#ames's writing

[askbalderthings]

“Come on…” Balder muttered, barely moving his mouth. The birds hopped closer, eager to investigate the seeds and nuts in his outstretched hand, yet still cautious at the same time. A few braver ones had already taken a few pecks at what he offered, but it was the larger bird with the gold and cream feathers that hung back. He held his breath as it finally moved closer…

A shrill yell suddenly pierced the morning air, causing all the birds to frantically take off in a confusing cloud of wings as Balder nearly fell off the bench he was sitting on. Shocked, he watched for a moment as they made a hasty exit out of the garden. Gritting his teeth, Balder didn’t even have to turn around. “Loki.”

Behind him, there was the younger boy, an impish grin stretched across his face, the look of someone who obviously wasn’t in the least bit sorry. An almost challenge for him to say something, as Loki was a Prince, the son of the All-Father and Balder was not.

“Oh no,” Loki said in a cloyingly sweet tone as he came closer. “Did I scare them?”

Balder didn’t answer, as he ran over the options in his head. Yelling at Loki or picking a fight wouldn’t do much good. It would probably end with himself in more trouble. The only option he could think of what to tell Thor and ask him to tell their mother, maybe she would be able to put a stop to her younger son’s annoying antics.

When he didn’t get a response, Loki plopped down on the bench next to Balder and stretched out his legs. He had the gangly body of a teenager, not quite a child anymore, but also hadn’t yet grown into his adult size either. “Why are you out here so early?”

“Because I like to.” Balder muttered. He had hoped that with the early hour, no one would bother him. A quick glance around told him none of the birds would be coming back for a while. “What are you doing out here?”

Loki shrugged. “These are the palace gardens. I can go anywhere I want.” Reaching out, he took a pinch of the leftover birdseed and rolled it between his fingers. “What’s your trick?”

“My trick?”

“To get the birds to come to you.”

In spite of his annoyance, Balder chucked. “There is no trick.” He said and started sweeping the birdseed back into his container.

Loki narrowed his eyes. “I’m serious.”

“So am I. I don’t do anything except sit here and they come to me.”

A strange look passed over Loki’s face, several emotions that all seemed to bleed into the next before the mask came back. He took a long, slow exhale, as if he was holding something back. “Huh.” He finally said, before standing up.

Balder finished putting what he could of the birdseed back in its container and snapped the lid shut, only to look up and find the younger boy was already gone. Loki’s name was on his lips to call him back before he stopped and realized what he was doing.

// @godofstoriessuggestion =)

[askbalderthings]

From a Distance

//Hod and Balder are the equivalent of 2-3 years old in this

Sometimes, the meetings seemed like they went on forever. All members seemed like they only wanted to hear themselves talk. But finally, finally it was over. The delegates from the other realms thanked Odin for the invitation, members of the court gracious as they stood. It had been a long day and all Odin wanted to do was return to his family, especially his lady wife for the remainder of the evening.

Just as he was heading out of the throne room, he heard a child’s cry, one that drew his attention immediately. Automatically, he turned in that direction, before stopping as he caught sight of twin toddler boys.

His sons, the ones fate had taken from him. Except no one else knew, especially them.

Over the years, Odin and Frigga had never forgot about the two of them. Sometimes months would go by without either of them mentioning them, but then they would come up again. Never in front of their children or anyone else who might overhear their secret. Usually at night, when husband and wife were in bed, the boy’s names whispered between them. Sometimes it was wondering how the twins were doing, what their first words had been, were they happy and if Ragnarok had been stopped.  No matter how long the conversation was, it always ended the same way, with guilt weighting down like an extra blanket. No matter how many times Odin stroked his wife’s hair and insisted what had been done was for the best, he sometimes had trouble believing it himself. At least until he doubled down and remembered, he did not make mistakes.

He hadn’t told Frigga, but he secretly kept an eye on the Hod and Balder. Not enough to get emotionally attached or anything, but quick glances here and there, making sure they were fine and wanted for nothing. No one had any idea that the generous benefactor of the orphaned boys was the king and queen themselves.

One of them-he realized with a jolt that he couldn’t tell which was which-was sprawled on the ground crying. Even though they were not identical twins, Odin hadn’t spent any time around them to know which one Balder was and which was Hod. They both were still tiny, barely up to his knee.

Whichever one it was, something was wrong, as he lay on the floor, wailing as if the world was ending. His twin peered down at him, complexed, as if he didn’t understand what was happening.

Odin scowled. When he had given the boys to the court, it had discreetly come back to him that they had a nanny who was with them all the time, where was this woman? Her only job was to be taking care of his children. With a deep sigh, he gathered himself and started to stride toward the toddlers.

Then, as if thought alone had summoned her, a woman long red hair appeared out of nowhere, looking hassled as she scooped up the sobbing child. With one arm, she cradled him close, as his twin at her feet pawed up at her frantically. A tired weary look passed over her as she tried to deal with both at the same time.

Even from a distance, Odin was able to make out her strained words and gleaned that she was holding Hod, and it was Balder at her feet. None of them had noticed him yet, it left him free to be able to study the two of them, the children taken away him. They looked healthy and while it was hard to judge in this moment, probably were fine. Except for the fact this woman didn’t seem capable of handling twin toddlers.

The crying quieted and the woman transferred the child to her hip, only to then notice the King of Asgard standing close by. With a small gasp, she put the boy down and curtsied. “Your Majesty.”

There was a lot Odin wanted to say to her, mostly to know how his sons were doing and what type of job she was doing with their care. But before he could say anything, he noticed the way both hid behind her skirts. Clinging, Hod and Balder were pressed against her legs, only peeking out at him with something between fear and curiosity.

With a jolt, it was that moment that Odin realized they didn’t belong to him anymore. Neither of them knew who he was. If their nanny hadn’t appeared and he had gone over to comfort Hod, they wouldn’t have responded the way Thor and Loki did, these two probably would have been frightened of him. A strange, large old man coming out of nowhere that probably would have made the situation worse.

With a slow exhale, he turned his attention back to their caregiver. “You better take the children back to their room.”

She nodded and curtsied again, taking a small hand in each of hers. “Yes, your majesty. Come along, boys.”

Odin stood there a moment and watched as she led them down the hall and out of sight. Off to some room to somewhere in the palace that he realized he didn’t know where. It could have been easy to find, a few discreet words here and there. But why would the king be interested in two random children? It could raise questions and that was the last thing he needed.

There was one thing he was going to do, secretly pass along through a series of messengers that the benefactor of the two boys was displeased with their nanny and that a new one be found immediately.  

As they walked away, a piece of him hoped at least one of them would turn back to look, but neither did. It made sense. He wasn’t in their lives and neither were aware that he was their father.

It didn’t mean that it didn’t still hurt.

[askbalderthings]

Perfect, it was a word you heard a lot to describe you. There were other words, good, kind, saint-like, but perfect seemed to be the favored word. Everyone said so.

Except there was one thing, you didn’t feel perfect. Maybe if you were that way, you wouldn’t be questioning it, looking back at all the times you screwed up and made mistakes. After all, perfect people do not worry about these kinds of things.

Being good is easy for you. It just happens. But being perfect is not.

That’s such a high bar, such a standard to be held to. What happens when you trip and fall, when you finally blunder? Will those who applauded you and held you to that level be there to catch you, or worse, will they just watch you fall? Maybe they’ll enjoy seeing someone who was once known as perfect, collapse, point it out for all to see that it was false.

That’s why you work so hard, keep pushing on. It’s difficult to build yourself up this way, wondering how long it will go on for. But you do it, piece by piece, hoping everything will stay together out of pure force of will

But a day comes. It’s one you both hoped for and dreaded at the same time. When someone instantly see’s through your illusions and beliefs. He knows you are not perfect.

Worse, he is something important. Far more than that.

Of course, he would know. He doesn’t fall under the same spell everyone else has. This person is not like the rest.

His opinion shouldn’t matter, everyone says. It shouldn’t. You feel so disconnected from him, far away and like there’s a sheet of glass between you and him. But for some reason, it does matter. You can’t explain it, but it does.

But he doesn’t know you, you want to scream. Even though you hate this idea of being the perfect person, you want to be for him. To push through until blood drips from your hands, to crawl until your legs give out, just to prove it. You are willing, you would try.

But it doesn’t work. He never saw you that way. Are you disappointed, not having to live with that label anymore, or disappointed that you feel less then now? You don’t know how he feels. He says words, but sometimes they feel hollow. Soft and fluffy as clouds, but without any substance. What is the truth, you wonder.

You wish you could just talk with him. Get it out. But you don’t know what to say. Everything is wrapped in history, full of anger and pain. Even if you could fight through all that, you are too afraid to see what is really on your mind. You deny it, but it’s the truth.

It will probably never be said. You don’t know how that makes you feel. Is that good, or bad? Who knows, least of all you.

Maybe someday you won’t be “perfect” anymore. Or maybe you will always be.

Is it a curse, or a blessing? It depends. On the day and who asks you. But other than that, you have no idea.

[askbalderthings]

Healing

//Hod and Balder are the equivalent of eight in this. Much thanks to @hododinsonsuggestions for her help. You’re the best and I love you, Jo

Normally, Odin would not have been down at the training ring. He had too much work that he needed to be doing, far too many duties as a king. But word had reached him about Thor and how well he was doing, in his training in becoming a warrior. Everyone insisted that the young prince would someday make Asgard proud. It kept reaching Odin’s ears and he wanted to see for himself. Especially since he had told no one he was coming.

It hadn’t been easy, first juggling his schedule until he had a few free minutes. Then he instructed his court not to mention where the king would be for a short time. Finally, he removed his crown and other obvious markers of who he was. Most people could probably figure it out if they took more than one look, the beard gave it away, but there wasn’t a need to draw more attention to himself than usual.

It was a grey, cloudy day, with light rain. Later, there would be mud, but for now, the ground was alright. Odin circled around the training area, near the back to find a good spot to watch undisturbed. It would have been easy to stand in the front, but all eyes and attention would have been on him. If he wanted a true idea of what was going on, then he needed to be in the back.

It was lucky that he did. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have heard soft crying. At first, Odin thought it was his mind playing tricks on him, but after a few seconds, it was clear that it was real. Curious, Odin went around to corner to investigate.

And found the twin boys. His boys. Both were dressed as if they had been sparring and both were somewhat dirty, obviously the two of them had been at this awhile.  One was cradling his wrist, his shoulder hunched, eyes bright with tears that he was trying to hold back. The other seemed to be making enough noise for both, hovering desperately trying to comfort and do something to help.

“What are you two doing?” The king asked softly, drawing both of their attention. The uninjured twin jumped to his feet, explanations ready on his tongue, but Odin only has eyes for the other. “Are you hurt?”

The boy made a soft sound in the back of his throat and nodded.

Odin leaned down toward him, aware of the other one hovering nearby, but not paying much attention. “Let me see.” He said. When the injured wrist was offered, he could see swelling in between the fine bones that made up the boy’s small wrist. Not broken, but badly bruised by the look of it. Blunt force most likely, a single healing spell would fix that. While his healing magic was limited-he had only learned enough so he could know basic triage for the battlefield- this wasn’t too difficult.

“What’s your name?” Odin asked, still keeping up the act as if he had no idea who those children were and hadn’t been at their birth

The boy’s eyes shot over to his twin as if checking to make sure it was okay to answer before he looked back, hunching his shoulders. “Hod.”

This earned him a nod as Odin turned toward his brother. “Balder, your brother will be fine, you better return to your sparring lesson.” The boy’s mouth started to open, shock already written across his features, but the old king only waved him off with a quick gesture. “Off you go.”

Balder gave Hod a quick glance and then slunk back toward the training yard. With him gone, Odin focused all his attention onto the boy in front of him. Tendrils of healing magic wrapped around the small wrist. “There,” Odin said with satisfaction after a few moments.

Hod stared at his wrist a moment, testing the range of motion before he looked back up. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” The king replied, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. Spying a wooden training sword in the dirt, he leaned down and picked it up, testing the weight of it. “Is this yours?”

Hod hung his head. “Yes…”

The lack of an enthusiastic answer made the king pause. “Is something wrong?”

There was a moment of silence, followed by the scuff of the boy’s boot in the dirt. “I dislike sword fighting.”

“And why is that?”

He could almost see the clogs turning in Hod’s mind, obviously trying to make a choice. Finally, he looked up. “Because I don’t want to do this. The sword master says we must train as if we are going to war someday, and I don’t wish to go to war. Neither does Balder but he won’t say anything.” Hod swallowed. “I don’t want to kill anyone.”

Odin frowned as he took this in. “Asgard needs warriors to defend the golden realm”

“I know,” Hod answered. “But why does it have to be me and my brother?”

“What would you rather do?”

The question caught the young boy by surprise. “I…. I don’t know.” He said, stumbling over the words. As if no one had ever asked him before. “I’m quite interested in Midgard.” He finally said. “I’ve always wanted to see the realm. I’ve heard a lot spoken about it and I find it very interesting.”

“Like an ambassador..?”

“I suppose.”

Odin considered that for a moment. “You’re too young to be an ambassador at this time. There’s very few and all have hundreds if not thousands of years on you.”

There was a beat, before Hod looked downcast, as if someone had offered him sweets and then snatched them away just as quick. “Maybe when I’m older…” He muttered.

“And your brother wishes to do this as well?”

A shrug. “I’m not sure what he wants to do but I know it isn’t this.”

“I see.” The king handed the wooden sword back to him. “The sword master will be looking for you soon.”

Odin stayed where he was and watched as Hod returned to the ring, making a beeline toward his brother. The two of them whispered to each other for a moment, both glancing toward Odin before they hurried away to rejoin the lesson.

While the king did get the viewing of his son’s skill that he had come down for, it was that conversation that continued to buzz in his mind as he returned to palace and toward his duties for the day.

[askbalderthings]

Dead of Night

//Balder is the equivalent of a four year old in this

In short, Frigga was not happy with her husband. She didn’t have to say a lot to announce that; her body language spoke for itself.  A shadow of displeasure crossed her face when her husband walked through the door. “I thought you said you would be back earlier tonight.” She said in greeting.

Odin sighed. “I know, but court ran late, then I have several important matters I needed to discuss with-“

“It’s always something important.” Frigga, her voice soft but pained. “You haven’t seen your children in over a week, Odin. They are being raised by someone else. At this point, if you actually came back before they went to bed, they might not even recognize you.”

“I am the king.”

She glanced up at him. “You are.” She said, almost tenderly. “And I love you. But sometimes I wish you would put your family first. Before Asgard.”

Odin narrowed his eyes slightly. “Frigga, I have a kingdom to run and people to protect. I’m sorry I don’t have time, I wish I did. But I can’t abandon the people to put what I want over what they need.”

“And what about what your sons need?”

“You cannot provide it?”

The queen paused. “I’m not asking for much.” She finally said, closing her eyes as bitterness crept into her voice. “Just that you spend a meal with us. That you’re here. One day, you might turn around and find out the boys have grown up and want nothing to do with you, because you were distant, and they took their cues from you.”

When he didn’t say anything, she reached out to gently touch her husband’s face. “Make the time.” She implored.

Odin nodded slowly.

That finally said, Frigga dropped her hand, picked up what she was working on and turned to walk away, leaving her husband, the most powerful man in the nine realms, alone with only her words to lap at his mind.

Or at least that’s what Odin thought. After a few seconds, he realized he was not alone. Quickly turning around, he spotted a smile boy, dressed in night clothes, peeking out of the doorway of his children’s room.

The first thing he realized was this child was neither Thor nor Loki, as this boy had brown hair. Immediately on top of that, he came to the realization who this was. One of the twins that he had given up. Following these revelations was confusion, as it was late as night. He wasn’t supposed to be in the royal family’s private floor and rooms this late at night.

“What are you doing over there?” Odin asked, trying to keep his voice neutral but firm.

The child seemed to realize all at once that he had been caught but did not try to deny it. Slowly, he shuffled out into the open. “I’m thirsty.”

Not the answer Odin wanted but it was a start. “Well, that can be fixed.” A wave of his hand to summon a servant and a few moments later, they brought over a glass of water. The king watched as the boy took it, spilled some of it but most ended up in his mouth. He was a small child, couldn’t have been older than 300 years, at the best.

“What are you doing up here?” Odin asked when the glass was empty. When the child blinked at him in confusion, he frowned. “On this floor, in that room.”

The boy’s blue eyes seemed to grow larger. “Thor said I could sleep in his room with him tonight.” He whispered and glanced behind him.

“Oh, did he?” Odin asked, wondering if Thor had ever asked permission or if he had just taken it upon himself to invite whoever he felt like to stay over. Still, it was interesting to know his sons has gravitated toward each other. But then again, there wasn’t a lot of children around Thor’s age for him to play with. “What’s your name?” If he was to keep up this façade, he could not make simple mistakes like already knowing the name of a child he had supposedly never met before.

“Balder.”

“Balder.” He said, tasting the name of his son aloud and in the presence of someone else besides his wife for the first time in centuries. “Does anyone know you’re here?”

The boy nodded. “My nanny and my brother do. He cried when I told him.”

Odin nodded vaguely, having only heard the first part. At least some poor woman wouldn’t be racing around at this time of night, wondering where her charge was. “Well, you better return to your bed.” He said, already dismissing the child in his mind, preparing to turn and leave.

At least he had, until he heard a soft noise of crying behind him. He turned to see Balder was still there, tears on his face that hadn’t been there moments ago. “I can’t.” He sobbed.

Dumbfounded, Odin just stood there, unsure how this small boy went from quiet to crying his eyes out in less than ten seconds. “What is the matter?” He finally asked, moving slowly as if this child was a dangerous weapon that could be set off at any moment.

“I miss my brother.” He whimpered.

There was a pause. “Do you wish to go back to him?”

“No.” Balder shook his head. “Thor said there will be a surprise for breakfast…”

Odin sighed, not understanding the logic of children. After a moment, he decided to employ reason and hoped it would work. “Listen to me,” he said leaning down. “It is late, and you are most likely extremely tired. Once you go back to sleep, it will soon be morning and then you will see your brother again. Alright?”

“Alright.”

“Good.” Odin stood back up, fully planning to leave and find a servant to fetch him a late dinner but the look on the small boy’s face stopped him. “Come along,” He said, holding back a sigh. “I will return you to your bed.”

A few moments later, the king of Asgard tucked his secret son into the make-shift bed in Thor’s room. The older boy was snoring softly, completely unaware of what had been happening. “Good night.” Odin said solemnly.

“Good night.” Balder answered, reaching for some toy next to him. It was too dark to make out, but whatever it was, he hugged it to his chest and curled into a ball.

A lump formed in Odin’s throat as watched. Without thinking about it, he reached out and stroked the hair back from boy’s forehead. That done, he stood up, smoothed the blankets over Thor and then moved toward the door, being as careful as he could to be silent. A small backward glance assured him that everything was alright and for the moment, peace had been reinstated.

At least for the moment.

[askbalderthings]

Sword

//Balder is 7 in this and Loki is 6 as I’ve always had a head canon that while Balder is older, not by much

Loki frowned, doing his best to look bored, even though he wasn't. A bit frustrated maybe.  "Can we go now." he asked, shifting his weight from one leg to another

"No," Balder said, "I want to watch."

Another sigh came out of Loki's mouth, but he moved to sit next to his friend so both of them could see. "It's just my brother."

"Your brother, the god of war." Balder answered, his eyes never leaving the training arena where several warriors were training with Tyr, Loki's oldest brother and general of Asgard. Even with one hand, he was still an incredible warrior, at one point taking on three opponents at once. 

After what seemed like forever, all finally stopped for a moment, panting in unison. The younger soldiers moved away in clumps toward the edges of the ring to get water and rest a moment. Spying their chance, both younger boys ran up to Tyr, full of excitement. "Can we see your sword?" They begged.

"No, this is not a toy." Tyr frowned, lightly resting the sword against his boot. "Loki, does Mother or your nanny know you’re out here? You and your friend aren't supposed to be out here unsupervised."

"But we were just-"

"No buts." Tyr interrupted. "Go back inside the palace." 

Both boys backed away, disappearing behind training arena until both were sure no could see them.

"I guess I'll see you later." Balder said, a sad look on his face.

This earned him an eye roll from the younger boy. "We're not going back, I don't want to." A sly look came over Loki's face. "I know a way to get a good look at his sword." 

"How?"

"Tyr is going to take a bath after training. All we have to do is go into his room and get it, he's not going to take it into the bath with him."

Balder looked uncertain. "But... we'd get into trouble."

"Not as long as we put the sword back before he's done." When he got no response, Loki scoffed. "Tyr looks scary, but he really isn't. You don't have to be scared of him."

"I'm not scared of him." After a slight pause, Balder scuffed his boot against the ground. "Well... nor really... but he is the god of war and leads armies... He would most likely be extremely upset." 

Loki smiled. "Only if we get caught."

It was hard to argue with that. 

An hour later, both of them were waiting impatiently in the hall of the Royal family's private rooms for the god of war to make an appearance. A few servants walked back and forth, but most ignored the two boys.

"What if he doesn't come up here?" Balder whispered.

Loki frowned. "Where else would he go?" He thought for a moment. “He is moving into his own house… But he does still come up here a lot.”

This got him a worried look and they lapsed back into silence, wondering if their plan was over before it even began. Balder couldn't keep stop looking around. Even though he had been up here before with either Loki or Thor, it still never ceased to amaze him. This part of the palace was much fancier then where he and his twin brother lived. Everything from the fancier furniture to the orientate decoration always impressed him. 

Suddenly, there was Tyr. Sweeping down the hall with the air of someone who knew they were important, he disappeared into his room and shut the door behind him.

Loki and Balder moved closer to his room, doing their best not to look like they were listening. Only after several minutes, did they hear the faint sound of water running inside. With a nod toward his friend, Loki pushed open the door and crept inside.

It was all Balder could do to follow him in. For obvious reasons, he had never been inside Tyr's room. It was massive, with arched ceilings and a private balcony. Mostly weapons with a few other items mixed in were littered over every available surface, a stark contrast against the neatly made bed.

And lying across the taunt blankets was the sword, tucked away inside its scabbard. Even though Tyr only had one hand, he still insisted on using a great sword. Very quickly, Loki picked it up, stumbling under the weight and size of it, but together, they managed to carry it out.

When they got back onto the hallway, they realized they had a new problem. Both were too young to own a real sword yet, as they both still practiced with wooden swords and it would probably be decades before they would be given even a blunted sword. Anyone who walked by, servants included, would know they were not supposed to have that object. If discovered, it would have only been a short time before Loki's parents knew. 

"Let's take it to my room." Loki said, as it was closer, just around the hall and down a short flight of stairs. 

This earned him a nod from Balder and the two started off.

When they got close to the stairs, the two of them stopped, as they heard footsteps coming up toward them. The two shared a quick panicked look, knowing they could not be caught. Both turned to go back the way they came, only to hear the voice of who could only be Loki's father, the king. The panicked look on the younger boy turned to pure fear, knowing what that could mean.

Balder thought frantically. Both options would end with them getting caught and by the King of Asgard. Lifting his head, he spied a window close by. Without wasting a moment, he quickly heaved the sword out of it, just barely avoided being seen by a servant as she came up the stairs and passed by.

For almost five seconds, Both Loki and Balder stood there, frozen, gaping toward the window. Loki recovered first. "What did you do that for?" He whispered in annoyance.

"She would have seen and told your dad." Balder said, glancing around. Thankfully, it didn't seem like the king was going to come this way. "We better go get it."

Both boys descended to the ground floor of the palace and exited out on the side of the lake. It took them almost twenty minutes before they were able to determine which was the right window and found the sword.

"Oh no..." Loki said.

Balder swallowed, before he reached down to pick up the now managed piece of metal. The long fall had done it no favors, as it appeared to have bounced off several parts of the roof and was now horribly bent. Even if they were able to magically straighten it out, parts of the edges had been destroyed. 

Both looked up at the palace, as if they were imaging what would happen when the god of war finished cleaning up, only to find his prized sword was now gone.

A look of determination came over Balder's face. Without a word, he turned and walked toward the lake. Loki opened his mouth to ask what he was doing, but before he words came out, the older boy tossed the sword into the water. Instantly, the sword disappeared as it sunk.

"No, don't!" Loki yelled too late.

Balder turned back around to face his friend. "We can't return it. But if we don't have it, then Tyr won't know it was us who took it."

"I think he'll figure it out." Loki said slowly, "We did ask to see it while he was practicing....and then it disappears and neither of us were around." When Balder only looked back at him with worried look, he bit his lip. "We shouldn't go back inside."

Years later, neither one remembered whose idea it was to get into the tree. It started out with them mulling around close by the lake. But then they heard the clear voice of Loki's nanny calling for him. One quick look passed between them and both boys were instantly up into the tree, hiding themselves along the branches.

Three hours passed. By then, the sun was starting to go down. Also, more people had joined the hunt in searching for the lost prince and his friend. Among them had been Balder and Hod's nanny, Hod, Thor, several palace guards and Tyr as well. Each time a new person came out, calling for them, guilt seemed to grow like weed around them.

"We should go." Balder whispered.

Loki shook his head. "No, we can't." There was more he wanted to say, but Tyr himself was heading in their direction. Without thinking about it, his small fingers wrapped tightly around the branch.

"Loki!" Tyr yelled out, walking under the tree, stopping to lean against trunk. As if by magic, he suddenly glanced up, eyes narrowing as he caught sight of the two small boys perching among the leave.

"What are you two doing up there?" Tyr asked. His voice took on his general voice, the kind that was used to giving orders and having people instantly obey him. "Both of you, get down here, now."

Reluctantly, both slunk down until each were in arm's reach of Tyr, who first caught Balder and set him on the ground, then reached back up for Loki.

"Mother is worried sick, she's has half the kingdom out looking for you two." He scolded, not putting his youngest brother down, cradling him with his lone arm.

Loki hung his head slightly, growing sullen. "I was just playing with my friend..." He muttered.

The older brother frowned. "This late?" He asked, before glancing down at the other child, who was practically radiating guilt. "Did you two steal my sword?"

No answer.

"Where is it?"

After several seconds, Balder finally spoke up, his voice wobbling. "We dropped it in the lake." He finally managed to say.

Tyr's head whipped to the side, as if he was expecting to still see the sword floating in the water before he looked back. He frowned "You dropped it in the lake..."

Silence.

The god of war took a deep breath. "What the two of you did was very dangerous." He said in a grave voice. "A weapon is not a toy, you both could have gotten gravely injured. Do not ever do that again"

"Yes..." Both Loki and Balder muttered.

A suddenly smile transformed the older god. "But it's just a sword." He said with a wave of his hand, his voice a lot gentler. "C'mon, let's get you both back inside. Many people are worried about both of you."

The two boys blinked, not believing their luck. Together, they headed back toward the front gates, feeling a lot better, until both remembered. While Tyr might not have been upset, other adults probably would be. 

@lokigodofmischief-suggestions

@tyrsuggestion