Lokasenna

Chapter Five

Thor felt himself dart into a run, running out of the great hall and through hallway after hallway, pushing past guard after guard. Everything seemed to move slowly as he ran against time. Loki still lives. He ran to the throne room. At last, there he was. He was being carried in by guards, two on each side of him, hoisting him up. His raven colored hair covered a portion of his face. His head hung low as well, with his legs dragging along, but he was alive. Thor watched, frozen, as they carried him down the stretch of the throne room. Odin eventually joined Thor by his side.
    "Loki," Thor muttered. "Loki!" He raised his voice, trying to see if his brother would lift his head.
     "My lord, he is unresponsive," One of the guards announced. Odin was silent.
     As they approached both Thor and Odin, it was apparent how much Loki had endured. His clothes were still bloodstained with an obvious gash from when he was impaled by Kurse. The golden plates on his armor were dented and majorly faded, some of the leather was torn, and there were cuts and scratches all over the parts of his face that were visible.
       Odin remained still and silent. After a few minutes, he spoke.
       "Take him to the healing room." Then he left.
        Thor watched as the guards proceeded to carry Loki off deeper into the palace, watching helplessly. He could do nothing. While he was indeed glad that he was alive, he was uncertain as to how he would fare once he awoke.

When Loki has been placed on the soul forge, it was then that Thor was able to see his face. His skin was still a similar shade of grey that it had last been when he was killed, except now it contained a hint of color.
A hint of hope.
Eir and her team of healers worked quickly, for they didn't know exactly how much time they had, nevertheless his exact condition. He was still unconscious, but his health was still unpredictable at this point.
One of the guards entered into the healing room. He slowly strode over to Thor, who was looking upon his brother, yet careful to not be in the way. Thor looked up and acknowledged the guard. The guard put his fist across his chest and bowed his head.
"We found him on the steps. He was straggling along at first, however, he was quick to fall to the ground," the guard explained. "We knew not what to do except for to notify the King."
"Your efforts are much appreciated," Thor responded. "I do not know how he will act,
or what he will say, but he is alive."
"Very well." The guard raised his head and exited the room.
All of a sudden, the sound of gasping echoed off of the walls. Thor's eyes grew wide as he turned around to face his now fully-functioning brother breathing heavily on the table, the color to his face now restored, although he still appeared to be extremely drained. It took only a moment before he spoke.
"Did you miss me?"

Eir was shocked. She exchanged a gaze with Thor, who was feeling the exact same way.
"I-I know not what happened..." She breathed, astonished at how he was able to regain his strength so quickly.

"Brother, I-"
"What?" Loki slowly propped himself up onto his elbows, wincing. "You've taken the throne of Asgard, you fell deeper in the dark pit of love with that dastardly woman, you've mourned over my death..." He smirked. "How exciting."
"I've missed you."
Loki looked quite confused. "You...what?"
"We all mourned over your death, Loki," Thor explained. "You were never forgotten. Your deeds and your sacrifices have earned you well."
"My sacrifices," Loki repeated. "Because I would rather die than watch Asgard burn," he added sarcastically.
"You have preserved our kingdom," Thor pleaded.
"Yes, only to be placed back in the dungeons," Loki sneered. "The AllFather never wants to see me again, did you catch that? I'm sure he never thought twice about my 'sacrifices.'" He sat up on the edge of the table. Eir did not interfere in the slightest, partially because of the shock, and partially because she was afraid of him. Loki could sense this fear, and he looked at her for a moment before refocusing his gaze on his brother.