Thor didn't think he would be able to carry Loki through the Bifrost. He would constantly look around themselves, praying that no one would see them or worse. Loki walked slowly, sighing in grief, the fear of being spotted by any of his men suffocating him. But no one came and nothing saw them as they reached the opening to the Rainbow Bridge. A single call for the Guardian of the Realms and an intense light engulfed them, an unexpected force pushing them forward. In a single second, they arrived in Asgard.

The impact made Loki fall on his knees even though Thor had one of his arms wrapped around his waist. A terrible feeling left Thor staring at him, useless, as the Frost Giant coughed and choke, closing his fist over his abdomen, his wounded stomach making him bent over himself, not knowing if the anguish he was feeling was due to fear or simply due to the pain. An insane will to faint reflected in his exhausted eyes and Thor froze, expecting the worst, unable to fight against it. His sudden hopelessness, however, was interrupted as Heimdall approached him, helping Loki up and bringing Thor back to reality.

"Thor, you must seek help!" Heimdall reminded him, feeling the pressure the Prince of Asgard was under, his fallen brother trying to walk against his will while being helped by both men. It confused Thor that now, in Asgard, Loki seemed to have gotten worse. He was frenetically trembling and it felt ever more difficult to breath as if something was trying to make his lungs collapse. Thor could feel it and he found it hard to shake these feeling away and focus on his brother's safety. He and Heimdall fastly left the golden room and, as soon as they stepped on the Rainbow Bridge, Thor saw his horse standing before him. Without thinking twice, he left Mjolnir behind so all of his attention would be directed to the man and so he helped Loki up and followed, making sure the Jotun felt comfortable enough behind him.

"Hold yourself onto me!" Thor told the young man, only leaving after feeling Loki's arms wrap around his waist and his trembly fingers twitch over his abdomen, his head laying over Thor's back as he shaked violently once again, his mind urgently telling him to stay focused in contrast with his body which tried to knock him down.

The Bifrost would react with the touch of the horse's strong hooves, different tones of color shining under its weight. Even through all the pain, Loki could not help but feel amazed by these bright lights, suddenly reminded of the times he used to spend in there listening to children stories. He gasped for air, his skin covered with even more sweat and his vision getting darker as more seconds passed. For a moment, he felt his body falling but Thor instantly held his hand, making him focus again. "Be strong, my brother. Please, stay with me!" were Thor's words as he begged for his little one's life.

They soon entered the the golden kingdom, the Asgardian Castle still far away but its power resonating through the houses and gardens of the Realm, a relaxing feeling falling over all who lived in there. Loki remembered such feeling.

He remembered it all too well.

"T... Thor!" He called, still finding it hard to breath, the pain driving him mad.

"Yes, Loki, what is wrong?" Thor asked, a deep urgency in his voice, and he listened.

"Can... Can you slow down?" He asked, the child hidden beneath his terrifying lineage smiling after so long and Thor, even though worried about his health, decided to slow down. Loki softened his grip around Thor's waist and let himself look around and Thor, moved, smiled proudly as his brother's eyes shined with a long lost sentiment: Happiness.

"I-I never thought I would l-live to... To see this place once again" He let out in a whisper, his teary green eyes gazing over the light blue sky, meeting the life which ran through the fields and through the houses, the golden structures of the Realm shining against him and driving him to sleep. The birds would fly free over the Asgardians, the so peaceful and happy Asgardians, who watched their children run freely around the trees and playing together in a mixture of comprehension and determination. To see the places he so dearly loved such as the small river next to the big rock – He and Thor used to call it as such and would often swin together when they were only boys – touched him deeply and he bit his lips, trying not to think about it anymore, trying to understand what had gone so wrong and what had brought him here once again. Before he realized it, the pain returned with full force and he closed his eyes tightly, regretful, guilty, tormented by memories from a life he could never have once again.

A sudden shout echoed in their ears and Loki opened his eyes, shocked.

"A Frost Giant!"

It was the voice of a little girl, staring at him with a intense fear struck into her. Soon enough, more and more people gathered around them, their questions filling up the air. Some were hiding their younger familiars, others questioned their Prince's foolish act of bringing such a creature into their Realm and some even dared to grab arrows and swords, holding them next to their bodies, ready to defend themselves if needed. Thor did not say a word, afraid that would bring even more questions upon him - he needed to get to the healing room as fast as he managed to - but that act only seemed to attract even more doubts to his people. Loki grabbed Thor's arm with might, panicking for a reason Thor did not yet understand, and said.

"They're... They're afraid of me, Thor!"

"I won't let them do you any harm, Loki. Trust me, brother, please" Thor told him, feeling the tension grow denser. Now, with Loki's chest so close to him, he felt the frenetic and unconstant pulse coming from his heart, his little one's panic getting to him. Thor sighed, not really knowing what to do or say to ease his pain until he saw a familiar face in the distance.

"Wait, is that-" Sif started, barely believing her eyes. She and the Warriors Three were riding their own horses, apparently heading to the Bifrost.

"Thor... With Loki?!" Fandral finished her sentence and left after him, followed by his three comrades. None of them thought he would be so fast but now, watching him return, made them feel ashamed for letting him leave alone. It was terrible to all of them to see Loki in such a state and the amount of blood splattered over his body and Thor's armor made them feel useless.

"T-Thor, are you-" Volstagg started but was interrupted.

"Please, my friends, you have to help me!" Thor asked "I need to take my brother to the healing room right away. Explain everything to our people!"

"But... But everything? Even about Jotunheim and-?" Sif questioned, making sure not to look at the broken Jotun in front of her: She couldn't bear the sight, mainly due to her failing with her future King and letting him suffer alone.

"Only the essential! Loki is not a threat! Please, make that very clear!" Thor stated and left, out of time. He left that to his friends, still not understanding why Loki had felt so scared and worse since they arrived in Asgard. The Frost Giant's heart beat faster than it could handle and his very veins burned painfully, his fingers closing tighter and tighter around his brother's arm, his dry throat fighting against a sorrowful scream, uncontrolable sobs trying to take over him, too much even for him to comprehend. As soon as they reached the entrance of the castle, Thor fastly helped him down, an imaginary clock ringing slower and slower in his mind as if to remind him of the time that was passing by, the need to make Loki feel better hitting him stronger than it had ever done. He let Loki uphold himself on him once again, ready to take him on his arms if needed, and moved towards the gate, the guards already coming to his aid and helping him through.

"Stay with me, brother, s-stay with me...!" Thor told him, Loki's bloody tears falling over the golden corridors, his eyes losing their focus after he couldn't bear it any longer and sobbed in affliction, sweating terribly, intensely. The guards stood close, not daring to approach without orders, and the chaos had already been installed in the castle where people would leave their duties to see what was going on. Everyone wanted to help at once but it would only make things worse and so Thor kept on walking, refusing to look around, refusing to pay attention to anything other than the life he now had in his hands. He had just reached the healing room when someone got in their way and he stopped.

Through his gasps and coughs, Loki managed to meet the blue eyes that used to comfort him whenever he needed. For an instant, he lost the very notion of where he was or what was happening, her light blue eyes hypnotizing and surprising him, his green eyes brimming with an unknown yet special feeling. She had covered her mouth with both of her hands but now, reluctant, she tried touching her loved little boy's bleeding face. Just as she touched it, however, he moved his head away, the agony returning to his heart once again.

"Mother, y-you have to help me!" Thor told her, lost. Without thinking twice, she entered the Healing Room – Which was currently with no patients – and told Thor to lay him on a bed while their healers helped him. With extreme care, Thor helped Loki to lay on his side, making sure his back neither his stomach would touch anything.

"Keep your eyes o-on me, brother! I promise you, you shall feel no more pain!" Thor told him, kneeling next to him and cuddling his raven hair.

"Y-you s-should have left me, T-Thor...!" Loki told him, panting deeply and forcing himself to stay awake.

"No, you are safe now. You are finally home, brother!"

"I-I d-don't want you t-to see this, b-brother...!" He gasped, frenetically holding his big brother's arm as if making sure he wouldn't leave, the fear of being left alone leaving him out of air but the guilty for letting Thor see what was about to happen simply-

"No, no, no, stop! Stop right there!" Thor ordered him, panicking. They had come too far for it to end like this "Y-you're not... Brother, trust me, I will take care of you! B-be strong, please, be s-strong... For me!"

Loki choke, his free hand closed over his aching abdomen, partially healed. Thor did not pay attention to anything besides his little brother while Frigga stood next to the healers as they approached the Frost Giant. One of them had a healing stone while the other two of them brought linen, herbs and everything they could find. They doubted a Frost Giant would suffer the same as an Asgardian when touched by their medicine so any mean of helping him was necessary and needed. Thor just felt glad that Loki would never get to see their expressions as they stared to his back, almost certain that wouldn't be easy to heal.

"We shall use a healing stone before anything else but due to the seriousness of the situation I'm afraid it won't be enough!" One of the healers said, a tall and young man holding the magic object in his hand.

"Do anything that's on your reach!" Frigga told the man and so he crushed the stone on his hand, letting it fall over the man's back so it would heal. But it wasn't enough and only his muscles healed a little, the wound proving to be even deeper than they thought it was.

"I-I... C...can't br...eath!" Loki said, his eyes wide with the sudden panic, his chest going up and down incredibly fast, his whole body suffering constant spasms while his heart beat extremely faster, trying to fight against the decrease of his blood flow. Thor stared to the team who tried to help, unable to see what the others were doing while he drowned in sorrow, his vision suddenly blurry. Frigga approached Loki and Thor whispered to him, once again feeling miserable and useless to the one who now depended so much of him.

"K-Keep calm, brother, it will pass! Control yourself, the p-pain will go away, j-just stay calm...!" He said, failing his own words as he lost control over himself and started trembling as much as his brother was, the fear of losing him in such a way killing him on the inside. But Frigga put her hand over his shoulder with care, lending her calm to him in a way only she could. Loki didn't need her, that she knew very well. He only needed his loved brother and he was the only one Thor needed. As she managed to calm Thor down for a while, he took a deep breath and spoke slower, smiling.

"Shhh, it is a-alright now, little one. Y... Y-you will be fine. I am here. Y-you have nothing to fear... Trust me, little one. Trust me, little brother"

Whatever they had done to his brother's back, Thor knew it had made him feel a little better. His light green eyes met Thor's blue ones and a shadow of a smile surpassed his lips. The pain was fading away so peacefully now and his breathing would slowly return to normal. The darkness surrounding him didn't look so terrifying now. In fact, it looked comforting...

Thor held his breath as Loki's head fell limp over the bed, his frantic grip around Thor's arm letting go and his entire body relaxing at once. Afraid, Thor caressed his head carefully and only when he listened to the Frost Giant's weak breathing he let it go, overwhelmed by an intense relief.

"I'm afraid we can't help him any longer for now" One of the other healers said, a woman whose hand was covered in blood "He is too impaired for us to try anything else. I we use more power than we should, I fear he may not survive"

Thor said nothing. He had nothing to say. He simply watched over this fragile man who laid before him, thinking, wondering, feeling his very pain and hating himself for not being able to do anything else. Frigga asked the others to leave and so they did, leaving the two princes and herself alone.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked in a very low tone, with compassion. The Thunderer's eyes showed emptiness and he stood in silence for long minutes before saying anything.

"I wanted to speak to Odin as soon as I brought him home but... Everything, it just feels... It feels so confusing"

"When did you go?" Frigga asked, grabbing a wet linen and gently cleaning her green eyed son's face.

"Today in the morning. I... I returned without him but I..."

He stopped, remembering of the impact struck against Loki's stomach, remembering of how they had teared his stomach with violence and had left him to bleed to death. He covered his face with both of his hands, his head pounding, the nervosism destroying him inside out.

"Say nothing else for now" His mother told him, realizing he had seen or perhaps even heard too much that day "Let's focus about your brother before anything else"

The God of Thunder smiled weakly. His mother had always managed to control her feelings even under the hardest of pressures. He didn't want to push her for she also had her limits so he simply stood silent, watching as she cleaned the blood out of his brother's face. He would face Odin later. He would face Asgard later. For now, all that mattered was his beloved's safety. And he simply stood still, watching as the man would constantly breath in and out, free of any pain or fear. After so many years, Loki had finally found himself enjoying a moment of peace.