The Bersek had broken him, in a way. He felt like a stranger to his own body now, his muscles aching and his head spinning from the beastly rage that had consumed him instants before. He raised himself up shakily, only to fall on the ground once more a few metres away from Thrym's corpse. He closed his eyes, listened to the pounding of his heart in his chest. One, two, one, two. A sigh escaped his lips, and his whole being seemed to lose tension. He lowered his head, bit his lips, tried to make order in his haphazard toughts. It was hard.

He needed to find Loki. Where was he gone ? Had anything happened to him while Thor had been prey to the inhuman fury of the Bersek ? He couldn't possibly know where his friend had vanished, and not a trace could possibly help him. Had the Jotuns taken him ? Then why had they left Thrym's body here ?

Ideas are treacherous things, the most virulent form of disease, something the bravest man in the world cannot fight with fists, something the smartest man cannot trick with his words. No one can get rid of an idea, once it's incepted, and it was ideas that had made Thor and Loki the way they were at present, the promise of peace between their realms and the union of two former enemies.

Thor opened his eyes, looked for a moment at his strong grip against Mjolnir's handle, gritted his teeth. No, he would be damned if he let this small little idea worm its way into his mind. Loki hadn't betrayed them, how could he, after Thor had given him his trust and his friendship ? Thor had learned during the last few weeks how wrong he had been to think of him solely as a Jotun, and to forget everything else about him that made him a person.

Slowly, he got back onto his feet, leaving the Jotun lord's dead body behind. Loki was still here, somewhere in Jotunheim and it was his duty to find him and get him back to Asgard.

Resolution made his steps more assured as he walked away, but it was already too late. Without him even really knowing it, doubt had made itself home in that dark, recluse corner of his mind.

Thor walked for days, out there in the snow, living off the food he had stolen on his way out of Thrym's castle, trying desperately to figure out what to do next. The hammer, Mjolnir, fit his palm perfectly, yet he found it heavy, a weight as he tried to find his way back in the blizzards of Jotunheim.

Loki hadn't cheated him, he knew it in his gut, but the prince was nowhere to be found. Thor had searched the castle before leaving, getting caught by a guard as he did and barely managing to knock him out before making an escape. What if Loki was still in there ? No, it couldn't be, as the guard had accused him of stealing the good ladies' clothes, seemingly unaware of Thor and Loki's true identity. Thrym had been the only one who had found out, and he laid, dead, in a pool of his own blood.

The souvenir of the kill was a hazy thing. Thor couldn't remember the details, only the boiling rage that had consumed him as he had wrestled a Jotun twice his size to the ground, kept on hitting his head over and over again even after he had stopped moving. It scared him. Thor knew better than to regret a rightful kill, none of ancestors had ever shown any remorse after slaying a monster, but it had been his first, and he found himself waking up in the middle of the night shaking, from the nightmares or the cold, he couldn't know. He was growing into a man, and somehow it scared him, even though he could never really admit it to himself.

Jotunheim had a strange geology. The white, empty snows of its desert often hid crevasses, grottoes and underground trails seemingly used by the Jotuns during the harsher months. That was were he hid, wrapped in the too large clothes of the Jotun he had beaten and whatever was left of the dress and cape he had been thrown into by Loki.

Loki. The last days without him had been weird. He missed him, somehow, his soft voice and the way his clever green eyes shined when he spoke his mind, lips curved into a small smile. It's only on the second night spent alone in the icy wasteland of Jotunheim that he had remembered the kiss on the night before his coming of age, his mind hazy from the fumes of alcohol. Maybe he was starting to really like him, in a different way that he had thought at first. Loki wasn't a maiden, nothing like the ones he had know before, but it didn't really seem to matter now. The first impressions had been deceitful, and the prince of the Aesir, without really be aware of it, had grown to like the deep colour of his jet black hair, the carefulness of his words and acts. Thor wanted to find him, listen to the fantastic stories he held in his mind, maybe touch the elegant curve of his neck. He wouldn't go back to Asgard until he did.

Thor.

Thor was the last thing he saw as the world around him faded away. Thor had come for him, had heard him. He was going to save him.

But when he woke up, it was in a very unfamiliar room. His heart pounded in anxiety and he shot up, fearing the worst, but not thinking of the injuries he had sustained. He couldn't stop the soft cry he gave, his ribs aching beneath the bandages that covered his torso. Surely he was just one great walking bruise now. He collapsed back into the soft furs and pillows, his eyes closing. Huh. He hadn't expected Thyrm to provide such luxuries to his slave and... Oh dear gods he hoped Thor made it out alive.

It wasn't until he heard a disturbingly familiar voice that Loki realized where he was.

"O-oh." The voice in question trembled, soft, feminine, so painfully beautiful to his ears that Loki started tearing up. "Oh, Loki... Lo-lo, oh my..." His eyes opened, revealing his wonderful sister. Those big magenta eyes look down at him, tears in them as one of her hands covered her mouth, and the other hovered over his body. "Loki... Oh dearest Loki, you're safe now. You're home. I won't let father send you back to that terrible land. Oh, and the Aesir call us monsters. Look what they have done to you..." Finally, her large hand settled on his non-injured cheek. And Loki found himself leaning into the touch almost greedily. "Shamir, oh sister..." He sobbed softly, reaching out to her.

She bent down and Loki immediately trapped her in a hug, burying his nose into the crook of her neck, her cool blue skin providing instant comfort. He stayed like that for a long time, his body trapped in a healing state, only half aware of what was going on around him, knowing only that he was safe in his sister's arms as his brothers one by one made it into the room.

"We're all here now, Loki. The five of us." Seidhr said softly, reaching to stroke his little brother's hair. "Tell us what happened."

A shudders breath was taken before Loki launched into his tale, clinging to his four siblings the entire time.

For the days following, Loki felt more at peace than he ever had in his life. Except for one minor detail. He found himself missing and worrying over Thor more and more as the days passed. Voicing his concerns to his siblings gained few results. Jomandir simply asserted that the prince was fine, but Loki would not be seeing him again, if he had anything to say about it. Shamir just shook her head and stroked his hair, as if fearing just the mentioning of Asgard would cause him more harm. Agmund and Sehdir both changed the subject and his father was just flat out ignored the questions, other than saying he would be meeting with the court and the Allfather soon to discuss the subject of his endangerment. Loki simply found himself increasingly frustrated with the repeated placating and attempted-soothing words.

He was still one giant bruise. His main, life-threatening injuries had been healed, but insisted on letting the bruises heal naturally. The continual use of magic for such small healing would simply make him more fragile further on down the road. The largest of the bruises was the one that disfigured his chest and stomach, the ugliest rested on his cheek, around where the icy blade had dug so eagerly into his skin, marring the normally beautiful blue color with horrid deep blacks and purples. Even when he woke up on the third day of being home in his icy realm it still had yet to fade, and it had Loki just as on edge as all of the useless answers did.

The boy was sitting with their father when Agmund had last checked. After losing Loki, the old king seemed determined to keep him close and safe, telling him stories of their mothers whom Loki never met and assuring the tiny Jotun that there was no more to fear, that he wouldn't be harmed again. It was funny that the old man decided now to shower Loki with affection and love, rather than when he was a child and needed such emotions. He supposed it was understandable, that Laufey had the urge to distance himself emotionally from the son he knew he was going to lose, despite the fact that the boy looked like and was the last reminder of the man's beloved wife.

But it didn't excuse the fact that Laufey had left Loki's raising to his four children.

Now enough of that, Agmund was on a mission today. On a mission to shut Loki up. All the "precious" baby of the family did was complain about missing and worrying over that bonehead Aesir he had been promised to. Personally he thought that Loki should just be thankful for the Aesir's assistance in saving him and forget him entirely, but the boy was hellbent on seeing his precious Thor again. He sneered a little and shouldered his cloak, pulling on his large horned helm, the markings and symbols flashing in the light of day. He planned on finding this damned Aesir, where ever he may be and dragging him back to Jotun.

He left in a flourish, his magic taking him directly to the Aesir prince, and Agmund gave him a mocking bow as he appeared. "Prince Thor." He acknowledged reluctantly, a bit of a sneer on his face as he looked down at the puny man. "My brother wishes for your presence. He is not fit to travel yet, other wise I am sure he would have attempted to come to you." He could hardly believe this was the man Lolo was always whining about. Thor was short, blond, tan and highly unattractive from Agmund's eyes. But the runt was trying to keep their land from war, may as well bring him what he wanted.

Thor's first reaction when he saw a Jotun materialize in front of him was to grab Mjolnir, the line of its handle now familiar inside his hand. The stranger bowed, addressed him by his name, and Thor froze. Was this really Loki's brother ?

"How can I be sure that this is not some kind of trap ?" He asked, his weapon still held securely between his fingers. "How can you prove me that you're not one of Thrym's men who finally found out about the point of us coming to Jotunheim ? I will not surrender Mjolnir to the likes of you, Jotun. Where have you taken Loki ? I want to speak to him first."

Agmund could hardly keep back the roll of his eyes as the Aesir prince dared to question him. "I would not be so rash. You are in our lands after all. Slaying Thyrm and protecting my baby brother may have gained good graces in Father's eyes, but to every other Jotun, you will be seen as you see us." He crouched down and narrowed his eyes. "I'll bet the women of Asgard tell horrid stories of Jotuns to scare their children and keep them from venturing where they shouldn't. Here, in our realm, the exact same is said of Aesir. You are in no position to be making threats, little golden one."

With out another word, he reached out a large hand and covered Thor's shoulder with it, his magic sending them across the frozen lands and back to the halls of his father. A small crack announced their presence, catching the attention of the tiny form nestled against the great king of Jotunheim.

Loki had just been close to dozing off, his father reading aloud from an old book of magic, the Jotun language, heavy, wrapping him up in a cocoon of comfort. Until a noise had him snapping up and turning to examine what had happened. The sight before him had him gasping and immediately pulling from Laufey, moving a little stiffly to greet Thor. "Oh Thor! Thank the Gods you're alright." The small boy all but squeaked, his hands immediately darting out to carefully touch his betrothed's cheek, then pet down his shoulders as if checking for any wounds.

"Send someone for warm furs," He told one of the servants, who scurried to do so, a mix of terror and disgust etched into his features at the sight of the youngest prince petting the monster. "Are you okay? Oh, i must look a little alarming..." there was so much he wanted to say, so much he wanted to tell Thor, but his tongue failed him, a soft flush resting across his features. With little effort, the blue of his skin melted away, leaving a pristine pale color behind, his eyes fading from red to green. The only problem with his Aesir skin was that it showed his bruises so much more clearly. But Loki wasn't thinking about that.

Before Thor could say anything, Loki was hugging him tightly, burying his head against his warm shoulder. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." He whispered softly, his eyes closing. He hadn't realized how much he had truly missed Thor. The warm smell of the sun on his neck, the feeling of those strong arms wrapping around him. Loki just couldn't express how thankful he was, nor how relieved he was that the prince was okay.

Laufey, on the other hand, was less than pleased.

"Why did you bring him here?" The king demanded of Agmund, who stood his ground, growling a little.

"I brought him here because of Loki's never ending whining, and because if we did nothing, the Aesir would have died in our realm and we would have been the ones Asgard blamed. If I left him out there, it would have led to a second war." Agmund defended, hardly noticing as Loki grabbed a cloak from a servant and wrapped it around Thor before standing in front of him protectively.

"Very well, send him back to Asgard." The king sneered. "Loki will remain here until the Allfather and I have had our meeting. Putting my son through such a dangerous situation was never part of the bargan. Had i the ability i would curse those dwarves and the Vanir with their cleaver tongues."

"Father if we send Thor back without Loki, Asgard will cry foul." Agmund roared.

Loki huffed a little bit, puffing out his chest and narrowing his eyes, "Why don't I make my own decisions for once?!" He barked with as much force as he could manage, startling the two larger Jotuns. They looked down at the now very Aesir looking Loki, who crossed his arms. "I will return to Asgard with Thor, when he is ready to make the journey." He announced, much to the shock of his father and brother. The fact that Loki was choosing to go willingly... It was incomprehensive to both of them.

Thor hadn't fully understood whatever had happened. There had been a flash of lights, rough hands gripping him tight, a twirling, dizzy sensation and suddenly he was back on the ground, his stomach half-way there. He felt like to throw up, but didn't. His well being didn't matter, not really, because Loki was there, he was alive, and he was glad to see him and he hadn't betrayed him. And so he only closed his eyes, catching the Jotun boy in a tight hug, let his face bury itself in the crook of his neck, and breathed.

Loki smelt of winter nights and his skin was cold against his, blue fading like snow under the spring sun, and Thor wondered for a moment if it was something Loki controlled or if it was only his touch that had made him change. He didn't really want to know. The time he had spent in Jotunheim had made him realize how utterly strange Asgard might have seemed to Loki when he had first came there, after a lifetime spent here, in the ice lands of Laufey's kingdom.

He didn't really listen to whatever was happening around him. It's only when Loki spoke that he came back to himself, and that he saw the tall figure of King Laufey next to the Jotun that had brought him here. He was the same, somehow, as the first time he had seen him, the ruins of a time long gone, and there was something in his posture that frightened Thor on a base, primal level. The monster the children feared at night. Without him really knowing it, his grip on Loki tightened, as if to protect him from some kind of threat.

He spoke in measured words, his voice controlled but his hands still firmly gripping Loki.

"As the heir of Asgard, I must apologize for our decision and my own. The Aesir meant no harm to Loki, but the dwarves asked for a proof that he was no traitor to our kingdom. If it can redeem whatever happened because of my presence in your lands, I slayed Thrym the rogue lord. He won't cause you trouble anymore."

He raised the hammer still in his hand and placed it against his chest.

"And, if my words still means anything... I vow to protect Loki better than I did before, for he is my bethroted and I am his, and the alliance of our kingdoms would bring peace to the Nine Realms."

Loki couldn't help the way he held Thor's arm around him, as if trying to pull the other man closer as his father looked them both over, those stern red eyes locking with Loki's now green ones. Those giant fists of Laufey's clentched in anger, his brows drawing together and his nostrals flaring. "Very well." The giant sneered, moving a way from the pair. "Loki, you will take the Prince Thor to your chambers. I will send a summons for Odin. Only after i have spoken with him, shall i allow you to return. You will stay at least that long." The Jotun King demanded, making Loki sigh and nod slowly. "Agreed." The small boy muttered as the servant scrambled back with the furs for Thor.

"We... apreciate your removing of the threat, Thyrm, but that does not make up for the fact that Loki was brutally harmed in the process of killing him." Laufey sneered down at the odd little Asgard prince, to his desk where he and Loki had just sat. "Agmund, leave me, send for a meal to be brought to Loki's room for our guest," He spat out the word as his second youngest son bowed and turned to do as he was told, grumbling a little in irritation. The one time he tried to do something nice for his little brat of a brother. Though he had to admit, seeing Loki happy (or maybe just knowing the whining would stop) almost made it worth everything.

Loki took the furs and draped them around Thor's broad shoulders, pulling them close to assure the man wouldn't be too cold. "If you will excuse us then, i will be showing my intended to our room." Loki announced to his now silent father before giving a little bow and turning a smile on Thor. "Come, let me get you something a bit more fitting to wear." He murmured gently, leading THor down the hall and into his room, placed purposely closest to his sister's room.

"Are you okay? You weren't hurt were you? All i remember is you barging in the door, then i woke up here." Loki said quickly, softly as he reached up to tenderly brush Thor's cheek. He wanted nothing more than to hold him, assure himself that thor was fine and not let go until Odin arrived to escourt them to Asgard. The revelation had a weird feeling bubbling into his chest and stomach, a feeling he chose to examine later. "Thor... Thank you. I just can't say that enough. Thank you for saving me..." His face twisted grimly. "I wasn't strong enough, but next time i will be. I will not let such a foolish, amaturish mistkae happen again." He was furious that he couldn't even get him magic to work in a simple barrier. It hadn't even been particularly strong! He planned on long nights of practicing and reading in that huge library of the Queen's.

Loki's face had this undertone of sadness in its features, a slight drop in the corner of his mouth, shadows in his eyes. Thor just looked at him, leaned against his fingers, closed his eyes. There were so many things he wanted to tell him, all of a sudden, how much he had missed him, the sound of his soft voice, the way his sheet when he woke up next to him in his large bed back in Asgard. He couldn't put any of it in a proper sentence, not really, and so he stayed silent, simply embracing him in a mute hug.

Between his fingers, he felt the soft locks of Loki's hair. It had grown, a tiny little bit, but it had the distinct feel of pinewood and soap, freezing winters and starry nights. He smiled against his forehead, whispering as if he was afraid that someone else might hear them. Maybe he was somehow. Laufey had made it clear that he didn't want him here and it made Thor mad, in a way. He didn't want his foolishness to be the end of the alliance, of everything Father had worked for. The idea of marrying a Jotun for the kingdom's sake had revolted him, and somewhere deep inside himself, it still did, but he had had time to think, to understand that there were more than his own selfish wishes in this game of politics he hated so much.

Thor took a deep breath, tiredness washing over him. He just wanted to sleep, to be back in Asgard, sitting in Mother's library with Loki telling him stories with his clever words and Fandral's stupid jokes and Sif's quiet disapproving face whenever they did anything stupid. Loki was safe. Everything would be alright. He could maybe, maybe, show a tiny little bit of weakness here.

"I missed you." He said simply, his lips brushing against strands of wild hair that had found themselves in Loki's brow. "I doubted you, when I was alone out there in Jotunheim. I was afraid that you had died. I'm sorry about that. I should have known better."

It was regret in his voice, and it was sincere. He didn't know exactly when he had found himself falling in love with the prince of Jotunheim. It was a slow process, but he knew it had gotten him somewhere in the line, with a kiss or maybe the touch of cold fingers against his own. Loki was different from anything he had ever known, and he was amazing, clever, measured in every way Thor could never be.

The sound of Thor's voice rumbling over him had Loki sighing, his head dropping forward to rest on the man's shoulder. "I missed you, too." He whispered softly, nuzzling into his warm skin, his arms moving to wrap around the other prince's torso, his eyes closed. "I thought you dead, I was so worried, my siblings and father haven't been very helpful." Loki was having a hard time believing that Thor was even here, unscathed by the harsh winds and snow out in the Jotun world. "Here, let me..." He ran his hands across the clothes Thor was wearing, changing them, watching as they shifted to become Thor's normal clothes and a thick, warm cloak. He tugged it carefully around them, so that Loki was cocooned with Thor in the thick fur.

"I'm sorry, about my father, and I'm sure my brother wasn't much of a pleasure... I'm sorry Thor, I should have anticipated Thyrm's protection charms..." Loki just wanted to stay like this a while, to simply rest with his beloved Aesir.

Beloved... That was a new term in relation to Thor. Very suddenly, Loki found his heart lurching. He wasn't sure when their hesitant friendship had blossomed into more. For Loki, it may have been when Thor braved the council and all his guests to defend Loki's honor, to defend him from any punishment. Or perhaps it was the fact that when Loki had needed him the most, Thor came, saving him from that monstrous general.

Just as Loki was relaxing into those strong arms and leaning up to brush his lips against Thor's cheek, Joman and Shamir burst through his door, causing the young prince to lurch a little, turning, but keeping in the warm confines of the cloak, his back pressed to Thor's chest.

"Loki, what is...?" Shamir's arching brow furrowed a little at the sight of her tiny brother curled against the Asgardian warrior.

"Shamir, Joman, this is Thor." Loki said nervously, "Thor, this is my oldest brother Joman, and my sister Shamir." Even Shamir towered over Thor, the young woman shifting nervously and her hands wringing against themselves.

"W-well, it is a... A pleasure to meet you, Thor." The girl said in her soft voice, offering a small smile and looking at her older brother. Joman said nothing, his eyes slowly trailing over the pair.

"I should gut you for sending our brother into the nest of a monster." He said, his Aesir heavily accented, his blood red eyes narrowing. He moved closer, slowly, gracefully for his size, crouching down to be more at level with Thor and Loki. "But my father has warned us against any action harming you. I will tell you this only once. If you harm him, in anyway, or allow him to be harmed, I will take the same wounds and imprint them on to you." The eldest Jotun heir hissed, standing suddenly and moving from the room, their sister following behind him after a short apology in the Jotun tongue.

Loki turned to Thor and flushed, looking up at the exhausted warrior. "I'm sorry, Thor, for the way my family acted." He whispered. "They just... Joman won't really harm you, not at all."

Thor didn't answer to Loki's brother's threats, gritting his teeth in the process. Had they been in Asgard, he would have not tolerated it, but he was a guest in Laufey's castle, an unwanted guest who had only been allowed here because of Loki's insistence. He hoped that Loki said the truth. Had he listened to himself, he would have fought the Jotun for attacking his honor like this.

Closing his eyes, he idly passed his fingers along Loki's shorter hair, smiling at the feeling of it. Loki was the only Jotun he had seen with it, even his sister seemed to be bald as the rest of her kin. It was strange, but he didn't feel like asking about it. There were so many strange things he had seen so far in the realm of Laufey that he felt like it would take a whole week to answer to all of his questions about Loki, about his world and about his family.

He shook his head. Maybe that was how Loki had felt when they had taken him to Asgard ?

"It's okay, Loki. I guess I kind of understand him. I should have been more careful with you."

He looked at the boy's lips, hesitated. Too much had happened since they had left Asgard, and Mjolnir felt heavy for the first time since he had taken it from Thrym. He didn't kiss him, only let his hand slip from his head to his shoulder, a sigh escaping him. He needed rest.

"I'll try to contact my Father tomorrow." He said as he turned toward the large bed in Loki's room. It was, once again, very different from Asgard, with less gold and sparkles, but Thor wouldn't even think about complaining. Anything was better than freezing out there in Jotunheim's thundra. "We'll be back in Valhalla soon, unless..."

It would be understandable, of course. It didn't mean that it made Thor's heart twist in a less painful way to simply think about it. The prince of Asgard bit the inside of his cheek. He opened his mouth, and spoke.

"Unless you want to stay here with your family."

Loki leaned into the hand that was playing with his hair, his eyes closing slowly as he listened to Thor's warm voice running over him. His eyes snapped open though, when Thor mentioned something.

Thor... He was offering to let him stay? He was offering to let him stay in Jotunheim, with his family, to make him happy? His green eyes searched Thor's bright blue ones. Thor was a terrible liar, if there was any hint of untruth Loki would be able to spot it.

But there wasn't. There was no sign of lies, no sign of a joke. "Thor..." He murmured softly, shocked. This was what he had wanted, what he had prayed for for years; a way to get out of this marriage, a way to stay with his family, without losing his pride or honor. All he wanted, offered on a silver platter.

... But was that really what he wanted?

He licked his lips nervously, his mouth suddenly dry. "Thor," he repeated, reaching up to wrap his arms slowly around the warrior's neck. "If... If you had offered to let me stay here a month ago, I would have jumped at the chance..." He shook his head slowly, glancing up nervously. "I... I don't know what I want to do... But I do know I don't want to go anywhere I can't be with you." He finally said, one of his hands reaching to run his fingers through that golden blond hair.

"You need to rest, you look absolutely exhausted." He insisted suddenly, pushing Thor gently to lie back on the bed, pulling the furs up over him. "I can't believe you survived out there, you should have called for Heimdall to take you home. You could have been hurt or killed." He admonished gently.

The words from Loki made Thor's head spin, just a little, his heart hammering and a tiny smile appearing on his face. Loki was coming home with him. To Asgard. He didn't say anything as Loki urged him into the bed, his body relaxing into the strange mattress and blankets of Jotunhiem. But, when Loki began to pull away, Thor took the younger boy's dainty hand and pulled him into the bed with him, his arms wrapping around the Jotun-turned-Aesir with a slow sigh. Loki didn't seem to mind, looking at him with those green eyes that Thor had come to admire before settling down in his arms. "Together, then," he whispered into Loki's hair, "we'll go home." After the words escaped his lips, Thor fell into a deep slumber, relaxing for the first time in days, happy, with Loki in his arms.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

I'm not going to bother giving you guys an excuse for why it took me this long to post a new chapter. All I'm going to say is life sucks. Thank you guys for sticking with me this long and not leaving horrible hate comments. It really means a lot. I hope you like the new chapter. I'm sorry, it's poorly edited, but I have an announcement. Since Leo is no longer interested in continuing the story and I am slowly getting my muse back for marvel characters, I'm considering rewriting All Shall be well in Asgard. The story line wouldn't change much, but in the several years that we've been working on this, my writing has improved dramatically and I would like to make this story read a little better. Tell me what you guys think!

Much love 3
From Your Author Lady