First off, I am so so sorry that this took so long. I hit a wall pretty hard with this chapter and it just took forever for me to work it out.

This is the last chapter and I cannot thank you all so much for reading and hanging in there. I do have more stories in the works and hopefully will not take so long to get them up.

A huge thanks to the ever amazing Mimbillia without whom this story would not have even been thought of. She has to deal with all my worry over how characters sound, if various things are a good idea and then of course has to get me to sit down and actually write. Sorry Mim! But here it is, no more waiting.

Enjoy!

Frigga sits Loki down on the edge of his bed, sending a quick order over her shoulder for someone to bring her a basin of cold water.

Turning back to her son, Frigga rubs his back as he sits in silence – staring in horror at his bloodied hands. She rests her chin on his shoulder, unsure of what to say.

A young servant returns with the basin and a clean cloth. She kneels down placing the bowl at Loki's feet and reaches for his hands – only to be shooed away by the Queen. The servant quickly curtsies and leaves the room, closing the door quietly behind her. Once alone, Frigga takes the servants place, arranging her many skirts about her as they catch under her knees. Picking up the cloth, she dips it into the water and begins to clean her sons hands.

"I thought he was my friend."

Frigga pauses in her work and looks to Loki. "He was. Whenever we spoke he would tell me of how much he enjoyed your company."

"He was my friend." Loki whispers.

They fall into silence as Frigga wipes the last of the blood from his fingers. When she is finished, she sits back on her heels and looks at his ruined coat and tunic. Sighing, she rises; placing the basin on one of Loki's many desks as she passes. Without looking at the pink-tinged water she moves on to his dresser to pull out one of his older tunics – soft and worn with stitching in many places, old holes he had asked her to mend.

"Come Loki, let's get those off."

When he doesn't move, she returns to his side and begins unbuttoning his coat and removes the ruined clothing, throwing them into a corner to be burned later. Picking up the cloth once more, she runs it over Loki's neck and helps him into the fresh tunic. She guides him to lie back against his pillows and removes his boots, pulling the covers up and tucking them about his shoulders. Curling his fingers into the blankets and furs, Loki turns onto his side and mumbles, "Why did he do that?"

"What do you mean?" Frigga sits beside him, sliding her fingers through his hair to bring some sort of order back to it.

"The knife was meant for me, why did he step in front of me?"

Frigga smiles sadly at him. "Would you not have done the same for him?"

A single tear rolls over Loki's nose. Frigga wipes it off and when it becomes clear that Loki will not talk anymore, she rises to browse his expansive bookcases, searching until she finds the one she was looking for. A small book – the spine almost completely broken and the pages falling out – sits between to larger times on shape shifting. It is a tale she would read to him as a child and she hadn't been completely sure that he still had it.

Loki shifts in his bed, leaving enough room for her to sit next to him. Carefully cracking open the book, Frigga reads until Loki's eyes slip closed – his fingers tangled in her skirts with a strong grip.

Loki stays in his rooms, simply refusing to leave. Thor slips in a few days later to apologise for the death of Loki's friend, for taking him on that trip and putting him in danger.

Loki accepts his apology but it's mostly to get his brother to leave. Loki just wants to go back to sleep and Thor is taking up that precious time. They are silent, staring at each other until Thor realises that no further conversation will happen. As he closes the large doors to Loki's chambers, Loki wraps himself in his blankets and pulls the furs over his head, falling asleep mere minutes later.

He is woken a few hours later by the sound of horses outside. Loki walks to his balcony, draped in his blankets and steadying himself against the walls. Hiding behind a pillar he peers over the edge and sees Thor and his friends below, laughing loudly and preparing for yet another hunting trip – the third one this week if he's to believe the servants gossip. Not that he purposely eavesdrops, but a majority of their gossip turns out to be true.

As Thor mounts his horse and turns to ride away, he glances over his shoulder and Loki shrinks back behind the pillar, watching but not allowing himself to be seen. Thor frowns and follows his friends through the palace gates.

The next morning, Loki is hiding under his blankets when the drapes are wrenched open. He groans and rolls over, pulling the blankets down to his nose. His mother is standing beside his bed, hands on her hips.

"Up with you."

Loki rolls back over, throwing the blankets back over his head. He hears her huff in frustration before the blankets are ripped from the bed.

Shouting in shock, Loki flips back over. "Get out you harpy!"

A swift smack hits the back of his head. "Do not speak to me like that, you've been in here long enough." She pulls on his night shirt until he gives in and climbs out of bed. When he reaches his dresser he turns back to her. "Out."

"Oh darling, it's nothing I haven't already seen."

Scrunching his nose up in disgust, Loki points at her. "Well at least turn around."

Frigga rolls her eyes and makes a show of turning around, waiting until the sounds of Loki dressing finish. She reaches out to take his arm, looping it through her own and leading him out the door. She notices the dark cloak he has wrapped tightly around himself, just like he did as a child, hiding away when he was afraid. She and Odin spent many sleepless nights with Loki wedged between them in their bed as he hid from the monsters in his chambers.

Frigga decides to take the lesser used corridor to one of her smaller gardens, one only a select few have access to. They walk slowly – Loki has made progress lately but she is still cautious of moving him too fast.

Two of her ladies-in-waiting appear at the end of the corridor, giggling as they no doubt swap palace gossip. When they spot Loki, they pause before another bout of laughter spills from them. Loki stiffens and raises a hand to the hood of his cloak, quickly flicking it over his head and ducking so that his face cannot be seen. Frigga tosses an angry look at the girls as they pass and their eyes widen as they quickly scurry off, fearing any wrath from their Queen.

"Do not bother mother."

Loki keeps his face hidden from her for the rest of the walk. Tears gather in her eyes but she blinks them away, determined to provide strength for her son.

Once in the garden he takes a seat beneath a large tree, hooded cloak still in place, knees up to his chest and his forehead resting atop them. Frigga sighs and rests a hand on his covered head, instantly missing the softness of his hair.

"You have had such trying times lately my darling boy. But it will get better, I promise. It may not seem like it, but it will."

Loki sighs and raises his head, blank eyes staring back at her. He drops his gaze and fiddles with the hem of his cloak. "What does Eir say? About my convulsions."

"She is quite confident about her new tonic. It will manages the convulsions and they should only occur every now and then."

"But never completely gone." Loki states.

She hesitates but ultimately decides on the truth. They have hidden too much from him already. "No, never completely gone."

He huffs a laugh and with a wry smile he turns his gaze back to her. "Yet another thing for them to laugh about."

Frigga kneels down and wraps him in her arms, his head against her chest and her dress crushed into the dirt beneath them.

"It will get better." She whispers, hoping against all hope that she has not told him another lie.

He keeps to the shadows, walking where no one thinks to look. If they do, all they would see is a cloaked figure ducking and weaving through the outskirts of the city.

Loki enters the woods not far from the city gates intent on picking flowers for his mother. She has been taking such good care of him over the last few months and it seems only fair to give her something in return and while she despises receiving expensive gifts from her sons, she can never say no to a vase of flowers.

He could go to her gardens and pick her favourites, but there is something different about the wild flowers in the woods and the walk gives him time to think.

He's alone, though he really shouldn't be. After taking Eir's new tonic his convulsions have significantly lessened. Loki has been told repeatedly to be cautious, to let others know where he is going and how long he plans to be gone in case something goes wrong. As if he is a child venturing out on his own for the first time. He understands, of course he does, but he is tired of it.

He is simply tired.

Shaking his head of these thoughts Loki reaches for the hood of his cloak - almost ever present these days as he hides from the prying eyes of the court – and lowers it as he spots a cluster of blue and white flowers. Kneeling down, he pulls out his knife and cuts off the finest of the bunch.

"She will like those."

Loki jumps up and spins around, holding his knife out in front of him and lowering it with a sigh when he sees his father standing in front of him. "Don't do that."

Odin smiles and bows his head. "My apologies, I did not mean to startle you."

Loki huffs and bends down to retrieve his dropped flowers. "Is there a particular reason you have for spying on me?"

"Spying?"

"Perhaps I should have said supervising."

"Yes, that is better."

Loki turns his back on his father, continuing his search for the perfect flowers, Odin following a few steps behind.

"Try the purple ones."

"I am perfectly capable of choosing flowers for my own mother!" Loki snaps.

Odin raises and eyebrow and waits.

They stand in silence until Loki blushes and drops his head. "I am sorry, that was rude."

"It is alright, I understand why you are upset."

Loki twists his fingers around themselves. "They stare."

Odin steps closer and places a hand on Loki's shoulder. "Wallowing in your sorrow will not help. I know you to be stronger than this. You may think I am being harsh, and perhaps I am. But I only wish for you to be yourself once again."

"Then I am afraid I must disappoint you father. I can never go back to the way I once was. I am damaged, I am different."

"You are not. You are Loki."

Brows furrowed, Loki looks up at his father, but he is alone once more.

It is perhaps two weeks later that Loki finds the courage to heed his father's words. As he descends the steps into the main courtyard he sees Thor and his friends preparing to leave on another of their grand adventures.

Quickly crossing over to his brother, Loki asks if he may accompany them.

Sif and the warriors three throw strange looks at each other before turning to Thor as everyone waits with baited breath. Even the horses appear to be waiting for the prince's answer.

However, Thor hesitates and Loki feels his heart sink and any confidence he had leaves him. "You do not wish for me to join you?" he asks.

"It's not that, Loki." Volstagg says, Fandral snorting behind him.

Thor sighs. "It is too dangerous brother. The area we wish to visit is filled with unrest and there are aggressors on the road. I do not wish for you to be hurt."

"The market was too dangerous for him." Fandral whispers to Sif as she covers her mouth to hide her smile. But Loki still sees it.

"Do you understand little brother?"

Loki forces a smile, though it feels as if his very soul has been lit ablaze by rage. "Of course brother."

Thor claps him on the shoulder and turns to his friends, tossing over his shoulder, "I will see you soon Loki!"

Loki stands in the courtyard alone, smile still forced onto his face until long after they have left.

They think him weak. Not even able to defend himself. The runt of the house of Odin.

Oh, he understands. And they will see what this little runt can do.