Ch1: I Got Your Back

Thor was used to standing by his brother's side. If it's in battle or in Asgard, the brothers had each other's back. Today was no different when they went on a mission with Sif and the Warriors Three. The group was a common thing. All still young, they grew up together and have all grown a special connection.

Heimdall had seen the Dark Elves were planning something against Asgard. Dark Elves were crafty. They have learned to cast shadows over Asgard's All-Seeing eyes. They could never completely block him but made it hard to see their motives. This was the case today. When Heimdall approached the All-Father of his discovery, he did so with great caution to their plans.

Odin called the warriors together to discuss the mission. All were warned to be aware of any mischief on the Dark Elves part. Loki, being the God of Mischief, was eager to figure out their plans. Thor and the others were confident in their mission. They have done this thousands of times before. How would this be no different? Yes, the Dark Elves were more dangerous then trolls, but nothing their team couldn't handle.

That happened less than a day ago. Now Thor was not by his brother's side but waiting outside the healing halls while Loki laid gravely injured. The mission went from bad to worse. They were outnumbered by the elves by hundreds. The weapons they held were like no other they'd seen before. It was all a trap. Loki made the sacrifice to save his brother.

It happened after everyone got separated in the sea of elves, except Thor and Loki. The whole mission ended up being an ambush. The brothers were back to back fending off the fury of attacks. Thor would hit the creatures into the air with Mjolnir, while Loki finished them off with a dagger to the throat. It worked for a while before their numbers became too much. The brothers were fighting a losing battle.

Thor heard an angry cry off in the distance. Through the crowd of Dark Elves, he could see Sif. She was up against an elf that was substantially larger than the rest. It wielded a massive blade that glowed dark, purple; it rippled dark energy off of it with its movements. Sif's sword was large, but nowhere near the size of the elves.

With a swing of the cursed blade, it sliced through her own. Sif's weapon fell, shattered on the ground. The creature approached her slowly as she kept her distance.

"Sif!" Thor screamed, fearing that this was the end for his friend.

Loki heard Thor's cry and whipped around. He saw Sif stumbling backward as the Dark Elf honed in. They had to do something, and fast. But both he and Thor had their hands tied with their own battle. The Warriors Three were somewhere on the battlefield doing the same.

The trickster knew what he had to do.

"Thor," Loki yelled out towards his brother, "Watch my back!"

He sprinted towards the sea of Dark Elves that blocked their path to Sif. Thor followed behind his brother, knocking out any that tried to attack them. Loki's hand started to shimmer with his iconic green magic. Throwing his hands in front of him, he shot out a forcefield through the enemies. Loki took the shield and expanded it to create a clear passage for the brothers to run through.

Sif was now backed against a large boulder and, with nowhere to run, bared her teeth at the creature. She wasn't afraid of death; in fact, she accepted it as an honor for defending Asgard. But that didn't need to be the case as Mjolnir flew through the air and collided into the head of the Dark Elf.

While Thor batted, Loki ran to secure Sif. He was able to find her broken sword and mend it with his magic. The young prince turned to his comrade and told her to go help the others; the brothers will handle the leader. Sif took the orders and ran off to find the Warriors Three.

By the time Loki made it back to Thor, he saw his brother flying past him and into a boulder. The thunderer got hit with a shockwave of dark energy from the elf's blade. Loki quickly ran to his aid as the large boulder crumbled under the hit, effectively burying Thor in the process. The younger brother wasted no time and reached for his magic to help lift the rubble. His Seidr had been depleted from the long hours of battle. Loki struggled to lift the weight of debris, all while he continued to shout to his brother to get up. It didn't take much for the blonde to appear under the rocks, banged up but mostly uninjured.

Crawling out of the dust, Thor only had a second to look up before watching the Dark Elf run up behind his distracted brother. With the sword in its hands, the creature thrusted the cursed blade deep into Loki's back.

"I NEED A HEALER! PLEASE! MY BROTHER IS HURT!"

Thor burst through the halls of the palace leaving a trail of blood behind him. His red cape was ripped off and was wrapped around the small figure in his arms. Sif and the Warriors Three were not far behind Thor's pace. They were all scuffed up and covered in blood- some of enemies and their own.

"PLEASE! ANYONE!" Thor cried.

His prayers were finally answered as servants, guards, and healers appeared out of doorways. One guard saw the frantic prince and ran to him.

"Come! Eir is in the main healing chambers!"

The guard bellowed at the gathering crowd to make way. Thor never let up his pace as the horrified Asgardian citizens stared on. When they came upon to the healing chambers, Eir appeared out of the door and saw Thor approaching. Her eyes widened at the figure wrapped in the cape. The healer held the door open and allowed the prince to burst past.

That was three hours ago. It wasn't long after Thor set Loki down on the healing chambers bed that he was ushered out the door. He sat right outside the chamber doors, traumatized by the image of his brother being impaled.

Less than ten minutes from the time Thor was pushed out, Odin and Frigga ran to the door. They made passing glances at their oldest as the burst through the doors. He was about to go in after them, but a healer came and locked the doors behind them. He never moved from his spot, fearing at any minute they could possibly need him.

Hours later, word got out that one of the princes was injured in battle. The people of Asgard tried to see what was going on, but the halls of that wing were guarded heavily after the warriors return. Sif and the Warriors Three came by to try to check on Thor, but even them were held back. Only Thor was allowed to wait in the hallways until news of his brother.

Thor was pulled from his panicked thoughts by the sound of the chamber doors opening. Odin emerged, looking tired and deep in thought. His son jumped up from his spot against the wall.

"Father!"

He sprinted towards the All-Father, panic laced on his face.

"How is Loki?! Is he alright!? When can I se-"

Thor was stopped mid-sentence by Odin's raised hand.

"Call yourself, my son. The condition of your brother is still unknown, but your mother wishes to see you." Odin turned and walked down the hall, "I must inform the people of Asgard that they are safe. They think we are under attack since Loki's has been injured."

The All-Father disappeared into the halls without another word, leaving Thor to dissect his words.

The condition of your brother is still unknown…

Thor shook away the thoughts and realized the healing chamber's door were still open. His eyes glittered with hope to finally see his brother. The god wasted no time dashing in. The inside of the room was empty. The only one around was a young servant who was cleaning a trail of blood from the floor. Thor called out to the servant, effectively scaring them.

"Please! Tell me where Loki is!" The thunderer begged.

The servant only trembled at the prince's presence and pointed a shaky finger towards the private wing. Thor quickly thanked them and shot through the hall to the private wing's large door.

Slamming open the door, Thor was met by a crowd. All the healers, as well as the All-Mother, turned their heads to him in surprise. They were all huddled around a bed. Potions and bandages covered the small table next to them. A bucket was positioned nearby with a bloody rag hanging off the side.

"Thor… my child." Frigga finally spoke, her voice weary. Tears started to well up in the corners of her eyes.

Her son approached the bed, desperately trying to see past the mass of healers. Eir and Frigga were in front and quickly parted to allow Thor to come in. What he saw shattered his heart. His baby brother laid unconscious on the large bed. Loki's armor and tunic were removed, and his torso was covered in thick layers of bandages. Every surface of him was littered with bruises and cuts. Looking thinner than ever, Thor noticed how prominent his brother's bones were jutting out under his deathly pale skin. It didn't look good.

Thor looked up to the All-Mother with watery eyes. The sight of Loki's condition was unbearable. To think only today they were eager to go on another adventure together.

"Mother…" Thor went to say more but his words failed him.

Frigga saw the anguish in her child's face and pulled him into a hug. Thor accepted it eagerly and wrapped his arms around his mother's waist. They embraced for a moment before pulling away.

Frigga cupped her son's chin.

"If Heimdall didn't open the Bifrost as fast as he did, Loki might not be here."

Thor's eyes widened, "Loki will survive?"

Eir stepped in to take over. She ushered the other healers out to leave them alone. Being the one to first tend to Loki on his arrival, she was able to give more information. She also hoped that Thor could shed more light on the situation and how Loki appeared to her like this.

"Loki's condition is critical," Eir started, "He has sustained an injury from the dark magic."

Frigga drew Thor's attention to her.

"My son… please tell us what happened. Any information will help us save your brother."

Taking a deep breath, Thor recounted Heimdall's vision and told of his mission sent by Odin. He explained the glowing weapon the Dark Elf leader had and how it pierced Loki from behind. Thor did all this with great difficulty. The memories were all still fresh and painful. He was able to hold back his tears to relay the events clearly.

When he finished, both Eir and Frigga stood silent. Thor couldn't tell if it was a good or bad thing. They exchanged looks before breaking the silence.

"The tale sheds light on Loki's condition," Eir stated.

She was right, Loki indeed had been cursed with the blow of dark magic. What concerned her the most was not just the magic, but the blade itself.

Eir drew in a breath before continuing.

"The magic on the blade that pierced your brother is unlike I have ever seen. It left horrid burns that covered his back. It drained his Seidr. The cursed part caused his bones to contract, weakening him… making him smaller and more fragile."

The healer paused again before revealing the worst of the news.

"That sword, not only cursed Loki but severed his spine. It unleashed such power that it shattered some of the vertebrae. We were able to do the best we could, but…"

Thor looked at her with pleading eyes. He hoped the next words from her mouth would be that Loki will make a full recovery.

"We fear… we fear Loki may not be able to walk again."

The words shattered Thor as if all of Asgard came crashing down on him. His brother, the God of Mischief, may never walk again? He begged for it not to be true. The though killed him. They could never go on travels again or ride their horses through the streets of Asgard.

"We don't know anything for certain," Frigga added, "I was able to stop the dark magic from spreading, but not relinquish it. When your brother awakens, we will know more..."

Thor was tongue-tied; he didn't know what to ask or how to feel. Filled with a mixture of sadness and anger, he stood staring hopelessly at his younger brother. The rise and fall of Loki's chest gave him some comfort in knowing that he was- at least- alive.

The All-Mother looked at her son, somberly. She could tell Thor felt some responsibility for the outcome. Of course, nothing Thor could have done differently would have yielded a different result.

"Stay with your brother, my child. I will go deliver this new information to your father. He is anxious to know of any updates on Loki's condition."

She leaned in and gave her oldest a kiss on the cheek. As Frigga walked out the door, Eir followed and stated she will be back soon. Now the brothers were alone in the room. It was deathly quiet; the only sound was Loki's soft breathing. Thor pulled up the closest chair and set it at Loki's bedside. He sat down and gathered his brother's hands into his own.

Eir was right, Loki was substantially smaller. He wasn't even close to five feet tall. It was such a difference from the tall 6'4 he used to be. The curse not only pulled away his strength and magic, but his physical body took the blow as well.

Thor mind could stop replaying Eir's words in his head.

We fear Loki may not be able to walk again.