Note: Well, this chapter turned out nothing like I had planned.

Captivation

Thor woke up when he felt cool breeze ran over his naked body but he didn't feel like getting up just yet. The remembered Loki and the notable lack of his body warmth anywhere close and reached out, blindly, to see if he couldn't simply pull him in his arms and fall back asleep. When his fingers didn't find anything, he opened his eyes to peek. He must have shifted in his sleep. He had to turn to his other side before his gaze landed on the pale skin and black hair.

He had to blink to clear his vision and make sure he wasn't dreaming anymore.

The pale skin was still the same, the dark hair was just as shiny as always, but it all belonged to a woman now.

Right there, where Thor expected to find his brother, soft and sweet lady was sleeping peacefully. Her naked breasts were rising rhythmically with her calm breathing. She had long dark lashes, soft pink half-open lips and the dark hair, long and thick, curing at the ends, pooled around her head. She was breathtakingly beautiful.

Thor only stared at her, completely frozen. Sheer wild panic was rising inside of him.

The connection clicked together, like a stone hitting the bottom of a well it should never again be recollected from. What they had done the previous evening.

All the horrifying stories he ever heard were now coming back to him in full force, refusing to make way for more rational and reasonable thoughts. The storytellers never omitted this part; the part about men losing their manliness and having their cocks fall off or turn inwards and similar cruel, ugly things that seemed so ridiculous when heard in a pub and so morbidly realistic right about now.

He didn't want to believe it, wanted to reject it and laugh at it, but there was no denying the truth that was right there in front of him. All he felt was panic and fear and terrible twisted guilt, when he remembered that Loki had hesitated on account of the stories and he had been the one who insisted how ridiculous they were. Why didn't he stop and think, why didn't it occur to him that Loki might have known better? If some urban legends were enough to give his brother a pause then perhaps they were more than what they seemed...

The woman – Loki, he assumed he should call her that – moved and sighed. She was waking up. Thor was unable to move. He had no idea what he should do or say. His boldness seemed to have given up on him.

The emerald eyes opened and they were just as bright and beautiful as he remembered them. Loki blinked a few times and then her brows furrowed when she noticed Thor's expression.

She still moved like Loki. Thor knew his brother well enough to be able to recognize him simply by his facial expressions and motions. He could still see his traits in her and yet there were also things that were different about her, and the whole mixture of familiar and strange was rather unnerving.

"What?" demanded Loki and propped herself up on one elbow. Her voice was different though it was hard to point out how exactly. It was more melodic but kept its deep pitch and even though it sounded female, it was somehow still Loki's. Thor couldn't wrap his head about it.

"Y-you..." he stammered miserably. He knew what to say, his mind was bursting with words he wanted to blurt out, but he didn't know how. How should he carefully point out to his brother that he wasn't male anymore? How should he express how terrible he felt? How to even begin to apologize?

Loki frowned in oblivious confusion. Thor almost saw vulnerability flicker though her eyes, as she seemed to wonder what she did wrong. Thor dreaded the moment her gaze would drop down to her body.

He realized it would be definitely better if he broke it down to her slowly and carefully than have Loki suffer a panic attack from suddenly noticing that there's something wrong. Staring at her as he was wasn't going to help him, so he reached out to take her in his arms...

The moment he touched her, the soft white skin began glowing. A golden-green light swept over Loki like a second skin and just like that, the lady was gone and his brother was smirking in his face.

"You are so precious," said Loki, fighting back a fit of giggles. Sparks danced in his eyes mischievously.

"You bastard," snapped Thor angrily. He couldn't communicate the relief that overwhelmed him in any other way.

Loki only smiled sweetly. When he spoke he drew out the words like an overly dramatic story-teller. "You actually believed I turned female because of your powerful, magical cum."

"No," Thor objected Thor immediately. "I didn't really believe that. But you surprised me and I didn't know what to think..." He waved his hand, though not even he knew what he meant by the gesture.

"You thought that the sheer force of your manliness had rid me of my very own private parts," Loki refused to stop rubbing it in. But he barely had enough time to finish before Thor moved; his hands locked around Loki's wrists and he pinned him down to the ground.

"Shut up," snarled Thor against his lips when he bent down over him and silenced his brother with his own mouth. He wasn't as angry as he pretended though. He took it more as an excuse to play. What he actually felt were boundless relief and joy at knowing that Loki was alright.

Loki gasped for breath when Thor finally let him and smirked up at him. "You still did."

"Didn't," Thor stared down at him, trying to appear menacing, fighting the grin that threatened to break over his face.

They stayed like that for a while, breathing quietly, gazing intently into each other's eyes. Neither of them blinked. The grey-green eyes fixed on the sky-blue ones and refused to move away. No mortal soul could probably stand to look into them for more than a second, intense as they were like a blazing sun. If they chose to, the Princes could stay that way for days on end. And they both knew they would never once feel the need to look away.

"You have beautiful eyes," said Loki suddenly, out of nowhere. Just like that, they both burst out laughing, without even knowing what they found so funny. Thor let go of Loki's arms and collapsed back on the ground next to him.

When their laughter settled, Loki scooted over and snuggled in closer to Thor, making Thor's arms automatically open for him and hold him.

Thor kissed Loki's forehead lightly. He felt warm all over, even though he was lying naked on a forest floor. Their shared laughter was the most valuable thing in the world to him and he believed that as long as they stayed playful and relaxed, everything was fine. His heart was overflowing with love. He never knew he had been looking for it and yet with Loki it felt like he found his other half.

Then a thought dawned upon him and just to keep the conversation going, he murmured into Loki's hair. "How did you do it anyway? You were sleeping when I woke up."

Loki snorted. With his face cuddled close to Thor's chest, his breath were soft puffs of wind against Thor's skin. "What do you think? Did I plan the prank in my sleep?"

"So you faked it," he concluded. The slight uneasiness about the reminder how unnervingly good Loki was at faking quickly faded in comparison to all the love he held for him. "How could you have known that I will notice you?"

Loki made a lazy half-shrug with one shoulder. "I couldn't. I just knew you must wake up eventually." He smiled. "So, naturally, you kept me waiting for an hour or so. Thanks for that, by the way."

As if it was his fault that Loki decided to prank him in the first place! But Thor only chuckled and didn't argue. "You're welcome," he threw back instead.

Loki laughed again and they stayed in each other's arms for a short time. Thor gently rubbed Loki's back, while Loki pressed his face to Thor's chest, planting light kisses on the skin that happened to be close to his mouth.

Thor was just opening his mouth to speak when a sudden wave of pleasure shot through his body and instead of words, only a groan came out of his mouth. Loki looked up, his lips leaving Thor's nipple that had responded so agreeably to the unexpected touch.

"You like it," murmured Loki in satisfaction, more to himself than to Thor. Another one of his wicked grins spread over his face and he moved to the second nipple, using his tongue, lips and a light pressure of his teeth to draw more groans from his older brother.

All the desire and lust from the previous evening easily reawakened. There was nothing separating their naked bodies and they could feel each other when they got aroused. Thor's hands slid down to Loki's bottom and pressed him closer. They shared a groan when their crotches touched, pleasure sweeping through their bodies. Loki moved, rubbing their lower bodies together and then reached down with one hand to help guide their movements. He had no breath left to stimulate Thor's nipples, only gasping and sighing.

And then before Thor even knew, Loki was on top of him and eased himself down on him and every nerve in Thor's body shivered with the sensation. As much as he loved being in control and having Loki submit to his touch, he didn't mind giving him space for his own decisions. Loki's fingers were digging into his stomach and he had to reach for them and hold them in his hand to get them to stop; Loki looked down on him and smiled faintly when he did.

The morning sun made its way above the horizon, but their hidden space among the trees stayed in deep shadow. Their small intimate universe remained untouched by the outside world, the only thing to cross the border being the echo of their moans.

With both of them satisfied, Loki collapsed right on top of Thor, smiling joyfully. Thor didn't mind in the slightest; he could easily carry Loki's weight. One of his hands still held Loki's, but the other he used to affectionately stroke Loki's hair, damp with sweat.

Loki lifted himself up just enough for his face to hover right above Thor's. His free hand too began playing with his sibling's hair. There were no words. They rubbed their noses playfully before diving in for a kiss, the affectionate touches easily expressing anything that might have been on their mind.

They spend another couple of minutes simply petting and caressing, as if trying to make sure that no portion of their skin remained untouched. Eventually, it occurred to Thor that he had no idea whether Loki had any plans and so it was he who spoke first.

"Are we going to get up?"

"I don't know," sighed Loki. He rested his head on Thor's chest, feeling and hearing his heartbeat. It was in perfect synchronization with his own. The very idea of doing anything other than staying right where they were seemed terribly bothersome.

"If you wait here, I could bring you breakfast," offered Thor, before adding: "Assuming I find any, of course."

Loki didn't shift an inch. "I get the feeling that such action would involve me having to move," he muttered.

Thor laughed, the movement sending Loki's body shaking as well. "Well, I suppose I could always move you myself, your Majesty."

"Oh?" Loki shot him a curious glance, not knowing what to expect.

In the next moment, he felt a brief falling sensation and then his back hit the ground. Thor had completely flipped their position and Loki found himself on the bottom, with his brother hovering above him. It was a move one would use in a fistfight. The only difference was that Thor hadn't moved aggressively, but rather with great care, even though he moved as swiftly as he had, and one of his hands moved to the back of Loki's head before he hit to ground to protect him from harm.

Loki's instincts had been unforgivably delayed in reacting to the 'attack' and had they been in combat, he would have lost. The fact that he hadn't expected anything was an understatement, but it wasn't an excuse. Loki was usually the one considered the most agile on the battlefield, because swiftness was his main way of defense, but in the end of the day, Thor was still the better combatant of the two. There was wondrous precision to his movements that required both natural gift and years of dedicated training and the countless days that Thor had spent on the training field while Loki refused to join him couldn't be denied.

Thor smiled down at him, keeping himself in perfect balance above him, so that Loki wouldn't have to support his weight. There was no other way to describe him than as magnificent and Loki loved absolutely everything about him. Trying to somehow pretend that the ease with which Thor could handle him didn't excite him would be lying so blatant that he actually considered it below his dignity.

The fact, of course, didn't escape Thor's attention. "Impressed, I see," he noted smugly.

"You've done well. His Majesty is pleased," joked Loki in response. In a sense, it was strange, joking about being royalty. But through some miracle, the naive childish idea that royal title meant receiving every advantage and having no responsibilities they had formed once upon a time survived in their minds, even after they underwent education that had claimed everything on the contrary.

Thor bent down to kiss him once again before he straightened up and walked away. Loki watched him disappear between trees and shrubs, feeling momentarily as if the sun had set. Then he stretched and began dressing slowly and deliberately, to make sure he won't be dressed completely before Thor returns.

Soon enough, Thor was back with a handful of light-purple berries. He sat down on the ground next to Loki, who was also sitting up now, having put on his trousers, picked one up and, holding it between his fingers, offered it to him. His intention was clear from the way he smiled encouragingly.

Loki leaned forward and accepted the berry with his lips. It was sweet as sugar and seemed to melt in his mouth. The thought if it couldn't be poisonous automatically crossed his mind, but they had no way of knowing for sure anyway, so there would be no point in worrying. He remembered that on some Vanir paintings of feasts there were similar berries presented served on plates, so it was as safe as it could get.

The berries were so soft that the next one burst in Thor's fingers and Loki immediately took the opportunity to lick it and all of its juice off Thor's hand. When it began happening far too frequently, he came to the suspicion that Thor pressed the berries between his fingers too hard on purpose, but he would be damned if he cared. He could see from Thor's flushed face how much his older brother enjoyed the act.

The very last berry Loki snatched from Thor's hands and carefully put it between his teeth, like an invitation. Thor's hands immediately slipped around his waist and tugged him closer, slamming their mouths together in a rough but sugary sweet kiss. The berry melted between their tongues.

When Thor moved aside to get dressed, Loki stayed where he was, simply enjoying the sight. Thor made for a majestic view, all clear tan skin and firm muscles. Thor noticed, but didn't comment. It was only when Loki continued to linger that he voiced a thought that had crossed his mind: "Isn't somebody going to start missing us eventually? If we keep on doing this, they might wander what's taking us so long."

Loki gave him a toothy smile. "Bet they'd never guess."

Thor snorted in amusement. The matter bothered him a little, so it helped to laugh about it. "Well, imagine the royal entourage coming out of the woods in search of the lost Princes."

"That would be awkward," admitted Loki and screwed up his face. "Though realistically speaking, they would have to be really lucky to actually find us." He paused and then added with a knowing smirk: "And if this is your way of telling me to move my rump, then I must appreciate your discretion."

Thor picked up Loki's green cloak and playfully threw it at him, but Loki was quick enough to catch it in mid-air and elegantly swirl it around his body as if he had intended to do so all along. "Thank you, brother, I was just about to ask you to hand it over."

"You should," agreed Thor, continuing on the previous topic and ignoring what he had done just as easily as Loki had. "If you don't get up immediately, I'll be forced to carry you."

"Really?" Loki tilted his head to one side. "But where'd be my disadvantage then?"

Thor smiled ominously. "Maybe I'd drop you randomly."

"You wouldn't!" Loki gave a small theatrical gasp. After a pause, he rolled his eyes and moved over to finally finish dressing as well. "I'm walking," he clarified. "Though I still think you wouldn't."

Thor's only response was his grin.

The sun was already way up above horizon before they even set off. The air was fresh and clean, smelling softly of wood. They walked side by side, just ever so slightly closer to each other then they used to. From time to time, their hands slightly brushed, or they smiled at each other, for no reason other than being happy.

The day was passing slowly and uneventfully. Thor found himself unable to stop remembering what they have done. The thoughts pressed themselves everywhere, even when he tried to think about something else. Suddenly the whole matter seemed so much more pressing when they've actually acted on their desires. Now, the longer he walked with nothing better to do than think, the easier it was for troubles to find their way on his mind.

"Loki," he began slowly. "I've been wondering..."

"The answer is yes," Loki cut him off calmly, as if it were obvious.

"Could you stop answering questions before I actually ask them?!"

Loki smiled mysteriously and didn't say anything. Only after a short pause, when Thor already thought he wasn't going to comment, he graciously clarified: "Yes, I could. I already told you."

Thor shook his head and laughed, bewildered but amused and endlessly fascinated by Loki's wit. For a moment, it distracted him from his previous thoughts and he stayed silent.

"So? What were you wondering about?" prompted Loki.

He sighed. "I don't know. Maybe it's silly to worry about now, but... I can't shake the feeling that we are kind of criminals now." He smiled sheepishly.

"What are you talking about?"

The word tasted foul and seemed to weigh heavily on his tongue. It was such an ugly name for the wonderful feelings they held for one another. "Incest."

For less than a second Loki looked betrayed and lost. "I thought you don't mind."

Thor reached out, gently stroked Loki's cheek with his fingers and stilled his hand on his neck. "Does it look like I mind? Of course I don't," he reassured him. "But we can't ignore the fact that it's probably bound to cause us some problems anyway."

Loki's hand found his and squeezed it, as his expression relaxed again. Their entwined hands slid down and they ended up walking hand in hand. The younger Prince made a quiet sound of understanding and agreement. Then a wicked grin returned to his face. "So you're asking how many people we've peeved off by making love?"

"Yes," laughed Thor. "That's exactly what I'm asking."

Loki considered it for a moment. "Maybe not as many as you might think. As long as we're in Vanaheim we are safe. Incest is perfectly legal here."

"But is it legal in Asgard?"

Loki's eyes narrowed and pierced him accusingly, though his tone remained light. "Hey, you're going to be our King. You should know our law."

"I do know it," Thor scowled in frustration. He had been trying to remember for a while as they walked, but he always drew up completely blank. "It never mentions anything about it."

"But if it doesn't, what makes you think I know? I've only been taught as much as you."

"I thought you might know something more about it," he said with a shrug. He had believed that he hadn't been remembering correctly. He knew that the Aesir generally considered incest wrong, - the word itself meant 'sinful' after all, - so it was to be expected that it should be forbidden. But if it truly weren't, then perhaps they had nothing to worry about.

"What if I decided to legalize it once I'm king?" he wondered out loud.

Loki measured him thoughtfully. "Well, if someone else did it, it could end up in riots. But with you, who knows? Maybe if you smile just right, it could work."

"Thanks," laughed Thor. Then he asked: "But why is it anyway? Why is everyone against it if our law doesn't even recognize it?"

"Ah, here's where history enters the equation," remarked Loki with a smirk. "If you are really interested, it's because of the Vanir. Asgard used to have law that forbade and punished incest but it was annulled after the First War when Vanaheim became our ally. Diplomacy couldn't build a bridge over the fact that we hated and chastised what they considered a sacred bond. So, for the sake of our alliance, we changed our law and pretend that we don't mind."

Thor's eyebrows rose. "Why were we never taught this? It sounds pretty important."

"We aren't proud of this part of our history. We were forced to go back on our word and respect someone else's as if we weren't always right." Loki gave a humorless laugh. "Though it isn't really all that important. Knowing you, you wouldn't remember it anyway even if someone had bothered to teach you about it."

"Your trust in my abilities is overwhelming," deadpanned Thor.

Loki responded only with a grin and remained silent. His gaze grew distant as he turned away to look into the depths of the forest. When he spoke, he sounded absent-minded and his eyes never rose up to meet Thor's. "But incest is probably one of our smaller problems. Hopefully it will forever remain secret to the public, but... Well, if they knew you are in love with a Frost Giant they would eat us alive."

"I know, isn't it unbelievable?" A smirk played across Thor's face. He refused to see Loki upset and decided that the conversation needed to be steered in a different direction. His voice rose dramatically. "And not only we are committing interspecific incest, we are also both men, unable to provide an heir for the dynasty, unusable for any new diplomatic contracts and our hair color is different! The Ragnarök should have broken out the moment we touched each other!"

Loki burst out laughing. Before he managed to control himself, tears had sprung to his eyes and he was feeling a bit hysterical, but Thor watched him with a warm satisfied smile and didn't seem to mind in the slightest.

"And speaking of which, I add all of those things to the reasons why I love you," noted Thor and then staggered when Loki threw his arms around him, enveloping him in a tight embrace.

"Oh, I adore you," mumbled Loki quietly, resting his head on Thor's shoulder for a moment, before turning towards him and kissing him. It was almost unbelievable how easily Thor could make all of his other emotions disappear and leave his heart overflowing only with pure happiness and love. He found himself addicted to it, to the way it always made problems seem small, even when he knew deep inside they weren't.

Captivated by each other, they remained kissing and embracing for some time. When they finally set back on their way, all worries have left their minds. The air was pleasantly cool in the shadow of the trees, while the sun blazed high up in the sky. From time to time they heard various animals calling, screeching and chirping throughout the woods.

A couple of hours later they were just stepping over some huge tree-roots that covered the ground and even stood high above it like archways when they both stumbled without any obvious reason. They regained their balance quickly and looked around, instinctively searching for any potential danger that might have attacked them.

Their eyes were drawn to a small castle which was suddenly standing just a short distance away from them among the trees, looking as if it had stood there all along even though it most certainly hadn't.

Thor uttered what they were both thinking: "That wasn't there before."

From where they stood they could see the main keep and two front towers which although majestic barely competed with the highest trees. There were no flags or any other signs of life inside the castle. It looked old; the stones it was made from had been dulled with heavy rains, dirt and plants that had tried to overgrow them, succeeding in some places. The entrance appeared to be heavy wooden door. Perhaps they wouldn't even move if they tried to open them, the wood stiff with age. Either way, Loki knew he had no interest in trying.

"Whatever. Let's just keep moving," he said and Thor shrugged. When they once again began walking, the older Prince took out the map and started studying it. He hid it only once they left the castle behind.

"The castle's on the map," he said then. "It doesn't have a name, there's only the Vanir symbol for number twenty-two. It was built with a pattern in mind. Perhaps it had been meant to serve as a bulwark against invaders."

Loki didn't have time to respond, because at that moment, they both stumbled.

They found themselves staring at the very same castle as if they hadn't moved at all.

"Fascinating. Trapping your enemies in an endless loop is a brilliant strategy," remarked Loki sarcastically.

"That's not what I meant," Thor frowned. "That can't actually be their strategy, can it?"

"I doubt they would be so cruel," responded Loki thoughtfully. "Or I hope they wouldn't. The Vanir certainly never shied away from dark arts but twenty-two is an awful lot of castles to enchant just to keep out unwelcomed guests."

"So something wants us to go inside?" guessed Thor. Cursed places, although rare, weren't unheard of and usually centered around something that had the power to break the curse.

Loki gave an agitated sigh. Who knew what was waiting for them inside. It annoyed him that they should obediently follow wherever the caster of the curse wanted them. He would much rather break it without stepping anywhere near the castle.

"Let's walk a bit more first," he suggested, knowing that Thor immediately understood what was on his mind. His older brother nodded and they set off in the opposite direction. It didn't even matter all that much that they weren't continuing towards their destination. The important thing was that they were leaving the castle behind.

It took just long enough for false hope to rise before they stumbled again. Loki growled quietly when he once again lifted his eyes towards the castle that welcomed them from among the trees.

Thor shot him an uncertain look. "What if we tried to fly away instead of walking?" Instead of answering Loki closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. Thor moved over to him and gently touched him, brushing a strand of hair behind his ear. "I'll be careful."

"Fine." Loki pressed himself as tightly as he could to Thor without hindering his control over Mjölnir. He felt Thor's strong arm take him around his hips and then a powerful tug which rapidly lifted them into the air. He dangled, unpleasantly aware of the emptiness under his feet and buried his face in Thor's shoulder to shield his eyes from the wind.

They didn't fly long though Mjölnir's speed took them much further away from the castle than they had ever walked before. Thor dived down between the trees, some branches whipping them as they passed them. Thor's feet hit the ground like so many times before, knowing exactly how to move to keep steady and balanced – and stumbled.

The landing force, combined with the sudden unexpected stumbling sent Loki falling to the ground. He hit it hard, groaned in pain and didn't hurry to get up, already knowing where they were and what it meant.

"Are you hurt?" asked Thor.

"So it looks like the visit to the castle is a must," sighed Loki instead of answering. He caught the hand Thor offered him and got back up on his feet. "We are physically incapable of avoiding trouble. And for once quite literally."

"Like a bard can't stop new notes from making their way onto his mind so an adventurer can't ignore the call of thrilling peril," declared Thor proudly, while they made their way over to the entrance. "It's in our blood."

The great wooden door opened with quiet screeching when Thor pushed it and Loki murmured with grim amusement: "Yes, we are indeed exceptionally gifted in the art of getting ourselves killed."