The Family Lokison (Part 4)

Stripped (SIGYN)

It was less trying to explain our connection to the Orm than I feared, and the boys excitedly raced around us in circles when the tale was done. They met our cautious sidestepping of gruesome details with eager curiosity. Now that they had a whole new culture and heritage to call their own, both of them showered Loki with questions of what other unique gifts they might have compared to his other students on Vanaheim.

"Boys, it's late," he said, emptying his lungs with a yawn. "I promise we will take time in the future to explore such things. After all, I'm not even certain my own potential has been fully tapped in this respect."

"I hope I'm called a giant someday," Vali said, standing on the table of the front room.

I gasped. "Careful—"

"Help me up!" Narvi said, clamoring over the chairs to meet him. "I'm shorter now, but I'm a giant, too."

Vali ignored my pleas and offered Narvi his arm, pulling him to his feet. "Lokison Giants!" he cheered with his arms up.

"Enough of that," Loki said with a kick of his head. "Time to sleep."

The twins grumbled but did as they were told, coming back to the floor. Vali, still too excitable for his own good, mimed throwing things on either side of himself while he walked toward the bedroom.

Loki chuckled. "What are you doing?"

"Practicing throws. I'm going to challenge Modi tomorrow."

"A challenge? With what?"

Without hesitation, he reached for the back of his boot and produced a small blade, like a miniature version of the one Loki carried with him. He didn't bother introducing the knife to us properly before he loosed it through the room, narrowly missing Narvi's arm as the tip lodged into the door of the washroom.

"Vali!" I yelled, standing as quickly as I could. "Where in Valhalla did you get such a thing?"

Narvi wasn't concerned with the close call we witnessed, though he teased his brother with an ill-timed jibe. "Oo...somebody's in trouble..."

"Not now. Go to bed." Loki was equally horrified given his white clenched fists. "I taught you better than this, Vali. There will be no challenging others with knives until you're ready and properly armored. Has Modi encouraged you to do this?"

Vali was wide-eyed, yet crestfallen and slouched. "He practices a different weapon every day. Tomorrow...he gave it to me so I could try, too. I hate watching him get to do so much while Narvi and I do nothing. It's boring. I can be safe, I promise. Like a wolf. Like you taught me."

"I said no." Loki pried the knife from the door and huffed at Vali, spurring him to join Narvi in the next room.

Vali slammed the door behind him and quickly chattered unintelligibly with Narvi, but our reprimand was just. His attitude would temper, surely, as it always did.

Still, I was overly sensitive to how he'd feel about any kind of discouragement given all we'd just spent discussing. "I won't argue against that being inappropriate, but you taught him how to throw like that, dear. You trust him with some weapons at home, don't you?"

"Yes, under my supervision. With my tools. With my gear. I know too much about how the soldiers train to be confident that he'll be watched suitably." Loki shook his head and admired the throwing knife, twisting it back and forth, reminding me of the first time he saw my father's blade in my room downstairs. "Of course I trust our son with something this simple; it's Modi I don't trust. How can I know Thor's boy has as sharp an aim as Vali and won't hurt him?"