Broken Remedy |L. Odinson|

Chapter Twenty-Four

Debris covered the entirety of the Throne room of Asgard's Palace, the once pristine floors littered with dust and fallen parts of columns, although thankfully, the remaining columns held the ceiling from falling and crashing all beneath it. In the end of the long hall, the extravagant golden throne of Asgard stood, as if it hadn't been witness to the destruction that had taken place. Bodies of fallen soldiers littered the floor, some dwarves, some Asgardians, and Eir's gaze was quick to be averted once she realised none of those guards had the face of her brother.

The battle had already been won here and moved elsewhere.

"We should hurry," Loki spoke up, eyes briefly moving over Eir to ensure her well-being before he looked ahead once more, his steps quick as he rushed to the left to a corridor leading away from the throne room, where he could make out shouts coming from. Eir followed after him at once, her footsteps barely heard over the commotion they were approaching. It didn't take long before they met the battle.

Asgardians and dwarves were fighting, bodies falling left and right, an arrow whizzing past occasionally, and Eir looked up at the archer, only for her eyes to soften with momentary relief as she saw Cuyler. His face was set, eyes hard as he let arrow after arrow fly, each time meeting his mark. A sense of pride filled her at the sight of her brother before she looked away, focused on the battle. Cuyler wouldn't have trouble from that far away. She needed to help those in the battle.

Loki had already rushed off and she followed a beat later, briefly twirling her cane in her hand before she got in battle. Her weapon moved around her as if it were a deadly wheel of steel, and with the intent to kill, she let the daggers slip out. The radius of her attacks grew. Not long later, dwarves were falling around her, never getting too close.

The blades of her cane were coloured crimson, steady droplets of blood falling down the cane and reaching her hands. Her hold on the weapon was sticky, a mix of sweat and blood, yet she didn't stop, not when she felt her arms starting to protest, not even when droplets of blood fell on her face. Eir dodged attack after attack, was quick to launch her counterattack when there was an opening. Her father had taught her well. Her training after his death had taught her better.

The fight moved from the narrow hall to the garden without her realizing. She lost Loki on the way, too caught up in her own opponents to look for him, and it wasn't until they had gotten outside and she was hit with the rays of light that she looked up momentarily to take in her surroundings. Her eyes widened at once.

It made sense why the fight had been taken to the garden. Dwarves seemed to appear from every possible route, encircling the warriors of Asgard. Eir struck down her opponent and got closer to where more of her allies were, came to a stop right next to Loki. He met her gaze for a brief moment before he looked away once again, reading his weapons.

"Don't look up for me," she spoke softly as there was a pause in the battle. She turned around, back to back to him.

"Take care of yourself," was all he replied with, before the dwarves charged and the remaining Asgard soldiers attempted to fight back.

Her allies were falling one by one, defeated by the numbers of the dwarves. The arrows had stopped sometime along the battle, the sharp sound of air being cut in two no longer heard, and if Eir had been any less concentrated in the fight, she would have heard and worried. But she didn't. Her need for survival was stronger than her concern.

Until there was a sharp cry from behind her.

She could have recognized Loki's yell anywhere. She didn't need to turn around to know he was hurt. She wanted to turn around, rush to ensure his well-being, but the dwarves kept on coming and didn't leave her a choice but to keep fighting and hope he was still hanging on. But her arms were growing stiff, the smell of blood and the heat was making her dizzy. She barely managed to deflect a particular hit to her waist.