Hello, I'm back ^^
awwww, thank you for your amazing support.
For the ones I couldn't thank properly, since they weren't logged in:
- any walls: awww, thank you so much, dear, I'm so glad you liked and that it was full of emotions, hope you'll like this part as well ^^
- Terra3434: aww, double thank you, dear, for reviewing both of the chapters, you're so kind. ^^
Don't worry, I'll always keep my works, no matter what ^^. It's just that reviews are the author's fuel ;)
About what you said, yep, there will be a sequel with them adults, to see how things will change ;)
Thanks again!
Okay, about this chapter, I have to warn you: EXTREME FLUFF
as always, no-beta :(, sorry for my mistakes!
III.
There wasn't time to be upset. It was time to act and quickly; and Odin knew that very well.
He headed to the throne room, with his beloved consort by his side.
"Guards! I want you in the presence of me. It's an order, there's no time to waste!" he commanded, with all the authority that characterized him.
The guards rushed there in few instants, filling the empty corridors with heavy steps and the metallic noises of their armours.
"My sons escaped from the palace, but they can't be too far. However, I believe that it's Loki the one who is intentioned to leave the realm. I want you to check all the borderlines and the transit zones!" the king instructed his men; as Frigg was trying to regain her usual composure that her position of high social standing required.
While her husband was still busy ordering, his gaze fell on two guards, which had just arrived, in big late.
For the record, they were the guards of the weapons' room
"Whatever could refrain you from being here, answering to your king's call?" Odin wondered, rigorous.
The only answer that he received was their scrupulous looks, as they both tilted their heads to examine him better.
"Yep, I guess that this time it's the true one!" one of them whispers to his colleague who nodded.
Odin had heard them.
"Of course I'm the real Odin; and this is an authentic order of the authentic, one and only all gods' father!" he roared.
"Forgive us, Sire, for our diffidence." the first guard replied.
"It's just that ... that voice was identical to yours... with same, exact words!" the second guard grumbled, as they both took a bow with reverence.
"You, morons! I still don't understand how two children managed to cheat on you! You're supposed to be my best guards!" the king snapped.
"Now go and prove me that you're still worthy of the trust I still place in you!" he commanded and his guards left, running after the other colleagues who had already started the researches.
Odin heard a little snicker behind his back.
"Is something amusing you much, my dear?" he raised his eyebrow, turning to his wife, pretending to glare at her, with the only good eye he had.
After all, he was glad to see her finally serener.
"Even the same, exact words? My king, it seems that someone knows you very well!" she answered, with a teasing attitude; as she was comforted by the certainty that they would have found their children, taking them back home, safe and sound.
"When they're back, they will have a lot of things to explain to me!" the king grumbled. "However, if Loki is as good in hiding as he's skilled with the magic... we're in big trouble!" he added, concerned.
/
Loki knew that.
He was sure that the king would have sent his guards to search for him, probably in order to punish him properly, after such an affront towards the kingdom.
Anyway, because of their not so silent pace, he could easily figure out when they were approaching, so he could anticipate their moves; hiding behind a bush, or inside an empty trunk or wherever his smart mind suggested him to hide.
After even the third group of guards searched around the whole zone, without finding him, Loki established that they were the last group and none of them would have disturbed him anymore; so he could get ready to face the night.
It was past nine o'clock and Loki was a little tired.
- I'm safe for tonight. Tomorrow I'll find a way to leave... even if I had to ask a Pentapalm for a ride! – the child thought, drawing out his blanket and wrapping it around himself, resting against a tree that repaired him with his majestic foliage.
He was inside a blanket not because he felt cold, but to recreate that sensation when his mother tucked himself up.
-Not mother, Frigg! – he reminded to himself for the umpteenth time, sending back the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes once again.
He laid down there, quiet, observing melancholic the pond; where he had gone the day before with his brother to catch the frogs for their pranks.
- No, he's not my brother, he's only the king's son!- he admonished him, as he kept staring at the shores, recalling all their chatting and their laughing as they were plotting their jokes.
- Can I turn back to yesterday and pretend that today never came? Yesterday I still had a family. And a brother. Yesterday everything still used to be... perfect.- he pondered, sighing, before his utter attention was dragged by a noise.
It wasn't anything metallic that he could associate to the guards. Nope; it was a rustle, louder and louder, and before he could figure out what it was, Loki found himself face to face with a little, but dangerous snake, which was standing up, looking at the child in a threatening way, ready to attack.
**************************** (In the meantime)
Thor knew it.
He knew that he had to be faster and smarter than the guards who were looking for him.
It had been nothing more than ten minutes since he had escaped, which was the consequence of Loki's escape; the alpha father must had sent all the guards of the whole realm searching for them.
But Thor didn't mean to be found, not before accomplishing the most important of all his missions.
He proceeded with caution, although he didn't know which direction to follow; but the most important thing right then was to get as far as possible from the royal palace.
Every time he heard some guards approaching, he remained hidden, trying not to make a single sound and then he waited until they left.
Thor stopped, because he had figured out on his own that it was useless to keep running if he hadn't a goal.
- What would I do if I were Loki?- he wondered.
- Well, Loki would cast a localization spell and he would find me in a heartbeat. I know he cheats in this way every time we play hide and seek! But I don't know magic, I must use my brain... and my little brother is so much better than me in that, too!- the blond child thought, as he was starting to rack his brains.
And then, out of the blue, the answer came so instantaneous, outstanding and simple that Thor burst out laughing.
- Sure! He must be there, absolutely! -he figured out, as he began to run as fast as the wind.
Finally he knew where to go.
**************************** (In the meantime)
Loki stared at the snake and the snake stared at him.
It was hard to establish who had the most hypnotic look.
However, in the child's eyes there wasn't fear, or repulsion, just a lot of... sweetness.
"You and I are not that different, you know? You are in cold blood and are solitary, because the other animals don't like your company, so they force you to crawl all alone and they think that you're evil; only because you're not like them!" the child smiled at the little reptile that seemed to understand him; since it stopped its attacking pose and slid on the ground, placidly.
"I really comprehend how you feel, because I'm like you!" he went on, with an upset grimace.
The snake crawled towards him, but only to bring its head closer to his hand, almost as if it wanted to be caressed. And the kid pleased the animal, glad because of that display of affection.
"Noooo, Loki, be careful!" Thor exclaimed, since he had seen the younger kid from afar, running towards him.
Hearing him, the snake got scared and crawled away from Loki, disappearing behind the bushes.
"Nooo! Here we go, Thor, look! You have made my new friend escape, probably it was the only friend that has left to me." the brunet pouted.
"What are you babbling about?" Thor stared at him confused.
"How did you find me?" Loki asked him bitterly, getting up.
"I know you better than anyone else. I knew that in such a situation, you would have taken refuge in the last place where you had pleasant memories." Thor smirked.
Loki's eyes went wide, as he stared at the other child, amazed by his ability to read him like an open book.
However, Loki couldn't lose himself in those stupid sentimentalisms.
"Evidently, fath- the king decided that it wasn't enough to send all his guards searching for me, he had to send his only worthy son, too!" the brunet grumbled, acid. "Good, Thor, very good. You found me, so now you can bring me back to the palace, where I'll be punished as a traitor!" he went on, surrendering.
"Loki, what the heck are you talking about?" the blond stared at him even more puzzled. "Why did you call that snake your only true friend? What about me? Am I not your friend? You're my best friend, I thought I was yours." Thor asserted, with a hint of disappointment and glumness in his tone.
"That was before." Loki muttered, grieving, as he stared at the ground.
"Before what? Anyway, listen, Loki, it's not father who sent me here. I escaped, right after I've found out that you had escaped!" the elder child revealed.
Loki raised his gaze, staring at him astonished; but once again he jumped to the wrong conclusion.
His eyes darkened with rage.
"Oh. So it's you who they're searching for. They don't even care if I escaped. Quite the contrary, probably they didn't even notice that!" he hissed coldly, shrugging.
Thor approached to him, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him.
"Loki, what happened to you? Do you realize the mad things that you're saying?" the elder kid almost screamed.
"Mother and father are desperate; mother was the first one to notice that you had escaped and she screamed and burst out crying. Everyone misses you; but mostly I did." the blond murmured.
Loki stared at him, stunned and speechless.
"So, if you don't want to come back home, fine, I won't come back either!" Thor declared, surprising the younger kid even more. "But first, you must tell me what you're running from!" he questioned the brunet, immediately after.
Loki gulped and took a long breath, before speaking.
"Well... from you!" he admitted.
"From me?" the blond frowned. "Why?"
"Do you even dare to ask me?" Loki got angrier, parting from him.
"Before, I knocked to your door, because I wanted to talk with you, I wanted to apologize for my bad behaviour." Loki started his confession.
Thor burst out laughing.
"Wait. Let me know if I got it straight. *You* wanted to apologize to *me*? I'm the one who acted horribly. *I* wanted to apologize to *you*. Loki, it's me the real monster." Thor admitted, getting closer to him again, in order to face him better.
"But... no! It doesn't make any sense. You pushed me away, as if you hated me, as if you didn't want to see me anymore... after what happened!" the younger child mumbled, confused.
"No, Loki, I could never do such a thing. It's true, I pushed you away, but only because I wasn't ready yet to apologize to you, I hadn't finished my present for you." Thor revealed.
"A present?" the younger prince frowned.
"Wait for me, here." the elder prince said, running towards the bush where he had placed his gift, before rushing to save his little brother... or at least he thought he was doing that.
"Lucky for me, it's not raining, otherwise it would have spoiled it!" he commented, going back to the brunet, holding the mysterious object in his hands.
"Loki, I didn't make you go in my room because I wasn't done with... this." he murmured, handing the manufacture to his brother, who turned it over in his hands, observing it bewildered.
It was a little helmet, made with thick cardboard, covered again and again, to make it more resistant.
In front there were two long, flexible, warped horns, made in paperboard as well.
It was utterly coloured with golden fell-tips, without any smear, with shades of green, too.
"Did you that? For me?" the brunet wondered with ghostly voice, because of the strong emotion.
"Yep. I saw the way you look at the guards' helmet, so I thought you would have liked to have one," the blond grumbled, scratching his nape as he felt awkward. "I wanted to steal one from a guard, but it would have been way too large for you. I know it's not the same, but..." he went on justifying.
"Thor, this is beautiful!" Loki cut him off, staring at him with teary eyes and the shadow of a smile.
"I'm so glad that you like it! I've worked really hard on it; I wanted it to be perfect!" Thor grinned at him.
"It is." Loki murmured, as he kept admiring it.
"Wear it!" the elder child exhorted him.
The brunet obliged and they both were happy to see that it was the right size.
"I can't make a mirror appear yet. So... how do I look like?" Loki wondered, setting carefully the horns.
"You look like a king." Thor smiled at him.
Loki smiled back at the blond, as he could already picture himself on a throne... one day.
"Think about when we'll be grown up; we'll wear our shiny armours and fight tons of battles, side by side. Me, with my strength, and you, with your magic. We'll be invincible and we'll defeat all the enemies of our realm!" Thor daydreamed, wrapping an arm around Loki's neck, to pull him closer.
Loki quit smiling and grieved once more.
"Nope, Thor, that won't ever happen." he asserted, sullen, parting from him and taking the helmet off, placing it on his blanket.
"Why?" the elder child wondered, his blue eyes darkened with a deep sadness.
"Because things changed, I've changed. I'm dangerous." the younger kid asserted, as serious as Thor had rarely seen him.
But Thor was determined as well.
"It's useless that you try to scare me. It doesn't work. Not now that I understood everything." he struck back, bravely.
"What did you understand? I'm different from you, Thor! I'm different from everyone else. You saw me changing my aspect. It could happen again. Can't you see me? I'm a damn frost giant!" the brunet yelled at him.
Thor did something that surprised Loki.
Smiling, the blond took the brunet's hands in his, squeezing them, staring at him so deeply that he could touch his soul.
"All I see is Loki Odinson: my brother!" he stated with absolute conviction.
Loki stared at him speechless, still with teary eyes, before holding him tight, as he burst out crying.
"Dear my brother, I mistook everything. I did such a mess. I don't deserve to be forgiven!" he sobbed among tears, jolting.
Thor hugged him, wiping his tears.
"Nope, Loki, nothing happened. We fixed everything, everything is okay. No one is angry with you. Let's come back home, little brother. Mother and father can't wait to hold you in their arms again." he comforted his brother with assuring words.
"Really?" Loki sniffed, raising his emerald, big, teary eyes, towards him.
Thor confined himself to nodding, with the sweetest smile ever, caressing his jet-black hair and waiting for him to calm down.
When even the last sob ceased and there were no more tears on his face, Loki parted from his brother, in order to gather his stuff and wear his helmet again.
"Anyway, c'mon, Loki, you can't be a frost giant. You're so tiny!" Thor teased him, laughing.
"Hey! That's not true! I'm a proper frost giant!" Loki protested, insulted.
"No, you're not, tiny boy!" Thor retorted.
"I told you I am a frost giant!" the other insisted.
"No, you're not!"
"Yes, I am!"
"No, you're not!"
"Yes , I am!" Loki repeated, taking the helmet off, before flying at Thor; who was waiting for nothing but that.
They rolled on the grass, getting dirty as they yelped and laughed, in that playful battle that was so typical between brothers.
Loki fell on Thor, both panting exhausted, but happy.
"Do you give in?" the younger child challenged him.
"Truce. You know what? You're my little giant!" the elder child smiled and Loki seemed to be pleased by that.
"Deal!" he smirked satisfied, getting up and grabbing his beloved helmet, wearing it victoriously, before taking his duffel-bag.
They had only walked for a few meters, but one of them didn't seem very willing to go on.
"Big brother?" the brunet called out.
Thor beamed, with pure joy sparkling in his sapphire eyes when he heard those two words that he had missed so much.
"Yeah, little brother?" he answered, taking the other's duffel-bag.
"I'm so tired..." Loki yawned, with his eyes half-closed.
No wonder about it, he had had such an eventful day.
"I got you. Jump on!" the blond bent down and the other accepted that gentle offer.
That adventure for Loki ended in the same way that it had started: with Thor carrying him on his shoulders.
From afar, Thor managed to see one of the guards who were searching for them so meticulously, as the kids hid from them even more meticulously.
Thor ran towards him, glad because he had found a comfortable ride to home.
/
"My king, my queen, I have the immense pleasure and honour of returning to you the little princes, safe and sound!" the guard exclaimed triumphal; for a twist of fate, it was just one of the guards of the Weapons' room.
"Yeah, sure, as if you really found us *on your own*!" Thor hissed pungently, glaring at the guard, as Loki had woken up, because of all the noises, but he still seemed kind of dazed.
Frigg forgot her decorous self-control and rushed towards the two children, wrapping them both in her embrace.
"Oh, my dear, little treasures! Don't you dare ever again make me worry so badly!" she cuddled and reproached them at the same time.
Loki seemed to fully awake, whispering a subtle 'Sorry' , suffocated by her embrace, as she peppered his face with kisses.
"My beloved son, I'm glad that the harmony and the renewed trust had won over the doubt and the anguish!" the king declared.
Frigg let them go and reached her consort.
"On the other hand, I can't forget that you broke one of my rules, sneaking through the Weapons' room!" the alpha father went on, with a more severe tone.
"Two rules, since they were already punished and weren't supposed to leave their rooms!" Frigg added, in a necessary punctilios way.
Thor and Loki exchanged an upset look.
"You're right, my precious wife. So, considering all these facts, nothing will save you from a week of punishment, confined in your rooms... and forget about escaping from the windows!" Odin adjudged peremptory.
"A whole week?" Loki repeated shocked, as Thor snorted in disappointment.
"We should have left the realm, little brother!" Thor whispered at him, making the other giggle.
"I heard you!" their father scolded him with a glare.
"C'mon, children, discipline is necessary." Frigg stated. "Besides, once your punishment ends, we'll throw a party in the whole realm, to celebrate your return!" she announced, seeing the little princes grin excited.
That was the effect that the queen wanted to obtain.
"A party for us?" the kids asked in unison, thrilled.
"A party?" Odin narrowed his eye. "We hadn't talked about any party!" he grumbled.
"We will throw a party, my king!" Frigg turned to him, with a look and a tone that wouldn't have accepted a 'no' as answer.
"Of course, my dear, we will have a party!" her husband surrendered, woeful.
"Loki, but... what's on your head?"he asked his younger son, observing him better.
"It's my helmet; Thor made it for me! Isn't it glorious?" the child grinned.
"Yep, honey, it is. And you look very good with it!" his mother smiled at him.
The king caressed his chin, thoughtful. Maybe he had found the way to know more about a matter he really cared about.
"Sonny, would you like to have a real helmet?" he turned to Loki.
"A real helmet? Like the guards' one? Are you serious?" the brunet prince asked excited.
"Sure, I'll create one for you." Odin guaranteed. "On one condition."
"Which one?" Loki gulped, fearing that he had to pay a too high price for that. "Please, don't ask me to renounce to this helmet, I love it too much!" he asserted, making the blond prince beam proudly.
"Don't worry, no one will take it away from you; but all I ask you it to tell me how you fooled my guards, because I know that there's your hand in that!" the king stated.
"Well, it's not correct. Thor helped me. I casted a spell on him; to disguise the voice, and he spoke!" Loki confessed.
"Interesting. So now I know who brags about the fact that he knows me so well!" Odin commented, clearly amused, pretending to glare at Thor who looked away.
"About you, Loki, did you cast a spell to disguise the voice?" Odin repeated astonished.
Loki nodded, fearing that he was in big trouble and his punishment had doubled; but he changed his mind as soon as he felt Odin's hand caressing his head, affectionately.
"So, did you manage to perform such a difficult spell at your tender age?" Odin smiled proudly at him. "My dear son, now I have the absolute certainty of this: you'll become the most powerful wizard of Asgard!"
TBC
Yeah, I know, I had said this should have been the last chapter, but then someone confessed that she would have liked to see Loki deal with Thor's friends...
That's why, before 'Tricked Thunder', which is the sequel with our beloved gods grown up; there will be one last chapter of this story about that fact.
So get ready for the little tricks of the little god of the little Mischief! ^^
In the meantime, I'm really, really eager to know what you think about this chapter.
Is it too sappy? Sorry, but I didn't resist. *bites her nails*
Did someone guess which Thor's gift would be? ;)
so, please, c'mon, don't be shy, feel free to tell me everything, good or bad stuff ^^
I really, really REALLY thank whoever put this story in the alert or favourite (and you're so, so many! *O*), but if you always keep so silent... well, it's a bit annoying XD
I thank you all for your time , anyway! ^^
p.s. Give me a few days and I'll update 'Expected Something Unexpected' , too ^^