Prodigal

Ch. 1

A/N~ YES! All chapters have been upgraded and edited! Enjoy the fic, folks!

~S~

Summary:Loki never tried to destroy Jotunheim or fell into the Abyss. But after he discovers what he truly is, and when Thor is banished, Loki sets out to find answers. And far behind him, Thor follows…

~s~S~s~

"…when were you planning to tell me?"

Silence

"Never? Someday? Perhaps after Thor was crowned, and I forever left in his shadow?"

"We never intended for any of this to happen…"

"But it did. And now I can't help but wonder; why?"

"We only meant to protect you."

"From what? The fact that I will always be second to Thor? The fact that, no matter how much I try, I can never measure up to Odin's expectations? Or is it the fact that, despite you knowing what I was, why I was so different, you somehow could not understand why I was always in such pain on a daily basis?"

No answer.

"Well? Tell me!"

"We made a mistake…"

"Yes, you did," Loki said, "You the made the mistake of lying to the God of Lies…"

~s~s~S~s~s~

When Thor had returned to Asgard, he had anticipated a hearty welcome from the Warriors Three and Sif, a warm hug from his mother, a stoic yet proud greeting from his father, and a sarcastic greeting from his prickly brother.

But this was not to be.

For although he had returned with a clearer mind, and an even calmer sense of resolve, Thor was greeted by no one but the Gatekeeper, Heimdall, and a horse.

"Heimdall!" Thor greeted the Gatekeeper as the Bifrost vortex slowly settled to a stop. "It is good to be back! Where are mother and father?"

"My prince," Heimdall greeted in his usual detached tone. "The king and queen are waiting for you in the throne room."

"I see," Thor said thoughtfully. "And what of everyone else? The Warriors Three, Sif, and Loki?"

Heimdall seemed to pause briefly, a not uncommon habit for the all-seeing Gatekeeper. He often fell into the various visions of the many realms, sometimes pausing in the middle of a conversation. Though it was unintentional, and he by no means meant to ignore whoever he was talking to, no one could say whether he was in control of this ability or not.

But this pause was different. Thor somehow seemed to just barely catch the ever so slightly visible twitch of the Gatekeeper's brow. He frowned, suspicious. But he no sooner dismissed the odd feeling; Heimdall was loyal to the royal family. He had no reason to hide anything from Thor, or anyone for that matter.

"Heimdall?" He probed.

Heimdall blinked his golden eyes slowly. And as if broken from a trance, he spoke once more. Yet his monotonous voice seemed colder, stonier.

"The king and queen wish to speak with you, my Prince," he said.

Thor was very well aware that Heimdall had neglected to answer his question. But with how things had gone, and how things were now, he suspected much needed to be discussed before pleasantries could be exchanged. He knew he very much deserved the scolding he would no doubt get from his mother, and the stoic 'I told you so' from his father. It did not deter the feeling of being brushed off so easily, but Thor made due with what he was given. Perhaps his parents could explain what had been going on during his impromptu banishment.

"I see…" he said evenly. "Then I bid you farewell, Gatekeeper."

Nodding to the dark-skinned man, he trudged for the horse – obviously meant for his transport. He swiftly mounted the large animal, turning it and getting ready to urge it into a gallop. But he was stopped.

"My prince…" Thor turned his head to look at Heimdall, a brow raised.

The Gatekeeper did not look at Thor. Instead, his ever-watchful gaze was locked onto the impenetrable abyss of the void. His eyes, while looking forward, were not truly looking into the deep abyss. His sight was elsewhere. Just where he was peering into on a daily basis, Thor did not know. He could vaguely recall a time in his younger, more curious years trying to wheedle Heimdall into telling him what he saw. But the Gatekeeper never once relented, and would only chuckle lowly and shake his head.

"Yes, Heimdall?" Thor asked.

There was a brief pause before the Gatekeeper spoke.

"Always remember who you and those around you are," he said.

Blinking owlishly, Thor did not even try to fully comprehend what it was Heimdall had just told him. He has more than once spewed off riddle-like pieces of advice and droll. And it never made sense to him until a specific situation came up. He often wondered if Heimdall could see the future…

"Thank you, Heimdall." He said, before he kicked his horse into a gallop for the palace.

Once he was far out of range, galloping over the Rainbow Bridge, Heimdall spoke once more.

"Remember this, or the young prince of ice shall be lost to us…" he said softly.

~s~s~S~s~s~

"Father! Mother! I have returned!" Thor bellowed as he entered the golden haven that was the throne room.

He grinned widely as his mother made a beeline for him, engulfing him in her long, warm arms. He eagerly returned her embrace, nearly crushing the slender woman to his chest.

"Oh my boy…" Frigga rasped, "I have missed you. I thought I had lost both of you…"

"Tis good to be home, I-" Thor paused, pulling out of his mother's embrace to frown at her questioningly. "Both of us? What do you speak of?"

Frigga's lips tightened, and Thor looked up from hearing his father sigh upon his grand throne.

"Thor," Odin said. He sounded so tired, like the old man he represented. "We must talk…"

The Thunder God frowned, not fully comprehending just how grave this unknown matter was. He could only think that it was about his actions against Jotunheim and his banishment, and so he moved to speak his case.

"Father, I know my actions were deplorable, but my banishment has-"

"This is not about your banishment…" Odin said, startling Thor. Odin gazed down at Thor with his single eye, Gungnir clutched tightly in one hand.

"It is about Loki," he said.

Thor stiffened, suddenly alert. Loki? What about him? Had he caused trouble while he was away? Did something happen to him?

He looked around the room, searching. He could not see Loki anywhere within the golden hall. In fact, he could not even see any guards or servants. The throne room usually boasted a large number of capable guards to stand watch over Odin and his throne. And yet, it seemed the only people within the room was himself, his mother, and father.

"…what has happened?" He asked.

He did not notice how Frigga's stance stiffened, her hands clutching together tightly in front of her dress. It was as if she was restraining herself from blurting out a string of words that could crumble Asgard itself. Odin was as stoic as ever, his expression unchanging. He looked tired though, but Thor chalked that up to his recently waking from the Odin Sleep. And yet…

"Father, please," Thor implored, "What has happened to my brother? Was he hurt? Did he do something?"

A hush once more fell over the room, and somehow it seemed colder, darker. Thor could feel a sense of unease and anxiety creeping up his spine.

He felt a chunk of ice drop into his gut, and he looked imploringly, almost begging, to Odin.

"Father…where is Loki?" He asked breathlessly.

"Thor…Loki is…" Odin held a hand up, stopping Frigga from saying anymore. The All-Mother was shaking, her face pale, and it terrified Thor.

"Thor…" Odin started calmly. "Your brother, Loki…"

A tired sigh, and for the first time in his whole long life, he turned his gaze away from Thor.

"He is gone."

~s~s~S~s~s~

Far away from the golden realm of Asgard, a single figure trudged the pure white snow of the realm's icy terrain. To anyone else, the terrain would prove to be a hindrance, and the weather a devilish force working against them. They would say the wind itself was like the monsters that inhabited the ruined world; cold, vicious, merciless, and out for their warm blood.

And yet to him…it was no bother. And it infuriated him just how comforting this cold felt to him. How familiar it felt…

His cape and hood billowed in the harsh winds, but he paid it no mind. Instead, he pushed forward, until he had reached his destination. The decimated remains of what was once Jotunheim's grand palace. And in no time, he stood before the throne room.

The jagged, frozen throne of ice and stone was unsurprisingly occupied. Garnet eyes – the color of heat, of fire, yet they were so cold – gazed at him. And although it seemed they were alone, he knew that other Jotnar lay in wait within the ice itself.

He did not even so much as flinch as a dozen or so Jotun guards emerged from the ice and surrounded him. His hidden eyes were only for Laufey.

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you." Was the hushed hiss from the Jotun King.

"I've come alone and unarmed," the stranger replied, oddly subdued.

"To what end?" Laufey drawled.

A heavy pause. At any other time, Laufey may have already ordered his guards to kill the stranger. But something nagged at him. The stranger – obviously Aesir – intrigued him. And his voice, it sounded familiar. He would swear he heard that voice very recently…

The man tilted his head to look up at Laufey, his hood slightly obscured – his eyes were green.

"To make you another proposition," he said.

Realization dawned on Laufey, and a cold smirk stretched his blue lips.

"So you're the one who let us into Asgard…" he drawled.

"Perhaps," the man said, "But that is not important. I come for only one thing, and one thing only."

Laufey's eyes narrowed, and he held a hand up to an aggravated guard; a survivor from Thor's rampage. No doubt he was itching for retaliation, and was quite outraged an Aesir would come to demand something from their king. But as before, he was intrigued. He would play along…for now.

"And what would that be?" He asked.

The man said nothing at first, and Laufey could feel his patience waning.

Back straightening, the man reached out a pale, bare hand from his tightly closed cloak, and pushed his hood back. Vicious snarls and growls erupted from the Jotnar around him, but he paid them no mind – not even as many readied their weapons and had them poised for every vital point on his body.

Laufey himself was stone-faced as usual, but internally, he was both fuming and becoming increasingly anxious.

"So…" he drawled, resting a cheek on a palm. "To what do I owe the second prince of Asgard? Surely what you seek is not on my realm."

Loki, expressionless, shook his head.

"That title has long since been nothing but a running joke," he said. "And it is only you who can give me what it is I seek."

Laufey quirked a brow, eyes narrowing further. "And what is it you seek?"

Loki seemed to try and compose himself, drawing in a long, deep breath of the cold air. He shuddered as the sub-zero air filled his lungs. He imagined he looked quite uncomfortable to the onlookers and Laufey. But truly, Loki had never felt such rapture from truly breathing…

Fiery emeralds locked with icy garnets. And in a single puff of breath, he said,

"The truth."

To be continued…