"I am Loki."

Thor opened his mouth to introduce himself, but his words were cut off before they could escape his throat. He was left gaping as the Jotun spoke for him.

"You are Thor Odinson, prince of Asgard, come to collect what's yours," Loki stated in what sounded suspiciously to Thor like a mocking tone. His vivid blue eyes narrow, but before he could say anything, the female walked off. She followed the path Thor had come in on and she did not look back. There were a few moments of stupid gawking while Thor gathered his wits about him, and realized that Loki had somehow gained the upper hand. Then, with a frustrated sigh, he trudged off behind her, feeling unsettlingly like an obedient dog, following its master.

Loki walked quickly, with ease, despite the uneven, icy terrain and Thor struggled to catch up. This will not do, thought Thor. He would be ridiculed out of the palace if they could see him right now. Irritation fueled his steps until he finally caught up with her. A firm hand on her shoulder stopped her forward motion, though he pulled it away when Loki turned and shot daggers at him from her blood red eyes.

"You will walk behind me," he demanded, leaving no room for argument. It was an excessive show of anger, Thor realized, but his pride was wounded. Loki was now the one left blinking after Thor as he walked away and it felt good to the childish prince. He grinned smugly at the look he knew must be on her face.

"Then perhaps you should learn to walk faster," came the retort, which Thor probably should have ignored.

"Perhaps you should learn to keep your mouth still before it gains you trouble," Again, with the immaturity, but Thor couldn't control it. He waited for another comeback, but Loki remained quiet. With no other noise but the soft howl of wind, blowing the snow all around them, and the rhythmic crunch of their footfalls in the icy snow, Thor found himself wishing Loki would speak again.

"Have you no horse?" asked Loki, and Thor wondered if she could read his mind.

The prince looked back and grinned at her. "Is her highness not used to such means of travel? Are you tired already? You should have paced yourself."

"I am fine, you dolt. I was concerned for you, though I see now that you do not deserve my concern," Loki said, with a sniff of indignation. Thor smiled wider, thoroughly enjoying their banter. It was distracting him from the cold.

"It warms my heart to know you care, my lady, but rest assured, I am fine," He puffed his chest out a bit. "Robust and healthy enough to traverse your realm on foot nine times over, should I wish to."

Loki's laughter rang loudly over the low howling wind, and Thor thought it might have been the most delightful sound he'd ever heard, despite the fact that it was at his expense. He frowned, playfully.

"I can so! You would be wise not to doubt me."

"I do not doubt you, Thor Odinson, prince of Asgard. I disbelieve you entirely. You would freeze before you completed your first pass," Loki replied, the laughter still lingering in her voice. Thor wanted to continue arguing, but there were two problems. One, she was likely right. Two, they had arrived to their destination.

"Well, no matter. We are here," Thor said. He watched as Loki turned to look back at the tower of rock she used to call home. Does she say goodbye with regret? Is she glad to be leaving? Thor realized he had no idea how Loki felt about this whole arrangement. A sudden gust of icy wind found its way underneath his cape and he shivered. Now was not the time for that conversation. He stepped into the runic circle barely visible beneath the ice, and made sure Loki was inside it too.

"Heimdall, open the Bifrost!" he called. There was enough time for one more glance at Loki, and to read the look of fear that finally showed on her face, before they were yanked off their feet and shot back to Asgard.

Stepping out of the Bifrost with ease, the first thing Thor noticed was the warmth. What a relief it was to be home! A chilly hand on his arm drew his attention to Loki, who was leaning heavily on him.

"Loki?" Thor called quietly, "Are you alright?" She didn't answer him, but Thor could tell she wasn't. Her face shone brightly with a sheen of sweat, her breath came in frantic pants and her knees were close to giving out. Thor grabbed her, but not before she passed out in a dead faint.

"Heimdall, help!" Thor called, lowering an unconscious Loki to the ground. "What is wrong with her?"

The gatekeeper barely glanced at them. "She is Jotun, a weak one. She cannot withstand the temperature here."

With a frown at Heimdall's words, Thor scooped Loki up in his arms. "I will take her to the healers, they can help her." Heimdall merely watched them leave, seemingly indifferent to their plight. With both hands holding Loki, Thor could not get Mjolnir from his belt. He'd prefer to fly, but his horse would have to do this time. With some effort, he managed to get himself and Loki up, and holding her tightly, he rode quickly to the palace and took Loki straight to the healing rooms.

A short time later, Thor found himself pacing the hallway outside the infirmary. The nerve of those women! Kicking him out! He threw his title at them, and for once, it did not garner him any favors. Though as furious as Thor was, he knew they were trying to help Loki, so he begrudgingly retreated to the hallway, where he paced. And fretted. Should he go to Odin? Surely Odin should have known this would happen, or at least that it could. Why did he not warn him? The prince hit his fist against the wall, with a growl.

A pair of gentle hands on his shoulders gave him pause and he spun around to see his mother, Frigga standing there. She regarded him with her warm brown eyes, her wavy honey hair brushed and held back with golden combs, every strand in place. Always regal, and to Thor, always comforting.

"Mother? Why are you here?"

"A mother can sense when her son is troubled by something, even from the other side of the palace," the All-Mother answered, a glint in her eye told Thor she was jesting and he frowned. She patted his cheek with a smile. "The healers called for me. They believe I can help."

"You? What can you do?" Incredulity tinted Thor's voice, and he felt some guilt over it. Though it was not doubt in her abilities, but confusion, that caused it, and Frigga seemed to understand.

"I am a gifted healer myself, as was my mother." She extended a hand, wishing Thor to take it, so she could lead him inside. Thor did gratefully, and she continued speaking as they entered, quietly walking to the far side of the room. "Your Jotun -"

"Loki," Thor interrupted without thinking. Frigga cocked her head in confusion, so Thor added, "Her name, it is Loki."

"Ah," replied Frigga, with a smile. "Loki is very sick, and she will not recover if she remains in Asgard."

Again, Thor cut her off, a small panic rising in him at the thought of bringing Loki back. "But Frost Giants have been in Asgard before! Never for very long, but they seemed to tolerate it. Why cannot she?"

Frigga shushed him, cautious about disturbing the other patients. "I suspect it is to do with her genetic make-up. We don't know what it is, but something about that, and possibly her size, makes her very vulnerable to the heat. Ice and herbs will not help her, if she is to survive here."

They approached the bed, and Thor was aghast to see the woman laying there in front of him. The healers had done their best to keep her comfortable, packing her tightly with cloth-wrapped ice, but she still looked near death. Most noticeable was her skin, which was no longer the bright azure blue it used to be. It had turned a sickly gray, her markings faded along with it. Either sweat, or melted ice, or both turned it slick. Her raven hair lay lank across the pillow, as her head moved from side to side, and her brow furrowed and knotted. Quiet moaning was near continuous and so full of pain and it tore Thor's heart to see her like this. He moved to take her hand, but Frigga stopped him.

"You'll cause her more pain if you touch her now. Her skin is already so sensitive to the warmth of the air," she explained.

"What can you do, Mother?" Thor said, feeling for the first time in his life, completely helpless. It was an unpleasant sensation.

"She needs magic. A spell. One which I happen to know how to perform." Frigga ushered Thor to a spot near the foot of the bed, out of the way, then waved away the healers who continued to bring fresh ice packs to place around Loki's gray form. "This spell will allow her to assume the appearance of an Aesir, as well as an Aesir's ability to withstand our climate. It is, as far as I know, the only way she will survive here."

Thor chewed his lip. He didn't know Loki well at all, but something told him she would not take kindly to being transformed against her will. "She won't like it," he said plainly.

"It is either this, or you send her back. Which would you prefer, my son?"

"I...cannot." Thor felt stricken, and very selfish. "I don't think she would want that either."

"Then it must be done," Frigga stated simply, quietly, for she sensed her son's turmoil.

Thor rounded the side of the bed, studying Loki's skin as if trying to memorize her markings. He wished he could see her eyes once more. Without thinking, he traced one line down the length of her arm, earning the most pitiful groan from Loki and Thor pulled his hand back as if he had been the one scalded.

"Yes, do it," Thor says. "Please."