Ynath Esrith: It is quite sad, isn't? You read Journey into Mystery? That's great! Kid Loki is the cutest little thing:3 Yeah, my elder Loki is much, much nicer than the JiM elder Loki. Agreed. Odin needs a lot of help. As for the Heimdall thing, Heimdall either told Odin and Odin blocked it out or Heimdall didn't tell Odin because he knew that Odin wouldn't listen to a word he said.
randomKittyX3: So many reviews! I'm so glad you've been enjoying the story! It'll will be a real tear jerker, won't it?
sakiko of soleana: Yeah poor guy :( He's reformed and now he has to die. :/
AquaDragon78: I wouldn't say evil more like a cruel person who has no regard for his children. He sure is acting evil, though.
SETO-KIABA-LIFE: Ah yes. Not-Thor. Just keep reading to find out! He'll be revealed before you know it!
hypercell: Thank you for all the reviews! I'm glad you've been enjoying it! You're chapter six review really caught my attention so I'll address it. I didn't really go into detail as to Loki's condition and that was purposeful. I wanted you guys to picture him on your own so if you see him as extremely injured than by all means he is. It's implied that the keepers of the prison had been using bits of healing magic on him through out his stay, but like I said, it's up to you to decide you how hurt Loki is. Loki is very paranoid, but his paranoia is on the back burner since he's with Thor and so much is happening.
ONE STEP FORWARD, FOUR STEPS BACK
A THOR/AVENGERS FANFICTION
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX: Reunions
The next two days went by smoothly, everyone doing their part in preparing for Odin's arrival. They had all decided that Thor would do most of the talking and that the others would act as witnesses for Thor. In the event that the negotiations were to fail, it was planned that Jane would flee with Loki to her parents' house until (or if) all of this was cleared up. Loki knew about it and was told by Thor to prepare a backpack for that day so that he wouldn't have to worry about clothing. Pepper agreed to help the boy pack since the first time he packed his bag it was full of toys and no clothes at all. Thor was slightly on edge, unsure of the compromises that would have to be made to ensure Loki's safety. It was a real possibility that Odin would banish Loki from Asgard forever. If possible, Thor wanted to avoid that, but he was willing to make that sacrifice if it kept Loki from the pits of Fjørlag-Bryggja.
On the third day before Odin's arrival, elder-Loki felt like he was dying. He was of course, but he didn't expect to feel so miserable. Perhaps that's why he never did the right thing previous to this whole mess; doing good can be a pain to the do-gooder. Nevertheless, elder-Loki felt a weird sort of warmth knowing he was doing the right thing. He knew that Loki deserved to change his fate and that this was the only way. He only wished that it hurt less. Elder-Loki sighed and fell back into the chair he was sitting in. It was his turn to keep an eye on Loki, who was playing quietly at his feet, the occasional noise escaping him. Elder-Loki loved watching Loki play; it was such a display of innocence that the man couldn't describe. Plus, it could be very entertaining if you caught Loki on a good day.
"Bjarte?" Loki asked after being silent for quite some time.
"Yes little one?" Elder-Loki responded tiredly.
"Are you okay? You seem sleepy." Loki commented, standing and walking over to him. Elder-Loki chuckled quietly. Loki really had a gift for sensing things.
"I'm fine," elder-Loki lied slickly. Loki shrugged.
"'Kay. 'M bored." Loki informed him.
"What do you want me to do about it?" Elder-Loki teased lightly. Loki stuck his tongue out at him.
"We coul' go outside," Loki said, putting on his best puppy dog eyes.
"Last time we did that it ended badly," Elder-Loki pointed out.
"Well yeah, but you're all solid again! You don' have t' use magic with me anymore. If anythin' happens, you can stop it now!" Loki said. Elder-Loki sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Fine, let's go. But grab a jacket. I don't want you catching a chill." Elder-Loki told him. Loki smiled brightly and darted off, leaving the man alone.
The two went to the backyard and Loki coned elder-Loki into climbing trees with him. Elder-Loki frankly felt stupid climbing trees and he was too tired to do it, but he found it hard to say no. It was one of the last days he had with the little boy, so he couldn't find it in himself to say no. Loki was laughing gleefully as he climbed, elder-Loki lagging behind. This tree was a particularly tall one, elder-Loki surprised at how far up Loki managed to climb it. Eventually, elder-Loki had to stop climbing to catch his breath, Loki climbing still. After sometime, elder-Loki hear what he thought was a little whimper. He decided he hadn't, but was proven wrong.
"Bjarte?" Loki's frightened voice called.
"Yes?" Elder-Loki replied urgently.
"'M s-scared! I climbed really high up, but 'm too scared t' climb down!" Loki cried, his voice sounding strained like he was about to burst into tears.
"Hold on, little one," Elder-Loki began, "I'm on my way." Loki whimpered and nodded.
"'Kay, j'st hurry!" Loki cried. As elder-Loki climbed, a flash of white light darted across the sky, Loki's eyes widening.
"Did you see tha'?" he called. Elder-Loki paused and stared, waiting.
"Don't tell me the All-Father has decided to come early," elder-Loki whispered. A beam of bright white light appeared and touched down in the backyard. Loki screamed in fright, the wind picking up dramatically.
"Bjarte!" Loki cried.
"Just hold on!" Elder-Loki roared over the wind. He quickly tried to reach the boy, but it was too late. The wind was too strong and Loki was carried into the light.
"NO!" elder-Loki bellowed. The light began to fade and elder-Loki quickly climbed down the tree. The grass where the light had touched it was scorched, but that wasn't the shocking part.
"Look Bjarte!" Loki cried from below. Elder-Loki was really confused now.
"Little one?" elder-Loki questioned, reaching the bottom of the tree. He looked over and was dumbstruck.
"Hello."
"M-mother," elder-Loki gasped, falling to his knees. In Frigga's arms was Loki, the little boy quite content. Frigga walked over and knelt down.
"Oh Loki," she murmured, pulling the man into a hug. Elder-Loki choked and accepted the hug.
"W-why aren't you surprised?" He managed to say through tears.
"You aren't the only one who speaks with Norns and the dead, dear." She said softly. Loki giggled.
"Mummy caught me when I fell, Bjarte!" Loki said brightly, his gaze shifting to the back door. Thor was standing in awe on the porch, shock shaking his whole frame. Loki smiled from ear to ear and waved at him. "Thor!" Thor stood in shock for a moment then cautiously walked over.
"Mother? How did you get here?" Thor asked. Frigga smiled and adjusted her grip on Loki.
"The same way you did," she said.
"Heimdall sent you?" Thor asked. Frigga nodded.
"Yes. I had to see you. My dear sons, I have to warn you. Odin is coming, he wants to battle you. In his eyes you are a traitor Thor and Loki's a criminal. You must protect each other. I will not allow for my family to suffer any longer." Frigga said sternly.
"Mother, we know. Elder-Loki has informed me. I and my comrades are preparing for battle now. We hope to avoid it all together if we can make the All-Father see that Loki isn't a threat." Thor explained.
"That is the problem, dear. Odin already knows that. He wishes to prevent him from ever becoming a threat. He refuses to listen to anyone and his heart is too hard for the Norns to reach. What he doesn't realize is this obsession with justice he has will only cause Loki to choose evil later." Frigga told him.
"Odin's heart is harder than stone," Elder-Loki muttered.
"Yes, but it wasn't always," Frigga replied, standing and taking Loki with her.
"I missed you, mummy," Loki said softly. Frigga kissed his head.
"I missed you too," she replied, "all of you." She added, looking at elder-Loki.
"Mother, I'm sorry. Truly, I am. I-I…I never meant for it to go this far. Honestly, I didn't! I only wanted you to be proud of me, to be Thor's equal. I never-" Frigga shushed him quietly.
"Dearest Loki, I know. I always did. I tried when you were young to treat you and Thor equally, but my efforts didn't work. Had Odin done the same, this could have been avoided. Of course, your father isn't solely to blame. Your choices are to blame too." Frigga said. Elder-Loki nodded guiltily.
"Yes, I know. And I'm sorry. I shall never repeat the same mistakes, and neither will the little one." Elder-Loki said, his heart aching at the truth in his words. He would never have chance to repeat anything. He was dying.
"Mummy?" Loki asked.
"Yes love?"
"He's not Loki, I am. He's Bjarte." Loki informed her. Frigga chuckled.
"But to me, he is Loki and so are you," Frigga said.
"Tha' makes me confused," Loki told her.
"Yes I know dear," she replied.
"Mummy?" Loki asked again. Frigga smiled.
"Yes?"
"Are you gonna stay here with us? Me an' Thor have a real big family now. You shoul' meet 'em." Loki said.
"Yes, I am staying. I haven't had a chance to be with you as Thor has and I wish too. You are my little boy and I want to spend time with you." Frigga replied. Loki squealed happily.
"Did you hear tha'? Mummy's gonna stay!" Loki cried happily. Thor smiled fondly and embraced his mother and Loki. Elder-Loki stood awkwardly and watched. Loki noticed and waved him over.
"C'mon Bjarte!" he said. Elder-Loki gave a weak smile and walked over, joining the hug. Now that he had seen Frigga, a big weight was lifted from his chest. Elder-Loki wasn't as afraid of death as he thought he was. It seemed to hurt less now and that brought him comfort.
Thor took Frigga inside and introduced her to the others. Loki babbled for a long time about things he and Frigga had done together, Frigga and elder-Loki reminiscing on happier, near forgotten times. Frigga had tears of pure joy in her eyes when her little boy's voice filled the air, and soon everyone left to give them time alone. Loki sat on her lap and she petted his raven hair, the boy chatting about his happy times with his new found family. When he was speaking about the Tooth Fairy and how he lost a tooth, he suddenly got quiet.
"Loki?" Frigga prompted. The boy let out a sob and he began shaking. Before Frigga could do or say anything to comfort him, the boy began to speak again.
"My throat has h'rt for a long t-time," he began softly, "It's b-because of t-this s-stuff the S-Shadow g-gave t' me. It b-burned m-m-my throat and h'rt my in-insides. The d-day a'ter t-tha', the Shadow burned my s-skin with all s-sorts of weird l-lookin' t-things. It h'rt so bad! B-but no one could h-hear me scream, no one c-could stop it f-from h'rtin' me!" Frigga was stunned for a moment and Loki just kept talking. He poured his heart out to his mother, finally revealing all that had happened to him inside of Fjørlag-Bryggja. She sat and listened, the boy talking and talking. Frigga felt sick by the time Loki got to his rat torture, and when he began to talk about his days at S.H.I.E.L.D., she thought she was going to throw up. Loki fell silent for a moment, Frigga full of sadness, anger and sorrow. Those monsters had tortured her little boy in ways not even the worse of criminals experience. How badly she wanted to take vengeance! Then Loki spoke again.
"Thor beat tha' Fury guy up already, mummy," Loki said softly.
"That's good," Frigga said bitterly, "He deserved it." To Frigga's surprise, Loki shook his head.
"Tha's not true," Loki whispered.
"Why do you say so Loki?" Frigga asked.
"I learned lots of stuff on Midgard, mummy. One thing tha' I learned is tha' no one shoul' be bullied. E'eryone j'st wants an' needs a family. Don' think tha' I like him, 'cause I don'. An' it did feel good t' know that Thor got t' tell him tha' what he did was wrong. But mummy, I don' think that anyone shoul' be treated bad." Loki said. Frigga's eyes swam with pride. Her little boy was one of the wisest people she knew. On top of that, Loki's little speech gave her hope for his future. Loki truly had changed.
"You're right, love. People should be treated right and justly. Here's the thing though sweetheart. When people do something wrong, they should be punished. Maybe Thor didn't punish Fury fairly by a judicial standpoint, but by morale he was. Fury did something wrong, Loki. He deserved punishment. But you speak truth, young one. All beings yearn for love, acceptance and a place to feel safe. I think you have a nice place here with these Midgardians. They seem to care for you. I am so grateful for that." Frigga told him. Loki smiled brightly.
"Thanks for listenin' t' me, mummy. I feel…better. I guess I was ready t' talk 'bout it." Loki said softly. Frigga smiled.
"I am always here to listen, Loki. You know that." Frigga said. Loki nodded.
"I know. I love you." Loki sighed, rubbing his eyes.
"Let's take a nap, Loki. You seem sleepy." Frigga said. Loki nodded.
"I am mummy," he told her. So Frigga carried Loki to his bedroom and tucked him in. She kissed his forehead and wished him pleasant dreams. Loki rolled over and sighed contently. His arm wrapped around the goat and Frigga smiled warmly. It was good to see Loki again.
Once Loki was in bed, Frigga went and talked to Thor. They swapped stories, both sharing laughs and sharing tears. Frigga managed to tell Thor of Loki's sufferings, Thor sobbing at the end of her tale. He had no idea just how bad it really was. Just the fact that Loki was still so innocent, cheerful, and kind was a miracle to them. The tears were finally dried and Thor actually felt like a weight had been lifted from him. He finally knew what Loki had endured, what sort of tortures the boy had faced. Thor was impressed at how strong Loki truly was. He could only hope that this new wave of trauma wouldn't crush him.
After his nap, Loki felt more rested than he had in a long time. He felt better after talking with Frigga and the sleep just seemed to seal the deal. Loki stretched and yawned. He looked around the room and smiled warmly. Frigga was right; he really did have a nice place with the Midgardians. He had so many nice toys and friends, things that he knew he would lack on Asgard for various reasons. Frigga was right to say that Loki was well loved. During his illness, people had brought him balloons, candy, and stuffed animals, all of which surrounded his bed. Loki giggled brightly and patted each stuffed toy on the head, planting kisses on the ones he favored most. He didn't realize that elder-Loki was watching him do so, a big smile on his face. Watching Loki was too entertaining. After kissing all his favorite stuffed toys, Loki turned around and found elder-Loki standing tiredly in the door way.
"Hi Bjarte," Loki said cheerfully, sliding off the bed and darting over to give elder-Loki a hug. Elder-Loki allowed the hug of course, Loki giggling quietly.
"Hello little one," elder-Loki replied, stifling a yawn.
"Are you sleepy?" Loki asked. Elder-Loki smiled sadly and shook his head.
"Not really. You?" Elder-Loki said.
"Nope! I j'st tooked a nap!" Loki informed him cheerfully.
"Any nightmares?" elder-Loki asked.
"No," Loki replied, shock in his voice. "I didn' have any bad dreams at all Bjarte!" Elder-Loki smiled at him.
"That is fantastic," elder-Loki said happily. Loki nodded.
"Yeah, it is!" Loki cried happily, wiggling a little out of happiness. It had been far too long since Loki had slept peacefully.
"Come little one. I believe that there is dinner ready if you want it." Elder-Loki told him. Loki nodded and took his hand.
"'Kay. 'M pretty hungry." Loki said.
"I bet," elder-Loki replied fondly. Elder-Loki took Loki from the room, trying his best not to yawn. The last thing he wanted was to worry the boy any further. He knew that Loki was beginning to catch on to his lack of sleep but didn't fully understand what was really going on. Loki didn't know that his only playmate, his best friend and light was slowly dying. Loki didn't understand the Norns' plan, he didn't understand Odin's plot, nor did he understand what S.H.I.E.L.D. had in store for him and his protectors. In all reality, Loki didn't understand a lot of what was going on around him. Elder-Loki couldn't anything but grateful for that. The boy didn't need to understand. All he needed to know was that things were going to be alright.
Frigga had offered to cook and Thor was ecstatic. He had really missed Frigga's cooking while on Midgard. His mother insisted that for one meal a week she would cook for the family instead of going to the Great Hall and eating with everyone else. She wanted to bond as a family but the problem was Odin rarely made an appearance. Most weeks consisted of herself, Thor and Loki but no Odin. These little dinners that Frigga prepared herself continued up until Thor's banishment and she had hoped that once Thor was back that the dinners could continue. Looking back at that last dinner, she couldn't find one trace of anything wrong with Loki at all. Not one thing seemed off about him. He was cheerful and smiling, congratulating Thor on his upcoming coronation. Was there something that she missed that night that could have prevented all this pain? Perhaps. But Loki had always been good at lying especially when it came to his own emotions. So they ate and Thor was reminded of warm family memories, thinking on the ones where everyone was present. Loki could barely remember these dinners (having so few in his lifetime) but elder-Loki joined Thor in the reminiscing. Everyone else just enjoyed Frigga's cooking, laughter and conversation being had by all.
The night after was quiet, Loki playing quietly with various people. Frigga sat and watched him play and when Loki began to rub at his itching eyes, she picked him up and gave him a bath. She dressed him, read him a story and tucked him in. Frigga was finally able to care for Loki the way a mother should. It was refreshing and rewarding just as she remembered it to be.
"I always loved caring for small children," Frigga told Thor over coffee that night.
"Really? I always thought them to be annoying." Thor mused.
"Not you and Loki," Frigga replied, "after we adopted Loki, I always wanted more children, but was unable to bare them any longer."
"You mean you wanted more children?" Thor asked.
"Oh yes," Frigga said, "Do you think Loki would have made a good elder brother?" Thor chuckled lightly.
"I am uncertain, mother. Perhaps he would." Thor said lightheartedly.
"You never told me how well behaved he is," Frigga teased.
"I thought you knew," Thor replied laughing, "He's your son." Frigga smiled.
"You have done well with him son. After all that heartache he is still sweet and innocent like that first day in Asgard and that is only thanks to you." Frigga praised. Thor blushed slightly. Another person had complimented his brothering skills.
"Well…Loki is…thank you." Thor finally said.
"You are welcome," Frigga said, quieting as the little shuffle of feet was heard from behind them.
"T-Thor? Mummy?" They both turned to find Loki, pale and shaking, in the main room.
"Are you alright?" Frigga asked.
"I had a bad dream," Loki whimpered pitifully.
"Come here child. I will chase the bad dreams away." Frigga cooed softly. Loki padded over and crawled into her lap. Frigga then began to sing the lullaby that once lulled both her sons to sleep. Loki yawned and laid his head on her shoulder, the melody familiar and comforting. Thor's eyes had begun to itch and he was also having a hard time staying awake. After ten minutes of singing, Loki was finally asleep and Frigga just held him close for a while. When she figured Loki should be put back to bed, she glanced over at Thor. Her eldest son was snoring softly on the couch, a little drool escaping his mouth. Frigga smiled fondly and readjusted Loki as she stood. Before carrying Loki to his room, Frigga hunted down a blanket and draped it across Thor and kissed him on the forehead. She then carried Loki to bed and tucked him once more, kissing him on the cheek.
And Loki slept better that night than he had in two months.
It's been a while, hasn't it? I got really busy with work and hadn't time to write. Sorry! I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much as the others! I'll update as soon as I can! On a side note, I feel like this little story is getting more attention than it really deserves. Not to say I'm not grateful because I am; it's just I started this story at like 2:30 in the morning and it's really exploded. Well, I'm rambling now, haha. Anyway, enjoy the chapter and I'll see you next time!