The atmosphere around the palace seemed quiet. Too quiet.
The halls he slogged through appeared empty as if something was out of place or, perhaps, missing.
Thor nodded halfheartedly to a servant who passed by as he continued to saunter through the lonely halls. He couldn't stand this; something was not right and he couldn't place a finger on whatever it was. It nearly drove him mad.
Suddenly, something caught Thor's eye. He took a few cumbersome steps backwards so that he now stood in front of an intimidatingly large polished door. It was Loki's chamber and it was then that Thor realized what he had been missing. He had not seen his brother all morning.
Thor stood staring up at the door, a puzzled look upon his face. Perhaps Loki was still asleep, Thor supposed. And so, with that thought, Thor tried the great gleaming handle and, non to gracefully, barged through the room. A burst of wind swept an icy breeze through Thor's matted hair and sent a few of his brother's papers sailing through the air. It did not appear as though Loki was here, Thor mused. But with his brother, looks were always deceiving.
The God of Thunder strode across the spacious chamber to find himself at the head of the bed. He roughly thrust the lush blankets aside to find nothing at all. A pleasant yet unsettling smell drifted through Thor's senses. It was something he could not describe, a fragrance that brought him a secure feeling but all the same stirred up something he could only say was anticipation. It was Loki's scent stirred up by Thor's sudden movement of the blankets. His brother's aroma was sweet yet bitter, perhaps much like himself. Thor frowned. He had thought Loki would be here. He knew that his brother liked to sleep with the covers sprawled over his head, though Thor always wondered how he could stand it without feeling at a loss for air.
Thor crossed his large arms and tossed his head in frustration, his hair hovering about his head for a moment then slowly settling around his shoulders. Where could he have gotten off to?
Imaginably he could be with Frigga. So that is what brought Thor to wandering the halls for his mother like a child. He had not the slightest idea of where she could possibly be and finally he found her in the gardens after much cursing.
"The last time I spoke with your dear brother would have been earlier in the dark hours." Frigga spoke, gazing up at Thor from where she sat on an ornamented bench surrounded by flowers of which Thor knew not their names. But, of course, if his brother had been here, he would surely have known.
Thor grinded his teeth. "Thank you," He turned to leave but Frigga spoke up again.
"Have you tried the library yet?" She asked. "He is always hiding about in there, reading for hours. More than once I've had to tell him to go straight to his resting chambers. Loki is stubborn but I have managed to persuade him in the past."
"Thank you, I will try there next." Thor replied, hurrying towards the library. Or what he thought was the library. Thor had never gone there once without his brother, he had no need, so he always relied on Loki to know where he was heading.
After a few hours of searching, Thor was thoroughly irritated. His brother caused more trouble for him than he may have intended to. Or perhaps Loki intentionally caused him this much pain. Thor would never know.
"I wonder what could cause the great God of Thunder this much discomfort." A bold voice spoke.
Thor whirled around to face his friend, the Lady Sif with her arms crossed loosely and her back leaning casually against the choppy stone wall. The sun which peaked around the corner fell upon her face at just the right angle so that it illuminated her features quite nicely. Thor couldn't help to stop and admire her beauty for a moment before he came to his senses and narrowed his eyes at her.
"And why would the renowned Lady Sif care to notice? Or is she just trying to vex me?" Thor shot back.
Sif moved gracefully from her spot on the wall so that she stood closer to Thor. "My, my, something's irked you has it not?" She grinned, then her face turned serious. "You can tell me, Thor. There may be a chance I can help ease your troubles."
Thor sighed and ran a hand through his hair for the billionth time. "It's just," he stopped, trying to collect his words. "I cannot seem to... I cannot find Loki anywhere." Thor finally said exasperatedly.
The corner of Sif's lips curled up into a half smile much like how Thor's did when he was amused. But right now Thor was not amused. He was tired and frustrated and simply wished to be with his brother.
"This is not a laughing matter, Sif!" Thor almost whined as he nudged her shoulder roughly. Sif gave him a playful punch to the arm in return. She chuckled then collected herself. "Alright, alright, I should not have laughed." Sif said calmly. "I can see that this matter is truly a bother to you. So I will help you find your long lost lover..." Sif winked up at Thor while he blushed furiously.
"He is, no that's-" Thor stuttered then cleared his throat. "He is my friend. Just like you are. There is nothing else between us."
"As you say, your Worthiness," Sif hummed and it was clear in her voice that she thought otherwise. "Well, where do you think your *friend* would be?"
Thor's mouth turned downward into something of a pout, very unlike the God of Thunder. "I do not know. Frigga said he may be in the library."
"Ah, then why haven't you checked there yet? You've been wandering all about the halls and haven't even checked your brother's favourite spot. What kind of friend are you, Thor? Maybe that is why Loki hasn't done anything yet, because you're a thick-skulled oaf!" Sif jabbed her finger at Thor's chest.
Thor took a step back and gave her a questioning glare. "W-what," he stuttered. "What in the Nine Realms are you talking about? How dare you-"
"Calm down Thor! I'm not trying to insult you. It's just..." Sif sighed and put a hand to her temple. "How can you be so out of it?"
Thor stared at her dumbly. "I haven't the slightest idea as to what you're speaking of."
"I know, of course you don't..."
This answer seemed to anger Thor even more.
"So are you going to help me or not?" He groaned.
"Yes I am, for Odin's sake, calm down." Sif turned away to gaze upon the courtyard and her dark hair moved with her, seeming to swat Thor in the face. "You only get like this when the situation has something to do with that brother of yours..." She murmured and Thor opened his mouth to retaliate but Sif whirled around to stare up into his eyes with a determined look in her own. "He's going to hurt you someday." She said flatly.
Thor merely blinked as her words settled and took hold of his heart with a grip that chilled him. He shivered as if he were cold but the sun continued to beat down upon him relentlessly.
"He's going to hurt you and mess with you and turn you inside out." Sif shook her head, a worried look plastered on her beautiful face. "And I don't want that to happen to you. He's not good for you, Thor. Who knows what he'll make you do."
After a moment Thor scowled. "I have no clue as to what you might be trying to tell me but you're not assisting me in finding my brother. So are you going to show me the way to the library or not, Sif?"
Sighing, she reluctantly pointed to the left leading up to a golden stairway.
"It's over there. Keep going all the way to the top then down the hall to your right. It'll be the only door up there." Sif waiting, looking at Thor as if she wished to say more.
"Thank you," Thor grumbled, starting to make his way towards the gleaming staircase.
"Just don't say I didn't try to warn you," Sif said, a sorrowful look in her eyes. "I don't want you to have to go through what I-" she stopped herself suddenly, then raised her gaze, meeting Thor's eyes. "Once you become the King of Asgard, you need to put your focus towards the people. If Loki ever does anything to hurt you, it'd get in the way of your duties and I don't want that to happen to you... So tread carefully, Thor Odinson. I fear your brother will not stay true to you forever." With that, the Lady Sif turned swiftly and, at a brisk pace, strode in the opposite direction.
Thor stood scowling once again after her. He couldn't fathom what Sif's words meant and he didn't care to try and find the meaning. What mattered right now was that he found his brother. So then why did her words stir up an anxious feeling inside of him?
Thor shook his head then hesitantly made his way up the polished stairway. The sun glinted off the stairs making the already shining golden light blinding to Thor's eyes. He gripped the smooth railing and kept his head down, his hair brushing against his neck.
Reaching the top, Thor quickly found his way to the door Sif had told him about. It was wooden and creaked rather loudly when Thor opened it and stepped inside. The smell of musty books and ink bombarded his senses. It was stuffy yet surprisingly spacious. Rows of books lined the walls all the way to the roof. Even with all the shelves, Thor could walk between them without hunching his shoulders in an attempt to squeeze through.
It appeared as if no one was there and a discouraged feeling settled on Thor. He ambled through the rows, peering doubtfully between the books.
"Loki? Brother!" Thor's voice rang out and echoed slightly but no reply came.
He cursed and grumbled getting even more frustrated. Where could Loki possibly be?
Turning in defeat towards the door, a piece of green cloth suddenly caught his eye. Thor whirled to look upon someone huddled in a little nook with piles of books surrounding them. The person's head was slumped resting on their chest and an open book lay in their lap.
Thor approached them cautiously and grinned. "Brother! At last I have finally-" he stopped mid-sentence when he realized that Loki was asleep.
A soft snore escaped from his brother's lips and Loki was indeed fast asleep. Not even Thor's loud voice had awoken him.
Thor stood with his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised, puzzling over how to handle the situation.
His eyes danced as an idea came to his mind. Thor took a step forward and abruptly scooped Loki up into his arms like he weighed barely anything at all. The book his brother was reading tumbled to the ground and landed face down with a thud. Loki stirred in his arms and, to Thor's surprise, snuggled closer to his chest. Thor's eyes widened then, soon afterwards, a lopsided smile appeared on his lips. He chuckled as he glided to the doorway then made his way to the long spiralling staircase.
Loki felt refreshing in his arms and Thor caught himself admiring how his brother's long lashes swept downwards, standing out against his soft pale skin. Thor blushed and quickly glanced away, staring at the hallway before him. He held Loki close in his arms to prevent him from jolting with each harsh step he took.
Thor figured his brother stayed up quite late last night reading and had fallen asleep in the library with the books as his blankets. He smiled at the thought.
Suddenly, he heard a muffled gasp breaking through his thoughts.
"Wh-what're you?"
It seemed that his brother had woken up.
Loki stared up at Thor with wide eyes, his face growing ever pinker, struggling in his brother's arms.
"Ah, Loki! You've finally woken up." Thor exclaimed, reaching his brother's chamber and lazily turning the handle.
"What the Hel do you think you're doing?" Loki demanded as Thor smoothly entered the room and pushed the heavy daunting door shut with his boot.
Thor shrugged cockily. "I'm merely bringing you back to your room," He replied. "It appears as if you dozed off in the library reading one of your many books."
Thor bent down to set his brother on the bed and as soon as he stood back up, Loki slammed his fist into Thor's chest with a heavy thump.
Thor merely laughed. "What was that for, brother?"
By that point, the God of Mischief's face had grown extremely hot. "For daring to pick me up!" He spluttered.
Thor raised an eyebrow. "Well you're going to have to try harder than that to get even, because that didn't hurt in the slightest."
Loki's arm flung forward in another attempt to hit his brother but Thor caught it and stepped to the side.
"Loki, come now! I simply brought you back so you'd be safe. Isn't that what older brothers are for?" Thor asked, grinning mockingly.
Loki's eyes narrowed but it was clear that he was flustered, having been caught in such a vulnerable state.
"Get out of here, Thor. I never gave you permission to come in here or to hoist me up like a petty maiden!" Loki bristled.
Thor laughed heartily. "A maiden?"
"Just leave my sight!" Loki roared, fuming.
Thor shrugged and turned to leave. "But I simply wanted to see where you were. I looked all over for you, brother."
Loki calmed down, seeming to having collected himself a bit.
He smirked slyly. "Oh? So the great Thor Odinson was worrying about me?"
Thor's lips grew tight. "Perhaps," He said. "What of it?"
"Oh, nothing at all, brother." Loki replied, nonchalantly kicking off his shoes and crossing his leg over the other on the bed. He paused, seeming to be amused by his thoughts. "Now why don't you go fetch that book I was reading, would you, dear brother? I'd quite like to finish it."
Thor grimaced. "Why don't you make some servant run your errands perhaps?" He took a few more steps towards the door, in a hurry to leave.
"But I'd quite like you to do it." Loki said simply, his green eyes dancing.
Thor sighed and his shoulders slumped slightly. "I'm on my way..." He grumbled.
"Thank you, Thor." Loki replied, his eyes boring holes into him as he made his way to the large door.
Thor reached for the polished handle and grunted his response. Suddenly Sif's words echoed in his mind, "Who knows what he'll make you do," and he shuddered. He wasn't sure what she had been talking about earlier and it frustrated him. What did she mean when she said Loki would hurt him?
Thor shook his head and frowned.
Well it didn't matter. He was with his brother and that's all that counted. The two of them could get through anything together and Thor truly believed that.
"Make sure you grab the proper book or I'll be sending you back up there." Loki hummed, settling himself amongst the blankets.
"I will, Loki." Thor called absentmindedly stepping outside the room.
Thor gave a half-smile imagining Loki making him go up to the library a thousand times then finally remembering that Thor had actually already brought him the book he was longing for.
He would most likely do that, Thor mused.
But that was just how his brother was and Thor wouldn't trade him for a thing.