"A fine challenge, my friend," Thor laughed, patting Fandral on the back roughly as they headed back to Asgard after a few rambunctious rounds of jousting. Being able to spend time relaxed, having fun, felt amazing after all the turmoil Asgard had been in. Not to mention, all the turmoil Thor had gotten himself involved in on Earth with the Avengers. For once, they could actually enjoy life as they did when they were young. The only thing Thor could wish for was that Loki would have been with them as he had been before, but after taking over Asgard and then the trouble in New York, his brother was no longer even remotely the same person he was before and was kept locked up for his own good and the good of Asgard.
"Yes, well, if it wasn't for your trick with that hammer, perhaps I would have had a fair chance!" he joked, knowing Thor had far surpassed any of their skills long ago. Not that any of them were bad warriors, but Thor was, well, Thor.
"Perhaps," Thor conceded amicably. "Then again, perhaps not. You could never match my might!"
"Quiet," Lady Sif suddenly said, her eyes darting about anxiously.
"What?" Thor said, annoyed at what he thought was her reprimanding his boastfulness.
"I hear it too," Hogun said in a low voice, looking about cautiously for the source of the buzzing noise. "Sounds like an army. But an army of what?"
"Head back and sound the alarm," Thor ordered.
"And leave you here alone? Not a chance," Sif said, gripping her spear.
When people looked at him in surprise as he headed back, Volstagg protested, "Well someone needs to sound the alarm!"
"He does have a point," Fandral half-sighed, turning back to face the foes just visible in the distant fog.
"What sort of creatures are those?" Sif wondered as the figures grew more in sight.
"Is that…half man half horse?" Hogun said incredulously.
"Those animals there. How are they so well trained? It's unnatural," Fandral commented.
"Either way, they're not going to make it here," Thor said, lifting his hammer.
"We do not yet know if they are friend or foe," Sif cautioned.
"They have their weapons out and ready," Fandral pointed out.
Thor grunted. "Just going to give them a friendly welcome so they know not to cross me, Thor Odinson." He lifted his hammer and whirled it around his head before sending it flying into the mysterious troops, knocking down several strange creatures.
He held out his hand, expecting Mjolnir to faithfully return to him as it always did. He was so sure it would return that he kept his hand up for a time, not realizing it hadn't even started heading back to him. The amount of time he had been waiting didn't even register to him until Fandral said, "Well, we're dead now."
"Why isn't it coming back?" Thor frowned, stubbornly sticking his arm out again.
"He's carrying it," Sif breathed, her sharp eyes picking out the leader of the strange forces. "That's not possible."
"What does that mean?" Hagun said in awe. The leader – more of a boy really – seemed to not realizing the enormity of what he had done, simply tucking the hammer into his belt in favor of instead using his sword. The Asgardians suddenly took the boy-leader much more seriously. Even they, the best warriors of Asgard could not lift the hammer, only Thor. How was this possible?
"It means I need to face him with my bare hands!" Thor roared, running towards the forces, so enraged he didn't even think twice before charging at the mysterious forces head on.
Next to the boy-leader of the strange foes stood a girl about his age, perhaps even slightly younger, with an ivory bow. When she saw that Thor was thundering at them, she notched a bow and raised it.
From her stance and keen eye, it seemed quite likely that she was an accomplished archer. Sif and the two of the Warriors Three all noticed this and rushed to help Thor who was still distracted by the apparent loss of his hammer to some child.
"Thor! Ware arrows!" Sif called, taking the girl seriously. Although the girl was far younger than Sif, she could see that the girl had the same look and determination she had and was apt to be just as dangerous.
Too late, Thor heard her warning and saw that the girl had sent a rather old-fashioned arrow flying towards him. He couldn't duck in time, but figured his godly strength would have no problem with a traditional old weapon. If it could even hit him. Old, non magical arrows like those shouldn't be able to be aimed accurately. The chance of some random girl being able to pierce him where there was no armor to protect him was minimal at best. But too late, he realized she had some sort of miraculous aim, piercing his neck with incredible accuracy. He ripped it out furiously, still running at the troops with his friends trying to catch up from behind until he suddenly began feeling woozy. He realized the arrow's tip must have been coated with poison as he fell to the ground. Hazily, he could see an even younger girl in the front of the forces throw something down in front of her horse, whirling into a purple-tinged..portal? Thor wasn't sure. Last thing he could see was the portal expanding towards him rapidly, making an ever-louder buzzing sound that rang in his ears. Or perhaps the sound was in his mind. He could not tell anything now. He attempted to run, but was too weak and passed out.