[ Thor knows himself now the vassal to Loki's kingship, just the sort of might and authority a sovereign requires in the carrying out of duty and law. They have made order together, he and his brother, Sif, the Warriors Three, the armies of Asgard, they have quieted all the realms and brought them into rule and harmony, and if he feels himself set apart from Loki now as brother, he thinks it only the natural order of the estrangedness of a king. Did not Odin, from time to time, gaze down from the throne with the eyes of a stranger, judge his sons with the heart of a lord?

Though the gleam of mischief in Loki's eyes is familiar, and the laughter that rises in his own chest. ] Come, Loki, that does not serve. Put some pageboy to the task; Mother would-- [ But there the laughter fades, and though his lips curve the smile is tinged with sadness. ] Well, perhaps Mother would be pleased to have me see to it. Have you visited her garden of late?