I originally planned to end this story in the last chapter. However, I decided to write this small epilogue - to close the circle so to speak.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This chapter contains references to the Young Avengers. If you're unfamiliar with them, the ones mentioned are:

Wiccan: William Kaplan

Hulkling: Theodore Altman

Speed: Thomas Kaplan

Hawkeye (Kate Bishop)

Their inclusion is because, in this verse, Thanos's invasion happens long after it did in the MCU, and some of the members of the original team would be aged out. Also note that I used the comic canon that states that Natasha received a version of a super soldier serum while she was with the Red Room.

Epilogue. Children are Always Full of Surprises

Frigga should have known. In truth, she felt almost as foolish as the rest of Asgard for not having seen it before now.

She had always been secretly fond of Anthony Stark. Whenever she looked at him, something tugged at her heartstrings. At some level, she had been convinced that her vision warranted her intervention, and that had indeed proven to be the case, but it soon became obvious that her affection for the Midgardian was not strictly related to the well-being of the Nine Realms.

Rather, he was like a Midgardian version of Loki, just as clever, just as witty and wicked and, deep inside, kind.

Five minutes into their post-battle feast—and the shwarma was a strangely interesting treat if Frigga did say so herself—Anthony Stark and Loki were already engaged in a conversation over the differences between Midgardian science and Asgardian magic.

Steven Rogers and James Barnes smiled fondly whenever Anthony turned toward them, gesticulating wildly. The Hulk's alter-ego, Doctor Bruce Banner, seemed interested, but too fatigued after his transformation to offer valuable input. At one point, he practically fell asleep with his head in Lady Romanov's lap.

The archer of their group, a young woman named Kate Bishop, occasionally rolled her eyes, obviously accustomed to such displays from Anthony's side. The young mage William who went by the name Wiccan sat in the second shape-shifter's—the smaller Hulk's—lap and leaned in closer, seeming fascinated with what Loki was saying. Wiccan's brother, Thomas, mostly focused on his food, but he did perk up whenever Loki said something of particular interest to his twin.

For her part, Frigga watched the exchange with a barely concealed smile. Asgard had grown to love Loki as a king consort, but he'd never truly had peers there, never friends of his own. Maybe Anthony Stark could be that friend. And she liked the younger members too. They reminded of her own grandchildren.

Of course, for all that Loki clearly got along with Anthony, he was somewhat reluctant to go into detail about his life. He did not trust easily—the only one he'd been close to his whole life was Thor. And then, Anthony Stark leaned in closer and grinned, wide and a little manic.

"So, I gotta ask... Are any of those legends true about you? Because really, what I've seen so far doesn't really match with what I read up from the Norse myths. Do you actually have kids?"

"Tis true, Man of Iron. Loki and I have four children of our own. And of course, there is my brother's eldest, the great stallion Sleipnir."

The Man of Iron whistled. "So that's actually a thing, huh?"

Frigga suppressed a flinch. Loki adored Sleipnir, but most people didn't take well to the idea of Loki having relations with a horse—whether he had been a shape-shifter or not. Loki's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, only perceivable to someone who knew him very well. "Yes, it is. He is most dear to me."

Anthony Stark, though... He didn't seem taken aback, at least not in the sense others had been. He just looked from Loki to Thor, then back to Loki. "But the other stuff... You know... The... Uh... Lip-sewing? That can't be right. I mean, you guys are so great together. I can't imagine..."

He trailed off, obviously realizing awkward silence had fallen over the table. And Frigga understood then that it wasn't Sleipnir that was the issue. Anthony Stark was concerned for Loki.

"I take it there are tales of my sons on Midgard."

Steven Rogers cleared his throat awkwardly. "Yes, ma'am. Err... Your Majesty. We're sorry. We didn't mean to pry."

"Tis not prying," Loki said. "I believe I have heard of these tales. And no, Man of Iron, they are not true."

"What tales do our shield-brothers speak of, Loki?" Thor asked curiously.

Loki related the story, as it was on Midgard. And of course he knew, Friga's clever son. He had always been fascinated by different civilizations, and while both he and Thor had traveled during their youth, Loki was the one who tended to pay more attention to their culture and lore.

Thor looked outraged. He actually shot to his feet, lifting his hammer. Outside, thunder sounded. "That is preposterous. I would never suffer such damage to come to my brother and our children. You must tell me where these foul skalds are, for they will meet with Mjolnir at once."

Loki rolled his eyes. "Sit down, Thor. The people who came up with these ideas have died long ago. And they are only myths."

Thor deflated. It was almost amusing to see. In some ways, Thor was still very much a young man, and his first impulse when someone threatened his family was to smite them down. But there was no one to smite now, and he could hardly blame the Man of Iron for asking the question, so Thor did in fact sit down.

"At any rate, as I pointed out, I did not in fact have my lips sewn," Loki said. "And Thor did not, in fact, marry the Lady Sif, nor did I wed the Lady Sigyn. Magni, Modi, Vali and Narfi are all our children."

He didn't address the part of the tale that referred to the children's demise, not that Frigga could blame him. But Anthony Stark still looked very regretful, obviously wishing he hadn't brought it up.

"Well, then... I hope you guys come and visit. And bring the kids. They're probably old enough by now to leave Asgard, right? Especially Sleipnir."

If Anthony hadn't mentioned Sleipnir, if he hadn't said it so naturally, Loki would have undoubtedly refused. But when he did so, when he included Sleipnir with such acceptance, something shifted in Loki's stance. He relaxed.

"Perhaps," he said softly. "It might do them good to travel."

Anthony immediately perked up. "Awesome. You've got to let me know what they like, though. I'll have rooms prepared, somewhere nice and private. Maybe special accommodations for Sleipnir? What about your other kids?"

Despite everything, despite the previous tension, Anthony's obvious enthusiasm cleared the air. Thor and Loki were both proud parents and were more than happy to talk about their children.

And really, that was where it all started.

Predictably, the children were incredibly excited to learn of their impending visit to Midgard. Modi and Magni practically danced around the room upon hearing the news, and Vali and Narfi both cheered, obviously enthusiastic. Sleipnir pranced excitedly, eager for a change of pace.

Loki still made it clear that the boys needed to be good and polite to their Midgardian hosts. Loki and Frigga would both be staying on Midgard all throughout the visit, and they would have Sif and the Warriors Three there, just in case, but it was always best for the children to understand the stakes.

Midgard wasn't the riskiest of realms, and the Man of Iron had taken every precaution, but there were always potential dangers for a young, curious child.

Finally, the long anticipated day came. The whole family—including Odin and Frigga—traveled to Midgard, to the Man of Iron's abode.

The Bifrost dropped them in front of a massive structure, the Midgardian base of the Avengers. Apparently, the Man of Iron had offered various options, but this had been deemed safest, since most of his residences, while opulent, weren't built to resist the avalanche of enthusiasm of Loki and Thor's children.

At first, the children were shy—but it was Sleipnir who went ahead to nudge the Man of Iron and demand attention. Anthony laughed and patted Sleipnir's head. "Hi, big guy. Wow, you're really better than the stories say. I adapted one of my garages for you. Want to see?"

After that, the children sort of pounced on the Man of Iron. Thor watched in confusion, while Loki just grinned. For her part, Frigga was torn. She had always known the children loved Sleipnir and didn't like it when his role in the royal family was disregarded, but she was not prepared for it to be made so obvious.

Apparently, children were always full of surprises.

Steven and James intervened, rescuing Anthony from being overwhelmed by the children. Loki and Thor joined them, and soon, Anthony was giving the group a tour, looking only a little rattled.

Soon, the other Avengers introduced themselves, and the children were intrigued. Magni and Modi took to William and his companion, Theodore, almost immediately, whereas Vali and Narfi seemed particularly drawn to Doctor Banner.

By that evening, the entire gathering had evolved into a free-for-all battle game. It was the younger Avengers, versus the older ones. Magni and Modi were fairly young still, but could still contribute and had been chosen for William's team, which also included the archer Catherine, the young Hulk, and William's brother Thomas. Sleipnir had joined Anthony's team—made up of Anthony himself, and his two lovers, James and Steven. The number of the people in the teams wasn't even, but it was considered fair enough since the older Avengers were more experienced. Loki and Thor sat the game out with Vali and Narfi, and Frigga had never seen them look so utterly content, not for ages. Sif and the Warriors Three spoke with the Avengers who were not participating in the game.

Frigga took a few moments with Odin to revel in the simple peacefulness of the moment, in the sound of the children's laughter and the joy they found in the game. There were days when she felt each and every one of her years and she knew Odin felt his own burden even more acutely—but in that moment, none of it mattered.

Of course, just as she thought this, a niggle at the back of her mind alerted her of something else happening. She turned, only to see Lady Romanov in deep conversation with Sif. Doctor Banner stood nearby, looking a little wary and confused.

When Lady Romanov and Sif began to spar, the game ended since everyone wanted to watch the new event. The children weren't particularly close to Sif, but they cheered for her anyway—all except Sleipnir, whose neighs of encouragement were directed at the Widow. Sleipnir always had been a bit of a trickster, and in that sense, he was truly Loki's son, for all that he hadn't been born of Loki's flesh.

Sif was stronger, but the Lady Romanov was faster, more agile. They were evenly matched, and by the end of the session, Sif was smiling wider than Frigga had ever seen her before.

Frigga smiled too. She had been concerned about Sif ever since Thor and Loki had married. To know that she had found a match here, on Midgard, was a weight off her soul.

"It seems, Man of Iron, that you might have a new Avenger soon."

Anthony grinned back. "Can't say I mind, especially if it means we get more visits."

Sleipnir nuzzled his cheek, making Anthony laugh. And Frigga wondered if it would be too much to give Anthony a blessing of children of his own.

It was something to consider—for the future. For now, they were happy, and her sons had found unexpected friends and unexpected acceptance here on the mortal world. Frigga could ask for nothing more.