Mischief on Midgard

A simple plea

"What ails you, my son?" Odin asked, his one eye focused on Thor's face.

Thor looked to be lost in contemplative thought, an expression not that uncommon on Thor these days. It was not an expression that had been seen on his face that often in the past. No, usually, he was prone to action over planning. The change was not an unpleasant one, and Thor's own friends had gotten used to a more thoughtful Prince.

"Father, I..." Thor finally dared to glance up and meet Odin's gaze. The King was seated on his throne with Thor's Mother, Queen Frigga, right by his side. It was only them in the room, Thor standing before his parents, so why hesitate? "I encountered Loki on earth."

Odin nodded his head and leaned back in his throne.

"Yes, Heimdal told me as much," Odin said with a small smile. "And he also told me that you acted most admirably."

"I am very relieved," Thor admitted. "Loki has found himself staying with a group of good people. People who I am sure will teach him valuable things, whether he shall admit to it or not. However, he brought up something that has me worried."

"Please speak your mind, Thor," Odin said with gentle firmness.

"The enchantment you cast upon Loki, you said it would be broken if he was to prove himself worthy, yes?" Thor asked. At Odin's nod of agreement, he pressed on. "Loki doesn't believe that he can do so. As such, he has said that he won't even try. And he asked me... 'Worthy of what?' I will admit, even as I proved myself worthy of the powers given to me, I didn't understand how or why it had happened. What had I proven myself worthy of? Asgards Throne? Your approval? I admit that I do not understand."

Odin listened calmly to his son and then slowly shook his head once Thor was done speaking.

"The terms of your worthiness were not set by myself," he informed. "It was set by Mjolnir, your own weapon. Mjolnir, though, is only a mere extension of yourself. You were setting your own terms. As to your question, 'Worthy of what?', why, it was to be worthy of your own powers once more."

Thor blinked in confusion.

"What?" he asked after a few moments of silence. "What do you mean?'

"Lokis magic is only a mere extension of his own being like yours, and Mjolnir is of your own. It is that magic that sets the terms of the bindings upon him. His own magic determines what needs to be done to prove himself worthy of his own prowess," Odin informed his son in a somber tone.

"I see. I... think... maybe," Thor frowned and glanced at the ground for a moment before he glanced up once more. "Father, while my powers were given to me by you, Loki's powers were something he acquired through time and effort on his own. Do you think that... would it perhaps be possible to give him back just a fraction of that power? As a sign of goodwill?"

Odin shook his head, a sad but firm look on his face.

"That is not how the enchantment works, my son," he informed Thor in a gentle tone. "Even if I desired to do so, I am powerless to lift the spell from him. Only Loki can undo the chains that bind him. It is up to him to find his path."

"But.... If he won't even try..." Thor's head dropped, and he stared helplessly at the ground.

At that, Frigga stood up and walked to stand in front of Thor. Thor glanced up hesitantly, meeting his Mother's bright blue eyes. Thor's eyes ran over her form briefly, taking in the golden waves of her hair as it fell artfully over her shoulders and down her back. Hair that he had inherited. Thor had always assumed that he had taken after Frigga and Loki after Odin. It was not an inappropriate assumption. Paintings of Odin in his youth showed that the elderly King had dark hair and slender features. Thor shook his head of such thoughts and met his Mother's eyes. His heart clenched when he saw that they glittered with unshed tears, her sorrow plain for any to see.