Chapter 9
The news of Lord Ullr’s death spread through Society like a wildfire. There were already rumors of the occult having taken place and many people who claimed to have witnessed him drawing demonic symbols on the floor. Others claimed they saw him twist in mid air and that was why the ball had been so frantically ended. Nearly everyone had a story of their own.
There were mass parties and soirees of those who had attended, hosted by those who wished to know the details. Details that were exaggerated and flourished to its fullest horror until no one really knew what happened.
No one except for Thor and Loki, who had made their return home swift.
They were halfway back, their journey was long and with the night falling so quickly, they had to dismount their rented carriage and take an inn for the night.
Thor was wary
Loki seemed to be afraid of him, though the intensity of that fright was no longer visible. He didn’t flinch when Thor spoke, he didn’t look at him cautiously like he’d done when they left Ullr’s home.
He didn’t want to, but Thor felt evil. He felt like he should be far from Loki, locked away so he could do no harm to anyone.
He felt dangerous.
And he was sure Loki thought him dangerous.
By the way he avoided his gaze, Thor felt his thoughts very clearly.
He cleared his throat and made Loki look at him, saw no caution in his eyes, just…questioning.
“Do you still wish for me to accompany you to Seidr?”
Loki frowned “Pardon? Do you not want to?”
The thought sunk his heart in a thick sea of despair
“Nay, I love that place” Thor said “but…we cannot ignore what I did. And seeing you afraid of me, it…”
“I am not afraid of you” Loki cut in
That surprised Thor and he looked at him, a little confused.
“You are not?”
“No” Loki walked over “Granted, I was …alarmed and taken aback but I am not afraid of you, Thor. I don’t think I can be.”
“But you flinched away from me like I was a demon or a monster” Thor frowned
“I was taken aback and if I made you feel that way, I apologize” Loki stopped before him “I didn’t intend for you to feel that”
He reached out and touched the lapels of Thor’s coat.
“You saved me” he looked up at him “I trust you more than I have trusted anyone. Thor, never doubt that”
He moved closer to place a kiss at the corner of Thor’s lips.
“Please” Loki smiled “do not think that way.”
Thor felt a tension ease within his heart and his lips curved into a smile.
“To be fair” he said “you were doing very well before I got there”
Loki gave him a dry look and Thor winced
“Forgive me”
“Aye, ‘forgive me’” Loki scoffed, stepping back “get into bed, we have to leave early tomorrow if we are to get to the next checkpoint”
“As you wish, my lord” Thor smiled
The hour was late and the night was slightly cold so they quietly agreed to have Thor hold Loki in his arms as they lay together, waiting to sleep.
Thor had his arms around his waist and could feel the soft, tender way Loki ran his fingers around his arm, over the fine hair on his arm, lost in his thoughts. He was thinking, too.
His anger had brought that power upon him, he’d felt all of it. It was a part of him
And he was going to go back to the Isle and get to that place again to see if he found anything or not.
“Are you still awake?” Loki asked
“Aye” Thor whispered “I’m thinking”
“About what happened?” Loki asked “or something else?”
“I can hardly think of anything else” Thor sighed “it…I cannot believe you are this calm”
“Truly, part of me thinks I imagined it all” Loki confessed “but another part is relieved and a small, tiny part is not really surprised by it. It is surprised about what happened, but not that it happened. I am not surprised that there is magic”
“Have you experienced something like this in your life?” Thor asked him
His stroking stopped
“Perhaps” Loki said “I cannot describe it properly”
“Describe it the way you can” Thor told him
“Well” Loki played with Thor’s fingers “it happened when the laboratory burnt down. I was running towards the fire, before Balder caught me. There was a small moment, a tiny one, so small that I think it didn’t happen. But when I am alone with my thoughts, I think it did”
“What happened?” Thor asked softly
Loki frowned, hesitated “The fire pushed me back”
Thor stilled
“I was going towards it, I wanted to save what I could but there was an energy, it came from the fire itself, it wrapped around me and pushed me back so Balder could grab me” Loki told him “it wouldn’t let me into the fire”
“Did you hear anything other than the fire?” Thor asked
Loki frowned and looked over his shoulder at him “What do you mean?”
“When I was there, before I lost consciousness in that dip of land, I heard something” Thor told him “Like…bells, small tinkling bells”
Loki set his head down and thought about it, a furrow in his brow “No, I didn’t hear that. But … I did hear something”
“What did you hear?”
Loki bit his lip “Laughter”
Thor felt a chill go through his body at that, “Laughter?”
“Aye” Loki said “I know it sound mad but I swore I heard it. I was soft, deep and I do not know where it came from but there was definitely laughter that came from there.”
Thor took his hand in his own and gave it a squeeze “Then I think we will have to go and have another look. Because whatever that was, it’s now under my control”
“I think we should call it what it is, now, Thor”
“And what is it?”
“Magic”
The word was so irrational, so fantastic, but it was to be said.
Magic
That had been what Thor now had in his veins.
***
Their return was just as surprising as their departure but it was with relief that Thor returned the unfired gun to Heimdall. He had given him a nod of approval and asked for his company after they settled down.
If anyone knew something about this, it had to be Heimdall.
He was of sound mind and knowledge, of course he was the one who would know.
So, once Loki was busy with his unpacking and telling their tale to Fandral, Thor slipped out to meet with Heimdall.
The man was overlooking the building of the shelters that Loki had ordered to be build.
Thor had to hand it to him. It was not easy to build a laboratory and a colony of shelters at the same time. However, he was doing a wonderful job.
That came as no surprise
Thor lifted a hand in greeting and Heimdall walked towards him, a smile on his face.
“Looks like you are having fun” he said “we should depart again”
Heimdall gave him a dry look “Try not to. What happened?”
“Well, that is what I am here to talk to you about” Thor nodded ahead “Walk with me”
Heimdall was taken by curiosity but he had to halt it when they heard thumping and a loud neigh that only one animal could make.
“Ah, of course”
Thor turned to see Sleipnir run at him
“There you are” he held his arms open
Sleipnir came to nudge him, paw at him and grunt, demanding he let him know where he went and why. How could he leave without him?
“I am sorry” Thor kissed his head “I missed you, too”
Heimdall watched when Sleipnir slowly lowered to sit on the ground once Thor started to scratch his ears.
“Good lad” he said “now stay here, I will be back”
Sleipnir, of course, didn’t obey so the two of them were now accompanied by a fat, curious horse.
Heimdall knew Thor was waiting till they were far enough from the fear of anyone over hearing and it proved true when Thor cleared his throat to speak once they were away.
“I wish to ask you about that fire in Loki’s laboratory” Thor told him “could you tell me what the cause could have been?”
“Ah” Heimdall said “I suspected arson. But that turned out to be a dead theory. But with everything burnt, we assumed Loki forgot to turn down a burner, even though he swears he didn’t forget. And he is a diligent man, but at that time he was a little upset”
“Was it one of the times Balder had left?” Thor asked
“Aye” Heimdall sighed “the boy always got so flustered when that happened. It was only luck that he returned that day. Otherwise Loki would have leapt into the fire to save his things”
Thor hummed and Heimdall arched a brow in question
“Why do you ask?”
“I just…” Thor licked his lips nervously “I got affected by something there. It was this glittering mass, like dust floating in the air. And when I touched it, it launched itself at me and knocked me unconscious”
“Dust” Hiemdall asked
“Aye” Thor said “have you ever seen anything like that here?”
“No, but if you wish we can both go there to examine the place” Heimdall offered
“I would be very grateful” Thor told him
He was relieved that he didn’t think him crazy and walked with him towards that strange dip of land. They parted the vines and leaves that Thor had gone through last time and looked behind when they saw Sleipnir stopped behind them, looking at them.
His ears were pulled back and he looked agitated.
“Come on, boy” Thor said “come with us”
Sleipnir neighed softly and paws the ground, backing away. He didn’t want to go in there.
Thor frowned but he let him be and went with Hiemdall to that dip of land.
It was the same as it had been, except that Thor’s hands tingled a little this time. Like the buzzing of bee, he could feel the vibrations.
Something was definitely strange with this place.
“It was here” Thor went to where he’d first seen that dust “and I can feel something.”
“Something?” Heimdall asked “What do you mean?”
“I do not know” Thor frowned “Buzzing?
He reached out to touch the grass when his sleeve pulled back and the edge of his tattoo caught it eye.
It was turned to the right.
His eyes widened as he stared and shifted to the right, seeing it turn a little straighter.
“What?” Heimdall asked
“Look”
He pulled his sleeve back and showed him the moving tattoo
Heimdall had to blink a few times before he saw it, but every time Thor shifted, the arrowhead at his wrist did the same.
“Follow it” Heimdall said “go on”
Thor stood and started walking to where it took him, Heimdall was right behind him.
The grounds they were on, were beautiful. As with the rest of the isle, the grass was soft and sweet to step on, the flowers blooming with all their strength. Color flowed around them in the form of plants and birds and small animals that scattered when they walked through.
Light fell in beams over them as Thor followed the mark on his wrist till they were far from the place Loki’s laboratory had once been.
Soon, the grass began to change and it was when it crunched that Heimdall put a hand on Thor’s arm and halted him
“What?”
“This is no longer our territory” Heimdall whispered “come on, we are trespassing”
Thor nodded and stepped back.
But he couldn’t deny it. There was something here. His hands were itching for it, whatever was in him, the answer lay ahead of them, in the lands before them.
“Whose lands are those?” he asked
“Lord Surtur” Heimdall said “he’s a cruel man, kills his own people when he is angry enough.”
They were hidden in a line of trees and the difference between their lands and Surtur’s was clear.
His grass was dead, brown and gone. There were dried, fragile bushes with barely any browned leaves on them.
There were dead trees fallen over, no one had picked them up and the cries of a few ravens echoed around them.
It was depressing, he wondered how any magic could even survive here. Nothing else seemed to.
He could make out the strange shape of his manor in the distance.
“What is wrong with this place?” Thor asked “it’s dead”
“A lot of internal war” Heimdall sighed “If what you seek is there, then it’s better that you do not go here. Leave it be”
Thor hummed but he’d made up his mind to come back here and have a look around. Surely there were no guards taking care of this dead corner of his lands.
They turned and went back, eventually the buzzing in his hands receded and Thor could relax again.
For now, he was satisfied by what he’d seen.
They were halfway back, deciding upon taking a round of the borders, especially Byliestr’s part of it. Heimdall told him he’d been silent far too long and that was not a good sign. His limited mind started to hatch up schemes when he was halted from bothering Loki for too long.
He didn’t want any incidents to occur again, all of them had enough to deal with, with all the shelters and guests they were still dealing with.
Heimdall told him about the minor issues that they had been dealing with in the past few days and that with Loki and Thor gone, some of the soldiers and lower ranking knights were starting to act up.
“Now, usually, Balder had a firm talking to with them” Heimdall told him “that got them in line, however, you are not him, so I will tell you exactly who the trouble makers are so you can speak to them all in private, aye? That way the chances of you being discovered are significantly lowered”
“Understandable” Thor nodded
They walked in synch but stopped when they passed the recluse’s hut and saw her glowering at them angrily from where the was.
She lived close to the abbey and was often seen with the nuns, either talking to them or borrowing something. This time, however, she was glaring at Thor with such hostility that Heimdall raised a brow.
“How may I help you, Madam?” he asked in a no nonsense, stern voice.
Thor envied his ability to do that, to make people cower just by a word.
However the recluse didn’t cower, she walked forward, gaining the attention of a few nuns who were farming out on the fertile soil.
“You guide the imposter through our lands as though he is one of us” she hissed “this is a witch you brought to our lands, a witch that will bring death upon our lands, you betray everyone”
Thor stared at her, unsure of how to proceed and Heimdall levelled his own glare at her.
“I would advise you to be very careful, madam” he said “this is your ruler, you speak of”
“My ruler is dead” the recluse said “this is a creature from unknown origins that you have set in his place, may the Lord help you. He is even marked by the devil, I can see it”
“Enough, Recluse!” Heimdall barked, his stance dangerous “you speak to Lord Balder, my liege and leader. If you keep talking the way you are, you will be held accountable for those words and banished from this isle, do you understand?”
Thor tugged the sleeve of his tunic lower and looked at his glove, satisfied that he was wearing it.
The nuns were all watching and Prioress Sigyn was intrigued by what was happening.
“You will bring doom upon us all” the recluse told Thor ominously “the prophecy states that a stranger will walk these lands and bring our end upon us”
“I am sorry you feel this way, madam” Thor sighed “but I am not who you say I am”
“You are not who you say you are, either” she stepped back “you will see. All of you think me mad, but you will see, all of you will see I am right”
Heimdall said nothing as she backed away and went to her home, closing the door behind her depressing little hut.
He took a deep inhale and then sighed, looking at Thor
“Forgive me, my lord, as you know she can be tiresome to deal with”
“Of course, tis no problem” Thor told him “let her be”
“Aye, sir”
They were acting the part, for the nuns were all watching and Thor gave them a smile, then went on his way with Hiemdall, not really sure how to handle what had just happened.
However, he did mention it to Loki over lunch and Loki hissed
“That woman” he said “truly, she is a bother sometimes. She told me the same before the jousting and I told her not to repeat it. Happy to hear that my warning fell on deaf ears”
“To be fair” Thor wiped his lips with a napkin before he set it down “Most of mine go on deaf ears, too. Usually, I punch people after that. Would you like to have a round with her in the training ring?”
Loki gave him a dry glare “Must you make this a joke?”
“Must you murder me with your eyes?” Thor countered “I could ask obviously answered questions, too”
“Thor, this is not funny, what if people begin to believe her?” he asked
“Would you?” Thor took another bite of lunch “if she was telling you something like this, would you believe her?”
Loki thought about it a moment “Well, no, but…”
“Then there is nothing to worry about” Thor shrugged “actually, there is. How does she know?”
“I do not know” Loki said “but we must find out. Nothing good can come of this”
“I will send someone to ask her” Thor said “probably that boy Fandral is gushing over”
“Valka?” Loki snickered “Good luck, he hardly talks to Fandral, he will never speak to you”
“He’s shy” Thor shrugged “so are you”
“I am not shy” Loki protested “I just choose the people I speak to with utmost care and discretion”
“Aye, aye, that’s what it is” Thor snickered “that is why you avoided me so long when I first arrived here”
“Well, your hair didn’t help” Loki said “you looked like a demon”
“Have you ever seen a demon?” Thor lifted his chin a bit
“No, but I have seen you” Loki smirked “tis the same”
“I think that under all that sweetness, you are still a brat” Thor concluded “I know it”
“How did we come to this topic?” Loki tilted his head to the side “finish your lunch, we have to make an appearance at the shelters to let them know that we are doing what we can to make sure they finish on time”
“The rains are not helping” Thor looked to the skies “are they always so frequent in this time of the year?”
“No, this year they just…decided not to leave” Loki told him “the mist is lingering, too”
“Casts a rather romantic light upon the isle, doesn’t it?”
“Are you going to recite poetry now?” Loki teased
“Maybe” Thor smiled “if it gets you to come here and kiss me, aye”
Loki felt his cheeks prickle as he started to blush and Thor grinned slowly.
“And you say you are not shy”
He ducked the bread roll that had become mysteriously airborne, his laughter echoing in the room.
***
Their life started to go smoothly after things settled. Soon enough, the shelters were on the verge of completion, Thor took daily rounds with Fandral or Hiemdall and on occasion, there was an incident where Sleipnir snuck into the abbey vegetable patch and pulled out all the carrots, which he devoured and ended up falling asleep in the potatoes.
Prioress Sigyn had reported the incident a few times and eventually, Thor put a barbed wire fence around the carrots just to keep him away. It worked, but more often than not, Sleipnir was seen lingering around it, looking at the carrots as he tried to figure out a way to get to them.
So far, he hadn’t been able to.
When he wasn’t hunting for carrots, he walked behind Thor, or next to him, as he did his rounds.
Sometimes, he let him ride him, sometimes he nudged him and tried to get him to play. He would slide his head under Thor’s arm and nuzzle him so that they were close.
Thor adored his horse and he often talked to him because, to him, Sleipnir was a great listener once he was fed and sated.
But of course there were days when Thor was alone because Sleipnir would be waddling after Svadilfari.
Thor would never admit it to Sleipnir but Svadilfari was gorgeous. He was a magnificent steed and had the patience of a saint with his stupid fat animal.
They shared food and whenever Svadilfari took his solitary walks, he let him walk with him, sometimes slowing his pace to let him catch up. Sometimes Sleipnir would bite the end of Svadilfari’s tail and Svadilfari would tolerate it.
On more than one occasion he’d seen Svadilfari lean up and pluck apples off a tree, dropping them to the ground so Sleipnir could have them, too.
It was sweet, Thor smiled.
Then, there were sweeter things like when Loki accompanied him in his rounds.
Those were the ones Thor looked forward to
They’d hold hands, sometimes. Sometimes, they would only link their smallest fingers together.
Loki had the habit of bumping into Thor as they walked and Thor found it endearing. He’d put his arm around Loki’s shoulders and Loki would blush, letting Thor keep their fingers entwined at his shoulder while they walked.
This afternoon, they made their way towards the stunning mountain side where Loki’s new laboratory was being built.
It was still in the works but the walls and ceiling were in place.
Loki smiled as he let Thor in and showed him the stonework and materials he’d handpicked for this construction.
“You have a good eye” he told Loki “all of this is amazing material, Loki”
Loki looked at him over his shoulder and blushed “Thank you”
He looked lovely this morning, as he did every day, with his hair opened and his loose light grey tunic complimenting his pale skin. Everything he wore complimented him.
Thor didn’t understand how Balder hadn’t fallen in love with him.
He could have sworn he was.
“Come here” Loki slipped into the back portion of his laboratory “Look at this”
There were no windows in this part of the laboratory, only small sections at the top where the roof met the walls, where there were vents for the air to leave.
“And what is this?” Thor asked
“Tis a cauldron” Loki smiled “I had it special ordered from abroad. They say real witches used it and lost it in a battle”
He ran his fingers over the edge of it
“There are runes and dents on it but I had to have it”
Thor snorted “Real witches? Well, you know that makes you one then”
Loki gave him a glare “Nay. It does not”
Thor chuckled and placed a hand on his back, stroking it lightly.
“Well, what will you do with it?”
“Just…boil things” Loki bit his lip “it’s just a large pot, I can just use it like I did the others I had. Except this will only limit me to one concoction, but then again, I could focus on it entirely.”
“That is good either way” Thor told him “So, will you use it to make love potions again”
Loki laughed “There is no thing as a love potion. I merely use a little bit of poppy to make the people believe that they are on a higher plane of affection”
“You use drugs?” Thor grinned, “I wish to be on a higher plane of affection right now”
“I am not going to give you…” Loki broke off “Oh…”
He blushed again and looked around
“Here?” he asked “Truly?”
“Why not?” Thor asked “it’s exciting, we did it before, did we not? And what better way to inaugurate this beautiful place?”
“I could cut a ribbon” Loki turned to look at him “it would be easier and all my clothes would be on”
“But where’s the fun in that?” Thor grinned, bending to kiss his neck “and you wouldn’t feel as good as I make you feel”
Loki hummed, his eyes falling closed when Thor started to mouth at his neck “Oh, that’s a good point”
His arms slid around Thor’s shoulders and he let out a moan when Thor nuzzled his skin, leaving a little bite before he kissed it.
Loki groaned and moved closer, deepening the kiss. Thor was immediately gripped by a tide of urgency and longing, the same dizzying brew of emotions that he always felt whenever he kissed Loki.
Brew…
That would give Loki a laugh, he thought.
“Loki…” he whispered “Bloody hell, I should not have followed you here”
Loki felt a recklessness within him, a boldness he hadn’t felt before. He slipped his arms under Thor’s tunic and smiled at him.
“I make my own decisions”
Thor raised his head just far enough that he could look at him and he smiled.
“Clearly”
He walked him back till he was up against one of the stone and rock supports that the cauldron was bolted into.
“Do they match mine, at least?”
“For the moment, yes” Loki bit his lip and tipped his head back when Thor kissed him “Aye, yes, so perfectly matched”
The low, grating thrum of his voice made Thor feel strong and he bit his neck while his hands went to the laces of Loki’s trousers. He parted his legs and moved to stand between them as he slid them off his hips, just enough to be able to touch him.
Loki keened softly “There is something about you”
“Aye, blondes do have more fun” Thor jested, kissing him again
“No” Loki smiled “there is something about you, Thor”
He kissed him as though underscoring every word.
“God help me, there is something only you can do to me”
His hands went to the pilaster he was set on and he groaned as Thor stripped him of his shoes and trousers then got between his thighs.
Loki bit his lip and looked up at him, making Thor groan loudly. He reached out and ran a hand through Loki’s hair, feeling it run through his fingers.
“What do you wish me to do?” Thor grasped the hair at the back of his head “Hm?”
Loki smiled “I think you know exactly what I want, Odinson”
Thor grinned very slowly.
He felt Loki’s hands on his shirt, undoing it before he put his lips on Thor’s collar bone, above his tattoo.
He groaned, cradling the back of his head to keep him there and slid his other hand up Loki’s thighs to the fullness between his legs, the one that drove Loki mad.
Loki let out a whimper
“I have you” Thor kissed his head “I won’t ever hurt you”
Loki’s hand slipped to the front of his trousers and he undid them before he pulled his member out and started to stroke it slowly.
Thor slipped a finger into him and Loki gasped, clenching around it in his need.
“Oh…”
Loki set his forehead against Thor’s shoulder and panted heavily.
“Thor…”
“Aye”
Thor felt Loki stroke and please him with his hand while he did the same, slipping two fingers in him a few seconds later and rubbing against his slick, wet walls.
Loki bit his lip and arched his hips up while Thor moved against his palm. He kissed him hard, Loki put his hands on his shoulders, feeling his muscle and bone under it and returned the kiss as he bucked into his hand.
Thor prepared him, getting him slick and ready for him, then pulled his fingers out when Loki was shivering in anticipation. He always felt the sensation of a thrill that came with standing on the edge of a cliff and looking down upon the waters of the sea beside his isle.
Thor moved closer, this time pressed fully to him and Loki groaned at the feel of his trousers scraping against the sensitive skin on the inside of his legs.
His hands concentrated on the powerful contours of Thor’s chest, of the feel of his skin beneath his finger tips and how he felt when he raked his nails down Thor’s back. The sight of his broad shoulders under the light allowed by the vents at the ceiling was so inexplicably satisfying, that Loki couldn’t resist leaning over and biting one.
Thor groaned and moved into him, making Loki gasp and pull him closer to his own body. He was lean and hard and that swell of excitement he felt was at his fullest as Thor pushed in further.
A shudder went through him, he was taut as a bow and groaned when he took Thor into his slick heat. For a few heartbeats, they didn’t move when they became one, then Thor’s teeth nipped at the top of his ear and he started to move.
Loki’s nails dug into his back, his legs wrapped around his waist and he heard him moan into his ear.
He shivered and moaned while Thor gasped, holding his hips in his hands as he started to pump in and out of him.
Every drag of his thick member had Loki moan, had him bite Thor’s shoulder while Thor pulled him closer, making him see stars whenever he rubbed against Loki’s sweet spot.
It was ecstatic for both of them
Their release was upon them before they were both ready and they whispered incoherent words of love and adoration as their worlds turned white
The cauldron had seen too much so they gave it a mercy and lay on the floor over Thor’s cloak, slowly kissing one another.
They yearned for each other even now. It was something neither of them had truly felt before and they cherished it
They cherished each other.
Loki pulled back after the kiss and smiled at Thor, running a thumb over his lips before he lay down to look at him.
“What?”
“Nothing” Loki smiled, playing with his hair “I have just never seen anyone like you in my life”
“Actually…”
Thor shut up when Loki placed a finger on his lips
“Not now” Loki told him “Just stay silent”
Thor grinned, kissed his finger and lay with him, neither of them wanting to move.
And neither of them really sat the runes on Thor’s skin glow just a little bit before they turned to normal.
Of course, eventually, they had to go back and once they were dressed and able to keep their hands off one another, they walked back.
Loki wanted to check out the shelters and Thor had something else in mind.
“I wanted to have a look in the other direction” Thor kissed his hand “I will return before dinner”
“Aye, go do your exploring” Loki smirked “just be careful”
“I shall” Thor stepped away “farewell, beloved”
The word surprised Loki, but in the best possible way. His cheeks flushed and he looked at his hands, biting his lip to keep from smiling too much
He’d liked the way it felt.
He went to the shelters to over look everything and Thor took a walk towards the dip of ground again. He looked behind him to see no one around and made his way to the edge again.
He knew Heimdall wouldn’t like this but there was no helping it. The marks on his forearm shifted again, leading him towards his answers and he stopped at the border when dead brown leaves decayed at his feet on the part of Loki’s land that no one came to.
The grass here wasn’t sweet, it was unkempt and over grown, like a border that stopped his land from the dry, arid one ahead.
The grass gave way to the yellowed, cracked face of the earth, so hardened by neglect and abandonment that nothing but desolation lay before him. He left no prints in the hard ground, but he cracked the dried, dead twigs and leaves that were unfortunate enough to fall upon this surface.
Even the skies in the distance were grey and dusty.
It was hard to imagine any life here.
The lifeless color of death was spread everywhere.
Defertilized
Inhuman
Strange
The further Thor stepped into it, he expected an attack, a guard, someone around but there was nothing.
There was no sun but the ground burned, his shadow was beneath him without a hint of sunlight. There was a no wisp of cloud or whisper of wind, it was still, grey and fantastic in the direst way.
He feet encountered a different long before Thor realized it. It was only when walking became a little harder that he looked down and frowned when he saw silt and sand melding between his feet rather than the hard cracked, puzzle of ground.
He looked behind him and the border was far behind him, as though he’d walked for miles. And he didn’t remember it.
However, his hands began to thrum, he could feel a magic surround him.
He licked his lips and walked onwards, knowing there was an answer here. Or at least if not an answer, there was something here.
In Surtur’s cursed lands.
Thor expected no life because he’d seen no tracks, nothing that indicated that anything had thrived here. His feet pressed into the sand below when he walked towards the only building in the distance, which somehow seemed to be getting farther.
He felt like he was in another realm, devoid of life and color.
There was little tiredness in him but he was alert, especially when he sensed thunder rumble in the distance.
He looked up, not willing to believe it ever rained here but saw no clouds, only a grey blur that indicated that there had been sky there at some point. Nothing showed, but worse, he realized was that the noise that felt like extended thunder didn’t come from the skies
It came from the earth itself.
The vibrations he felt came from below.
And they moved left and right, as though an earthquake
Thor looked stricken and looked around, for – for something, controlled his panic and started to retreat.
But there was movement ahead, sudden and quick, making him look up.
For a moment, he didn’t understand, for a moment, he thought he was hallucinating or seeing what wasn’t there.
Sand sprayed into the air at the horizon, vanishing behind dunes and broken, jagged rocks and appearing on the other side as it moved. Then a large shape dove into his sight above the hills and vanished
It blew up into the skies, high above, like water from whales as they crested from the deep.
But to see something like this in the sand? Thor shook his head and took the step back just as a large form bloated the sands from where they blew upwards and grew bigger.
There was something under the sands, racing through them.
That was what caused the rumbles.
Thor stepped back, deciding he had seen enough but his eyes widened when that shape took an abrupt turn and started to tear through the sands and towards him.
It was heading for him!
He turned tail and ran, trying his best as he ran from whatever creature was coming towards him, not daring to glance back.
But with every step be took, he felt the vibration from behind come closer and he knew he had little chance of escape.
It was gaining on him
He heard a low from behind him, like a creature of massive size and weight called to him but he didn’t stop.
He had to get back.
The shape behind him was close, so close he could feel the sand shifting back now and turned the side, falling to the sands and rolled over the hill of sand and silt that rose beside him.
He fled again and toppled into the sand, staring in shock as a huge creature leapt from the sands, high above as it propelled itself with a tail larger than he’d ever seen.
It was larger than the whales he’d seen, but not dissimilar
A glaciated back of rock and hide shone in the strange light of this land as it twisted in the air. It’s feet, four in all, hung low as its tail impelled it into the air where it flew upwards before bending into an arc to fall backwards.
Thor saw a massive snout, shaped strong and broad like a hammer and red eyes that locked on him before it hit the sands and erupted them upwards, dousing him in the strange, burning stuff.
He heard the low again and the creature dug into the sands, swimming through them with ease.
The vibrating started to fade and with his heart pounding and his eyes wide as saucers, Thor saw that thing go back under the sand and leave it undisturbed.
He was panting, covered in sand and slowly slid backwards, consciously trying to make as little noise as possible.
Then, once he felt the hot, cracked ground beneath his palm, he stood and ran back to Seidr, leaving the creature behind.
And he missed the eyes of a treacherous figure watching him as it stood behind a dried, sickened tree and smile with teeth that were blackened around the edges and white skin just as cracked as the ground it stood on.
***
Loki saw Thor looked – odd.
He was quieter than he usually was, his face a little pale and he kept shaking his head as though to rid of a memory he either despised or didn’t want to think on.
He’d barely slept, too, Loki knew this because for the past two nights, he had tossed and turned in bed but never really slept.
Something was off about him.
He hoped it would pass by tonight otherwise he would speak to him about it after dinner.
Right now, he needed to concentrate.
He was brewing in the cauldron and Thor was staring at the floor, his eyes going wide, then relaxing unconsciously in response to his thinking.
Whatever was going on in his mind was clearly bothering him.
And in response, it was bothering Loki now.
He wanted to make an absolute measure of his sweet rose powder but whenever he tried, he would look at Thor and see that look in his face.
Loki set his tools down
“Will you tell me?”
Thor startled and looked up “Pardon?”
“Something has been on your mind for the past two days” Loki said “something that clearly bothers you, so either tell me so we can solve it or tell Heimdall. Whichever you choose, use it to fix what bothers you”
“I do not think you will like what is going through my mind” Thor said “and hardly believe it”
To that, Loki frowned. He walked over to him and saw that Thor was not odd.
He was disturbed.
“Thor”
He placed a hand on his cheek
“Thor, what’s wrong?”
Before he could answer, heavy footsteps ran into the laboratory and Fandral ran in, his face pale
“Loki” he whispered “Amora is dead”
Loki went cold, then shook his head “What?”
“Who is Amora?” Thor asked
“The Recluse” Loki whispered
He went after Fandral and Thor immediately followed.
They weren’t that far, they could see the crowd gathered around the body. Some of the nuns were there, making crosses across their chests while a few men stared in horror.
And when they saw her, they knew why.
Amora’s face was covered with protruding black veins.
Loki’s eyes widened and he turned away, making Thor pull him back as he stepped over
“Fandral, remove the crowd”
Fandral nodded and went to do as he asked, pushing people away and telling them to go home. There was nothing to see here.
They relented after a few minutes of repeatedly asking what happened and being told that none of them knew, then left, eager to spread the horrific news to their friends and anyone who would listen
No one liked her
This was no loss to them.
Loki couldn’t look at her and Thor knelt beside her to touch her throat to check her pulse, but there wasn’t one.
She was cold as ice and he sighed, looking at the ground.
“She came out here, likely to look for help when this happened” he pointed to the trail in the muddy ground of her home
“She looks like she was poisoned” Fandral said
Loki rubbed his arms and gained strength enough to look, not at her face, but the vicinity of where her body lay.
“We need to have a burial” he muttered
“Aye, of course” Fandral assured him
Something was knocked over inside the house and Thor felt a very familiar thrumming in his hands.
The same one he felt when he walked towards Surtur’s lands.
He tensed, his body going stiff in realization.
“Both of you stay back” he straightened “Someone is here”
Fandral pulled his blade out and Loki looked stricken
Her killer was inside!
Thor felt the thrumming and walked towards the doors, unarmed
“Thor…”
Thor raised a hand to silence Loki and Fandral followed him towards the house.
“Stay outside and protect Loki” Thor told him.
He pushed open the slightly ajar door and stepped into the house where the essence of hard cruel magic filled the house.
He could hear breathing and feel the heartbeat of the magic wielder that was in the house.
And there, it stood before him
Skin like cracked ice, blacked on her face where the lines were thickest, dry as bone. Hellish yellow teeth were shining in a crooked, terrifying smile and snake like black eyes focused on him.
There stood the witch that had killed the recluse.
Her long crooked nose and matted black hair all added to the elements that made her up.
He didn’t even need to think about what she was.
But he knew.
This was a witch from Surtur’s lands.
She let out an inhuman screech and blasted him with a spell that threw him back, breaking through the window of the Recluse’s house and out into the mud.
Loki let out a shout of surprise, then another when she shot out from the house and ran towards the woods.
“Get her!” Fandral ran after her
Thor got to his feet and gave chase
“No, don’t!”
The witch threw a spell over her shoulder and it missed Fandral, but shocked him into stopping, staring at her in disbelief.
Thor snatched his sword and ran after her, ignoring the calls of Loki and Fandral from behind.
He could hear her laughter as she ran through the trees, faster than anyone he’d ever seen.
But he seemed to be matching her speed and was at her heels, his anger and adrenaline driving him forth.
They burst through the trees into the dip of land and she made her way towards the borders, heading for Surtur’s land.
Thor growled and struck out with the sword, hitting her in the shoulder and unbalancing her enough that she fell down into the grass.
He was upon her in a second, holding her down with his boot on her back
“Who are you!?”
She cackled, turned and threw a spell into his face, but Thor halted it before he knew what he was doing. It was instinct, holding a hand out and blocking whatever she’d thrown at him, surprising her and himself.
Her devlish eyes widened and she stared at him in shock.
They heard Loki and Fandral coming behind them and Thor made the spell disintegrate before looking to her again
“What are you doing here?” he rasped
“You steal our belongings, come to our lands and I cannot come to yours?” she grinned
She laughed, a hellish screech of her joy, before she vanished from beneath his foot, leaving him with only the memory of her and the horrifying realization of what he’d done.
He stood there, looking at his hand where the magic still strained, eager to escape, when Fandral and Loki jogged over
“What the hell was that!?”
Thor turned at his question, seeing Loki’s face pale and shocked
“I think” Thor whispered “that was a witch”
The mere word made his stomach churn and Fandral, who wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t seen it himself, stood there ghostly pale.
Thor turned to the spot she’d vanished to and then looked at Surtur’s lands.
“It can’t be a witch” Loki whispered “they don’t exist”
“It had magic” Fandral told him “whatever that was, it threw a spell at me, a ball that rot and killed a tree behind me”
Loki couldn’t believe it, still, and he came over to Thor
“Are you alright?”
Thor nodded “Yes…But I think this was my fault”
Both of them frowned and Thor took a deep breath
“I have to confess”
To say that Loki was not pleased by what he said was an understatement.
At first he refused to believe it, but slowly he began to, turning angrier and angrier as Thor revealed to him where he’d been and what he’d seen.
Fandral paced somewhere behind them, rubbing over his mouth in agitation.
“I am sorry” Thor said “I had no idea that I would bring this upon us, I swear, had I known…”
“You did know” Loki’s voice was cold “Heimdall warned you not to go, he told you!”
To that, Thor had no defense
He had told him, he had known.
“I am sorry” Thor whispered
“You should be” Fandral said “how in the bloody Norns are we supposed to deal with this? She killed one, what if she comes again to kill more?”
His mind was boggled!
Witches were real and not only were they real, they lived right next to them! Their borders matched and Thor’s trespassing had made them angry enough to come here and kill one of their people so mercilessly.
There was dark magic that existed around them and now they were vulnerable to it.
“I…” Thor began “I will …”
“You will what?” Loki hissed “Hm? What will you do, that will undo what you have already done?”
Thor had no reply and he ducked his head in shame and guilt.
“I am sorry” he whispered
“That repairs everything!” Fandral scoffed, shaking his head “You’re an idiot!”
He turned and stormed off, telling him he had to talk to Hiemdall and Loki stood with his arms crossed, glaring at Thor.
He didn’t know what to say, he felt betrayed and was upset.
Very, upset.
“How could you do this?” Loki whispered “How could you go there when you were told not to, when you were warned about it?”
That made Thor get irritated. He wanted answers, he had no idea what was happening and he thought he would find it there.
He knew he’d made a mistake but he just wanted to know what the damn thing inside his bloodstream was. He wanted answers, nothing more, he didn’t mean to cause this.
Thor grit his jaw “I wanted answers to what was happening to me. I felt the magic I have come from there, how was I to know that this was going to happen? You have no idea what it is like to have this thing inside me and not understand what is happening.”
“We could have found answers another way!” Loki snapped “you shouldn’t have gone there”
“Maybe I should never have come here, then, how about that?!” Thor growled “you brought me here, you begged me to be here, I was happy living my life on my own! I didn’t ask for this! I agreed to help you and your land did this to me!”
Loki was shocked, his eyes wide, stunned.
He looked lost for words and Thor didn’t wait for him to find them.
He turned and strode away, leaving him there, where his laboratory had once been.
He was angry and his magic was at his hands now, as though permanently activated. It was a part of him, like a limb he could now control, or a power he had at his fingertips, palms and wrists.
He clenched his hands in frustration.
He had to calm down.
Thor made for the beach and he didn’t stop till he reached it.
The waves crashing against the water and the cooling mist helped calm him.
He also saw Sleipnir flopped into the sand with his legs out in the most graceless way possible. He looked very much like a pig.
Thor’s lips curved into an unwilling smile and he sat in the sands, his knees pulled up to his chest, watching the waters crash and shift before him.
He would never admit it, not even to himself – but he was frightened.
By what was happening to him and by what he was capable of.
He was afraid of what he’d brought on Loki, who deserved none of it, and upon this beautiful land. He was unarmed against this enemy.
He didn’t know what to do.
His heart beat and each beat brought him closer to his magic, which was still with him. It hadn’t gone away like it did in the past.
He was very aware of it.
And it seemed to be aware of him.
Thor looked at a stone before him and stared at it for a few minutes, indecisive.
If his magic protected him from that witch, perhaps it would respond as it did when he killed Ullr.
His fingers twitched nervously and he let himself think of his magic instead of ignoring it.
“Alright” he whispered “alright…”
He set his hand on the sand and held his palm out, fingers loose.
“Come to me”
The stone shot through the sand and into his palm.
Thor gasped and pulled his hand back, staring at it in shock, then looked around to see if anyone had seen.
Nay, that wasn’t possible.
But he looked to it again and picked it up. There was nothing out of the ordinary about it, it was a regular stone.
He took another, scratched a rune into it and then threw it as hard as he could into the sea.
For a moment he didn’t do anything, waiting for the stone to vanish beneath the waves.
He set his hand on the sand again and this time, he concentrated. He thought of that rock sliding towards him and closed his eyes.
Something smooth and wet hit the palm of his hand.
His eyes flew open and he stared at the stone which rested in his hand now…etched with the rune he wrote.
Thor gasped “Norns be damned…”
A sense of thankfulness went over him, about how he had this power, out of the blue, unannounced. The source still baffled him, how long he had it for, still confused him, but in that moment, that one singular moment, he was grateful.
He felt he had purpose.
The feeling didn’t last long, it was dampened by the argument he’d had with Loki, then with his own stupidity in thinking that it was alright to explore that realm. That witch likely followed him here.
He didn’t really know what to do or how to make this better but he had to find a way to use his magic to protect these people.
And if it meant embracing the curse upon him, he would do that
He just needed to understand it better.
He stayed there for most of the day, moving only when Sleipnir woke from his over eating stupor and jogged over to nudge his shoulder.
“Aye, git” Thor groaned as he got to his feet “I am moving”
He had apologies to make.
He walked with Sleipnir, back towards Amora’s hut and saw it secluded. It was strange.
She was either lurking or glaring through the windows and knowing she wasn’t there, was a bit difficult for him to imagine.
Still, he walked on, past the gossiping people, the shock and awe and chatting that filled the air, then went to the stables to set Sleipnir in so he could sleep. He left him food to devour and then took the long route back to the manor.
It was going to be a rough night.
And of course, upon entering, he saw Fandral give him a loathsome glare, which he brushed off. For the moment, he was not important.
Going down the halls, he went to Loki’ study, where he could hear him speaking to someone. He stood by the door and saw Heimdall making notes and the two of them planning on burying Amora tomorrow while the Prioress stood by, adding her own suggestions every now and then.
It would be a small ceremony, it was decided, only a few people around. It would be done carefully and she would be laid to rest in peace.
After it was done, Heimdall and Sigyn bowed to Loki and then made their exit, leaving Thor to have his talk with Loki, who had turned his back to him at the pretense of organizing some papers.
Thor closed the door behind him and sighed
“I apologize” he said quietly “I spoke out of turn and was incredibly rude to you”
He knew Loki had heard him, the fact that he chose to ignore him was proof enough for it.
“I didn’t mean to lose my temper like that, I assure you, it will not happen again” he told him
Again, he got no response and exhaled
“Loki?”
“Aye?” Loki didn’t turn about
“Would you at least look at me?”
Loki set the papers down and turned to face him, arms crossed at his chest. From his posture it was clear he was still angry with him and Thor found difficulty in choosing his next words.
“I am sorry” Thor told him “I didn’t mean to upset you”
“I understand that you are worried” Loki’s voice was stern “but you could have spoken to me about it. It is not as though I am doing nothing for you”
He picked up the very papers he’d been organizing and walked over to Thor, who tensed
“Here”
He handed them to him
“Good night”
He opened the door and left, letting Thor look through them if he wanted to.
Thor glanced at the papers and saw weeks of research in his hands. Runes like his tattoos were explained, theories written in Loki’s hand writing, answers that Loki thought worthy were there before him.
He’d been trying to find answers for Thor.
A deep, heavy sense of guilt went through Thor and he groaned, sitting in one of the chairs to start reading.
Loki had been trying to help him all this time.
He set the papers on the desk as he went through them. There was even a theory that there was something hidden beneath the dip of land.
That one interested Thor more than the others because it seemed to be the most plausible.
He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, looking at the study
It was clear he wouldn’t be welcome in Loki’s room tonight so he decided that this room would have to do for tonight.
That decided, he got a fur and a mat, set it up in front of the fire and let them warm. He had his dinner in the hall with the others and then made his way back to the study to sleep.
He kept reading the papers as he lay in bed, memorizing everything he read.
The runes dated back so long, their original time line was still unclear, but there were translations written down, some that Loki was still working on
This was incomplete but enough to give him some direction.
It was a thick stack of papers and he was absorbed in it, setting the ones he’d finished down by his head, so he didn’t really know how long he’d been here.
But it was late enough when the study door opened and Loki walked in, holding his robe closed.
“Thor?”
Thor didn’t expect him to be here at all and sat up, looking at him from under Loki’s large dining table desk.
“Yes?”
Loki frowned “What are you doing here? I have been looking for you everywhere”
“I was about to sleep” Thor put the papers carefully aside and stood “why?”
“You didn’t come upstairs to sleep” Loki frowned
“I felt unwelcome” Thor shrugged
Loki looked distressed and bit his lip “I wouldn’t want you to – to not be there. It was an argument, nothing more”
“Aye” Thor said “we both need to calm down tonight. I am fine here”
Loki’s stomach sunk and he felt sick at the thought of losing Thor but Thor was already settling down again, picking up his papers.
I left Loki to flounder then nod and turn away.
“I apologize” Loki whispered “good night”
“Good night, sweet dreams, Loki”
Loki looked at him over his shoulder and then walked out, closing the door lightly behind him. His heart felt heavy already and he thought he was losing him.
He didn’t want to, he didn’t want Thor to leave, not only for the isle, but for himself. He was attached to him, he was already seeing a future where he was alone and miserable.
He didn’t want him to leave.
Loki made his way back to his room, the halls looking bleaker than they had before and his chest heavier than it had been a moment ago.
He shouldn’t have yelled at Thor, he should have accepted his apology. Thor had no one here, he had this curse upon him that he didn’t understand and Loki hadn’t told him he was looking for a cure or answers for him.
Perhaps if he had, it would have been different.
He should have told him
Loki closed the door to his room and went to have a drink of water, just to delay going to bed alone. He didn’t want to admit that he was, the feeling was horrible inside his chest
He didn’t want that horrible feeling inside him again, the gaping wound left after the deaths of everyone he loved.
The water in his hand finished a little too soon and he went to pull back the drapes and get into his lonely bed once more.
The sheets were chilled, it was cold and yet that wasn’t the worst part of it. He looked at the windows as they showed the night sky outside and closed his eyes, forcing himself to doze off.
He didn’t know how long he stayed that way but his eyes flew open when Thor’s warm body came to settle behind him and his thick arm wrapped around his waist.
His lips kissed his nape and Loki’s lips curved into a smile.
“Goodnight” Thor whispered, stroking his hand
“Sleep well” Loki replied, closing his eyes once more
Sleep became easier after that