It was Loki. Thor was left speechless as the man across the room stood up. He was about to run and embrace his brother when he took a second look. This wasn't Loki. The resemblance was strong, he had the same eyes and hair as Loki but a resemblance was all it was. He felt all hope drain from his body. His friends had been right; he'd only been chasing shadows.
"My lord?" Thor was startled out of his dismay at the voice of the man. For a moment he'd forgotten that he was in the room with him.
"A mistake was made. I believed that you were someone else." Thor said. He watched as the man visibly flinched at his words.
"I'm sorry if you've been disappointed." He whispered. Now that Thor knew that he wasn't looking at his brother he took a moment to really look at the man. Although man didn't really seem to fit, he looked like he was hardly out of adolescence. What could one this young have done to deserve imprisonment?
"Do you know who I am?" The man's response to Thor's question was immediate. His eyes widened in fear as he quickly began speaking.
"Have you been here before?" He asked, seemingly unsure whether or not he should look at Thor or the floor in front of him. "I thought I knew you. I apologize if I've forgotten your preferences but, if you'll just tell me what you want then I'll do my best to satisfy you."
Thor frowned in disgust at the realization of what the man expected of him. It became very clear that Llundy hadn't been lying about the dungeons 'amusements'. He looked again at the man's look of resignation to his miserable fate. It wasn't Loki but he was of Asgard; it was Thor's duty to at least make sure that the prisoner deserved to be here.
"I'm not here to harm you. I'm a visitor from Asgard and I came to see how you were being treated. There is a boy who told me that your punishment was undeserved." Thor explained.
"Garran." The man whispered. "He talks to me sometimes. He's a nice boy… but I'm afraid that he's wrong about me. My treatment is exactly what I deserve."
"Your crimes must have been great."
"They were unforgivable."
"What is your name?" Thor asked.
"Fenrir." Nothing could have shocked Thor more than that one name. It couldn't be. First the resemblance and now the name; it had to be a coincidence.
"Your full title." Thor requested.
"Fenrir Lokison, of the House of Odin."
"That's a lie." Thor hissed.
"My Lord?" He asked.
"Loki's son died in childhood."
"I don't. I..."
"You think to manipulate me with such transparent falsehoods? Does it amuse you to play such games with one who would have helped you?"
"I'm not lying. You asked me my name." He said beginning to look truly scared.
"You expect me to believe that you are Loki's son?" Thor demanded.
"I am." He whispered.
"Before he died preparations were being made to celebrate Fenrir's name day. Loki promised to give his son a gift that would have been the envy of all Asgard. If you're truly he, then you'll have no trouble telling me what that gift would have been." Thor said.
"It was a secret. He never told anyone." He answered.
"That's what I thought." Thor said, turning to leave. He was tired of this creature.
"It was a horse!" He yelled, just as Thor was about to leave. "He was going to give me an eight legged horse that would be even faster than the one he gave my grandfather." Thor couldn't move. For a moment he was caught up in the memory from years ago, when his brother, mired in grief, had told him of all the wonderful things he'd had planned for his son's name day. Most important to him had been a gift that he'd promised; the gift of an enchanted horse.
Thor couldn't believe what he was hearing. It wasn't possible that the person with him could be his nephew! Fenrir was long dead.
"Have you just been here all this time?" Thor asked.
"I don't understand."
"When you were taken from Asgard, you're saying that they have just been keeping you here all this time? That you have been alive all these years?" Thor asked, still trying to wrap his head around the possibility.
"Yes."
"This can't be."
"I was brought here as a deal with the All-Father, to pay for my crimes." He explained.
"The deal was for you to be punished and returned to Asgard. A deal which Auolies broke when he had you executed!" Thor shouted.
"What?"
"You really don't know me do you?" Thor said, almost wanting to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. "I am Thor and, if what you say is true than I am your uncle."
"Thor?" Fenrir asked in shock. Thor was about to ask more questions to prove whether or not he was really talking to his nephew when the boy interrupted him. "Is my father here?" He asked hopefully.
"No. I'm sorry, he's not." Fenrir's eyes dropped back down at the answer.
"Is he well?" Fenrir stammered.
"He is very different from how you'd remember him." Thor said, wondering how to answer the question. "However last I saw of him he seemed to be in… good health."
"I'm glad." Fenrir said with a small smile. It was the smile that did it. The smile that Thor had seen a million times on his brothers face. This was all wrong and Thor was determined to go and find answers for what had been happening to his nephew. He strode back toward the door to the cell. "Wait!" Fenrir yelped. "Can't you stay a little longer? Tell me more about my father and Asgard."
"I must go and speak to the king. I must fix the wrongs that have been done here."
"Will you come and see me again before you leave, please."
"Fenris, I go to the king to talk about you. When I leave this kingdom I will be taking you with me." Thor stated. He couldn't believe that Fenrir hadn't known what he'd meant.
"I can't leave." Fenrir said incredulously. "I have to pay for what I did."
"From what I see you've paid for your sins ten times over. I will be back before the day is out." Thor promised as he left.
"I need to go see the king." Thor told Sif as he left the prison. "And I need you to go and find Fandral and Volstagg. We're leaving as soon as I'm done."
*/*/*/*/*
"Thor, what happened? Was it Loki?" Sif asked. She'd never actually expected him to be there.
"No, it wasn't Loki." Thor said. "It was Fenrir."
"Thor, Fenrir is dead." Sif said.
"No, we were lied to. Auolies has been keeping him here in the dungeons. Now I must go and arrange for his release."
"Thor, this is madness. Whoever that prisoner is he is not your nephew."
"He is. I'm sure." Sif rushed in front of Thor and stopped him.
"He's insane, even that girl said he was. He'll say anything to get out of the dungeon." Sif said.
"Find our friends." Thor ordered, stepping around her. "We leave as soon as he is released."
*/*/*/*/*
Auolies hadn't been expecting to see the prince so early in the day. Truth be told he'd been hoping that the feast the night before would have left the man exhausted and drunk. A man reeling from a nights festivity is always easier to deal with then one completely sober. Unfortunately there was the visiting royal approaching him.
"Good morning. How are you enjoying your stay?" He asked with a smile.
"Not well. I've had a rather distressing morning." Thor said.
"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope it will not taint the rest of your time here. We were of course hoping that you would stay with us for another week at the least. There are many in the surrounding cities who would wish to show their gratitude for your bravery."
"I'm sorry to disappoint you but I've decided to leave today."
"Well that is a shame. If there is anything that I or my servants can do for you before you leave than you have only to ask." As Auolies finished talking Thor smiled.
"In that case I would ask that you release my nephew from your dungeons." Thor asked, politely.
"What?!" The king demanded.
"I would have simply taken him myself, but there seem to be runes surrounding his cell. I assume that you'll need a sorcerer to remove those before he can leave."
"Prince Thor, you must be mistaken. Your nephew—"
"I think that you've already lied to my family enough. My nephew sits in your dungeon and you will let him out."
"I'm not accustomed to receiving orders in my own court."
"Then think of him as a gift. A show of goodwill to mend the damaged relations between our two realms."
"The boy is my prisoner." Auolies said, no longer faking cheer. "He was presented to me to do with as I chose, after the damage that he caused to my people."
"A trust that you abused by telling us that you'd had him executed."
"His punishment wasn't complete. It was agreed that if the truth of his presence here were made known then eventually someone would try and free him."
"Then my request should come as no surprise." Thor said.
"Nor should my answer. The boy is my prisoner and that is how he'll stay."
"You will not release him?" Thor asked.
"No." Auolies stated, bluntly.
"Then I suppose there is no reason for me to linger."
"I suppose not."
"Just give me my reward and I'll gather my companions and go."
"Reward?"
"For our defeat of the Varingar." Thor explained. "You can't have forgotten so soon; you threw us a feast just last night." Auolies sat in stunned silence. The eldest Odinson was supposed to be a fool. He'd hoped to distract him away from the reward completely with revelries and celebrations. "We were promised the entirety of your treasure rooms. I think that we'll take a portion now and send servants to retrieve the rest later."
"You can't possibly expect us to give you all of our treasure?"
"It was what you promised. A promise sent to all the realms in a desperate plea for aid."
"Prince Thor." Auolies pulled a supplicating face. "Please understand that the Varingar have laid waste to much of our countryside. Entire cities were emptied for fear of approaching hoards. It will require great wealth to rebuild what has been lost. I would think that a future king would show some compassion for a fellow ruler wanting to care for his kingdom."
"You seemed to have enough to spare for a celebration last night, and several more if your offers of the outer cities thanks were true."
"A wise ruler would think the thanks reward enough."
"I've rarely been accused of being wise. Quite the opposite in fact." Thor said with a wry smile.
"It can't be spared."
"You would deny me my reward?"
"I'd be willing to suffer the dishonor for the good of my people."
"Know that if I leave here without the gold I was promised then I will make sure to tell all I meet of how the King of Svartalfheim went back on his word."
"You will be seen by all as a petty child, and I will be a king who would do anything for what is best for his people." He said with a sneer. "I believe that I will keep my gold."
"People will look down on me but, in time, they will forgive. However one day you will need help again and in the back of everyone's mind will be the story of how you sent your saviors away empty handed. Let's hope that the Varingar are a long time in reassembling."
"You vile piece of—"
"Of course you could always just let me take my nephew home with me. I would consider that to be a more than adequate reward."
*/*/*/*/*
Fenrir sat against the side of his cell and stared at the stone wall in front of him. There was a crack in the third stone from the bottom that reminded him of a snake. Sometimes he would stare at it and try to convince himself that it was real. It was a difficult game, it required absolute stillness and concentration, but when he got it right he could see the serpent slide right off of the wall. He stared at the wall and tried to clear his mind of nothing but scales but it was no use. The events of the morning were too fresh in his mind for him to concentrate.
Sudden sounds outside the door brought his focus back to reality. Someone was coming and he had to be ready. He jumped to his feet and moved to the center of the room. He remembered to stand up straight and dropped his eyes to the floor just as the door opened.
"Fenris." A voice boomed from the doorway. His eyes jolted up to see that his uncle had returned. "I was successful."
"You came back." He said.
"I told you I would. Now come, gather your things and we'll leave." He said with a smile.
"I don't have any things. What do you mean leave?"
"I told you before that I was taking you away from here. Thor said throwing a large arm around his shoulder. Fenrir tried to hide his flinch at his uncle's touch.
"I thought that was a joke." Fenrir explained.
"It was no joke, Fenris. I'm taking you home."
Home. Was it possible that he was really going home? It had been years since he'd even let himself think the word. Now after all this time it was finally happening! He was going back to Asgard and he would get to see his father again. After all this time, finally, he must have been forgiven.
In the next Chapter you will see Svartalfheim. I began writing this story about a month before Thor 2 came out so my image of the world is very different. Just think of this world as Asgard jr. Also, as you may have guessed, this story is cannon compliant up to Iron Man 3. Thor 2 never happened.
You may have noticed Rape/Non-Con and Underage in the warnings category. These things will have happened in the past and, while mentioned, will not be shown. However if this is a problem for you I would advise you to stop reading before chapter three. If I end up putting in a flashback or more graphic references to the past I will give warning.
Authors note: Really, only one taker on the lock of Fandral's hair? His vanity may never recover. Well Amal8, looks like you win by defalt. Please note that this hair may take six to eight weeks to arrive and may be completly imaginary. Please review people. Please.