Winter's Hearts

Chapter 7

You weren't surprised when there was a knock on your door later. "Go away Thor," you called through the door automatically. You were sitting against the door with your knees to your chest and knew who it was by how hard the door banged against your head when he knocked.

"No, Lady. I am not leaving you to be miserable because of something my brother did," Thor called back through the door.

You sighed heavily. "Not right now, Thor," you said wearily and put your head back on your knees, where it had been before Thor banged the door into it. You were tired and hurt and didn't want to play with Thor right now. He was loud and annoying and demanding.

"Kyrie, don't make me do it," Thor told you, sounding sad.

"You wouldn't," you replied grumpily, refusing to move until he made you. Unfortunately, he could do just that, and he knew it.

"Kyrie," he warned again.

"Fine," you growled before he could issue the order. You stood and opened the door before he could pull rank and give you an order that duty demanded you follow. You didn't bother trying to hide that you'd been crying. "What do you want, Thor?" you asked him, just as wearily. He didn't answer, just bent and threw you over his shoulder. "THOR!" you shrieked and hit his back, hard. "Put me down!"

"No. I told you I am not leaving you to be miserable. Just because Loki said some hurtful words does not mean the rest of us do not wish to see you,"

"Thor, they all hate me," you growled at him. "Besides Nat anyway," you amended grudgingly.

"No, they do not. And Loki won't be there. He has decided to hide in his room too, but since he is in the wrong, you're the one who gets my company today,"

"Lucky me," you grumbled.

"Verily," Thor agreed pleasantly. "You forget, little Valkyrie," Thor's voice had gotten too loud, like he was expecting that Loki was on the other side of his bedroom door eavesdropping. You saw that Loki's bedroom door was cracked open and you would bet he was eavesdropping. "While the Valkyrie are duty bound to defend the throne, we also have duties to our beloved Valkyrie as their well-being are our responsibility. Especially those Valkyrie that are sworn to personal service. Since my brother is incapable of doing his duty, it falls to me," Thor announced, still too loudly.

"I'm still going to stab you," you growled, but stopped actively trying to fight him. He was right and you knew it. It was a give and take relationship between the Valkyrie and who they were sworn to protect. The members of the royal family also safeguarded the well being of the Valkyrie in general, so Thor was entirely in the right. You hated when he was right.

He shrugged, which was quite unsettling when you were over his shoulder. "It would not be the first time,"

"The last time was 900 years ago," you growled grumpily at him.

He chuckled. "I believe the last time was when you were sick. You insisted on doing your duty to Loki and escorting him to whatever event Father had decided needed doing that evening,"

"There was a diplomat Loki had to meet," you reminded him. "Someone from one of the archaeological digs,"

"It didn't matter to you that you had a raging fever, which I'm still impressed you managed to hide from Loki by the way,"

"He was too interested in seeing what books the archaeologist brought with him," you explained. Loki had been preoccupied that day and hadn't noticed your state. You hadn't enlightened him either and had actively hid just how sick you had been. It would have discredited him to not have his Valkyrie at his side. You were a status symbol for him as well, though someone could have subbed for you since you really were that sick. You hadn't trusted them to do your job as well as you would. You loved Loki. Someone who didn't would clearly not do as good of a job protecting him.