“I think if compassion motivated Odin, it would have been a first, and I strongly doubt that frost giants would have been targets of it in any case.” Not at the tail end of a bloody, lengthy war and beginning of angry, vengeful cease-fire. “I believe had my markings not shown me to be Laufey’s, the King of Asgard would have passed on. I believe he regretted not doing exactly that many, many times.” And he hadn’t been wrong to regret it; most would agree that lack of Loki would have been pure improvement.

“You are my brother. I don’t disbelieve or disagree with you on any point there. None of this is about you.” Loki decided not to remind Thor of how long ‘exterminate the frost giants’ he been his long-term goal, and how Odin had never checked it. Not right now, and who knew? Maybe that was something that would have been different if their father hadn’t loved his secrets best. “We’re speaking of Odin.”