It wasn't that Thor didn't like his little brother's company, far from it. Usually the two boys were inseparable, even down to their sleeping arrangements, talking and giggling up way past their bedtime. This generally continued into the day, even through studies much to the annoyance of their tutor, with Thor leading the way, eager Loki on his heels. It warmed the hearts of their parents to see them close, and made them hopeful that their bond would only strengthen over time.

The first challenge to their friendship, however, came in the form of an older peasant child named Alv and his little group of boys. Alv was a few years older than Thor, and able to play the rougher games he wasn't allowed to try with his brother. The first few times Thor had gone to play with them, Loki had followed as usual, though he stayed off to the side, looking on nervously as his brother wrestled and fought the other boys with sticks. He didn't like the prospect of seeing Thor get injured.

Though, after the first few weeks of allowing Loki to tag along with the group of older, rougher boys, Alv and the others began to protest.

"Why do you always have to bring him?" Alv asked Thor, shooting a glance over at the smaller boy sitting on a rock, picking at a patch of moss.

"He's my brother," Thor said with a shrug, picking up a new stick for their next mock battle.

"So? I don't bring my sister everywhere," Alv said, leaning on his own 'weapon'. "We could have a lot more fun without him, you know, he's too little to go far, but we could. We could steal apples, or play in the ruins, or go swimming."

Thor swallowed hard, looking over at his brother before turning back to Alv, looking reluctant.

"…he won't be much trouble…" Thor offered softly, starting to feel torn. As much as he liked playing with Loki, and felt a loyalty to him, he did want to be a part of Alv's group of older boys. He felt important being included along with older children, even if he wasn't the leader of the group.

Alv shrugged, dropping his stick and sticking his hands in his pockets, scuffing his foot in the dust to kick up a little cloud.

"We're going, Thor, you can stay with the baby then," he said, turning to give the others a quick nod before they all began to get up, ready to go.

Thor looked over at Loki, who had distracted himself with dissecting a flower, and back towards Alv and the others, feeling torn. Loki, or the older boys. His little brother and best friend, or the fun, rough kids who wanted him to play with them.

"Wait!" Thor called, bouncing on his heels as he ran over to his brother. "Loki, go home to Mother, I will be back later."

Looking up from his flower, Loki frowned, putting it down.

"…you're not coming with me?" he asked, sounding worried.

"No, go home, Loki," Thor said, sounding harsher than he'd meant to, but his chest felt a bit tight suddenly, seized by guilt. "We're playing older games and you can't come."

"But…" Loki began to protest, his wide eyes full of distress at the prospect of being left behind, and of having to go home himself. What if he got lost? What if there was a giant in the few hundred yards between here and there?

"Go back to Mama, baby!" Flein, a heavy set blond boy, yelled over from the group, which made the others burst out laughing.

Thor had to do no more coaxing after that, Loki was gone, tears streaming down his cheek as his short legs took him from the clearing. Part of him wanted to run after his brother, upset at seeing him in such a state, but he could make it up to him later. He'd apologize the second he saw him and offer to play whatever Loki wanted to, and everything would be forgotten. In the meantime, however, he tried to push Loki from his mind as he turned towards his new friends, laughing and running as they made their way towards the old ruins at the edge of the forest.

They ran around the wreckage of the old stone building for a few hours, running around and throwing stones at each other, pretending to be the monsters that took it down. They laughed for hours, despite the scrapes and bruises they inflicted on each other, before tiring of this game too, covered in dust and filth. It was an easy decision to move on from there to a deep pool nearby, a popular destination for crowds of young boys, more for the tall cliff wall they dared each other to jump off of than the actual swimming.

"Are you scared to jump, Thor?" Alv challenged his younger friend as they made their way up the path towards the cliff's edge. He'd jumped once before himself, but once was enough to spare him from further challenges. "If you are afraid, we won't laugh too much."

Giving him a look, Thor bravely marched up to the edge to survey the drop, his stomach sinking when he looked at the water far down below. What was in actuality only a drop of a few stories seemed like a plunge to certain death to the young Prince, his heart aching in his chest as his fear rose. Turning back towards the other boys, he wanted to tell them he wouldn't do it, that his father would thrash him if he found out he was doing something so reckless, but the words froze in his throat.

"What's the matter, Thor? I thought you were going to be a brave warrior," Alv said, crossing his arms, smirking at him. "Don't brave warriors have to do brave things?"

Thor stammered, at a loss for an argument as he looked back towards the precipice, feeling very much like a little boy who wanted to run and hide rather than the strapping son of Odin at the moment. If he didn't do it, though, would they let him play with them any more? Or would they treat him like Loki and banish him home to his mother? Swallowing hard as Alv began to stride over, Thor's brain scrambled to think of what to do while his feet remained rooted to the ground.

"How about I push you, your highness? That may make it easier," Alv laughed, though Thor wasn't sure if he was serious or jesting. As the older boy got closer, he prayed desperately that it was the latter. "I will count to three, you hold your breath."

"STOP IT!"

Thor, Alv, and the other boys froze for a second before turning towards the edge of the woods where Loki stood, his jaw set and small fists clenched at his sides. The few stray leaves in his hair matched the bush he'd been hiding in as he followed his brother in secret, too afraid to walk home on his own, but not so scared that he wouldn't stand up to someone about to harm Thor.

"Didn't we tell you to go home?" Flein asked, though Loki didn't react. His eyes were still on Alv, burning with an anger Thor hadn't seen in his brother before, though the other boys just laughed at the furious child before them.

"Princess Thor, your hero has arrived," Stigr laughed, walking over to ruffle Loki's hair, even more amused when the little boy pulled away indignantly.

"I mean it, don't you push him!" Loki said to Alv as he ignored the other two, concentrating on the boy who meant to hurt his brother.

Thor, who had been momentarily thrilled to see Loki and have the attention turned from him and the cliff, though his relief was quickly turning into embarrassment. He was being saved by his little brother, in front of all his friends, he was never going to live this down.

"Loki-" Thor started weakly.

"Or what? You'll tell on us?" Alv interrupted with a cold laugh, his attention turned from the elder Odinson to the younger. "What can you possibly do to me? I could just toss you off the side. Actually, that sounds like a fun idea, why don't we do that?"

Alv nodded, and Stigr stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Loki's waist, pinning his arms to his sides as he picked him up off the ground. Laughing as the little prince kicked and screamed, he began to walk over to the cliff's edge.

"This isn't funny, let him go!" Thor demanded, more frightened now than he had been when he was in Loki's position. At least he could swim, his brother could barely float. "Alv, I'll jump, I'll do it if you tell him to let Loki go!"

"No, this is better, it'll teach him a lesson about spying on us, won't it?" Alv said, watching Loki thrash in the bigger boy's arms with the same sadistic glee he took from torturing his sister's cat.

"He won't! He won't do it any more, I swear on my father's name, but let him go!" Thor begged, wanting to rush forward and knock Stigr to the ground, but he was too close to the edge now, he'd be risking Loki's life to do so. He couldn't remember being so afraid before, terrified to the point that he was frozen to the spot, regretting the moment he ever began to associate with Alv and the others. He was happy to play with Loki, he was the only person Thor really needed, and now he was in horrible danger.

"I'll let him go," Stigr laughed, a few steps away from the edge as he began to adjust his grip on the frantic boy, turning him around so he could see Loki's face before he fell.

He didn't notice was that Loki had stopped kicking and thrashing as he spun the boy around roughly. What he did notice was the cold, intense look in Loki's green eyes when they met for an instant before a flash of light blinded him, and he was knocked out cold by a hard blow from an invisible force.

The other boys, Thor included, barely had time to realize what had happened to Stigr before the wave of light, accompanied by the strong smell of ozone, swept out like a wave, bowling them over as if they weighed nothing. Thor hit the ground hard, knocking the air out of himself, barely aware of the blood running from his nose as he struggled to breathe again, shaking as he began to force himself off the ground.

Where had that come from? What was it? And where was his brother? What if he'd fallen, what if the light had shoved him off the edge? He had to get to him, he had to-

"...b-brother...?" Thor wheezed, blinking in amazement as he spotted Loki, unharmed and sitting at the edge of the cliff, hugging his knees to his chest, his eyes wide and emotionless. "Loki, get away from there...the light, if it returns..."

His eyes moved to Stigr, lying at Loki's feet unconscious and bleeding from his nose and ears, and a horrible thought occurred to him. It couldn't be right though, it didn't make any sense, his brother was just a little boy barely old enough for lessons, not...

"FREAK!" Alv shouted, scrambling to his feet, falling over his own awkward limbs as he tried to get away from Loki as fast as he could. "He killed Stigr! That freak killed Stigr!"

The other boys ran screaming from the brothers, and their friend who was very much alive though badly injured, while Thor could only stare at Loki in disbelief. That had been magic, it had to have been, and those boys were saying it came from his little brother. The same boy who sat frozen, pale as a ghost, and staring into oblivion as the others ran shrieking from him into the forest of newly snapped and twisted trees. And as much as Thor wanted to go to his brother, shake him out of the state he was in and beg him for answers, out of fear, he couldn't bring himself to go anywhere near him.

"Over here, there he is."

"The trees...look at them!"

"Get Thor and the other boy, take them to the Healing Room," Odin's voice cut over the other two as he strode quickly into the clearing, his cape billowing out behind him, walking past his oldest son as he went to kneel before his youngest. Heimdall had alerted him to what had happened, and though Odin was well aware Loki was born with magic inside of him, he hadn't expected it to manifest so quickly, or so powerfully. He'd rushed to get there as quickly as possible, not sure what would await him once he arrived, though he was relieved to see that no one had been killed, and that Loki was in one piece.

"Father, he-" Thor blurted as one of Odin's men went over to collect him, the other going to Stigr's side.

"Quiet!" Odin snapped, though he kept his voice low, his tone immediately softening as he reached to touch Loki's cheek. "My son, Loki, look at me...everything is going to be fine. Come, I will bring you home..."

Loki's eyes stirred a little, and the boy looked up at his father for a brief moment before slumping forward into his father's arms, unconscious.

Odin wasted no time cradling his son to his chest before he stood, turning to face Thor and the destruction Loki had caused. Surveying the state of his own child and the other left behind, his hand tightened on his staff as his arm held Loki closer.

"Thor, are you able to walk?" Odin's voice was stern, but softer this time.

"Yes, Father..." Thor said shakily. "Father, they were going to throw him off the edge, whatever he did, he was only trying to protect himself, he-"

"I will speak to you later, Thor," Odin cut him off, nodding at the manservant who put a hand on Thor's shoulder. "Have him looked at and cleaned up, he can take his meal in his room tonight."

With that, Odin strode off, leaving his servants in charge of the two wounded boys. He had his own worries at the moment, and he was the only one he trusted to deal with them.

Thor didn't see his parents or his brother until after his lonely supper, of which he'd eaten very little, so he'd been given a lot of time in which to feel sorry for himself. He wasn't sure why they were fussing over Loki so much, he was the one that had been injured, Loki had hurt him, but no one had come to look after him, their mother hadn't even come with sweets as she usually did when he got hurt. She was probably with Loki too, giving him all the attention when he should be in trouble. He knew he would be if he hurt people that badly.

"I was told you did not eat much, are you not feeling well? Does your head hurt?" Odin asked as he walked into the room, standing before his son before taking a seat beside him. "The healer told you to eat and rest, did they not?"

Scowling a bit, Thor ignored his father's words, turning to him angrily.

"What did Loki do to us today? What did he do to me, I didn't do anything to him!" he said sharply. "Father, there was a great light, and it was like being hit by a horse, and he did it somehow!"

Odin put his hand up to stop his son, giving young Thor a moment to compose himself before he began.

"Thor...I've known since Loki was very young that there was something different about him, that he did possess a very natural ability for magic, but I didn't think he would be able to wield it, not yet," Odin said slowly, watching the look of shock on Thor's face. "One day, with proper training, he is going to be a skilled magician, he has the potential to be incredibly powerful if he devotes himself to it."

"But why didn't you tell me he's dangerous?" Thor asked him, frowning. "Why wouldn't you tell me what he can do?"

"Thor, why did you let those boys treat your brother so today?" Odin said, leaning closer to his son, his eye fixed on Thor's expression as the young boy opened and closed his mouth searching for an explanation. "I don't always expect you to get along with Loki, but I do expect you to treat him with respect and kindness, and I expect you to not allow others to treat him cruelly either. He wouldn't have done the same in your place, in fact he gave himself away to rescue you, is that right?"

"Father, I tried to make them stop when they were going to throw him over, I told them I would go in his place!" Thor protested.

Raising his hand again, Odin shook his head.

"It should not have come to that point, though, you should have left with your brother when they were cruel to him. He's only young still, he needs his brother's protection, Thor," Odin explained to him. "You wouldn't have wanted to walk so far when you were his age either, you can't blame him for following you. He was frightened and he needed you to stand up for him. He needs your protection, Thor."

Thor looked at his father as if he'd lost his mind.

"He needs my protection?" he repeated. "Father, he took out six older boys and damaged a grove of trees, what can I do to protect him if he can't protect himself? He doesn't need me for that."

"There is your first mistake, my son," Odin said patiently, meeting his eyes to Thor's. "Sometimes the most powerful are the ones that need protection the most, their weaknesses can be as great as their strengths. Loki's ability to strike out and injure today doesn't change the fact that he's a scared little boy who wanted his brother's help. He needs you, he looks up to you, you're his hero. You don't want to let him down, do you?"

Shaking his head, Thor began to finally understand his father's lesson, the guilt from earlier returning as Frigga walked into the room, Loki still asleep in her arms. He'd seen his brother sleep before, they shared a bed every night, but this time it looked so different. He was so pale and small, a reminder of the corpse he could have been had things gone differently. It was a thought that Thor couldn't rid his mind of no matter how hard he tried.

"Loki...I'm sorry..." Thor whispered once they'd both been tucked in, their parents retired to their own bed. Squirming closer to his brother, Thor wrapped an arm over him, frowning at how cold he felt, and suddenly more determined to stay close and warm him up. "I promise, Loki...I'm going to take care of you, you don't have to be scared with me around ever again."

Giving his little brother a tight squeeze, Thor closed his eyes, concentrating on the rhythm of his brother's breathing as he tried to push the thoughts of losing him from his mind.