal friends that he would return to fight alongside them soon.
Asgard was much the same when he arrived, and his mother embraced him, asking after Loki with worried eyes. He went to see his father as he slept and sat with his mother and told her about Midgard and what Loki had been up to. He went about his royal duties, speaking to members of the court, the master of the guards and others who sought the help of the king. By the time night had fallen he was exhausted, but on his way to his rooms he paused by a familiar set of doors.
Loki's old rooms were untouched from the last time he'd used them so long ago. As he stepped in Thor looked around wondering if there was anything his brother might want for his new home with the Avengers. His rooms were so bare from what he'd seen, the only belongings he had were his clothes. Walking further in he made note of a few books left out that were well worn, perhaps favorites of his brothers. There were fewer trinkets and he couldn't be sure which might be for sentimental reasons and which for spell work. He would just have to guess and hope that his brother didn't become angry that he'd been rummaging through his old rooms. It hit him then that he barely knew his brother. Thor stood in Loki's rooms, surrounded by all the things Loki had collected and kept, and he barely knew what most of them were.
Deciding that he needed some fresh air, Thor stepped out onto the wide balcony that overlooked the gardens and the western lands of Asgard. The moon was high and bright casting everything below in pale light. Thor let his eyes wander past his mother's gardens, the training fields in the distance and the royal stables. Suddenly a thought occurred to him and Thor was soon marching out of his brother's rooms, all signs of exhaustion gone.
The stables were quiet, with only the small sounds of large sleeping beasts to break the silence. He passed his own horse without a glance and made his way towards the largest stall where Sleipnir stood. His nephew looked up curiously when he entered the stall but allowed him to come closer without fuss. Thor smiled sadly as he ran a hand over the horse's flank.
"I am sorry I have not visited before nephew." he said softly and Sleipnir nickered quietly, butting him with his head. "I wonder, can you understand me? If you are Loki's son, then you are bound to be intelligent, probably more than me even as a horse." He looked into his dark equine eyes and Thor sighed. "I wish I knew what to do, it is not right what was done to you, but I have no head for magic, and I'm sure Loki has already tried everything imaginable." Thor trailed off when he realized he would be getting no answers from his nephew. Instead he ran his hand along his mane, scratched at his ears and under his chin. Sleipnir seemed to enjoy the attention, pressing his huge head towards him when he stopped. Thor chuckled and continued to scratch under the leather of his bridle, but paused when he felt how the hair under it had been rubbed off from its use.
"Do they never take this off of you?" he asked, not really expecting an answer. He reached up to take hold of the top of the bridle and tried to remove it but it would not budge. Frowning, he tried again but still he could not move it enough to fit over Sleipnir's ears. He ran his hands over the leather searching in the dark for a buckle but found something else instead. Where a buckle might have been was a seal with Odins knot on it. It was there so that no one could open it except his father. Thor stepped out for a moment to find a lantern and returned for a better look, and under his inspection he saw several gouges and score marks from where someone had tried to pry it off. He was willing to bet anything that it was Loki who left those marks.
"He tried to free you? Well I suppose a life running free in Asgard would be better than carrying father around." he said ruefully patting Sleipnir's side again and he considered the seal. Loki would have tried every form of magic to remove the thing, but there was one force he could not have tried. Without giving himself time to think about what he was about to do Thor led Sleipnir out of his stall and towards one of the outside walls where an anvil sat. He moved aside a small pile of old horseshoes and held out his hand and called Mjolnir to him. Sure enough, he heard his hammer flying through the air before it landed firmly in his hand. Sparing a thought to find a rag to tie over Sleipnir's eyes, he took hold of the magiked bridle and pulled his head down towards the anvil. The bridle didn't give much, but he managed to maneuver it so that the seal rested on the metal anvil a good inch from the horses skin.
"Be brave nephew, and try not to trample me," he said before bringing his hammer down forcefully onto the seal.
Sleipnir's shrill whinnying was likely heard all over Asgard but Thor kept hold of his thrashing head and brought his hammer down for another blow. Soon he heard the shouts of the stable master, but he ignored the man and looked closely at the seal. It looked no different and Thor scowled. He would not fail in this he decided; he owed his brother that much.
Over and over Mjolnir came down upon the bridle. Sleipnir was near frantic with fear, and Thor had to divide his attention between his aim and avoiding eight hooves as they kicked about. The stable master had fallen silent behind him, not brave enough to come to close to the frightened horse and his mad prince.
He brought his hammer down once more and felt something give. He jerked the seal into the light and saw that there was a crack nearly halfway through and he doubled his efforts. It took three more swings before the seal snapped entirely and the bridle fell off effortlessly. Thor barely managed to pull off the blindfold before Sleipnir danced away from him, very agitated and tossing his head about.
"My prince," Thor turned to face the stable master who was looking him as though he'd lost his mind. "He is your fathers horse..."
"Not anymore," Thor said, his tone full of warning and the man dared not deny him. He turned away, dismissing the man from his thoughts and went to open the gate that led to open fields. Sleipnir stayed by the fence, pawing at the ground and grunting unhappily. "Come, if I can give you but one thing, let it be your freedom."
But Sleipnir wasn't having it, and his agitation only grew. His great head tossed about and he couldn't seem to stand still and Thor began to worry that something might be wrong. Suddenly the horse's form flickered, and a cloud of grey mist covered the beast. Thor darted forward with a shout but by the time he reached the fence the mist had faded away and the giant horse was gone. In its place was a small naked form, curled up in the grass and hay. Kneeling down, Thor gently turned it over and realized it was a boy, no older than five or six. He had short black hair and when his eyes opened for a brief moment, the moonlight caught in his deep green irises.
"Sleipnir..." he breathed but the boy had fallen unconscious.
Ignoring the sputtered questions of the stable master behind him, Thor pulled free his cape and bundled the boy in it. It made him look tiny as he cradled the small form to his chest and he made his way quickly to the healing chambers. He would first make sure the child was well, and then he would send for several people to wake. He would leave for Midgard before dawn.
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