Thor went to Loki's room and knocked on the door. When Loki got his own room he had just barged in as he was used to doing in the nursery. Then Loki started locking the one to the hall and trapping the one to the nursery. A couple of buckets of water on his head and a trip wire convinced Thor it was better to be polite.

"Come." Thor went in, closing the door behind him, and took a seat across from his brother; Loki had been waiting for him.

Thor sighed. "It is about Sif. Father wants me to help her be accepted, even join my group of friends." He wasn't about to tell his brother it was a test of his leadership. That would only entice Loki to sabotage his efforts or worse, to try to supplant him.

"Why?"

"I don't know, politics or something. You know Father."

Loki considered that. Odin often did things no one else understood, and he was generally proved right in the end. But he was also careful to explain things to his sons that concerned them. Thor wasn't telling all, not yet.

"All right. You saw the reaction to her today."

"Yes, of course. I didn't really want a girl in class either, but if she can compete, what's the harm?"

Loki leaned forward. "The harm is to the reputation of every boy that has to spar with her. You saw Fandral today, he didn't just have to win, he had to humiliate her."

Loki continued, "Think, Brother. What would happen to a boy who lost a sparring match to a frail girl, even if she wasn't actually so frail? Every male in the palace, every male in Asgard would regard him as weak, a poor warrior at best, someone who should become a farmer instead at worst. If you win, so what, you are expected to win, you gain nothing. And you are in danger of injuring her or at least making her cry, and we have all been taught not to harm females in any way. A boy who bruised her would be censured by everyone. None of us can win in that situation, no matter what we do. Fandral was lucky he didn't harm her and she didn't start crying when she lost."

"What did he say to her? Did you hear?"

"Something like, 'You should work to become a lady, not try to be something you are not and can never be'."

"I thought maybe he had insulted her."

"No, just her unseemly ambition."

"It wouldn't be unseemly if she trained to become a Valkyrie."

"Well find her a flying horse and someone who can train her in their ways, and we shall be rid of her and glad of it."

Thor wiggled uncomfortably in his seat. Loki had answered Odin's question without even being asked. His brother was just insufferable.

"Why don't you stop telling me why I can't do what Father instructed me to so, and start helping me find a way to do it. Come on, you're always saying you're so smart."

Loki thought for a minute, then asked, "Under what circumstances would she be accepted?"

"If she was a really good fighter and won some impressive sparring matches, and if she was tough as a boy. You know, someone you could depend on in battle to have your back."

Loki nodded, still thinking. "She was doing fine until the last two forms, then she started to lose her confidence. She saw that all of us knew all of the forms too, and she saw Fandral and some of the others showing off. Then she got matched with him. She probably thought she was going to lose before the match even started."

"You think she knows all the routines? I wasn't sure and she was behind on most of them."

Just lack of experience doing them with a group. Her tutor probably taught her to do them at a slower pace because she's a girl. She will do fine at the warm-ups after a few days."

Thor asked doubtfully, "You think she is strong enough?"

"She wasn't breathing any harder than anyone else at the end of her laps, so her endurance is fine."

"I didn't notice. But for sheer strength . . ."

"Volstagg is stronger than you but you can overcome him with skill."

"He's not stronger than I am, at least not much. More muscle bound . . . but you think she will just get better with practice and eventually be accepted?"

"If she doesn't give up. It's hard to do everything by yourself in a group." And I should know.

Thor nodded. "She needs a win. If she beats someone in a sparring match, she'll gain confidence because she will know she is just as good as at least some of us and that she does belong in the class."

"Yes, but the first boy she beats will suffer for it; his reputation may never recover. Who were you thinking of for sacrificial goat?"

Thor's eyes gleamed. He could see exactly what he needed to do. "You are, Brother."

Loki leaned back and laughed. "Not a chance. Try again."

"It can't be Volstagg, no one would believe she beat him fairly, and Fandral has already won against her easily. You know Hogun is Vanir, here to ensure the peace between our worlds continues into our generation. I can't ask him to do it, it could turn into a diplomatic disaster. I am the elder prince, I will be required to maintain the peace across the Nine Realms, I must be respected. That leaves you."

"There has to be another way. Surely there is someone else . . ."

"No." Thor stood up. "Get up."

Loki remained seated and eyed his brother warily. "Why? What are you going to do?"

Thor reached down, grabbed Loki by the front of his shirt with his left hand and stood him up. Then he hit him in the belly with his right.

Loki doubled up. "Ow! What are you . . ."

Thor hit him again in the ribs twice, and let Loki fall to his knees, gasping for breath. He added a final kick, not as hard as he could, but just hard enough. Loki doubled up, his head down to the floor.

"Tomorrow, I will instruct the trainers to match you with her, and you will lose. You have no reputation as a fighter and no one respects you anyway."

Loki got out a weak muffled, "No."

"Yes, or I will give you such a beating you will never forget it. And don't go running to the healers with your little injuries, a few bruises on your belly will give you an excuse for losing. I'm being kind to you Loki. Do you understand?"

There was a long pause, then Loki whispered, "I understand." Understanding isn't the same as agreeing though, you oaf.

Thor marched out, well satisfied with his solution. He hadn't asked or begged or bribed or anything, and it would work. Winning against the younger prince should give Sif plenty of confidence, and soon she would be accepted and he could start inviting her to join his group, at first to make even teams for games, and then . . . then Odin would be proud of him!

He felt a little uneasy about Loki, but his brother would get over it. He was younger so none of the older boys ever showed him any deference or respect in spite of his rank anyway. Losing to a girl would get him laughed at for a while, nothing really new for him. And he could show the bruises . . . although everyone got bruises in training, so maybe no one would believe he lost because of that. But Loki could pretend they did. Loki pretended things sometimes, right? So he would think it was okay he lost.

And eventually her new confidence would allow Sif to win against someone else, and it would all blow over.