Sons of Odin

Chapter 1

A/N: Hey guys! i was actually really excited about posting this one. I think it's one of my favorites I've written yet. :)

The way this story is going to go is a little different from my other stories. The writing and all will be the same, but there's a very critical part that you have to understand. The chapters aren't necessarily in succession. The next chapter may have our little Odinsons as teens. And maybe the third chapter will have them very young again. It just depends on what my mind brings about. There's no telling, as my mind is a scary place. ;)

I have a poll on my profile that I'd like you to check out. It's about my other story in progress, "My name is..." On the last of the month (March), I will look to see which has the most votes. Then I will remove that character from the poll and write their chapter. Then I'll ask you to vote again on the two remaining characters. After the next month (April), I will check again to see who has the most votes and write their chapter. After that, I will take down the poll and write the last character's chapter. If this doesn't make sense, or you have any questions, PM me. :)

Beta: Ecotiger. Thanks so much! It really means a lot to me!

Rating info: I've got this at K-plus now, just to be safe. I'm not sure if there will be any sorts of violence in future chapters. If I do put in any violence, I may bump it up to T. I don't want to get in trouble. There won't be anything bad in here, though. Nothing disgustingly violent, and absolutely no language. I hate bad language, so that won't ever happen. There may be slight romance, but nothing more than holding hands or maybe a kiss. There isn't anything worse than that, I can promise you. If you have any questions about the ratings at all, PM me, and I'll be happy to rid you of confusion.

Disclaimer for the entire story: I don't own any recognizable characters/names/places/events. ;)

Sorry for the overly long A/N, but I just wanted to inform you of everything. Read and Review!

Thor Odinson, the four year old son of Odin Borson, runs through the halls of the palace, holding his wooden sword high above his head. His little boots thud and his matted blond mop of hair flies behind him. His 'battle cry' rings through the air and echoes off the grand walls and marble pillars which line the halls. A makeshift cloak he made of his mother's drapes flaps behind him, tied around his neck in a huge knot. His bright blue eyes sparkle and glint. His mouth is turned down in a scowl; the boy's effort to appear strong and warrior-like. His rounded cheeks are flushed from his escapade.

The boy turns a corner and stops. As he looks around his new surroundings, he realizes that he doesn't know where he is. He has never been in this part of the palace before. He lets his sword drop down to his side. The tip hits the floor with a dull clunk.

The room he is in now is very large. There are elaborate tapestries hanging on the walls. Heavy curtains are drawn over the window. There are lots of strange things piled around the room. Stacks of books, a broken mirror, an old bed, a giant birdcage, and a loom are all very interesting. The thing that holds Thor's attention, however, is a sword leaning in a corner, covered in cobwebs.

Thor makes his way over the mounds of curious objects over to the sword, leaving his pretend weapon behind. His 'cloak' gets snagged in something that looks oddly like a hand and he is forced to abandon it, as well. By the time he reaches the object of his endeavors, he has lost a boot, as well. He takes the sword in his hands, mouth open. He knows he can't carry it through all the stuff he had to crawl over to get to it. He lifts it, tongue sticking out with the effort. He looks over the piles of things. He can't carry it, but throwing it would make too much sound. His eyes finally land on a rug. He can throw it onto that, and it would hardly make any noise at all!

He gets ready to throw the sword, hoisting it up higher over his head. As he tosses it, he lets out a grunt. It tumbles through the air, flipping over itself. It lands nicely on the rug and Thor's face lights up in a grin. He clambers over to it, struggling over some of the objects that point up more. When he gets over to it, he picks it up, bracing it against his stomach. The weapon is taller than he is, making it more than a bit hard to lift. He takes an experimental swing and it tips forward. He frowns and tries again. This time, it stays mostly level. He smiles and starts to slash the air around himself. He gets close to the wall - closer than he had meant to. The next swing rips through one of the tapestries.

Thor looks over to the door to make sure no one is there. When he sees that he is still alone, he sets the sword on the floor and pads over to the tapestry. His breath seems very loud and his heart beats against his chest painfully. He raises a hand and runs a chubby finger over the edge of the tear.

He can't let Mumma see this. Or Dada. He tenses in fear when he thinks of what his parents would say if they saw what he had done. It would be even worse if Nurse saw what had happened. This thought is even worse than his parents. Nurse would surely punish him, and it wouldn't be an easy punishment, either.

The fear of being caught with the torn tapestry sets Thor in motion. He scoots the sword under the rug and takes up his own wooden sword. He looks at his cloak, trying to decide whether or not to fetch it. In the end, he just leaves it and runs from the room. He closes the door quickly behind him. He doesn't even notice that he left his boot back in the strange room.

That evening at dinner, Thor sits quietly, sliding his food around on his plate. No one knows about the accident. He has kept silent all day. He is actually a bit surprised by how long he has kept it a secret. Usually, he breaks down and tells his mother when he does something wrong. But not this time. He can't tell her this time. If he does, he will surely be punished.

His mother's soft, gentle voice pulls Thor from his dreadful thoughts.

"Are you alright, Thor? You have been acting strangely all day."

Thor shrugs, not looking at her. He lifts his glass to take a drink, but when he looks down at the water, he changes his mind and sets it back on the table. He hasn't eaten anything, save nibbling on a roll.

"Is it your father? Are you worried about him?"

Thor jumps at the chance to cover up his real reason for being so quiet and says, "Yes, Mumma. I want Dada to come home."

Frigga says lightly, "Do not fret, so, Thor. He will be here soon. The war is over, and you can count on your father to come home as quickly as he can. He loves you, and he does not like being away from you."

Thor nods. He takes another small bite of his roll. Frigga has a feeling that it isn't just his father that has upset Thor so much. He gets letters from Odin every so often, so he knows that he is well. He has been gone for two years, though. It is understandable that the boy would miss his father, but he has taken it so well up to this point.

"Has someone picked on you, my darling?"

Thor shakes his head, wrinkling up his nose. "No, Mumma. Nobody picks on me!"

Frigga has to laugh softly at that. She should have known better. But if that isn't what's wrong, then what is? It's frustrating as a mother to not know what's going on with your little boy. He has never acted this way for as long as he has today, and he only ever acts this way when he has either gotten himself in trouble or he is bothered by something. A small smile spreads on Frigga's lips.

"Thor, have you done something you should not have done?"

The way the boy looks up sharply gives her the answer she needed. So Thor has done something wrong. That's all.

"What happened?"

Thor fidgets in his seat, not wanting to tell her. He can feel her gaze on him. She knows! But she doesn't know what it was that he did. Maybe he can just tell her that he did something small. Something that won't get him into as much trouble. But it has to be something that he would actually do. Of course!

"I was in the gardens today, and I ran over some of the flowers."

Frigga frowns and sits back in her chair. "Oh? Would you care to tell me which ones?"

Thor mumbles something, but it is nearly inaudible. Frigga raises an eyebrow. She opens her mouth to speak, but Thor cuts her off.

"I don't know which ones they were."

Frigga nods slowly. She says, "Well, after you finish eating, you can show me."

Thor looks up at her again, his eyes wide and round. His mouth drops open. She has a slightly triumphant smile on her lips. Thor holds his head in his hands. There's no way out of it now. He's going to have to show her some trampled flowers, but he has no trampled flowers to show. He hasn't trampled any.

After miserably finishing his dinner, Thor trudges into his room to put on some new boots. His mother had insisted that he wear them instead of the slippers he had worn to dinner. He flops onto his stomach beside his bed to rummage around in all his boots and shoes under it. It takes him forever to find a pair that match. He looks sadly at his lone boot sitting beside his door. He hadn't gotten its counterpart from the odd room. That pair had been his favorite. He assures himself that he will be able to get it later. He makes a secret plan to get it tonight, after he is supposed to be in bed.

He pulls on the new boots and stands. He looks down at them and wiggles his toes. They aren't like his other ones, but they'll have to do for now.

He plods over to the door and opens it. He finds his mother standing on the other side, waiting. She steps back for him to be able to come out. When he closes the door and looks up at her, she waves her hand down the hall, indicating that he should lead the way. He swallows the lump in his throat and starts walking. He can tell that he walks strangely, because it feels all wrong.

After a few wrong turns and odd looks from people in the halls, they finally make it to Frigga's gardens. The sun is going down, and Thor knows that he has to think fast. He doesn't have a lot of time left to show her some crushed flowers. If she doesn't see any, she'll know that he lied, and he will have to show her what he really did.

Frigga says, "Lead on, Thor. Show me the flowers."

Thor walks through the garden, searching for some flowers that may have already been flattened. He has no luck. He looks back to make sure that Frigga isn't looking. When he sees that she is looking away, he steps on some of the lower growing flowers.

He calls, "Here they are, Mumma!"

Frigga walks over to him with all the grace a queen should hold. Her hands are clasped in front of her, down by her stomach. She takes small steps, her feet never once peeping out from under her skirts. When she reaches Thor, she looks down at the flowers and her face falls.

"Thor, I have asked you to be more careful. Especially around these!"
Thor turns his eyes back down to the flowers and his heart fills with dread. The flowers that he chose to step on are, or maybe we should say were, some of his mother's favorite flowers. He looks up at her, his eyes filling with tears. He can't seem to get out of trouble today.

Frigga takes in his little face, with tears running down his toddler cheeks and his bottom lip trembling. She kneels down and sweeps him into a hug, holding him close to her chest. She murmurs softly, "It's okay, my darling. It's alright. They're only flowers. I can plant more if they don't grow back. Please don't cry, my child."

Thor melts into her embrace, his small body shaking with sobs. He grabs a fistful of her dress and pulls himself as close to her as he possibly can get. He has never needed her to love him so much. He feels like he can only mess up today. He's scared that she won't like him anymore. He lets out a particularly loud sob and she gently lifts him onto her lap.

"Hush, my love…..my darling little Thor…hush….."

Thor burrows his face in her chest, trying to hide. She strokes his hair gently, murmuring soft comforts to him. After a little while, his sobs slow down. He shifts in her arms and looks up at her.
"Mumma, do you still love me?"

Frigga's own eyes fill with tears. She nods and says softly, "My sweet little prince. Thor, I will always love you. No matter what you do, no matter what happens, no matter how much you change. I will always love you with my entire heart."

Thor nods and snuggles closer to her. She stands, holding him in her arms. She carries him back to his room. By the time they get there, he is asleep, his face tucked close against her. She sits him on the bed and gently pulls off his boots. She sets them beside the bed. Then she removes his shirt and replaces it with his sleep shirt. She changes him into his sleep pants, as well. He stays mostly asleep through it all. Frigga lifts him up again and pulls his blankets back. She settles him down again and wraps the blankets around him, making sure he is wrapped up well. The nights can get cold sometimes.

Frigga walks out of the room silently, eyeing the stray boot curiously. She shakes her head, deciding that Thor has probably just hidden the other somewhere. She closes the door quietly behind her. Little did she know that Thor is still awake, and waiting for his chance to retrieve his boot and cloak.

About three hours later, Thor slides out of his bed and pulls on his soft shoes from Alfheim. These are best for sneaking around after bedtime. He pads to the door and opens it slowly, being as quiet as he can. He peers out into the hall to make sure that no one is there before slipping out.

Once he is in the hall, Thor realizes that he has no idea where the room was. He found it by accident. He thinks he can remember where to go from the dining hall, though. He decides to head there first, so he doesn't get lost first thing.

He creeps through the halls, keeping an eye out for anyone who may be coming or going. Thankfully, he makes it to the dining hall without any problems. He stands there and thinks, trying to remember where the room was. Surely he can find it, if he can only remember where it was. He has an excellent memory. At least, that's what his tutor tells him. If he could put that memory to good use, he'll be able to find the room.

After a while of thinking, Thor makes up his mind to just walk around until he finds it. The palace can't be that big, right? He'll be able to find it in an hour or so.

It takes the boy almost three hours to find the room. The only thing that kept him going was the need for his boot. He just can't go on without his boot. It's his special, lucky boot. They are the best to run in, and they are the best to play in. He does these things all day, every day. He has to have the right equipment, so there is really no other choice.

Before he opens the door, he presses his ear to it to make sure that no one is on the other side. When he determines it to be safe, he opens it and walks in. The room is very dark now. Almost too dark to see. Thor is scared of the dark, though he would never tell anyone. He wishes that he had brought a candle or a lantern so that he could see. He tells himself that if his dada isn't afraid of the dark, then he isn't, either. He steps into the room, bravely putting in a foot. He is greatly pleased to find that no monsters bite it off. He takes another step in and squints into the dark. He realizes that if he squints hard enough, he can see a little better. Better than opening his eyes as wide as they go, at least.

Once his eyes are as adjusted to the dark as they will get, he walks into the room further. He stumbles over the sword under the rug and falls onto his stomach. He gets onto his hands and knees to crawl around. He won't fall this way.

Thor runs his hands over the floor, searching for his boot. It has to be in here. He just has to find out where. He remembers it getting stuck on something when he was climbing. He's a little scared to climb in the dark, though. He won't know what he's putting his hands on if he can't see, which he is having trouble doing. After a moment of prep-talking himself, he decides that he will climb. He will find his boot. He can do this!

Halfway up the first mound, he changes his mind and scoots back down. This happens several times. Around the tenth time trying, he hears a voice outside the door. He squeaks and climbs down the pile. He scampers over to the corner of the room and hides as best he can.

The voice is joined by another and Thor sucks in a breath to listen.

"He is small, for his kind."

Mother's voice. Thor wonders who she is speaking to, and who they are speaking of.

"Yes. He was left in a temple. I believe that he may have been offered as a sacrifice before the battle."

Father's voice! He's back! But who are they talking about? Has he brought someone back?

"They do not appreciate the beauty of life. I do not think I will ever understand them."

"Neither shall I, my wife. I do not think that anyone save their own kind can understand them."

There is silence for a moment, and Thor doesn't dare to breathe. His heart pounds. He feels like he needs to find out who they are speaking about. It has to be a small someone. Otherwise, they would be making sound, too. Maybe it's some sort of animal. That would make sense. Only animals should be offered as sacrifices.

"Will you let me care for him, Odin? Can we raise him as our own?"

Thor frowns. Maybe it isn't an animal.
"Yes, of course. We will have another son, whether he is of our blood or not."

Thor stifles a gasp. Another son! Does that mean that they don't love him anymore? Is he going to be replaced?

Before he can stop himself, Thor bursts out of the room. His parents are startled, to say the least. They look down at him, surprise etched into their expressions. Thor sees a bundle in his mother's arms. It's shaped like a baby. So he was right. Whoever it is, they're very small. He looks up at Odin as if he has been betrayed and cast out.

"What is this?"

Odin looks at Frigga before saying carefully, "This is your new brother, Thor. He is sleeping now, so please do not wake him up. He cries very loudly when he is woken."

Thor puts his hands on his hips and glares up at his father. He doesn't like this new baby. He doesn't like him at all. He is going to be their new favorite, Thor can tell. It isn't fair. He is the prince of Asgard, and no one else is.

"I don't like him."

Odin looks taken aback. He says quietly, "I think you will grow to love him, Thor. You hardly know him."

Thor shakes his head. "No, I don't like him now and I never will."

Frigga looks sad. She says, "Maybe if you were to see him, you would like him more."

Thor looks skeptical, but nods. "Maybe."

He actually really wants to see this baby. Maybe he will like him. Maybe the baby won't be as bad as he thinks he will be. Thor secretly hopes that he will like the baby. He always wondered what it would be like to have a brother. It must be better than having friends.

Frigga gets down to her knees so that Thor can see the baby. As soon as the boy sees the little infant, he breaks into a grin. Frigga gently transfers the bundle to Thor's arms. He takes it carefully. Frigga stands back up and looks over at Odin. They both look very relieved.

After a moment, Frigga says softly, "Thor, you should really get back to bed. I'm sure that the baby would rather sleep in a bed that in our arms all night, as well."

Thor nods reluctantly. He hands the infant back to Frigga, his eyes still glued to the tiny face. He already loves the little baby. He doesn't see how he couldn't, either. The little one is just too cute!

Thor looks over to his father and asks, "What is his name?"

Odin searches his mind for a Jotun name. All of the ones he comes up with seem too harsh for the babe. After a moment, he says softly, "Loki. I think his name should be Loki."

Thor nods, thinking over the name. A second later, he grins. "I like that name. Loki. Loki Odinson."

Odin nods, smiling back down at his son. He and Frigga take Thor back to his room. He falls asleep almost immediately, a smile on his face. He dreams of his new brother, and all the things that they will be able to do when he gets bigger.

Frigga settles Loki down into Thor's old crib. Odin watches as she fusses over the child, a faint smile on his face. They had been trying again for another son, but they weren't able to have any more children. Now it is as if the Norns blessed them with another child. It may not be of their blood, but it is going to be theirs. Who knew that so much good could come out of war? There was more than victory given to the Asgardians this day.

When Frigga turns around, she sees a thoughtful look in Odin's eye. She smiles and walks over to him. She wraps her arms around him and he does the same to her. It takes them a while, but they finally pull apart and are able to get changed into their nightclothes. Once they are changed, they tumble into bed and fall asleep in one another's arms, neither of them noticing the missing drape that usually hangs over the window.