Forever. I Promise (Sequel to As one. Always)

Chapter 8

This chapter will cut in and out a lot. Just a heads up. 

 The days following the attack on Asgard were brutal. A quarter of the warriors who fought in the defense of their home had died in service, and were given the proper burial along with the Queen’s. The training yards were empty, as the remaining warriors were too busy with the new patrols and the replacement of weapons.

Thor knew it was only a matter of days before Malekith would return for his prize. Everyone else was either grieving or preparing. The halls were grim. The people were anxious. The atmosphere was tense, waiting.

It was maddening for the future king.

 “She is in here.” Sif motioned to Thor, showing him the bed where their friend lay in the healing room.

The young woman looked so fragile. Her skin was deathly pale, her hair had lost some of its luster. She lay with fine strands of gold linked into her body, which was keeping her from dying of dehydration while she healed.

Thor just shook his head. How could he have let this happen? His mother, his training partners, his sister, Jane. They all trusted him, they looked to him to make the right choices. And what had he done? He had let Malekith walk into Asgard and injure and slay nearly all of them. “When will she recover?” He asked the healer tending to her.

“We do not know. She lost a lot of blood. We were able to seal the wounds in her body, but she is still half mortal. Her body cannot produce blood as fast as we thought. She is stable but…she isn’t improving.”

Sif took her friend’s hand. “She was the only one to survive the attack in the throne room.”

And then Thor made up his mind. He knew what he had to do. If his father would sacrifice his people, his warriors, his friends for this, Thor had to do what needed to be done.

*********************

The dungeons were mostly empty, since many prisoners had been killed while trying to escape their cells. It didn’t matter though. Nothing mattered. His mother was dead, his love was barely alive. He had nearly nothing.

 The sound of heavy footsteps caught Loki’s attention. They were different than the usual guard’s footsteps. He stood in front of his cell to see who was coming to see him, surprised to see the large frame of his brother.

He stood poised, his face calm and indifferent. The mask was on, and it was time to hide his grief.

“Thor.” Contempt. That’s what he should feel. “After all this time and now you come to visit me.” The mocking smile on his face then slipped away. “Why? Have you come to gloat? To mock?” This question wasn’t just a façade. It was his true self, wondering why Thor, of all people, had come to see him. He wondered if he was coming to tell him his beloved had died. But Thor cared for Noelle as well, and wouldn’t be pleased with her death.

And anyways, Loki knew that she was still alive, he could feel her body trying to rebuild, but it was an intense process. She needed his strength, but he had little to give. His emotions were spent and his mind was drained. If she couldn’t get better…

“Loki enough.” Thor didn’t have time for this game they played. “No more illusions.” Loki’s eyes grew wide, surprised that he had been caught. He must be losing his edge. He let out a small breath of defeat, and closed his eyes, feeling the magic fade away and strip him bare.

The room was in utter chaos. Furniture had been thrown and broken into splintering pieces. A table was overturned, books scattered the room, some with pages hanging out from the spines. The back wall had scuffs to it, as if some object had repeatedly thrown against the wall.