Morning Mischief
The last tiny piece of crystal tumbled away, leaving behind the perfect shape of a rune. Vali set aside his tools and stared at the final crystal, destined for Helheim. He was finished, every crystal labeled and spelled to protect it from any mishaps that may befall it. The crystal was heavy in his hand and still hummed with energy held within its form, waiting to be expelled.
The Bifrost was nearly repaired; Vali now had only to wait.
Light began to filter in through the curtains of his window when he replaced the crystal in a box with its brethren, then slid them all into hiding. His mother must have noticed his tiredness, though she blamed it on his mourning, and had dismissed the servants from their waking duty. Vali dressed down to his sleeping shirt and sighed as he fell into his pillows, prepared to sleep all afternoon and then some.
He'd barely sunk into a pleasant doze when his door banged open, followed by the swift pattering of light feet across the floor and the bounce of a body landing on his bed.
"Vali! What are you doing? Get up, get up!" Nari yelled, bouncing on his knees in an attempt to oust his brother from bed. "C'mon! We're late! Why are you still in bed? We have to train!"
When did Nari decide that his training was a pleasure? Vali rolled onto his side, back to his brother. "Not today, Nari. I'm tired."
"No, you're just lazy." Nari flopped onto his back and began drumming his heels between Vali's shoulders, "Get up, get up, get up!"
"Nari, I swear, I'm going to count to three…!"
Habit forced Nari to still. Their father would start this way when they misbehaved, and whatever threat that followed was not to be treated lightly. 'Three' was also misleading. If the boys weren't doing exactly as they'd been instructed by 'two,' they were going to get it, and it could be anything their father found fitting at the time. When Vali was little, it was often a swat on his behind, a harsh rap across his knuckles, or a slap on the wrists. As he got older and the risk of a bit of pain was outdone by the rewards of whatever misdeed he was attempting, his father became more creative.
Once, Loki had dragged him down to the royal stables and left him outside. All smiles and pleasantness, Loki informed the stable hands that they could take the day off, handing out coins on the suggestion that they go have a drink. When they were gone, Loki pulled Vali in and, with a pat on the shoulder, told his son to get to work. Vali spent the entire day brushing down and feeding the horses, mucking the stalls and putting down fresh straw while his father watched, sharing an apple with Sleipnir. Finally, tired, filthy, and a whole day wasted, Vali threw down the pitchfork.
"It's not fair!" Vali cried, standing before his father.
"It's punishment. What did you expect?"
"You break the rules all the time! Now when I do it, you punish me!"
Loki handed off the last of the apple to Sleipnir and picked up the pitchfork, twirling it slowly in his hands. "Yes, no one understands the art of rulebreaking better than I. Truth be told, son, when it comes to matters of mischief, I don't care what you do. I don't punish you for what you did, but that you got caught. If you break the rules, expect to be able to get yourself out of it or face retribution. But if you don't get caught, well, then you don't have to deal with either. Quite the bit of a time saver, really."
Vali scuffed the floor with his boot, frustrated. "Grandfather never made you clean the stables…" he muttered.
"No, I had my lips sewn shut. You're getting off easy," Loki snapped, poking Vali in the chest with the pitchfork handle.
"Yes, Father."
"Alright then, what's the lesson?"
"Don't get caught."
"Behave or don't get caught, or next time you'll be out here all night as well. Now go get cleaned up, I'll finish here. If I let you go to dinner like that Mother will flay me."
As for Nari, still young but reaching beyond where pain kept him in line, their father had merely stood over him, glowering, as though in thought, as his youngest wait with his arm extended, anticipating his punishment.
Loki didn't like people anticipating his actions.
He finally shrugged. "No, I think I'll let your mother deal with you. Where is she?"
The color had drained from Nari's face and he'd burst into tears, promising he'd never do it again and he'd be good, honest!
Of course, Vali was not Loki, and not half as threatening. Still, Nari stopped kicking his elder brother and instead draped over him, peering at his half-buried face.
"If you don't train me, how am I to become a great warrior? Uncle Thor won't want me around."
"Nonsense. He loves you, thinks you're as cute as a button," Vali murmured, shutting his eyes.
Nari grimaced and dropped onto his back, arms crossed and radiating petulance. "I am not cute! I am Nari Half-Giant, future mighty warrior of Asgard!"
"As glad as I am that you've embraced your heritage, please don't go yelling that about."
Nari rolled his eyes. "M'not stupid."
"Good. Now, do what you want, but I'm going back to sleep."
"No you're not."
"Yes, I am."
"No you're not."
"I am."
"Not."
"Am."
"Not."
"Nari!"
"Fine, I'll just go sit somewhere, alone, because my older brother doesn't love me enough to teach me to kill things."
"That's it!" Vali snapped, and in one fluid motion, rolled over and lunged for his brother. Nari shrieked and jumped back as Vali grabbed for him, and the two wrestled over the bed until they fell off, landing in a tangle of sheets. Taking a firm hold of his little brother's slippery form, Vali pinned him to the floor.
"Mighty warrior, huh? Not until you learn to defeat this attack! No mercy!"
Nari squealed loudly as his brother began to tickle him, laughing maniacally. No matter how Nari flailed or attempted to speak, Vali's dexterous hands found their mark. He was saved only by their mother coming to investigate the racket.
"A little old for this sort of thing, aren't you, Vali?" she said from the doorway.
"He started it," Vali smirked, sitting back. Nari kicked him.
Sigyn sighed at the sight of her sons on the floor in a pile of blankets, Nari panting with a flushed face, tears in his eyes, and Vali barely dressed. It was hardly becoming of two princes of Asgard, and yet it was so good to see them laughing and playing as they once had, before their family cracked and splintered, a vital piece disappearing into the unknown. She smiled a little, wishing she could laugh with them, but her bed remained too cold and empty and she had not the warmth to do so. How she loathed returning to it, night after night.
"Just keep it down, both of you. It's far too early in the morning."
"Yes, Mother," her sons chimed as she left them, returning to her solitude.
Vali turned and slumped against the bed beside his brother, fingers massaging his temple. He was so tired. Nari climbed into his lap and sat facing him.
"Still going back to sleep?" Nari asked with the slightly smug air of one who already knew the answer.
"Far too awake now, thanks to you," Vali grumbled.
"Good. Can we go train now?"
Vali chuckled, and leaned forward to place a kiss on his sibling's head. "Fine, you win. Let me get dressed and I'll meet you in the sitting room."
Nari gave a whoop of joy and dashed from the room, leaving Vali alone to pull himself together.