Title: Oh, Death
Author: Night of the Land
Category: Thor
Rating: K
Summary: SPOILERS! His death, his final act, was not for their father.
A/N: I'm so, so horribly sorry.
O, Death. O, Death.
Won't you spare me over 'til another year?
Well, what is this that I can't see
With ice cold hands takin' hold of me.
A Traditional Dirge
Oh, Death
The blade slid easily through bone and sinew and unexpected pain burst through his thoughts and his jaw dropped open. Blue eyes had widened and he gasped as he was pulled from the blade and tossed to the side. He landed in a heap and he found his whole body had gone numb. Blood trickled from the corner of his lips and the taste of copper was thick against his tongue. His head pounded with his confused and muddled thoughts and he used one trembling hand to turn himself over to lie on his back. If he was dying he might as well do it with some dignity, not that there was much dignity in dying. He pressed a hand to the wound and felt his warm blood seeping through his fingers. His eyes drifted closed and he could feel himself floating, the pain that had burst forth had become a dull aching numbness as he lost more and more blood.
Strong arms cradled him and he forced his eyes to obey him and open. His brother's face was worried as he stared down at him. His lips were forming words and his eyes were pleading, but he could not hear his brother from the rush of blood through his ears. He knew what his brother must be saying, how he must be telling him to hold on and how grateful he was that he had saved his life. The dying man coughed as blood trickled down the back of his throat and he gasped as pain speared his body as he moved.
He knew that even if he lived he would never be the same, not even with the advanced medicines of Asgard. His whole body from his chest down had gone numb and even though he knew he was being held by his brother he could feel nothing. He felt a weariness call to him, and he let his eyes drift closed, only to be shaken forcefully wake by his brother, his voice cutting through the haze.
"No, no, you fool, you fool, you didn't listen." His brother was saying, and he gave a quirk of his lips, another trickle of blood passing his lips and rolling down his chin. All lights were beginning to darken, and his brother's face was the only thing in focus.
"I will tell father what you did here today." His brother continued, a large warm hand coming up to cradle his cooling skin, and he let out a sarcastic chuckle.
"I didn't do it for him." He gasped out, eyes boring into the blue ones that stared down at him with such intensity and love- and yes he could see it, it was there, hidden by all the anger he still harbored towards him, but there. He took another shuddering painful breath, feeling the warm hand against his face, the sand beneath them turning warm and red with his blood, feeling the harsh wind against his skin. His lips quirked up again before he gasped in pain hands spamming at his side, eyes growing wide as darkness crept into the forefront of his vision. Bright blue eyes turned dull as sight left them, and his body went limp as his final breath left him.
The brother watched as the light left blue eyes and as his skin turned a pale grey. He felt the body go limp in his grasp and the breath leave in what seemed to be an almost contented sigh. A single tear had traced a path down the dead man's face and he could not remember the last time he had seen his brother cry. It must have last been when they were children, but he could not recall. And now, now he would never have the chance to again.
He let out a deep sob, pulling his brother's limp body to him close, not caring that the now cooling blood was seeping through his clothing. His hands were already stained with blood what was a little more? He rocked his brother and used a hand to smooth the long hair back off his face. He had held his brother like this when they had been kids, when his brother had crept into his room because of a nightmare. He had promised that he would fight all the nightmares away and always protect this little brother. He had failed him once more in breaking that promise.
Tears staining his cheeks he laid his brother on the cold sandy ground, smoothing his hair back again. It had gotten long and in need of a cut, and he felt his heart rip open a little more. Carefully he positioned the body in a dignified manner, folding his brother's pale slender hands over one another across his chest. His face was lax and he looked as if he was merely asleep.
The man stood from where he was kneeling and took a deep breath, eyes suddenly dry from tears. If his brother who had done this for him, for all of them, could do it with only a single tear then so could he. He would have his vengeance on the Dark Elves and see to it that his brother had not died in vain.