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They were young. Loki remembers it like it had happened yesterday although a lot of years, even decades had already passed.
He still remembers the day when Thor had celebrated his tenth birthday, Loki himself, only younger by a couple of month, hardly a year.
"What is it?" he had asked when he approached his brother from the other side of the library where Thor had found him reading, nose buried deep in books about myth and magic. Thor had hurried over to him, looking excited when he had reached out his right arm and opened his palm.
"Mother gave it to me. It was her present for me."
Loki still remembers how he had seen the golden ring for the first time, resting on Thor's outstretched palm.
"Mother said she once got it from father. See? It’s got wings. Like father's helmet and mine." For a second, his brother was thinking about the small helmet, buried in the sheets of Thor's bed. Loki had seen it in his eyes when he was lost in thoughts.
Two small golden wings, feathers were woven around each other and formed a ring, the tips of them met on top and reached out to both sides.
"Nice feathers," Loki had said. He had said the same words again once more. He had hoped Thor would remember them. Loki did.
Thor had laughed. "Mother said I shall give it to the one who I want to be by my side on the throne when I'm going to be king. Who I want to marry. Who I love." He had laughed again, the ring still in his hand. "As if I would ever marry. Girls are gross."
Loki remembers how Thor had pulled a disgusted face and complained about Sif and how annoying he thought her. Loki had laughed with him.
"The ring looks nice, though," Loki had said and reached out for it but Thor had pulled his hand back. "She said I should keep it safe. Apparently I'll know the right person when I meet her." Thor had turned the ring in his fingers.
"Will you?" Loki had asked him, eying him curiously. "It will probably just get lost in your mess."
Thor had shrugged, ignoring Loki's attempt to tease him. "I don't know."
Loki remembers how they had both been standing there in silence for a minute. Eventually Thor had reached out his hand again.
"Will you take it?"
The question had caught Loki by surprise. "Me? Why should I keep the ring for you? It's yours."
"No," Thor had laughed again, his childish voice filling the quiet library. "I want it to be yours. You take it so we will both be kings when we are finally grown-ups like mother and father."
Loki had stared at him, disbelieve in his eyes. "Really? You want me to be king with you?" He had gotten excited and had reached out for the ring again, taking it from his brother's hand.
"Yes, you are my brother and I love you and I want you to be on the throne with me. That's exactly what mother said the ring is for," he had explained. He had seemed proud of his decision. "And you're also not a girl which is good." He had grinned over his whole face.
"Yes, that sounds good," Loki had answered.
Loki remembers how he had stuck everyone of his fingers through the hole of the shiny ring. It had felt cold but also warm because Thor had held the ring in his hand for so long.
"It doesn't fit."
They both had looked disappointed. "My fingers are too small." The both had starred at the ring, dangling from Loki's thin finger, a sad look on Loki's face that he couldn't wear it.
"I have an idea," Thor had finally said in excitement and pulled one of the thick books to his left from one of the shelves. "Be careful, what are you doing?" Loki had been more concerned about how Thor was treating the book than about the ring still loose on his finger. His eyes had widened when Thor ripped out one of the cords that was used to mark the page you were on. He had taken the ring from his little brother's hand and put it on the cord. He had made a step closer to Loki and tied the cord behind his neck.
"Ready. Now you can wear the ring around your neck as a necklace until we both are grown up and it fits on your finger."
They both had smiled at each other.
Loki still remembers how it had felt. The ring dangling from the cord against his chest, disappearing under the collar of his tunic.
The cord had been a dark green. That day he had decided that he liked the colour.
"We'll both be kings?" Loki had asked again. "I don't want to be a queen. I'm not going to wear a dress. Maybe you should really ask Sif instead and love her." He suddenly had gotten concerned.
Thor had laughed again. "We'll be really manly kings. And I don't want to love Sif. Mother had said that the king must love his chosen one and you are mine so I will love you, promise" Thor had explained to Loki and turned around to leave the library.
Loki had accepted his answer and believed in it. He had followed Thor outside so they could play in the gardens of the palace.
Loki remembers every word Thor had said to him when he got the ring from him. Sometimes they had still talked about it when they hadn't been much older. They had made plans for their future. How they would be kings together.
But now, so many years, even decades later, Thor's promise seemed to be forgotten when Loki saw him take Jane, this woman, to Asgard for the first time.
Loki stood far away from them and watched, absentmindedly twirling the golden ring with the two feathers around his right middle finger where it had finally found its place.