Thor: Loki's Lessons

Title: Loki's Lessons
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Somewhat for the live-action film Thor, but only in the respect that, as a prequel, it sets up some things that happen in the film. It's also moderately inspired by the animated film Thor: Tales of Asgard, though it fits more into the live-action film's canon — or can be taken as its own continuity.
Summary: Thor, Loki, Sif, and the Warriors Three set out to Vanaheim to slay a giant spider.
Genres/Themes: Hurt/Comfort (Loki as the hurt-ee, with Thor & Fandral as the comforters, as well as Volstagg, Sif, Hogun, Frigga, and Odin, to lesser extents), Brotherhood (Loki/Thor), Action-Adventure (mildly), Character Study (mostly Loki), Angst, Fluff. (Also, potential Loki/Fandral pre-slash — it's fairly open to interpretation, though, so you can read it as just a sort of brotherhood/friendship as well. Or you can read more into Thor/Loki -- whatever your tastes. XD)
Length: a little over 9800 words / about 31 pages
Disclaimer: This version of Thor, Loki, The Warriors Three (Fandral, Volstagg, Hogun), Sif, Heimdall, Frigga, and Odin © Marvel Entertainment. I'm just borrowing them the way they borrowed from the original myths.
Note: While this story is always in third person, the guide below explains from whose view each section is:
c==================O>>> means the section directly following it is from Loki's POV.
c===[] means the section directly following it is from Thor's POV.
c==[=========>  means the section directly following it is from Fandral's POV.

............~ ' ~ '@ '~ ' ~............

c==================O>>>

Loki spat the blood out of his mouth and shook the sweat from his eyes — the latter action having the unfortunate side effect of skewing his helmet. He would have straightened it, but Hogun was coming at him fast and furious; Loki would have sighed at the futility of his defensive strokes, but he was out of breath.

Hogun's sword struck his fingers, and Loki's gloves did little to soften the blow — if they'd been using metal blades rather than wooden practice swords, he probably would have become fingerless then! Oh, how he hated swords, with their close-combat range! But Odin had insisted that Loki needed to learn some basic, non-magical fighting techniques, on the off-chance that there might come a time when Loki could not rely on his magic to save him. Though that seemed very unlikely, Loki had learned a long time ago to always treat the odds of something not going in his favour as at least fifty-fifty: either something worked or it didn't. So Loki had agreed that it wouldn't hurt to be prepared, would be wise to let the Warriors Three — Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun — teach him something of swordplay.

Unfortunately, even if it was true that being prepared didn't hurt, getting prepared apparently did! For the tenth time that day, Loki wished it was Fandral who was training him, but the master swordsman had said that he wanted to study Loki's form, and that such was best done from the sidelines. Loki was tempted to ask Fandral not to; being watched made him self-conscious, and Fandral's well-intentioned shouts of advice often distracted Loki rather than helped.

"That's enough, Hogun," Odin gently commanded, approaching.

Loki wasn't sure he'd ever been so glad to hear his father's voice. Then he wondered how long his father had been watching ....

"Loki was not born with a sword in his hand, as you warriors were," Odin continued, "— just as you were not born with his skill of sorcery. Give him a chance to acclimate to these new skills before you press him as hard as you would see yourselves pressed, or I will let him try to teach you sorcery."

Hogun's face (miraculously) grew even more sour than usual.

Fandral laughed. "I dare say Loki is faring far better with a sword than Hogun would ever fair with a spell!"

Loki allowed himself a small smile at that. Of all Thor's friends, Loki found Fandral's presence to be the most tolerable by far. He supposed he even liked him.

Hogun ignored Fandral, impervious to the Dashing's charm. "An enemy will not give him leeway because he is a novice," the mace-wielder replied to Odin, just short of being insolent.

Loki knew the man had a good point, but that didn't make Loki's face burn any less, in a way that had nothing to do with exertion. He was glad that Thor, at least, was too wrapped up in practising against Volstagg and Sif to notice. It was bad enough that Odin could see — it was too late to call up an illusion to hide the pink Loki knew was rising in his cheeks. Loki resolved then to practice the art of glamour-making until doing so was as natural and effortless as breathing (well, breathing under normal circumstances), so he could wear it at all times without even concentrating, and thus never appear anything but calm and collected ....

"Even so, a body can't learn such things in an instant, and needs rest in the meantime," Odin replied to Hogun firmly. "Especially since you will all be travelling tomorrow," he added.

"Travelling?" Thor grunted with interest, though still thoroughly engaged in combat.

"Hoenir contacted me, telling of a giant spider killing people in Vanaheim. As a favour to him, I want you to find its nest and kill it, along with any eggs it may have laid."

"Hoenir!" Loki said brightly, having finally caught his breath. "It's been a long time since we've seen him — a couple of years, at least!" Hoenir was a former, trusted lieutenant of Odin's who had become an ambassador to — and later named a chieftain in — the realm of Vanaheim. Loki had fond memories of when he and Thor had joined their father and Hoenir on a few journeys, listening along the way to the elder men's stories of battle. While Thor had been ever-eager for talk of bloodshed, Loki had always appreciated tales of cunning, of which there were plenty.

"Aye! It'll be good to see the ol' Mud-King again," Thor agreed, finally getting the better of his opponents, flooring them both.

Loki grinned, both at his brother's success (especially as Volstaag and Sif had each mocked him at one point or another this day) and at the reference to Hoenir's penchant for sculpting in clay — a somewhat unusual hobby for a warrior.

Then Loki thought about the monster they would be facing, and wasn't so amused anymore. Well, he was probably worried about nothing. He'd grown quite skilled in the use of his magic, so it wasn't likely he'd have to meet the thing in close quarters!

And anyway, he doubted the thing could be scarier than Hogun.

c==[=========>

"So. Any idea of how to track the damn thing?" Fandral asked, looking around at the place where the Bifrost had set them down: a path set in the mountain, not far from where it was said that several villagers had been attacked. "Spiders don't exactly leave footprints ...."

"Maybe normal-sized ones don't, but I'd venture one as big as a horse probably weighs at least a little more than one that's only as big as a salmon's eye, don't you think?" Loki mused as he, too, glanced about. Then he seemed to spot something in the trail, and pointed to it. "There are your spider footprints!"

Sure enough, there were a series of "Sif's fist"-sized indentations in the dirt, on the far left side of the road. They were in a single-file — albeit irregular — row, though ....

Volstagg apparently noticed that as well. "Well, unless this spider can walk with only one side of its body, I believe you are mistaken, mage. It's just the mark of someone using a really thick staff." He gestured to humanoid prints on the road.

Loki raised a brow and folded his arms. "Oh, really? I'm surprised at you, Volstaag — a big fellow like you should know how trails meant for an average-sized man don't always accommodate a larger one."

Just then, Hogun yanked at Volstagg's sleeve and pointed to the terrain to the right of the road. Bushes had been disturbed, and there were some indentations in the sides of some of the trees.

Dents similar to the ones in the path. Dents about twenty feet from the first set.

"As I said: there's your spider's trail," Loki offered casually, as if the marks were nothing more than the tracks of a deer — and an ordinary-sized one, at that.

Well, they had faced lager foes, Fandral supposed. "Follow them in which direction, though?" he asked the sorcerer.

Fandral immediately found himself regretting the question, as Loki's shoulders sagged a little. "That, I'm afraid, I can't be sure of," the prince replied.

"Oh! You mean there's actually something that the great Loki doesn't know?" Volstagg teased.

Volstagg frequently ribbed Loki for the younger man's tendency towards being a "know-it-all", saying that Loki should be happy that the stupidity of the rest of them gave the prince ample opportunity to prove how smart he was. Even the usually-silent Hogun somehow often managed to exhibit disapproval of Loki's sharing of knowledge (although, to be fair, Hogun seemed to disapprove of Loki all around), and Sif was known to snap at the sorcerer now and then for displaying his mental capacity.

Fandral, though, was more appreciative of that intelligence, which had gotten them through many a bad situation — even if he thought the young man could stand to be a little less condescending when imparting information. Then again, if Fandral found himself having to constantly explain everything rather than just getting the job done, he supposed he would be cranky too. If Volstagg didn't want to be lectured, perhaps he could spend less time broadening his waistline and more broadening his horizons ....

"Well, the only thing to do, I suppose, is split up," Loki suggested to Thor, ignoring Volstagg.

For a moment, Fandral had the impression that Volstagg's words meant as much to Loki as an ant meant to Yggdrasil. But then he noted a certain tightness around Loki's eyes, and he wondered ....

"I can't imagine it would take more than three of us to fight it, anyway," Loki added. "Let you, I, and Fandral go one way, and Hogun, Sif, and Volstagg the other."

Fandral reckoned that splitting up was more about Loki getting a break from the other warriors than it was about finding the spider. Fandral wasn't exactly surprised that Loki had chosen him over the others, but he was still glad that the man apparently considered his presence tolerable. Loki could have just as easily insisted that Fandral stay with the Warriors and Sif; no one would have questioned it, even if it would have made the split uneven, as the brothers were known to go off on their own together.

Fandral felt bad for the youth, who didn't really seem to have friends so much as just companions by proxy through Thor. At times. Sif and Hogun even seemed to despise Loki, Hogun going so far as to call the lad a coward on a number of occasions. Personally, Fandral considered it not cowardice so much as a matter of Loki having a healthy instinct for self-preservation, something that shouldn't be considered shameful in a being who was not a warrior. The very fact that Loki accompanied them on such dangerous missions despite his lack of physical prowess suggested that Loki actually was brave. But then, Sif and Hogun seemed to think being anything other than a warrior was shameful — especially if one was a sorcerer instead, fighting from a distance and from shadows. Considering Loki had a higher likelihood of dying in close combat than well-trained them, Fandral considered it laudable that Loki had found a way to fight at all.

So Fandral decided to make the most of this opportunity to let Loki know that he did have something of a friend in Fandral, at least. Then maybe Loki would relax his guard and give the others a chance to get to know and like him better as well. As it was, Fandral suspected that the others mostly only tolerated Loki for Thor's sake — although, for all his teasing, Fandral thought Volstagg actually did like Loki, at least a little; Volstagg teased everyone, especially his friends.

In that light, much as he loved the big guy like a brother, Fandral was thankful for the break from Volstagg himself.

"How's your wrist?" Fandral was surprised to hear Loki ask after about an hour's travel up the trail, Thor up ahead and out of earshot.

Fandral felt his cheeks colour; he'd hurt the limb when they'd arrived, having smacked it into a tree as he'd stumbled in landing. "You noticed?"

Loki nodded. "I was standing just behind you. Heimdall's aim was off today." He smiled sympathetically.

It was nice of Loki to show concern — although Fandral supposed it wasn't actually at all unusual for the soft-spoken youth to be compassionate. It was just that the others shrugged off such concern so often, refusing to show weakness, that Loki probably had learned not to bother asking — which meant, since he was asking after Fandral right now, that the youth had observed that Fandral was a bit different from his companions, being grateful for concern and more approachable. Perhaps this meant that Loki already understood that he had a friend in Fandral, not just an acquaintance ....

"It's a little sore, but it's fine. At least it's not my favoured arm!" Fandral added with a grin, which Loki returned.

c===[]

Thor saw the tracks they'd been following disappear into a small cave opening, and his pulse quickened at the prospect of battle. He turned to his companions and almost stumbled, a bit stunned to find his brother and Fandral grinning at each other. He was pleased to see them getting along — should be pleased, he knew, as Loki had always danced at the fringe of the group, never quite joining in, to the point where Thor sometimes felt as if he was being prompted to choose between his brother and his friends. But, then again, Thor had never seen Loki smile so genuinely and warmly like that at anyone but their family before, and found himself feeling inexplicably annoyed at this discovery. Though he could be friendly to others, even gentlemanly, when Loki was amused by anyone else, his smiles always had a tinge of derision, even malice. He was always laughing at them, not with. But he was clearly laughing with Fandral now — what had changed?

Were they laughing at him?

Loki's smile quickly faded, traded for distress when he looked up at Thor. "Is everything all right, brother?" he asked, hurrying forward.

Heartened by the concern in Loki's eyes, Thor dismissed his petty jealousy, wondering just how much of it had shown through. Fandral looked confused, and so likely had noticed nothing, but Loki had always been the most observant of them all — and knew Thor's heart the best. Thor smiled reassuringly at the pair. "Yes, brother — our quest has ended!" He gestured at the cave opening.

Looking at the small entrance, Loki let out a groan, and Thor patted him sympathetically on the back. "Damn spiders and their ability to squeeze into tight spaces an eighth of their size," the mage grumbled. Then he looked at Thor, and pursed his lips consideringly. "Well, at least I won't have it as bad as you will, ox-shoulders."

Thor grinned. "That's it, brother, look on the bright side!" He headed for the short, narrow cave entrance and started to squeeze in — and promptly got stuck.

Loki and Fandral grabbed his arm and managed, after several long moments, to tug him out, the sudden release causing them to tumble in a pile a ways downhill from the cave mouth.

"I'm not sure you'll fit even with your armour off!" Loki remarked after extricating himself from their tangle.

But Thor did — barely. He tugging his armour in with his feet, as the entrance was broadest at its base. Inside, the cave abruptly broadened. He felt more than saw this fact as he stumbled into sudden emptiness. The only light came from the narrow opening, now their only exit, and it was partially blocked still by the forms of his companions. Stepping aside to give them room to pass, he began putting his armour back on, fumbling with it in the dimness.

That's when his brother attacked.

c===========O>>>

The first thing Loki noticed when he stepped into the cave proper was that the ground had an odd, slightly springy quality. It was webbing, he was sure. The fact that it wasn't sticky and covered the ground like a blanket confirmed what they already knew: that this was a hunting spider. It did not wait for food to get stuck in its web, which was just for nesting. Some such spiders, he knew, had poor eyesight, which would even the playing field a bit. Unfortunately, there was also a chance that this spider was the type that shot webs at its prey. They wouldn't be able to see such projectiles coming at them in the dark.

The second thing he discovered, as he tried to conjure some light, was that his magic didn't work. He tried to hold on to the rational part of his brain and not panic, though he'd never been without his magic since starting his training, years ago.

The third was the heavy presence of ... something. Something that watched them. Something that was impossibly quiet despite its oppressive size.

Something that was also impossibly quick.

All the same, Loki was quicker.

Without even thinking, with instincts he didn't even realise he had, Loki shoved his brother aside.

And then, suddenly, Loki's existence was defined wholly by pain, an agony that started in his right arm, held defensively over him, and spread like wildfire. He screamed so loud, he made no sound, his throat unable to express what he felt. The worst of the pain was centered at two points in his arm, like daggers.

Or mandibles, he realised, fear an icy combatant to the heat of his pain.

A moment later, the mandibles hurt just as badly slipping out as they had going in. It took Loki a moment to grasp that Thor had used Mjolnir on the spider — and another moment for him to understand that the mighty weapon had had little effect. The spider should have been smacked against the wall, but as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, and by the faint light that glinted off its eight black eyes, Loki could see that it was still on its feet, not far from them.

"Our powers do not work here!" Loki rasped. "Thor, get out!" he commanded, shoving his brother towards the exit. Or rather, trying to: when his brother was on guard, it wasn't unlike attempting to shove a mountain. But Loki knew it would be harder for Thor to get out, so he and Fandral would have to cover him.

"No!" Thor protested. "I fear no monster!"

As if spurred by his words, the monster rushed forward. Thor threw Mjolnir; the spider dodged it, and the weapon fell to the ground, useless. The spider took that opportunity to spit its web at the hammer, quickly covering most of it. Then it seemed to watch them, as if wondering what to do with them. Fandral had his sword bared, ready to strike if it moved; Loki wasn't sure it would do any good, but he was grateful for the chance to focus on his brother and try to make Thor see reason.

"You don't have to be afraid to be practical or have some sense! It's called strategy!" Loki hissed at Thor. "This is the spider's home — that thing has us at a disadvantage in every way. Let us fight it on our own terms — outside!"

With Thor's face turned toward him, somewhat into the light, Loki could practically see the thoughts churning behind his brother's eyes. He could see the moment Thor made his decision — and understood that it was fear for Loki's safety above all else that drove his brother into the tunnel. Loki mused that his own apparent uselessness could, in fact, be useful sometimes.

Ignoring the slowly-fading burn of his injury, Loki braced his mage-staff against the cave floor and aimed its spear-like point at the enemy. Fandral stood beside him, sword still brandished.

"Why isn't it attacking?" Fandral whispered.

"I can't be certain in this light, but I believe that Thor's blow, even without the full strength of Mjolnir, injured it some. Spiders can go a long while without food, and this one is well-fed, or so we've been told. Perhaps it is wary of attacking unless we strike again ourselves. Perhaps it even understands that we are leaving."

Suddenly, Loki felt a bit sorry for it. The spider didn't seem evil, like the Jotuns; it was just trying to survive, like any living thing. Still, the Aesir as much right to protect themselves — and their people and allies — as it did. Not to mention the fact that its web seemed to nullify their powers: if it had eggs, and more of these creatures spread across Vanaheim, reached Asgard somehow ... they'd become like Midgard. The prospect made him ill.

Or maybe it was the spider's venom making him queasy ....

"I'm clear," came Thor's voice from outside the cave.

"Go next," Loki told Fandral. The man started to protest, but Loki cut him off. "You're bigger than me — it'll take you longer to get out. Go."

Swearing, Fandral obeyed. Loki backed out after him; the spider stayed where it was, to Loki's great relief. At least, that was what he told himself was making his knees shake: relief, not poison. Few spiders were really harmful to Aesir; with any luck, this one wasn't either. Even if it had injected hundreds of times more venom than any other spider could ....

c===[]

Thor grabbed hold of Fandral's arm and pulled him free of the cave. He'd been worried for his friend and was glad the man was safe, but he'd pulled him to safety as much to hurry Loki's escape as to help Fandral. As soon as Loki came into view, Thor pulled him out as well.

"Are you all right?" Thor asked as he swiveled Loki around, then held him by the shoulders. Thor felt a pulse racing, and wondered if it was his brother's or his own — until he figured that he probably couldn't feel something like that through Loki's leather coat. It was his own, then? Well, Thor hadn't been afraid of the spider, but the thought of a loved one in peril terrified him ....

Loki looked pale — paler than usual — and sweat beaded his brow. "Fit as ever, brother," Loki assured him, and for once Thor was certain he was lying. "Or rather, I will be, once you stop crushing my shoulders."

Thor immediately let go, chagrined. He stepped back and looked Loki over — aside from his complexion, the sweat, and a bit of glassiness to his eyes, his brother seemed all right. Maybe Loki wasn't lying? Maybe he was just shaken from their ordeal. Yes, that had to be it.

"So what should we do now?" Fandral asked, sword still drawn and eyes on the cave.

"We go find the others and bring them here," Loki said.

"But what if the spider leaves again?" Fandral worried, eyes still on the cave.

Loki shrugged. "As I said, it's probably well-fed, and wary now. But even if it does leave, I'm sure it will return here. Once we fetch the others, will wait for it here, and sooner or later it will pass us." Loki shot Thor a look. "Sound like a plan?"

Thor hesitated. Thor might have been the leader, but every good leader listened to wise council, and Loki was about as wise as they came outside of Odin. Besides, it sounded good.

Well, except for one thing.

"What about Mjolnir?" Thor asked. He'd tried to call the hammer back, but it seemed Loki was right: something in the spider's web nullified its power.

"What about it?" Loki asked, sounding exasperated.

"If the web has neutralised its power, someone might steal it!" Thor snapped, irritated himself now.

Loki looked apologetic, but Thor wasn't entirely convinced that he really was. "They would have to get past the spider, first," Loki pointed out soothingly, "and once they were out of the web, Mjolnir would again become impossible for any but you to lift. They'd likely drop it on their foot!" he added with a grin.

Satisfied with this logic, Thor grinned back and threw his arm around Loki's shoulder, worrying when his little brother wobbled a moment.

"You're sure you're all right?" he asked, frowning.

"Yes, brother mine. You're just heavier than you realise — it's a bit like getting hit by a tree trunk!" Loki laughed.

Thor quickly removed his arm. "S-sorry!"

Loki sighed but also smiled, shaking his head. He then put his own arm around Thor's shoulders, squeezing a moment. "It's the leaf that rests on the tree, brother."

c===========O>>>

Loki had never been so glad before now that his chosen "weapon" was a staff; he wasn't sure he would have made it all the way to finding Sif and the remaining Warriors Three (Warriors Two?), and then back to the cave, if he hadn't had it to lean on. His wounded arm ached, burned, and itched, and he was mildly nauseated, dizzy, and hot and cold all at once. But he told himself it was okay: these symptoms weren't unusual in spider bites, and they usually faded in a few days. No, they weren't even that bad, not really. He would not think about how big the spider was. He would be all right.

He was as good at lying to himself as he was at lying to others.

There was no point in telling his companions; they couldn't do anything about it here. Thor would want to take him home, to the healing room, and the Warriors and Sif would probably want to accompany Thor. Who knew how many people would die waiting for their return? Who knew if the spider would stay in the same hole-in-the-ground in the meantime?

Or, if the Warriors did stay, one of them might die, and then Thor would blame himself for their loss. Deep down, he would blame Loki, too. Or the Warriors would succeed, and Thor would secretly (or not so secretly?) harbor resentment towards Loki for having made Thor miss out. Besides, Loki didn't want to give Sif and the Warriors (well, Volstagg and Hogun — Fandral had more class and compassion) another reason to see him as weak. Not that he really cared what they thought of him, but Thor cared. No, Loki would not, indirectly or otherwise, give his brother a reason to think badly of him.

Loki held onto all these thoughts like a mantra as they walked, convincing himself that he was not growing weaker, and that the heat that slowly grew worse was just the heat of the day, made even hotter by all that he was wearing. He resisted the temptation to remove his long coat, as his companions still bore theirs — if they could take the heat, then so should he.

Even harder to deal with than his discomfort was his temper. Fandral talked up a storm on the way to meet their friends, telling tales. Loki knew he meant well, and had found the man pleasant to talk to on other days, probably would even have regaled the man with a story or two himself, but today it took everything in him to smile and nod and not beg the man to shut the Hel up. A headache began forming and soon pounded the inside of Loki's head mercilessly with each step — as mercilessly as Fandral, however well intentioned, assaulted his ears. But Loki was a consummate actor, and managed to hide his growing agony. If it meant, besides preserving his relationship with Thor, that he also gained an ally amongst the Warriors Three, all the better.

c==[=========>

Something was wrong with Loki.

First of all, the youth was right-handed, yet was suddenly holding his staff in his left — only in his left, not switching hands because he was tired or something. Fandral had tried to walk on Loki's right, to get a look at his arm, see if he'd been injured during their face-off with the spider, but Loki would stop and turn to look at something, or find some other way to keep Fandral and Thor to his left.

Then there was the fact that Loki was paying polite attention to Fandral's stories of prowess in bed, rather than rolling his eyes or making catty remarks, or letting his attention drift. Fandral tried making his stories more and more ridiculous, a challenge to the Lord of Lies to tell one even more far-fetched, but Loki just listened, smiling and nodding and even making inquiries now and then. Loki made no remarks beginning with anything like "You think that's amazing? Well, I once ate an entire horse ...."

Further, Loki was deadly pale, even for him, save for abnormally bright spots of colour high in his cheeks. It was a look that maidens usually had to pinch their faces to create. Loki was also sweating, despite the air being a bit chiller than they were used to, it being summertime in Asgard. And Loki was breathing a bit heavily. Was it just that Loki wasn't in so great of shape as the rest of them?

Fandral shot Thor a look now and then, but though the first son of Odin glanced frequently with worry at his younger brother, he shook his head every time at Fandral's questioning glance. Though they loved their friends, Thor and Fandral were not like Volstagg, Hogun, or Sif, in certain regards: Fandral and Thor would wait for Loki to speak of whatever was wrong, and not draw attention to something that might embarrass the youth.

When they met up with Volstagg, Hogun, and Sif, Thor filled them in on the confrontation as he led them all back to the cave, making sure to stress how, when he was re-donning his armour, his brother had pushed him out of the way of the spider's attack. Sif and Hogun had seemed grudgingly impressed, while Volstagg congratulated Loki with a hearty slap to the back — one that almost sent him face-first into the ground, save that Fandral caught his arm. Volstagg sheepishly apologised. After giving Fandral a heartfelt thanks, Loki graced Volstagg with a glance wasn't nearly as venomous as Fandral would have expected — it was bemused, even, though also tired-seeming. And then Fandral realised why Loki wasn't really annoyed: it was because Volstagg had been praising him.

Fandral resolved to make sure they did that more often.

As they walked onward, Loki fell to the back, as he usually did. On their journeys, sometimes Fandral would keep him company, so there was nothing unusual about him doing so now. The swordsman just had a feeling he should keep an eye on the lad. Fandral didn't talk this time, though, instead listening to their companions up ahead.

"Thank you, my friend," Thor was telling told Hogun as he tested the feel of the blade that the grim man had lent him. It was no hammer, but Fandral remembered that Thor had wielded a sword long before he'd earned Mjolnir. The kid wasn't half bad with one.

For that matter, Loki wasn't terrible with one either — he showed promise, no matter what Hogun said. Still, maybe Loki would be better with a weapon that could be used both in close-range and at long-distance. "Loki, how do you feel about throwing-knives ...?"

c===========O>>>

The spider did Loki an unwitting favour.

As they reached the cave and began to make camp, it occurred to Loki that it could be weeks before the spider emerged. He'd been having a hard enough time keeping the others from learning of his wound, or his worsening illness — he wasn't sure he could keep the act up for even a few more hours, much less days or weeks!

Happily, they had just started divvying up the camp chores when the spider decided to make an appearance.

Loki caught sight of it silently extricating itself from the cave entrance, right behind Hogun. "Down!" he cried, bringing his staff up — and stopped. It wouldn't do to shoot the creature before it was out in the open; it might retreat back into the cave, for who knew how long this time. "Everyone back away, let it out!"

He caught the wary look in Hogun's eye before the warrior moved out of the way. Loki suspected Hogun thought that either Loki had planned to shoot him, or that Loki had held back in the hopes that the spider would get him. Never mind that Loki had shouted a warning. Part of Loki thought maybe he should have let the spider get the warrior.

Sickened enough already from the bite, Loki shoved such poisonous thoughts away and concentrated on the task at hand. Ignoring the agony in his arm as best he could, he pulled up a magical sight-and-sound shield, hiding them all from the spider, just in case its eyesight was better than he thought. He noted that the spider had a broken leg — perhaps the result of Thor's first strike ....

"I know what you do, mage," Hogun hissed. "I would fight with honour!"

"Then you would fight as a corpse, if you didn't scare the thing right back into its bolt-hole!" Loki snapped.

"Loki, come now! Drop the shield — you spoil the sport!" Thor protested.

Loki growled in frustration. "Fine. Let me at least go stand behind the thing, first!" He hurried behind the creature, stumbling twice as he went. It was just as well Thor told him to drop the spell, he reckoned: he was getting a headache, on top of everything else, maintaining the magic. Besides, surely the others could handle the beast out here, in the daylight! He lowered the shield and let them have at their prey.

Immediately, the spider spat webbing at Hogun, pinning the warrior against the ground. Sif tried to help him up, and got stuck herself. Thor swung at one of the thing's legs, hacking it in two; it turned its attention to Thor.

"No!" Loki cried out, panicking.

The spider turned towards him. Before Loki could stop and think about what he was doing, he was blasting the thing with his staff, sending it flying head-over-feet. Volstagg and Thor quickly pinned the spider to the ground with their weapons, holding it down while it thrashed, allowing Fandral to hack it into pieces.

Shrugging off a wave of dizziness and gritting his teeth against the sensation of lightning surging through his skull, Loki made his way over to Hogun and Sif and used his power to delicately burn away the webs. All he got for his trouble was a grudging grunt of thanks from his companions and a worse headache.

He finished just in time to find Thor approaching the cave, and remembered that Mjolnir was trapped inside. Thor stripped off his armor and started squeezing his way into the cave; Loki followed his elder brother in, his staff lit with a bright blue light. He ignored how the light made his eyes hurt. When he reached the end of the tunnel that led to the wider space, the moment he stepped on the web, the light went out — just as he suspected it would. He stepped back into the tunnel, off the webbing, and the light returned, proving that the spider's webs indeed had the ability to nullify their power. He held out his staff as far as he could, and Thor stepped around Mjolnir, out of the way of the light. He started cutting at the webs ... and soon realised that the strands were impervious to metal.

Loki groaned inwardly; the light was already taxing him. He dreaded having to conjure the fire again, to free the hammer, but it seemed he had no choice. "Step back, brother," he began — and spotted something moving out of the shadows, behind Thor, as his brother obeyed.

"THOR!" Loki leapt forward, not willing to risk hitting his brother with a bolt of power. The moment his feet touched the web, the light went out, but it didn't matter: Loki's aim was true. The jagged tip of his staff ripped through this second arachnid's flesh, right between the eyes. The spider jerked, lifting Loki off the ground. Freed of the web again, he let forth every ounce of recent frustration, pouring angry magic into the beast. The thing disintegrated — and all the webbing went with it. His staff still glowing, Loki could see that the space was entirely enclosed — there were no more spiders, if there had been any, and no eggs.

For a panicked moment, Loki though he had no more sibling, either.

"Well done, brother!" he heard Thor crow behind him, nearly jumping out of his skin as he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.

Loki let out a laugh of relief, then turned to face his brother, trying to will his racing heart to slow to a more reasonable pace. Then he let himself absorb Thor's praise, bask in the look of pride on his brother's face. A wave of warmth washed over him, erasing the pain — for a moment. Then he swooned, exhaustion having caught up with him.

"Loki!" Thor cried, catching him and slipping an arm around his waist. "Are you all right?"

Loki nodded, swallowing hard against an urge to vomit. "I just overdid it, I think."

Thor nodded, smiling fondly. "Let's get you outside, where the air is fresher — and we can tell the others of your great deed!"

His brother's concern and pride put a bit of a spring in Loki's step, which helped him through the tunnel. Fandral was there on the other side this time, grabbing his arm and helping him out as Thor had done before. (Thankfully, it was Loki's left arm that the swordsman took hold of, not his right!)

"Are you hale?" Fandral asked.

"He's better than hale! He slayed another spider and saved my life — again!" Thor informed the whole group as he exited the tunnel.

Loki felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment, but it was the good kind this time. And, he supposed, the colour would help hide how very ill he was feeling now.

"So let us hurry to meet Hoenir, then, and tell him that Vanaheim is safe once again!" Thor added.

"Not too fast," Volstagg protested. "Let Loki practice the tale on us, before presenting it to Hoenir!"

Loki resisted the urge to whimper. They were in a wilder country than Asgard, with villages and towns instead of cities; he hoped it wouldn't take any longer to get to Hoenir's hall than it would to get home. He also hoped Hoenir's people were civilised enough to have a decent healing room.

"The use of so much magic has wearied me," Loki begged off. "Let me catch my breath on the way, first." He would have suggested that Thor do the telling, but then they all would know that there was something very wrong with him, that he'd been injured. Hogun and Sif would mock him for being bitten, and Thor would be disappointed. Odin would be too, when he heard the story. And Frigga would pity him.

He couldn't bear that. Any of it. It would be a thousand times worse than anything he felt now.

So at Thor's worried look, Loki offered a wan smile and an encouraging nod. He remembered a thought he'd had just yesterday, about wishing he could hide his embarrassment from his father, and got an idea. As much as his head hurt, he slowly wove a minor illusion, one that would keep him looking haler than he was. Practice made perfect, right? And necessity made for good incentive ....

He then started walking, trying to ignore the bolts of pain that shot through him now with each step — the sooner they got going, the better.

c==[=========>

Loki may have started them off, but he soon dropped behind, into his customary place. Fandral was certain now that something was wrong, that Loki was dragging behind for reasons other than habit this time, and hung back with him, to keep an eye on him. Thor was in the lead, as usual, but he too was clearly trying to watch over his younger brother, frequently calling to him over his shoulder, as if to reassure himself that Loki had not vanished.

As Fandral watched him out of the corner of his eye, Loki's steps grew markedly slower and slower, his gait less steady as he leaned heavily on his staff, his hand beginning to tremble. It wasn't really a surprise when Loki finally paused and dry-heaved into the bushes on the side of the road. Fandral resisted the sudden impulse to stroke the younger man's back sympathetically, waiting for some cue from Loki of how to treat him, what would be welcome to someone who was not a warrior — but who still walked amongst them as an equal.

Fandral caught sight of the others watching the sorcerer. Hogun and Sif looked somewhere between annoyed and bemused, while Thor looked as uncertain about what to do as Fandral felt.

For his part, Volstagg offered a friendly smile and sympathy. "It's just nerves, lad — we all went through it when we killed our first monsters single-handedly!"

The glances Sif and Hogun exchanged suggested that they had gone through no such thing, but thankfully they said nothing. In fact, sympathy seemed to soften Sif's eyes now (as much as the almost-Valkyrie's eyes could soften, anyway). With Hogun, it was almost impossible to tell what he was thinking, but at least the man wasn't sneering.

Panting, Loki straightened, offering everyone a strained smile. "I doubt that very much, Volstagg, but I thank you for the lie — and your patience — all the same."

Loki resumed walking, but another twenty paces or so later, he stopped, swaying. Luckily, Fandral had expected this as well, and stayed beside him, slightly behind him: he caught Loki and lowered him gently to the ground. He saw Loki change before his eyes, and realised the young man had been wearing an illusion: his skin had grown very pale again, save for the return of the two spots of colour on his cheeks, and he was drenched in sweat, despite being bone-dry just a moment ago.

"Thor!" Fandral called after his friend. He then knelt beside Loki, drawing him up against his arm and propping him against one leg. Loki trembled against him; Fandral realised the young man was shivering.

Thor looked panicked as he raced back to them, sliding to his knees; the others hurried after him. Even Hogun looked worried now.

c===[]

"Brother?" Thor whispered, cradling his brother's face in his hands. It was like touching sun-baked stone! "He's burning up!"

Loki's eyelids fluttered, brows knit in distress, and he moaned, head lolling.

"Was he sick before we left?" Sif wondered.

"Is he contagious?" Volstagg asked before Thor could think on an answer for Sif. Thor would have glared at the mountainous man, but he saw Fandral save him the trouble — and heard two smacks that told him that Sif and Hogun had backed up Fandral's silent threat.

"He seemed fine until just after we fought the spider the first time," Fandral told him. "I couldn't see what happened too well, though — Loki was right in front of me, and I was still trying to get out of that damned tunnel."

"I remember him shoving me down," Thor thought back. "And when I got back up, I could barely see the monster, so I just swung and hit it."

Fandral looked uneasy. "Thor ... Have you noticed how he's been keeping us to his left?" he flicked his eyes down to Loki's right arm, which was closest to Thor.

Thor looked down — and promptly felt his stomach drop. There were two small holes in his brother's bracer. Gingerly, he lifted his brother's hand.

Loki cried out and pulled away, grimacing. He slowly relaxed and opened his eyes. Thor wasn't sure his brother could actually see any of them, his eyes looked so fever-bright and unfocused.

"Loki, I need to see your arm, okay?" Thor told him quietly.

"Why?" Loki croaked. "It's obvious that ... you already know ... what's happened," he remarked weakly, cracking a small smile.

"We have to clean the wound," Sif insisted, firm but gentle.

Loki cast her a wary, confused glance. Thor didn't blame him; Sif had never exactly made Loki welcome. He half-expected Loki to call her on that fact, but instead he just said, "It hurts too much for that. How much farther to Hoenir's homestead?" He struggled to rise.

Hogun grabbed him firmly by the shoulders and pushed him back into Fandral's arms. He took a thick stick and shoved it between Loki's teeth.

"Wait," Volstagg said, popping open a wineskin and removing the stick. He forced Loki's jaws apart and poured the liquid down the mage's throat. Loki apparently knew better than to struggle, sputtering only a little. Satisfied, Volstagg replaced the stick. "This is happening whether you want it to or not, boy."

Thor's heart lurched at the treatment, but he knew it was for his brother's own good, if he was to last until they got him to a healing room.

Fury burned for a moment behind the fever in Loki's eyes, then faded, replaced by what seemed a mix of fear and resolve. Loki nodded then and braced himself.

Fandral took hold of Loki's left hand with his own. "You squeeze if it hurts, all right?"

Loki opened his eyes a moment to look at Fandral, nodding in gratitude, then closed them again, swallowing hard.

Thor swallowed too. Loki probably didn't remember, but Thor had been bitten by a snake once, when he was a young child. The pain of the wound haunted him to this day — and the spider that had bitten Loki had been considerably bigger than the snake.

Brushing damp hair from Loki's brow, Thor then took hold of Loki's hand and his arm, past the bracer, and slowly increased the pressure. Loki winced and hissed a little, but didn't otherwise cry out. Thor nodded to Sif, and using a small knife, she carefully cut the bracer free. Loki cried out as it came off, and his arm spasmed, but Thor was far stronger, so the arm barely moved. Sif gingerly cut at Loki's sleeve, which was plastered gruesomely to the wound; it smelled of infection. Hearing the hiss of Loki's breath around the stick, Thor looked at his face. What he thought was a drop of sweat at first, he realised now was a tear; his brother was silently sobbing.

Sif had cut around the wound, leaving an oval of material against it. She fetched a waterskin and poured it over the remaining fabric, softening it. "Which would you rather, Loki: that I pry it off slowly or quickly?"

Loki threw a despairing glance heavenwards. Thor wished with all his heart right then that he could trade places with his little brother.

"Slowly?" Sif asked.

Hesitating, Loki shook his head.

"Quickly?"

Equally hesitant, Loki nodded.

Without pause, Sif ripped the cloth away.

Loki screamed past the stick, back arching as far as it could while still restrained by Thor, Fandral, and Hogun. Thor could swear he heard bones cracking in Fandral's left hand, saw Loki's knuckles go white, and reckoned it was a good thing that wasn't Fandral's favoured hand. Thor found himself impressed by Loki's strength as Loki's right hand squeezed his.

Then Loki went limp, and Thor panicked. "Loki? Brother?!"

Hogun laid a hand on Thor's shoulder. "Do not worry — he has only fainted."

Looking up, Thor was surprised to not find any contempt in Hogun's face as the man looked on Loki. Didn't he think that fainting was weak and cowardly?

As if reading Thor's mind, Hogun explained, "An involuntary reaction is no shame. Passing out is nature's mercy."

"I do believe that's the most I've ever heard you say at one time, old friend," Volstagg remarked.

Hogun simply shrugged.

Thor continued to hold Loki's arm, feeling helpless as he watched Sif clean and dress the wound, which was angry and swollen, with her smaller, more dexterous fingers, which were better-suited to the task. "There," she said finally, stepping back. "That's all I can do for him; it'll be up to a healing room to do the rest."

Thor gathered Loki up in his arms and began walking back the way they'd come.

"Where are you going?" Volstagg asked.

"Father warned me that Vanaheim has no healing room," Thor explained. He prayed his brother could hold out long enough to get home.

Loki shivered.

Thor began to run.

c==[=========>

It took Sif pointing out that he might injure Loki more if he fell, before Thor finally agreed to let the rest of them take turns carrying Loki. Then, when they drew close to where the Bifrost would retrieve them, Sif ran on ahead, to get help; there was a coach waiting for them when they reached the Rainbow Bridge. Thor had taken the last turn, holding his brother in a vice-like grip until Odin himself gently pried the younger prince from his grasp.

Once the elder prince's hands were finally freed up, Fandral saw Thor scrub the tears from his face — a wasted act, as they kept falling. Fandral felt his own eyes sting, but refused to let any tears fall — not because he thought it a weakness, but rather because there was no need to grieve. They were in time. They had to be: Loki still breathed, and while there was breath, there was hope. So instead, Fandral clapped a hand to Thor's shoulder and offered his friend an encouraging smile, pushing him to follow after his father.

Frigga, too, Fandral noted, refused to cry, instead overseeing the healers with the same firm confidence that Odin had when ruling his kingdom. Odin himself, meanwhile, watched all with a glassy eye. Fandral was sure the man had every confidence in his wife and their healers, and the power of the room itself, but that didn't mean it didn't grieve him to see one of his sons in such a state — especially given that he was the one who had sent them on the mission in the first place.

Fandral watched Thor sit beside his father and squeeze the king's hand. Then, to the swordsman's amazement, Hogun knelt before the king, fist to shoulder, bowing his head.

"Your majesty, I apologize for the grief I have brought upon your family," he said grimly, living up to his nickname.

There was an exchanging of confused glances amongst all present.

"How do you mean, Hogun the Grim?" Odin asked.

"You told me the other day that I should let Loki acclimate to the skills he was not born to, and you were right. I fear I have pushed him too hard, if he thought that he could not confide an injury to us for fear of ridicule — or of losing his brother's esteem," he added with a glance at Thor. "We have only just made it here in time, I think: we would have gotten him here much sooner if we had not already been nearly halfway to Hoenir's keep before we learned what was wrong."

"I think this may be a new record for Hogun — I have never seen him say so much before," Volstagg remarked quietly.

Fandral could only nod at that, a little shocked himself.

"I appreciate and accept your apology," Odin told Hogun.

"I must apoligise too, Sire," Fandral said, stepping up and swallowing the rock of grief that had lodged in his throat. "I had a feeling something was wrong; I should have pressed him."

"As should I," Thor replied.

"And I," Volstagg chimed in.

"As we all should have," Sif said, Hogun nodding.

"And Loki shouldn't have kept it secret," Odin weighed in. "Mistakes were made, but each of you had your reasons. Loki will be fine, and you have all, I hope, learned a valuable lesson or two. For now, let us focus on my son's speedy recovery."

c===[]

They had all remained in the room, taking turns keeping watch over Loki. Thor sat by his sleeping brother's side, holding his hand, watching him breathe.

Loki's fever had broken, and his colour (such as it was) returned. His breathing had been shallow and ragged when they'd arrived; now it was deep and even. His arm had been showing signs of necrosis; now it was nearly whole again. Their mother had said he should be waking up soon, and Thor, though exhausted himself, was determined to be there for him when he did. At the moment, Fandral kept Thor company, sitting on the opposite side of Loki — though the man was nodding off. Thor, feeling pretty tired himself, knelt at his brother's bedside and rest his head on his arms, still holding Loki's hand.

"Funny, this place looks just like the healing room in Asgard," came a groggy murmur.

Thor snapped awake, grinning wide as he took in the welcome sight of his brother's blue-green eyes — orbs he was half afraid he'd never see again. Fandral woke as well, and Thor wondered how much the swordsman's relieved face was a mirror to his own. "That's because we're in Asgard, brother," Thor informed Loki.

Loki went from sleepy to high alert in an instant, bolting upright. He clutched his head and fell back against his pillow, groaning.

"Easy, brother," Thor warned. "Mother says that the danger has passed, but it will still be a few days yet before you are fully recovered."

Loki looked surprisingly sullen at the news. "You carried me all the way back here?"

Fandral shot Thor a puzzled glance before saying, "Well, we weren't about to leave you there. Besides, you're pretty light, and there were five of us to take turns."

"We had to bring you here because there are no healing rooms in Vanaheim — which I probably should have mentioned on the way over," Thor added sheepishly.

"I'm the one who should be sorry," Loki sighed, gingerly sitting up and scooting back. He drew up his knees and folded his arms across them. "And here I was trying not to be a burden. At least if I'd said something sooner, I could have walked back on my own steam."

Thor moved to sit beside Loki, putting an arm around him. "Well, you wanted us to finish the mission instead of going back immediately, right?"

Loki nodded.

Thor rest his head against his brother's. "People's lives were at stake," Thor went on. "You know me well enough to know that I never would have stayed —- not at the risk of your life. So no one can exactly fault you for lying if it meant putting others first. And you saved my life! Twice! So think nothing of the journey home — the least I could do was make sure you didn't lose your own life for saving mine!"

"It was the least any of us could do," Fandral chimed in. "I think we got in over our heads — your magic saved all of us. Not to mention the risk you took so that Thor and I could get out of the cave safely after we faced that monster the first time! And to think you did it while you were so hurt ...."

Shaking his head in apparent wonder, Fandral reached down and fiddled with his boot. Pulling out a throwing knife, he took Loki's left hand and turned it palm-up, laying the hilt across it and closing Loki's fingers around it. "Here. A get-well present. The sooner you get better, the sooner we can start your training with the throwing-knives, as I promised."

Loki held the weapon up, turning the blade in his fingers. The flickering of the light along its surface seemed to entrance him. "And I make a promise to you: I will be out of this bed tomorrow."

Fandral gave Loki a toothy smile, the one that tended to send every maiden in every branch of Yggdrasil swooning.

Again, Thor felt a sudden flare jealousy — but couldn't tell was whether he was jealous that his brother had charmed one of his friends, or that his friend had charmed his brother. Then it occurred to him that it was probably both. He felt another emotion too, though, stronger this time: joy that the pair were getting along so well. Thor used that joy to squash his jealousy flat as a spider. He would not be stingy with his friends or with his brother. He would be glad that he wouldn't have to feel torn between them anymore.

"I suspect you actually mean that," Fandral was telling Loki, "but I think your mother may make a liar out of you — and if she does, I'm not going to argue."

"You bet you won't," Frigga assured them, rising from her place next to Odin on one of the couches. "But if he gets some rest now, he will keep his promise to leave this bed — he'll just be trading it for his own. Come now. Now that you know he's well, you can retire to your own rooms."

"Must I?" Thor asked petulantly, immediately regretting acting so childish.

Well, he did until Loki echoed, equally childishly, "Yes, must he?"

Frigga rolled her eyes fondly. "Well, I never could separate you two when either of you was sick, so no, Thor can stay."

Fandral woke Hogun and Sif, then struggled to wake Volstagg, while Frigga worked on waking the king. Sif and Hogun came over to check on Loki.

Seeing the knife in Loki's hand, Sif pulled out one of her own and laid it on a table near the bed. "Seems to me a person needs more than one throwing-knife. Be well, Loki."

Hogun lay another knife beside Sif's gift, and grunted. Volstagg was up by then, and approached with a knife of his own. "Well, this is a merry little pile you're accumulating! Use them in good health, Loki — I mean it!" he added with a wink. Waving, the four warriors departed.

Odin and Frigga came over then; Thor thought his father seemed to have aged years in the hours since their return.

"Hoenir was hurt that you came and slayed the spiders and then left again without paying him a visit, my boy," the King teased.

"I'm sorry, father," Loki replied quietly, casting his eyes down.

Odin gently cupped Loki's chin and raised it. "It's done; you are well and lives have been saved. Though I wish you hadn't kept your wound a secret, I am very proud of you, my son. And Hoenir is very grateful; he wishes to throw a feast for you heroes."

"Hahaah! Hear that, Loki? All the more incentive for you to get well!" Thor crowed.

"Yes, so I have the strength to fight Volstagg off when he tries to steal from my plate," Loki agreed wryly.

Odin laughed heartily. "Now I know you're feeling better! And now I can rest easy myself. Sleep well, my sons."

He ruffled Loki's hair, then Thor's. Frigga smoothed Loki's hair back and kissed his brow, doing the same for her elder son.

Thor waited until the door had closed behind their parents before speaking. "There is one thing you need to apologise for, regardless of your good intentions."

"Gladly! But what is it?"

"You almost lost me my brother." He meant it in jest, but the truth in the words choked him.

c===========O>>>

Loki was quiet a long moment, overcome both by guilt, for making Thor and their parents suffer so, and by gratitude that he should be so loved. It was a lesson hard learned — one that he hoped the universe never saw fit to repeat. "I'm sorry, brother," he finally managed. "Can you forgive me my foolishness?"

"Already forgiven — provided you promise you will never leave me."

"Done!" Loki promised, then yawned.

Thor yawned himself. "Goodnight, little brother," he said sleepily, kissing Loki on the top of his head, as he'd often done when they were very young.

"G'night," Loki replied, head lolling onto Thor's chest as he drifted off into contented sleep.

~FINIS~