Night Terrors

Loki lay on the cold, stone floor, clutching at his bleeding abdomen. He was gritting his teeth against the pain. Where was Thor? How had he been wounded? These were the only cohorent thoguhts swirling in the God's brain at the moment. Loki didn't notice as a pair of heavy footfalls approached him, until their owner was right in front of him. The God of Mischief looked up slightly. He was staring into the face of Thor.

Thor had an exspression of hatred and eternal loathe in his eyes. Loki looked closer at his brother's face. Had he seen betrayal flicker through those eyes? He was confused about his brother's mood, Thor was usaully very happy and cheerful through everything. Loki couldn't stand his brother looking at him with such hate, Loki looked to the ground instead.

Thor jerked Loki's head up by his hair. Loki's skull bounced off the stone wall with a sickening crack. The dark haired man was more confused than ever. What had he done to deserve such treatment from his brother?

"What did I do?" Loki asked hoarsely. 'Strange' He thought as he heard his own voice. Why was it so hoarse? It sounded as if he had been shouting for a long period of time. Thor's glare intensified. "What did you do?" The God of Thunder repeated incredously. "Do you not recall how you set the frostgiants loose in the palace?" Thor sneered.

Loki could only gape at his brother disbelievingly. He had done that? The smaller man nodded slowly. He had forgotten those things. Thor punched Loki in the face. Loki's head once again made contact with the concrete wall behind him. He groaned as pain blossomed inside his skull.

"Thor, explain to me about all this. Please. I have no memory of the events you have asked me about." Loki said pleadingly. He was desperatly confused. Thor jerked Loki into a standing position by the arm. Loki's knees buckled as soon as he was up. He crumpled back to the ground with a resounding thud.

"Get up!" Thor barked furiously. Loki did as he was told and, by leaning on the wall for support, atually managed to stay upright this time. Thor looked accuisngly at his brother. "You let frostgiants into the palace! Do you deny this?" The blonde haired warrior roared. Loki flinched involuntairily. "I do deny this. I-I have to recollection of doing that." He whispered quietly, almost shamefully. Shamed that he couldn't remember or shamed that he was being accused of such and act, he wasn't sure.

Thor's eyes grew angrier. He raised his hand and his trusty hammer, Mjonir, flew into it. Thor smashed Mjonir into the wall by Loki's face, causing the wall to shake violently, resulting in Loki being once again on the ground. Loki got onto his knees, vaguely notticing there was pain in almost every inch of his being. "Thor... I did not do it..." Loki whispered as Mjonir came crashing down near him, just narrowly missing him by a few centimeters. "Do not try to lie your way out, brother!" Thor screamed. He raised his hammer over his head, preparing to strike again.

Loki got the hint and scooted away before he was smashed by the weapon. "Running away again?" Thor taunted. "We'll need to fix that!" He dropped Mjonir on Loki's chest, pinning the younger man to the ground.

The weight of the hammer was crushing Loki's ribs. His breath came in shallow gasps. "Please brother...believ me.."He gasped out. Thor wasn't listening to him. He was walking across the room to retrieve something. Loki watched, trying to make out what his brother was carrying. As Thor drew closer to him, he recognized it. His father's sword lay in the elder brother's hands. It had fresh blood dripping from it. Loki realized with some horror that it was his own blood on the sword.

Thor stood over him, twisting the sword in hsi hands. "I'm going to ask you more time, Loki. Did you or did you not, let FrostGiants enter the palace?" Thor asked dangerously calm. Loki gulped. "No." He breathed. "Very well then." With that, Thor plunged the sword into Loki's heart.

Loki woke up screaming and covered in cold sweat. His breathing was heavy as he quickly scanned his surroundings. He was in his bedroom. Loki calmed a bit. He glanced down at his body and was relieved to find nothing wrong with him. The sword of his father was not protruding from his chest, Mjonir wasn't on top of him, and he wasn't wounded. It had just been a nightmare. The same one he had been having for a week.

Loki lay back down on his bed as his door was flung open. Thor came in. His eyes wide awake and alert. After quickly scanning the room and finding no danger, he went into the went straight to his brother's bed and sat on the floor by it. He held onto his brother's arm until Loki's breathing had returned to normal.

Thor looked into his brother's feverish green eyes. He saw fear and terror in them. Loki looked away quickly. Ashamed that he had woken his brother with his screaming. "Tell me about your nightmare, brother?" Thor asked softly. Loki shook his head. "Why not?" He asked. "It's nothing, Thor. Just-just go back to bed. I'm fine." Loki's voice trembled.

Thor took Loki's hand and pulled him gently out of bed. "Come on, brother. You may sleep with me tonight." Loki wouldn't admit it, but it was extremely comforting to know he'd be safe with Thor.

Thor led Loki through the halls of the palace quietly. Within two minutes they had reached Thor's room. Loki got into bed first and waited for his older brother to get it, before laying down. Thor lay beside his younger brother in the darkness. "Goodnight, brother. Sleep well." Thor said softly. Loki smiled in the darkness. "Goodnight, Thor."

Loki soon drifted off into a dreamless sleep. Perhaps the most peaceful sleep he had gotten for awhile. All night, Thor had slept with one arm laid protectively over the younger male.