TALES OF ASGARD

Tales of Asgard! Home of the Mighty Norse Gods!

Story#1

"A Menace In Waiting!"

Two boys walked towards the outskirts of the city of Asgard. One was tall, already muscular, with long blonde hair. The other was thin, his black hair falling into his eyes. Both had swords at their sides, even though they were no more than twelve summers. The larger boy had a smile on his face, his younger brother, stepbrother actually, had a look as if he'd just bitten into something sour. He looked that way most of the time.

"You are certain the information you heard was right, Loki?" the larger boy asked.

"Would I lie to you, Thor?" the other boy said, hiding a smirk with his hand.

"Of course not," Thor said, placing his arm around Loki, who recoiled in disgust. "Are we not brothers? Comrades in arms?"

"Indeed," Loki said, ducking out from under Thor's arm. "And we should get on with our adventuring already, should we not?"

Thor started forward when he suddenly heard a voice in the distance. "Thor! Thor, wait!"

Loki laughed as Thor let out a sigh of impatience. "Your maiden fair approaches, brother."

Thor shook his head, coloring a little. "Don't call her that!" he said. "Certainly don't let her hear you say that. Why doesn't she stay with the other girls and play with her dolls?"

"Because she'd much rather kiss the blonde son of Odin," Loki jibed, making a kissing face. Thor swatted at him but the smaller boy ducked. Loki wasn't much of a fighter, but he was quick and as difficult to catch as an eel.

Thor rolled his eyes as a girl a couple of years younger than he was raced up the hill and stopped, out of breath, before him.

"Where are you going, Thor?" she asked. "Are you going on an adventure? Can I come?"

"You?" Thor said, looking shocked. "You're a girl. Adventuring is for men!"

The girl, who had blondish-red hair, folded her arms angrily. "Girls can have adventures," she insisted. "What of your father's Valkyries?"

"Do you think you're a Valkyrie now?" Loki asked.

"As much as you think you're a hero of epics," the girl retorted.

"Have a care, girl!" Loki said, narrowing his eyes. "You speak to the son of Odin! I could have you flogged for that!"

Thor stepped between them. "Enough, both of you," he said. He turned towards the girl. "You couldn't go on an adventure, anyway, Sif. Look at you. No weapon and barefoot."

Sif looked pleadingly at Thor. "If I put on some shoes and get a sword from my brother, Heimdall, then may I go with you?"

She looked at him so sadly, that he couldn't say no to her, even though it annoyed him the way she was always tagging along after him.

"Well…" he said, at a loss for words.

That was all the encouragement Sif needed. She turned and ran back down the hill. "I'll be right back! Don't you go without me!"

Thor moaned. "So much for our adventure," he said. "She'll probably want to pick flowers and take them home."

Loki snorted. "You don't actually intend to wait until she gets back, do you?" he demanded. "While she is gone, let us away!"

Thor stared at his brother. "But I all but promised…"

"Indeed?" Loki said mockingly, looking back over his shoulder. "What promise reached thy lips? Loki heard only one word, 'Well.' That could mean anything or nothing."

Thor took a few steps after his brother. "But Sif will be very disappointed, and…"

Loki laughed. "Then remain and play dolls with your girlfriend," he said, heading for the forest. "Loki will tell you of his adventures when he returns."

Thor started after his brother, then stopped and looked back towards the field where he could see Sif still running. "If we go without her, she might tell her brother, and Heimdall may tell Father and he might be very cross with us."

"Ah, but if we take her along and she is injured, then how much crosser will they both be with us?" Loki pointed out. "Curse that girl!" he said to himself. "How can I lure Thor into a trap I have set with the trolls if she follows us about?

Thor finally nodded. "Very well then, let us go! Perhaps I will bring her flowers back when our adventure is over and she may forgive me."

Loki laughed as they entered the woods. "The lady Sif is nothing to you, eh? That is not what Loki sees!"

Thor flushed again. "Enough, brother!" he said. "She is but a friend." He looked around as the forest grew thicker, branches overhead blocking out much of the sunlight. "Have a care at any rate, Loki," he added. "We must needs be quiet and keep our eyes and ears open for enemies."

"Indeed we must," Loki said with a grin. "Indeed we must."

Meanwhile, Sif had returned home. She quickly put on a pair of shoes, then looked around her house, finally finding a sword. "There is no time to look for Heimdall and ask him for permission," she thought. "Thor might wait for me, but Loki would enjoy running off and leaving me, and Thor might go along with his brother. I don't know why he can't see how mean and nasty his brother is!"

Sif rushed from her home and ran to where she had seen them. She looked around, then made a face. "They did leave me!" she cried. "Well fine for them! They think a girl can't have adventures? I'll go into the forest by myself and find one! That will show them!"

Sif walked through the forest, looking around for any sign of Thor or Loki. Now that she was actually in the woods, all alone, her courage began to fade.

"The forest is spookier than I thought it would be," she said, talking to try to keep up her courage. "But…but I am not afraid! Do you hear me, any evil forces that might be about? The goddess Sif is not afraid!"

"Then the goddess Sif is a fool!" came a voice beneath her. Sif screamed and jumped back, just as long skinny orange arms came up out of the ground.

"Trolls!" she screamed. She turned and ran. She had been hoping to fight a wild boar or even a timber wolf, but not a troll. In all of history, only the king of Asgard, Odin himself, had ever broken the unbreakable grip of a troll. Only jumping back in fear had saved her from already being caught. Looking back over her shoulder, she screamed again as she saw that three more trolls had joined the first one in chasing her. "If they catch me, they'll drag me underground and make me a slave forever!"

Loki growled softly. He had been hoping to lure Thor to where the four trolls he'd made a deal with were hiding underground. But his stepbrother had insisted on going the wrong way. "This way, Thor!" he insisted, pointing in the opposite direction from where Thor was headed. "This way!"

"There's a cave over this way," Thor called. "I saw it before but was in too great a hurry to explore it that day. But now…" He blinked at a faint sound. "What was that?"

"Just a bird," Loki said dismissively. But then he realized it came from the very direction he wished to get Thor to go. "But…perhaps we should go and see, brother." Loki made a face. He hated calling Thor that. After all, Thor wasn't really his brother, nor was Odin his father. Odin, in fact, had slain his true father, Laufey, king of the frost giants, and carried Loki home like a trophy. Oh, he claimed Loki was a son to him, but it was obvious that he liked his real son, Thor, much better. Well, once he'd gotten Thor out of the way, Loki would begin to plot the death of Odin and the conquest of Asgard by his people.

The sound came to them again. This time it was much clearer. "A scream!" Thor cried, hurrying past Loki. "A girl's scream!"

"Nonsense," Loki said. "What girl would be fool enough to come here?"

Thor's eyes grew wide. "Sif!" he cried. He ran full speed towards the sound. Loki grinned then began to lag behind. There was no point in hurrying, after all.

"So the foolish wench actually did follow us," Loki said, smirking. "And she's managed to lead Thor straight into my trap! Well, the trolls will be happy having two slaves instead of one. Run, 'brother!' Run to your doom!"

Thor reached a clearing just in time to see a troll holding a desperately struggling Sif. He sank into the ground, taking her with him. Thor leaped at him, but was too late. He struck the once again hard ground with a thud. Stunned, he looked up to see three more trolls grinning down at him.

"I am Thor, son of Odin, prince of eternal Asgard!" he cried, reaching for the sword he'd just dropped. If only he could use the hammer his father had promised to give him once he had accomplished enough good deeds. But Thor could only lift the hammer a few inches.

One of the trolls stepped on his sword hand. The three creatures pounced on the young Aesir, who struggled valiantly, but uselessly as they began to sink underground with him.

Loki arrived just in time to see Thor's head vanish into the ground. "Fare thee well, 'brother!'" Loki said. "I shall be certain to tell Odin and Heimdall that I tried my very best, but they left me for one dead and departed with you and your silly girlfriend."

Loki threw back his head and laughed uproariously.

To be continued!