The battle was raging.

The sound of ice fragmenting on Asgardian shields pierced the air their cacophony broken only by the sounds of men screaming to the night sky.

Valhalla was upon him, that Odin knew. But as the sun rose in the blackened sky he saw a form, one much taller than himself approaching. Unsheathing his sword Odin held his head high, preparing for a long and tasking match, one he may not win, a battle of the Titans.

But one never came, instead, a cold, deep voice rang out, "Odin, both of our forces have sustained great losses. How long will you allow this to go on?"

"Until each and every Joten has fallen on an Asgardian blade," Hissed the king of Asgard. "That is, unless you, Laufey, wish to surrender."

"I do not wish to tarnish my reputation, Asgardian, but I propose a peace treaty."

This caught Odin's attention, but he would not falter in the eyes of his enemy, "On what terms, Frost Giant?"

Unperturbed by the malice in the Asgardian's voice as he spat the name of his people, Laufey replied easily with the air of one who held little concern for the outcome. "We each call our legions off, you and your men return to Asgard. Until a time comes in which you return to my lands, or I invade yours, all conflict between us shall be..." The giant paused for a moment, wondering how to phrase his proposition. "Frozen." Laufey finished, allowing a small, thin smile to grace his features.

The smile, for some odd reason, put Odin on edge, he never would have believed that in time he would come to truly fear that smile. "Very well." With that Odin Allfather turned on his heel and left to return home to his wife and young son, if, at the time, he had any inkling of what a simple stop by the temple would one day cost him he would have passed it by, but alas, Odin was not omniscient.

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The image of Odin trudging through the palace gardens was odd, to say the least. Leaning on his sword for support, having been weakened by the tireless battle was an uncommon sight to behold. It was made only stranger by what Odin held in his left arm. It was a baby, mere hours old, the infant was asleep, crudely swaddled in Odin's own cape.

The Asgardian king pushed gently on the door to the throne room and it swung open promptly at his touch.

"Odin!" Frigga, queen of Asgard exclaimed as her husband came into view. She made to launch herself at him, but Odin, sensing danger, stopped her.

"Gently, My Queen, come see what I have brought you from the wreckage of warfare," Odin instructed smiling warmly.

"A child, Odin?" Gasped Frigga. "But— but, who's?"

Odin sighed discontentedly, "Laufey's presumably, left to die, due to his size no doubt. You understand I couldn't just leave him to starve to death, alone and neglected. Anyway, we can have no more children and you always wanted another. Did you not?" Odin was nearly begging for understanding.

"My dear," the queen chuckled, " I do indeed want another child, if nothing else, Thor, I fear is growing lonely with no siblings, a brother will do him good."

Odin smiled and reached his hand up to caress his wife's face. "And what shall we name our new son?"

"Loki, I think," Frigga whispered.

"Yes, Loki suits him well." Odin opened his mouth to continue but his thoughts were interrupted by, his now eldest son.

"Papa!" Thor yelled gleefully.

Odin knelt to the ground and opened his arms wide, Thor obliging ran into them.

Kneeling down, Frigga gently caught her son's attention. "Thor we want you to meet your brother, Prince Loki."

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Odin stood at the edge of the open window, looking out upon his kingdom, his peace was suddenly broken by an arm being wrapped around his own.

"I feared you would not return to me, my love," Frigga breathed tenderly.

"As did I," Odin admitted looking down to meet her eyes. "Yet here I am, I returned, my numbers having doubled," Odin chuckled, then suddenly his laughter died in his throat. "I took Loki from the rubble of a battlefield, does it not seem to you that where I found him as well as his lineage, are omens?"

"Omens of what," Frigga questioned gently.

"That he will be like her," Odin forced out.

"Dear, Hela was not born the way she became, she grew into it," the queen sighed.

"That is little comfort to me, you understand," Odin replied dejection clear in his tone.

"Indeed, I do," Frigga, realizing that the conversation, if continued, could lead nowhere pleasant, hastily changed the subject. "Odin, why does the child's visage resemble ours and not his father's?

"'Tis of my doing," answered Odin, surprised the question had remained unanswered for so long. "I thought it best, safest, he needn't ever know of his true parentage."

"So the first thing we ever present our son with is a lie?" Frigga asked, not unkindly.

"If it ensures his safety, then yes," Odin concluded shortly.

Frigga pulled her husband away from the window, "come, my king, it has been many moons since I slept in your arms."