Queen of Asgard (NaNoWriMo2018, Completed!)

17: Eir

Even through the agony coursing through my body dulled my senses, it was impossible to miss the sheer power radiating off Thor. I knew the Viking people had worshiped him as the god of war and seeing him now, I definitely knew why.

He was a living storm.

Wind blew around him, howling like a wolf, storm clouds the same color as his eyes floated over the sky, blocking out sunlight and through my wind-blown hair, I could see Loki's face going pale. "Thor-."

"I told you not to come here." Thor said in a growl that would've made half the guys on the force run for the hills.

"Have the last few centuries taught you nothing?" Loki asked, crossing his arms and grinning. "I'm a terrible listener."

There was a terrible crash of thunder and lightening split the sky in a sheet of metallic blue light. "Get out of here, now. Before I lose my temper."

"Have you seen the weather buddy?" Thunder cracked again and Loki yelped. "Alright! Jeez I'm going!" I tried to sit up, watching as Loki seemed to shrink before my eyes and then, a large black bird stood where he was once had. Very deliberately, he looked at me, cawed once and then leapt up into the sky. I thought it might've been an apology, but I honestly didn't care. The pain was making me a little less forgiving.

"Suzume," Thor's rough voice was closer to me as I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to think around the stabbing pain of my broken ribs. "Can you sit up?"

"Yeah, yeah I think so," I rasped, moving slowly to my knees. "Whatever you do, do not teleport me anywhere."

"What?"

"Teleporting makes her sick." Sif explained as she knelt down next to me. "You okay?"

"She's coughing blood," Thor snapped as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small drawstring bag and tipped the contents out onto his palm. Given how I was on another world, I was expecting something glowing and magical-looking. What I saw was just small, black shapes that looked like twisted bits of metal. His eyes still stormy grey, he looked over at Sif. "Sif, go and alert Eir, I'll take care of her."

She nodded and vanished from my side and I looked back at Thor. I knew he was strong enough to carry me, but I wanted to know who this Eir guy was. The name was familiar to me. However, the strange objects in his hand were a more immediate concern. "Um, what are these?" I asked as Thor began to pick through them.

"Pills."

"Pills don't look like that," I said as I eyed the twisted shapes.

"They look like that here, there we are!" He plucked one shape out of the mess. It looked to me like a geometric version of the letter B. "Eat this," he said plopping the pill into my palm. "And fair warning this takes like chalk."

"What does it even do?" I asked, still staring at the unfamiliar shape. "This doesn't look like Advil."

"It's not a pain-killer. Just chew it and get it over with. I promise the effect is worth it."

"I was taught not to take pills from strange men," I told him and I watched as he cracked a smile.

"You're a bit of a smartass," he informed me. Thor plopped down in the chair across from me and grinned. "No wonder Sif likes you so much."

I felt myself grin as well. "It's a skill I've honed over the years."

"But I promise this won't knock you out," Thor said. "It'll help."

"Pill don't fix broken bones or do much for this kind of pain."

"Perhaps not on Midgard they don't. Just trust me."