Winter Heart [Thorki]

Chapter One

Wayward Prince

"Thor, hold still," Frigga cooed softly to the young prince on her lap, who refused to hold still while she weaved her fingers through his golden hair.

Thor sighed and reluctantly stopped squirming, letting his mother attend to his hair. The sound of armored boots on the tiled floor made Thor snap his head in the direction of the sound.

"Father!" The young prince cried, leaping from his mother's arms to race toward the armor clad figure marching through the throne room. 

Frigga sighed with frustration when Thor's braid came undone, but she made no move to chase after the golden haired child that ran eagerly to his father.

"Father, Father!" Thor cried again with glee, tugging on Odin's red cape.

"Thor," Odin chuckled, stooping low to scoop the young prince into his arms, beaming at his only son. "What is it?"

"Can I come with you to defeat the Jotuns?" Thor asked excitedly, bouncing with anticipation in his father's arms.

"Oh no, you know the answer to that one." Odin shook his head. "The small conflicts between us and the Jotuns make Jotunheim no place for a young prince like yourself."

"But I want to be a warrior, like you!" Thor protested, brandishing his fist into the air as if he were holding an imaginary weapon.

"And you will be, when you're older." Odin chuckled. "But as of now, you must stay with your mother and let the warriors and I deal with the Jotuns."

Frigga, who had been watching the two, stood and made her way to her son and husband, gently grabbing Thor from Odin's arms. "Your father will be back before you know it." She reassured the disgruntled prince.

"Yes, and I'll tell you of all what occurred." Odin chipped in, Thor's face brightening at that news. "But, I really must go now. The warriors await." Odin hastily kissed Frigga's cheek and the top of Thor's head, before turning and making his way from his wife and son, his weapon, Gungnir, in hand.

Thor watched his father stride away in the safety of his mother's arms, only trying to squirm out when Odin was out of sight. "Mother, I want to change my tunic," The young prince whined when his mother refused to let him down.

"I'll go with you," Frigga began, but Thor only whined more.

"No, I'm able to do it myself. Please?" He stopped squirming long enough to look up at his mother with large, pleading blue eyes.

Frigga sighed but reluctantly let Thor down. "Alright, but come straight back once you're done."

Thor agreed eagerly before scampering off towards his chambers, only to veer in the opposite direction as soon as his mother was out of sight.

The Lords and Ladies of Asgard's palace watched with slight bewilderment as the prince of Asgard scampered through the golden halls of the palace, wondering just where he was going, although none made a move to question him, for which Thor was thankful.

Once he neared the palace gates however, Thor did his best to keep quiet and stay hidden, specifically from the warriors that milled about on horses, Thor's father among them.

Determined to sneak into Jotunheim with them, Thor peered around in excitement before finding a saddle bag that had yet to be tied to a horse.

As quietly as he could, Thor inched his way to the saddle bag, successfully managing to crawl inside without so much as a horse noticing his presence. He hastily closed the flap and settled among the provisions amidst the saddle bag.

And not a moment too soon, for as soon as the flap closed, Thor felt himself lifted from the ground when a warrior went to tie the bag to the side of a horse.

"Oi, this one's a heavy one." The warrior commented, huffing under the weight of the bag.

"Put yer back into it, Lass." Another warrior teased the smaller, slapping him on the shoulder, which Thor felt even within the safety of the bag.

The younger warrior just grumbled and tied the bag to the saddle, before mounting his horse and awaiting the next command, just as Thor did within the confinement of his bag.

 Without warning, Thor suddenly felt the horse jolt, jostling him inside of the bag as the small army of Asgardian warriors got the order from Odin to move forward. The gentle trot soon turned into a full out gallop as the horses were spurred foreword, their hooves thundering along the Rainbow Bridge.

Despite Thor's excitement, he started to get queasy in the stomach as he was tossed about in the saddle bag, and he began to think that maybe this wasn't the smartest idea after all. But it was far too late for him to change his mind now, for if he was discovered, he'd certainly get into a lot of trouble.

Fortunately the uncomfortable ride wasn't all that long, and the warriors and horses soon slowed to a stop once they reached the Observation Chamber of the Bifrost, or so Thor assumed since he heard Heimdall's deep voice, as well as his father's.

The next thing Thor heard was the sound of the Bifrost starting, the whirring noises getting only louder and faster before Thor felt the Bifrost grab hold of the warriors and him, sending them to Jotunheim.

Thor wished he had put on something warmer.

Even though he was in the saddle bag, he still felt the nipping cold of the endless winter of Jotunheim. And to make matters worse, he had to leave the somewhat warm confinements of the saddle bag, lest he'd get caught.

Tentatively opening the flap of the bag, Thor peeped his head out. Luckily for him, the horse he'd been loaded on was at the end of the alignment, making it easier for him to clamber out of the bag and land with a quiet thump in the snow. 

Thor slowly inched away from the warriors and his father, only a few horses noticing him and nickering softly.

Once Thor presumed he was well enough away, he now continued at a steady run, his chest heaving while he struggled through the snow, his breath evident in the chilled air with every exhale. Thor hoped he could find a small crevice in the ice to hole in, so he could watch the oncoming battle in relative warmth.

Unfortunately for the young prince, he was heading head on towards a hidden army of Jotuns, who were prepared for the oncoming Asgardians.

Not noticing the small child because of their immense size, the Jotuns only saw the cluster of Asgardian warriors, and with a silent signal, they sprung forth.

Caught unaware, Thor let out a frightened yelp and tried to scramble away from the charging Jotuns, only to get hit with a near fatal blow by the side of an Ice Sword.

Thor collapsed into the snow in a daze, his vision swimming, thinking for sure he'd get trampled by a charging Jotun. Instead however, the young prince felt two small hands hook under his arms, a small frame now dragging him away from the raging battle Thor so desperately wanted to see.

Too weak and dazed to lift his head, Thor listened to his rescuer's huffing and grunting breath as he dragged Thor's limp body away.

Thor opened his mouth and tried to utter a thanks to the stranger, but the attempted words only drained his energy all the more, his vision now starting to fade.

Thor only heard his rescuer utter a cry of despair before his vision went black.