Chapter Seven
Travelling by Bifrost was not going to become your new favourite pastime any time in the next century. Nausea washed over you and you were fully sure you would be ill, and only for the shock you received on the end of your journey, you would have. Jötunheim was cold, colder than you thought it would ever be. You were under no illusions, a land of eternal winter, inhabited by Frost Giants, by its very nature; you knew it was going to be freezing cold. But this was worse than you could ever have thought. Around you, you heard others moan and shiver as the icy wind blasted by. Looking to Loki, he seemed to be scanning the landscape before fixing his gaze to where he wished to go.
"We better move, it would not be too difficult for a group of Jötnar to ambush us if we are simply standing around and if we stay here too much longer, we will start to get frostbite." You suggested. Loki agreed and began to walk forward. The Einharjar gave the order and the rest of the army began to move.
"Fresh enough for you?" Loki asked slightly breathlessly as you reached the point he had been looking at before.
"My father told me of the cold here, but not of the lack of air." You commented, trying to fill your lungs.
"Aye, Odin was the same with his bestowing of knowledge I am afraid. Though I also think we have the misfortune of landing during a storm."
"Meaning if Thor and the others are safe, they have sought shelter from it." You thought aloud, looking around, wondering where they could have found said shelter.
"So long as my brother was not being foolish, they should have." He agreed, also looking around. "Do you think that could be the…"
"The citadel, the one that housed the Casket, it looks exactly how I imagined it would from my fathers description." You concurred. "So we are near their great city."
"Meaning we must keep an even keener eye out." Cnut added.
"Yes, let us aim for the citadel. I cannot imagine they are too bothered by it now that their beloved casket is gone, meaning we should be safe there." Loki suggested. The Einharjar agreed and gave the word to move on.
Because of your short legs, you fell a few paces behind Loki, but you ensured you remained close to the prince. "You take too many liberties boy." Cnut commented to your side.
"I am curious as to why you think that is." You queried, not looking away from the path in front of you that Loki had made in the snow.
"The way you speak to His Highness, and you reference to the crowned prince by his name, you are getting above your station." He growled.
"If 'His Highness' has no issue with my manner, then surely you are getting above your own station by correcting me." Cnut stopped in his tracks and stared at you open mouthed as you continued on, you were fairly certain that you could hear a low laugh that could only be Loki's in the wind.
The citadel, like everything else in Jötunheim it would seem, was made of ice and was eerily quiet. The wind howled and whistled through different pillars of ice, but that only added to the sense of foreboding that surrounded you. Your senses went on high alert, looking at every nook and cranny for any sign of a Frost Giant.
"You seem tense Bjórrson, this place is deserted." Sneered Vidar.
"Silence you fool, we do not know that for certain." Cnut snapped, he too was keeping a watch for danger. Vidar silenced, though it was obvious he saw no reason for it.
A low rumbling noise caught your attention and you froze, a few feet to your right Loki had done the same, looking side to side, his eyes met your, mirroring the expression you were convinced were in your own, fear. The rumble seemed to increase in volume and not a moment too soon you realised what was the cause of it as a large beast covered in scales, rune markings and ice, with a large spike covered club tail rose out of the snow, its teeth bared and raising its tail to strike. Realising the trajectory of its path, you ran forward and pushed Loki to the ground just as its tail sliced through the air where he had been standing a mere moment before.
Loki looked at you in utter bewilderment lying on his on his chest for a moment before he saw the beast as it readied itself to swing its tail again. Rising to your feet in a hurry, you pulled him up with you. "Get into the citadel, it will not be able to fit." You shouted, not sure as to whom you were even speaking. Without pausing, you turned and began to run, having to jump over what remained of Vidar, who had been too busy mocking to even see the beast as its tail struck him full force.
Yells and cries told you that the creature had struck and attacked more prey as you ran, but you did not risk looking back. In your peripheral vision, you could see Loki running also, taking your advice and heading to the ice structure. As you had suspected it was too narrow for the great beasts frame, and most of the soldiers made it inside safely.
"How do we know it cannot get in?" A young soldier, younger than you even, called Rollo asked fearfully.
"It seems to have been trying to but has so far failed." You gasped as you tried to get your breath back. A few looked at you curiously, so you explained further. "The pillars outside are all marked by its claws and tail, but yet they remain hardly cracked."
"How in the Nine Realms did you even notice that?" Cnut asked in awe.
"I am just that good." You replied, pushing yourself away from the wall you had been leaning against to catch your breathe. Every ounce of your body ached as the adrenalin began to fade. Taking a few moments, you decided to look around. There was a large circle at the back of the citadel with a pedestal in the centre. "I am going to hamper a guess and say this is where they kept the casket." You stated sarcastically as Loki come up to stand beside you.
"I would think your observation correct. Thank you by the way." You looked to the side to see Loki looking at you. "For saving my life, I wish to say thank you."
"You can buy me a tankard of mead when we get back to Asgard as a sign of your gratitude." You smiled.
"It would be my pleasure." He walked off and you continued to smile as you watched him leave. A sharp pain near your shoulder caught your attention. You loosened the straps on the breast plate and slid a hand inside it onto the back of your neck, then toward your shoulder blade. You felt as though your heart had stopped when you felt warm wetness against your hand. Lifting your hand out, you had to control your breathing as you stared at the crimson fluid that covered your hand. Your mind flashed back to the blasted beast and fixated on the large spikes that donned its tail, one mush have struck you as you tackled Loki out of its way. You looked around, relieved that none seemed to have noticed, so you unwrapped the binding around your breasts a little, before rewrapping it over the wound, and made your way back to Loki and the rest of the army.
Loki looked to you when you reappeared close to him. "Have you any suggestions as to our next step?"
"There appears to be a crack in the wall at the back of the citadel, too small for a Frost Giant, plenty big for an Aesir, I cannot fathom how it came to be." You pointed back toward where you had been.
"Well we may as well find out. Cnut, you and Vadik come with Ragnar and myself into that crack, Roald, you and Elov remain here, look after the wounded and ensure everyone gets some rest." Loki ordered, he then turned back to you. "Lead the way." Nodding, you turned and walked back to where the pedestal was located and showed Loki the fissure in the wall. He walked over and studied it. "It's been hammered and axed; there are large markings from it. Thor and Volstagg may have been here." He smiled eagerly.
"Who will enter first?" Cnut asked, clearly unhappy with the idea of going into a small place with little light and no space to fight if needed.
"Since you currently resemble farmyard poultry at the thought of going first, I will." You sighed walking passed them and ducked into the fissure. "It expands somewhat inside, but I cannot see to far." You informed them.
"Allow me." Loki waved his had and a green glow illuminated from his hand.
"That is fairly useful." You commented, walking forward. There was nothing of note for a short period before an odd noise caught your attention. Looking to Loki you were slightly stunned to see him smiling and chuckling, he nodded at you to continue, so you did. Around the next corner a glow of light from a fire caught your attention. Those who surrounded it looked up suddenly, preparing to attack.
"Well I be damned." Volstagg smiled seeing the other Aesir. "Thor, wake up my friend, your brother is here." He struck Thor's arm waking the prince and putting an end to the resonating sound you had heard.
Looking to Loki, he looked to you and laughed. "After over a millennia, if I did not know my idiot brothers snore, I would have to hang my head in shame." He exclaimed before walking forward and into the tight embrace of Thor. "Get off me you oaf." Loki squirmed.
"Brother, you are truly a sight for sore eyes." Thor beamed.
"My men are in the citadel awaiting our return." He explained.
"You made it passed that wretched beast." Fandral commented. "How many of you?"
"We began with sixty men, five Einharjar and his royal highness, we currently have forty eight men, four Einharjar and his highness." Cnut proclaimed.
"All thanks to Ragnar, he heard and saw the beast before it was too late, and for telling us it could not fit within the citadel." Loki smiled, indicating to you.
"Well then, we best head back to your soldiers, I have had my fill of this cavern." Thor rose from the frozen floor. "Has the storm passed?"
"Not quite yet, but I suspect it will soon." Loki answered, taking up the rear just behind you as everyone headed toward the citadel.
Nearly half way back a loud crunching noise caused everyone to freeze. "What the Hel?" Fandral commented looking upward. Just in time you saw a large shard of ice falling just behind you, without thinking you lunged at Loki again, pushing him back, and away from danger. Ice continued to fall for a few seconds, crashing loudly beside you, shouts from the others also rang in your ears, until finally, the noises stopped.
Looking around you saw that the pathway between the rest of the warriors and yourself and Loki had been blocked. "Loki!" Thor yelled from the other side of the new wall of ice.
"We are fine." He looked at you as you pulled yourself off his chest for the second time in as many hours. "Aren't you?" you nodded. "Go on, we will join you again shortly." The other warriors left, leaving you both to take a minute to assess the situation. "You have a bit of a knack for saving my life." He chuckled as you both got to your feet. "I will have to hand over Asgard's supply of mead by the end of this excursion if this persists."
"And I shall sell it back to the people then and make a great profit." You smiled. An odd sensation began to take over you. "I think I need to sit for another moment." You sighed, leaning back against the wall of the tunnel and allowing yourself to slide down it.
"Take as long as you want, you…your bleeding." Loki had turned to face you halfway through his sentence and was now staring in shock.
"Just a little, it is but a scratch." You dismissed. He rushed over to you, trying to pull the armour out to see where the wound was.
"The blood volume on the ice begs to differ." He argued, untying your breastplate.
"What? Stop." You struggled, not wanting to have the prince realise your secret.
"I have to check how bad the wound is. When did you receive it?" he stated, fighting to get passed your flailing arms.
"Off that beast, I said I am fine, just leave me be."
"I want to see for myself."
"I do not recall asking for your opinion." You retorted.
"If you are worried about me looking at your breasts, I swear I will try to avert my eyes from them." You froze, staring at him. "What, you think I did not know, Eleonora?"