Little by little, Loki feels more able to be himself or herself, whichever way he is during any given day. There are more days he leans toward not having any discernable gender and Mobius asks one night if Loki might consider another word with which to describe himself – does it always work for him to be "he" or "she," or would another word suit better? Perhaps there are days when Loki is "they" instead? But Loki shakes his head and smiles, happy to keep to the ways of describing himself that he is used to.

Months pass and Loki finds peace in the rhythms of the garden, often appearing in the palace with herbs and flowers woven into his hair. Mobius comes home to find him trimming stalks and checking the health of the plants, a corner near the fireplace occupied by a drying rack with bundles of herbs clipped to it that will be ground and stored in jars in the kitchen when ready. Some days, Mobius comes home to find Loki dancing in the garden and slips into his arms to join him.

As the year moves forward, Thor begins to prepare for his coronation. He has been told by his advisors that he should do it on the same date as was planned the first time, but he has firmly declared the day unsuitable. Regardless of tradition and of how many kings have been crowned on that date, he will not be. It causes a stir among the families of the court, but Frigga puts an end to it with a simple explanation – this is the anniversary of the accident with the Bifrost and it would hardly be an appropriate time to ask all realms to celebrate with Asgard at the crowning of a new king when one of the Nine Realms is in mourning over the disaster. With that explanation, she skilfully steers the coronation to another date that is considered auspiciously fated.

On the anniversary of his fall from the Bifrost, Loki once again walks to Heimdall's control room, once again asks for permission to sit at the edge of the world, and once again settles in with his brother and his partner to stare out into the glittering starry abyss.

With Mobius' arm around his waist and Thor's around his shoulders, Loki feels loved as he looks out into space, "The more I think about those three days, the more I wish I could go back and tell my younger self to wait, to listen, and to lean on Mother so that he might take comfort with her. I know I couldn't entirely trust her then, but…. And I would tell him not to forget that his brother had always loved him, even when he didn't see it. I'd tell him to remember himself and to let rage wash over and through him, instead of forming into a plan that would be so destructive to all of us. It really wasn't about a throne. It never was. The throne was just a symbol and what I thought I could actually gain if what I wanted was never going to be in reach."

Thor squeezes his shoulders, "And what of now? Do you feel as though what you were missing has been found?"

Loki nods, "Yes, but also no. Yes, in that I no longer feel alone or as though I am a relic picked up to be used however Odin saw fit. And no in that what I thought I was missing wasn't really what I needed at all. It wasn't ever that I was unloved, though a certain kind of love felt absent. My own sense of self was damaged more than anything. I didn't know who I was anymore. I do now. So yes, my sense of self has been found, but no, in that what I thought I was missing was still beside me all along, even when my pain and anger clouded my thoughts. So much that came after sought to tear me into pieces and leave me a broken vessel to be repaired in such a way as to hold whatever my master sought to put in me." He pauses and looks to Thor, "And it worked, for a while. Thanos gave me the power I craved and the tools with which to take more of it." He turns to face Mobius, "But it only took this man a little while to strip me of my pretence and to lay bare for me that my purpose in time was only to amplify the lives of everyone around me and to suffer for their greatness." He takes Mobius' free hand, "I learned I could be anything I wanted to be...even someone good."

Thor smiles, "And that is truly a beautiful thing, Brother, that you learned. And very true. And you have."

"Have what?" Loki asks.

"Been someone good. Not that I think you weren't before you fell, but…."

"I hurt too much to be someone good, Thor. I know that. With time, and with distance, I've grown." He pauses and then glances between Thor and Mobius, "And thank you both for your patience and your kindness as I have."

Mobius leans in and kisses his cheek, "You did all the hard work, Loki. It's been incredible to watch you blossom."

Loki blushes and Thor lets the moment linger before softly saying, "It has been an honour to stand beside you, Brother, and it will be a greater honour still when you are next to me as I am crowned. After we lost you...I had little hope I would see this day. And now...now it is coming."

"Yes," Loki replies, "Now it is coming. And I promise not to let any Frost Giants in this time...except for myself."

Thor laughs, "Well, yes, it would be hard for you to be with me if you were not to allow yourself in the room!"

Loki stands, "And with that...let's head back to the palace. I believe Mother wanted to spend a little of today thinking about what it will look like when I stand beside you. Nothing too formal, mind you, just a little bit of a wishful thing."

Mobius and Thor join him and they walk out hand-in-hand, thanking Heimdall as they do. They sit with Frigga for daydreaming and games until the rest of the family joins them for supper. This anniversary, after they have eaten, they gather around the fireplace on couches and large pillows. Frigga gently prompts Loki to tell the family what he has been rehearsing with her for days.

"Gather around, everyone. Frida, Frode, Arne...come settle in where you can hear." Mobius sits behind him, Loki leaning back against him, Mobius' arms around his waist, "Is everyone ready?" They are, so he begins, "Not so long ago, there was an accident during which the Bifrost opened and pointed at Jotunheim. But what so few know is just what lead to that moment. So tonight I want to tell you the true story of why that happened...even if I tell it a little vaguely at points. It is painful, it was the result of my own weaknesses, and it is a story I'm not sure I'm ready to fully tell. It began when I caused a very large disruption and cancelled Thor's crowning."

And Loki continues, telling them of their ride to Jotunheim, their rescue, and what he learned as a result. He talks of Thor's banishment to Midgard and his need to prove himself worthy of Mjolnir. He shares his jealousy, his rage, and a part of his plan to be the greater king than even Odin. When he gets to the point during which he attempted to eradicate Jotunheim, he is careful to tell the children, particularly, how wrong he was. How terrible a choice he made to target an entire realm out of his own fear of being one of them. The room is quiet when he shares how he and Thor fought and how Thor had to destroy the Bifrost to stop his mistake.

"In the end, I didn't feel as though I belonged in Asgard anymore, and so instead of letting myself be rescued, I let myself fall into the inky blackness over the edge of the world. What found me, after a very long time tumbling in darkness, was terrible, and not a story I will ever tell in detail. Asgard believed me dead. And now I hope that what I have told you has not shocked you to the point where you no longer wish to sit with me like this."

Frode is the first to break the silence, crawling over to Loki and climbing into his lap for a hug, "I'm glad you came back."

"So am I, dear child."

Frida joins her brother, "Why did you think that killing a whole realm was the right thing to do?"

"I don't know that I did really think it was the right thing to do, Frida. But I was scared – scared of them, and even more scared that I was one of them. So I made that choice without thinking of anyone but myself."

"Would you do it again now?" Frida asks.

Loki shakes his head, "No, Frida. I wouldn't be capable of it. I understand so much more about others and I accept what I am."

Satisfied, Frida snuggles against Loki, her eyes closed. It takes a while for the others to react and while he expects tension and distance, what happens is nowhere near as volatile as he had imagined. There are questions, some of which he tells them he isn't comfortable answering, others which he calls them closer so he can answer in a whisper as the two young children fall asleep on his lap.

Most of the people in his family know at least part of the story and it is Liv whose reaction he fears the most. She and Randi stay after everyone but Mobius have left, two of their children sleeping in Loki's arms.

He looks up at Liv as she comes forward to get Frida and Frode, "I know you need to take them tonight, but please don't take them away from me forever. I'm not the monster from Jotunheim we were all taught to fear."

"Loki...I don't know what to think. You did do something monstrous when you tried to destroy their entire world. But...I can see how much you clearly love my children. I don't think anybody evil would be as protective of them as you are. So no, I'm not going to take them from you forever."

He sighs and gives them each a hug and a kiss on the cheek, "Oh thank you, Liv. Your family is such a light to me. I was so worried that I'd lose you."

"Then why did you tell us?" Liv asks.

"Because at some point, you were going to find out and I wanted it to be from me," he answers. "And I'd rather know you were right in front of me so I could hear your voice in reply to my story and answer your questions in hopes that whatever I said would convince you to keep me, than learn that you had discovered this from a distance and had no way to gain clarity or understanding."

Liv nods, "I respect that. Why did you tell the children?"

"Because they have every right to know why I walk the Bifrost on this day and will continue to. They should know why we take supper together in the evening on the anniversary of its destruction and I hope we always will. And because they deserve to grow up knowing that not all Frost Giants are bad and sometimes even people we love have made truly terrible decisions."

"Fair enough," she says, "But I do need to get them home to bed. Even Arne is yawning and I can't carry more than one of them."

Randi steps forward and lifts Frode, "Loki, I'm so proud of you for telling that story. I know it's not easy for you. But I'm happy you're finding some peace with it."

He smiles as he helps Liv take Frida, "So am I. Even a year ago, I didn't think I would find this much acceptance of myself from myself. I don't think I would have without this family. So thank you both." He stands once the children are curled against their mothers and approaches Arne, "Take care, my young friend, and thank you for your kindness as well."

Arne nods, then shrugs, "I mean...you aren't a different person than the one I knew when we walked in the room for dinner. Just more complicated."

"You're wise, Arne," Loki replies, "Moreso than I fear many of your elders would be were they to find out."

"If they get mean, tell me and I'll go shame them. Nothing makes elders squirm like being told they're ridiculous and unreasonable by a really calm kid."

Loki quietly laughs, "You're leaning into your mischief, I see."

Arne grins, "Well I'm learning from the best!" He hurries after his mothers, who have already said their goodbyes and are heading toward the door. He waves as they step out of the room.

Mobius stands and takes his hand, "You know, Loki, just when I think I couldn't be more proud of you, then you go and do something like this and, gee, turns out I can be."

Loki blushes, "Oh, Mobius...it wasn't that brave of a thing…."

"Don't you dare tell yourself this wasn't a big deal. You just admitted to your biggest mistake and your biggest shame in one evening in front of everyone you love and you're just going to tell me I should act like it was a walk in the park?"

"I suppose when you put it like that…."

Mobius nudges his shoulder, "Yeah. Exactly. Come on, let's go home and we can snuggle and I can be proud of you while showering you with kisses."

Loki blushes again, this time a deeper red, "Oh my…."

"You know you'll enjoy it."

"Well yes, I do. Kissing you is always lovely."

Mobius gives him a peck on the cheek, "There's your preview." Loki can't help but smile as they walk back to the cottage. They get undressed for bed, curl up beneath the covers, and kiss until they both can no longer keep their eyes open long enough to continue.