The idea for this story was given to me by one of my readers, WrittenPerfection. It is funny and original and I just love it.

"Thor, have you seen Loki?" Frigga asked.

"No mother I have not."

"When was the last time you laid eyes on him?" Frigga asked. Thor was about to answer, until it occurred to him that he did not have one. How long had it been? Days? Weeks? His path and Loki's rarely crossed during the course of their days anymore.

"I…I'm not sure. The harvest festival maybe?"

"That was three months ago! Surely you've seen him since then?"

"I truly cannot recall seeing him, no. What of you?"

"I think it was two months ago. I've been so busy preparing for the upcoming feast. I sought him out today because Alfheim has expressed an interest in a marriage arrangement. They will be here in a couple of weeks. I went into his chambers and they felt stale. Several of his personal items are missing."

"Did you question the servants?"

"Mara says she has not seen him in weeks. She goes in every mid-morning to change the bed linen, but it has not been slept in, in the last two months."

"And she didn't report it?"

"She said Loki paid her handsomely to keep it a secret. She assumed he was romantically involved with someone and sleeping elsewhere at night."

"What does Heimdall say?"

"I haven't asked him yet." Frigga was starting to cry.

"I will go ask Heimdall to locate him. You go speak with father and see what he can do."

"I'm so worried about your brother Thor. We've been neglecting him. He spends far too much time alone." She said. Thor was about to mutter, 'He's not my brother.', but thought better of it and kept silent. Though Odin and Frigga have always counted Loki as part of the family, few outside of the family did so. Not when Loki stood there on the dais in his bright blue skin and ruby red eyes. Loki was an abandoned Jotunn runt that his father had scooped up and brought home to raise as a ward. He had fond memories of Loki from when they were very little. There was a time when the two boys were inseparable. But as time passed Thor became aware that not everyone around him approved of Loki. For a time, he commanded that Loki follow him everywhere with his friends, though he knew the others did not want him there. Eventually, the unspoken strain took its toll and Thor spent less time with him. They grew apart in adulthood and went about leading their separate lives. Thor could not say if Loki even had any friends in Asgard, save for his mother.

The more Thor thought about it the more he wondered what it was Loki did all day. He'd stopped training in seidr with Frigga years ago, having learned all that she could teach him. He did not know of any companions that kept his 'brother' company. He must have been lonely. A stranger in a strange land with only a couple of people that might miss him. A ball of guilt and panic formed in Thor's chest.

He swung Mjolnir in the air and took to flight. His face betrayed his urgency as dread grew like a fungus in his gut. He landed hard, making the BiFrost thud beneath his feet.

"I cannot see him." Heimdall said.

"Where have you looked?"

"Everywhere."

"Could he conceal himself with magic?"

"I don't know. If he has I have no way of finding him. Thor, usually when I cannot locate someone it means only one thing."

"Loki is not dead."

"You need to consider that he might be."

"How could you let this happen? How could you not see? How did kidnappers make it into our kingdom? Into our palace? What if he went out for a ride and was injured and died? We will never know what became of him!" Thor roared at Heimdall with heartbreak and frustration. Heimdall gave his prince an accusing look and Thor plopped on his bottom in a heap in the middle of the gatehouse.

"Can you not see the body?" Thor asked.

"I can if I know where to look, but his life force is not present anywhere in Asgard. Every time I focus on Loki, my eyes linger on his personal library, but it is empty. You might want to begin your search there."

"My mother will be heartbroken when she finds out."

"She said that some of Loki's personal items were missing from his room. I hate to say this my prince, but I have observed behavior in the past from other people that were thinking of ending their own lives. Sometimes they would give away their possessions before committing the act. You need to consider that Loki is dead because he chose to be."

"He's not dead. I refuse to believe it." He left the gatehouse, contemplating Loki's location and fate. His countrymen had no love for Loki, being Jotun as he was. In his selfishness he'd abandoned the man, alone in a hostile country that didn't want him. Sickness swept through Thor as he approached the palace. He saw his father's ravens take flight, circling far and wide as they surveyed the kingdom.

"Well, hello! Your Highness. Care to join me in a spar?" Fandral said with his usual dashing smile.

"Not now." Thor grumbled and marched on without looking at his friend. He and the others took note of their prince's stressed demeanor and followed him.

"Thor, what's wrong?" Sif asked.

"Loki is missing." Thor's said. Above them the clear blue sky began to darken with the gathering of dark clouds, but Thor's friends did not notice them.

"He's just hiding in some small cubby hole like always I'm sure." Fandral said. Thor spun on his heel to address his friend.

"When was the last time you laid eyes on him? Yesterday? Last week? I have not seen his face in three months." Thor said. The statement stunned them into silence. Thor watched them, their faces flickered as they wracked their memories for that last time they'd seen the little blue prince.

"The festival." Hogun said.

"Aye." Volstagg added.

"What of Heimdall?" Sif asked.

"Heimdall cannot see him." Thor said and the seriousness of the problem finally sunk in for the Warriors Four. Thor continued on to his destination, Loki's room as his friends followed, unsure of what to say or do.

Thor entered Loki's chambers without knocking. When he swept into his brother's chambers the first thing he noticed was the lack of Loki's scent. Loki's chambers always smelled of a combination of lavender and Loki's own personal musk, which Thor found to be pleasing. However, Loki's chambers were stale, just as Frigga had told him. The bear skin Thor gave to Loki on his 131st name day was missing from the foot of the bed. Further inspection of the room revealed that Loki's dagger collection, several spell books, and a jewelry box were also gone. Thor pulled open Loki's drawers. His bed clothes were missing. A smile and a flood of relief washed over him.

"He's alive." Thor said.

"How do you know?" Fandral asked.

"Suicidal men don't give away their underwear, no matter how nice the material. No one does that. Loki took it with him, to wherever he was going."

"Where do you think he went?" Sif asked.

"I don't know, but the time has come to organize a search party." Thor said. They left Loki's bedroom and headed towards his parent's chambers. Already members of the guard were bustling about, giving orders and organizing men. Frigga saw her son approaching and ran to Thor.

"Any sign of him?" She asked.

"His bedclothes are gone. He wouldn't have taken those with him if he intended to die. He's alive. He ran away, tough why or where I know not. I will find him mother. I promise."

"Thor. The Captain awaits your orders. I have already surveyed the obvious places. You know your brother better than anyone. Search out those secret places where he might be hiding." Odin said. Thor took off towards the barracks and the stables with his entourage bringing up the rear.

He instructed the men to search the caves behind the waterfalls at Butterfly pond, and Moonshine Lake. Likewise, the center of Lord Northman's corn field as there used to be a small fort there that he and Loki used to hide in when they were children. By nightfall, Thor and his friends made camp where they were. The palace was too far away, and they would need to continue their search in the morning anyway.

Thor unrolled his bed set and lay on the mossy ground to looked up at the starry sky. It was a warm summer night and the smell of nature was pungent. As the crickets played a symphony in the background, Thor thought of Loki.

"But I don't want to be the Jotun again." Loki had said.

"But you are the Jotunn Loki." Thor had said.

"Yeah, but why is the Jotunn always the bad guy? Can't I be the knight?"

"Don't be silly Loki. You're too small."

"Then can't I be the damsel and Volstagg could be a big red dragon."

"But you're not a girl."

"I sort of am."

"You can't be the damsel Loki. The knight always kisses the damsel when he rescues her, and you are my brother. Sif is the damsel." Thor said.

A sad smile graced Thor's lips. It was a random memory, a happy one, at least for him. Looking back now though, he saw just how boxed in Loki was. His isolation began early in his life, and he had contributed to that environment. Wherever Loki was, Thor prayed that his brother was happy.