Chapter 6- Thor, Part 1

Thor tightened his grip on Mjolnir as Odin finally gave the order to move out. By Valhalla, they should have left for the Bifrost hours ago! Loki had probably been smuggled out of Asgard through one of those blasted secret paths by now.

Sometimes, Thor wondered if Odin even cared for Loki at all. He knew that if he had been captured - though he would have never allowed that to happen! - Odin would have burned down everything and everyone to get him back as soon as he could. So why, with Loki, was he calmly making sure that everyone in the rescue party double checked their rations and weapons?

The rescue party itself was a waste and an insult in Thor's good opinion. Vidar and his men may be trained warriors but all they do is watch over the South Wall. Thor doubted they had seen battle in the last century. Still, they were slightly better than Greta and Ingnar. What good would an old woman and a crippled cook do? If anything, they would slow the group down. True, both had been active during the Jotunheim War, but Greta was but a simple maid with a dagger and Ingmar's glory days ended with the loss of his leg. The two would probably be overwhelmed by the oncoming battle.

Thor had tried to quietly explain this to his father but the old man just glared and chided him for disrespecting his elders.

It was not disrespect! It was the truth!

Why did Odin not allow the younger, stronger warriors to come along? So many, along with the Warriors 3 and Sif, had offered their services, but Odin had cut the party number at 15: Odin, himself, Greta, Ingnar and Vidar with his 10 warriors.

Deep down, Thor knew why Odin refused the service of the younger warriors. Many held little love for Loki and were simply volunteering to gain favor with Odin as well as have bragging rights for rescuing the youngest prince.

Thor would never allow that to happen. Anybody who would dare tease Loki about this would meet their doom by Thor's hand.

Few realize how much Thor remembered from his childhood. He remembers peaking around corners to peer into the healing rooms where his brother laid, panting and coughing weakly. He heard how close Loki was to death as a mere babe but even as a young child, he would relapse if it was too hot or he overworked himself.

It is absolutely frightening as a young boy to look back in a game of tag and see your brother on the ground, unresponsive and choking on air.

Ever since that incident, Thor has been protective of his brother. Loki may call him a thoughtless oaf, but on hot days when Thor sees Loki breathing heavily, he always suggests they relax down by the cool lake instead of training.

He doesn't want to see his brother fall like that again, especially with an audience.

Asgard values strength and Thor was beyond happy when he was finally allowed to start his warrior training. He had worried at first that his trainer would praise him - due to his status - even when he was doing awful, but he had ended up excelling beyond anyone's expectations. He and Loki had watched the warriors practice for years but actually participating was exhilarating. His only regret was that Loki was stuck watching him instead of training alongside him.

So when Loki finally turned the proper age to start training, Thor was probably more excited than Loki. He was confused when the Weapons Master handed Loki a broadsword longer than his arm. When Thor had started, he was given a wooden sword and taught the proper moves before working up to a real blade. The longer the session went on, the more Thor's frown deepened at the Weapons Master's actions. At the end, when that old fool said something that left Loki in near tears, Thor was about to skewer the man but was held back by the other warriors. They told him he couldn't just fly off the handle in anger at every offense he saw. Thor tried to convey that this was more than a simple offense; this was his brother being humiliated! He wasn't being taught properly! The others laughed and told him to wait a week before doing anything. After all, the old Weapons Master liked to drink more than most; things would get better for Loki.

The week ended with Loki more insecure about his abilities as a warrior and Thor was convinced he was about to turn into a fire giant, his anger was so hot. That Weapons Master was going to feel every hurt he made Loki feel, or he would have if the man hadn't suddenly fled from Asgard. If Thor was a vengeful man, he'd of asked Heimdall long ago where that coward went so he could end his miserable life.

When Loki showed improvement with different weapons, Thor thought his brother's trials were over but the other warriors were not impressed. To them, anyone who couldn't hold a sword didn't belong on the battlefield.

Thor would have agreed, but he knew his brother; he had seen how hard Loki had worked, how often Loki had to stop because his endurance was not enough. Thor tried to change their opinions about his brother but it seemed the more he defended Loki, the lower the soldiers thought of his brother.

The worst though, was that vile pig that had dared to call himself a warrior of Asgard.

Thor had been away when it happened, but Sif and the Warriors 3 had been quick to inform him of what that pitiful worm had implied he would do to Loki. At first, Thor thought it was a sick jest they had made up; their warriors were honorable and none would dare suggest such a revolting thing to Lok! Upon finding Loki hiding away in the library, nervous and afraid of even Thor's touch, he began to doubt his thoughts. It took hours to get Loki to open up and tell him what had transgressed on the training grounds and even longer to wrangle the culprit's name from his stubborn brother's lips. By the end, Loki had to physically stop Thor from marching out of the library to kill that beast in Asgardian skin. So the tables turned and Loki kept Thor in the library trying to convince his brother that everything was alright and that there was no need to seek vengeance on his behalf.

If Loki wasn't pale and so short of breath from panic, Thor might have disagreed with him. For the moment though, Loki was more important than retribution so Thor put on a calm mask and stayed with him for the rest of the day.

But his anger was not forgotten and he had immediately sought out that níðingr the next morning. All learned that day that Thor's justice was neither swift nor painless and many heard the disgraced warrior's screams in their dreams for months on after. Brutality aside, the silent message had been heard and spread amongst the warriors:

Thor will always protect Loki.

Which was why he was beating himself up for letting those dwarves trick him so easily. Thor might not have excelled in his studies as well as Loki, but even he knew dwarves hated leaving their realm for any reason.

Thor's stomach lurched as another thought came to him; he had eaten and drank with those dwarves at the feast yesterday.

He had been merry with thieves that snatch up brothers in the night.

Disgusting.

He couldn't help it; the thought pushed him over edge and white lighting crackled across the sky, dancing away as the low rumble of thunder came upon it.

Odin snapped at Thor to control himself and Thor would have replied in kind but Odin finally gave the order to move out. As Odin began walking, he informed the company that Heimdall had reported seeing the flickering images of dwarves in the forest south of the palace; a common mistake made by sorcerers when under pressure. Invisibility spells only held up if one had their whole focus on the spell.

Loki had taught him that. His green eyes had been bright and gleeful as they always were when he learned new things.

Thor vowed he would see that look on his brother's face again. Tightening his grip on Mjolnir, Thor closed his eyes as the Bifrost lit up, taking the group to the outskirt of the forest where the dwarves had been spotted. The dwarves would know they were coming but Odin was more concerned about catching up with the fiends than subtleness- the first action that Thor actually agreed with on this mission.

The moment they hit the ground, Thor was stomping towards the trees. He ignored the calls of the others and would have continued on had he not found himself frozen in place. Immediately, he knew it had been Greta who had cast the spell for he had become well acquainted with it as a rambunctious child when he preferred to continue playing over the calls to go bathe.

Ingnar's heavy hand fell on the back of his head. The old cook scolded him fiercely, calling him a child for trying to forge ahead alone with no plan. Thor had a plan: Find the dwarves, kill them, retrieve Loki and go home.

His cheeks flushed in embarrassment at the treatment and hoped his father would rescue him. A quick glance told him that Odin was annoyed and, unfortunately, that annoyance was at Thor's actions. So with a quick grunt to relay that he would listen to their plan, Greta released the spell.

The plan, Thor felt, was less than impressive.

They would walk through the woods. Odin, Thor, Greta and Ingnar would be encircled by the guards as Vidar took to the front. Thor protested this - Odin or Thor should take the lead. They were royalty, the leaders - why should they be hiding behind the guards? Vidar's reply that because Odin and Thor were royalty was the reason they needed to be protected grated at Thor's nerves but his concern for Loki overcame his need to argue. He reasoned to himself that he could easily leave the circle if needed.

So the company walked the woods swiftly and silently. Begrudgingly, Thor was impressed with those he deemed 'simple wall guards'. Vidar and his kept excellent watch and moved like they had seen battle their whole life. Surprisingly, neither Greta nor Ingnar showed signs of tiring; only fierce determination and focus.

Vidar suddenly stopped and gave a hand signal for their group to halt. Thor felt confusion at this command; there was nothing ahead and no sign of any creatures about to attack -

- swift as the wind, Vidar grabbed a dagger from his belt and threw it into a bush. A gurgling hiss and resounding 'thump' revealed a hideous cave goblin, bloody hands clawing at its neck where the dagger struck.

Thor raised an appreciative eyebrow. It rose even higher as two of Vidar's men soundlessly moved to the goblin and ended its life. Perhaps, these men were better than Thor had given them credit for.

"A cave goblin? Strange to see one so far from Nidavellir." The All Father said in a flat tone. Cave goblins, from what Thor remembered from his history lessons, were mischievous little creatures that lived in the mountains of Nidavellir. If he recalled correctly, they absolutely hated dwarves more than anything else.

"Well, it matters not. Let us continue on." Odin said, ending any opportunity to open up conversation about his statements. By the looks everyone was throwing each other, they had caught onto whatever silent message the All Father had given. All, except Thor. That was fine with Thor. If it was important, he would learn of it sooner or later. Right now, Loki was the priority.

They walked for some time with nothing of interest to interrupt them. Thor was beginning to feel anxious. What if they were too late? What if Loki had already perished at the hands of those dwarves? Why would they even want Loki in the first place? Did they wish for him to perform some sort of magic? Was he simply a hostage for trade? So many questions with no answers.

Just as Thor was about to lose his patience and fly ahead, the ground began to tremble and shake. The group stopped and readied themselves as the sound of something very big and angry stomped its way toward their location. Vidar began making hand signs to the others. Thor had no time to ask what they meant as dozens of cave goblins burst out of the bushes followed by five ferocious rock trolls.

Thor felt a grin split across his face. Now here was a challenge! Quickly making his way to one of the raging rock trolls, Thor unleashed Mjolnir and sent several goblins into the afterlife with one mighty swing. The rock troll, he knew, would be harder to take down. The creature's body was covered in hard granite that even the strongest metals could not penetrate. Thankfully, Mjolnir was an exception to this.

For a creature of such great size, the troll was surprisingly quick in its movements. It took Thor several tries to land a blow and even then it had been a glancing one. The troll in turn would try to grab Thor with its sharp claws that could cut through Asgardian bone with ease. He had avoided such a fate so far and intended to keep it that way.

As he battled with his opponent, Thor was able to catch glimpses of the others. He was surprised to see Vidar taking on and killing one of the trolls single handedly. The movement had been so quick, Thor hadn't been able to see how the guard had done it - and with such ease! Odin was sitting on his own fallen troll, casually killing any goblins foolish enough to come near him with a stroke from Gungnir.

Dodging a blow that would have separated his head from his shoulders, Thor noticed that five of Vidar's men were slowly but methodically killing a troll while the other five protected them by killing goblins that ventured too close.

Suddenly, a loud, bellowing yell filled the area; it was a war cry Thor had never heard before but it filled him with both fear and adrenaline. Looking about, he was surprised to see the cry had come from Ingnar. Seeing the cook jump up and sever the troll's head from its shoulders with one swing from his axe made Thor's mouth drop open in shock. Not only at the fact that the man had moved so easily and confidently on his peg-leg but also because that old, dull looking axe should have broken on the thick hide of the troll.

"Prince Thor!"

Thor wasn't sure who had called his name but it reminded him of his own battle and he turned just in time to see the troll was about to bear its mighty fists down upon him. Cursing himself for making the novice mistake of taking his eyes off his opponent, Thor tried to bring up his hammer to bock the blow but knew he would not make it in time.

A/N: Níðingr is a Viking insult. More or less, it's calling someone a villain according to my findings.

This is actually half of a chapter. I felt it was a bit too long to post as one and split it into two parts. The other half will be up soon.