A/N: I am relatively new to this fandom, so a lot of what I write won't be strictly "canon." There's a lot I don't know, but when I saw the movie "Thor," I couldn't help but think "what if...?" Anyway, I hope that if you read this, you like it!

Chapter 1

Adrenalin from the battle was pumping through Loki's veins and making his blood sing when in the middle of it, the Frost Giant known as Laufey grabbed Loki's arm so tightly that he couldn't pull away. Ice shot through him, freezing him in place and he stared in horror as his skin changed from its usual tone to a frosty gray-blue. His mind shuddered to a halt and refused to take in or accept what he was seeing. How had Laufey done it? Why? What would the point be of making his arm look like…look like…?

Laufey saw it, too. He looked from Loki's arm to his face and back again and actually gave a smile. A chuckle followed, chilling Loki to his core.

Loki looked from his arm to Laufey's face. What the blazes was going on?

Laufey's grip on his arm tightened almost to the point of pain, and Laufey turned and shouted an order in the Jotun language to his fellow warriors. One of them shouted back a confirmation and then Loki was swept off of his feet, one arm around Loki's waist and the other still holding his wrist, and then Laufey was running, carrying Loki away from the battle.

"Stop!" Loki shouted. "What are you doing? Let go! THOR!"

"LOKI!" Thor shouted, giving chase. He didn't get far, though. Two Frost Giants rushed his brother, blocking Thor from reaching him. That was the last thing Loki saw before Laufey rounded a bend and the shards of ice that covered Jotun's surface got in the way.

The ice forest was a maze. Within three or four turns within it, Loki couldn't tell which way they'd come from or how to get back to the battle. Frantic now, Loki called on his illusions, calling up snakes and scorpions and fire and…

Laufey howled and dropped him. Loki scrambled away, his feet slipping on ice and frozen rock. He rounded a corner, caught himself on a shard of ice when he slipped, and kept running. They hadn't gone that far…he had to be able to make his way back!

He rounded another corner and slammed right into Laufey's chest hard enough to make himself see stars and stun his breathing. Fighting for air, Loki crumpled to the ground, scrabbling away as quickly as his body would let him.

He didn't get far. Laufey grabbed him by his shoulders and lifted him close to his face. Up close, Laufey looked even more menacing.

"Do that again, and I'll use my bow on your back, little prince," Laufey threatened. "We do not have time for your tricks. Do you understand?"

Struggling with the urge to scream for help, Loki nodded.

Again, there was that odd smile. Laufey settled Loki on his hip as he would a child and began running again, jogging with an easy lope that ate up the distance. Loki tried his best to hold on and to quell his stomach, which the motion did nothing to help. At that moment, he regretted everything he'd ever done that could have led to this. What was he going to do? How was he going to escape? Would he even be alive when the day was done?

They exited the ice maze and entered an open plain, where several Jotuns stood with odd, fur-covered beasts. They looked…almost like horses, but at the same time, not. Without a word, Laufey handed Loki to one of the other Jotuns, mounted one of the beasts, and then took Loki back. He settled him on the saddle in front of him and took up the reins. "Hold onto the saddle horn in front of you," Laufey instructed. "We have a fast ride in front of us."

"Why…" Loki choked out. "Where are we…?"

Laufey kicked the beast into motion and they bounded away over the plain, heading for the mountains. It was a fast ride, very fast, and Loki felt the cold air sting his eyes. Between the jouncing he was experiencing in the saddle and the freezing air flaying his face, he felt as if he couldn't get a deep breath.

He didn't know how long the ride lasted, but once they reached the foothills of the mountains, they slowed, and there was an actual road instead of the uneven ground of the plains. Riding the beast on a road was little better than across the plains, but thankfully, it seemed they were reaching their destination. Up ahead was a large settlement, with houses, temples, and beyond them, a fortress. Loki had a sudden sinking feeling that they were headed straight for it.

He was right. They rode straight through the town and into the courtyard of the fortress. Laufey jumped from his steed, plucked Loki from the saddle, and stormed toward the doors. He burst through them like a whirlwind, shouting the names of…servants?...and then headed for the stairs on the far side of the hall. Up the stairs, down a hallway, and into a large room lit by skylights. Laufey roared for someone, who came scrambling from behind a shelf and Laufey issued an order that Loki didn't understand. The other Jotun nodded and led them through another door, which led to...something. It was a long platform, as tall as the tallest Jotun and twice as wide. Pillars of ice at each of the platform's four corners glinted in the torchlight, and for a moment, Loki thought he saw something move in them. He didn't get long to examine them, though. Laufey carried him to the platform and stretched him out on it, on his back.

For a second, Loki felt as if torture was imminent. Wasn't that what people did when they tortured others, lay them down on a table and then go to work? To his surprise, though, Laufey simply laid him down and stepped back. The platform and pillars lit up with a ghostly blue light and the other Jotun examined a panel in the wall.

Laufey began to pace as glyphs and symbols covered the panel. Finally, he growled, "WELL?"

The Jotun turned and looked at Laufey. "You were right, sire. He is."

Laufey let out an ear-splitting roar, which made Loki curl up and clap his hands over his ears. Here it was, he was going to be killed...Something warm and wet made him pull his hands away, leaving a large smear of blood on his face. He looked at his hands and remembered catching himself on something when he'd run from Laufey.

Laufey saw the blood. "Where are you injured?"

"Why do you care?" Loki answered, forgetting momentarily just who was asking. When Laufey snarled at him, he remembered. "Ah, my hand..."

The other Jotun reached under Loki's shoulders and pulled him into a sitting position before taking Loki's injured hand in his. A deep gash ran across the palm and it was still bleeding sluggishly. He turned away, filled a bowl with water from a jug and returned with the bowl and a clean bit of cloth. "Sire, may tend to his hand?"

"Better you than me; you've the training for it. Hurry up," Laufey snapped. Then, he looked at Loki. "Are you injured anywhere else? Your mother will have my guts for garters if you're truly hurt."

What did Frigga have to do with Laufey? Although, now that he thought about it, Laufey's description was spot-on. Frigga was most likely going to slaughter both of her sons for getting into this mess. He wasn't looking forward to it, but being at home and having her raging at him for being a bone-headed idiot would be a thousand times better than being in Laufey's hands. "No, I'm fine. Just my hand."

Loki stayed seated on the platform while the healer washed his injured hand, dried it, covered the injury with a cream, and then bandaged it. Once that was finished, the healer provided a damp towel for him to clean the blood from his skin. He started to hand the towel back to the healer when Laufey snatched it and swiped it over Loki's cheek again, and then the back of his hand. "You missed some."

"Um...th-thank you," Loki stammered. It was an odd thing for a Frost Giant to do. It was so odd that Loki began to feel as if the whole situation were not quite real. What in the name of the Nine Realms was going on?

Laufey lifted him from the platform and carried him to the door without a word of thanks for the Jotun healer. Laufey began stalking down the hallway and Loki squirmed in his grip.

"Stop that," Laufey told him.

"I'm not a child; I can walk," Loki reminded him. "Put me down, and I'll walk. I won't run from you."

Laufey set him on his feet, but still kept hold of his shoulders. He knelt down so that they were eye-to-eye. "Will you promise to cast no illusions in an attempt to get away?"

That would be worth not being carried like a child, Loki reflected, and he nodded. "I promise."

Laufey released him and then took Loki's uninjured hand, leading him down the hall.

"You don't have to hold my hand, either," Loki stated as Laufey pulled him along. "I won't run from you."

Laufey didn't answer and kept going. Despite Loki's protests, he kept hold of the smaller Asgardian's hand, leading him down the hall and to the stairs. Then, Loki found a bit of a stumbling block: the stairs were built for Jotuns, not Asgardians. He was too small to walk down them comfortably, or safely. Before he could ask Laufey to stop, Laufey simply bent down and scooped Loki up to carry him down the stairs.

Well, walking was short-lived, Loki thought with a sigh. At least Thor wasn't here to see him being carried like a child and then tease him about it. Thinking about his brother made him worry, though. Was Thor all right? Had he been injured? Had their father found out what they'd done?

They reached the bottom of the stairs and moved out into the great hall of the fortress, and suddenly Loki found himself praying that the floor would open up under him and swallow him whole. The room was packed with Frost Giants. Some were in battle gear, others formal dress, and they were all staring at him. Laufey shouted something to them and they shouted back, deafening him. He winced and wished that he were anywhere else but where he was. He was outnumbered...seriously outnumbered...how was he going to get out of this?

Laufey carried him toward the throne and deposited him in a Jotun-sized wooden chair beside it. He took his seat while the rest of his court watched, and as soon as Laufey was seated, the court began to relax. They began to mill about and chat, their voices harsh to Loki's ears. Occasionally one among their number would glance at him and then look away, but whenever that happened, Loki felt as if the whole room were looking at him. He didn't like it.

Loki glanced at Laufey. Why had Laufey brought him here? Why wasn't he locked up in a dungeon somewhere? Why was he being kept here in the great hall, in the middle of the Jotun court?

The doors to the hall opened and a Jotun woman rushed in, heading straight for Laufey. She stumbled to a halt when she saw Loki. She looked from Laufey to Loki and back again, and then asked Laufey a question in Jotun. Gravely, Laufey nodded. She immediately hid what she was feeling and went to the smaller matching throne at Laufey's side, glancing at Loki from where she sat.

Loki shifted on his seat and contemplated how far he was from the ground. If he was fast...could he make it to the door?

Something in the air shifted around him, making him feel as if he'd been enclosed in a bubble. Startled, he looked at Laufey.

"Your thoughts were showing on your face, little one," he said, actually sounding amused. "You won't be going anywhere. I have a strong feeling that the All Father himself is on the way."

Loki told himself not to panic. Surely the fact that he was okay would help ameliorate Odin's anger at their actions. A father would be relieved to see his son unharmed, wouldn't he? He leaned back in his chair and waited. As he sat there, the cold in the room made itself felt and it wasn't long before he started shivering. He was colder than he could ever remember being. He was so cold that it was almost painful. If his father didn't get there soon, he would be spared from being in trouble over this latest escapade due to the fact that he'd be dead of cold.

A fur dropped down around his shoulders, surprising him. He looked up and behind his chair, and there was the Jotun woman who'd come running into the hall. She gave him a warm smile and moved back to sit beside Laufey. He was surprised that a Jotun would be so kind to an Asgardian. He pulled the fur tighter around himself and buried his hands in it. It was fabulously warm and he felt a thousand times better.

He had no idea how long he waited, but three loud blows on the door brought him out of his thoughts with a thump. His heart did a funny little gallop in his chest as the doors opened and there stood Odin, along with Thor, his friends, and guards from the palace. Odin and Thor strode into the hall and Loki felt his heart do another funny dance when he saw his mother half-a-step behind Odin. Ohhh, dear. Well, the Jotuns would be nicely entertained when she started shouting at him, but no matter. His family was here, Thor and everyone else was okay...he was going home!

Elated at the prospect, Loki shrugged his way out of the fur, hopped down from the chair, and headed straight for his family. "Father! Mother! Thor!"

WHAM.

He'd forgotten about the wretched barrier Laufey had put up around him and for the second time that day, he saw stars. He stumbled back and glared at Laufey, just daring him to say something.

Odin saw what happened and he glared at Laufey. "Let my son go."

Laufey smiled as Loki picked himself up from the floor. "I do not have Thor Odinson in my custody, All Father."

"No, you have Loki Odinson," Thor snapped. "Let my brother go!"

Laufey shook his head. "You have no brother, Thor Odinson."

"What are you talking about?" Thor snarled.

Loki was just as confused as Thor. What was Laufey on about?

"During our last battle with Odin All Father, a child was placed in a temple so that he would be protected by the gods while we fought. He was a rarity among us, one not gifted with physical strength but with intelligence and far-seeing eyes. When he grew up, he would be a scholar, a mage, and a treasure to our people. However, during the battle, he was stolen from the temple before we could return for him. We have not seen him since that day...not until today, when he walked onto a battlefield to fight against his own people. He has returned to us, and here he shall stay."

Loki stared at Laufey, wondering just what he was talking about. What did that story have to do with him…no. Oh, no. No, no, no! "That can't be true!" he shouted, his voice filling the silent hall. Frightened now, he turned to Odin. "Father, tell him he's wrong."

Odin looked at Loki, his face an impassive mask. Thor looked from his father, to Loki, to Laufey and back again. "Father?"

"I wish it were otherwise, but what he says is true," Odin said, sounding every moment of his many years. "I am sorry, Loki. I found you in the temple. You were only a baby. I thought you had been abandoned and left to die."

There was an immediate uproar in response to that statement. Laufey silenced it after a few minutes by raising his hand. "You were mistaken, All Father. You admit that you took the child. What reparations will you make?"

Frigga took Odin's hand. "Odin."

Odin looked at his wife and nodded. "I know. I know, love." Odin turned toward Laufey. "I cannot return the casket to you, Laufey. You know why I cannot. What would you like instead?"

Laufey fixed Odin with a long, cold look and his answer was a snarl. "You know the answer to that question, All Father."

Odin nodded. "Yes. May I speak with Loki? My wife and I, and you and your wife…and our sons?"

Laufey looked Odin up and down, and then at Frigga. "Very well."

The barrier around Loki disappeared and Loki looked at his father, feeling completely lost. He'd been found in a temple…? Why had Odin taken him? His mother had once told him that Odin had a reason for everything he did, but…what reason had he had then? The whole thing...all of it...it just couldn't be true!

Laufey led them all out of the great hall and into a smaller room off to the left. With a desk and shelves holding books and scrolls, the place reminded Loki of a study. As soon as the doors were closed, Loki turned to his father. "Is it really true?"

Odin took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, son."

Loki sank against the wall, feeling his world crumbling around him, Odin's words filling his ears like ashes. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Frigga went to his side and put a hand on his shoulder. "We didn't want you to feel like an outsider, Loki. Over the years, in all the way that mattered, you were our son, and you still are."

What followed next was very difficult for all the parties involved. What was worst was learning that Odin had had more than altruism in mind when he'd taken Loki. He'd taken him in the hope that someday Loki would serve as the link between their two people and then hopefully, they would manage to build and maintain a lasting peace. After that, there was a great deal of talking, arguing, and even threats, but at the end, it was decided that Loki, now that his true parentage was known, would have to stay on Jotunheim.

When Loki heard that, he got to his feet and started shouting. "What if I don't want to stay here? What if I want to go home?"

Laufey growled under his breath and started to pace. "This is your home…your true home. You never even had a chance to know it before, prince. Why not give it a chance?"

"My brother's home is in Asgard," Thor added, taking Loki's part. "You want him to just upend his life and stay here?"

Laufey snarled at Thor. "We have a right to know our son!"

"And I have a right to my own life!" Loki pressed.

"Loki, enough," Odin said. "He is right."

Loki stared at his father, the older man's betrayal piercing him through the heart. "What?"

"Laufey is right. You should have the chance to know your birthplace and your people."

"But Asgard is my home," Loki insisted. "Your people are my people now. I grew up on Asgard, I learned the Asgard history and stories and customs…everything that makes you Asgardian makes me an Asgardian, too! I grew up calling you 'Father'! Your wife is my mother, and your son is my brother! After raising me, after calling me your son for all those years, you'll give me back…abandon me…just like that?"

"No one said anything about abandoning anyone, Loki," Frigga reprimanded him. "We aren't abandoning you."

"Oh, really?" Loki snapped, feeling his ire rising. "I'm being forced to stay in a strange place with strange people with the possibility of never seeing my home or family again! What would you call it, then?"

"I would call it a reunion," Laufey stated, taking his wife's hand and bringing her forward to stand in front of Loki. "We haven't had a chance to introduce you, yet, but this is your mother, Farbauti. She's had an idea that might make things a little easier for you here."

Loki looked Farbauti up and down. A light smack on his shoulder from Frigga made him jump.

"I know you have better manners than what you're showing now, Loki," she said firmly.

Belatedly, Loki put out a hand to shake. Caught between two mothers, he didn't have a chance. Once they'd shaken hands, Farbauti looked down at him and smiled. "Loki, would it help you if you stayed only a year with us, and then made a decision about where you would like to live?"

Loki stared at her. "A year?"

"A Jotun year," she explained. "Then, you could stay here if you liked, or return to Asgard."

Loki stared at Farbauti and Laufey. "You would…let me go back?"

"If that is what you wished," Farbauti answered. "We don't want you to be unhappy, Loki. Would you be willing to try a year here with us?"

Loki looked at his parents and brother and then at Laufey and Farbauti. "Would you allow me to write and receive letters?"

Laufey growled under his breath but Farbauti laid a calming hand on his shoulder. "I see no problem with that. Husband?"

Laufey opened his mouth to answer, but then he saw the look Farbauti was giving him. Immediately he subsided. "Very well."

Frigga stepped forward. "May we send some of Loki's things here?"

Farbauti gazed at Frigga and the two mothers regarded each other. "Such as?"

"His favorite books, some games, and he'll definitely need some clothes…he's not used to the cold here, and it will take you some time to have some made in a suitable size…" Frigga told her. "Please?"

Loki immediately saw his advantage. "I would feel better about things if we could do that. Just a bit."

Farbauti took it, hook, line, and sinker. Within the hour, the terms for Loki's stay were all settled, and Loki felt…odd. Not bereft, not exactly. More like he'd been set adrift. He really didn't like the feeling.

"We will send Loki's things this evening," Frigga promised. "Thor, will you help me choose things?"

Thor looked at Loki, who nodded. "I know just the things to send," he said at last.

"We will have someone watch for them," Farbauti said. "And thank you for thinking of such a thing. I am sure Loki will feel better having some of his own things here."

They left Laufey's study and returned to the now-deserted great hall. The guards from Asgard were still standing by the door, waiting, and several Frost Giants guarded them.

"Prince Loki will be staying on Jotunheim for the time being," Odin announced. "We will be returning to Asgard."

Laufey cleared his throat and spoke to his guards. "Please escort our guests to the Bifrost."

The Asgardian guards turned toward the doors, and Loki darted forward to stand in front of Laufey and Farbauti. "Wait! Wait, please! You'll let me say goodbye?"

Laufey regarded his small son and nodded.

Loki turned to his family, still struggling with how he was feeling.

"A year is not so long, Loki," Frigga said, embracing him and smoothing his hair for him. "You'll see. While you're here, take care of yourself, and give things a chance. You may be surprised."

"I doubt it," Loki said as quietly as he could. "I wish I was going home with you now."

She stepped back and laid a hand on the side of his face, and he reached up the grasp it, his eyes begging for reassurance he longed to hear. "Wherever you go, and whatever you do, you will be my son, Loki. Remember that, and that will help you through the hardest times. Will you remember that for me?"

Loki nodded. "I promise."

Frigga took him in her arms again and kissed him on the cheek. "I love you, son. I'll see you soon."

Thor was next, hurrying forward to wrap his brother in a bear-hug. "I'll miss you, brother."

Loki grinned. "I'll miss you, too," he said. "It will be so quiet without you around. Nothing will get broken, my books won't disappear, and maybe I'll finally get the last honey cake at dinner..."

Thor's face broke out in a smile. "Nonsense! Surely not! The last honey cake is always mine!"

Loki gave his brother a playful look. "Now, you and I both know that the last honey cake is always Mother's!"

A final bear hug and Thor stepped back, allowing Odin to step forward. Odin did not speak, but he did sweep Loki into a bear hug to rival Thor's. Loki could feel in his father's arms that the older man was sorry to lose him and that he was going to miss his younger son.

Loki looked up at his father. "Father?"

"Please take care of yourself, my son," Odin said softly. "Ever since the day I brought you to Asgard, you have been a joy to me."

Loki hugged his father, tightening his grip at those words, and then he stepped back. With that, his Asgardian family and friends walked out of the doors and out of his life for the next year. He took a deep breath as the doors closed and then turned to look at Laufey and Farbauti.

Farbauti approached him and drew him into her arms. He stiffened, and she released him. "It will not seem so bad with time, Loki," she said. "I promise."

Laufey stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder. "I promise as well, my son. With time, things will not seem so bad. It is almost time for supper. Come, and we'll eat, and then we'll talk."

What else could Loki do but follow them? Praying under his breath that he could endure everything for the next year, Loki followed Laufey and Farbauti to supper.