The first time they kiss, the spring air is crisp, the fragrance of flowers fills every spare room in the palace, and no one is surprised.

Every year, the royal family goes on a camping trip into the far mountains of Asgard. For as long as the princes can remember, it has been so; their mother ushering them to pack and then heading out on the three week long journey that always proves to be an adventure of its own, whether or not there is any danger. This year, they have been told they are allowed to hunt with their father and they are both positively buzzing with the excitement.

That morning, they are both woken by their mother, a rare occurrence in of itself. It is the first sign that something important is going to happen that day. Frigga tells them both to ready themselves for their trip and they do so with eager nerves, each with grins on their faces in their separate rooms. Once they are packed, servants knock on their doors and give them the summons of the king. It would be unwise to disobey their father, and so they walk shoulder to shoulder to the throne room with nerves of a different kind.

They both enter the large room, but they are used to it and so only come to stand before their father and king, both dropping to bended knee, looking at each other out of the corner of their eyes.

"What do you think he wants?" Loki mouths to his brother, only to get a shrug and a furrowed brow in return. The younger prince just shakes his head minutely, considering, and turns his eyes fully back to the Allfather.

Odin motions for them to rise, a smile that seems both amused and fond on his lips as he does so. Thor is the first to rise, his hand dropping to his side from where it had been resting against his heart. Loki does the same moments later, always following after the older prince, and blinks wide green eyes at their lord father.

They both know it improper to speak to their king, whether he be their father matters not, and so they wisely keep their mouths sealed together, though the young thunderer obviously wants to say something.

After a moment, their father speaks. "My sons," he starts, a warmth in his voice, "you need not seem so nervous." Thor visibly relaxes, but Loki stays tense. With their father, he has often learned not to trust just what he says in this room. But he does not recall doing anything to earn punishment as of late, so perhaps he should not worry so. "You know well that we are journeying today." It almost sounded like a question, so they both nodded. "And you also know that each year I go hunting. I have deemed you both ready to do so with me, if you would wish it."

Thor beams, any hint of nervousness draining from him. "Of course, Father! And I am sure Loki feels the same?" He looks to Loki for the answer.

"…yes, I would like that," he replies after a moment of contemplation. A grin splits his lips as well as he and Thor eye each other again, clearly going to talk about this as soon as they were out of their father's presence. Odin looked at the both of them with a smile.

"Very good. Well, that is all. I will see you both rather soon, I should think. Unless your mother has other plans. Norns know the woman is always making them without me," he chuckles before waving them off again, lifting himself from the throne to attend to what he has left to do in his day.

Just as they had planned, as soon as the two princes had excited the throne hall, walking in the straightest manner possible, they start chattering excitedly about the hunt. Now that they have both reached a half-way point in their training, they can join in on hunts and soon, actual missions. It seems to be the latter point that had them both teeming with joy, as they are so close to leaving their boyhood behind in favor of greater, more adventurous things.

Almost in sync, they both turn the corner to the kitchens, planning on stealing some treats for their long trip into the mountains. The road there was always half the fun of their camping, but they often got hungry while they rode. Besides, the cooks would not miss a few treats. Once they have stuffed their pockets full of pastries and candies, they head back to their rooms to grab any extra things they need, the servants already having taken their bags.

While they wait for a servant or their mother to come and fetch them, they sit out in the hallway with their legs spread out in front of them. "What do you think it will be like?" Loki asks, always looking to his older brother for guidance, even in things that Thor had no experience in himself.

"Marvelous, of course. Perhaps we shall catch a magical doe." Loki rolls his eyes and Thor laughed heartily.

"I am being serious, you idiot." He shoves lightly at his side.

Thor just grins wider. "So am I! It would be a great feat. Or perhaps a dragon. It would take up the entire dining table, and you could use the scales for some of your potions."

"Well, that is true," Loki pretends to consider before a servant approaches them, trying not to look directly them as they are below him, and it would be considered rude to look down upon the princes.

He clears his throat. "My princes, your horses are ready and your parents waiting, if you would." He bows to them.

Thor picks himself up, helping Loki up after him. "Thank you… Gunne?"

"It is Otto, your majesty," he mutters, trying to remain respectful.

"Ah, Otto. Of course. Well, nevertheless, you have our thanks. You may take your leave now." Ever the heir to the throne. The serving boy does as he is told and exits down the hall. Thor and Loki walk towards the stables, still talking amongst themselves of what the hunt must be like.

When they reach the stables, Frigga and Odin are waiting for them already on their own steeds. They do not prefer to go in anything more than the commoners would, not wanting to cause much of a riot as they pass through the streets. There are three other horses saddled with their belongings, as well as a rather small donkey. Sleipnir, their father's war horse, is not among them, but instead a beautiful white mare.

The boys mount their own beasts, Loki's a sleek golden steed, and Thor's a rust colored mare, and after checking that their pack horses are tied properly to the others, they head off in front of their parents. They know the path by heart now, having traveled it as long as they can remember. Before them stretches the long road, but it only fills their hearts with more excitement and longing.

It takes them two days to reach the woods high in the mountains, the ground covered in snow despite the warm air that surrounds the lower realm. Loki seems perfectly at home, only a thin fur lining his shoulders as he brings his horse to a stop by a stream and a clearing, jumping off to land lightly on the snow. Thor, however, is shivering like mad, and Frigga does not look any better. Odin seems to not be all too bothered by it, and Loki blames it on the fact that his mother was a giant. He must have gotten more of his grandmother's genes. The thought makes him frown, but grandmother Bestla was nice while she was alive- always bringing the princelings presents- and so he does not concern himself with it.

As he breathes in the crisp mountain air, he can't help but smile. It is beautiful atop the world, he decides. "Father, do you want me to start a fire while you and Thor set up camp?" Asking is only a courtesy now. It is how it works every year. Thor and Odin will set up camp, Loki will collect wood and start a fire, and Frigga will distribute their things.

"That would be helpful. Thank you, Loki." His father gives him a smile and Loki returns it briefly before trekking into the forest for wood. When he returns a half hour, the camp is already set up and one of them has cleared a patch for him to build his fire. He dumps the logs onto the ground before arranging them carefully. Once he has them settled in the pit nicely, he casts a small spell to engulf his hand in flame, lowering it to start the fire and give his family he warmth they desire. The fire is green, signaling that it is not a natural one, but it is much warmer than a normal one would be.

Once he has made sure the flame will grow large, he makes his way to the tent that he and Thor will be sharing for the rest of their trip. His bed has already been made, and he reminds himself to thank Frigga later, and he makes sure his things are all in order. Loki loves his mother dearly, but sometimes she has a habit of misplacing things and not remembering where she put them. His brother is sitting on his own pallet, fiddling with his bow and Loki looks over to him.

"Are you nervous, mighty Thor? I am surprised," he teases, coming to stand before him.

Thor shook his head. "Not nervous. Merely…" he trails off. "I do not know, Loki. But rest assured I will be there to save you from any harm." He is teasing now as well and the younger actually has to laugh at that.

"It is not you who will be doing the saving." He smiles at him. "Now come on. It is near time for dinner, and we have no food. I plan on hunting sometime today." They still had at least half of the day before they would need their supper, but in his mind they would need it all to hunt.

After a moment, Thor sets his bow aside and brings himself to his feet, only then reaching for the weapon again to strap to his back, a pack of arrows at his belt. Loki has his knives and his magic, so he does not bother reaching for the ivory bow that sits near his trunk. Instead, he parts the entrance of the tent to see their father already waiting for them, dressed warmly with his bow and spear at his side.

"Are you ready then? The deer are going to die of their own accord before we get there." There is a slight smirk on their father's face, and Loki swears it is like looking into a mirror.

"Oh, quit your teasing, old man. We will get there before you anyway," Thor teases back, a grin on his own face, while he walks forward, intent to prove their father wrong in his words.

Instead of responding to either of them, Loki walks through the powdery snow to where his mother sits by the fire, looking into the flames. She does not seem very happy and something twists in his chest.

"Worry not, Mother. We will be safe," he promises as he sits on the log next to her, giving her an earnest smile.

She shakes her head with a small sigh. "It is not that. You are both just growing up." There is a smile on her lips, but it looks morose. "You do not know how that wounds a mother." She looks to him, cupping his jaw lightly before leaning forward to kiss his temple, her gloved hand brushing over his cheekbone. "I remember when you were both younger and would come into our rooms at night out of fright. Why can I not have those days back?"

"Would you want us taking up your space now?" he tries to joke, before turning his head to kiss her palm in affection. "We will always be your sons, Mother. But not boys. We will be your strong men." He chuckles and she can't help but laugh with him before he stands up. "I think Father will have my head if I do not go soon."

"Be careful," she whispers. "And tell Thor to be as well. He is too stubborn for his own good sometimes."

Loki smiles again at her. "I promise, Mother. Now we will be back shortly to feed you." With that, he crunches back through the snow and into the woods, following after the footsteps of his brother and father.

It is hours later when they return, but Thor and Loki have a buck each held in their arms and grins splitting their lips. Their hunt is a successful one and they cannot help but be proud of their first true one yielding a very good meal. They did not catch a magic doe or a dragon like Thor had wanted, but they had dinner for at least a few weeks more, and jerky for later.

Their mother just shakes her head as they dump their catch onto the snow covered ground, the white quickly bleeding with red. Odin carves the meat out and lets the boys have a pelt each for their rooms, before Frigga tells them to go clean up before dinner. They are both caked in blood and dirt, so neither complain as they head to the chilly stream.

After making the water warm enough to bearable, for Thor, Loki strips out of his clothing and throws the pile of rags onto the shore. Thor is giving him an odd look and the younger of the two raises a brow before slipping into the now warm water. After a moment, his brother clambers in beside him, spraying him a bit with water. Loki huffs, casting him a small glare before setting about cleaning before he feels a hand on his shoulder.

"You did well today, Loki. Really, your magic is the best I have ever seen. Though I might be a bit biased as you nearly killed me with it," he laughed before smiling at him, that same odd look from earlier in his eyes.

Shaking his head and wiping at his brow to get the dripping water off, Loki goes to reply. "Well, obvi-" he was cut off when Thor leaned in and sealed their mouths together. Loki's brain does not catch up very quickly to what is happening and after a few moments, he puts his hand to Thor's chest, considering pushing him away. But something in him protested against that and he found himself returning the kiss instead, his fingers relaxing as they spread over his brother's bronze skin. When he pulls back, his smile is more brilliant than any others that day, and it is the start of something to be spoken of in legands.