Loyalty and Mischief (WIP - On Hiatus)

Chapter 28 - There's something there that wasn't there before

Thor had to admit it; he missed it. The awesome excitement over adventure and plunging into the unknown took a firmer hold of him with every day that passed. Though he yet remained cautiously wary, he could not deny relishing in this mighty quest. His resolve had grown stronger, too. This was, after all, what Princes did; going on seemingly impossible ventures to then return to their people victorious. He had done so on many occasions.

Yet the one failure from his youth still cast a shadow over Thor. He had not forgotten the dreadful repercussions from when he and Loki, only just grown into manhood, went looking for Surtur's Sword. A war with Jötunheim nearly broke out due to their actions. And Loki had... He lost his way. The fragile state he had been in the weeks that followed the events left him vulnerable. So much so that he succumbed to...
No. Thor would not allow himself to think of her. She betrayed both him and his brother. She betrayed Asgard. And she was gone now. Dead, most likely.
But, with those past events in the back of his mind, it was of the utmost importance that all went as smoothly as possible this time around. If only Baldur weren't so impatient.

"Why do you insist on wasting our time when we could already be on our way to retrieve the Sword?!"

Thor's jaw clenched when his little brother raised his voice to him for the fourth time that day. Who would have ever guessed he would actually come to think of Loki as the better brother?

"I have told you why," said Thor, raising his eyes only briefly before returning to the page he was reading. "We must be well prepared for this voyage."

"We prepare by honing our skills in combat outside on the training grounds! Yet, you have us inside, stuck in this damn library!"

Thor slammed his hand on the table and jumped up from his seat. He had quite enough of this. Baldur recoiled at his brother's sudden outburst but still dared to look at Thor defyingly.

"I have us here because I do not want to repeat the mistakes I made before," hissed Thor, not wanting anyone to hear them (even though the library did appear to be empty just before midday). "People died when we last went after the Twilight Sword, Baldur. This is not like any other adventure I have told you about. We must be careful. If not for our own lives, then for the sake of Asgard."

"You've not told me a single thing about what happened in the past," complained Baldur. "If you would just..."

"No."

"But, I could..."

"Baldur, enough!"

Thor hated yelling at the young princeling, yet in this particular moment, his strong and roaring voice was the only thing that would let Baldur know this was not up for discussion. The shame of those days still anguished Thor deeply. He would not have his little brother look upon him with the same pity all the others had. Nor would he allow Baldur anything he could use against Loki. 
To say the two siblings were clashing was putting it mildly. Baldur was determined to prove he was the better magician in the family (apart from their mother, of course) and challenged Loki at every turn, even in public. Because of the promise he made Sigyn, Loki tried his best to turn every challenge into a lesson. Still, he could not help but demonstrate his superiority, which aggravated Baldur even further. If he ever discovered what Loki did all those years ago, Thor was certain that Baldur would use it carelessly and without a moment's thought. He could not allow that to happen.

"I know you are excited to go on this quest, brother," said Thor, his voice a bit gentler. "But you must believe me when I say we are not ready. Only fools rush in. And we were fools in our youth. Not anymore. So we will learn all we can about the Sword, we shall train hard, and only when I deem us ready shall we depart. Please, Baldur. Try to understand that I am trying to protect us all as best I can so that history does not repeat itself. "