A/N: This idea has been in my head for a while, so I wanted to try it. If people think it is a good idea I'll continue, but if you think it's crap then I won't. I am not sure what type of reaction it will get and I really don't want people hating on me for it. Not saying you have to praise it, but a simple "keep going" would be helpful so I don't make an arse of myself.
Ch. 1
Loki returned to Asgard expecting to face several things. Years in the dungeons, for one. Probably some torture. No doubt Odin would want him to suffer for his crimes. And, truth be told, Loki knew he deserved it.
So when he was marched into the throne room, he was surprised to find Odin looking calm. Almost too calm. It was a bit unnerving, really.
"Thor! I thank you for bringing your brother back. Heimdall says that there were many casualties?"
"Aye." Thor glared at his brother, "Loki caused much destruction and many deaths."
Loki all but rolled his eyes. He hadn't done THAT much damage. A couple of thousand killed at most. Humans were good at re-populating, anyway.
Odin nodded. "You have done well, son."
Then he stood up and began to walk towards Loki.
"You know that you will be punished," he began, looking Loki straight in the eyes. Being unable to speak, thanks to the muzzle, Loki merely stared back at him. "I have thought long and hard about what is best to do with you."
"To the dungeon, then?" Thor asked.
Odin shook his head. "No. I doubt that time there would teach Loki any lessons. It never has before. You know of the sorceress Gróa, yes?"
"Aye. She is the most powerful in all of Asgard, next to Loki of course."
If Loki could have, he would've smirked at that comment. He took great pride in his magical abilities.
"Gróa will use her magic to bring Loki back to a more... manageable age. Perhaps then, with the right treatment, he may grow to be better than he is now."
Thor's jaw dropped, and Loki's eyes grew wide.
"You... you mean that she's going to make him a child again?" Thor asked.
"Aye. Loki will not retain his memories. Further," Odin said, looking at Loki again. The trickster's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head. "You will take Loki back to Midgard, to live amongst the mortals there. Perhaps he will learn something from them. Clearly a childhood spent on Asgard did not teach him any good."
Thor didn't know what to say. He understood his father's reasoning, though.
"That is fine. I will speak to the others about this when we arrive. Perhaps we may stay with them," he finally replied.
"Good."
Loki made a sound as if he were trying to speak. Both Thor and Odin looked at him, and Odin smirked.
"Do not worry, Loki. This is a good punishment for you. You will not hurt or suffer in any way."
Loki shook his head 'no', and made another sound, but Odin chose to ignore it this time. He turned to Thor again.
"I will make a formal announcement to the people tomorrow morning, and the ceremony will be performed tomorrow afternoon. For now, you will take your brother to your quarters for the evening. You will find that Gróa has enchanted them so that Loki will be unable to leave."
"Aye," Thor agreed. He wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulder. "Let us go."
00
That evening, Thor slept soundly, but Loki couldn't rest at all. He had tried his best to break the enchantment on Thor's chambers but he had been unsuccessful. Gróa had used a method that he was unfamiliar with. There was no escape.
A million thoughts flew through Loki's mind. He didn't want to be a child again! It was a sentence worse than torture. And to be forced to live with Thor among the mortals! Among the Avengers! He would have preferred that Odin just kill him outright!
There was only one thing that he could do. Tomorrow, when Gróa performed the ceremony, he would use his magic to fight back. It was worth a shot, at least.
00
The night and following morning went by all too quickly for Loki. He was tired, but his nerves were keeping him aware of everything going on. Gróa would arrive any moment, now, and he would have to fight.
Thor seemed to sense Loki's worry, and did his best to comfort him.
"Do not fear, brother," he said, laying a hand on Loki's shoulder, "I will ensure that no harm comes to you."
Loki shook his head 'no' again, as if to say 'I still don't want this at all!' but Thor brushed it off.
"It will not be as bad as you think."
Thor's replies just made Loki more frustrated. Even Frigga seemed to be on Odin's side! She had hugged him and told him that it was for the best, and not to worry because Thor would take care of him. He had hoped that Frigga, of all people, might have understood.
Then Gróa arrived. Loki had not seen her in quite some time, not since she was a young woman. She barely seemed to have aged, looking just as beautiful as she always had. Her long blonde hair flowed down her back, and her blue eyes lit up as she smiled when she saw Thor.
"Thor! It has been so long," she said, pulling him into a hug.
"It has been." He hugged her back, "You look... radiant."
Gróa smiled even wider, and Loki wanted to gag. Gróa and Thor always had some strange chemistry between them. She, being the good sorceress, he being the golden hero. They had never gotten together for some reason, though.
Odin cleared his throat, and Gróa backed away from Thor. She bowed to Odin.
"I am sorry, my lord," she said.
"Let us move on to the ceremony," Odin replied.
Gróa nodded in agreement.
"Adisa, may I have the herbs?"
A young woman with dark hair stepped forward. Loki assumed her to be Gróa's assistant. The woman handed her a large stone bowl.
"Thank you, my friend," Gróa said. "Now, Thor, you must hold Loki. Ensure that he cannot move at all."
Thor stepped forward, and wrapped his arms around Loki, keeping him firmly in place. His hands were bound, but he could have still tried to run.
Seeing that Loki was secure, Gróa began throwing handfuls of the herbs at him. The dried plants hit him and fell to the floor. Loki glared at her.
"For magic of this magnitude, I require outside assistance. That is where the herbs and Adisa come in," she explained.
No one replied, and Gróa took that as her cue to continue. Adisa came closer to her, and the two women joined hands.
Thor could feel Loki's body tensing as the women began to chant softly.
"Do not try to fight it, brother," he whispered.
Loki just tensed up even more, closing his eyes as to concentrate entirely on his task.
After a few seconds, a stream of what looked like smoke came from the fallen pieces of herbs on the floor. The smoke gathered into a ball that was aimed directly at Loki's chest.
At once, the women stopped chanting, and the ball of smoke surged forward, entering Loki's body. He let out a grunt as he felt it go into him, and immediately began to try to to push it out. He began to shake. Their magic was strong, very strong. The two women, for their part, clasped their hands more firmly together and seemed to be concentrating on forcing the magic to work.
"He's fighting..." Adisa whispered.
Meanwhile, Loki had begun to sweat. He didn't know how much longer he could do this. It was two against one, after all, and being unable to move or speak...
Suddenly, Gróa let out a cry, and collapsed to the ground, taking Adisa with her.
And then Loki felt it. The two had used the last of their energy to-
Everything went black before Loki could even complete his thought.
00
Loki woke up to the sound of Gróa and Odin's voices. He cracked his eyes open, unsure of what was going on.
He was lying on the floor, it felt like. It was hard. His whole body hurt, too. He let out a pitiful sounding groan, and everyone turned their attention to him.
"Father?" he asked, softly. "What happened?"
Loki wanted to cry. Everything hurt all over. He wondered if he had fallen out of the tree that he and Thor often climbed, but he was inside, so that couldn't be it.
No one answered Loki's question, and it made him nervous.
"Shouldn't he be... smaller?" Odin asked, speaking very quietly.
Gróa shook her head. "Yes but... he fought it so hard...it must have only affected his mind."
"What happened?" Loki asked again. He couldn't control it, now. He felt tears building in his eyes, and they began to fall down his cheeks. "What happened? Please... father, tell me," he begged, in between sobs.
Loki felt a pair of arms wrap around him, helping him into a sitting position. Someone was near him, helping him up. He looked over and saw a man with long blonde hair who looked a like like Thor, if Thor was old. It scared him.
"Please!" he begged, crying even harder, "Father!"
Gróa sighed. "Loki... everything is fine. Please calm down. I need to ask you a question."
Loki sniffed, but nodded. His father was watching him and he didn't want to make his father angry by continuing to cry. Men do not cry, father would always say.
"Yes?" Loki replied.
"How old are you?"
Loki raised an eyebrow. That was a strange question. Didn't Gróa know how old he was? Still, he decided to answer.
"Six."
Gróa nodded, and forced a smile.
"Thank you, Loki."
"You're welcome," Loki whispered. He sniffed again.
Gróa whispered something to Odin, and Odin grunted and nodded. He looked angry. His expression made Loki cringe. He must have done something wrong for father to seem so upset. He just wished that someone would tell him what was going on!
"Thor," Odin said, addressing the man with the blonde hair, "Take Loki to your chambers. Let him rest. We will visit you shortly."
Now Loki was extremely confused. Why did Thor look so old?
Thor stood up and helped Loki up as well.
"Come on," he said, taking Loki's hand.
Loki followed along, unsure of what else to do. At least Thor could protect him if father got too upset. He was big enough.
Once the brothers left, Gróa and Odin talked amongst themselves.
"Is there anything that can be done?" Odin asked.
Gróa shook her head sadly. "I know not of any means of reversal."
"Well think of something," Odin snapped, "And do it soon."