Thor lay awake in his large bed. He was staying in Frey's palace, high in the trees of the silver forests of Alfheim. It was one of many restless nights that had followed the 'death' of his brother, where Thor would be plagued for hours on end with a hurricane of thoughts and memories of Loki.

They never left him alone, and Thor figured this was his punishment for being a poor brother over the millennia, for not noticing how Loki had been isolating himself from society, how his mind had become warped and twisted, how he had fallen into madness...

Thor thumped on Loki's door, a frown on his face. His brother had not left his chambers for over two months, and their parents were beginning to worry. They were not unaccustomed to Loki shutting himself away, but this was the first time it had gone on for so long. Usually, it was for a week or two while Loki figured out a new spell or simply wished for peace and quiet, but Thor was beginning to think there was something else. Never had it been this long without him seeing his brother.

"Loki? Loki, open the door!" He boomed, his voice echoing through the hallway.

No answer.

"Loki, if you do not open this door I will knock it down!" He growled threateningly, his worry morphing into anger.

After a few moments waiting, Thor stepped back and brandished Mjolnir, preparing to completely destroy the door, when there was a soft click. Lowering his hammer, Thor pushed the door open and entered the room.

He had to blink a few times while his eyes adjusted to the near total darkness of the room, but he eventually found Loki sitting on the windowsill, his back leaning against the window frame and his legs bent, staring out of the open archway. Thor's heart leapt into his throat when he saw just how dangerously close to the edge Loki was.

"Loki..." He began.

He received no response from his brother.

"Loki," He repeated, louder and more forceful.

Loki blinked, seeming to snap out of a daze, and turned his head to Thor. The moonlight made his pale skin glow a ghostly shade of white, and Thor noticed with a frown the dark circles beneath his brother's eyes, as well as his too-thin frame. Loki clearly had not eaten any of the food that had been sent to his chambers.

"Thor," Loki greeted, nodding once. His face remained impassive.

"Loki... come away from the edge," Thor instructed slowly.

Loki frowned and looked at the window. "Why?"

"You may fall-"

Loki scoffed. "I have been doing this for years. I highly doubt the fall would kill me, anyway."

Thor tried not to pay attention to the bitter tone of his voice.

"Why are you here?" Loki sighed resignedly, leaning his head back.

"Mother and Father wish for you to join us for."

"I am not hungry."

"You are naught but skin and bone!"

Loki frowned. "I will survive."

This time it was Thor who scoffed. "Barely. We have not seen you in two months, brother."

"As I have not seen you in two months. If I can manage, so can you. Now, if you would be so kind as to shut the door on your way out, I would be most grateful," he smiled briefly, the expression dropping from his face almost immediately as he turned to look back out of the window.

Thor's anger flared again. "I am not leaving this room without you."

"Then you will be here for a very long time, Thor, and I doubt you can go so long without running off to battle."

"Loki, we are worried about you-"

"I am fine!" Loki hissed, his green eyes glinting in the moonlight ominously as they darted back to Thor.

"Your silver tongue fails you, for I can plainly see that you are not fine. When was the last time you ate? When was the last time you slept?"

"Why does it concern you?"

"Because you are my brother and you look as though you are at the very gates of Niflheim itself!"

Loki stiffened then, and Thor realised his mistake after a moment. Never did Loki take well to hearing derogatory referances of Niflheim or Helheim, not after Hela... Not after Hela was banished there as a child. It had been many centuries since it had happened, but... Thor knew it to be one of Loki's deepest, darkest pains.

"Loki-"

"Leave. I wish not for the company of another tonight."

And Thor did, his head hung in shame, yet he never once apologised.

Thor grimaced at the memory, rolling onto his side. How could he have not apologised for such careless words? Had he truly been so blind? So arrogant? So... so... apathetic? He frowned at the word. Apathetic. Loki was always known for his cold demeanor, for his indifference to many things. Thor... he realised, now, that while he truly did love his brother, he rarely showed it. He rarely stood up for Loki against the bullies, he rarely defending him when he was arguing with the Allfather for something that was not his fault-

"Do not lie to me, Loki!" Odin roared, his grip tightening on Gungnir. "What part did you play in Baldr's death?"

Thor stood to his brother's side, an accusatory frown on his face as he stared at Loki. The God of Mischief's eyes were wide and frightful as he took a step back, turning his terrified, tearful gaze to their mother, who stood by the King's side with tears running down her cheeks.

"Odin, please, don't-"

"Silence! Loki Odinson, you have betrayed your family with your poisonous words and actions. I, Odin Allfather, hereby cast you out of Asgard until you have learnt the heinousness of your actions!" With a blast of magic, Odin sent Loki through the Bifrost.

Loki never got the chance to defend himself, and no one but Frigga even tried to do it for him.

They left the Bifrost, sullen and heartbroken, but not once did any of them consider Odin's punishment to be unjust.

Several years afterwards, Heimdall reported to have seen Loki on a cliff in Vanaheim, bound to a rock while a snake dripped burning, toxic venom on his skin. Odin had ordered Loki to be brought home, and Thor insisted he be the one to retrieve him- (He never once believed Loki to be responsible for their brother's death. But he did not appose his father's opinion either.)- from Vanaheim.

He had found his little brother, scarred, bleeding, screaming and half mad precisely where his father had told him to search. It had taken months of screams and curses and terrible, terrible pain before Loki had regained any sense of proper consciousness. Even more months before he spoke to anyone. He had remained in his chambers for well over three decades then, barely speaking, barely eating, barely sleeping, barely living.

Loki had finally emerged from his chambers for the first time in thirty-two years, but Thor's brother was all but gone. The man that he fetched from the cliff was a mere stranger with the ghostly appearance of Thor's brother.

After another dozen years, Loki began speaking with their mother. After another century, Loki began speaking with Thor. After three centuries, Loki finally came to speak with their father.

Banishing the memory from his mind, Thor squeezed his eyes shut and ran his hands through his hair. (Why did I not stop him? Why did I let Loki be punished for something I knew not to be his fault?)

And it wasn't the first time, either.

A ten year old Sif ran to the twelve year old Thor, tears streaming down her face as she gripped her hair. Her unnaturally black hair. Thor frowned at the colour; Sif's hair had been golden blonde.

"T-Thor!" She cried, skidding to a halt in front of him so abruptly that she slammed into his chest.

Thor steadied her and held her at arms length. "Sif, what hapened?"

"S-Someone cut off my hair in the night! And now it's black! I don't know what happened, but my hair is black and it will not wash out like any normal dye!" She sobbed.

Just as she said that, an eleven year old Loki came into the room, frowning when he saw the upset girl and his brother.

"Sif? Are you well?" He asked, coming to stand by her.

The young goddess continued to cry in Thor's arms, and several other children of the palace came to see what the fuss was about. Whispers arose, many of them commenting on Sif's hair... but the majority of them focusing on Loki.

"It was him, I bet."

"He's always messing about with magic."

"I heard he is being taught by a Frost Giant how to use Dark Magic."

"He probably did it so he wasn't the only one in the Realm with black hair."

Sif pulled away from Thor and gaped at Loki. Thor, too, stared at his little brother.

"You..." Sif breathed, teary eyes wide.

"Loki, you didn't..." Thor trailed off, scarcely able to believe what he was hearing.

"What? No, it wasn't me, I swear!" Loki protested, green eyes bulging.

"You liar!" Sif sobbed, bursting into tears again.

It angered Thor to see his friend in such a state. "Look what you have done!" He shouted accusingly.

"I-I didn't-"

"You fix this now, Loki!" Thor demanded.

"But-"

"Do it, or I swear I will break every bone in your body!" He thundered, rage consuming him. How dare Loki do something so atrocious?

"I don't know how to fix it!" Loki yelled, tears forming in his own eyes.

"I don't care! Find someone who can fix it then!" Sif screamed, furious with the Second Prince.

And Loki had. He had gone to the dwarves, requesting that they make new hair for Sif. They had agreed, but for a price. If two of their dwarves could make something finer than the golden hair, then Loki's head would be their payment. If the hair was the more beautiful craft, then Loki could take it and leave freely. The dwarves would not take any other offer, and so Loki had no choice but to agree.

The two dwarves won.

Loki, with his quick mind, had claimed that the dwarves could only have his head, but not his neck. Therefore, they had no choice but to let him keep his head. Of course, this had angered them greatly, and they had made sure Loki was silenced for his silver tongue after that.

Heimdall had found him on the borders of Asgard, leather thread pulled taut through his lips to the point where he could not move his face without moaning in agony.

He had been taken straight to the healing rooms, where they had given him pain relieving medicines... and that had been both the Healers' greatest mercy and their mistake. As soon as they had come towards Loki with the scissors to cut the thread, Loki had panicked and- in his delirious state of blood loss- tried screaming for them to get away. The action had caused the leather to rip completely through Loki's lips like the skin was naught but silk.

And Thor had watched on in horror as his little brother bled himself half to death.

"Loki-"

"You stay away from him, Thor Odinson- you have done enough this day!" His mother snapped, her golden dress covered in blood as she cradled Loki's (now unconscious) body to her.

"Mother, I-"

"You what? Sent him off to the dwarves on his own? He is eleven, Thor! He knows nothing of their brutal ways!" She exclaimed.

Thor bowed his head, ashamed.

"And for what? Sif's hair? Did you blame him for that as easily as the others did? I will have you know that the culprit has been caught- and it was not your brother!"

Thor felt guilt claw at his heart. "I am sorry..."

"No, it is not I you need apologise to. Now, leave. Go to your father."

And Thor did.

While he healed, Loki had not uttered a word to anyone. For years and years afterwards, he never once said anything to anyone. Only when he was a grown, battle-hardened warrior, did Loki finally begin to speak again. But even then he was quiet. Oh, he still played his tricks and kept his mischievous ways, but Loki was not the cheerful child Thor remembered he had been. He had gone to the dwarves a child, and returned a man. Old before his time.

Thor placed his palms over his bleary eyes, remembering how, even then, when he was still an arrogant, bloodthirsty, naive child, he had never regretted anything more than sending Loki off to the dwarves alone.

(So many regrets... Why did I never think of this while it was happening? Oh, Loki, will you ever forgive me? Will you ever return?)

But, as he recalled all his wrongdoings and mistreating of Loki in his youth, Thor feared he already knew the answer.

A/N: Wow, there's already so many people following my story- I can't believe it. Thank you so much, and I'm glad you like it.