For Better or For Worse (Loki x Reader)

Chapter Ten

I hope you enjoy this chapter, but I thought I'd add this quick little note about picking character names.
I pick the name of my characters very deliberately. It helps to give insight on characters that aren't reoccurring.
Adin - delicate
Casimir - destroyer of peace

The sounds of clashing metal and screams were what woke me from my deep sleep. Jumping out of bed, not bothering to put slippers on, I ran out of the room. All was in chaos. There were guards lying in puddles of their own blood as well as the blood of their adversaries. Swords, axes, and other weapons lay strewn on the floor. Fear thudded through my chest as I saw a figure with dark skin and bright white hair. It was the corpse of a dark elf. Our Alfheim and their Svartalfheim were sworn enemies because our darker counterparts wanted to use their magic for undeniable evil. They were extremely powerful, and it looked like they had finally come to wage war like they had threatened for so long.

"Adin!" I screamed as I raced down the hallway to my little brother's room. I threw open the door to his room and found a lump under the blankets. I immediately went over and ripped the blankets off of his body, causing the blonde-haired boy to scream in fright. "Adin! It's just me, (Y/N)," I said, trying to get him to calm down. He looked up slowly.

"(Y-Y/N)?" he questioned, unsure.

"Yes, it's me," I said yanking on his arm, successfully pulling him out of bed. "Come on. We must find mother, father, and Cas," I said, pulling the young boy toward the door. He didn't argue and willingly let me lead him down the corridor. I heard him begin to cry as we passed an unbelievable amount of corpses and weapons soaked in slick blood. I wanted to cry right along with him, but I had to remain strong for him.

I was nineteen which left him at only fourteen year old. I knew this was going to scar me for life, leaving unseen wounds, so I could only imagine what it would do to a young boy like Adin. I let out a yelp of pain mixed with surprise as I suddenly slipped in a large puddle of blood, Adin coming down with me. Once he saw why his clothes were now disgustingly wet, he promptly heaved, emptying his stomach.

Hearing footsteps behind me, I whipped my head around to see a dark elf solider running straight towards us. "Run, Adin!" I screamed, pushing his shoulder before scrambling over to a discarded sword. Both my feet and the floor were slippery with blood and made it difficult to cross the distance.

Before I could even stand, there was a bloodcurdling scream, and I looked over to see a dark blade being shoved into my younger brother's stomach, over and over again. He was already dead, but the soldier continued to mutilate my younger brother's body as if it were some sick game.

With an angry, wordless scream, I lifted the two handed long sword and thrusted it forward in anguish. Crimson blood sprayed my face, mixing with tears as the sword went all the way through the body of my brother's killer. Even after the dark elf was on the ground without a beating heart, I continued to hack and swing at the body, mutilating it like he had done to my brother.

"(Y/N)!" I vaguely heard my older brother, Casimir, yell from down the hall. I let the sword fall with a sob, falling over my baby brother and cradling his lifeless form to my chest. Blood covered me from head to toe, but all I cared about was my baby brother who lay lifeless in the arms. I felt hands on my arms and screamed.

I bolted up in bed with a frightened sob, still feeling the hands on my shoulders. I tried to smack the attacker away, but the hands just kept coming back. They slowly ran over my shoulders and arms, and when I realized they weren't here to hurt me, I could finally start to calm down. A voice then entered the fray, low and soft and gentle. It was familiar and very soothing. All of this didn't stop the images from replaying over and over again in my head. The tears still spilled, and as the adrenaline left my body, I found myself shaking.