Written for this prompt at the norse!kink community at LJ:

Loki is much younger than Thor, and is still a child when his brother is banished by Odin. In this version of events, Loki had nothing to do with any of the fuck ups regarding Thor's botched coronation or whatever madness led to him being banished, and Frigga is really unable to run the realm, care for Odin and keep an eye on Thor's activities. So, she turns to her youngest child, and entrusts one of the activities to him; either the running of the realm, or the Odinsitting. It may seem ridiculous, but Loki is a fine diplomat, and all he really needs to do is make sure everything's okay. He still has no interest in actually ruling; he's far more interested in learning magic and playing, but whether ruling or nursing, he does a fine job. I'd love for Thor to return and find his baby brother sitting on the throne, signing documents, clearly bored out of his mind but the picture of seriousness, or, Odin wakes up to find his young son cuddled next to him. Or some kind of mix up of either of those.

"But why would he do that?" their King asks, his young face showing inquiry instead of confusion.

"Because he hates me," Agni says, foregoing the expletives he would have chosen, were not they in the presence of the child-King. "And he wants to make me miserable."

Beside him Hjortr grumbles, but after King Loki had gently chided the day's first petitioners for speaking out of order, everybody has been in their best behavior.

"But he must realize it would cause undue harm to your wife and children as well," the King says, and he turns to Hjortr before Agni can explain the boy how things work outside of the palace. "You wouldn't want to cause harm to a new born child, would you?"

And that is not something Agni expects. That Tófa is only a few days old is not a secret, but not something he informed the King's secretaries. As much as he wants to be home at the moment helping his recovering wife, the opportunity to have an audience with the King is not something that is easily achieved.

"O-of course not, Your Majesty," Hjortr stutters, clearly surprised as well by the turn of the conversation. "But you must understand, I have children of my own as well. It is my place as their father to provide for them."

"Yes, but aren't them all of age except for the youngest one?"

Agni cannot help but grin at that. It is public knowledge that his landlord's sons and daughters are a lazy lot.

"They are, Your Majesty, but—"

"About your request to evict Agni and his family," the King speaks over Hjortr's excuses, "would you be willing to let his debt go in exchange?"

"What?!"

Agni barely manages to keep his mouth closed. Having his debt canceled would be a relief, but no other landlord would take them in knowing they might not pay.

"It would be more difficult to you to have him pay if you don't know where he lives," King Loki continues, as if he hadn't noticed both Hjortr and Agni's distress.

"You could order for his possessions to be sold and the proceedings allotted to me, Your Majesty. And were the crook to be held in custody, the—"

"No name calling."

Agni almost cries. By the Norns, his freedom and his family's future might be at risk, and the child-King chooses to focus on that? Thankfully Hjortr seemed in the verge of tears as well.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I am sorry, Your Majesty. Were Agni to be held in custody, the—"

"But what would that achieve? He wouldn't be able to work and the debt would remain unpaid. His children would find themselves forced to work in less than ideal conditions only to cover the family's expenses, finding themselves unable to spare any money for you. And you know well that Agni and his wife have nothing of value, and all of their possessions would not be enough to cover but the smallest part of what is owed to you."

Oh. So King Loki understands the problem, even better than Agni himself could explain. Maybe there is hope still, as much hope as he can find in putting his life at the child's mercy.

Hjortr appears to realize it as well.

"How am I to feed my family then?" he says, almost spits, and then at the child's cold stare visibly gulps and adds a squeaky "Your Majesty."

"Those of your sons and daughters that are willing and able will work here beginning tomorrow. Send them to the palace's governess at sunrise."

And oh, Agni doesn't know how he feels at that. Those who work at the palace are well paid and well trained. The jealousy nonetheless gets tinted by vindication at the knowledge that to Hjortr's apathetic sons it will feel more like punishment than opportunity.

"But Finnr helps me at the market stall, and Eira helps my wife with the books. Now I'll have to hire and train somebody to cover for—"

"Agni's older son will help you at the market, and I've heard one of his daughters is good with numbers. Auda it is?" Agni only nods, unable to form a word, and the King continues. "You will treat them well, pay them in accordance to the usual rate, and keep half of it as payment for their father's debt. Once it is covered they'll be free to go, and your sons and daughters as well, if they choose so."

"I—"

"And Agni," the King turns all of his attention to him, and he's a child, he shouldn't be this scary, "those of your sons and daughters that are deemed old enough will work here as well. Half of their payment will be given to Hjortr, to cover for your debt. They will be free to go once it is paid."

Again the mixed feelings: Agni is ashamed his children will have to be forced to work when he alone should be able to cover for his family. But if they have to work, at least he's thankful it will be at the palace. He'll make sure they understand it is a chance for a more prosperous future.

"And you and your wife won't be allowed to have more children until your debts are fully paid, not only the one you have with Hjortr, but all of them," King Loki adds, and that is all except for when he asks if both of them agree with the terms, which of course they do.

They leave the palace together, each holding a copy of the calendar of payments and a new contract for the lease of their home, redacted by one of the palace's secretaries. Hjortr won't be able to kick them out for the next five years, but after that they'll have to renegotiate. And if they remain within the stated terms, Agni's family might be able to get a place by then; a small one, true, but their own.

"I wish Prince Thor was here instead of that, that … boy," Hjortr mumbles by his side, although he doesn't seem as angry as Agni knows he can be.

"Prince Thor would have thrown me to the dungeons without pausing to listen," Agni says, acting as if he didn't hear the insult to their King. He isn't too happy with the child either, and Lofa is going to have his hide once she hears about the terms he agreed to. But Heimdall is undoubtedly watching, and if Hjortr's loose tongue gets his landlord in trouble, he's doing nothing to stop it.

"You did well today, my King," Dagný says as she passes Loki the last of the documents in need of his signature. As with the previous ones, he had asked for their opinion and listened before agreeing to give it his seal of approval. It had made their meetings utterly long in the beginning, until the advisors realized they could considerably shorten them by being succinct and making their conformity or opposition clear from the beginning.

Those who attempted to misguide their child-King found it was not easy to fool the God of Lies.

"I was lucky to have good advice to base my decisions on," he says, using a bit of seiðr to make the ink dry faster. As expected the King's advisors preen, and Dagný has to hide a smile. Loki Odinson is a master manipulator even at his young age, and when he bothers to he knows well how to turn people in his favor. The only reason Dagný herself isn't playing to his tune is because she had been one of his tutors not too long ago, and all of the boy's tutors know just how clever and how much of a handful the second son of Odin is. The tutor before Dagný even told her they secretly referred to the boy as the God of Mischief, rather than the one of lies.

"If I am allowed one such advice?" she requests once the rest of the advisors leave, taking with them the scrolls and their schedules for the rest of the week. "You shouldn't interrupt your subjects when they are speaking, my King. Given that you asked for them to avoid interrupting each other."

"It is the King's prerogative," he says with the littlest curving of his lips, a smile making him look like the child he is. "They would have spoken for the rest of the morning, well into the evening otherwise."

And Loki always sits with the Queen at the Allfather's bedside every evening.

"Maybe we can find another way to deal with the problem without being rude," she offers, and as expected Loki rolls his eyes.

"If you present me with a list of suggestions I might consider them," he concedes with a self-suffering air before turning serious again. "I am truly thankful for the help you have lent me these days, Dagný. I'll make sure the Ki-the Allfather is informed and rewards you handsomely."

She could tell him that serving Asgard and its King is reward enough, but Loki can see behind the fake humility easily. A handsome reward can't hurt, she tells him, making the child giggle before he turns and leaves, followed by his gaggle of guards.

"What would I need to do?" Loki asks, looking warily at his father's bed as if he hadn't seen it before.

"Keep him company, most of all. He needs an anchor to keep him grounded, one who knows the ways of seiðr." Now Loki looks at her suspiciously, as if trying to find the lie. "And usually I'm also here for protection in case somebody tries to attack the Allfather while he sleeps, but you'll have extra guards for that."

"I can protect Father," he says with a frown, and she's not surprised.

"And I'm sure you can, but we also have to keep you safe. Loki," she says, stopping him before he complains for that as well, "until your father wakes and your brother returns, you are acting King. I might be your Regent, but you are at the moment the most important of us. You're well aware of the responsibilities it entails, and accepting that your life is not your own is one of those."

Loki deflates at that.

"I should leave now for today's audience then. It is the King's responsibility as well."

Frigga looks at him, taking in the tiredness he only allows her to see. They have been asking too much of him, but everybody, herself included, are pleasantly surprised by how well Loki takes to his kingly duties. It has been a relief to have him capably handling the day-to-day issues of Asgard's court while she deals with the War Council and tries to remain at her husband's side as much as possible; but he is only a child, and however bright and clever he is, there are limits to how much he can do.

"Do you want to?"

He shakes his head, refusing to voice out loud that he needs a respite but unwilling to lie to his mother.

"What about this: we cancel today's audiences, reschedule them for tomo—"

"You can't! They have been waiting for months, some of them cannot leave their work or their home for a second day in a row, and they have been at the gates since sunrise!"

"Loki…"

"Mother!"

And oh, how much she wishes she hadn't asked Loki to make his father proud when she handed him Gungnir. Her boy is bright, but as soon as Odin's possible approval is in discussion, he loses all sense of proportion.

"Loki, I understand your concern," she says, keeping to herself that Loki's anxiety is probably as founded on his desire to be perfect, as it is on a true need to help their people, "but there are times where you need to compromise. There is only one of you, my dear."

"Maybe you can lead today's audience in my stead?" And that makes Frigga pause and look at her son with a critical eye. He seems tired, but not enough to suggest this. He has taken great pride in being the one listening to the petitioners, asking her to let him handle their request with only the advisers by his side. "Mother, I know you just asked me to be here on the evening while you deal with Tyr and the rest of the Council, but maybe I can spend the morning as well?"

Ah.

"Loki, do you want to spend time with your father?"

"Uh…"

And oh dear, her sweet crafty boy.

"Loki, did you just try to manipulate your mother?"

Thankfully he doesn't make an attempt to deny it, and his deep blush gives away his guiltiness.

"I just, he looks like he will never wake up," he finally says in a tiny voice. "I have never liked how he looks while in the Odinsleep, it's like, it's like I can't reach him, and I'll never be able to tell him I'm sorry about Thor's helm, it was just supposed to be a joke, I never intended for Thor to be banished. But he's not waking up, and this time he's taking longer, and I just want him to, I want him to—"

"My dear," she says while caressing his hair, allowing him to muffle his sobbing in her dress, "you are not to be blamed for your brother's current predicament. The disproportional way he reacted proved to your father that Thor wasn't ready to be King, and the insult he dealt to Vanaheim's King that same night could have well cost us war against our closest ally. It is this behavior of his what had him banished, my dear, not the fact that you made his helm's wings flap."

Of course, Loki giggles at the remainder of his little prank.

"That is not to say you will remain unpunished once your father wakes up," she admonishes, and smiles warmly at his pout.

Asgard looks different, even if Thor knows that the Realm Eternal has not really changed since he has last been there. But he is the one that has changed, and that makes him look at his homeworld with new eyes. It is beautiful, it is perfect, and for the first time for as long as he remembers he doesn't feel like everything within his sight is his by birth right.

How stupid of him, to believe he was ready. He had been enraged after his father took his godly powers and sent him to Midgard, and even more when the Warriors Three visited him with news that Loki, his little brother and the sole reason for his problems, was now King and refused to allow Thor back into Asgard. And then Sif had shown up with news of the Dark Elves' attempt on Loki's life, and the rage had been replaced with distress.

It has taken him too long, months, to learn what Father had meant for him to learn, that he has a responsibility toward those who trust in him, that the power he has been granted needs to be harnessed and used with care. Now finally he has been found worthy, Mjölnir returned to him, Asgard golden and bright just a few steps away.

He is also alone.

"I thought you would prefer it this way," Heimdall says, explaining the absence of his friends and family, and he thanks him because yes. He prefers it this way.

He walks back to the palace taking everything in, talking to those he finds in his path. Everybody seems happy to see him, but unlike before his failed coronation there is no fanfare, no effort to honor their favored prince.

Loki is a good King, Sif had said. Sif, who still blames Loki for her dark tresses and scoffs at Thor's little brother's lack of commitment with the warrior ways.

It is midmorning and the stream of petitioners is almost over, but he still catches the end of the audience and witnesses how Loki manipulates the whole Guild of jewelers into agreeing with each other. From what Thor can say nobody is a clear winner and everybody is being forced into making concessions they strongly oppose, but still they thank Loki as they depart.

He leaves the hall and moves to the adjourning chamber where he knows the King and his advisors will retire to deal with further administrative issues. There's no place for him to hide and he doesn't attempt to, making use of the opportunity to notice how those closer to Asgard's King react to their older Prince's presence. Some of them look suspicious or even wary of him, a few seem pleased but not a single one appears relieved.

Loki, on the other hand, is obviously delighted. He yells "Thor!" and rushes at him with the happiest smile Thor has seen in his face in a long time, before catching himself and managing to cross the remaining distance at a more regal pace while still conveying that he would be jumping to his older brother's arms were not for meaningless things like protocol. And thus Thor follows his example and bends down to one knee, right arm to his chest-plate, a warrior wearing allegiance to his King.

Loki hugs him then, not that Thor is surprised. His little brother has a penchant for breaking rules, something that always takes people unawares because most of the time Loki is the perfect, well-behaved younger Prince. He also does so spectacularly, never choosing something as simple as skipping his lessons as Thor had done, and opting instead to flood the dining hall with frogs, or to make all of the palace's stored firewood start sprouting, a situation that ended with the whole left wing being overrun by vines.

But "I am sorry," he whispers to Thor's ear, "I shouldn't have done that." He's grown taller, not that it surprises Thor, as he'll be soon leaving childhood, but the tight embrace they are engaged in lets him know that Loki has lost weight, and the worry it causes in him is such that he knows he'd be forgiving anything, even were his baby brother to lead a host of Frost Giants into Asgard.

"I'm glad you did," he whispers back truthfully, "we'll talk later," before letting go.

He takes a seat at a corner, trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible and not interfere on the proceedings. Eventually the advisors stop paying attention to him, and he's pleased to see that Loki has managed something not even the Allfather in all his wisdom has: to make this group of too dissimilar Aesir representatives work swiftly, with minimal hassle and avoiding the free hurling of scathing verbal abuse that was the norm.

Thor has always felt small under Loki's disapproving stare. It's good to know he is not alone.

Eventually they end in their father's chambers, Loki a crying mess while he again ask for forgiveness for what truthfully was only a childish trick, however formal the circumstances. Thor is always calling him cow, knowing as he does that the circlet Loki wears as a child will be turned into a horned helm once he's of age and always laughing back whenever Loki cheekily throws back a retort about his feathers.

Yes, pranking him during his crowning ceremony might not have been one of Loki's best ideas, but the way Thor reacted only made him look like a fool.

Later, once Loki has calmed down and their mother has moved into her plans to have Loki abdicate on Thor's favor, panic makes him blurt out what everybody but him already knows: "Mother, I'm not ready." It gets followed by a "Loki is already a better King that I will ever be," and when she tries to make him change his mind, by a whining litany of "Everybody loves him already", "It won't be long before Father wakes up anyway", "Nobody is going to take me seriously", and "I don't even know what to do."

He is sure she would be more sympathetic in other circumstances, but as it is she only seethes silently and that makes him realize that Loki is not only shockingly pale, but also quietly panicking.

"Yes," she says, "your brother is very talented, and one day he will become your most trusted advisor. But as it is, we don't drop the work of men upon children's shoulders, unless there is no alternative."

Just as he believes he cannot embarrass himself further, he does.

"You could be acting King instead of full King," Loki suggests in a small voice. "Mother would help you, and you would return Father the throne once he wakes up."

It sounds as the perfect solution to Thor and he is about to say so, but the speculative look their mother fixes on Loki makes him pause.

"Somebody will still need to be by the Allfather's side at all times," she says, and Loki smiles shyly.

"I can do that."

It is only later, when they are eating while Thor tells them about his time on Midgard that he remembers to ask about the Dark Elves' attempt on Loki's life.

"There was an attempt on my life?" Loki asks, and it could be another of his jokes, but their mother looks equally surprised.

Sif.

"—finally kicked him out of the petitioners' morning audience. It happened two days ago, I already told you about it, but Thor refused to tell me what happened. Well, today I went to the kitchens to pick some sweet bread –I didn't stole it, I asked for it nicely— and one of the new kitchen hands told me his brother told him their sister told him that Thor managed to insult every single lady in attendance."

He's been hearing his son speak to him for days, but as the sleep's fog slowly dissipates, his voice is richer, clearer. He keeps his eyes closed, allowing Loki's voice bring him back to alertness.

"I'm not sure he did it on purpose. I mean, yes, he's told me he hates that part of being King most, although secretly I believe it is the interminable signing of documents what he truly despises, he's always complaining that it hurts his hand and makes difficult for him to spar. I don't even know how he has the strength to spar, all I wanted to do is curl up in my bed and sleep. I, ah, might have fallen asleep in your bed a time or two, while I still was King. I hope I didn't disturb your rest."

"You didn't."

The silence that follows is so thick that Odin has to open his eye. And yes, his youngest son is looking at him, and apparently he has forgotten how to breathe. It doesn't last long, as a joyous "Father!" gets followed by the best hug he has ever received, but it ends way too soon with a timid "Am I not hurting you?"

"Never, my son," he says, pulling Loki into the bed and into another embrace. "I am proud of you," he says on his ear, thinking back of all Frigga has told him while she sits by his bedside. What she thinks, what she fears, how they (him) might be inadvertently hurting Loki. The brightness in Loki's eyes when he looks back at him just confirms what he already knows.

"You are, truly?"

"So, so proud, I could see you during my sleep. You will make a great King one day."

Loki rolls his eyes at this. "Thor will be King," he says, playful, as if he's sharing a secret. And maybe he is, because he is serious when he adds "and I have never truly wanted the throne."

"Truly? Never?"

"Maybe when I was little," as if he were not a child still, "but as soon as I understood what it meant to be a King I also realized I was lucky to be a second son."

They have joked, Frigga and he, about how sometimes Loki acts like a tiny adult while Thor behaves as a big child. They always find it funny, but this time he can't.

"What if I gave you a kingdom other than Asgard to rule? What would you do?"

"You would give me a kingdom?" Loki laughs.

"I am the Allfather, kingdom gifting is not out of the realm of possibility."

And Loki laughs some more, this time because he's being tickled. And how long has it been since he stopped playing with his youngest son? How long since he's heard him laugh so carefree?

"What kingdom would you gift me?" Loki asks, obviously humoring him. It is the perfect opening, and Odin will never have a better opportunity, so he uses it despite fearing he'll hate himself later.

"Maybe Jotunheim."

And to Loki this has stopped being a game, even if he looks at him hoping he'll turn it into a joke. When he doesn't, Loki asks, "Would you give me a kingdom of monsters?"

And oh, his son couldn't find a more hurtful phrase if he actively looked for it. Has he truly failed that much as a father?

"They are not monsters," Odin says, hugging his son again. "Before the war they had the most beautiful cities, all ice and light, tall and impressive. They were a great civilization, and I felt sorry to destroy it. They were the most proud people I've ever found, they still are."

"They declared war against a helpless Realm," Loki says, putting more distance between them and focusing on his face. His little God of Lies, if only he knew how much his loved ones hid from him.

"That they did. That's why a King should always keep their people's best interest in mind."

And he can see Loki is thinking it over, trying to find the reason why he's being told this, the hidden lesson.

"I cannot be their King," he finally says, and there's a hint of mischief in his eyes. "They'd take me for dinner as soon as I set a foot on their Realm."

"They do not eat children," Odin groans, and Loki laughs his childish, care-free laughter.

"Have I been feed nothing but lies?"

Yes, Loki, yes.

"Where it comes to Jotunheim and its people, I fear the Aesir have allowed for their hate to color the truth."

And Loki is as always curious. He can see it in his eyes, the way he's pondering, the questions he wants to ask.

"Will you tell me? Will you share the truth with me?"

And of course, "I'll try" is the best he can offer … or maybe not. "Did I ever tell you that my mother was Jötun?"

He thinks about having this conversation with Thor, or even an older Loki, and can't imagine it going well. But instead he's taking to a Loki still immersed in childhood, a boy that absorbs everything with relish and looks up to him with an adoration he doesn't deserve.

"Can you talk me about her? Does that mean I have Jötun blood? And you and Thor too?"

"Yes, we all do. And I'll share with you all I can, eventually. But first you have to tell me why you think Thor didn't purposefully get himself kicked out of audience by your mother."

"Because the ladies are the ones he insulted," Loki says, rolling his eyes. "Thor might be an idiot, and he might make me wonder whether he belongs to our family with how rude and uncultured he acts sometimes, but he is incapable of disrespecting any lady. It is just not how he is."

"Any lady."

"Yes."

"Not only the pretty ones."

And the way Loki giggles tells Odin it won't be long before his second son leaves behind his childhood games and what little innocence remains in him.

He'll have to make the best of it.