ATTENTION! Hello, all you awesome me, lovely readers of this story. This story is a continuation of Jotun Snowflakes by I'vebeenLOKI'Dyetagain. Here is the link to the first part of the story.
/s/9551640/1/Jotun-Snowflakes.

I hope you enjoy that. Unfortunately, as this story continues directly after that one ends, you will have to read that one to understand this one. However, it isn't very long and the writing is awesomeness.
Yours,
Amaryllis.

By the time Helblindi and Loki get back to the castle, the blizzard is in full force. For Helblindi, it's more of a nuisance than anything else, but Loki's weakened body is finding it hard to push on through the wind.

"Loki, are you sure you're okay?" asks Helblindi worriedly, her crimson eyes looking, just for a second, like Thor's. Loki nods and flashes a smile that he hopes will reassure her. She doesn't look convinced, but chooses not to pursue the subject, her brow crumpled into a frown. They don't speak again until after they have entered the castle, out of the biting wind. By the time they get to the throne room where Laufey is, Loki has gained enough control over his motion to walk as if nothing has happened.

Helblindi knocks quietly, her eyes focused on the door and Laufey's voice calls out to come in. She pushes open the door and Loki follows her into the throne room. Laufey glances at her briefly but then his eyes slide straight over to Loki, scrutinising him. Loki feels like Laufey's eyes are drilling a hole into his soul and drinking out all his secrets, but he remains impassive, not showing how uncomfortable Laufey is making him. Seconds later, Laufey looks back and Helblindi and asks her: "What is wrong?"

"Father, we saw an eagle while we were out, but it wasn't an eagle, father, it was a person shapeshifted into an eagle and Loki thinks that it is Thiessi." She explained almost eagerly, her hands clenched into fists. The change in Laufey is almost immediate; his body stiffens and his face stiffens and becomes more severe.

"Children," he begins, "Thiessi is dead. The eagle you saw is nothing more than an eagle." Loki sees the lie slide over Laufey's tongue easily, if Loki himself wasn't so experienced in lying and the ways of lies, he might have believed him. As it is, Helblindi takes the lie without objection, relief evident in her eyes. Yet there is a spark of puzzlement in it; if Laufey is speaking the truth, was Loki lying? But she has not time to puzzle it out, as Laufey tells her she is dismissed and turning away reluctantly, she leaves. Loki makes a move to follow her, but Laufey shakes his head, motioning for Loki to stay. He waits until Helblindi has shut the door and her footsteps have echoed down the hallway, when he turns back to Laufey, a question on his tongue. But Laufey gets there first.

"I am aware you know I was lying. The lie was not for you. Helblindi is young and I don't wish for her to be pulled into this business. I didn't want you to know of it either, but it appears that I cannot shield you from it. I can see the magic running through your veins, magic which was not there yesterday. Do you know what happened?" Loki almost, almost considers lying, not for any particular reason, habit taking over. But he shuts his mouth in time and looking up at Laufey, meeting his gaze, he begins. He tells Laufey, everything, starting from where they first saw the eagle to where the tower fell and a dam broke inside him, magic he never knew he had flooding through him. Laufey listens silently, concern evident on his features as Loki describes how he could feel the snow eagle was a person shapeshifted into a snow eagle. When Loki finally fell silent, his story done, he nods his head slowly, considering, then stands up, towering over Loki and heads to the door. As he passes Loki, he tells him to go to his chambers and rest and Loki, his magic chaotic inside him, sapping his strength as it begins to restore order to itself, agrees quietly and follows Laufey out the throne room, walking unhurriedly back to his chambers. But as he slips into his chambers and collapses on the bed he senses, with deadly certainty, that something terrible is going to happen.

It is very hot. Thor had expected cold and had dressed for it. He feels as if the unrelenting sun was slowly burning his skin to crisp and the mountains didn't seem to be getting any closer. He had long put away his heavy cloak, but the warm trousers and shirt he is dressed in are long saturated in sweat. The air was choked in dust and lies heavy in his lungs when he breathes in. But he has to plow on, the faster he passes this obstacle, the faster he would get to Loki.

It seems like an eternity until he finally lands halfway up a mountain. The temperature has changed rapidly from scorching hot to freezing cold and now he was grateful for the warm cloak crumpled up in his satchel. Pulling it on, his eyes sweep across the mountains, looking for any likely caves that could house a portal to Vanaheim. Seeing nothing, he sighs; he knew it wouldn't be that easy but a man can hope, right? Gripping his hammer tightly, Thor takes off to do some searching. Even he admits that his plan is flimsy and likely not to work, but it's his best chance. He will find Loki and bring him back, if it takes him a thousand years.

When he finally finds the portal, Thor feels like smacking himself over the head with his hammer. How could he have had difficulty finding that? It was right under his nose. There was even a travelling portal sign carved into the rock next to it. How could he not have found it?

"Hidden in plain sight…" Loki's voice runs through his head, so clearly that he jerks his head around, expecting to see Loki behind him, laughing at his incompetence. But there's nothing there, of course. Thor stares at a jutted out rock behind him and remembers, his heart weighing heavy in his chest with nostalgia at the happy memory.

Loki and Thor are looking for morberries. They are big, round, bright red things and should be easy to find, but try as he might; Thor has only found a few. Loki, however, has found lots already, his basket filled to a brim, berries tumbling out whenever he moves. And that's only the ones he hasn't eaten. His tongue is dyed a bright red from the berries and his hands are nimbly catching any that falls out of his basket, them also quickly disappearing into his mouth. Thor despairs of ever finding any berries and walks off into the grove, sulkily.

"Hidden in plain sight." Loki's voice makes him stop and turn, the smirk obvious within it. He looks questioningly at Loki, who just smirks wider and pops another berry into his mouth. Thor huffs and is about to turn around again when Loki speaks.

"They're hidden in plain sight. The berries." He adds as Thor's brow wrinkles confusedly. In Thor's opinion, Loki should also be famous for not making any sense as well as being a good liar. Seeing Thor's expression, Loki's laughs and motioning for Thor to follow him, he heads into the grove and begins to show Thor where the berries are. Instead of hidden deep inside the bushes, as Thor expected, they are just dotted around just under the surface of the bush, under a leaf here, in the shadow of a twig there. Soon Thor has just as many berries in his basket as Loki has.

Thor shakes his head to clear away the memory and hoisting his bag over his shoulder, heads off into the cave. He walks on until the ground disappears beneath his feet and with a quiet rushing sound, he tumbles into the portal.