Secret

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. If I did, I wouldn't be a broke college student…

Author's Note: So, after years of never updating, I somehow found inspiration to keep writing this story. By now, so many things have happened in MCU (*cough cough* Thor Ragnarok *cough cough*). But, I think I already have some ideas on how to incorporate these events as long as the will to keep writing sustains. Also, just as an important side note, my style of writing may have changed a little by now. Hopefully, it changed for the better. I was reading some of my old stories, and I couldn't believe the many grammatical errors that I allowed myself to publish. Since I'm not proofreading this author's note, there are probably some errors in this as we speak. Point is, I may go back to the previous chapters to edit them. Maybe even add more detail. We'll see. Again, I'm so surprised I somehow found the will power to continue writing.

Anyways, without further ado, here it is! Feel free to leave a review!

Chapter 7

Odin was rarely afraid of anything. After all, he was essentially one of the most powerful beings in the universe. No one dared to ever stand up against the All-Father, for all men and women in the Nine Realms knew that doing so would result in their ultimate demise. So, oh, how ironic it was for Odin's greatest fear to be this. Running into the two boys he loved dearly, the tray of food he once held in his hands clattering a slight distance away from them. His eye widened as he looked down, his body tensing as his mind came to the realization of what was going on. Thor and Loki looked up at him, both sharing similar faces of fear. They were caught…No…He was caught. After all of these years, the inevitable has come. How Odin dreaded this moment…

"Boys," Odin started, fighting to keep his voice calm. Unfortunately, by doing so may have made him sound a bit stricter than he wanted. This was evident when the older brother collapsed on his knees, hands clasped together in a pleading motion while the younger brother started to tear up.

"Father, please, this isn't Loki's fault. This is mine. I…I started to notice how you disappeared during meals, and I know you told me it was because of meetings and such, but I was curious the one day and…I didn't mean any harm! I was so excited and…please don't punish Loki, Father. Punish me instead!" Thor begged.

"No, no Father! I am at fault too! I knew I should have stayed in my room. I should have said no, I should have told you what was happening. Please Father…If you punish Thor, then you must punish me too!" Loki cried, shaking his head furiously.

"I…" Odin began, his voice trembling slightly. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay in control. He needed to, or else they would all be a mess. "Oh boys, my boys. I am not mad at you," he told them firmly yet softly, bending to his knees to better engulf the two in a hug. "No, if I am to be angry, then it must be at me alone. I allowed this to go on for far too long, and for that I am so sorry. I hope you both can find it in your hearts to forgive this old man. I am truly sorry."

"Father," Loki's voice cracked a little, sniffling slightly as he buried his head in Odin's shoulder, "I…I am not angry with you. Only confused. I don't understand. Why, after all this time, have I not known about this? About Thor? Why hasn't Thor known about me? Does…does our mother know of my existence? Do I have a mother?"

"Wait, you do not know Mother?!" Thor asked, eyes widening as he shifted enough in his father's arms to stare at Loki in surprise, "How have you not met Mother?!"

"Thor," Odin started, only to be cut off by his eldest pulling away from them. The All-Father watched in shock as Thor grabbed Loki by the arm, a wide grin forming on his lips.

"Come Loki, we must go see her at once! Mother would absolutely adore you!" Thor boomed proudly, acting as if the encounter with their father hadn't happened at all.

"But Thor, I still have questions…" Loki complained, still sniffling as he tried to wipe his eyes with his free hand, stumbling slightly as he was forced to follow.

Odin stayed frozen, watching the two children. For almost an Asgardian decade (equivalent to centuries on Midgard), Odin feared the worst for this moment. He didn't know how the boys would react to each other. Loki's intuitive and calm nature clashed drastically with Thor's boisterous and brash personality. And yet, the two acted as if they had been raised together since they were born…They should have been raised together. Yet, Odin's fear for how the kingdom would react to Loki got the better of him. It was this that caused him to rob the brothers of the many experiences they should have had already together. It was this that never allowed the boys to eat meals together, play together, spar together, listen to Frigga's stories together…

Wait. Frigga. They were going to see Frigga. This thought was enough to break Odin out of his self-pity. With the sudden rush of adrenaline, Odin started to sprint forward, racing to beat the boys to the All-Mother. Norns, Odin couldn't even begin to imagine the horrid punishments he was about to endure at the hands of his beloved wife!

By some miracle, Odin reached the bed chambers before his two lads, panting slightly as he closed the door behind him. Frigga sat in one of the chairs by the large open window, chatting happily with the handmaidens as they sewed some new garments together.

"Oh, husband! What a delight to see you!" Frigga exclaimed warmly, standing up to better greet him. Though, she stopped and frowned slightly when she noticed the disarray her king was in. "Odin, my love, what ails you?"

"Dearest, if I may, I need to speak with you in private. We do not have much time," Odin told her nervously, gesturing hurriedly for the handmaidens to leave. Frigga watched them go, very much alarmed by how the man was acting.

"What is the matter? Are you ill? Is it the Odin sleep? It shouldn't be time yet…Norns, has something gone awry in the kingdom?" she questioned, trying to keep her voice from rising in panic.

"No, it is none of these concerns…At least, not in the way you believe. There is something I must confess to you, my wife. Something of dreadful importance before it is too late," Odin rushed to tell her, taking her hands in his, "I have kept a secret for far too long. It is one that I have been meaning to share, but I was too anxious and…No, I cannot blame nerves and fear on this. No, only stupidity and selfishness. I…"

"Husband, please just tell me. You are scaring me now," Frigga commanded, her eyes wide. She could feel her face turning white, her heart clenched as if a serpent has coiled itself around it. For a while, she noticed the sneaky nature of her husband. How he would disappear during meals. How he would never truly disclose his location. Of course, Frigga trusted her husband, and so she would never press. However, recently, she couldn't help but wonder if her husband was being unfaithful. Could this be it? Was her beloved here to tell her that he was seeing someone else? Frigga could feel the warm tears forming behind her eyes. No, this could not be.

"My love, I…" Odin started, only to be interrupted by the chamber doors being slammed opened loudly. The two adults stared at the entrance, Frigga's mouth gaped open as she stared at the intruders. Of course, she recognized her eldest, but who was this young boy that he brought with him?

"Oh, hello Father! I didn't see you pass us!" Thor laughed happily, stopping before them with the other just behind him. The black haired boy stared warily at Frigga before glancing at Odin and then back at Frigga.

"Thor, I do not know about this," he whispered lowly to the taller one.

"Nonsense! All will be fine!" Thor declared, stepping back to wrap a protective arm around the shorter one, trapping him in place. "Mother, I know this may be a shock to you, but remember the babe that was supposedly killed by those horrid men? Well, here he is! Loki, my brother, lives!"

"Thor, we don't know if that's the full story…We don't even know the true story at all…" Loki stated in disbelief, sighing as he facepalmed himself. Though, he peeked through his fingers to look at Frigga timidly.

Frigga blinked, feeling confused. But one look at Odin was all she needed to confirm that there was something more to this. That this boy was not just some stranger. And so, with that, Frigga teared up, gasping loudly. She snatched her hands from her husband, using them both to instead cover her mouth.

"Oh…It cannot be. Oh, Norns! After all this time? My precious baby boy. My Loki has returned to me," she sobbed, approaching the boys before collapsing to the ground to give them a huge hug. Loki froze in shock before hugging back tightly, his body trembling as the tears started anew.

Odin watched, feeling slightly relieved as he watched his wife accept his son. Frigga eventually stood up, wiping away the tears.

"My beloved son…sons. I cannot believe this, I have two sons! How blessed and happy I am. Oh, there is so much to talk about. I am sure the two of you have so many questions. How about you both go to the kitchens and kindly ask the servants to bring up some tea? Feel free to ask for any treats you may want. For just this once, a little indulgence before dinner won't hurt," Frigga instructed them, her voice filled with only warmth and love. The boys nodded in agreement, the two sharing such big wonderful smiles of excitement. When they retreated from the room, Frigga closed the doors with a wave of her hand. Odin can suddenly feel the powerful magic vibrating through the air, causing him to shiver.

Frigga turned around, the façade vanishing. The motherly face was replaced with that of a livid wife. "We do have much to talk about, don't we?" she asked coldly, approaching her husband in quick strides. Odin could suddenly feel a sting against his cheek, the sound from her hand's impact ringing against the walls. He allowed for her to do this, though. Odin knew when he deserved just displays of anger.

"Odin Borson, you will explain everything to me this instant! Or, I swear, I will rage Hel against you!"

By this point, that feeling of relief has turned to straight up terror.