While Soeren went to alert the Geilää to be ready in case of attack, Strange left via portal to find the Guardians of the Galaxy and bring them to Nidavellir, where Sophie and Loki went immediately. As soon as they arrived, Sophie knew something was wrong. It was darker than she remembered, but worse than that, it was silent. These halls were never silent. Always one could hear dwarves laughing and feasting in some distant room, or make out the whirring and clanging of machinery. But now... nothing.
"What –" Sophie began.
An enormous figure loomed out of the gloom and swung at them. Sophie and Loki were both thrown backwards across the room, to crash into some debris that normally wouldn't have been there. Footsteps that shook the ground under them came towards them at a rapid pace. They jumped up, Loki instantly conjuring a pair of daggers, but Sophie put up her empty hands toward the incoming threat.
"Eitri, wait!" she exclaimed, "Stop!"
He paused, fist raised, a look of confusion flicking across his pained face.
"Sophie? Loki?"
"Yes," Sophie smiled, "It's us. It's alright."
Loki put away his daggers.
"What happened here?" he asked.
"You were supposed to protect us," Eitri snapped, glaring at him.
Loki's brows rose.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Asgard was supposed to protect us!" Eitri shouted.
Sophie only now noticed that his hands were encased in what looked like metal gloves, but it wasn't a true glove, with individual fingers and flexibility. It looked like someone just melted metal over his hands and the metal solidified like that.
"Asgard is no more," Loki replied, "Odin is dead. I am now King of Asgard."
"Eitri," Sophie said softly, "What happened to your hands?"
Eitri stumbled backwards a few steps until he fell to sit on the floor.
"Three hundred dwarves lived on this ring," he said, "I thought if I did what he asked, they'd be safe."
Horror took root in Sophie's chest, the dread growing slowly as she imagined she knew what Eitri was about to say.
"I made what he wanted," Eitri continued, "A device capable of harnessing the power of the stones. Then he killed everyone anyway. All except me."
Sophie closed her eyes, unable to look at the expression on her friend's face. Yet her mind was not safe either, as she could picture the slaughter that must have taken place. Her stomach turned over when she thought of her own people. Oh, they had the Geilää clan for now, a group of elves that had dedicated their entire lives – which was thousands of years – to perfecting the art of combat, tactics, and strategy. But she would prefer to be there herself if Thanos came for them. Eitri, however, was not a fighter. He did what he thought was best to protect his people, and it wasn't enough.
"'Your life is yours', he said, 'But your hands are mine alone.'"
Sophie shook her head, stunned at the savagery before her. Thanos had destroyed Eitri's hands to keep him from using his gift of crafting to aid anyone else. It was now clear to her, more than ever, that though Thanos's plain to wipe out half of all life in an instant was now impossible, he was still dangerous.
"Eitri, I am so sorry," Sophie said, "I cannot imagine your pain. I cannot bring your people back, but perhaps on Alfheim we can restore your hands. I can also bring retribution to Thanos, but for that, I need your help."
Eitri said nothing in response, he simply held up his hands that looked like they'd been slipped into metal mittens with a pitiful expression.
"You can still aid us," Loki said, stepping forward, "With your mind. Let us be your hands for now. You know how to make what we need, just tell us."
Eitri blinked, then slowly nodded.
"Yes," he murmured.
Eitri lumbered to his feet and went off down the hall. Sophie and Loki exchanged looks, then went after him. A block of metal was being put into place when they found him.
"What is that?" Sophie asked.
"It's a mold," Eitri explained, "A king's weapon – though I would not mind a queen wielding it. Meant to be the greatest in Asgard. In theory, it could even summon the Bifrost."
"Did it have a name?" Loki asked.
"Stormbreaker," said Eitri.
Sophie fought not to laugh. She made storms. To be a Stormmaker wielding a Stormbreaker was hilarious to her.
"Might have to rename it," Sophie said
"But to do this, you'd have to restart the forge. Awaken the heart of a dying star."
Sophie frowned.
"Ah. That should be easy..." she muttered sarcastically.
"Good thing you have help," a voice said from behind them.
They all turned to see Strange stepping out of a portal. As it closed, he opened another one far above their heads. A ship came through that one, and in it were the Guardians of the Galaxy. Sophie's eyes lit up upon seeing their ship.
"Eitri," she said calmly, "I don't suppose you have some line?"
"Of course."
Sophie smiled.
"Perfect."
When she saw the rope they were to use, she felt even better about this.
"Are you sure this will work?" a voice asked from the ship as Sophie, Loki, and Strange attached one end of the line to the ship and the other end to one of the rings of Nidavellir, "Won't the line snap? Or come undone?"
"It won't snap," Sophie assured them confidently, "This was made in Alfheim. And it won't come undone because I know my knots."
They stood back as Quill revved the engines of his ship. With the ship moving, it dragged the ring it was attached to into position, which aligned the other rings. The star at the center of the forge re-lit, and it was the most beautiful thing Sophie had seen in a long time. For a moment, their hearts were light as they watched the forge begin to work. Then the stream of light coming from the star stopped as there was a loud clang of metal.
"What happened?" Sophie asked.
"The mechanism is crippled."
"What!"
"With the iris closed, I can't heat the metal," Eitri said.
"Can't we just try percussive maintenance?" Sophie asked, frustrated.
At the blank look on Eitri's face, Loki stepped in to translate.
"She means just hit it until it works."
"No," Eitri said, "It must be held open somehow."
Sophie looked around at everyone, calculating who would be the best bet for what she was about to propose. Her heart sank as she realized it was herself.
"How long will it take to heat it?" she asked.
"A few minutes, maybe more. Why?"
Sophie sighed and turned to look back at Eitri.
"I'll hold it open."
"No!" Loki protested, "You can't do this."
"I have to agree with him," Soeren said as he appeared in his corporeal form.
Sophie sighed. Just in time to be on exactly the wrong side, wasn't he?
"The alternate option is not viable," she insisted.
"You are still weakened from destroying the Time Stone," Loki said urgently.
"She what?!" a voice from the ship exclaimed.
"Loki, I am telling you, I can do this," Sophie said, ignoring everyone else.
"You're asking to take the full force of a star," Eitri interrupted, "It'll kill you."
"Only if I die," Sophie smiled.
"Yes," said Eitri, confused, "That's what killing you means."
"You can't argue with a lunatic!" Loki exclaimed.
Still smiling, Sophie shook her head. If there was even a spark of life left in her after this, and this weapon was capable of what she thought it was, then she would be restored to full health and life once it was in her hands. Then again, if she miscalculated like with the Infinity Stone, even by a small margin, she was about to be toast. But she couldn't kill Thanos without this weapon, so...
The Guardians of the Galaxy settled their ship and disembarked, while Sophie made her way toward the mechanism Eitri indicated.
"I'm not going to let you do this," Loki said, grabbing her arm.
Sophie smiled gently.
"I'm not asking your permission, Loki."
"Sophie..." Loki growled, his fingers tightening on her arm.
"You cannot seek to control me and love me at the same time," she said softly, "Please, let me go."
He squeezed tighter for a moment, pain, fear, and rage shining in his eyes. Sophie stared back at him, saddened by the knowledge that she was doing this to him. She knew if their situations were reversed, she would be feeling so helpless, and she despised that feeling above all others. Of course Loki would be feeling torn apart. Suddenly, he let go of her arm and turned away.
"Is there any point to me voicing an objection?" Soeren asked.
"None whatsoever," Sophie said, "But I appreciate your concern."
She went to her position and took hold of the handles on either side of her. She hoped Eitri was ready. Taking a deep breath, Sophie pulled. She felt the heat on her back the moment she started, and the pain was indescribable. Unlike destroying the Infinity Stone, where there was still room for rational thought in spite of the pain, this set her to screaming in only seconds. She held on for as long as she could, but the world soon went black, and her body fell into blissful oblivion. Soeren, seeing his queen begin to fall, caught her in smoke form and brought her gently to the ground near Eitri. Loki was by their side in an instant.
"Sophie! Sophie don't do this to me, come on."
The Guardians of the Galaxy crowded around her.
"Is she okay?" Mantis asked worriedly.
"I think she's dying," Rocket said.
"She needs the weapon!" Eitri said, "Where's the handle?"
No one saw Groot use part of his own arm to bind the weapon together and make the handle, but everyone noticed the sparks that formed in Sophie's open palm. The war hammer flew into her hand an instant later. Her eyes opened, she took a deep breath, slowly sitting up.
"See?" she said, "I'm fine. Thank you, Groot."
"I am Groot."
"You should be dead," Quill said, staring at her.
"She should be dead for the second time today," Loki informed him.
"Yeah, what was that about destroying an Infinity Stone?" Gamora demanded, stepping forward.
"Ah! You!" Sophie exclaimed, getting to her feet, "I think you have something to tell us, don't you?"
A guilty, crestfallen look came over Gamora's face.
"Yeah, as I thought," Sophie said grimly.
Shaking her head, she looked around at everyone.
"Right. Eitri, thank you for this. Now we need to get you to Alfheim immediately so someone can see to your hands. Soeren will take you. While that's going on, we need someplace to talk about our next steps."
"Thanos's people have already attacked Midgard," Loki said, "They've likely already left and won't return so soon."
"Earth it is," Strange said, opening a portal.
They all stepped through it and into the building that Loki called his home. Looking around, Sophie was comforted by seeing familiar settings. It had been so long, it seemed, since she was last here, but little had changed. They all took seats, except for Soeren, who remained standing. For a few moments, silence reigned.
"So... did you really destroy the Time Stone?" Quill asked.
"Yes," Sophie, Loki, and Soeren said at once.
"Then we've already won!" Rocket smiled.
"There will be no victory until Thanos is dead," Drax said.
"And he will definitely be wanting Sophie dead," Loki put in, "I'm sure he knows what she's done by now."
"And he is still dangerous," Sophie added, "He will only grow more dangerous the more stones he acquires. So we should endeavor to get as many as we can. We have the Space Stone, he has the Mind Stone –"
"And the Power Stone," Quill said miserably, "We got a communication from the Nova Core."
Sophie looked at Rocket.
"The last time we spoke, didn't you say 'Nobody's gonna get that thing from where we left it. And I say that with absolute confidence.'?"
Rocket was opening his mouth to reply, but someone beat him to it.
"I am Groot."
The raccoon scowled at his friend.
"Thanks a lot."
"None of this matters!" Loki interrupted, "What we need to focus on is the procurement of the Reality and Soul Stones. The Reality Stone is on Knowhere with the Collector. Seems to me we divide and conquer. One group goes there, the other goes for the Soul Stone. Which is where? You've had sufficient time to figure that out."
Gamora stared at them, a look of pain in her eyes.
"I don't want to say. I don't want anyone to get it, but I don't want him to have it above all. If you've already gotten rid of one... then maybe you are the best one to keep this one from him. The stone is on Vormir."
At that moment, the door was broken down in a loud crash and splintering of wood. Everyone drew a weapon or raised their fists, focusing on whatever had just come barreling into the room. As it turned out, it was just Barnes and Rogers.
"Did you injure my guards?" Loki asked with narrowed eyes.
"We had to!" Barnes protested, "We had to speak to you!"
"Yeah, to find out what is going on out there!" Rogers agreed, "The footage of the attack that just happened in New York, it's insane! Is all of Midgard under attack now?"
"Maybe," Sophie said grimly, "Depends on which group of people Thanos wants to take his anger out on first. I'm hoping he'll come straight for me, but I'm starting to have doubts."
"Sophie!" Rogers exclaimed, delighted, "You're here!"
Rogers came forward and wrapped her in a bear hug as Sophie smiled and hugged him back.
"What's with the beard?" Sophie muttered.
"You don't like it?"
"I hate it."
"We want to help," Barnes said stoically, ignoring them.
Loki sighed.
"Very well. I suppose we could use all the help we can get."
"The majority should go to Knowhere," Sophie said, "That's likely the one Thanos will go for next, since he doesn't know where the Soul Stone is yet."
"But we don't know what we will face in Vormir," Loki objected.
"So we choose a select few to go to Vormir, but those should be our strongest," Sophie said.
"But one person capable of transporting people should go with each group," Strange spoke, "That means me and Loki to escort each group."
"Right," Sophie murmured, brow furrowing as she thought, "I'm the one capable of destroying Infinity Stones. And Loki has one, which he can summon anytime."
Which was key to her being able to destroy more stones, but she left that out.
"Loki and I go together," Sophie went on, thinking about, "But to Vormir or Knowhere?"
"Keeping in mind that Thanos is most likely to head for Knowhere next," Loki said, "We don't want to be fighting him and playing hot potato with a stone at the same time. The aim should be destroy as many stones as possible as fast as possible. So Vormir it is."
"That leaves Strange and the Guardians to go to Knowhere," Sophie said.
"I'll go with them too," Barnes said.
"That leaves me to go with Sophie and Loki," Rogers smiled.
"Right," Sophie smiled, "Break, team!"
"I see nothing broken," Drax frowned.
Quill explained it to him as Strange and the Guardians went through a portal to Knowhere. Sophie and Rogers each got hold of Loki, and he brought them to Vormir. They appeared on a mountain, where they only walked for a short time before a floating wraith appeared before them.
"Welcome, Sophie, Loki, and... Steven."
"You," Rogers said, shocked.
"Where is the Soul Stone?" Loki demanded.
"You should know, it extracts a terrible price."
"Just show us to the stone," Sophie said sternly.
This... person, or thing, or whatever, was not going to deter her from getting that stone. They trailed behind the wraith until they got to a cliff.
"What you seek lies in front of you," they were told, "As does what you fear."
"I fear nothing," Sophie said, annoyed, "And that's exactly what's here!"
"It is the price," said the wraith, "Soul holds a special place among the Infinity Stones. You might say it has a certain wisdom."
Sophie glared at him.
"What does it want?" Loki demanded.
"To ensure that whoever possesses it understands its power, the stone demands a sacrifice."
"Of what?" Rogers asked.
"In order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love. A soul, for a soul."
Sophie felt her heart drop into her stomach as the thought of Loki. Then, completely unbidden, his face flashed into her mind's eye as he snarled at her words that were spoken to her once by a variation of him.
She was faster than Rogers. She outran him, launched herself off that cliff without a second's hesitation. All the realms mourned her. She became a hero. 'Sophie of Midgard', they called her. But what good is being a legend if you're dead?
Sophie's lips parted in shock as she realized what that Loki had meant. It was this moment he spoke of. And of course it was, there was more than one type of love. There was the love between friends. Sophie and Rogers loved each other, there was a bond between them. Sophie in another life had raced off this cliff against Rogers and won. And now, she had the same opportunity again.
This is it. This is my death.
Even as she began to move, starting to run towards her own doom, she became aware Rogers was also moving, pulling ahead of her. In that moment, everything seemed to slow and enhance. She knew the wind was whipping her hair back away from her face, and wondered if that was because she was moving so quickly or if it was just the wind. Somehow she could feel Loki behind her, arm outstretched, reaching for her. But her surroundings were blurring together, running like liquid paint. She was closing the gap between her and Rogers, she was going to pass him, she would make it!
Then he turned and threw his shield at her. It took only an instant for Sophie to spin out of the way, but that was all the delay Rogers needed. She reached the edge of the cliff a fraction of a second after he had jumped. Loki grabbed her before she could leap after him, and for a breath, Rogers was facing them. They stared back at him, eyes wide with horror, but he was smiling, even as he fell. Sophie felt numb as she looked down the cliff, down to where her friend lay broken.
"No," she whispered, "It should have been me."
Her eyes closed in her grief... and when they opened again, she realized she was laying in a shallow pool of water. She could feel something in her hand. She sat up, opening her palm, and found the Soul Stone there.
"Your Majesty!" someone shouted.
Sophie blinked and looked up, only now realizing she had been staring down at the stone against her palm for some time without speaking or moving. Soeren changed from smoke form to his physical form before her eyes, rushing forward, splashing through the water and hauling her to her feet.
"Are you alright?" Soeren wanted to know.
Sophie shook her head. She felt... hollow. Numb.
"No," she said, her voice sounding odd to her own ears, "But it's nothing you can fix."
"We must return. Loki is frantic –"
"He's okay? He's alive?"
"Yes. On Midgard, where the Guardians and Strange have gathered. There's been a slight hiccup."