A/N I'm back! Be honest, how many of you gave up on me? I promised you I would not abandon this universe, and that I would write each of the many stories I had planned out, eventually. And here we are with, finally, another installment.

Now, this is not my AU version of Iron Man 3 or Winter Soldier that I've mentioned I'm going to do. Those will be forthcoming, but I had to write this one first as it sets up a few things moving forward in this alternate universe and this was the only place in my timeline where this story fits. But this universe's version of Iron Man 3 will be next and I promise it will not be years between this story and that one.

For anyone just discovering this AU of mine, welcome! And for those of you who have hung on and stayed with me since the beginning (if there are any of you left XD) thanks for sticking with me!

Quick note, if you have not read my previous stories Steve Anthony Stark and Loki Odinson, as well as the handful of one-shot companion pieces that go with them, I suggest you do so. Otherwise, you will be pretty lost reading this. The list of the stories in this alternate universe and their suggested reading order can be found at the bottom of my profile.

Now, for those of you (or all of you) who don't clearly remember the story I wrote (yikes!) a few years ago, titled Loki Odinson, here's a brief sum-up to refresh some memories.

When last we left our heroes...

After the events of the first Avengers movie (during which our team found out that Steve, aka Captain America, is Tony's, aka Iron Man's, son), the team hitches a ride to Asgard with Thor and Loki with the belief that there may have been more than meets the eye with Loki's attack on Earth. Thanks to Odin's magic, Loki's memories from just before the events of Thor through the end of The Avengers is put on display for all to see. This revealed that Loki was under mind control by Thanos just as Clint and Selvig had been from Loki. Odin pronounces Loki innocent and he's freed, but has to figure out how to cope with everything that had happened to him. Slowly, and with help and advice from the Avengers, he starts to heal and mends his relationships with his family while also becoming good friends with the team. But, of course, Thanos isn't done with him yet and he attacks. During the battle, Odin is seriously wounded. Loki fights Thanos, showing off some amazing powers and fighting moves that impresses the whole kingdom, before ultimately defeating Thanos and saving everyone. After which, he uses his powers to heal his father and nearly dies in the process. He eventually recovers, and, not long after, the Avengers headed back home.

Now for the sequel...

A Heritage of Ice and Snow

Second Time's the Charm... or Not

Many years ago, there was a world, a planet of ice and snow. Upon this world, lived a race of people. The people lived in harmony with the planet, caring for it, nurturing it, protecting it, and the planet loved them for it. In return, it nourished and provided for them, taking care of, and protecting them, just as they protected it. For many generations, it was like this, until everything changed.

Until the Cruel One.

The Cruel One did not begin as such. In the beginning, he too cared for the planet he called home. He became a leader of his people and a good one. But as he grew, he also changed. The Leader's sights and ambitions began to stretch beyond the beauty and harmony of the planet and fell on other worlds.

His dissatisfaction grew into a desire for more power and he began to forget the world on which he lived. He no longer valued it as he should and stopped caring for it. His people were forced to follow his ambitions and they too turned their attentions to other realms, and the planet they were born too began to languish and fall into disrepair.

Time stretched on, as cycle after cycle passed and the planet grew weaker and sicker.

But The Leader's lust for power grew beyond his ability to attain it. He was struck down, and his people, so beloved by the planet, fell with him.

By the time the people realized what they had done, it was too late. The planet was slowly dying, fading into a barren, lifeless rock, without even the hope of a cure.

But balance often had a way of restoring itself. It was never easy, but the planet didn't need easy. It just needed possible.

It just needed hope.

A light, dim and tiny, shimmered through the ever growing darkness, reaching out to touch the planet's core, in a way that nothing ever had before.

Gradually, the light grew from a glimmer to a shine, until the planet could fully see it.

Another one of its people. But different from all who had come before.

This... Bright One held the key. He could bring balance. He could restore things to how they should be.

But the planet's happiness began to fade.

The Leader had changed irreparably. Rather than freeing him from his power-hungry blindness, his defeat only hardened him, until he had become The Cruel One.

The Bright One was connected to The Cruel One, born from him. Given time, The Cruel One's poison would taint The Bright One. It would twist him until his light went out, and was replaced with the same darkness that The Cruel One carried.

The planet began to despair once more, but perhaps not all was lost. Perhaps there was still hope.

But The Cruel One's evil knew no bounds. He left The Bright One alone on the sacred grounds. The Bright One's light was growing dimmer. He was fading.

The planet couldn't let this happen. It couldn't let the last hope for them all, come to an end.

Wait! An idea!

The planet could sense something out of place on its surface. One who was not linked to this world. He was of another. He too glowed, with a different kind of light, but still the light of kindness and goodness.

The idea was desperate, but it was the only chance. The planet reached out to this Good One. The planet was weak, and the Good One was not of its lineage, but some part of him still felt the planet's call. Gradually, the planet pulled and urged him to the sacred grounds, but The Bright One was fading too quickly. The Good One would never discover him.

The planet gathered everything that was left of its failing strength and allowed just a little of its precious lifeforce to flow to the Bright One. It was nothing more than a mere touch, but the Bright One's glow strengthened a bit, just enough for him to stir and cry out.

The planet no longer pulled at the Good One as he moved of his own accord to claim the Bright One. He was safe. The hope still lived.

Sadness flowed through the planet as the Bright One left its surface, taken far away, but it also rejoiced, for the Bright One was safe and would never be tainted by the Cruel One. However, it would be many more cycles before the Bright One would be ready to save this world. He had to grow, to become strong first. So the planet had to wait.

It waited many many cycles, time blending together as the planet grew ever weaker. It slept for much of the time, conserving its strength and biding its time. Until, one day, it stirred.

A light appeared, breaking through the planet's slumber. It was a light that had not been felt for too long. The Bright One had returned. He was older, stronger. Where before his light had been an ember, now it was a flame, burning and glowing and shining with a warm luminescence.

The planet rejoiced. It was time! But no. The Bright One wasn't ready. As the planet reached out to him, the Bright One's subconscious mind pulled away, fear and hatred simmering within him. He did not know of his connection to this world. He was not ready to accept the planet's touch and was not yet strong enough, his light brighter, but only shining, not yet blazing. The time had not yet come.

The Bright One once again went away, and the planet withdrew to wait a while longer, but did not yet sleep. The Bright One was not fully ready, but the motions were set. The time was drawing closer.

The planet rejoiced when it felt the Cruel One's essence fade away. Even from a world away, the planet had been able to sense the moment the Cruel One was wiped out by the Bright One he had sought to extinguish so long ago. It was the first step. The poison had been removed, now the wound just needed to be healed. Not yet, though. The Bright One still was not ready. The planet would wait a little longer.

When the hit came, it was as unexpected as it was shocking. Energy, raw and powerful, but not natural, bored into the planet, rending, tearing, driving deep blow the surface, beyond the outer protective crust.
It... hurt.

Just as suddenly as it began, it cut off, and the planet was left reeling and even weaker, at a time when it couldn't afford to be weakened further.

It retreated into itself, trying to escape the pain and reserve whatever strength it had left. It was so close. Rescue was coming. The planet just had to hold on a little longer.

It slept again, but not for as long this time. The pieces were all quickly falling into place.

The day was coming when the Bright One would return, and everything would be set right once again.

)()()(

It always started the same.

A battlefield.

The armies of Asgard.

Thanos.

He stood before the titan, waiting, ready.

The battle began. The fight was fierce and powerful as he and Thanos clashed, blow for blow. Thanos provoked him, goading him incessantly. Anger built within him, growing with every physical and verbal attack.

But Loki didn't allow his anger to control him. It was Thanos who did that. Loki always controlled and used his emotions to his advantage, not the other way around.

Then everything changed. Thanos broke off his attack on Loki and turned, aiming for Loki's family.

"No!" Loki screamed, reaching out a hand to... do what?

Thanos met his eyes, saw his fear and desperation... and grinned.

Rage and power rose up in Loki, surging and flowing beyond anything he had ever felt. Beyond anything he could control. More than he could ever contain. And he didn't want to.

So he didn't try.

Magic and pure power exploded out of him with the force of a nuclear blast. The light was blinding, the sound deafening. It burned through him and all around him. He felt no pain, no fatigue, only power. The more that surged forth, the more there was to take its place, filling him until he thought it would never stop. Until he never wanted it to.

A blink of an eye that lasted an eternity.

Then it was over.

Thanos was dead, little more than a smoking husk on the ground before him. A feeling of triumph, authority, and dominance swirled within him. He was the strong one. He was the one in control. He was who all should tremble before. He could never be beaten, for his power was without limit.

It was always in the middle of those thoughts when he would finally look around himself.

And the horror would wash over him.

Asgard was in ruins, bodies lay strewn all around him. The bodies of his people, his family, his friends. Every last man, woman, and child on Asgard, dead, at his hands.

It was always then that he woke.

)()()(

It was the day of Thor's coronation... again.

This time, however, with no Thanos, no tesseract powered jewel, and no brainwashing mental manipulation to get in the way, it was going to go off without a hitch. At least Loki hoped so.

Ever since the new coronation day had been set, Loki had felt some small amount of trepidation. He knew Thanos was gone, he knew history wasn't going to repeat itself, but that didn't keep him from remembering that the last coronation was when everything had begun to go so wrong, and his life had spiraled out of control. After so much had happened to him, Loki had finally managed to get his life back on track, even the nightmares that had plagued him after his return home, had finally eased and most nights he slept peacefully. Things were finally good in his life, which was why some part of himself was just waiting for something to happen to make it all fall apart.

He didn't want to go back. He didn't want to go through anything even remotely similar to what Thanos had inflicted on him, which was why, as the coronation drew closer, Loki became hyper aware of his mind and mental state.

He knew the chances of his mind being manipulated during the coronation were very slim. Despite how things sometimes seemed, usually history did not repeat itself. He knew he wasn't being logical or rational with his borderline paranoia, but emotions were so rarely ever logical or rational, especially fear. The truth was (and wasn't that a funny thing coming from the master of lies?), Loki was scared.

He had finally gotten his life and his family back and things were better than they had ever been. He didn't want to lose it. He didn't want to fall into another black hole where everything he cared about was ripped away from him. And yet, he kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was the story of his life. Whenever he started to feel even just a little happy, something would happen to tear it all apart.

Were any of his fears rational? No. Were they what he was feeling regardless? Unfortunately.

But if he could just get through today, if the coronation could go through without issue, maybe... Well, maybe he could finally start letting himself believe that his life could be good.

Or maybe he was just cursed. It sure would explain a lot.

)()()(

"This seems familiar," Loki said with a grin as he came to stand next to Thor in the same hallway where they had spoken before his first coronation almost a year and a half ago.

Thor grinned in return before sobering slightly. "Seems so long ago, doesn't it?"

Loki sighed contemplatively. "Much has happened since then."

"Things I once thought were so important seem so trivial now," Thor mused.

Loki hummed softy. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I believe that's a good thing."

Thor glanced at him and nodded. "As do I."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence and Loki took the opportunity to study his brother. Despite the negligible amount of time that had passed, especially for their lifespans, Thor somehow looked older. Before, he had stood in that corridor looking young, excited, and nervous, but with an overall layer of cockiness and immaturity. Now, though... Thor stood with calm confidence, but lacked all arrogance. There was a slight tension to his shoulders, but none of the jittery nerves from before.

He was still a bit nervous, as he should be with the serious enormity of the coming ceremony, but he was no longer the childish man he had once been. His nerves came not from juvenile excitement, but from mature reflection and genuine concern, which was confirmed when he next spoke, his expression full of open sincerity.

"I know, before, you did not believe I was ready, and I wasn't then. I know that. But what about now?"

Loki gave him a long, considering look. Thor had grown so much since his last coronation. He had come so far, but was he ready to rule an entire realm? Loki, honestly, wasn't sure.

"Ask me tomorrow," he finally said.

Thor looked slightly disappointed but nodded. They had promised not to lie to each other anymore. At least, not about anything truly important. Thor had to accept and respect Loki's honesty. And he hadn't answered in the negative. Thor supposed that was something.

Reaching out, Loki rested his hand on Thor's shoulder and squeezed it in silent support. Their eyes met and they shared a long look before Loki nodded once and left to find their mother.

)()()(

Loki smoothed out his clothes and straightened his cape behind him, thankful that he and Thor had seen fit to go without their heavy, uncomfortable, and, quite frankly, ridiculous helmets. He wasn't really sure why they had ever had them to begin with. They were only ceremonial. When it came to battle, they were often more hindrance than help, especially Loki's. Really, what had he been thinking having enormous horns jutting up out of the top of his head? They were more likely to get caught on something than to protect him. Thor's, at least, was somewhat more practical, but did tend to obstruct his peripheral vision.

Loki huffed a soft laugh, remembering a particular sparring match many years before, that, due to Thor's helmet's interference, had ended with Thor being badly concussed and extremely loopy for several days. It had led to some... humorous outcomes.

"What's so funny?"

Loki turned to his mother. "An old memory."

"A good one?"

"Yes," Loki said with an amused smile.

"Are you ready?" Frigga asked, smoothing a fold in his cape where it laid over his right shoulder, before resting her hand on his chest.

"I'm not the one being crowned today," Loki said with a chuckle.

"I never said you were," Frigga said, raising one eyebrow knowingly.

Loki smiled softly at his mother. "Yes, I am ready." He turned and offered her his arm.

"Good," she said with a pleased nod, wrapping her hand around his bent elbow as the doors to the throne room opened.

Loki took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and stepped forward, Frigga moving in stride with him.

Three steps in, and the throne room erupted in thunderous noise that shook the very air around them. Loki, logically, would have assumed it was all out of duty and respect for the queen, and to a lesser extent, a bit for him as well, if not for those in attendance happily and excitedly calling out to Loki in admiration and respect. It reminded Loki of the crowd's reaction to Thor during the last coronation, but this time it was, amazingly, all for him.

Loki would never get used to it, and, honestly, he didn't want to. He never wanted to get to the point where he was expecting or demanding adulation. He never wanted to become desensitized to it. This cheering, support, and love from his subjects was a special honor that was something to be valued and grateful for, something to always be earned. It wasn't something to be taken for granted.

Reaching the foot of the dais at the far end of the throne room, Loki and Frigga both bowed to the seated Odin, who nodded in return.

Loki and Frigga climbed the stairs and assumed their positions to Odin's right. The room fell silent once more and all eyes turned to the throne room doors. A stillness fell over the crowd and, for a moment, time seemed to stop and hold its breath.

Then, there was Thor, striding into the throne room. Like the last time around, the assembled masses broke into thunderous cheers as he progressed up the isle, but that was where the similarities ended.

This time, Thor was completely different. Mjolnir wasn't thrust above Thor's head, nor were Thor's hands or fists. Mjolnir hung from Thor's belt and Thor's hands hung at his sides as he strode forward. He didn't yell or pump up the already cheering crowd. He simply walked at attention, spine straight, shoulders back, head up. As he moved past the people, he occasionally nodded at them in acknowledgment and thanks.

Loki felt his breath catch slightly. Thor looked... there was no other word for it... regal. And more importantly, he was unconsciously doing it. He wasn't acting this way to impress anyone or to try to look like a king. Others might think so, but Loki, of all people, could tell it wasn't some act. He had put up too many of those himself to not be able to see through them.

No, Thor was acting this way because... he wanted to? Because it felt right? Because this was who he had changed into over the last year and a half?

It didn't matter the exact reason, the truth remained, he was finally ready.

One glance at his father told Loki that Odin had reached the same conclusion, if the slight, proud smile pulling at his mouth was any indication.

As Thor drew nearer, Loki's own voice and hands joined with the clapping and cheering, not because of Thor's rank or the occasion or even their familial connection, but because Thor had finally earned it, instead of demanding it.

Thor was almost to the bottom of the steps when his gaze first searched out his mother who smiled widely at him as she applauded. Then his eyes locked with Loki's. Loki paused in his clapping and looked Thor right in the eye for a long moment before giving a single, solemn nod, silently answering Thor's earlier question.

If the brief surprise, followed by the blinding smile that lit up Thor's face, were any indication, the eldest brother had understood the message perfectly.

Loki felt a similar smile spread across his face in answer to Thor's.

They held each other's gazes for a moment longer, before Thor broke eye contact to look up at Odin as he came to a stop at the foot of the dais and knelt there.

Odin stood and looked out over the crowd, before striking Gungnir on the floor, the sound reverberating through the room and bringing silence with it.

"Thor Odinson. My eldest son, guardian of Mjolnir, and heir to the throne of Asgard. Do you swear to guard the Nine Realms?"

"I swear," Thor said solemnly.

"And do you swear to preserve the peace? To lead with wisdom and strength. To give of yourself to the realms, and to put the worlds and all of their people before yourself and your own interests?"

"I swear to set aside all selfishness, all immaturity and rashness, to rule objectively, wisely, and fairly. I swear to listen to the council of others, to know when to trust my own judgment and when to trust that others know better than I. I swear to be the just, fair, kind but firm, strong, worthy king that Asgard and all the Nine Realms deserve," Thor said, and Loki could not have possibly been more proud of his brother.

Thor was aware of every personal flaw and fault that had given Loki his reservations over a year ago, and was now vowing, before all, to work to overcome those flaws, keep an open mind, and seek out help when needed. It was everything a king was supposed to be and everything Loki had always hoped for Thor.

Odin actually let a small, fond smile show as he nodded his approval. "Well said, My Son. You will make a worthy king."

Thor's face showed first, shock, then, relief, followed by sheer joy. Loki knew for a fact that it was the first time Odin had said anything resembling his approval and belief that Thor was not only ready to be king, but would be a truly good one. Because, just like Loki, it wasn't until now that Odin fully believed that Thor was ready.

"It is with great honor, that I now-"

Odin cut off suddenly, his gaze snapping toward the throne room doors.

"Frost Giants!"

Thor surged to his feet, Mjolnir in hand, as murmurs and gasps echoed around the room. Several eyes unconsciously darted toward Loki and he raised his hands in defense.

"I swear it wasn't me."

A/N And there we have it. The first chapter of the first fanfiction story that I've posted in way too long. Please let me know what you think, or just let me know if there are any of you still left who haven't completely given up on me and moved on! ;) I hope to have the next chapter up sometime later this week.