His Favorite
Loki lay in bed. He felt absolutely miserable. The air felt like fire on his skin and where the blankets touched it felt like ice crawling against his skin. But what felt even worse was Thor hadn’t come to visit him before he left, and was yet to write him. After the third day, when Frigga and Bestla left him alone, Loki would cry. Thor really did hate him now.
Traditionally, a boy goes on his first hunt with his father, older brother’s and uncles only, but since Thor was Crown Prince and Odin the King, a royal guard stayed not far behind. It had been three days since the party left Asgard. Thor leaped to his father’s side every time Huginn or Muninn brought him a message. He missed Loki desperately. It didn’t help that the hunt was on Jotunhiem. Every now and then, Thor would catch sight of blue skin and his heart would jump with the hope that it was Loki coming to see him. His distracted heart was also the reason they were yet to catch anything. The prince knew he needed to focus; the sooner the hunt was successful the sooner he could return to Loki.
On the third day, they came across a Jotun hunting party. Much to Thor and the rest of the guards’ surprise, Odin offered a collaborative camp for the night. One of the jotuns was about the same age as Thor but already a foot taller. He made coy smiles across the campfire at the prince. These gestures did not go unnoticed by Odin’s watch full eye. As the hunting parties settled into their tents, the Allfather pulled his heir aside.
“Do not shame our house with bastards. There can be no question for heirs. You are your own man now and may do as you wish. But if you endanger the future of the throne through transgressions, I will have no choice but to disown you.”
Thor blushed and nodded.
At five days since Thor left, Loki was well enough to be moved to his new chambers, across the hall from Bestla’s rooms. He was even well enough for Queen Bestla to escort him to the library to retrieve books for him to read while he was in bed. While Loki meandering through the shelves, he overheard two daughters of noblemen.
“What do you think Prince Thor will bring back?”
“I don’t know something monstrous.”
Loki leaned closer to the bookcase to hear the girls better.
“Sladre said that she thinks he’s going to bring back something to woo Sif.”
“She just wants Sif to be Queen so the jotun princeling doesn’t.”
“Shhh! If someone hears you speak ill of Loki don’t you think Bestla or Thor will take action against you?”
“Oh please, its not as if we all don’t know he still sleeps in Thor’s bed.”
“Salva! The boy is barely four hundred, you can’t seriously suggest!”
Salva laughed. “I certainly hope not. My parents will be very cross if they sent me all this way to find out that studying magic under Queen Frigga was a waste of their efforts.”
This statement confused Loki. Why would learning magic from one of the greatest Sorceresses be a waste of anyone’s time? But before Loki could overhear anymore, he heard Bestla calling his name from several isles over. He had to think quickly.
“Over here.” He yelled. “I’m to short to reach a book. Would you come get it down for me?” He could hear Salva and the other girl hiss at each other.
The Queen Mother appeared around the corner. “Which book do you need, darling boy?”
The young prince decided quickly. He pointed to the first book that would serve his purpose. “That one.” It was a large tome dusty and decayed to the point that the title was barely visible.
She looked from the boy to the book and from the book to the boy before she sighed and handed it to him. “The Basics of Jotun Seidr? Are you interested in learning magic?”
Loki nodded. “Every Queen of Asgard knows magic and Queen Frigga said I’d be one one-day. I thought I should learn.”
Humming in agreement, Bestla held out her free hand to Loki. “Are you ready to go back to your chambers?” the smaller jotun took her hand and nodded.
As they walked passed, the girls on the next aisle, Bestla asked, “You know that Frigga teaches young nobles Seidr. I’m sure if you asked she would teach you.”
Loki looked directly at the girls as they nervously peaked over their books at him, and said, “I know, I heard.”
Bestla smiled proudly to herself.
Loki spent the rest of the fifth day and the sixth day reading the books he borrowed from the library. Eventually, he read down to the last book in the stack, the one he’d asked for as an alibi. He didn’t even know if he was capable of seidr, but as soon as he started reading it he wanted to try. This book was the most fascinating thing Loki had ever read; he couldn’t put it down. The little prince read it well into the night, to the point of falling asleep on it in the wee hours of the morning.
He awoke to Bestla entering his rooms. “Good morning, Child. You should get dressed there will be a feast today.” She whispered stroking his messy hair.
Loki sat straight up. “Thor’s returning!”
She smiled. “Aye, he should be here before mid-day.”
Loki ran over to his wardrobe, only to begin coughing uncontrollably the moment he reached it.
Bestla ushered him back to his bed. “You’re not quite well enough yet to be active, perhaps you should not attend.”
“But Thor-”
“Will be up to see you I promise.” She tucked him back in. “Your breakfast will be up in a little while. You need to rest.”
Loki was practicing one of the spells he had read about when he first heard the horns sound. He rushed to his balcony. The streets were filling with citizens of Asgard coming to coming to welcome their prince home.
He could just make out Thor’s figure in the distance his red cloak flowing over a great expanse of white. ‘Ah so the prize of the prince’s first hunt was a white bear.’ It seemed rather appropriate to the young jotun since royalty were the only ones allowed to hunting or to tame them.
Loki dressed and made his way down to the main hall, slowly so not to wind himself. From the moment the golden prince of Asgard entered the halls nobles gave him their congratulations and courtesies. Bestla had caught Loki waiting to speak with Thor and forced the boy into a chair. Several minutes passed until Thor spotted Loki. Smiling he tried to make his way over only to be intercepted by Salva and two nobles, presumably her parents. At that moment Bestla returned with two guards to escort him back to his chambers.
Cheers and music filled the halls of Asgard to the brim. But as Loki quietly studied a spell the noise was but mere whispers through the door and over the crackle the fire. He had settled into his room for quite sometime before there came a knock on the door. Assuming it was one of the servants, the young prince yelled. “Enter.”
Thor strode into the room; his white bear pelt wrapped around him and draping against the floor. Loki moved as if he was going to run towards Thor, but a thought stopped him. ‘Is he still upset with me?’
In his moment of hesitation, Thor rushed to sit on the bed next to Loki.
“Are you feeling better?”
Loki nodded. “Much.”
“I wanted to stay!” he blurted. “I wanted to make sure you were okay. Huginn and Muninn sent messages about your condition, but I still worried.”
The jotun smiled. “Really?”
Thor nodded. “I wanted to say, I’m sorry for hurting your feelings. I didn’t think-” he paused and repeated simply. “I didn’t think. I tried to think of ways to earn your forgiveness. But I couldn’t think of anything but I hope this will do.”
Out from under the pelt Thor pushed a tiny white bear the size of a dog onto Loki’s bed. The cub made a scared cry and attempted to run under the pelt. Thor pushed the baby into Loki’s lap.
“We stumbled upon them and his mother charged us, which is how I got this pelt. Father said he is small for his age and would die of starvation and I should spare him from suffering and kill him.”
Loki interrupted him. “Why didn’t you?”
Thor blushed. “He reminded me of you- so tiny and smart.” He paused and smiled. “He followed me most of the way back- well followed his mother’s pelt. I began to think maybe you could use another friend.”
Loki squeezed the cub tighter and smiled at Thor. “He’s wonderful. Thank you, Thor! You’re my favorite person in all the nine realms.”
Thor stayed with Loki until he was resting peacefully. He laid the pelt over Loki and Karhu, the cub. He leaned down and kissed Loki’s forehead. “You’re my favorite as well.”