Brother, Why??

Revelations

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. That honour goes to Marvel.

Freya blinked a few times, adjusting her eyes to the light as she woke up in the healing room. Loki and Frigga were sat at her bedside, Loki sound asleep with his head on her bed.

"Mother?" Freya asked. "What's Loki doing?"

Frigga looked up. "Oh you're awake!" and hugged her. "Loki hasn't left your bedside since you were brought here two days ago."

"Is Hogun alright? And Sif, and Fandral, and Volstagg, and Thor?"

Frigga's face fell at the mention of Thor. "They're all alright except..."

"Mother, what's wrong with Thor?" Freya queried, getting worried.

"I...um...Your father banished him." Frigga stuttered.

Freya stifled a sob. "What!?"

"He can't come back to Asgard."

And at this point, full, blown out crying began, a sister mourning for her lost brother. The noise, however, must have woken Loki up, for he jumped up with a start, before noticing Freya. "Sister, you're awake! But what's wrong?"

"Oh Loki, poor Thor must be feeling awful! Do you think father would let me visit him?"

"I'm not sure that would be wise, sister. You know nothing of the Realm he was sent to."

"Well which Realm was it?" Freya cried. "Alfheim? Yggdrasil?"

"Midgard."

"But we've never been there! The mortals are so primative that even the few facts that they once knew, they've now forgotten! How could father be so cruel?"

"Your father does everything for a reason, children. I have hope for Thor yet." Frigga tried to calm Freya down.
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Freya was looking for her father to ask him to revoke Thor's banishment, when she saw him going into the Weapons chamber. Curious, she followed him, but what she saw made her gasp.

"Am I cursed?" Loki was asking , holding the Cradle of Ancient Winters.

"No," was his answer.

"What am I?"

"You are my son." Odin replied.

"What more than that?"

Odin didn't answer. He looked suddenly weary, burdened. Loki sized him up, realized the truth.

"The Casket wasn't the only thing you took from Jotunheim that day, was it?"

Odin looked him in the eye. He could deny it no longer. "No. In the aftermath of the battle, I went into the Temple, and I found a baby. Small for a giant's offspring -- abandoned, suffering, left to die. Laufey's son."

Freya gasped.

"Laufey's son..." Loki desperately struggled to make sense of it all. "Why? You were knee-deep in Jotun blood. Why would you take me?"

"You were but an innocent child." Odin lied.

"No. You took me for a purpose, what was it?" Odin doesn't answer. "Tell me!"

"I thought we could unite our kingdoms one day, bring about an alliance, bring about a permanent peace... through you. But those plans no longer matter." Odin revealed.

"So I am no more than another stolen relic, locked up here until you might have use of me."

"Why do you twist my words?" Odin cried.

"You could have told me what I was from the beginning. Why didn't you?"

"You are my son. My blood. I wanted only to protect you from the truth." Odin sounded pained.

"Because I am the monster parents tell their children about at night?"

"Don't..." Odin started.

"It all makes sense now. Why you favored Thor all these years."

"Listen..." Odin tried again.

"Because no matter how much you claim to love me, you could never have a Frost Giant sitting on the Throne of Asgard!"

Odin's body began to shake, he lifted his hand. It started to move out of synch, the effect of the Odinsleep approaching. Loki didn't notice as Odin tried to fight it off.

"Listen to me!" shouted Odin. Loki strode away towards the exit. "Loki!"

Odin started towards him, when the enormous mental, emotional, and physical strain of recent events finally took its toll. The effect of the Odinsleep consumed him. Odin fell back against a wall, his face contorted in a scream. He collapsed to the stone floor. Loki, shocked, hurried to him. He took Odin in his arms, and called out.

"Guards!"

Two guards came to take Odin away, Loki departing with them.

And Freya just sat behind a pillar in shock.