Beauty in the Beast

Chapter 39

Silence fell. It was a strange occurrence given the circumstances of the situation that Asgard had been put into. The screams of terror had slowly begun to dwindle as the numbers on both sides reduced. The darkness of smoke and fire clouded the golden sun that hung high. Back in the hall, Loki tried to regain what little composure he had left and wiped his eyes roughly. Tearing his gaze from his father’s lifeless body, he refocused on his dying mother. Thor still cradled her in his arms, his own anguish falling silently from his eyes. Loki looked down to his arm; the frozen blade dripped with the dark blood of his father; the droplets forming into a small pool among the shimmering surface of the ground.  Without a second thought he grabbed it with a firm grip and snapped it in half. Another set of tears sprang to his eyes as the familiar pain shot through his arm but he paid no attention to it. Thor glanced up for a fleeting moment as he heard the snap of Loki’s arm but he remained silent, his judgment upon the younger prince showing clearly in his body language. Loki averted his gaze from Thor as he knelt by his mother’s side. His hand went to find hers when Thor spoke up.

“Don’t touch her. Just...don’t.” He snapped, pulling Frigga’s body tighter into his hold. Loki retracted his hand, bowing his head.

“How is she?” He asked, guilt evident in his voice. Thor glanced up, his expression hard and pained.

“Weak. She grows colder by the minute. There’s nothing we can do.” His reply was soft, his voice suggesting defeat. Loki’s shoulders sagged. A moment of silence passed between as the brothers exchanged a quick glance at each other; before it was abruptly broken by a weak cough shuddering through Frigga’s system. Thor jumped slightly as his mother’s figure shook in his arms. Loki’s eyes widened as he watched his mother awaken.

“Mother!” he exclaimed quickly, shuffling towards her body and taking her hand with trembling fingers, ignoring Thor’s sharp stare. Frigga could only smile weakly at Loki’s voice, her body only just managing to keep a hold of the little life that remained.

“My son.” She whimpered softly, her shaking fingers giving Loki’s hand a feeble squeeze. Thor adjusted his position so Frigga was more comfortable. A grateful smile graced her features as she looked at Thor and then Loki. Both men seemed de-aged before her as they observed her state; becoming the helpless and frightened children she had comforted during their childhoods. She knew she was going to die. She had known since the alarm had been raised just hours before. She wasn’t scared. She was ready.

“Mother we will save you. We will not give up. You’ll be alright.” Thor comforted, although his words lacked the confidence in which he was familiar with. Frigga smiled kindly, her hand reaching up and cupping Thor’s cheek gently, her thumb stroking over his defined jaw line.

“Now is not the time for false promises my son. There is little hope of me surviving this and you must show acceptance of that.” Frigga now focussed her fading gaze on her second son. Loki swallowed hard, his eyes avoiding her gaze. “Loki, my dear, do not blame yourself for this. That is the last thing I could hope for you to do.” She soothed. Loki looked up briefly.

“You would not be in this state had it not been for him mother.” Thor cut in, throwing another glare towards his brother.

“I would have been dead much sooner had Loki not come and found me. The fault is not his, Thor. You and I both know the power Laufey had over him and his mind. For him to overcome that and have the mental power to kill him is a great achievement. His resistance and his bravery should be praised. Even if he is not part of our family, I am proud to call him my son and you should be proud to call him your brother. It is because of him that you were not next to die by Laufey’s blade.” Frigga pointed out. Thor took a moment to digest this information before he looked back up to Loki, guilt and shame showing in his expression as Loki’s struggle came to light.