fossilised | I come from a land of ice and snow

Loki knew Thor better than almost anyone, and he knew how much Thor loved a story if it was told to him right. Loki had always been able to arrest his attention for hours, weaving tales that sometimes even brought his brother to genuine anger or tears for the plight of those trapped within it. He did not intend to go for such dramatics today, but a simple tale could tug the heartstrings as much as an elaborate one.

"Those who are born on Jotunheim are left for three nights in the ice and snow to test their mettle, and only those who survive are taken back in by their families and raised. During the war, a child was born to Laufey-King and Farbauti, his consort. The child was left outside, as was custom, but the battle spilled over to the royal grounds and the babe slept among carnage. It was found by an Asgardian warrior who assumed it to have been abandoned."

This much he knew, for it had been told to him in whispers by the Casket, by Helblindi, but he did not know how much Odin and Frigga had come to love him.

"Magic ran inside this child, and its skin changed as it was held by the warrior, becoming pink and pale. Not being a monster, the warrior did not wish to abandoned the child to die and, thinking to raise it on Asgard, took it. That child grew with a family of Asgard, one loved deeply. Finding out their true nature did not change this, but it left them torn, for by nature they were seen as a subjugated race, yet by nurture they were one of the Realm Eternal. That child does not want to lose either part of their heritage, which is why they stand before you fighting so vehemently for an alliance to be considered."

Would Thor feel for this child of a displaced realm? Or feel only anger that a Jotun had been raised as Aesir? He would wait to see before he revealed himself.

All thelugh the tale, Thor sat rapped with attention, on the edge of his seat. He had not even drained his second horn, but it hung by the straps between his knees, as if prepared to fall in shock or offer its bearer solace. Thor looked confused, genuinely, and blinked at the Jotun upon his bed. "The Asgardian did the honourable thing. How is it we never knew this? It is not something I had learned. If it is truth... I am sorry for your struggle, Laufeysdottir. It must be terrible for you not to have learned of this for so long."

Thor would saddened to learn that Loki thought so little of him.

"How is it that knowledge of you came to Frigga's ears? Your magic, perhaps? She has always had such keen affinity for those that share her gifts..."

His mother was a good woman. But he knew she always wished for a daughter. It is why she allowed Loki to dabble in magic for so long.

"Why do you believe that this never reached your ears? With how Asgard sees those of Jotunheim, is it any wonder that this was kept a secret? What life would this child have had, among Aesir who believed them to be a monster, an interloper, or merely the subjugated? Even when they found out their own heritage, a great blow, they did not know how their beloved brother may react."

Loki finally set down the Casket on the ground by his feet, and allowed his skin to bleed back to Aesir paleness. Green eyes, dark hair, unmistakable for Loki.

"So tell me, my brother, where do we go from here?"

He had been raised royalty on Asgard, he was royalty on Jotunheim, but the two halves of him were not at peace.

The wine splashed to the floor at his feet before the horn followed and bounced harmlessly towards the edge of the canvas and fur tent. Thor's face had drained of blood as he stood, rocking ever so slightly as if it was impossible for his feet to move from where they had planted despite the push of I felt wind at his back.

Another trick? Another illusion? Did Loki guise himself as a Jotun to upset him? To tease him for not heeding him? Thor wanted to believe that, but he couldn't laugh and joke with the other at how he'd been had. It was impossible, because in his heart, Thor knew that the Jotun sitting on his bed was his brother. No illusion had been cast. And their mother at least had known all along-- of course she had!

Thor turned away and hung his head in silence to gather his thoughts.

"You have spent a good portion of your life lying to me," he whispered. "You maybe Liesmith but I never thought I would be played the fool for so long. We have no where to go but back to the palace." He wasn't stupid enough not to know that Loki hadn't been literal but he needed that boundary set. "I must sit upon a throne I am not ready for with a brother and mother who have lied to me. We can go no where else until the All-Father stirs."

"Do not call me Liesmith for this, for all else that I have tricked you with, but not for this," hissed Loki, anger clear in his voice. He had been afraid to show Thor, and he had been the one lied to for the longest.

"You think me in some lifelong game with Mother and Father over this, but you are wrong. I found the truth myself only a century past, and I have struggled with what to do or how to feel. The All-Father collapsed into the Odin-Sleep when I confronted him, and Mother gifted me the Casket, neither knew that I had known before this day."

He had made jest of Thor for many things in his life, lied to him often, but not about this. This was a cruel secret that had been kept from them both.

"Think only on your throne, Thor, if that is all that must fill your waking hours. I will not be dragged back like a criminal to wait on your pleasure."

"Known for a hundred years and not once beckoned me to share this with you?!" Thor roared as he turned, gripping Loki under the throat to pull him close lest he attempt to teleport away. He knew his brother's tricks. He knew his magic. And while he was often made a fool because of them, this time he was thinking with instinct and instinct told him not to trust. "A hundred years have passed and you tell me only now?! How little do you think of me? Little enough to think that I could ever see you in chains?! This is why you wished an alliance with Jotunheim?!"

He snarled in righteous disgust and released Loki to sink down on the spot that stil remained cool from the guide of the sorceress. His hands folded and he rested his elbows on his knees. Dejected.

"We could have done so much... We could have saved so many. When have I ever given you cause to think...?" Thor stopped himself, memories of boasts at how he would rid himself of the Jotun scourge once he became All-Father, claims made before he understood in part the reason Jotunheim was kept in wasting subjugation, when he was young and full of ill thought dreams, hit him hard into silence.

His heart sank.

"You are no criminal. You turned the tide of battle. We fought together better than I have ever fought with another. You will not waste away in the dungeons. But i can not make an alliance. We will speak to our father and... Loki... Loki, I need your counsel more now than ever. And yet I fear it."

"Why did I not tell you? You truly ask me why?"

Loki spat the words down at Thor. He was not afraid as he was held bodily in place by his throat, he did not feel pity as his brother sank down to sit in dejected weariness, he did not feel compassion. The anger was too strong, too prevalent. He looked down on Thor with scorn.

"When have you given me cause to trust you with this? You think us so close, but there has long been a chasm between us of your making. How often have you mocked my skills in magic as womanly with the others, how long have you thought me less of a warrior for my love of books? You think these things childish jesting, but they are who I am. You have vowed to rid the Realms of Jotnar many times in our lives, you scorn the depth beneath the surface, tell me when you have given me reason to think telling you my origins would ever be other than a heartbreak? I did not want to lose you, Thor."

He stood, straight backed and proud, above his brother, green eyes glinting.

"No more. We fought together so well because of my magic. I will not be taunted for a power beyond that which you might imagine to wield, and I will not be denied the truth of who I am. I will stand beside you, and I will advise you, and I will hold you as brother in my heart. But know this, I will not stand forever waiting for my fates to change."

Tonight there could be no more. Thor felt as if he had lost everything, he felt as if he had gained that which he could not face, and though he rarely would admit to weakness, he could feel it seeping into his bones. He dismissed Loki with a gesture, not watching him scoop up the casket at his feet, nor trying to stop him. Nothing norw could be said for the evening that would change the course of the conversation and so it was best just to leave it.

Thor undressed himself since James was not there to remind him nor help him with the task. He never needed the assistance but it was a slave's duty and he was not too far above himself to take away the purpose of someone he cared deeply for.

He poured himself water to wash with. He tied back his own hair.

He'd forgotten Steven was here to step in. Steven was always just there. Kind and careful, attentive, but still like furniture compared to James' ability to fill a room.

Steven found that he missed James dearly as well. The more experienced slave had been everything he strove to be, he had been kind, competent, and self assured without ever overstepping his mark. No wonder he had been favoured. And now he had to step into that void, and he felt wholly unprepared. Should he have stepped in and asked his prince to let him help? Had he done the right thing hanging back?

He only knew his master looked saddened now that the Jotun princess had left, carrying the casket once more.

Not that Thor would be allowed much time to rest, for Sif would come to his tent and only barely await being announced before entering. She looked concerned, highly strung.

"Thor, we are all worried that this Jotun sorceress has placed an enchantment on you, you cannot mean to ride with her into Asgard as though she is an ally."

All Thor wanted was a few moments alone. At least Steven was giving him that space, but he could not help but snap when Sif rushed in claiming he was enchanted. He stood again, dwarfing his oldest friend. His initial intent was not to be intimidating, though he was. He simply could not stay seated when accused of being what he was not. “The Jotun—“ He nearly tripped over the word, “has offered proof that the All-Mother has given up the Casket, taken as tribute from Jotunheim, to her. There is little danger in allowing her to accompany us back to Asgard. No sorceress yet has managed to best Queen Frigga. We will keep a wary eye and I shall return her myself under cover of darkness to the city proper to consult with the Queen. It is not open for debate. If you worry so, have Steven bring me a meal and be done with it tonight. I have much to consider.”

He didn’t know if Sif was aware of Odin’s fall and at the moment, he did not wish to discuss it with her. He would have made James his confidant but James could no longer offer advice and he refused to listen to Loki.

That meant it would be Steven to whom this new burden fell, though Thor was silent for a long while as he pushed around his meat and thick gravy with a piece of heavy bread. “Sit, Steve,” he said with a deep rumble. “Sit and keep me company.”

Sif was not afraid of her oldest friend, but she could tell when he could be pushed further and when he could not. Now was not a time to test those limits. She would bow to his decision for now, and she would enlist the Warriors Three in helping her to keep a close eye on that Jotun. Should any harm befall any under their protection, she would be the first to die for it.

But she left the tent with only her fist over her heart for answer.

Steven startled in surprise, but he stepped forwards quickly to sit opposite his master and look over at him with quiet concern in bright blue eyes. He would not fail this first test.

"Say the word, my prince, and I will do anything I can to ease your sorrows."

James would have offered some friendly banter, perhaps cracked a joke or two, but Steven had been with him for half a century, and that wasn’t time enough to know him. Especially considering that Thor had had absolutely no time for anyone other than James. He’d poured his attention into the Midgardian and James disseminated the orders when need be. There was no longer that buffer there.

He set his plate aside, food half eaten, and lowered piercing blue eyes down upon someone that could never compare to his predecessor. That wasn’t fair for Steven, but Thor didn’t try to be fair to lesser beings. They all knew their place in this society and Midgardians, while useful, were a dime a dozen. Loki might have picked out the hypocrisy in that, considering whom it was Thor was lamenting most, but Loki was not here and the subject of another thorn in his side.

“I have learned just now that I am acting All-Father as my father has fallen to Odin-sleep, that my brother was adopted, and that my mother may have been conspirator in this.” He did not mention James. “I am alone, Steven. My secrets must stay mine, though I long to confide in my friends. I need a distraction.”

Wow, that was... a whole lot to take in. Steven didn't answer right away, he always thought that a rash head could lead to bad decisions and people getting hurt. Instead, he thought it through. When he did reply, his voice was firm with conviction, yet sympathetic too, slightly overstepping the polite bounds of slave.

"The All-Father is a strong man, I am sure this period of Odin-Sleep will not last for long, and it will give you the chance to test yourself before you have to take the throne for real. But for Prince Loki-- why should it matter who his natural parents are? Your natural mother is not Queen Frigga, but you do not love her any less for it. Why should it change your feelings on Prince Loki? He is still the same man he was before you knew this."

He hesitated a moment and spread his hands.

"Things like this, finding out truths that we could never contemplate, can knock us off our feet. But they don't need to keep us down."

Thor gruffly managed to answer without answering at all. He made no sound and no movement, but there was a fire in his eyes that should tell Steven he did not care to be coddled. He was not a child. James might have had the privilege of giving him truths but Steven did not yet. And besides, some of those truths were not true. He just could not bring himself to tell anyone, not even a slave, that his brother was prince of a people meant to be subjugated. And he still had no idea why his father kept him on as a child rather than as a bargaining chip and a hostage. It ought to have always been known whom Loki was. It would have united their Realms and brought Jotunheim more quickly to the fold. It was fifty years after Loki officially became full grown, however. If Odin had waited for that. Fine. He just hadn't. And now his father wasn't capable of answering Thor's questions.

"I need a distraction. Not a discussion," Thor said, repeating himself with the additional explanation. That was followed by a hand guiding Steven's with little stealth towards the hefty weight always present within his trousers.

He'd never bedded Steven. The blond had joined him and James in bedsport on occasion when he wished to treat James to a hand or a mouth or a body while he filled him, but he had never taken Steven. The other slaves in his possession had never felt Thor's hand either, though they sometimes enjoyed one another for his pleasure or enjoyed another Asgardian for theirs. Sif was quite fond of Steven and Samuel, for example, and would beckon them to join the fun when spending the night with Thor.

But Thor typically preferred only James... Or at the very least, had James with him over the last twenty or so years whenever the urge to rut in the furs appeared.

Steven should be honoured that his prince wanted to take him to his furs, and he was, but he was also concerned. He had come to love and admire his owner, a true loyalty that any owned slave should aspire to, and he did not think that a distraction would be the best course of action. He had not tried to talk down to Thor, only to give him honest advice.

But that had been the wrong choice.

Though he was still concerned, it was not his place to argue. He immediately began to undo the laces holding Thor's breeches closed, fingers slipping within to cup at the heavy weight of him and massage him into full hardness. However his master wanted to ease his heart tonight, Steven would oblige.

Pent up rage and loss and suffering and energy was best released this way. He might have requested Sif to stay but she could not be allowed a moment more alone with him until they hit the Capitol tomorrow. She was good at prying things from him and she knew that a good way to do that was to give him pleasure and comfort.

He could feel a discharge when it came to pleasure. It let him think more clearly and the body of this slave, while not ideal at the moment, would come to be precious to him for that relief. He took Steven on his side, arms curled around him, knees fitted into the backs of his knees.

He was tight, tighter than his James, and so much softer too. Thor exhaled sharply against the shell of his ear once he was properly seated to the hilt within him and then stroked fingers across his stomach to feel his abdomen ripple with how full Thor had made him.

"Keep me hard," he murmured. He enjoyed the tease and the way that a slave could use their bodies like a mouth and suck against him. "I wish to lay within you awhile more."

Steven would likely know this now that he was experiencing it himself. He had often been tasked to tidy up the chambers while James and Thor laid like this... Sometimes for hours. And often without release for either.

For Thor; it was like a more intimate companionship. And a way to reconnect to James through this surrogate.

Steven had been taken before, of course. He had been given the same training in the slave village as everyone else when he had come of age, and he had been encouraged to continue to use his skills on the others there. He had always been personable, far more so than Anthony, and so he had enjoyed a varied sex life. But he had never experienced anything like this.

No amount of training or witnessing how it had been with James could have prepared him for this. It was pleasure and pain both writ large in a way that overwhelmed him and left him barely able to breathe. He had spilled his seed over his stomach twice just from the stimulation of having his prince inside him, and it was certainly no hardship to obey that request.

His body flexed, muscles massaging around his prince to keep him there, settling in for a long night.

He didn't know if this would actually help with the troubles that his prince had listed to him, but perhaps it would allow him to relax enough to think on them more clearly and find answers for himself. Either way, he was practically radiant with pride to know that he had the acting All-Father inside him now.

It did help him think, it helped him more than Steven might realize. Focusing his attention on one act or one person let his mind sharpen on a particular task. Thor was rarely a brooder, and strategy needed to come from a clear mind, not one scattered on far too many topics.

He pressed a finger between Steven's lips as he released his seed for the second time, feeling the slave shudder around him and try to suckle upon his fingertips as well. He'd not touched the blond, Steven's hands were filled with fur and had no room for himself against his palms. Thor hadn't known men that could enjoy themselves in that way before and he was almost sorry he had been too lost in his thoughts to experience it the first time.

Thor bit possessively at Steven's ear lobe, hard enough to leave a mark. He stretched his fingers into Steven's cheeks as he pulled out of the slave, glistening from the magic all were given during their training to make the going easier for their masters, no matter how they were to be used. He pushed the flushed, quivering slave onto his back and knelt between his legs, pulling Steven's thighs towards him until they were once more connected. This time, Thor did the work.

He encouraged Steven to touch him, to grip his mane if he wished, or dig his nails into his chest as he towered over the splayed slave.

"Have all male slaves learned self pleasure?" he asked, voice husky as skin slapped into skin. "Or are you unique? Show me again how I make you feel, beautiful one." He almost wished he had discovered this before tonight. James would have been amused.

Thor was not gentle. He was not a stoic partner, little more than phallas. Not this time.

"Do not be silent, sweet Steven. Let me hear your voice."

That was another easy order to hear. Though Steven had never minded showcasing his voice while in the bed of another, he had usually tried to be quieter in order to be mindful to the other people who might be trying to sleep at the same time. But that was no issue here. This was not the bunk room in the village with many people to one room, this was Prince Thor's personal tent.

He moaned loudly, a half bitten off cry of Thor's name in too familiar a fashion, but he couldn't help himself. Odin only knew that he would never find satisfaction in another partner again, how could he? He bucked back towards Thor, his hands reached up to tangle in long hair and tug as hard as he could.

His eyes were glazed and his skin shone with sweat, but this showed no sign of ending. Steven felt as though he had entered a strange limbo state, where all that existed was pleasure, his prince, and the ragged sound of his own voice crying out.

It could take hours on a good night for Thor to release, if that was even his intent. On a bad night, he could be inside of James through much of the next morning. It would generally require a little bit of attention from the halls of healing and a reprimand not to overuse a slave no matter how willing because Midgardians were so fragile, but often Thor lost himself in just the feel of tight, wet heat.

Steven would see the sun come up through the slotted flaps in the tent meant to circulate air. His voice might have left him by then but Thor would wring out as many explosions from his new personal slave as possible until he simply could not hold his own in. Bent over the glistening skin of the perfect slave his brother had gifted him, as deep as possible inside of him, Thor broke within him, lips seeking out Steven's.

It was not normal to kiss for Asgardians. Consorts, yes, but never slaves. And slaves never missed other slaves either. It wasn't forbidden, but certainly it was a faux pas.

Steven might have witnessed a few illicit kisses between James and Thor but Thor typically was careful with who saw. His love for his James was already too deep for anyone's good. Either way, Thor's tongue would find his slave's mouth now and he would growl against his lips until he had spilled every last drop of seed into his willing body.

The sounds of the camp already packing up reached his ears as Thor pulled himself up from his bed. "We must be away. I've kept them waiting too long. Dress. You can clean up at the palace.

If Steven hadn't been wholly loyal to Thor before that moment, he was as soon as he was kissed with such passion and possessiveness. Now he understood how Anthony felt over the last fifty years, how Prince Loki had become foremost in all his thoughts and considerations, because he was sure it would be that way for him with Prince Thor from now on.

But he was also only mortal and, even though he was a strong mortal, such a long session of exertion had left him exhausted and even slightly injured. He swayed when he got to his feet, though determination not to fall kept him upright and helped him pull his clothes back on, but he was moving much slower than usual.

Thor would find that Loki was seated outside the tent, Jotun skin catching the light in an array of deep blues, waiting for him. He looked tired, though it was hard to tell on such an alien face, as though he had not slept. But rather spent the night thinking on how Thor now considered him liar, traitor, monster.

This day would not end well, he felt.

Thor was tired as well, for two days of battle and half of one in the furs took its toll on him as well. He might have been rutting the last few hours but his hair and clothing were perfect as he joined the 'princess.'

"Sif feels as if you've enchanted me," Thor said, looking over Loki's shoulder at where Sif and the Warriors had gathered, not really overseeing the breaking down of camp so much as watching Loki. His attempt at an amiable smile failed. "I do not like hiding this. I like less feeling this way. Will you ride ahead with me, away from listening ears. They can keep their sights on us but I would like to talk with you more privately."

He was being formal. Princely. But Thor was no liar. His stiff acting did indeed make him look enchanted.

Sif grew ever more worried for him when she saw how stiff he was and how he leaned over to talk to the Jotun so conspiratorially. She feared for him, but it was as he said, Queen Frigga would be the better of any sorceress from another realm, she would surely be the one to break this hold over Thor's head and heart. All she had to do was keep a close watch until they got to Asgard.

Loki smiled, though there was little humour in it.

"I would ride ahead with you, but you are a fool if you believe they will grant us privacy. See the way they look at me, they believe that I wish you harm for the reason of what I am, nothing more. They care not that I waged battle to protect you, only that I hail from Jotunheim by birth. Is it a wonder I told none of my discoveries?"

But despite his bitter words, he would come with Thor if they were permitted to ride ahead together.

At that, Thor actually laughed. And that drew even more ire from Sif, especially as he and Loki rode passed her. "She believes you have enchanted me because of the way I had lusted for you." He saw no reason to hide it. "Battle lust had taken me over and I knew not who you were to me. Apologies."

He just figured that he'd add that in case Loki thought he was deranged. And, perhaps, Thor wS deranged because now that he saw Loki for whom he was, he did not see the Jotun Princess. He only saw his brother in blue skin and red eyes and softer features.

"Sif will come to accept you. Once a proper way to tell the kingdom is devised. I wish to leave that to our father." It was a wise thing for Thor to say. He knew he was not capable of this decision. Not alone. Not when his heart was still hurting.

Loki did not know how to feel. Thor obviously hurt, obviously blamed all of them for keeping a secret so large; and yet he did not spurn Loki or call him monster, did not even deny him as brother. He watched contemplatively for a few minutes as they rode further ahead, before he broached the subject.

"I must know your mind and heart on this."

He did not often ask for Thor's counsel. But this was an exceptional circumstance, and one that could lead to the breaking of their little family.

"You are ever my brother, if not of my blood, but I have another family. Other brothers, other parents. Does this not change anything between us?"

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