A New Beginning

Chapter 36- Only One Path

"Sometimes there is no happy choice. Only one less grievous than others." – Jon Snow

– George R.R. Martin

Noelle was briefly conscious when they jumped out of the ship. Thor was carrying her and they crash landed onto another one. She was vaguely aware of explosions and shouting but not much else. She only registered Thor whispering something into her ear she could not understand before she lost consciousness again.

Then she awoke to the sound of more screaming due to Thor and Loki fighting.

"Trust? Was that her last expression? Trust?! When you let her die!" Loki shouted.

"What help were you in your cell?" Thor spat at him.

"Who put me there?" Loki screamed back. "WHO PUT ME THERE!?"

She heard what sounded like Thor slamming Loki into the side of the ship. "YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHO!!!"

She felt guilt and pain shoot through her own heart when she realized who they were speaking of.

Frigga.

She tried to move, but she barely could. Frankly, she was surprised she had held out this long. Maybe the Force wasn't done with her just yet.

Thor must have heard her stirring because he came over to where she was laying down on the seat and placed a hand on her arm. "How do you feel?" he asked in a low voice closer to a whisper, probably so Loki couldn't hear.

She took a deep breath, feeling her heart race at his touch. How was it possible to feel so dead inside, yet alive at the same time?

"I'm... the same," she mumbled finally, hoping he couldn't see her flushed cheeks. But she made herself turn over a little so she could see him. "And... what is the plan, exactly?"

Thor sat down beside her, his face was grim, and he downcast his eyes. "We go in, and once Malekith extracts the Aether from you, I'll destroy it."

Noelle was silent for a long moment, deep in thought. She had already considered this herself, and well... "I don't think something like that can be destroyed, Thor," she replied quietly.

"We have to try. It's our only chance."

He was right about that, she mused. There was no other choice. Sometimes there was only one path– and it wasn't always the one that everyone wanted to go down. They were just going to have to hope beyond hope that this was going to work. If they did nothing it was only a matter of time before she was dead and Malekith got the Aether.

"There never was much hope," Gandalf had once said to her. "Just a fool's hope."

Remembering those words, she nodded in agreement with Thor, despite the fact that she didn't believe this would work and tried to offer him a reassuring smile.

Thor smiled back and pushed a strand of hair that had fallen onto her eyes away from her face. "I wish you–"

He was interrupted by the sound of the ship jolting to a halt.

Loki was responsible for that. He gave them a "who me" look as Thor glared at him, then he nodded out into the distance, showing them the reason he had stopped.

Malekith.

Thor knelt down and scooped Noelle up in his arms as if she weighed no more than a kitten. "It's time to go," he said. "Do you think you'll be able to walk?"

"I don't know, but I'll try," Noelle responded, shakily grabbing his shoulders to steady herself. She closed her eyes. This would all be over soon either way, she told herself.