Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel-characters!
AN: I bring a new update! Thanks for sticking with this story. I love each and every one of you! A million thanks to GreenLoki for helping me out with certain parts of this chapter. You are the best! Please let me know what you think.
~ Fields of Blood ~
Chapter 17
Frigga felt the rush of adrenaline course through her veins as she guided her men through the narrow, dark and damp hidden passage. In the past few years, she had never before felt so alive. Anger, hatred and outrage filled her, as well as confidence, excitement and strength. It had been so long since she felt she mattered, but today she would change Asgard's fate. She simply refused to let a man like Arta ruin her beautiful realm. She definitely refused to let him destroy her family.
Thinking of her husband and two sons made the wild fire inside of her burn brighter.
She turned to look back only to find Mýr – Loki's faithful servant – walking behind her. She admired his strength because no one had forced him to come back here and no one certainly forced him to fight should the situation demand it. Mýr was a simple servant after all and he'd never had any proper sword-training, but he had been adamant to join her.
"I'm glad you're with me," she told him, offering him her kindest smile. She had known this man – boy, really – almost his entire life, but he still managed to surprise her. She liked him for that.
Mýr returned her smile. "I am right where I am supposed to be," he said, "I know Prince Loki is your son, but...I think him to be my friend as well. He trusted me enough to look after you, but I think my place is at his side."
"Ever the loyal servant," Frigga said. She knew Mýr and Loki have been friends for many years, but she never thought they were this loyal to each other. She was glad this was the case, though. Every Prince needed a good servant. "I'm sure my son would appreciate this."
Mýr nodded.
Frigga's gaze fell to the man walking behind Mýr. Ulfr didn't look as certain and confident as she felt or as Mýr appeared to be. Then again, Ulfr might just be the only one brave enough to show any doubt about their plan. It was all very risky in the end. They were with twenty four men - all heavily armed – but none the less they were no match for Arta's entire army. Still, the plan wasn't to fight them all.
"We are almost there," she told Ulfr, "are you ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Ulfr replied. His voice didn't shake, nor did his hands tremble. Not once had he abandoned his Queen's side and it now he appeared very unhappy that he was forced to do so now. "I only wish I could stay at your side, my Queen."
"You know the plan," Frigga told him, "besides, you are the leader now."
"I am just a guard," Ulfr said humbly. If the passage running underneath the palace wasn't so dark, Frigga would have sworn Ulfr was blushing. "But I will do what I must. I will succeed in the task you have given to me or I will die trying."
The three strategists – who had stayed behind in the city to lead the rest of Asgard's gathered army – had been furious Frigga had appointed the most important aspect of their plan to Ulfr. Yet she was Queen and she had been adamant about this. She knew Ulfr could lead a part of their men to the front gates to open them. She trusted him with her life and now she trusted him with the fate of Asgard.
"You will not die, Uflr," she told him, never once believing she was lying, "I know we will meet again. After this, I think you ought to be promoted."
Ulfr laughed warmly. "Thank you, my Queen."
"Queen Frigga?" Mýr called back her attention. "I think we have reached the end of the tunnel."
Frigga turned to look ahead. "We have indeed," she said, pushing her way through the men to the front of the line. Faint light filled the tunnel and Frigga could already feel the familiarity of her home. She should be pleased to be back, yet she felt dread filling her. She was afraid of what she would find in her home.
"Everyone knows what he must do," she said, making sure everyone could hear her, "twelve men will go with me to release the prisoners in the cells-" And by the gods did she wish to find Odin and her two boys there! "-the other twelve will follow Ulfr's lead."
There was nothing but noises of acknowledgement.
"Good luck to you all," she added.
~ 0 ~
The echoing footsteps were like the ticking of a clock. They were marking time – time Loki no longer had. He felt his heart beat ferociously within his chest and he heard the whizzing of his own blood in his ears. His wounded shoulder felt like it was on fire and slowly, he reached up to wrap his thin finger around the hilt. Very carefully, he pulled the dagger from his shoulder.
Blood instantly stained his hand. It felt surreal to have his own blood covering him.
Heedlessly, he threw the dagger aside.
"Look at yourself," Arta sighed from somewhere behind him. Loki couldn't see him, but he could tell he was standing just a few feet away from him. His voice was smooth, holding no emotion. "Was it worth it, Loki? What have you gained by wasting your strength and killing my men?"
Loki drew in a tremulous breath, but the air never seemed to reach his lungs. His entire body felt numb except for that raging fire in his shoulder. It was all he could think about which concerned him. He needed to focus because he needed to complete his plan. Nothing was lost yet. Nothing!
"I've gained everything," he replied in hushed whispers. A part of him hadn't wanted to speak loudly – since it was part of his plan - but the prominent reason was that he was simply incapable of using his full voice because he felt empty and so incredibly tired.
Just a little while longer, he told himself, this can all end soon.
"Excuse me?" Arta asked, having difficulty hearing Loki. "I thought you just said 'everything', but that can't be right because no one is coming for you, Loki, no one will save you."
"They don't have to," Loki replied. He swallowed heavily and tasted his own blood which disturbed him. "I don't want to be saved. I don't…" He didn't what? He didn't deserve to be saved? Why was that? Because he hadn't fought hard enough? Because it had taken him so long to finally start fighting in the first place? All that was true. He'd hesitated for too long. Thor would never have let matters get out of hand like this.
"Honestly, Loki," Arta said brutally, "you are pathetic. I can barely hear you speak. Do you give up that easily? No wonder everyone spoke so highly of Thor while they ignored you. He was the golden boy, wasn't he? You could only live in his shadow, admiring him. You have no spirit, no stubborn endurance."
"You will wish you'd never come here," Loki whispered. He closed his eyes for a moment and forced himself to focus on his surroundings, but all that he could hear was silence. Arta was no longer walking and Loki's senses had grown so dull he couldn't hear the man's breathing. Yet he…felt him. He couldn't see him, hear him or smell him, but he felt him. "I will kill you," he added.
Finally, Arta stepped around Loki until he stood directly in front of him. His sharp and cruel blue eyes stared down at him. "You will kill me? What for? Vengeance?" He asked, arching one eyebrow. "Revenge for your broken family? Your slaughtered father and brother?"
Loki's heart stopped. "What?"
"They are dead," Arta said bluntly, "the girl you just saw? Lína? She came to tell me your father and brother are dead. They tried to escape so what choice did they leave my men? They shouldn't have been so foolish, Loki, but don't mourn them. Death was the only solution for them in the end so in that perspective, they made things much easier for me. The Infinity Gauntlet is within my reach and so they would have died anyway."
"Dead?" Loki asked with disbelief in his voice. He had told himself to stay strong, to fight Arta with all he had left, but now… Everything was lost, wasn't it? He couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he would never see his father's face or hear Thor's voice again. It was his fault they were dead because he let Arta inside the palace in the first place, all to save his own skin and now look at him.
Loki felt sick to his stomach.
"Truly, you look horrible, Loki, and I think you might just be dying so I don't so how you'll ever kill me," Arta said, "I thought I was better at throwing daggers than this. I didn't aim for a main artery, but I might have hit one. But look on the bright side; you'll soon be reunited with your father and brother."
"I will kill you," Loki repeated, tears stinging his eyes.
Arta chuckled coldly as he leaned forward, his gaze almost at eye level with Loki's. A faint twinkle in his eyes betrayed amusement. Not a fiber in his being realized how dangerous Loki was in this moment. "You will kill me," Arta said skeptically. He was clearly enormously proud of the fact he had broken Loki. "And just how will you achieve that?"
Loki stared back and while he couldn't know what Arta was seeing right now, he figured it resembled something like a damaged, cornered and savage beast. If this was the last thing Arta would ever see, then Loki felt satisfied.
"Like this," he sneered before letting the blade slip into his hand which he had hid in the fold of his sleeve. With one smooth movement, he reached up and used all the force that was still left within him. One second later – before Arta even realized – he planted the dagger deep in the side of Arta's throat.
His cruel blue eyes widened, horror filling them as a filthy, gurgling noise escape his lips. Arta tried to draw in a breath, but all he felt was blood filling his lunges. Loki – feeling nothing but a seething fury – twisted the dagger sideways. Blood flowed across his fingers, hand and arm, washing away his own blood. The warmth of the blood was disgusting.
"You never won," Loki hissed, his grasp on the blade only tightening, "and you certainly never owned me." Angrily, he pulled the dagger from Arta's throat. "I hope you rot in Hel."
Arta fell back, his hands pressed against the bleeding wound. He appeared like a slaughtered animal, just waiting for death to claim him. Blood pooled beneath him, but Loki couldn't tear his eyes away from it. He wanted to actually see life disappear from those blue eyes.
Moments passed and there was only the sound of Arta's dying gurgling. Finally, he died, having drowned in his own blood.
Tension slipped from Loki's shoulders as the misery had finally ended. He felt his body tremble and Loki was forced to let go of the dagger. It fell to the ground with an ear deafening sound. Not only did tension slip away from Loki, so did his strength. Exhaustion took a hold of him and the edges of his vision blurred into blackness.
What if he fell asleep and he never woke again? The thought should scare him, but Loki only felt at ease. He felt relieved and free and he couldn't wait until sleep consumed him. And what if he died? Would he not see his father again? And Thor? Would that not be a good thing?
But if he lived he would see his mother again.
How much blood had he lost anyway? His breathing quickened as Loki fought to stay conscious.
He was all alone.
Would anyone find him?
He was all alone… And he was terrified.
Then he heard footsteps in the distance.
~ 0 ~
For a moment, Frigga thought her heart would leap from her chest. The sword felt heavy in her hand, but it also felt familiar. It had been years since she fought, but the rush of adrenaline and battle made her feel stronger none the less. Slowly, her body seemed to remember all the right moves as she made her way towards the cells, fighting every savage she encountered along the way.
"My Queen!" Mýr shouted, warning her about an impending attack.
Frigga spun around just in time to see a savage with a sword coming her way. The savage had hoped to catch her by surprise and stab her in the back, but Frigga quickly blocked his attack. The sound of metal hitting metal filled the hallway. With all her strength, she pushed the savage back and into one of her own man who quickly planted a dagger in the savage's stomach.
"We have to get to the lower levels!" Frigga shouted. More footsteps headed their way, but she refused to lose any more time. "We need to release our men and women from the cells! Then this can finally become an even fight." Without waiting, she ran down the hall until she reached the spiraling staircase leading to the dungeons. With one glance over her shoulder, she saw that all the men were following her loyally.
"Let a few of the men go down first, my Queen," Mýr offered as he took a hold of Frigga's arm to prevent her from descending already.
Frigga nodded. The first one down would be met with heavy resistance after all and even though she didn't fear battle or death, she knew her soldiers stood a better chance at winning a fight. Besides, she refused to die before seeing her family. She needed to know if they were safe and well.
She stepped aside and let six men walk by her before beginning the decent herself. Mýr followed her every footstep.
"I do hope Ulfr has reached the front gates by now," she told Loki's servant.
Mýr smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure he has. He is very stubborn that man."
Battle cries, the sound of metal on metal and screams sounded from below them. The first men had reached the cells and were now fighting the savages guarding the prisoners. Frigga instantly tightened her grip on her sword while her gaze lingered on Mýr.
"It's almost over," she told him when she saw his kind brown eyes widen with fear and anticipation, "I'm glad you are at my side, good Mýr."
They reached the final step and the sight before Frigga stole her breath momentarily. Two of her men already lay dead at her feet. Of course she knew not everyone would survive the battle for Asgard, but it still pained her to see it happen. Swallowing heavily, she stepped over the bodies and attacked the nearest savage. Her sword slid ever so easily through flesh and bone.
"Queen Frigga!" One her men called out. Frigga spun around to see Jónsi approach her rapidly. In his right hand, he held his sword while in his left he held a set of keys. Blood stained the metal. "I found the keys, my Queen, you can free the prisoners!"
Frigga accepted the keys and turned to the closest cell. A smile spread across her face when she found Thor's closest friends in it. They stood eagerly close to the bars holding them inside and away from the fight. Murder and vengeance was writing in their gazes..
"Queen Frigga," Fandral said respectfully, his dashing smile never leaving his lips, "allow us to join the battle for you."
"With pleasure!" Frigga opened the cell and allowed the Warriors Three to exit. "Feel free to steal weapons from these savages. It's time we reclaim our palace."
Volstagg hummed in agreement.
"But tell me first," Frigga said, not allowing them to leave her side just yet. The fighting around her made it difficult to just stand around talking, but she needed an answer to her question. "Where is my family?"
"In the last cell," Fandral replied. Out of nowhere, he grabbed Frigga's arms and pulled her to the left. Frigga shrieked as she watched Fandral throw himself forward so that he crashed into the chest of savage. Volstagg and Hogunn quickly ran to his aid. They grabbed the savage's arms and forced him to drop his sword which Mýr picked up and used to stab the enemy in the side.
"Come, Mýr," Frigga said breathlessly, "we have to move." Without waiting, she hurried down the narrow hallway, cells on either side of her, but she ignored them all for now. She would free everyone in a moment, but first she needed to find her husband and sons.
"There!" Mýr shouted so that he would be heard over all the fighting.
Frigga's gaze instantly fell on the familiar faces. Never before had she been so relieved to see her family alive and well. She quickly opened the cell and embraced Thor's broad shoulders. "Oh, my boy," she whispered tearfully, "I'm so glad to have found you."
"I knew you wouldn't abandon us, mother," Thor replied. As soon as he let go of her, he stepped into the hallway, Sif following him while offering her Queen a thankful smile. A growl escaped Thor's lips when he witnessed the battle taking place before them.
Frigga handed the keys to Mýr. "Open the other cells," she ordered him, "quickly! Sif, stay with him and protect him. I'm very fond of this boy."
"I will guard him," Sif said.
"Dear Frigga," Odin sighed contently as he walked towards her. It had only been two days since Frigga last saw her husband, but already she found he had changed. He looked tired and much too thin. She kissed him passionately. It had been years since she last kissed him like this. "You never cease to surprise everyone," Odin added.
"I couldn't leave you and our sons to suffer," she replied sadly. Only then did she realize and she felt horrible for not having done so before. "But tell me, where is Loki?"
"Not here," Odin said, concern filling his kind blue eyes.
"He must still be with Arta," Thor said.
Frigga spun around, surprised that her eldest son had not yet joined the battle. He was usually so eager to fight and defend Asgard's honor. "With Arta?" She echoed. "We must find him then and quickly!"
"No," Thor countered, shaking his head, "I will find him. Mother, you must get father out of here. He has grown weak during his imprisonment and I fear the Odinsleep isn't far off. The Warriors Three will protect you so please, leave this dark place for now."
Frigga hesitated. She wanted to look after Odin with all her heart, but she couldn't bear the idea of leaving her boys behind. She wanted – needed - to know where Loki was, she wanted to know whether or not he was okay. Then she gazed at Thor and she knew he would not rest before he had found his little brother.
"Mother, please," Thor begged of her, "I will find Loki, you know I will."
Finally she nodded. "Indeed I know you will."
~ 0 ~
The front gates had been opened and slowly the halls began to fill with Odin's soldiers. They easily outnumbered Arta's men and Thor knew the battle would soon end. Arta's men were moments away from being defeated.
He made his way through the halls of the palace in search of his brother. He desperately hoped he would find him in his personal bedchambers, but as soon as he arrived there, he knew something was wrong. This part of the palace was completely abandoned and Thor felt dread fill every part of his mind of body. If Loki was not in his chambers and he was not in the cells, then where was he?
A question that was undoubtedly connected to it all was even more unsettling; where was Arta? Thor didn't think he was the kind of man that would flee once he felt threatened. No, he would stay and fight if only just to cause as much damage as possible in retaliation. Again, that did not bode well for Loki. Thor had never before been so frightened for his brother.
"Damnit," he growled under his breath. The palace was big and he couldn't just randomly start a search, not on his own and he refused to wait until the battle had been won. Then he would have wasted too much time. He knew Loki needed him now. He could feel it. He ran down the hall, across a corridor and searched the nearest weapons' room, thinking his brother might have been in search for weapons in order to defend himself.
He found no one and Thor – feeling increasingly powerless and desperate – lifted his sword and cut the nearest curtain in half. It was a ridiculous gesture, but it made him feel a little better. Only a little though.
"The gods be damned!" He cursed loudly. He just wanted to find his brother, was that too much to ask?
He left the weapons' room and decided to go left. He passed a fight – five of Arta's men against ten of Odin's – and for a moment he considered joining them, but he quickly changed his mind. He needed to stay focused and he definitely needed to find his brother. He passed the throne room, but Loki wasn't there either. Finally he made his way towards the Weapon's Vault, thinking perhaps Loki would have gone there in search of a weapon.
An eerie sensation clouded his mind.
There was no one around.
He made another left turn and reached the long hallway leading towards the massive golden doors. His footsteps echoed loudly and Thor even heard his own breathing fill the air. It was quiet. Too quiet and he didn't like it.
He ran down the final steps and finally his gaze landed on his destination. His heart stopped and the air around him grew thick and too heavy to breathe. Thor could not move when he saw blood. So much blood and bodies, too. He saw two savages lying near the doors, but he cared nothing about them. He saw Arta, his blue eyes wide and empty and he felt partially disappointed that he couldn't slay the man himself.
A shuddering breath escaped his lips when he saw his brother. Loki lay motionless on the dark tiles and Thor already feared the worst. He ran forward – nearly stumbled twice as he no longer seemed to have full control over his legs – and finally reached the end of the hall. He dropped his sword, having no need of it and he fell to his knees, quickly pulling his little brother into his arms.
"Loki?" He asked breathlessly. He gently shook him, desperately wanting him to open his eyes. "Come on, Loki, look at me." As if all his prayers had been answered, Loki opened his eyes, his hazy green eyes landing on him. Thor let out a relieved laugh. "Oh, thank the gods!"
"Thor?" Loki's voice was barely audible.
"Yes, it's me," Thor replied, pulling his brother closer to his chest. Only now did he see that he, too, was already entirely covered with blood. "All this blood, Loki, it's so much. What happened? Where are you hurt?"
"Not…mine," Loki whispered, his eyes falling shut again, "not…all of it."
"It's okay brother," Thor assured him. He saw the deep bleeding wound in Loki's shoulder and Thor swallowed heavily. "Everything will be okay, brother, I promise."