A/N: Well this is the only other chapter I have currently completed writing, I am attempting to finish the last few but it's getting a little hard D: but you never know the flair might come back as I repeatedly watch the movies containing the sexy demi-gods. Also I am well aware that I am a horrible person for taking long breaks and then writing this mean ol' feels stuff. Thanks to all those who reviewed the last chapter, nice to know people are still reading :D

Chapter 34

"Loki…he's dying…" Frigga finished, unable to prevent her tears any longer. How could she when she was told by some of the best healers in the Kingdom that there was nothing they could do for the youngest prince other than to ease his passing as much as they could? No mother should have to attend the funeral of their own child. These words shouldn't have been such a relief to the God of Thunder but he knew dying wasn't a finality, that there was still time. Nevertheless this was still the one sentence that Thor never wanted to hear in his life, there was nothing worse than knowing that a precious family member was soon to be nothing more than a memory carved into his heart.

"They say that he only has less than a day left. They found a bite on his arm…the venom has spread throughout his whole body but they have no idea what bit him. Thor it is only the magic of the healers that is keeping him alive, just long enough for us to say our g-g-goodbyes," the Queen once again broke down into desperate sobs, clinging to Thor like he was her only form of solace in this morbid time. She couldn't break down like this in front of Odin, after all she was his Queen, the strength that helped hold together all of the nine realms of Yggdrasil.

"I know what bit him mother…there may yet still be time to save him," Thor stated firmly. Frigga tensed, quickly pulling away from Thor to look into his tired but shimmering electric coloured eyes. Instantly she spotted hope and it brought a simmering warmth to her chest, Thor truly believed that it wasn't over yet. Blinking away her final set of tears, Frigga managed a smile as she was vibrantly reminded of how proud she was of her son. Loki truly was so lucky to have Thor as a big brother, a brother who never gave up even when things looked so grim.

"It was during the first trial…we…" the blonde trailed off as a realization smacked him straight in the face, harder than any of Loki's insults ever could. It was his fault. He was the one that wanted to go down into the ruins even after Loki's warning. If it wasn't for his childish determination consumed with boredom and stupid curiousity, they would never have gone down into the darkness, never have come face to face with dangerous yellow eyes and Loki would have never been bitten.

"What is it…Thor?" Frigga urged as she watched her son's face become swallowed up with guilt.

"It's my fault mother…it was my fault Loki got hurt. I was supposed to protect him, he was my responsibility. I didn't listen to him," Thor confessed, he had doomed Loki from the start, choosing him as his companion for the trials. He should have known better than to put his cherished little brother in harm's way. Gentle hands placed themselves on Thor's cheeks as soft blues eyes looked up into those laced with thunder.

"Do not blame yourself for this my son. Think of all the good that has become of this, you have made Loki so very happy when he was so lost before, your bond with him has never been stronger. Thor you have done what I could not, you have given him a reason to live again. Please do not forsake these things, I cannot watch you fall apart as well," Frigga whispered, brushing her thumbs across Thor's jaw, feeling the rough stubble against her skin. Thor nodded, giving her a brief, weak smile that told her that he had tried to heed her advice but found it hard to accept. What good would it make if Thor had managed to give Loki a purpose if now it was to be taken away so suddenly? There was no good in changing everything for so little time.

"Now tell me about this serpent," the Queen requested, the strength returning to her voice. Now she had to be the tough one, her son may have been the fiercest warrior in all of Asgard but he was still weak to his own emotions.

"During the first trial Loki and I descended into the ruins of Beinvidr and we came across a serpent known as the Beinvidr Shortfang, it bit Loki during our confrontation. He told me the bite was harmless and that the serpent held no venom. He lied. I read up on the beast, its venom is deadly and kills its victim within mere hours. Loki was bitten days ago. He must have been keeping himself alive with his magic, slowing down the process or something. It says a cure can be made if a fresh fang is taken from a living serpent…but they are rare and well…" the God of Thunder explained, unable to finish his sentence as he didn't want to bring truth to reality.

"You do not know how long he has left and whether or not you have enough time to save him…" Frigga finished, sweeping back a stray strand of golden hair from her sons forehead.

"I-I-I do not want to leave him if these are to be his final moments, if there is no chance of me succeeding, the thought of Loki passing without me by his side is just too much for me to bear. He needs me, he needs to know that my feelings for him were resolute, that I have always loved him and always will. I want to be here for him but at the same time I would go all the way to Hel and back if I knew it could save him. What do I do mother?" Thor questioned with an expression that reminded Frigga of the child she had brought up. Like a lost puppy, he looked helpless needing the guidance of his mother. In truth Thor was afraid of the decision, afraid of making the wrong one and having it haunt him for the rest of his days or what little days he could survive without the emerald in his core.

Before she could answer her distressed son, they were disturbed by the sound of the Matron entering the room. Grave and sympathetic was her expression as she held her hands clasped in front of her chest.

"My Queen, Prince Thor…I am here to tell you that Prince Loki is awake and is asking to see his brother," the Matron announced, bowing her head in respect to her royalty. Thor turned to Frigga who just smiled and nodded her head, understanding that her youngest wanted some alone time with his sibling. It was understandable simply as she knew with Thor he could keep up his mask but still have the comfort he was probably craving. But as soon as it came to her his façade would fracture and begin to let out fear and Loki was terrified of that emotion which was why he tried to ignore it entirely.

"Go Thor, be with your brother…I will talk to the Matron about what would be the best option from here," she gently nudged her son towards the door who surprisingly needed the extra encouragement to move. Deep down he was afraid of what he would see in the room, afraid of seeing Loki so close to death. It would be an image that would scar him for life. With a sudden brisk nod, Thor then entered the Healing chambers, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes to prepare his mind for the sight that was about to come.

Opening his eyes and finally letting out the breath he had been holding, Thor had to admit he was almost shocked at the view that lay before him. Despite the golden almost holographic glows around the bed that showed all of Loki's current vital signs (which Thor was so glad he couldn't decipher), the Trickster himself was sat up against a hill of cushions with his arms crossed across his chest and look of disdain.

"Loki…you look surprisingly good…considering," Thor declared as he walked over to the large bed and took seat on the wooden chair beside it. Force of habit made him smile, albeit a sad one, as he was reminded of his brothers incredible will. Despite the frontage of attitude though, the God of Thunder could still see the fragility that lounged buried under blankets. Loki's skin was as white as snow and looked just as cold, his lips were near grey and worst of all were his eyes. What was once a mischievous and beautiful jade were now tarnished, barely clinging to the little life they still held. The God of Mischief was giving everything he had left to support this act.

"If these are going to be my last hours, I am not going to use it moping around looking sorry for myself," Loki remarked bluntly, clearly refusing to acknowledge any of his true emotions. Luckily for him it was a skill he had mastered a long time ago.

"How are you feeling?" The blonde asked, fighting the urge to grab one of Loki's hands just so he could hold it. Too bad they were out of his reach and Loki didn't appear to be in the mood for physical contact (judging by his facial expression, expressions which Thor had expertly learnt to read).

"Hold out your hand," Loki commanded. The Thunderer raised an eyebrow at Loki's strange command but did so regardless.

"Now I want you to ball your fingers into a fist and punch yourself in the face considering I cannot do it myself. I know you are an oaf but are you really that idiotic to ask such a stupid question?" The Trickster glowered, looking utterly irritated. It was taking all his restraint to not scream in agony as every muscle in his body felt as though someone was dragging a white searing knife through it over and over again, shredding his body from the inside. The Healers magic kept him breathing, kept his heart pumping but it did little in preventing the inferno spreading through his veins. The Trickster was forcing himself to stay conscious, knowing that his next sleep would likely be his last.

"I am sorry," Thor responded in an instant, Loki was right, it was a dumb question. He lowered his head feeling the guilt begin to drown him again, suffocating all his other raging emotions. The blonde perked up when he felt a sudden icy presence over his still outstretched hand. Nimble fingers interlinked themselves between coarse ones as Loki turned Thor's hand over to inspect the bloodied bruises on the blonde's knuckles. There was nothing that got passed the God of Mischief.

"What happened?" Loki questioned, feeling Thor's grip tighten. It hurt.

"I er…did some redecorating in our room," the older prince replied, thinking back to when Loki had done some redecorating of his own.

"I see. Well you better not have touched my books or you may find your wardrobe having being swapped with Sif's," the Trickster threatened with a smirk, "I am sure you will look dashing in a corset and skirt five sizes too small."

"Actually there was one book. It did not get damaged do not fret but…the Beinvidr Shortfang. You lied to me Loki, why would you do such a thing?" Thor's tone turned serious within a heartbeat, laced with a subtle ire.

"Are you seriously that shocked that I lied to you after all this time I have spent lying to you?" Loki uttered incredulously. Was Thor really that naïve to think that because they had expanded their relationship and Loki had told him a few truths that it would always stay that way? Honesty was just not in his nature.

"Yes. You only lie when it is in your favour. This was not in your favour."

"Who said it is not?"

"Are you telling me that you planned to die here?"

"Of course not!" The Trickster then snapped, pulling his hand out of Thor's grasp and turning his head away from his brother to instead look at the wall.

"Do not turn away from me brother, you will look me in the eyes and you will tell me the truth, you will tell me why you decided that your life meant so little," the older male demanded, lightly grasping Loki's jaw to turn him back to face him. Loki avoided the eye contact for as long as he could before deciding that the blue eyes that were burrowing into him were too much of a hassle to ignore.

"You are such a fool Thor Odinson, such a reckless, big-headed, stubborn fool…and I am the even bigger fool. Sentiment is such a burden sometimes. I could not let you face these trials alone, if I had told anyone about the bite I would have been taken out of the competition," Loki sighed, beginning to feel a much reviled sensation prick at the corners of his eyes.

"So you decided my life meant more than your own?" The God of Thunder grimaced. He was the older brother, he was the one who was supposed to protect Loki, not the other way around.

"Do you not get it? My life means nothing without yours. You would have died in that second trial without my help! That brain of yours is useless and I was not just going to watch the buffoon I fell in love with get himself killed when I could prevent it!" Loki bit back, unintentionally letting a stray tear glide down his sharp cheekbones with a blink. For a long minute, Thor was imprisoned in silence, unable to think of any words that could respond to Loki's brute candour. He hated to admit it but he was undoubtedly correct, he would have died during the events of the second trial, it was Loki with his intellect and magic that had saved them both.

"You are right. I would have done the same if I was in your position. Loki I am so sorry. I would ask your forgiveness but I truly do not deserve it. Brother…how can I make this right?" Blue eyes welled up with sorrow as Thor's pleading tone managed to fracture Loki's mask ever so slightly.

"You can save me…I do not want to die Thor. Not now. Not when I finally want to live," the younger prince muttered, dragging his fingers through quilts fabric. His gaze fell south to hide his expression behind a few stray black curls that fell over his face. A moment of weakness this was, brought on because of his dire situation.

"Then I will save you. I will go back to the forest and I will find another serpent. I will bring back one it's fangs and the healers will create a cure for you. Please little brother…just hang on until I return, I promise I will not fail you," Thor said determined, giving his sibling a curt nod. His decision had been made, if Loki wanted to live then he would do everything in his power to make sure that happened.

"Good," the Trickster grinned, quickly repairing the damage in his guise. He leant towards Thor, reaching out a hand and tangling his fingers in blonde locks to then pull a startled Thunder God towards him for a kiss. Thor closed his eyes as he felt a strange tingling pass through his lips only to then relocate in his bruised hand. When he realized what the tingling was, he immediately pulled away with a frown.

"Loki…save your magic for yourself," he scolded as the slight pains in his hand faded away along with the bruises and the cuts. The God of Mischief cracked a small grin as if he was amused by his own inside joke.

"Oh, I am. Although Thor I need to te–"

"WHERE IS HE!? WHERE IS THE BOY!?"

Green and blue eyes darted towards the door that was violently swung open by a raging Allfather. Loki supressed a flinch when Odin locked his furious gaze upon him and marched in his direction, beating Gungnir hard against the stone floor with each step. The sound echoed. Followed shortly behind him was Frigga, grasping hold of his arm in a futile attempt to pull him back. On instinct, Thor rose from his seat and turned to face his father, subconsciously raising his arms in a need to protect Loki behind him. It wasn't hard for him to figure that it was his brother that their father was furious at for some reason.

"Odin please. Do not do this right now," Frigga pleaded, her eyes apologetic as she knew that no matter what she said it would make no difference to her frenzied husband.

"Father, what is going on?" Thor questioned, glancing behind him to see Loki with a look of indifference on his pallid face.

"I wish to speak with my second son," Odin replied, grating out his words between clenched teeth. Noticing Thor's defensive stance however the Allfather decided to keep his distance and instead stood himself at the far end of the bed so he could look at Loki directly. Like usual, the Trickster paid him no attention and instead found interest in his nails.

"How dare you be so irresponsible Loki, starving yourself like a foolish child desiring nothing but attention! You thought I would never find out about your selfish actions. You forget I took you in Loki, after the Frost Giants cast you out onto a frozen rock to die!" Odin thundered, getting only a glimmer of a reaction from Loki whose jaw hardened just a little.

"Father do not be so cruel, can you not see what is in front of you, Loki is hurt, the last thing he needs is you yelling at him like this – besides Loki is no longer starving himself, I have seen him eat myself, many times," Thor countered, vexed by his father's bad timing and insensitive words. Once more Frigga appeared to whisper something to her spouse as if to calm him – needn't to say it didn't work.

"Even now you cause your family grief, did you not think to mention the fact that you had been bitten by a venomous serpent? Did you plan this all along, to keep it a secret to ruin your brother's celebration?" The King spat, it seemed no matter what he did; Loki would always remain the same arrogant and selfish boy he had taken from Jotunheim. He should have known there was never any taming a Frost Giant, even one as small as Loki.

"Stop it," Loki seethed, curling his fingers into a fist. Odin was hitting him right where it hurt and for once he was utterly wrong about his motives.

"You have always been jealous of him, you have always tried everything to ruin Thor's triumphs, and you even went as far as making him feel the need to leave his own home. You have always been ungrateful, disrespecting the family that had taken you in and given you a purpose. I made you a Prince of Asgard and I have questioned that decision ever since," he continued, his voice turning into a low rumble. The Trickster tensed, hunching over as if his father's words were a physical weight on his shoulders.

Odin wasn't one for regrets and despite all the hassle Loki had caused, he liked to believe that he was not one of them. Amidst all the trickery, rebellious nature and silver tongue, Odin had somehow become attached to the Frost Giant so much so that he may have even said that he loved him like a son. But he could not forgive the way he turned out and the torment he had inflicted throughout the Kingdom and more importantly the anguish he had caused his wife and biological son. It angered him to no end to think that there was just no way of getting through to him and now he was running out of time to do so. He just wanted a reaction, a real reaction from his youngest son, one that showed how repentant he was, to prove that who he had taken in all those years ago did indeed have a heart that was not made of ice.

"Do you find amusement in watching your loved ones being torn apart by misery? You have made your mother cry and you are going to tear your brother to pieces with this final act of yours," Odin finished, trying to ignore the remorse he was already feeling for being so verbally cruel to Loki in such a weakened state but this, despite everything, was the perfect time to see for himself if his profound faith was more than just a fantasy. It was then that his answer became clear.

"I said stop!" The Trickster yelled as his hand turned blue and began to freeze over. With a swiping gesture, glistening ice shards broke off from his fingertips and shot across the room like daggers, aiming directly for the Allfather. Seeing the impulsive and chaotic attack head his way, Odin swung his staff to shatter the cold weapons into crystals that now littered the floor. Breathing heavily with a painful rasping, Loki slumped back against the cushions, barely conscious.

"Loki!" Thor gasped, dropping to a crouch beside the bed. It only took one look to notice the fresh trail of tears staining the Tricksters face, tears that burnt the blood inside Thor's veins. How could his father make Loki cry!? Thor whipped his head to the side to look behind him, giving Odin a spiteful glare.

"How could you!?" The God of Thunder hissed. Odin gave a sigh of relief that abruptly turned into a sad smile. Being right only made this more painful. Every response before today was the same repeat of impassiveness, cocky retorts and cold scowls that had even the Allfather questioning if Loki even had a soul. The Allfather had waited all of his younger son's life to see him finally show his heart and now there was no denying its existence.

"That was the most truthful reaction I have ever seen from my son. I was right to adopt him into our family. Thor, you have my blessing to return to Beinvidr, please do whatever you can to save your brother. Frigga my Queen, I ask of you to stay at Loki's side and look after him. I will make the necessary preparations with Heimdall for your journey. Take whatever resources you need my son and meet me in the grand hall within the hour," the King instructed, not wasting any time as he immediately headed for the exit. Frigga nodded at her ordered duty, glad that Odin had finally seen what Frigga had known all along. For now however, she stayed back to give Thor and Loki the privacy of a goodbye.

Thor wasn't entirely sure he had followed what had just happened but he wasn't going to argue with his father when he now seemed to have Loki's best interest in mind. The Thunderer turned back to his younger brother and leant over. With the backs of his fingers, he gently brushed away the dishevelled black curls that were strewn across Loki's forehead before placing a chaste kiss there in recompense.

"Be careful brother…and remember not to get too overexcited with that hammer of yours, you do not need any debris falling on your thick skull, there is only so much idiocy I can take, especially as I am…well I am counting on you," Loki murmured managing a smirk with what little energy he had left. He knew there was something else he needed to tell him but he had unexpectedly forgotten what it was.

"And I love you too Loki," Thor rolled his eyes, though couldn't help but smile at the clear insult to his intelligence simply as it took him out of the anguish of the moment, just briefly, to remind him of the normal times between them both and give him hope that Loki was refusing to give into death. "And do not worry, I did pay attention to your words the first time round."

"Well that is a first," the Trickster attempted a laugh only to flinch in pain as the stabbing heat flared up in his chest and prevented the passing of oxygen. Delicate, pale fingers burrowed into green fabric and tightened into a fist. Thor could only bite his lip as he watched the distress build up in Loki's usually stoic features knowing there was little he could do other than to whisper reassuring words and simply wait for the moment to pass. Soon enough Loki's breathing began to even out and he relaxed, right as his misplaced memory reappeared in the front of his mind.

"Thor I–"

"Shhh, Loki. I think it is best you do not waste your energy on talking anymore…as much as that must be a burden for you," the Thunderer half joked, cutting the Tricksters words short, "I must go now, I cannot waste any more time." After letting his eyes linger on the form of his little brother a moment longer, Thor then turned to their mother who was stood with a gentle smile on her face and her hands clasped together just below her stomach.

"You will look after him won't you mother?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Frigga voiced in her usual benevolent tone, raising a quizzical eyebrow. As Thor took his leave with an apologetic glance at Frigga, the Queen made her way to Loki's bedside and sat herself down on the chair. Immediately she encompassed one of Loki's ice-cold hands with her warm fingers and held tightly. With her other hand she began to comb the dark locks of her son's hair, the way she used to when he was a child seeking comfort.

"It's quiet…" Loki muttered on the edge of a breath, he was beginning to drift off and as much as he didn't show it on his face the thought of doing so frightened him. He wasn't ready yet.

"Want me to tell you a story?" Frigga asked in the most compassionate tenor she could muster – she only ever spoke like this around Loki, her baby, the son she knew adored her more than the universe itself, even if he never would admit it.

"That would be nice," the God of Mischief exhaled, beyond caring about the fact that he was too old for his mother to still be reciting stories. He decided he could let his guard slip, after all he was dying so what was wrong with seeking solace in some childhood memories?

"Over five thousand years ago there lived a race known as the Dark Elves…"