In your head, they are dying
Zombie, The Cranberries
It was about two more weeks before Loki could see light again, and it all slowly got better after that. He resumed duty as the captain of the royal guard, and although Odin practically ignored him, Sigyn almost never left his side. After long days, she was always waiting for him in their room, or just outside the training grounds, a welcome tower of refuge from his life outside. Whenever he felt like everything was hopeless, out of control, she was his firm rock, and he felt like he could tell her anything.
Thor had barely changed at all. He was a bit more serious, but other than that, he was still practically an enormous puppy. Loud, rambunctious, and always trying to (figuratively) lick Loki's face. Loki eventually let his brother back into his room, despite the fact that Vali was still terrified of him. He was all Thor had left, anyway. (Thanks to him)
One day, as Loki was enthusiastically sleeping in, completely, and blissfully oblivious to the world, Thor burst into the room, again, shouting something at the top of his lungs.
Loki cracked his eyes open, shooting a poisonous glare at him as Sigyn jumped up, screaming something about how rude Thor was to barge into their room. Loki loved Sigyn. She understood that he'd been awake until long after midnight, researching his newest project, and he desperately needed his sleep. Yes. Sleep. That beautiful thing that he was slowly slipping back to.
"Oh, come on, Sigyn! He'd be very upset if he were to miss out." Thor objected.
"Miss out on what?" Loki demanded, now suddenly extremely interested.
Thor grinned happily. "You see, Sigyn? I knew he'd be interested! I wish to go on a quest with you, brother!"
Loki scrubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand, casting a concealing illusion over the butterfly-shaped scars that he'd bear for the rest of his life. "What quest?"
"To Nornheim!" Thor exclaimed jubilantly.
"Why?" Loki asked. "There's not any frost giants there…"
Thor laughed, clapping his slighter brother on the shoulder. "My exploits are not limited to slaying frost giants, Loki. There is the myth of an army of the dead, there!"
"I'm familiar." Loki sighed, getting to his feet, and donning his armor with a flick of his wrist. "What did they ever do to raise your ire?"
Thor shrugged, an excited grin on his face. "Do I need a reason to slaughter monsters?"
Loki shook his head, shrugging helplessly. "About as much reason as you need to recruit me."
"Can I go?" Sigyn asked hopefully.
Loki gave her a look. "Don't remember the last time I let you come along on a quest, do you?"
Sigyn crossed her arms, a dark cloud crossing her face. "That wasn't my fault, Loki. I wasn't even in the same area."
"Nevertheless, sister," Thor put in. "We have no idea what perils will happen on this journey. The warriors are coming along, as well, so…"
"Wait, the warriors?" Loki asked. "Meaning, including Sif?"
"Well… yes." Thor admitted, not understanding why this would be a problem.
"Your friends hate me, Thor." Loki glared. "Especially Sif."
Thor grinned happily. "Of course, they don't! It's merely your imagination."
Loki rolled his eyes, not believing a word, but also not correcting his blond oaf of a brother. "Very well. Let's be off, then."
Sigyn glared daggers at the two of them. "I'm not just some token Goddess of Endurance, you know."
Loki grinned infuriatingly at her, placing a kiss on her lips. "I know. Therefore, you can surely endure staying here." With that, the two princes left the room, completely oblivious to the fact that they left behind the angriest woman in three realms.
"So, how long are you intending on fighting?" Loki asked, as they walked side by side down the halls. "Two, three weeks?"
"Don't be absurd, Loki." Thor snorted. "Only as long as it takes for us to kill the army."
"The… army that is already dead?"
"Exactly!" Thor grinned. "You've got it!"
Loki ran a hand over his face in exasperation. "Sometimes, I wonder exactly how many of your own words you can hear."
Thor gave him a bewildered glance. "All of them? What's the matter? Are you afraid?"
"I?" Loki scoffed. "Never! I'm merely sane."
Thor erupted in laughter. "That's a very fine joke, brother!"
Loki gave him an icy smile, as Thor waved to his friends, who were sparring in the training fields. Once they caught sight of the two of them, the four warriors immediately ran over.
"Thor! I take it you're ready to leave, now?" Fandral asked cheerfully.
Sif glared daggers at the Trickster. "Do you have to bring the snake prince?"
Thor looked at Sif in shock. "Why, yes. Do you have any objections to that?"
"No, none at all!" Volstagg answered for her with false cheer. "Let's depart!"
Loki didn't miss the fact that Sif was still extremely upset about his presence.
Nornheim was covered in thick jungle, underbrush below, and hanging vines above. It was extremely humid, and covered in dense fog. The entire vicinity was extremely quiet, eerily so. It was the kind of place it felt wrong to speak above a whisper.
"Where's your army of undead, Thor?" Fandral questioned good-naturedly, though unable to keep the fear out of his voice.
"I'm sure they're around here, somewhere." Thor assured them. Loki rolled his eyes, fingering the daggers concealed inside his sleeves uncertainly.
They walked in uncomfortable silence, tense and nervous. Sif stepped on a twig, and the sharp crack made everyone jump, and whirl around in fright.
"Sorry." Sif apologized, but she'd been just as startled.
Loki glanced around in the mist, catching sight of a peculiar shape, swinging from one of the vines, maybe forty paces east of them. It looked like… a person. Not hanging as if from a noose, more like they were using the vine as a sort of trapeze. The person's delicately pointed toes swung back and forth, swinging the vine to and fro.
Loki held up his hand, pointing silently at the figure. All the warriors stared at the silently swinging form in shock. "Who is that?" Volstagg wondered.
"Is it dead?" Fandral rejoined.
Loki quietly stepped forward, approaching the figure.
"Loki!" Thor whispered frantically. "What are you doing?"
Loki held a finger to his lips, squinting through the dense fog. "Sir!" He called out suddenly. "Or madame, truly, your forgiveness I implore. We didn't see you there."
The figure looked around, caught sight of them, and dropped lightly from the vine.
"Loki!" Thor whispered, clutching his brother's shoulder in panic. "I think you angered it!"
"I'm not an 'it'." The figure spoke up, suddenly, and inexplicably behind them. The six of them jumped, and whirled around to look at the newcomer. It was a woman, shorter than Sif, with waist-length red hair. She was wearing elvish armor, complete with a face-guard that concealed her identity.
"Sigyn?" Loki asked, stepping forward.
"I'm not that, either." She replied. "They call me the Lady Victory. I'm the advocate for underdogs and lost causes."
Thor flushed as scarlet as his cape. "This isn't a…"
"You're trying to kill an undead army." Lady Victory countered. "You're clearly insane. Or stupid, although there's not much difference between the two."
Loki snorted in agreement. "He's both."
Victory shifted her gaze to him. "You came with him, you're not much better."
Loki smiled, and shrugged one shoulder. "Loyalty over-rules sanity."
"Indeed." Victory smirked. "As I can see you've already been told how utterly stupid this is, I'll assume I can't persuade you out of this. However, I can tell you where you can find what you seek."
Fandral sauntered up next to her. "Oh, please do tell."
Victory curled her lip at him in disgust. "Don't try anything, simpleton. Victory is taken."
"Taken?" Fandral asked.
The woman rolled her eyes impatiently. "Won. Spoken for, and completely committed."
"She's married." Loki explained. "She's just making a pun off of her name."
"Oh…" Fandral sighed.
"Are you coming?" She asked, a small smile dancing on her lips.
Thor nodded eagerly, and Victory rolled her eyes again, this time a little fondly. "Figured as much. Come along."
They started marching through the forest, the atmosphere considerably lightened. Loki fell into step beside Lady Victory, curious about her origins. "So, are you from Alfheim? Or do you merely dress in their armor?"
"Both." She replied. "I am from Alfheim, but I could've chosen other armor. I chose this, to conceal my face. I don't want people knowing who I am."
"Would I know who you are?" Loki asked.
She hesitated. "Confirming or denying anything about this subject may result in my recognition."
Loki raised an eyebrow. "That sounded scripted."
"It was!" Victory grinned cheerfully. "Now, if we want any chance of the undead not noticing us, it would be best to maintain absolute silence."
"I don't think my brother particularly wants to go unnoticed." Loki smirked.
Victory glanced at the blond hammer-toting warrior over her shoulder. "Well, there's always hope that he'll change his mind, yes?"
Loki grinned, nodding his agreement.
They had left the jungle behind them, now walking along a barren, rocky surface, not a plant or animal in sight. The fog had lifted, and they now walked under glaring sunlight. Lady Victory silently pointed ahead of them, at what looked like a cluster of pillars of rocks, but on closer inspection, appeared to be moving. There were tens of thousands of them. Loki gulped nervously.
"Are those…" Sif gasped, suddenly nervous.
"The undead." Victory confirmed. "Zombies, walkers, whatever you'd like to call them. That is what they are. This is your last chance to turn back."
Thor grinned, cracking his knuckles gleefully. "The sons of Odin never turn away from a challenge, isn't that right, Loki?"
"I'm sure." Loki said blandly.
"Come, brother, where is your sense of adventure? Show a little enthusiasm!" Thor grinned, thumping Loki on the back.
"Whoop." Loki replied in a monotone. "So exciting."
Lady Victory stifled a laugh. "Well, my princes. Your battle awaits."
Loki glanced at her in sudden panic. "Aren't you going to help?"
"Of course!" She smirked. "I can't leave you poor fools in there to die. I'll catch up."
With that, she disappeared in a puff of pink sedir. Sigyn's sedir is pink… Loki thought. And she looks almost identical to her. Is she… lying to me?
He didn't have time to speculate, though, as Thor rushed forward with a mighty battle cry, hefting Mjolnir above his head. All the undead turned to look at them. And then charged.
Happy cliff-hanger day!
Next time, we'll have the outcome of the battle, and important gnus news from Odin!
A heart lets you get a sword and help fight, a review lets you be Lady Victory, and... also help fight.
Cruelly, TheOnlyHuman