A/N
First, I would like to thank everyone for their encouraging reviews, and welcome the many new readers who have added this story to their follows or favorites. You really make my day.
Second, this is a really long author's note, so if you aren't that interested, feel free to skip it. It's mostly just my reasons and justifications for why I describe the world of Thor the way I do, and a few thoughts about Thor: The Dark World. There will be NO SPOILERS, though, not for the plot of this story, or for the new movie.
Thor: The Dark World aired in Finland on the 30th of October, so I've already seen it. That said, you will find no spoilers for that movie in this story or my author's notes. I will reveal nothing specific about the sequel. However, here is a quick comment on how that movie might affect the plot or characterizations of this fic. The short answer is: it won't.
Thor: The Dark World gave me lots of feels about Loki and Thor, but other than that, the events of that movie will not affect the plot of this story in any great detail. I planned the main plot of this story long before the sequel came out, and I see no reason to change it now, since seeing the new movie didn't alter the way I perceive the characters of Loki, Thor, Odin or Frigga.
Also, many of the events in Thor and the Avengers were, to my mind, already so unlikely/unbelievable/tragic that the plot of Thor: The Dark World is leaving from the wrong place, as far as this fic is concerned. Nor does the new movie reveal anything I didn't already believe about Asgard or its heroes, so there is no reason to make major changes to my story.
On a completely different note, I have no idea how Asgardians measure age. In the movies, Thor and Loki are both about thousand Midgardian years old. However, I'm not sure how long one Asgadian year is in relation to one Midgardian year, or how often, if ever, Asgardians celebrate birthdays.
I also cannot imagine that Asgardians age in the same relative pace as Midgardians do; it would be really inconvenient for any advanced race of beings to spend hundreds of years as an infant or a small child. Therefore I imagine Asgardians always age much slower than Midgardians, but they age relatively faster when they are young, and really slowly when they are adults. A sort of a growth spurt as a kid, or something. This of course doesn't mean that they mature mentally and emotionally as fast as they do physically. Obviously, they don't, because at least Loki and Thor are both irresponsible and childish in comparison to most people of Earth, despite being much older than any human alive.
Because Asgardian ages give us no concrete reference points to how old someone actually is, I am going to refer to the characters' ages as their Midgardian equivalents. In this story, Loki would be about two and a half years younger than Thor.
In the memory scene at the beginning of this chapter, the ages of the kids would be as follows: Loki twelve, Sif fourteen, and Thor fifteen. The Warriors Three would probably be a few years older.
From your reviews I take it that most of you are looking forward to seeing how the confrontation between Loki and the Warriors Three and Sif will go. You had many interesting theories about how the meeting might play out, and I will tell you that some of them were pretty much spot on, but I won't spoil the plot by saying which. I am eager to get to that scene as well, but unfortunately, we won't get there until the next chapter.
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8. Troublemaker
Shadows cast by the setting sun were creeping up and down the tall spires of Asgard's library. Loki was sitting next to a round table, hunched over a large book, but he wasn't really reading. On that moment, Loki felt very happy, and he didn't want to do anything at all, lest it break the moment and his good mood.
Happiness did not used to be a noteworthy occasion, but as Loki had grown older, such days had grown fewer. Loki was no longer a child who could find happiness in any number of menial things, but he wasn't quite an adult, either.
Today, Loki felt happy for all sorts of silly and childish reasons. Namely, that he had spend the entire morning and most of the afternoon with Thor. They had left the palace and explored the city of Asgard together, and there had been no teasing, belittling or mockery involved. Just two brothers having a good time, enjoying each other's company. Their differences, which were usually the only thing people noticed about them, had been all but irrelevant.
No one would call Loki an optimist. He knew better than to get his hopes up to disproportionate heights, and expect things between the brothers to get overall better after one good day. It was just that during brief moments like these, Loki could almost forget how small and inadequate he felt.
Today, Loki felt happier than since gods knew when, and he was determined to keep it that way.
"You", Sif said from behind Loki. She must have just walked into the room, though Loki had not heard her enter. She did not raise her voice, but the low growl the word held was more menacing than a shout would have been in any case.
Loki turned to face her, and felt a flash of guilt upon seeing the hurt and angry expression on Sif's face. Loki had rather forgotten about her.
"You did it on purpose", Sif said, still not shouting. Loki almost wished she would shout, because perhaps then he wouldn't feel so damn guilty.
The library was not a noisy place in the best of days, but now you could've heard a needle drop.
Sif was right, of course. Unlike Thor, Loki was rarely one to hurt people out of thoughtlessness. Loki was clever. He thought things through.
If you really thought about the situation, though, it wasn't all Loki's fault. Honestly.
Oh, who am I kidding? If Loki is even remotely involved, everything is naturally his fault.
Loki had lied to Thor, and in doing so, he had betrayed Sif, but he hadn't meant for her to get hurt. Not really. It was perhaps hypocrisy to feel sorry now, but Loki did feel sorry. He hadn't meant Sif to get quite this upset. His little prank, if you could even call it that, hadn't really been about Sif at all. It had been about convincing Thor to spend time with his little brother, instead of his best friend.
Loki decided right then and there that he wouldn't even try to weasel his way out of this one; he was guilty as charged, so there would be no excuses and no lies.
To answer Sif's accusation, Loki nodded once.
If Loki had assumed that telling the truth would pacify Sif, that assumption turned out to be dead wrong. Her expression only grew darker after Loki's silent confession.
Loki got up and turned to properly face Sif. The girl (or perhaps he should already think of her as a woman?) walked up to him, and, without a pause, punched him in the face.
Loki had not seen this turn of events coming. He tried to hold his footing but failed, and instead fell on the hard marble floor of the library, ears still ringing from the blow.
Loki hoped that Sif was done attacking him, but in case she wasn't, the younger boy had no intentions of being an easy target twice in a row.
Loki climbed to his feet in a spin. He did so rather by reflex than by choice; Loki had been to enough real fights to know how stupid it was to leave yourself at the mercy of your adversary.
Sif, who had obviously not expected Loki to get his act together so quickly, looked unsure of what to do next. Looking back on it, Loki really should have just stayed down, but since he hadn't, the boy opted to take advantage of Sif's moment of hesitation.
Loki had two options: running and fighting. Each had its pros and cons, though mostly cons. On one hand, Loki didn't want to get into a fight, and he had no ill will towards Sif. On the other hand, if Loki ran from the fight now, and especially from a girl, the other kids would never let him hear the end of it.
So, Loki did as Loki always does: he compromised. He didn't run away, but nor did he outright attack her. He did, however, make an effort to disarm her.
The boy waved his hand in a small gesture to cast a spell. He summoned a sudden gush of wind, and it caught on Sif's long jacket, and the flaps of the jacket flew over Sif's face.
"What in Odin's name?!" Sif cursed as she tried to get her clothes back in order.
A few voices murmured in the background. Someone even laughed, though that someone was not Loki; he wouldn't have dared.
Loki took a few a tentative steps back and raised his hands in a placating gesture. Loki's resolve to make no excuses was quickly dissolving. "Look, Sif. I'm sorry, but how about we just..."
The moment Sif could see again, she leapt forward, grabbing Loki by the midsection and knocking the air out of his small frame. Both kids fell down to the ground. They rolled over in a tangle, but it seemed Sif was still not done. After a few moments of struggle, Sif managed to get the upper hand. She slammed Loki in the face with her elbow, and turned him over so that Loki's face was pressed against the ground.
Loki tried to struggle, but in vain. She had too good a hold on him. Loki wasn't going anywhere.
"Not an ounce of shame, huh?" Sif' said, a bit out of breath. Her words were barely above a whisper, but in the stunned silence of the room, her voice carried easily. "I guess I should have known better than to expect decency from a deceitful little thing like you."
Sif was a talented girl and would make a great warrior one day. She certainly punched harder than most boys her age, but in that moment, it was her words that cut deep.
Loki and Sif may not have always gotten along, and she may have always preferred Thor over him, but they had still known each other since they were little. They had never been enemies, but now, Sif was glaring at Loki angrily, saying things that Loki had for a while now feared everyone in Asgard secretly thought of him, but did not dare say out loud in his presence.
That Loki was a coward. That he was a misfit. That he was a disgrace to his family. That he just wasn't good enough, and that was why his family did not love him.
The worst part about the situation was that Sif knew Loki. The other kids often teased him, sometimes more cuttingly than Loki could take without paying back in kind, but the others did not truly know him. Not well enough to know how to really hurt him.
Sif knew Loki, just like Loki knew Sif: well enough to hurt. That was probably why she was so angry at him right now, but Loki honestly had not meant to hurt her. Not this much.
"Aren't you even going to tell me why you did it? Why you lied?" Sif asked in an angry hiss.
Loki tried to shook her off, but she held on tight. Confessing to his misdeeds was one thing, but explaining his reasons for them publicly was another. Loki found himself unable to respond honestly, and so he merely shook his head.
There was no reason. Well, none that wouldn't sound selfish and pathetic. No self-respecting warrior was so needy of the presence of their sibling that they would deliberately try to make his friends angry at him, just so that the brothers could spend more time together.
Loki wanted to say something; to tell Sif that he hadn't meant to hurt her so. That he hadn't realized how much the meeting had meant to her, and that he was sorry for ruining her chance at proving her warrior skills to the other warrior trainees. That this whole thing had not been about her at all, but about making Thor reconsider what he had.
That Loki was sorry.
Loki could not tell the truth, he had promised himself he wouldn't lie, and his pride wouldn't let him beg, so he said nothing. The boy merely pleaded with his eyes for Sif to stop before it was too late.
Sif looked furious, but she let go of Loki and got up.
"You've always been a spiteful thing, enjoying bringing misery to others, but I think we both know why that is. It is because you are jealous of Thor. It's because you are a pathetic coward, who could never measure up to his brother in anything, and so you take out your misery on the rest of us."
Loki's silvertongue completely failed him. He gasped for air, and tried to form a witty retort, but nothing would come.
All Loki could do was pull himself up from the ground and leave the library as fast as he could. He distinctly did not run.
For a fleeting moment, Sif looked like she was sorry to have said it, or maybe just sorry that Loki was there to hear it, this time. Either way, what was done was done. She didn't try stop Loki from leaving, not to hurt him further, or to apologize.
ooo
"My queen", Sif greeted the Allmother. Frigga, who had been walking down a corridor, nodded her head to acknowledge her presence: "The Lady Sif. What brings you to see me so early in the day?"
"I saw you walking by, and I thought I would come and express my condolences", Sif said. It wasn't a lie, although not the whole truth, either. It was merely simpler to say that than to explain about her running into Thor earlier that morning, and then waiting nearby in case his meeting with Loki would end soon, and Thor would be very upset afterwards.
Frigga nodded, smiled sadly, and gestured for Sif to walk with her. "I thank you for your concern. And for everything you have done for my family these past few days. You and the Warriors Three have been of great comfort to Thor, and your discretion is appreciated. However, with everything that has been going on, I fear I haven't had a chance to properly convey my gratitude. Please, tell your friends that you and they have the Allmother's thanks."
Sif nodded, because she couldn't really think of anything to say to that. It wasn't that she was unaccustomed to taking compliments. This time, she just didn't feel like she deserved them.
I didn't do any of it for Loki, Sif realized, but said nothing.
"And how is your family, Lady Sif?" Frigga went on.
"They are well", Sif stated shortly. Again true, and there simply wasn't anything nearly as dramatic going on in her personal life that it would have needed to be mentioned at such a time.
Frigga smiled, understanding. Sometimes it was like the Queen could see straight into Sif's thoughts. "I suppose your focus, just like mine, has been on my son's health."
Sif was again unsure what to say, but she nodded.
Frigga nodded as well. "I should have known that, of course. You have known both of my sons since they were little boys, and so these must be very upsetting times for you."
"How is he?" Sif asked. In retrospect, she should have probably asked after Loki right at the beginning.
For a moment, Frigga looked thoughtful, but her answer was short: "He is better. Much better. Now if you will excuse me, I have important matters I must attend to."
"Of course", Sif said and bowed respectfully. However, despite what the Allmother had just said, Frigga did not make to leave. Instead the Queen looked at Sif very carefully.
"Lady Sif. I just remembered that there is something I meant to ask you. But first, you should know that I will not judge you in any way, no matter what your answer may be. I merely wish you to be honest."
Sif felt a familiar feeling of foreboding creeping up her spine. Many people said that Odin's unyielding, one-eyed gaze was terrifying, but for some reason, Sif had always been more intimidated by the Allmother than the Allfather. Frigga had a strength about her, and a sense of danger, especially when it came to her children.
"You can ask anything," Sif managed. What else could she really say?
Frigga smiled briefly, and then went on in a more serious tone: "How do you feel about Loki?"
Sif had not seen this particular question coming, but she had known the topic would be something awkward, so she had had time to school her expression; her exterior remained calm and mildly thoughtful.
Sif knew exactly how she felt about Loki, but how to phrase it to his mother? And why was Frigga asking this of her, specifically? Why not the boys?
Sif's eyes widened. "I am not sure where you might have gotten such an impression, but I assure you that there is nothing... romantic going on between Prince Loki and me."
Frigga smiled openly. "Oh, do not worry, my dear. I did not think there was, and even if that were the case, I would not think ill of you for it. I simply wish to hear if you are friends with my youngest son."
"Yes", Sif said, frowning. "We are friends."
"Have there been any complications in your friendship recently? Is there any reason why Loki would be mad at you, or you would be mad at him?"
Sif felt highly uncomfortable with the topic, but she answered the question the best she could. "No, Ma'am. Nothing out of the ordinary. Actually, things have been going better than usual, at least for the past few months."
It was true. In the months leading up to Thor's coronation, Loki had been unusually mellow. No tricks, no pranks, not even the usual amount of teasing. Loki had been on his best behavior, which to Sif had been proof enough that he was planning something big. Unfortunately, Sif had been unable to figure out what Loki was exactly up to in time.
"Well..." Sif added hesitantly. Frigga encouraged her to go on.
Sif knew that under the circumstances, Loki's mother would probably be more blind than ever before to her son's flaws and mischief, so Sif would have to choose her words carefully. "Lately, Loki hasn't been causing much trouble, but he has been... quiet and withdrawn. It is hard to say what's on his mind. However, Loki's general attitude changed noticeably right after Thor's banishment."
Frigga frowned. "Well, I would expect Loki to be affected by his brother's misfortune, but I take it that you mean something out of the ordinary happened, as well?"
Sif nodded. Encouraged by Frigga's words, she finished her explanation: "After Thor was gone, Loki became hostile towards the Warriors Three and me. I now know that Loki felt bad for Thor, but at the time, I could not have told you that he did. Loki appeared to think that everything had gone exactly the way he had always wanted. When we asked him about Thor, he did not even say he was sorry to see his brother go, and twice Loki explicitly refused to help us get Thor back. The moment Thor was out of the way, Loki began to boss the rest of us around as if he was truly king, and the throne would always be his."
Frigga was quiet for a while. Sif tried not to let her nervousness show. "You asked me to speak my mind, Ma'am."
Frigga nodded. "Of course. I am upset, but not at you. I am upset at myself, for having been so oblivious to my son's sadness. I wish Loki had come to me with his worries."
Frigga hesitated, but went on: "I take it that the Warriors Three agree with your judgement that Loki was acting strangely right after Thor's banishment?"
Sif nodded. "We were unanimous on the matter. We even intended to tell the Allfather about it, but the King fell into Odinsleep before we had a chance. After that, Loki was still acting hostile, but he was in a position to punish us severely, so there was little we could do. That is why we went to get Thor; we hoped Loki's brother could get through to him."
Frigga looked Sif in the eye, and said: "Of course. Now, the only part I don't understand is why you did not come to me with all your worries. Although Loki was, indeed, your king, and the first person you should go to with your worries, even if you felt you could not do so, you could have spoken with me. I was much more available than Thor, and Loki would never have refused to have a word with me."
What could Sif say to that? Because you are blind to Loki's flaws, he could manipulate you against us, and you intimidate me?
More truths Sif couldn't say out loud, but again it was like Frigga could read her mind.
"Did it not occur to you to tell me, or did you think that I would be unable or unwilling to help you?" Frigga asked.
Sif felt trapped. Admitting her own doubts about Frigga's objectivity would be almost as bad as claiming that Frigga would have been powerless to affect the outcome. As a woman in a world ruled by men, Sif knew exactly how well the Queen would take to her authority being questioned in such a way.
"We... Of course, not. The time just didn't seem right, with the Allfather in the Odinsleep, and... Loki's behavior wasn't the only reason why we were so eager to go see Thor. Thor is our friend, and we were worried for him. In retrospect, we should have of course gone to you first, but we simply had no idea that there was a time limit, or that things would change so dramatically before we returned to Asgard."
Sif and the others had not really thought their plan through before running off to Midgard. Partly, because Heimdall had summoned them almost as soon as the idea of going to get Thor had been uttered out loud. She wasn't going to mention that, though; the Guardian had done them a favor, and she wasn't going to thank him now by pinning all the blame on him.
In retrospect, however, it did sound idiotic that she and the warriors had marched off to Midgard to get Thor without consulting Frigga first.
If Sif was being honest with herself, the reason why she hadn't even tried to talk to Frigga was that she feared the Queen would say the same thing that Loki had: that Thor would remain banished until Odin said otherwise. The Queen's refusal to help wouldn't have stopped the Warriors Three and Sif from going to get Thor on their own, but in doing so, they would've had to go against Frigga's order as well as Loki's.
Sif still couldn't bring herself to truly regret her decision to go get Thor, because she doubted Frigga would've believed their theory about Loki having planned this whole mess from the get-go. Not without evidence, and at the time, she and the warriors had had no concrete proof of Loki's guilt.
No, Frigga wouldn't have seen the situation from their perspective, and she wouldn't have believed them. Thor, on the other hand, had required only minor convincing, so it was a good thing they had gone to Thor first.
In the end, although the situation hadn't been resolved in the way Sif had expected, it had been resolved. Loki's guilt was now proven, and things had returned to the way they should be.
Frigga nodded. "I see. And of course, I do not blame you for not seeing the full situation, when I did not see it, either. However, I must ask: when you and your comrades unanimously agreed that Loki was acting out of character, did you ask him why? Did you talk to Loki about his reasons?"
Sif bit her lip, and answered: "No. There wasn't really a... I mean, he was being so... We presumed that he knew more than we did about the situation, and that was why his reaction was so... why he was so unconcerned by all that had happened."
In truth, Sif and the Warriors Three hadn't thought that Loki was acting out of character; they had thought the younger prince was finally revealing his true colors. After Loki got the throne, he could abandon all pretense of niceness and civility, and could treat them the way he had always secretly wanted to.
"But you did not talk to him directly? And he did not say anything to you that might be of use to me now?" Frigga interrogated further.
"We spoke with Loki only about Thor and his banishment. On both times, Loki quickly brushed off our suggestions. He also made it clear with his gestures and words that he did not wish to remain in our presence."
"I see. One more question: before and during Thor's banishment, did you or anyone else say or do something that might have caused Loki to act in such a way? To shun your company, that is."
At least this question Sif could answer easily enough: "Yes and no. You have to understand, we were all worried for Thor, and when we found out that Loki had been the one to tell Odin of our adventure to Jotunheim, we were a bit upset at Loki. Had we known then what was going to happen later, we would've chosen our words more carefully. That said, in my opinion we treated Loki in the same way we always have: not more or less harshly, but in the usual way."
"The usual way?" Frigga inquired.
Sif tried to keep her answer short: "We always make light jest, sometimes at each other's expense, but it is never serious. It's just that when you are around people you know well, you speak your mind more freely and without fear of misunderstandings."
Frigga frowned. "So, am I to understand that you were angry at my son for having send word for Odin? Why? It was not the most sensible thing to do under the circumstances; you should never have gone to Jotunheim to begin with. Still, sending word to Odin was much better than not telling anyone where you were going."
Sif tried to find the right words. "We... did not think it through. We were so shocked about Jotunheim and what had happened to Thor that it took a moment for us to realize that Loki had probably saved all our lives, but at that point, Loki had already stormed out of the room."
Sif looked around herself, mostly for an excuse to end the conversation, but there was no one else on the corridor, nor was it likely that anyone would walk by. This wing of the palace was used almost exclusively by the Royal Family.
Frigga's eyes did not leave Sif's, and the Queen said: "Are you sure that everything is alright between you and Loki? I remember a time when you two did not get along at all."
Here we go again, Sif thought. I can't believe she still begrudges me for that one slip-up all those years ago.
"Yes, I am sure. Loki and I do not always see eye to eye, but I have not treated him unfairly. I've most certainly not assaulted him, and nor has he been particularly hostile toward me."
Expect in the Throne Room.
Frigga didn't say anything right away, and Sif waited in dread. The Queen looked thoughtful and very serious.
Eventually, Frigga leaned a bit closer and said: "I'm still grateful for the help and loyalty you have offered Thor in these trying times. That said, although I do not blame you and your friends for what happened to my son, I also do not approve of the way you treated Loki when he was your king. My husband may have overlooked your treasonous actions because of your alleged good intentions, but know this: if you ever do harm to either of my sons again, even if you do so to help the other, I will not be forgiving, and there will be repercussions."
Before Sif had time to respond, Frigga leaned away, and said: "Good day to you, Lady Sif." Without further ado, the Queen walked away.
Sif let out a breath. She felt terrified, angry and relieved all at once. Sif was glad the conversation was over, but she also wished she had gotten one more chance to defend herself. Overall, she felt relieved, but also like she had been treated unfairly.
I didn't start any of this, and it is not my fault that things ended the way they did.
It was incredibly unfair how Loki's mischief always got all of them into trouble.
Sif started to make her way to where she hoped the Warriors Three would be.
She still felt annoyed. Frigga and Sif had much in common; they were powerful and ambitious women living in a thoroughly patriarchal society. They should be allies, not enemies. However, there was a wedge that always came between Sif and the Queen, and that wedge was Loki.
Children fought; they did little else. However, even on Asgard, starting fights with unwitting partners wasn't usually looked upon kindly. One time, Sif had punched Loki in the library. The boy had had it coming: Loki had lied to Thor about what day it was, and as a consequence, Thor had not arrived to her meeting with Sif, and Sif had looked like a fool in front of a group of older boys.
Sif had just started her warrior training in earnest, but the other trainees were giving her a hard time; they wouldn't spar with her because she was a girl. Sif had told them that if they wouldn't practice with her, she would spar with Prince Thor instead, since at least Thor saw her as his equal. The older boys had actually been quite impressed at that, and had promised that they would practice with her if the Prince of Asgard did, too.
She could still remember how ashamed she had felt, when Thor, the always reliable Thor, had stood her up. When Sif later found out who the real culprit behind everything was, she had gotten a bit carried away with her response.
Ironically, after the word spread that Sif had defeated the younger Prince of Asgard in a fist fight, the older warrior trainees had accepted her as one of them. Not necessarily because Loki, her junior, was difficult to beat, but because almost all of the boys who had been unkind to Sif had also at some point been nasty to Loki, and Loki had given back as good as he got. Everyone seemed to have a beef with Loki, but no one else had had the guts to make the young prince answer for his mischief before that day in the library.
The rumors of Sif and Loki's encounter had spread like wildfire. People seemed to find it really hilarious that Loki had been beaten by a girl. On the bright side, most people seemed to assume Loki had had it coming, and respected Sif for her courage. On the down side, ever since that day, Frigga had had the impression that Sif was some kind of bully.
For a long time, the Queen would talk to Sif very courtly, but never warmly. That might have something to do with why Sif still didn't feel at ease in Frigga's presence.
Right after the incident, Frigga had had a stern conversation with Sif about the rights and responsibilities that came with physical superiority. How a true warrior always defended those weaker than her.
By the end of that conversation, Sif had felt so ashamed and guilty that she had looked Loki up, and apologized to him. Loki had looked her in the eye all the way through her apology, but when came Loki's turn to forgive her, and apologize for his own deeds, the boy had said nothing at all.
Sif had huffed, turned around, and ran away.
After that day, Sif had been more careful about leaving her emotions exposed in Loki's company. She would not be made a fool of twice.
As Sif arrived to the breakfast hall, the Warriors Three were there, just as she had expected. Volstagg was in te process of devouring his third serving, whereas Fandral and Hogun appeared to be done with the meal and simply making light conversation while waiting for their friend.
Sif walked over to them and sat down.
"Lady Sif!" Fandral greeted. "Do help yourself to some breakfast, it seems we'll not be leaving for a while."
Volstagg just smiled and kept eating, too accustomed to take offense whenever someone made fun of his appetite.
"Not hungry," was Sif's clipped answer.
Fandral seemed to detect her bad mood. He frowned and asked: "Have you been talking to Thor?"
Sif sighed. "Yes, I have, but that is not the part that worries me. I also talked to Frigga a moment ago, and she told me, well, all of us, never to go against Loki again."
"She said that?" Hogun asked, though he did not look or sound very surprised.
Sif leaned on her elbows against the table and combed her fingers through her hair. "Yes. Well, she thanked us for being good friends to Thor, but then continued to pretty much threaten me, saying that if she caught any of us causing harm to Loki, there would be 'repercussions'."
Fandral frowned in confusion. "'Causing harm?' Is that what she thinks we were doing? But it was Loki who let the Jotun in; what else could've we done?"
Hogun and Sif shushed at their friend in unison. Sif looked around herself to see if anyone in the hall had heard them, but no one seemed affected. Hogun, too, looked around, and then reminded Fandral: "We've sworn not to speak of it in public."
Fandral winced and nodded. "Right, right, I forget, but my point still stands that our options were limited."
Volstagg, who had stopped eating, looked uncomfortable. "Well, I too think we should all try and be nice to Loki. He's made his share of mistakes, but I think we can all agree that the chap's been through a lot of late."
"Mistakes?" Hogun questioned. "When do people commit treason by mistake?"
Sif nodded, Fandral lifted his brows and tightened his mouth in an agreeing gesture and Volstagg looked puzzled. The large man amended his words: "Well yes, I guess you have a point, but still, at the end of the day, there was no harm done to anyone except Loki himself, and so you'd think he was feeling pretty sorry about all of this."
And to Thor, Sif thought to herself, but she didn't feel like arguing with her friends right now.
"Maybe," Fandral spoke up hesitantly, "Maybe we could all agree to give Loki some slack, right? I mean, I think that Volstagg has a point, and that none of us really want to upset Queen Frigga."
There were general murmurs of agreement form all around. Sif nodded as well.
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A/N
I think Loki and Sif have much in common; they are the odd ones out in a mostly homogenous society. In Thor movie, they are both quick to draw conclusions, and know how to hold a grudge. They are probably too alike, and that's why they can't stand each other; they see themselves in each other, and thus remind each other of their own flaws. Sif and Loki also compete for the same 'minority spot' in Thor's gang.
I would imagine that Sif and Loki were bullied for being different from what children their age and gender are expected to be like. Unfortunately, getting bullied does not bring people closer to one another. In real life, the bottom of the playground hierarchy is a bad place to be, and often the only way to move up is to push others down. Maybe less so in the adult world, but children, and especially adolescents, can be awful to one another.
I don't think Sif is mean. She has had a hard time gaining acceptance, and now she is careful not to loose it, and thus cannot afford to befriend controversial people like Loki.
In my opinion, Frigga is the hardest character to write. I think she is an independent, strong, wise and caring person, but if she is all those things, how did she let things go so spectacularly bad in Thor movie? She obviously doesn't know her sons as well as she thought she did, so writing her is a fine line balancing between competent and clueless.
Generally, I'm going to assume that Frigga was oblivious to what was going on with her sons during the events of the the movie (and before it), but she is much more observant and disillusioned now. Also, keep in mind that Frigga might know things that Loki and the reader do not.