Blond with a massive red cape.
Muscularly built like a walking fortress. A brain full of muscles and a hammer.
This was Thor Odinson, at least, as far as Loki was concerned.
And of course, stupid.
At the moment, the two brothers stood at the edge of the Bifrost in Asgard. Thor was enthusiastically recounting his latest heroic exploit, his voice loud enough to echo across the bridge.
"Brother, you should have seen it." Thor said, gesturing wildly. "I swung Mjolnir and smashed that invading alien beast flat!"
"Then I called down a bolt of lightning, thicker than my arm and burned it into charcoal!"
He grinned proudly.
"Though," He added, scratching his head, "What it said before dying was a bit strange."
Loki glanced at him sideways, already tired.
"Oh?" He asked dryly. "And what did the monster say?"
Thor frowned in concentration, replaying the memory.
"It shouted something very loudly. Sounded like… 'West reed flavor! Open melon!' Something like that."
Loki paused.
…What?
After a moment, he nodded solemnly. "Perhaps it was cursing you with its dying breath. You did beat it to death, after all."
Thor sighed, looking almost apologetic.
"Well, if it hadn't invaded the Nine Realms, I wouldn't have treated it like that. It was too weak. I could knock down a dozen like it with a single swing."
He casually twirled his hammer for emphasis.
Loki's eye twitched.
This brute used force to solve everything. If Loki had gone instead, he would have spoken to the invader.
Anyone capable of crossing time and space to reach the Nine Realms clearly possessed either skill or an extraordinary opportunity.
But then again…
Loki smirked faintly.
He himself knew every hidden passage within the Nine Realms. With the secret paths he had mastered and the spells his mother taught him, there was no need for the Bifrost at all.
Even Heimdall's all-seeing eyes could be misled.
Truthfully, Loki disliked Heimdall immensely. He always felt that the Watcher could see straight into his heart.
And yet Father trusted Heimdall completely.
Thor suddenly clapped a heavy hand onto Loki's shoulder.
"Loki!" He said cheerfully. "I'll take you somewhere good."
Good place. That usually meant strong wine… or stronger men.
Loki opened his mouth to refuse, then hesitated. Refusing Thor outright often led to more trouble than it was worth.
As the two prepared to leave, a gold-armored Asgardian guard approached and bowed deeply.
"Your Highness Thor. Your Highness Loki."
Thor nodded. "What is it?"
"The Queen requests your presence," The guard said respectfully. "She has matters to arrange."
Thor blinked.
"Oh! Mother?" He turned to Loki. "Loki, I'll go see what Mother wants. You wait here for me."
He grinned. "If I'm not back in half an hour, feel free to find somewhere fun to go."
Before Loki could respond, Thor spun Mjolnir, let the hammer pull him forward, and launched himself skyward toward the highest towers of Asgard.
He vanished in seconds.
Loki exhaled in relief.
Finally, he wouldn't have to follow Thor to some ridiculous tavern or training ground.
Still… his curiosity stirred.
Why would Mother summon Thor alone?
Loki turned to the guard. "There's nothing wrong with Mother, is there?"
The guard straightened. "The Queen is in excellent health, my prince."
Loki studied him for a moment, then waved him away. "Very well. You may go."
Once alone, Loki narrowed his eyes.
"…There is a way."
With a subtle gesture, he cast a spell. A perfect illusionary duplicate stepped out from his body.
"Toodles," Loki told the clone. "Wander around and be obvious."
The clone nodded and walked off casually.
Loki himself shimmered, his form shifting, armor appearing. In seconds, he had become an ordinary gold-armored Asgardian guard.
Blending seamlessly into the surroundings, Loki adjusted his posture and strode forward.
Heimdall crouched silently upon the Rainbow Bridge, his golden armor gleaming like that of a saint carved from light.
His gaze followed the passing figure of 'Loki' for a long moment before he finally looked away, helplessness faintly touching his expression.
He was loyal to the royal family of Asgard, of that there was no doubt.
But Odin's family affairs?
Those were a different matter entirely.
The chaos in Asgard's heart was never born of external enemies. It was always the All-Father's household.
And as the Watcher, Heimdall knew better than to speak too much. An eye was meant to see, not to judge.
As for Loki… Heimdall did not like him.
Asgardians were warriors to the bone, direct and forceful by nature. Loki's mind was too twisted and inclined toward schemes and shadows.
He did not fit the spirit of Asgard.
Yet… Heimdall said nothing.
…
Thor landed heavily upon the balcony outside his mother's chambers, Mjolnir striking stone with a solid clang as he arrived.
"Mother!" Thor called out cheerfully. "You were looking for me?"
Frigga smiled at her eldest son. She reached out and patted his bearded, stubbled cheek affectionately.
"Thor," she said gently, "Did your father tell you anything?"
"Tell me what?" Thor blinked.
Frigga's smile paused for half a breath.
So Odin had said nothing. Not about Hela. Not about Garfield. Not about Kamar-Taj.
After a moment's consideration, Frigga decided to speak, carefully.
"Thor." She said, "In two days' time, you will travel to Midgard. To Earth."
"You will bring your brother back."
CLANG
Mjolnir slipped from Thor's hand and smashed into the floor.
Thor stared at his mother in horror.
"M-Mother…" He said slowly. "You and Father… had another child in Midgard?"
Frigga shook her head. "No."
Thor paled further. "Then Father… had a child with another woman?!"
ΩДΩ
Frigga closed her eyes. This child truly thinks in straight lines.
Still, given Asgard's culture, his conclusion wasn't entirely unreasonable. Powerful Asgardians often attracted many lovers, and Asgard was never bound by strict monogamy.
As long as one did not cross certain lines, no one truly objected.
"What does my little brother look like?" Thor leaned forward eagerly.
"Does he look like you or Loki?"
"Is he one-eyed like Father?"
The last question was not a mockery. It was admiration. To Asgardians, battle scars were marks of honor.
Frigga sighed softly.
"It is not as you think." She said patiently. "This child was not born of another woman."
"He has inherited a portion of Asgard's legacy. His origins are… complicated."
She met Thor's eyes. "For now, you need not know more. When you inherit the throne, your father will tell you the truth."
The throne.
Thor's eyes lit up.
"I will do my best," He said earnestly.
Frigga smiled, but there was sadness beneath it.
She was glad her son was honest, warm-hearted, and far less murderous than her daughter.
But she also knew this situation was unfair. Adopting Loki and hiding truths.
She had opposed it from the beginning.
Lies always surface, she thought. And the longer they are buried, the more destructive they become.
After leaving his mother, Thor simple-minded and hammer-focused, quickly found Loki's clone wandering the halls.
"Loki!" Thor said excitedly. "Mother told me something important!"
The clone listened calmly.
After a brief pause, Loki's avatar sensed something deeply amiss.
A new brother?
Midgard?
Secrets Odin hadn't told even Thor?
This was not a coincidence. A smile slowly curved Loki's lip.
"Well, Thor." He said smoothly, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder, "Why don't we go to Midgard together?"
"If we're getting a new brother…" His eyes glinted. "Shouldn't we see for ourselves what kind of person he is?"
"Excellent idea!" Thor brightened instantly.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
PhantomDream