#and this writing felt good
The Price of Alliance: Part Five
The next day, the festivities were beginning. A parade route was being cleared. Space for a grand tournament was decorated. Royal feasts were being prepared in more kitchens than Thor could count.
Thor had refused to apologize for his attack on Zeus, and as a result was banned from celebrating the festival at the royal box or royal table. This was no hardship, especially once he saw that Loki was not at Zeus’s side.
He set out to find him. He needed to know if Zeus had made good on his threats. He needed to apologize. He needed…
He needed to see his brother again.
He had no idea where Loki might go, so he searched the hiding spots he remembered Loki favoring two centuries ago. They were unsurprisingly empty. He searched the market, bustling with activity, excitement high before the festival, and with all the off-world visitors.
He went to their guest quarters, to question the servants, but none would admit to knowing where Loki had gone.
He sat down in despair on a bench. He could be anywhere.
Where would he have gone? What would have stuck with him? What childhood memory of a…
Refuge.
The word and the answer came to him at once. He set off, and, at last, found Loki where he should have expected all along.
Their mother’s garden.
“You remember this place, at least.”
Loki barely turned his head toward him, from where he was slowly searching an herb patch. “Thorn.”
“Thor!” He scowled.
“Are you certain? Mine seems more appropriate.” He plucked two samples from a plant. “I’m allowed a patch of garden on Olympus. I’ve always remembered a few plants we didn’t have. I wonder if anything of Asgard can truly grow there.”
Thor grimaced, wondering if Loki had meant to include himself in that. He shuffled a bit, hand finding his hammer for reassurance, as it often did. He didn’t know what to say. “Mother won’t be here, if you’re waiting for her.” he hazarded. “She’s caught in the festival.”
“I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
And before Thor could make anything of that, he was distracted by a terrible sight. Loki, standing up from his crouch by the herbs. With, pained, jerky, slowness.
His knee trembled, and gave out, and his hand shot out to catch a vine-covered trellis, before he yanked himself up with a muffled gasp of pain. He stood frozen for a moment, panting, before catching Thor’s movement toward him and spinning away with a gasp. “Don’t touch me!”
Thor froze.
Loki backed away, a few stiff steps, and Thor saw how awkwardly he moved. Saw so much more than that. The bruise around his wrists. His throat.
“Loki…”
Loki sighed, heavy irritation at having the deal with him, on top of his own problems. “Leave it alone. Since you’re incapable of actually stopping him. You knock him down, he gets back up, and it’s me he hurts back. Understand, Thorn?”
He twisted the wrong name in his mouth, layering it with more poisonous meaning that Thor could take apart.
“I’m sorry.” He bowed his head. He’d done this. He’d wanted to see if Zeus had gone through with his threat, and now that he had, there was nothing Thor could do about it.
“You didn’t think!” Then Loki shook his head, and turned to limp down toward the next herb patch. Thor heard him mutter “You never…”, before cutting himself off sharply.
He did remember! At least a little! At least something!
More cheered than made sense, Thor followed after Loki. This next herb bed was raised, at least, so Loki could hunt through it without having to get down again. “Can’t I take you to the healers, at least? They would have you healed completely, in minutes!”
Loki snorted. “I have to be much more hurt than this before I’m allowed a healer, Thorn.” He sounded actually amused.
He would tear Zeus’s head off. He would break every bone in his spine. He…
He tried to hide his rage. Loki clearly was neither in need of it, nor impressed.
“It doesn’t seem like you want everyone to see. Why don’t you use illusions to hide it, then?”
Loki went still. After a long second, his hands curled in toward his stomach. “Oh… I… I wasn’t able to… I wasn’t…” He shook his head, sharply, though the tension in his shoulders stayed. “I’m not a sorcerer. That was just a little hobby I dabbled in as a child.”
“‘Dabbled’?” Loki had been preparing himself to undergo the sorcerer trails! He’d been just a few weeks away!
“I barely remember it. I used to write plays or some nonsense too, didn’t I?”
“‘Nonsense’?” Thor could feel the rage, the storm, rising in him.
Loki turned to face him. And his eyes dropped, to Thor’s hand on his hammer, spiking with lightening. There was, just for a moment, the flick of a smile. “Thor.” He said his correct name, softly.
And Thor felt the storm begin to die.
“Apparently I’m supposed to have many happy childhood memories in Asgard.” His eyes went back to Thor’s, and he took one limping step toward him. “Care to show me?”
(This is as far as I’ve written, hopefully tbc soon!)
