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Asgard
Palace
Thor and Loki exchanged glances. From their father's words, it was clear that sooner or later they would have to compete for the throne—not that they needed to worry about it now.
Many years would still pass before their father's death or before they were ready to rule.
At that moment, Loki and Thor were in their private garden.
'Brother, it doesn't matter who wins the right to the throne—we will always be united,' Loki said sarcastically.
As usual, Thor and Loki were playing.
Thor liked sword fights and sparring, while Loki was more cunning and preferred strategy games.
Today it was Thor's turn to choose the game.
Thor chose a duel with wooden swords.
'I agree, brother, but I won't give up,' Thor said, swinging his makeshift wooden sword down at Loki.
Loki was quick, defending himself against Thor's strike.
The sound of clashing wood echoed through the garden.
Loki shoved with his sword, forcing their blades apart, then stepped back and attacked.
'Don't be arrogant. I haven't lost this fight yet,' Loki said, striking with more strength than expected.
He feinted at the last second, switching sides.
'Damn…' Thor muttered, clicking his tongue as he braced for impact.
The blow was about to land when something saved him.
Loki's wooden sword, aimed at Thor's chest to secure victory, suddenly changed direction at the last moment.
Some unseen force had moved the blade, making Loki miss.
In disbelief, Loki shouted angrily.
'But how… how did you do that?!'
Thor replied honestly, confused himself.
'I don't know, okay? Maybe it's some kind of new survival gift I just discovered.'
'Don't lie! You're cheating!' Loki snapped.
'You don't have to yell, okay? I already told you I don't know how it happened. If I knew, I would've said so,' Thor replied.
Loki smirked.
'Fine… this time I won't miss.'
'And I won't let you!' Thor said, excited for another round.
But before they could continue, someone interrupted.
'That's enough, boys. Stop with these foolish games.'
Thor and Loki froze. They looked around but saw no one, though they clearly heard a woman's voice.
A moment later, someone materialized before them.
It was their mother, Frigga.
She was beautiful, with fair skin and golden hair much like Odin's.
'Mother!' Thor and Loki exclaimed in surprise, both at once.
Frigga immediately ordered her sons to stop. She disliked their little duels and competitions, for she loved them equally.
'Thor, Loki, I want you to stop fighting each other. Do you understand?' Frigga said firmly.
She began a speech about how bad it was for them to fight and how they needed to get along as brothers.
Loki, however, wasn't paying much attention. He was far more fascinated by what his mother had just done.
Before his eyes, she had appeared out of nowhere. He quickly interrupted to ask,
'How did you do that, Mother?' Loki asked, amazed by the magic. It was the first time he had ever seen it.
It was also Thor's first time witnessing magic, but he didn't feel much connection to it. Thor took after Odin—he preferred fists, axes, and swords. Still, he thought it was incredible, though not as much as Loki did.
'How did I do it?' Frigga said, demonstrating a little magic, delighted to see Loki's reaction. She had fun watching his excitement.
She used a touch of telekinesis to move some small leaves, making them swirl in her hands.
Loki's mouth dropped open.
'That's magic? I want to learn! Can you teach me?' he asked eagerly.
'You're both still too young, I don't—' Frigga began, ready to refuse. But then she noticed Loki's excitement and realized she should spend more time with her sons. Teaching them could be a good way.
'All right. I'll teach you a little,' Frigga agreed.
Loki beamed with a wide smile of joy.
Thor, on the other hand, didn't look very eager to learn magic. Frigga noticed and asked, curious and a little saddened.
'Don't you want to learn magic with Mother, my son?'
Thor huffed and crossed his arms.
'Hmm… I'm not interested in cheap tricks. I'd rather learn how to punch and kick. It's way more exciting to defeat a dragon with my fists, to lift a heavy battle hammer, to charge into battle—that's much cooler than this,' Thor said.
He went on listing more reasons why combat was fun and magic was boring.
Frigga, a bit disheartened at first, soon realized the problem wasn't her. Thor was simply just like Odin—a battle fanatic. He seemed like a child-sized version of his father. It was almost cute to see such a little boy talking about fighting dragons, giants, and other creatures.
'Pfft—' Frigga let out a sincere laugh.
Thor noticed his mother's reaction and grew a little embarrassed.
'When do we start?' Loki asked eagerly, ignoring Thor.
'We'll begin tomorrow. I'll teach you the basics of magic,' Frigga said.
Loki looked absolutely entranced. Thor had never seen him like that before. Normally, Loki wasn't so animated—he was usually calm, reserved. It was strange to see him this way. Loki clearly loved magic. If Thor had noticed, then surely their mother had too.
'Besides magic, I'll also teach you about the Nine Realms and everything you need to know. Is that all right with you?' Frigga asked.
'Yes, Mother!' Loki replied eagerly. Thor, however, didn't seem as thrilled.
Frigga, after looking at her boys, suddenly remembered something else she wanted to tell Thor.
Thor suddenly felt a chill.
'Thor, I just remembered—besides visiting you, I also came to remind you it's time to cut your hair. It's getting too long,' Frigga said.
'My hair?' Thor asked, startled.
'Not my hair… no one touches my hair!' Thor protested, clutching his long, beautiful golden locks.
'Thor, if it keeps growing, you'll start to look like a girl…' Frigga teased.
Thor looked miserable. His beautiful hair… he would have to part with it for a greater good.
This time, Thor had lost.
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