Loki is small. But that's alright. He's a baby after all. Thor is also small. They play together.
Thor shows his little brother each new interesting thing he discovers and shows him how things are done. Loki listens intently. Their mother smiles.
The brothers are happy. And the universe leaves them be.
Loki is a hundred years old when he realizes he's small. So much smaller than even Thor.
He will grow, his mother says. But even so, people whisper.
Runt. They say. Too quiet. They say. Not like his brother. They say. The king says nothing.
Loki begins to play pranks. No one thinks a child so helpless can be so devious. It takes a long time for them to realize the youngest prince can lie as easily as breathing. The pity turns to scorn.
Loki is small and silver tongued. Thor is strong and honest, and it is quickly becoming apparent who is favored by the people, but the brothers are still happy. And when Loki is scared that the frost giants may seek him out for being so small and helpless, he tells Thor of his fears. Do not fear little brother. I am big, and I will stay awake all night to keep watch! Thor falls asleep, but Loki still feels safe. His brother cares.
He grows, but not quickly enough. Be patient, mother says. You will catch up, she promises. He tries.
You can't come and play. Thor's new friends say. You are too small. They say these things only when Thor isn't present.
Want to come play, brother? Thor asks. Loki feigns disinterest. I care not. He says. Thor doesn't understand. To make up for his rejection, Loki recruits him into his pranks.
Thor is moved out of the nursery and Loki, frightened, is alone in the dark, when the door opens to reveal, not a frost giant, but Thor. I would not abandon you brother! Thor sleeps at the edge of Loki's bed. He still falls asleep first, but Loki feels safe. It's the thought that counts. And if frost giants do come, he will die protecting his brother. Death doesn't sound so scary if it's to protect Thor.
Thor is big enough to train. Loki is big enough to move out of the nursery. Thor wants Loki to play with him and his friends. They protest. Loki is too small. They say. He could get hurt.
Loki always refused to play with them, but this time, Thor doesn't ask. Loki realizes it may be for the best. Thor's friends don't like him. But, still, it hurts his heart that his brother has given up.
Thor tries to sneak into Loki's room, but the door is locked. Loki cannot depend on Thor to always be there. Thor sleeps outside of the door. Father finds him.
Let your brother be, Thor. This is unbecoming of a prince.
He doesn't try to sneak into Loki's room again. Loki assumes he was right about Thor giving up on him.
When Loki is big enough to train, Thor thinks all is well, and things will be as they were. But Loki struggles. He is not big, even if he is tall. Thor's friends take pleasure in winning every bout. Thor tries to help.
Not like that, brother. Like this.
But those moves are for heavier bodies. Loki tries, and falls on his face. Thor's Friends laugh, and Thor does too. Loki sees, and thinks his brother has pulled a prank on him. He pranks everyone who laughs. Everyone except Thor.
They are still brothers, but they grow apart. They like different things. Some things do not change, though.Thor still drags Loki off on adventures, and Loki occasionally recruits Thor into his pranks.
Thor's friends still do not like Loki. Thor still doesn't know their barbs are not in jest. Loki realizes his brother is simply too dense to see.
Thor loves his brother, but he doesn't understand him. He has tried for so long, but he can not force things to be as they were. He can't think to do anything but try to include him. He wonders if Loki has a grudge. He doesn't know how to fix it. His friends pull him away and Loki is left behind.
They are older, and Thor concludes Loki has no grudge, and that they have simply grown apart.
Father watches them. Thor wants their father's approval. Loki disagrees with Thor's plan to get said approval. He says the plan is reckless.
Thor calls him a coward.
Loki calls him a mindless brute.
Loki still rescues them with his magic when the plan goes wrong. No one recognizes his actions. Magic is not honorable, after all.
Father says Thor has done well. Thor feels guilt for taking the credit, but his father's smiling at him. Who is he to argue with father? Loki should just be more honorable in battle.
Loki still pulls pranks, but Thor no longer participates, even if he openly admires his talents. He is the god of mischief. Thor is the god of thunder. Thunder is not an appropriate skill for pulling pranks. As Loki's pranks become more cruel, Thor doesn't notice.
Through the years, they need Loki's magic many times. It is never given credit, but no one pesters Loki to quit. Loki will never be a great honorable warrior, but that is his nature. Some do battle. Others do tricks.
They are of age, and it shows. A skilled warrior, as confident surrounded by foes as he is surrounded by friends. And a crafty mage, as mysterious in his abilities as he is in his motives. Many things have come between them. Fathers, friends, expectations, and rolls. Differences and misunderstandings.
Thor does not know the mind of his brother, but he thinks he knows his heart. Loki does not know the heart of his brother, but he thinks he knows his mind.
They still love, and laugh, but it is always with a question. Blindly reaching out and trying to connect. Who are you? Who am I? Who are we? What have we become?
They were different, but they were happy. And in a perfect world, they could have stayed that way. But all things come to an end. And this brothers' bond ends in betrayal.
The question is, who betrayed first?
The one who neglected and let arrogance blind him? Or the one who assumed and let bitterness bind him?