We landed on the hard, dusty ground of Midgard, and somehow, I managed to land on my feet this time. I turned around, looking in awe, at the mediocre planet. There was nothing in sight, except for a small speck in the distance that look like it could be civilization.
Sif started marching in tha direction. I, along with the Warriors Three began to follow her, keeping up with her fast and urgent pace, as best as I could.
When we reached the town, many people seemed shocked and confused by our presence. I had no idea why, so I attempted to smile at the people who were looking at us in astonishment.
Volstagg moved to walk in the lead, as Sif slowed to walk beside me. She turned to face me, not looking at me with irritation, for once.
"Do you still wish to not become a warrior?" She asked with intrigue, not scorn. "Or have you warmed up to the idea after experiencing it?"
I shrugged my shoulders, not having a solid answer to her question. "I'm not as opposed to the idea, as I once was," I settled, looking up at my sister. She was only a little older than me, but she seemed so much wiser. "I would actively consider it."
Sif smiled slightly. "I'm glad to hear." She looked straight ahead at all of the MIdgardians, looking at us in awe. "You were exceptional on Jotunheim." She bumped her shoulder with mine. "I might even go as far as to say I'm proud of you."
I smiled bashfully at Sif's heartfelt compliment. Sif was not the type to praise people on their merits, so it was exclusive if she spared me flattery. "Thank you, Sif," I said quietly.
Suddenly, Volstagg shouted out. "Over there!" He pointed to a building with clear glass walls. "Look, it's Thor."
I squinted my eyes and could clearly make out the God of Thunder. He looked slightly overgrown and laughable in his Midgardian attire, but it was undeniably him.
We ran over to the window and Volstagg began to thump his fists against it, gaining the attention of the three Midgardians inside. Thor turned around upon hearing the commotion, his eyes widening as he realised it was us.
"Found you." Volstagg cheered, as two of the Midgardians dropped their ceramic mugs, which shattered on the hard ground.
Sif pushed open the door and the warriors rushed in to greet their friend. I hung back as the group all partook in a large group hug, watching silently as they all reunited with their best friend.
"My friends," Thor greeted excitedly, as he greeted each of them.
"This is good," Volstagg exclaimed, hugging Thor. "This is good!" He walked up to the confused and stunned Midgardians. "Oh excuse me," he apologised, gesturing to himself and the rest of us.
"Lady Sif and the Warriors Three," Thor introduced his friends. Then he turned to me and approached me with a large grin, enveloping me in a hug, which I accepted humbly. "And this is Lady Abi."
We all turned to face the Midgardians as Thor continued to gush. "My friends. I have never been happier to see anyone." The warriors looked happy to see their friends so grateful, but his face soon turned grave. "But you should not have come."
"We're here to take you home," Fandral exclaimed in exasperation, while Volstagg laughed, thinking Thor was joking.
Thor looked confused. "You know I can't go home," he said solemnly. "My father is... Dead because of me, and I must remain in exile."
My eyes widened in shock at Thor's words. Dead? No he isn't. I looked up, taking in Thor's confusion. "Thor," I gained his attention. "Your father still lives."
Thor's expression remained confused, but also had a tinge of understanding and betrayal, as he stared out of the windows. Suddenly, there was a loud clap of thunder, drawing all of our attention to the sky, through the window.
A large, grey cloud was forming in the sky, almost looking like a great tornado. I looked in awe as the group ran outside to get a closer look. There was a loud bang and then the cloud started to retreat.
"It's the Bifrost," I uttered in realisation, as everyone else (except the Midgardians) seemed to approach the same conclusion.
The people in the town also seemed to notice the anomaly, as they all averted their attentions from their individual occupancies, and directed them to the huge grey cloud in the sky.
The black-haired Midgardian standing behind me, looked up at the cloud in astonishment and fear. "Was somebody else coming?"
I shook my head, negative, just as confused about who had followed us. "No, I don't think so."
Thor turned to the woman with the wavy brown hair, directing his next words to her. "Jane, you have to go," he ordered urgently.
"What are you gonna do?" She questioned, not listening to his command, despite having seen what was coming.
"Thor's gonna fight with us," Volstagg cheered, clapping Fandral on the back.
Thor left Jane's side and rushed into the circle of his warriors. "My friends," he began. "I'm just a man. I'll only be in the way, or worse, get one of you killed." I watched from a distance as Thor tried to convince them of his incompetence without his powers. "But I can help get these people to safety," he compromised, gesturing to the panicking people in the street.
Jane approached the group, standing beside Thor defiantly. "Well, if you're staying, so am I."
Thor did not respond, clearly aware that he could not change the feisty Midgardian's mind, once it was already made up. "We'll need some time," he observed, looking around at the civilians.
"You'll have it," Fandral assured as the warriors ran off.
Sif grabbed my shoulder and turned me around, so that I was facing her. "Stay with Thor," she said urgently. "This is much too dangerous and I promised Mother and Father that I would not let you into harm's way."
I nodded. "Is that what you needed to speak to them about, earlier?" I questioned, despite knowing it was not the right time, nor place.
Sif nodded. "Yes." She turned to look at the approaching Destroyer. "They believe in your talent and skill. Please be safe." She pulled me into a tight hug, drawing me in close. It only lasted a few moments, but it was enough. As she pulled away, she looked at me with fierce determination. "Good luck," was all she said, before she sprinted after the Warriors Three.
I turned to the Midgardians, who turned to face me. "I'm Darcy," the women wearing the beanie introduced herself.
I nodded in greeting. "I'm Abi." I turned to the man, skipping over Jane, as I was already familiar with her name. "And who are you?"
"Erik," he stated. "Erik Selvig," I shook his extended hand, before turning to address Thor.
"We need to evacuate now. Let's split up and get people out of the buildings."
Thor nodded in agreement, and we all turned in seperate directions, running into various buildings. I ran into a building that looked as if it were a bookshop. I stopped in awe, looking at the thousands of Midgardian books, before a loud crash snapped me out of my reverie.
"Out!" I screamed at the idle book-shoppers. "Get out, now!"
They all looked at me in annoyance, unbothered by my obvious desperation. Just as I was preparing to physically push them outside, a large crash forced their eyes wide open. "Quickly, now," I encouraged as the people made a mad dash for the exit, sprinting in the opposite direction of the approaching Destroyer.
I rushed outside, into the smoke and chaos, just in time to see Volstagg fling himself at the Destroyer. Just as he was about to latch himself onto it, the great weapon tossed him aside like it was batting away a fly.
I rushed over to Thor, who was watching the scene unfold, from behind a wall. Jane, Erik and Darcy were standing beside him, watching in awe. I turned around to see the Destroyer, looming over an incapacitated Volstagg, who was stranded on his back, atop a metal Midgardian vehicle.
Just as the Destroyer's helmet began to fill with bright orange flames, Sif leapt forward, effectively driving her sword through its shiny, metal torso.
I sighed in relief, placing my hands on my knees and leaning against them. I watched as the Destroyer hunched forward, over its legs, unmoving. Sif stayed on its back, breathing heavily in relief.
Just as it looked as if everything would be okay, the Destroyer's body started to morph and twist. It was so painstakingly slow, but it was obvious that it was turning around to face Sif. I lunged forward to warn my sister, but Thor held me back.
The Destroyer hurled fire towards Sif, who threw herself to the side, landing clumsily on the dusty ground.
"Sif!" I screamed out at her unmoving form. The Destroyer stood up fully, turning around to face us, as Sif pulled herself off the ground and sprinted over. "Fall back!" She ordered her warriors as she ran.
I breathed a small sigh of relief. She's okay. Thor released his grip on my arm, ushering us all out of the way as the Destroyer started to obliterate everything in sight. "Go, now!" He ordered. I ushered the Midgardians away from the scene, pushing them in the opposite direction.
"Run!"
Suddenly, the Destroyer sent a fireball hurtling at a nearby building, causing glass shards to fly, at light speed, towards us. I lifted my jacket up, to protect me from the splinters, but I could tell they had pierced the tough fabric. "Come on!" I yelled out over the pandemonium. "Quickly, follow me!"
The force of the explosion had knocked Jane off her feet, and I immediately skidded to a stop and ran back to assist her. A blue gingham blur sped past me and I whipped around to see Thor dashing towards Sif, who was lying on the ground a few metres away. I turned back around to help Jane, knowing that there was nothing I could do for my sister. She was in Thor's hands now.
Once Jane was on her feet, I turned around to see the Warriors Three making their way towards us. Fandral and Hogun were supporting Volstagg, as they limped towards us.
"We need to fall back," Fandral said to me, as they stopped before us. I nodded in agreement.
"Come on, let's go," I encouraged Jane, pulling her alongside me. Sif ran by my side, ushering Erik and Darcy along. I looked over at her, noticing that she seemed to be holding up well enough. She smiled solemnly at me, as we ran away from the Destroyer and Thor.