Chapter 6
~ VI ~
"HEIMDALL!"
~o~0~o~
Thor has got his coronation. It was so strange. He couldn't have predicted that it would happen on a ship drifting in space with a number of survivors fleeting from Ragnarok. The Valkyrie has already found a bottle from somewhere. Hulk has gone at the hold. Heimdall though, was strangely silent.
Well. And of course there was an elephant in the room.
"There is a lot of work ahead of us. Valkyrie, do you know how many of us survived?"
"Um, yeah. Sure, I know. Too little."
"Is it really necessary?" Thor asked pointing on the bottle.
"Yeah."
"Heimdall?"
"I think Lackey knows how to make some facial recognition by the ship or something. Where is he anyway?"
"I would have thought that he would like to bask at the attention. Because he was a hero today." Thor smiled. The Valkyrie snorted.
"My king."
"But I know him. He is already across half the galaxy by now."
"Thor."
"Yes?"
"Thor. Do you... Do you remember how you sent Loki to the vault?"
"Of course."
"Loki- he would have been in the vault as the Ragnarok started."
"Yes, I know Heimdall. I sent him there. What is your point?" Thor asked a little irritated. His wounds hurt and Loki left him to figure out everything alone. He turned to Brunhilde but she suddenly became quiet.
"My king. You sent your brother to the vault. How could he have appeared here if he were so inclined?"
"Heimdall. You and I both know Loki can - can teleport. He does it all the time. It's his choice that he is not here. Isn't it always?"
"There are no portals in the vault, my king."
"What? What portals?"
"There are no portals there. And Loki couldn't have escaped."
"Thor..." Brun whispered.
"I don't understand. What portals? Loki needs no portals."
"Loki always needs portals to walk the places. There were no portals in the vault. Thor. Loki didn't escape the vault."
Thor... stopped. Thor stopped, as the noise stopped, the smell stopped and as did the air. The air stopped and it was hard to breathe. The sight stopped and it was hard to see, even with his good eye. Loki didn't escape the vault.
Thor looked at his hands. The blood was still red there under his nails.
There were no portals in the vault.
Thor heard what Heimdall said, he did. But even as the valkyrie shook him to get his attention, Thor couldn't get rid of something else that the gatekeeper has said.
"I sent him to the vault."
Yes. That. That was what he couldn't get rid of. Loki was not here. Of course he wasn't. He was across the galaxy now.
Only he wasn't.
He was in the vault when Asgard burned. When it exploded. Fell into utter ruin. In the vault where he sent Loki. His brother.
"I sent him to the vault."
And Loki is so so smart, it sometimes drew Thor mad. So clever. He must have known there were no portals. And Loki still went. Why? Because Thor told him to.
His eye burned, Thor didn't know why it did so spontaneously now. His eye burned and his head swam. Why was it so bright?
He heard his name being called but the Norns must have heard him and took the light away, with them. And it was finally blessedly dark.
~o~0~o~
He called for someone. Who was it? He could swear he saw his old man before it became unbearable. What was Odin doing, appearing before him? Wasn't he dead? Was he - Loki - dead? Why must it hurt so if he were dead? Cruel.
But he called... Ah. Heimdall. Could have the gatekeeper saved him? Loki helped. Saved them all...
And they left. Left him there. It was his ship and they have gone without him... Typical. Like any thing going wrong in his life, he was left alone. But Heimdall... Oh. Oh, right. Heimdall couldn't summon the Bifrost. Stupid. Oh how silly. Sorry, gatekeeper. My poor Loki bad. Heimdall couldn't have helped. Saved him. He was meant to die there, with Asgard. Strange, he didn't hesitate... Oh, of course he did. Loki, don't lie to yourself. You were terrified.
But still. You went. Because?
Because his oafish brother willed it.
No one would have come for him.
And of course. Loki must do everything by himself. Alone.
That was why he remembered a way he showed two stupid jotuns a lifetime ago.
That was why his charred back got mercy in the snows of Jotunheim.
Funny. A burned Jotun. Excellent joke. He liked it.
He would just lie there, in the snow. Until he died or survived. He would find out nonetheless what fate awaited him.
But for now he would sleep.
~o~0~o~