Chapter Text
Next to Fandral, Vali stood up out of the undergrowth and shouted an order to attack. In the blink of an eye, the forest went from peaceful and quiet to total chaos. There were shouts all around which were soon followed by the clang of steel and grunts of exertion from the fighters.
Fandral charged into the fray with Sif at his side. Once he emerged from the bushes in which he had been concealed, Fandral could see five brigands armed with short swords and quarter staves who had started moving towards the tree line. They quickly turned when Fandral, Sif, Vali, and one of the other Aesir warriors appeared behind them.
Fandral drew his rapier and moved towards one of the brigands armed with a short sword, knowing full well that his speciality was finesse and footwork rather than brute strength. Vali made a similar assessment of their situation and drew the attention of the two larger bandits carrying the quarter staves, charging at them with the other Aesir warrior at his side. Sif fell upon one of the others with a savage battle cry, which was enough to startle her enemy.
Fandral spared a moment to smile at the brigand who underestimated Sif, it would surely be the last mistake he would ever make. Fandral was also accustomed to enemies who underestimated him, as he did not have the imposing physique of Thor or the intimidating weapons of Hogun and Volstagg. What he did have, however, was speed and precision.
The two remaining enemies charged at Fandral, and he let them get up speed as he surreptitiously surveyed the terrain around him. Just as they reached him, Fandral took two swift steps backwards, nimbly avoiding the dense shrubs underfoot. One of the brigands stumbled as he used all his momentum to slash at the air where Fandral had been mere moments before and went crashing into the brush.
The other teetered off balance as he tried to pull up and avoid the fate of his comrade. Fandral took this opportunity to lunge at the bandit, batting the short sword away with his long and light rapier. Fandral took two quick steps towards the bandit, slashing efficiently and cleanly at his opponent’s torso. The bandit managed to clumsily twist out of the way of Fandral’s first strike, but he didn’t even see the second one coming as Fandral flicked his wrist smoothly. The razor-sharp tang of the rapier cut through the brigand’s sleeve like butter and left a streak of red blood behind.
Fandral tried to push his advantage by continuing his advance, but the bandit growled at his injury and managed to bring his sword up to counter the next attack. Fandral felt the shockwave of the brigand’s defensive parry reverberate up his arm, but he continued to rain quick, sharp thrusts and slashes at the bandit. As Fandral continued his swift assault, he managed to drive his opponent towards the tree line where the road met the forest. Although he hadn’t managed to land another blow, Fandral was acutely aware of the shrubs and slippery leaves underfoot, placing each foot deliberately as he advanced.
Before the bandit even realised he was in danger, he stepped back carelessly and tripped over a fallen log, sending him crashing to the ground. As the wind was knocked out of the fallen bandit, Fandral took the chance to slash deeply at the man’s thigh, making the bandit howl in pain and rage. He then proceeded to pierce the brigand’s dominant shoulder and deliver a swift kick to the man’s head, knocking the bandit unconscious.
Fandral removed his sword from the brigand and looked up to survey the battle. Vali and the other warrior had taken out one of their two foes and Sif had her adversary pinned against a tree with her shield, ready to make a killing blow. He could faintly see the skirmish taking place on the other side of the road in the trees where Thor, Hogun, Volstagg, and the two other warriors from their patrol were battling more brigands. With a rising sense of panic, Fandral realised that he couldn’t see Loki amidst the chaos as he surveyed the road. He was about to take a step out towards the wagon to find Loki when Fandral heard movement behind him.
He turned just in time to see the second brigand who had charged at him coming towards him once more. Just in time, Fandral managed to lift his rapier to deflect the oncoming blow from the bandit, but he was unable to react as the man continued to barrel straight into him. The brigand’s shoulder connected heavily with Fandral’s chest, knocking him back and onto the road.
Fandral was sent careening into the side of the wagon, and he felt the breath get knocked from his chest as he connected with the hard wood. Out of instinct, Fandral ducked to the side and twisted away from the oncoming bandit, whose sword struck the wood where Fandral’s head had previously been.
He skirted around the side of the wagon, backing away from the approaching bandit in an attempt to catch his breath. Fandral raised his rapier as the brigand approached, but he knew that he had lost the terrain advantage and was completely exposed on the open road. Fandral lifted his rapier to parry the next blow from his enemy as the bandit rounded the side of the wagon.
Before Fandral could consider his options, the bandit staggered as something flashed through the air. The bandit looked just as surprised as Fandral to find a dagger protruding from his thigh before he fell to one knee with a groan of pain. Fandral looked to his right to seek the source of the flying dagger and saw a flash of green as Loki stood up from behind the wagon, shedding his glamour.
Loki spun gracefully, his arm moving as fast as lightning, and another dagger embedded itself in the brigand, this time in the shoulder. The man was knocked to the ground, and it seemed unlikely that he was going to get up again any time soon.
Fandral turned and directed a shallow bow of thanks towards Loki, who sent him a small, pleased smile in return. Fandral started to move towards Loki, intending to back up the prince where he was protecting the civilians huddled under the wagon. Before he could take a step, he noticed movement from the tree line.
A hulking figure armed with a steel-studded club was charging at Loki, who had revealed himself as threat when he dropped his glamour.
“Loki! Watch out!” Fandral cried in horror, watching helplessly as the huge brute careened towards the prince.
Loki turned, eyes widening at the oncoming assault. He quickly threw up a shield of green light to protect him from the wild swing of the massive bandit’s club, but the force of the blow sent him flying backwards into the wagon.
The brute smiled cruelly and continued to advance on Loki, who was lying prone in the dirt. Suddenly, a piercing cry of rage split came from the trees and the air began to crackle with electricity. It seemed that Thor’s attention, which had previously been occupied with swinging Mjolnir at his enemies enthusiastically, had been attracted by Fandral’s cry and he had spotted his brother lying at the mercy of the hulking brigand.
With another cry of outrage, Thor began to swing his hammer until it crackled with lightning before he plunged it into the ground. Currents of lightning exploded around Thor, sending bark flying off nearby trees and knocking the remaining bandits off their feet. The huge brigand who had been advancing on Loki was sent flying into the supply wagon, where he became entangled with the goods on the cart. The bandit hung limply from the side of the wagon, twitching slightly as electricity coursed through him.
Fandral sprinted over to Loki and dropped his rapier as he crouched to help the prince, “Loki, my friend, please tell me you are alright.”
Loki grunted and Fandral thought he saw a flash of green light as he heard the others running to their aid.
“Loki!” Thor exclaimed, coming to an awkward halt a few paces away as Fandral helped Loki to his feet.
Fandral looked Loki over briefly, but he couldn’t see any obvious signs of injury, though he was not sure how that was possible. He had seen the huge blow that Loki had sustained, and he couldn’t believe that Loki would be completely unharmed. But Loki straightened up and stepped away from Fandral’s supporting arm.
Loki looked at his brother imperiously, “Surely you could have done that earlier and saved us all that trouble.”
Thor’s worried expression melted into one of relief at his brother’s sarcasm. “Ha ha!” Thor boomed, clapping his brother on the shoulder, “But where would be the fun in that? Ahem… anyway, I’m glad you’re alright, brother.”
At Thor’s heavy-handed slap, Fandral thought he saw Loki sway and turn a slightly worrying shade of green, but when he blinked Loki appeared to be completely fine again. Fandral narrowed his eyes in suspicion but didn’t say anything as Vali and the other warriors came over to check on everyone.
As Vali gave orders to contain the brigands who were still alive and co-ordinate the shifting of the tree blocking the path, Fandral kept a close eye on Loki. He seemed fine, but every so often he would stagger or shake his head as though coming out of a daze. He tried to catch Loki’s eye, but the prince refused to meet his gaze.
By the time they had rounded up the prisoners and sent the merchants on their way, Fandral was sure something was wrong as he saw Loki struggling to haul himself onto his horse. He was about to go over and say something but just at that moment, Vali called upon Heimdall to take them back to Asgard. Before he could speak, the group was enveloped in the rainbow light of the Bifrost.