I hear heavy footsteps hit the ground; they are making their way to Frigga's chamber. I make out the sound of steps getting closer, and he is soon at the grand doors. Jane stands, fearful, and she moves closer to mine and Frigga's sides. I move to be only a couple of steps behind the door while Frigga stands in front of Jane. I motion to Jane to hide, and she runs behind a pillar.
As an elf enters the room, the Queen speaks, "Stand down, creature, and you may still survive this."
"I have survived worse, woman," he says in a baritone voice.
"Who are you?"
"I am Malekith, and I will have what is mine."
Malekith moves closer, but I point my sword at him, making sure that my body is between him and the Queen. The Queen maneuvers to hide Jane, Malekith moves forward, and the Queen pulls out her sword and slashes him across the face. Five more elves burst into the room, and the Queen nods to me, and I spring into action.
My sword clashes with another sword of an elf, I look around and see that I am surrounded, a smirk makes its way across my lips as I lunge forward. My legs wrap around one elf and swing him to the ground; I use the force of the flip to swivel my leg around and smash it into another elves' leg. It falls to the ground, and I swing my sword into its body. I lift the sword out of the body, I twirl it in my hand and face the other four.
I run at one elf and slide between his legs. I kick out one of his legs and bring a dagger into his throat. I turn around and do a spinning back kick, I hit another soldier in his face, and he stumbles back. He growls at me, and I snarl back, I feel my eyes flash red and fangs come out. The elf is shocked for a moment, and I use that to my advantage, his slip up means death. My nails sink in his face and drag them upward; he falls to the floor in a heap.
My hands and face are coated in blood, but my fight isn't over yet. I still have more elves to defeat. I look over to the Queen, and I see that she is a great fighter, and Frigga disarms Malekith and pins him beneath her with her sword to his throat. I see a massive creature come up behind, and I shout, "Look out! NO!" The monster disarms her and lifts her into the air, pressing the sword against her back.
Losing my focus causes me to receive a hard blow to my body and face. I feel a sword slide into my hip, and at the same time, the elf slices diagonally across my face. I let out a yell of pain before swinging my sword and chopping the elves head off. I pull the sword out of my hip and drop it to the ground with a loud clang.
I drop my sword as well and face the last soldier, I punch him across the face and grab a dagger. I bring my arm back and throw my knife, and it nails the elf right in the throat, pinning him to the wall. I bend over panting in pain and exhaustion when my attention is pulled to Malekith and the Queen.
"Witch! Where is the Aether!" He screams at her once Jane disappears from under his hand.
"I'll never tell." She chokes out from where she is being held.
"I believe you." He looks to the monster holding the Queen and gives a small signal.
The monster slides the sword into her back. I scream out, running towards the Queen, ignoring the pain of my body, and I throw my sword. As I am making way to the Queen, I hear Thor's anguish cry, and he sends a bolt of lightning at Malekith. As the lightning strikes Malekith in the face, instantly blackening one side, my knife lodges itself into his oblique, and he and another elf run to the balcony. Thor throws his hammer, knocking them over the edge, but as he runs forward, a harrow ship flies up and past, out of even Mjolnir's range.
They have escaped, I slide my body over to Frigga and press my hand against her wound. She groans slightly in pain; I keep applying pressure when out of the corner of my eye, I see Odin appear. His eyes are drawn directly to his injured wife, eyes staring at Frigga in shock and grief, before making his way over to us. He gently grabs the Queen out of my arms and begins to lightly stroke her cheek; I see a tear fall out of the corner of his eye. I bow my head in respect and grief.
Thor walks over to me and bends down and wraps an arm around my shoulders and slid one under my knees. I see the heartbreaking grief on his face, and I place a comforting hand on the side of his face. He walks me past Jane and takes me down to the healing chamber. The nurses run over to me and immediately start to heal my wounds.
As they work on me, I turn my head towards Thor, "I am so sorry, Thor. I should have protected her better."
He shook his head at me, "You did everything you could. I know you, Nikki. Look at you! You have very severe wounds on your body."
"That doesn't change the fact that I could have done more. What happens now?"
"Now, we have a funeral for my mother." I hear the sadness in his tone and close my eyes.
"Come here." I get up from the table and open my arms, Thor walks over to me quickly and embraces me. I hold him in my arms for a long time when I hear someone stumble into the room.
We both look over to the door, and we see that it is Jane. She has a perplexed and slightly hurt look on her face, and I sigh before attempting to get off the table. Thor realizes what I am trying to do; he grabs my hips and helps me off of my desk and steadies me on my feet.
"They are ready to begin," Jane says.
We walk to the side of the castle to where the water is, and I see Odin, Thor, and the citizens of Asgard gather to mourn the loss of their beloved Queen Frigga. Frigga is floated out on a boat, and at Odin's signal, an archer sends a flaming arrow onto the ship, setting it alight. As her burning boat carries on across the water, hundreds of burning arrows soar through the air, alighting on the boats of every other soldier and citizen killed by the invading dark elves.
With hundreds of boats burning behind her like candles, Frigga's vessel approaches the edge of Asgard's sea. The waters flow over the edge and into space. Odin strikes his staff, Gungnir, upon the ground, and rather than drop over the edge, Frigga's funeral vessel continues to drift beyond the water, until her spirit itself rises from the boat and lifts into the cosmos like thousands of scattering stars.
The citizens of Asgard cradle orbs of light, which they lift towards the sky and releasing them to join the stars. The balls float up, each a tribute to a lost loved one. I watch with sadness in my eyes as I stare at the Queen, floating away forever.