Hello friends! Thank you to ilovefalloutboy and Mo! Also to Katiebra who messaged me kindly! Ya'll are awesome!
Oh and some trivia, I picture Balder as a blonde Jared Leto.
Enjoy please!
Balder paced around his tent. He was going through the plans in his head again and everything was working out the way he wanted it. All except he had not expected Thor to be so strong minded to send his friends out to find Loki. If they located Freyr, he would be caught in his terrible deeds. He shrugged to himself and thought, 'We will just have to be gone when they get back.'
He stopped his nervous movements when he heard a faint drumming.
Odin was arriving.
He adjusted his armor and exited his tent to stand by Thor, who appeared even more nervous. They watched as their father led a line of warriors on horses down the field to their camp. The elder man appeared weary and concerned.
Thor went to meet him once they reached the camp. Odin dismounted and immediately walked past the blonde haired warrior while speaking, "Where is the Princess?"
"Father, Loki is returning Lady Sigyn back to her people as we speak." Thor felt like a child being scolded.
"Why was Loki charged with this task?" The Allfather nodded his recognition toward Balder, who bowed with his hand over his chest.
Thor exhaled nervously, "There was a misunderstanding and Loki felt compelled to take her himself."
"Misunderstanding?" Odin raised his voice, "You do realize that any misunderstandings can be cause for another hundred years of war?"
"Yes Father." Thor looked down at his feet.
Odin exhaled restlessly. He studied his sons' faces carefully and headed to the main conference tent.
Thor scowled and looked over at Balder who raised his eyebrows in support. They followed the Allfather who inspected the maps and plans on the table in the middle of the tent.
"I'm awaiting word from Lady Sif and the Warriors Three on the whereabouts of Loki now." The eldest son stood regally.
Odin glared at him, "How long has he been gone? "
"It is going on three days now."
"And Loki has sent no word? Does this not concern you?" The father exclaimed.
Thor raised his chin, "Of course, Father."
"Well," The white haired warrior looked between his sons, "It appears we must wait then."
Sigyn felt her body swaying and bumping up and down. She also felt strong arms holding her around her waist. She blinked her eyes continuously to clear her vision.
"Well hello."
She glanced up at the voice and found the blonde haired warrior grinning down at her. She shot up on the horse and looked around her frantically.
"It's alright, Princess. You are safe now. My name is Fandral and that is Hogun and Volstagg. We are the Warriors Three…"
Sigyn looked at him blankly and realized he was expecting her to know who he was. He cleared his throat, "We are friends of Loki."
Her ears perked at the name and she felt like she could weep if she had any tears left, "How long have we been riding?"
"Almost half a day, my lady." Fandral answered.
She shook her head and her heart pounded, "Please, we have to hurry."
He noted her dread and nudged the horse forward to ride along with Sif, who was staring straight in front of her.
"Lady Sif," Sigyn spoke up, "Tell me, has the string shown brighter at all? We must hurry if we are to save Loki."
Sif broke eye contact with the invisible string, "It has been getting increasingly brighter. Does that mean something?"
She nodded, "It means that we are close."
"Perhaps we should continue on foot?" Hogun suggested.
Sif and the others nodded. They dismounted and tied their horses to a thick tree branch. Fandral attempted to lift Sigyn up in his arms but she declined politely. They both needed to be ready for whatever was to come. Sif led the way through the forest and the other warriors kept a careful watch for any threats.
They froze completely when the Warrior maiden held up her finger to her lips. She carefully made her way to Sigyn, "The string is getting dimmer then brighter."
Her heart felt like it would stop and she whispered, "That means we are upon them."
Sif nodded to the others and they silently took out their weapons. She made a motion to wait for her signal. She forged on stealthily following the string until she came upon a small camp made up of six men. She studied their movements and tried to figure out which was the Vanir Prince. She decided to bring Sigyn so that she could identify him. When she turned to head back, she was suddenly knocked down by a force above her. The person gave her no time to recover when she felt strong hands wrap around her neck and squeeze. Her hands went to his wrists to pry them off but they were clamped down hard. She desperately punched at his face but he dodged his head to avoid it. She found an open spot against his stomach and with as much force as she could muster, she kneed him in that exact area. His hands loosened only for a moment but that was enough for Sif.
She wrenched her right arm underneath his and swung upward to hook both his arms against her side. She gasped for air as she punched him in his nose. He rolled off her and she immediately moved away to gain some distance.
The Warriors Three were waiting for the signal with Sigyn when they heard a female crying out. They jumped and ran to help Sif. Volstagg stopped and pointed to the Princess, "Stay here and hide until we come find you."
She did as he told her but listened to the sounds of a struggle.
Sif found her weapon lying on the ground next to her and yanked it up by the handle. She clicked it open and the two blades on each end popped out. The Vanir Warrior had recovered quickly and unsheathed his own sword. They circled each other and he grinned when they heard his men coming up behind him. They both went for the attack at the same time and their weapons clashed.
It was her turn to grin when Volstagg, Hogun, and Fandral came running full speed at the others. Their battle cries pierced the air as they began the fight with the Vanir Warriors. It was six against three but the Warriors Three had the upper hand. Training with Thor and Balder had come in handy.
Sif and Freyr continued their own private battle amongst their men. They dodged each others' weapons and tried to pierce the other's heart. She chanced a glance at the others and found that the Vanir had fallen quickly and the Warriors Three were about to join their fight. Her look caused him to hesitate and she used that to her advantage. She used all her strength and knocked his sword from his hands. He was stunned and began backing up. Sif charged at him to end his life.
"STOP!"
Sif's blade halted just a centimeter from his throat just when his back hit a tree and she angrily looked over at Sigyn who appeared horrified. She glared at Freyr who peered only with his eyes at his niece.
"I told you to stay hidden." Volstagg huffed.
"I had to see if I could help." Sigyn came to stand next to Sif, "Where is my Mother, Freyr?"
"She had plans to attend to." He grinned maniacally at her, "But the question is… where is your dark prince?"
Sif pushed into his neck just enough to draw blood and he hissed.
"Where is the dagger, Sigyn?" She growled.
Sigyn cautiously frisked him and located it on his left ankle. As she stood, Freyr grabbed her wrist roughly which caused the Warriors Three to push forward to help but they stopped when Sif pushed her weapon just a little further.
It didn't faze Freyr as he pulled her to look in his eyes. His hot breath hit her face, "You will be punished severely for this, Sigyn."
She processed his words carefully and glared at him, "No Uncle, it is you who will be punished once Grandfather hears of this…" She yanked her wrist out of his grasp and went back to the horses.
He cackled loudly, "Run back to your Prince! You might make it back to say goodbye…"
His was silenced when Hogun slammed the blunt end of his weapon against the Vanir's head. The others stared at him and he shrugged. Sif rolled her eyes and turned to run after Sigyn.
"Tie him to that tree. We'll come back for him after we reach Loki." She yelled back to the others.
She caught up with Sigyn and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Are you alright?"
The Princess turned and wiped her face clean of any tears that had fallen, "I will be once we release Loki from his bonds."
Sif nodded in understanding while pulling out the jade stone from her pocket. As they prepared for their journey to save Loki, she pictured the Prince of Mischief and opened her eyes to see a new string laid out before them.
"Let's go."
'Balder… Balder…'
Balder sat up in his chair. He had feigned illness and retreated to his tent as his father and brother discussed the events of the past few days. He heard Freyja's voice in his head.
'Whatisit,sorceress?' He thought back.
'I have delivered the message to King Njord that the Asgardians refuse to release Sigyn.'
He grinned in triumph. His plan was working.
'I'm afraid that my brother, Freyr, has not been so successful. He has informed me that Sif and the Warriors Three have bested him and retrieved the dagger with Sigyn to release Loki this day.'
Balder's breath quickened and he looked around for something to throw, 'Youimbeciles!TheplanwastotakeSigynbacktoyourpalaceuntilallthiswasover!Whathappened?'
'Forgive my pathetic brother, my Lord. He felt reassured in Sigyn and Loki's new found love that she would not leave his side.'
'Love?Howdidthishappen?Youhavepromisedmeyourdaughter'shandinexchangeoftheVanirthrone!' Now Balder was shaking in rage.
'And so it shall be, my Prince. You shall see that when all plans are fulfilled, you will be King of Asgard with Sigyn by your side as Queen.'
He tried to control his anger, 'Foryoursake,Ihopeyouareright.'
He found himself in front of his mirror looking at someone he hardly recognized anymore, 'Itistimetosetoursightshigher.'
Balder let that be the end of the telepathic conversation as he flew out his tent and ran to find his family. He reached Odin and Thor in the conference tent. He panted and put on his most concerned face, "I've received word of Loki!"
Thor straightened in fear, "What is it, Brother?"
"He has been taken prisoner by the Vanir!"
Odin stood from his seat, "What! This can't be so…"
"My most trusted messenger witnessed it himself. Loki returned Princess Sigyn but they were so angered by our actions that they took him." Balder looked from his brother to father.
Odin roared in anger, which made Balder imagine that he had been exactly like Thor when he was younger, "Are you certain, my son?"
Balder nodded fervently.
Thor growled, "How dare they! I will finish them all with my bare hands!"
Odin held his hand up to silence him, "My sons, we must tread lightly. For if we act aggressively, I fear they may punish Loki. Thor, you and I will seek council with King Njord and negotiate the release of your brother while Balder stays and looks after this camp."
"But father…"
"No, my son. My words are final. There will be no more bloodshed." Odin scolded, "Now go prepare for our journey."
Thor set his jaw in anger but obeyed his father.
"Balder, I'm counting on you to look after our men. They need you to be strong in these difficult times. I have faith that you will make me proud."
Balder bowed, "Thank you, Father."
Odin placed a hand on his shoulder and after a moment, left after Thor. His youngest son watched him go and smiled.
Sigyn, Sif, and the Warriors Three rode their horses to exhaustion. They were at full speed and never stopped. Sigyn couldn't wait to get back to Loki for she knew he might not have much time left. They kept the silence as they weren't sure what they would come upon when they arrived and didn't want to explain to Thor why they failed him. But most of all, they thought of their friend.
Sigyn recognized the landscape around them and the stream that appeared, "This is it! He's in a cave by the waterfall!"
When they came upon the falling water, they dismounted in a gracefully fluid motion and Fandral assisted Sigyn off his horse. He hadn't even set her on the ground before she raced off.
The Warriors stopped when they heard a terrible scream rip through the air. The Princess gasped and darted up the side of the waterfall. The others ran after her. As they entered the cave, Loki's scream broke off into a soft sobbing. His head hung down and in his weakness, he could not raise it up to see who came in to the small space.
The men looked on in horror and anger at the sight before them and Sif held her hand to her mouth. Sigyn wasted no time as she ran to him and slid on her knees next to him. The dagger fell to the floor and she reached out to rub his cheeks frantically.
"Loki… Loki, I'm here. Please speak to me."
He heard her sweet voice but he found he could not respond. She began to weep as she reached for the dagger. The serpent above them hissed and snapped its jaws suddenly in warning to the Princess.
Volstagg reared his axe and sent it flying. The weapon did its duty when it sliced the snake in half. It was embedded there and the warrior made no attempt to retrieve it.
Sigyn looked back at him and nodded in thanks before she turned back to Loki. With extreme care, she cut the rope around his right wrist. When it broke free, his entire right side slunk forward and she caught him gently. She looked behind her and lifted the dagger for Sif to take. The other woman grasped it with shaking hands and cut the rope to his left wrist.
Loki fell completely onto Sigyn and she turned him to where she held him in her lap. She brushed his hair back as she rocked him in her arms.
"You're safe now, my love. Come back to me." She whispered in his ear.
He opened his eyes and gazed up at her. He smiled weakly. Sigyn let a nervous laugh slip as she sniffed back her tears. She lowered her lips to his and kissed them as if they would return his strength on their own.
The others looked on in wonderment as the pair seemed content to stay on the ground of the cave. Sigyn went back and forth between rubbing his shoulders to peppering his face with soft kisses. Her gentle whispers brought him back to life.
How'd you like that? Thanks guys!
Review please and let me know what you think.
Goodnight!