Mr Lauritsen had become strangely careful around Lori, and it was showing a great deal. She wondered if perhaps Loki had put a spell on him. There always hung an awkward, silent tension between them; her father seemingly didn't dare to talk to her, and she didn't have anything to say to him. Finally her curiosity –and perhaps the wish to find another trace of Loki's presence- won it from her discomfort, and she manned up for the question.
"Dad. I… What the hell is going on with you?"
"Huh?"
"You've been acting weird for quite some time now. You don't talk to me, and you look at me as if I'm about to explode any moment. What did I do?"
"Nothing… Nothing at all, baby ca-I mean Lori."
That told Lori enough.
"Since when do you know I hate that nickname?"
"I…"
Mr Lauritsen looked uncomfortable.
"I think I've often been… very unthinking towards you, and in the things I said to and about you. Someone pointed that out to me."
Lori couldn't help but smile.
"Tall, black hair, green eyes, leather coat, totally ridiculous helmet?"
Mr Lauritsen got that fearful look in his eyes the moment Lori described Loki. Lori just smiled a little wider.
"He didn't curse you did he?"
"No… at least I think not…"
Mr Lauritsen sighed.
"I know I should be asking how you have gotten to know an alien would-be despot in the first place… but… he made sense. And I'm sorry for that, Lori. It's probably ridiculous and I had to convince myself for days that I hadn't dreamt it, but he made sense when he said I treated you wrongly."
Lori felt her heart warm up when she realized that Loki had defended her towards her father. Said father was looking extremely flushed and uncomfortable. She understood very well why, her father had never been too adept at expressing his emotions properly.
"I… I hope you can forgive me, Lori. I truly do."
Lori gave him a small smile.
"I'm your daughter, and I love you. I… I may not always like you though. Like, I don't think I can like you right away now just because you're sorry. It's… it's difficult. But I do love you."
It was quite the weighty speech, Lori thought to herself. Her father seemed both impressed and saddened.
"So… do you think there's a way I can make it right?"
"If you're really sorry, you won't treat me anymore as you have always done. And then I'll start to like you again."
Mr Lauritsen nodded.
"I think I can do that, yes."
(Pagebreak)
"Loki."
Loki didn't bow his head like Thor did. He just stared at the one-eyed man he had called father for so long, and the woman he could only think of as his mother in mind. Frigga's eyes were teary and she looked as if she wanted to run to Loki and embrace him… but Odin was stoic as always, unmoved by Loki's arrival.
"Loki Odinsson. The Norns have set you free from your punishment, it seems. Have you truly abandoned your wicked ways this time?"
The last name burned. The court would think it amazing that Odin still considered Loki to be his son… Loki knew better. It was an accusation, a way of stating how he didn't live up to expectations. He was never just Loki, always Loki Odinsson, second in line, second best in everything.
"My ways were never wicked if not for you, Allfather."
"Do you dare to insult me, here, in front of the court?! Has your punishment not taught you humility, as it should have?"
Loki scowled, not averting his gaze.
"It's not an insult if it's the truth… All-father. Or are you still convinced I am incapable of speaking truth?"
Odin stood up, obviously angered. Thor still stood next to Loki, gaze averted, not trying to stop his brother from digging his own grave. After all the talking they had done, Thor knew Loki needed to do this no matter the consequences.
"How have you cheated the Norns, Loki Odinsson? What lowly trick did you use this time?"
"I have used no tricks of any nature."
"If even the ancient magic of the Norns can teach you respect then there is no hope for you. This was your last chance, Loki Odinsson, your last chance to show you are worthy after all!"
The court started whispering, but Odin's look brought them to silence. Loki's eyes lit up with anger, yet his voice remained calm.
"So I am not worthy, Allfather? Yes, I may not be worthy of your praise. Does that make me entirely worthless as a person too?"
"The insolence! Hold your tongue, trickster, before you leave me no choice but to condemn you!"
"Funny. The last time I called someone insolent she was speaking the truth to me." Loki said. "So your punishment had to teach me about respect, didn't it? Well, it taught me about respect, enough for me to see that you don't deserve mine!"
Odin appeared to be furious now, but didn't say anything. Loki just continued.
"You mark me as one of your own… but I have never been one to you, have I? Even as I was a mere child you were convinced I was the root of all things evil, too damn prejudiced to look beyond your pitiful beliefs! Respect is earned, not given, and for centuries and centuries you have not earned mine. Yet I gave it to you! I admired you and believed you to be a shining example of everything I had to look up to!"
Loki was still looking calm, but his voice trembled when he continued.
"I believed you were right when you said I was not worthy of anything, and I tried my very best to be better, to gain your approval! I didn't know why you would punish me no matter what I did. I didn't know you punished not me but an image of what you believed me to be. That your prejudice went so far you couldn't even look unbiased at a child."
Odin didn't say anything, and Loki knew very well why. The elderly god had made sure no one of the court knew of Loki's true heritage, and revealing it now would cause a true uproar. At last the god got up.
"You are a mere child still then, since you never grew up to look past imagined slights from your youth! You are truly unworthy of the name bestowed upon you!"
Now Loki laughed coldly.
"I don't need to be worthy of that name anymore, all-father. You can be father of all things, but you were never mine. You may not renounce me as your son, but I renounce you as my father. Not worthy? I don't even want your name anymore."
"Then your fate is sealed. You are to be exe …"
Thor looked up now, and interrupted his father.
"Please father, don't execute him! He is still my brother despite everything!"
Loki looked at Thor and gave the god a small smile, which he returned. Odin seemed angry now.
"What has the liesmith done to you, to convince you of his tricks?"
"Nothing, father. But if you execute Loki, you will lose two sons in one day." He looked pleadingly at his father. "I love you, but I too will renounce you and your throne should you kill my brother."
Loki was at least as surprised as Odin, but he did a better job in not showing it. Odin sat down again, looking... frustrated. Frigga put a hand on his arm, whispered something. At last he said.
"Fine. You are lucky, Trickster, that your worthy sibling spoke up for you. Instead of facing execution, you will spend your life in prison."
Loki slowly shook his head.
"I completed my punishment, without use of tricks and magic. Consult the Norns if you want to be certain. According to the laws of Asgard I am free. I did as you asked me, and still you are not satisfied. Is it because now you have to deal with me again? Was your punishment nothing but a way to get me out of your hair?" He huffed. "I can spare you the trouble. I will leave Asgard, never to return again. There is nothing here for me."
Loki made a mocking bow to his adoptive father.
"Farewell, father of all but me. I am done with you."
And in front of all the court, Loki turned his back on the royal couple and calmly left the throne room.
When Loki arrived at the Bifrost gate, he found not only Heimdall waiting for him.
"Loki…"
Frigga stood there, her beautiful face wet with tears. Loki didn't know how she had gotten there so fast, but he supposed she had used the magic Odin despised so much in him.
"Mother."
"I am so, so sorry…"
"Don't be. You never hurt me like he did."
"I should have seen it. I should have stopped him and I didn't."
Loki looked at his feet.
"Perhaps. But I don't hold resentment towards you. I find that I can't. You will always be my mother."
"Oh Loki… I know that nothing can excuse what my husband has done, and I don't want you to look at this like I am trying to excuse him. But you should know… he lived through hundreds of years of war, and the prejudices you spoke of are a part of his character he will never be able to see past. If you leave now…"
"If I leave now, I might be able to go someplace where people can see me as a person instead of an archetypical frost giant who is up to nothing but evil tricks."
"Then I will never see you again."
Loki looked sad too now.
"I know. But we have time, perhaps that's all we have. I love you, mother. Despite everything I truly do. If the want and the need is there, we will meet again."
Frigga wrapped her arms around Loki and hugged him. Loki saw Heimdall averted his gaze to give them privacy, and he hugged her back.
"I'm so sorry."
"I'm sorry too, mother. Please tell Thor I'm sorry too."
With that he said goodbye. He gave a respectful nod towards Heimdall, and the man brought down his heavy sword, sending Loki off to somewhere outside the Nine Realms.
"See to it that he is safe, Heimdall."
"Of course, my Queen."
Frigga dried her tears and left the observatory. She had things to discuss with her husband… and he better listen to her, or else he might be in for a long, long period of silence from her side.
(Pagebreak)
Time passed, perhaps slower for the Asgardians than for Lori. She never heard of Loki or the Avengers again. Sometimes she caught sight of an inconspicuous grey van driving slowly by her house, but they never made any contact. The only sign she got had come three days after her return home, in the form of a postal package with the logo of Stark Industries on it. It contained nothing but the silk scarf she had gotten from Loki. Ever since she wore the scarf with pride. Years went by, but Lori never forgot Loki's promise to return to her once…
(Author's Notes)
So no, Learning to Share if not over (yet), but it's coming to an end. I expect at least one more chapter, but then it'll probably be done. Now, I do need you guys to review, otherwise I will wait a long long time before I finally post the (already written) reunion of Loki and Lori ;) PLEASE REVIEW! I love you all! I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long, but I was caught up in a bit of a harry potter craze. *sadface* sorry...
And yeah, Loki faces evil overlord Odin. I hope I did that scene right...
PLEASE REVIEW!
