Chapter Text
Loki had primped and fussed for hours. It was finally time. It was finally his turn.
It was already waiting for him in the great hall. His present. The box shook and growled, occasionally letting out a hideous howl. It was covered with a cloth, concealing the gift within.
Loki walked around it cautiously, pulling his cloak a little tighter around his shoulders. It was designed for someone far taller than him and trailed on the floor. He wouldn't ever have it cut though. Such inherited finery was his right. His lack of stature meant nothing as far as that was concerned.
This was meant to be his special day. He had to wear the signs of his nobility. The cloak, the jewels, the circlet... But this was not quite the gift he had been expecting.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Take a look," his father said, smiling encouragingly.
Frowning lightly, Loki reached out and pulled away the cover, leaping backwards in fear as a cage was revealed, the beast within lunging at him with enough force to almost tip its container over.
It was so ugly. It had pink flesh and wild, bright blue eyes, like something had gone wrong in its birth. Fluffy fur patterned its skin in random patches and a sort of yellow mane hung from its head. It wore clothes of a sort, but they were like nothing Loki had ever seen before. It was not a loin cloth, but more of a second skin that wrapped around both its legs and its nethers too. And it seemed far too tight, like the creature had gotten bigger since putting it on.
"What is it?" Loki repeated.
Laufey stepped down from his throne and crouched to lay his enormous hands on his tiny child's shoulder.
"You are grown, Loki. It is right that you receive a weapon now you are of age. It is tradition. Not that you need one with your powers."
Loki couldn't help but smile at the recognition. His magic was far stronger than most, as though it was concentrated in his tiny body. He could make things appear and vanish at will, perplex his enemies with flocks of doubles, call ice to his fingertips with but a thought and shape it to a blade just as easily.
"But this is very special. It's a beserker, Loki. An Asgardian warrior."
Eyes gone wide, Loki turned to look at the creature again. It had fixed its eyes on him and bared its teeth when it caught him looking.
"I thought there were no more berserkers," he said, refusing to blink. If he was to be master of this beast, he could show no fear before it.
"The Asgardians are scattered, yes. They have no army, not since the war, and therefore no proper training for their fighters. But this one is a natural. It will be very strong. We found it wandering the empty city all alone on our last raid. Gone feral almost."
Loki finally tore his gaze away from those bright blue eyes to look up at his father.
"I don't understand. How is it a weapon for me?"
Laufey smiled as if he had been waiting for just that question, beckoning to a courtier who was standing by with a large book. It was not in the Jotun style of endless scrolls, but more like a brick of pages. Taken from Asgard during the war then. Loki watched curiously as the runes shifted and danced across the page, becoming an image of a crouched figure, poised to spring, and another standing behind it with arms raised, hands flickering with magic.
"The berserkers of old had to be managed by a partner, eased out of their rage to stop their murderous rampage. The best partners were mages, able to hold them back, channel their efforts. Imagine all that power at your call... Combined with your own abilities, you would be almost unstoppable."
Loki could imagine it almost too well. Really he knew he was too small for the traditional weapons of his homeland and had wondered what they would give to him. The spears were almost double his height, the swords much too heavy. His magic was strong, but an Asgardian...
Although, like him, they were small indeed, they were fearsome adversaries. Legends of their strength and determination still echoed across the realms despite their defeat in the great battles of a thousand years ago. Loki specialised in defence or strategic blows so a sort of attacking force would be extremely useful to him. And, of course, who would dare to giggle at the smallest prince if he had a true berserker by his side? His own attack dog that would be loyal to him and only him, that would protect him from harm...
"How do I do it?" he asked. "How do I tame it?"
"Alas, we're not quite sure. The books we have do not contain details. But you are sharp, my son. Use your skills to uncover the secret."
Loki pursed his lips and turned his attention back to the caged Asgardian. It seemed to have stopped raging, like it was listening to them, and it looked at Loki curiously as he approached.
He sat down and tried reaching out to its mind.
A swirling mass of burning anger was what he found. He gasped, feeling real heat from it, tasting blood in the back of his throat, pushing deeper in an effort to find any suggestion of what he might have to do.
A loud yell broke his concentration. It could feel what he was doing and fought against him. Interesting. That suggested it knew of magic, knew what to expect. Of course, its people did have mages, but its reaction said that it had met them before. Maybe it already had a bond with another.
He stopped pressing after a few moments of battle with its mind. Perhaps it would be easier to do this after it had calmed down a little. If it even could calm down. Berserkers were creatures of rage after all.
Loki set his jaw in determination. He would manage this. He would tame this beast.
"Can I have it taken to my chambers? I fear this might take some time and would be better if it were more comfortable. It might be feeling a little exposed out in the open like this."
The berserker - his berserker - howled bitterly as the entire cage was picked up and carried into the depths of the palace.
How awful, Loki found himself thinking. For such a powerful creature to feel so powerless.
Still... soon enough, it would learn when its power was useful and when it was wasted. And then it would surely be happy. It would like having someone there to help it stay in control.
He just had to learn how to bond with it.
Bonding with an Asgardian... Surely it couldn't be too difficult.