Baldur Odinson:The light of Asgard

Chapter 16: The Siege of Asgard

Baldur and Thor strode through the golden halls of Asgard, their footfalls heavy with purpose. The warmth of the realm that had once been their home now felt unfamiliar, shadowed by Loki's rule. The guards at the palace doors tensed as they approached, hands drifting toward their weapons.

Thor stopped before them, his presence commanding. "Stand aside."

The guards hesitated, exchanging uncertain glances. They had sworn loyalty to the throne, but which throne?

One of them spoke hesitantly. "Prince Loki has ordered—"

Thor didn't wait. He swung Mjolnir in a wide arc, the sheer force of the wind sending the guards flying backward. They crashed against the golden walls, their weapons clattering to the floor.

Baldur exhaled. "Well, that's one way to handle it."

Thor gave him a look. "Would you have preferred diplomacy?"

Baldur smirked. "No complaints here."

Sif and the Warriors Three joined them, slipping into the palace behind the fallen guards.

"Loki will be in the throne room," Sif said. "We need to move quickly before he reinforces his hold on the city."

Thor nodded. "Then we end this now."

They pushed forward, past the grand archways and deeper into the heart of the palace.

Baldur felt the weight of what was coming.

This wasn't just a challenge for the throne.

This was war.

The doors to the throne room slammed open.

Loki sat on the golden seat, draped in his regal green and gold robes, fingers steepled together as if he had been expecting them all along.

And knowing Loki, he probably had.

His expression didn't shift as he looked down at them, his cool gaze settling first on Thor, then on Baldur.

"You return," he mused. "How predictable."

Thor took a step forward, rage simmering beneath his skin. "You sent the Destroyer to Midgard. You tried to kill me."

Loki raised an eyebrow. "And yet, here you stand." He tilted his head. "Should I be impressed, or disappointed?"

Baldur folded his arms, watching him. "Cut the theatrics, Loki. Give up now, and maybe we won't have to make a mess of this place."

Loki smirked. "Oh, dear brother, you misunderstand."

A flicker of movement.

Then—the air itself seemed to warp.

From the shadows of the room, armored guards emerged—not just ordinary warriors, but Einherjar, the elite of Asgard. Their weapons gleamed in the firelight, their eyes cold and unyielding.

Baldur sighed. "Of course you brought backup."

Loki rose from the throne, stepping forward. "You still do not see, do you?" His eyes gleamed, sharp and knowing. "I am the rightful ruler of Asgard. I have sealed the Bifrost, I have control of the realm. You are the ones out of place."

Thor's grip on Mjolnir tightened. "You are not king."

Loki chuckled. "Oh, but I am. And I will do what our father never had the will to do." His voice darkened. "I will end the war with Jotunheim forever."

Baldur stilled.

"End the war?" he repeated, realization dawning. "You're not just sealing the realms—you're planning to destroy them."

Loki's smirk widened. "Ah, so you finally understand."

Thor's expression shifted, horror creeping in. "You would commit genocide?"

Loki's voice remained eerily calm. "You were always so sentimental."

Baldur inhaled sharply. This wasn't just about ruling.

Loki wasn't going to hold power—he was going to use it to erase an entire realm.

Baldur exchanged a glance with Thor.

No more talking.

This needed to end.

Now.

Thor struck first.

Mjolnir flew through the air, a blur of divine fury aimed straight for Loki's chest.

Loki barely moved.

A burst of green magic erupted in front of him, and suddenly, there were three of him, each shifting in and out of reality like distorted reflections.

Mjolnir passed through one.

The second vanished.

And the third smirked.

"You'll have to do better than that."

Then the Einherjar attacked.

Baldur moved in a flash of golden light, appearing behind one of the warriors and slamming an elbow into the back of his skull. The guard crumpled, but another was already swinging a blade toward him.

Baldur barely had time to dodge before Sif was there, her sword meeting the strike with brutal force.

"Focus on Loki!" she shouted. "We'll hold them off!"

Baldur didn't need to be told twice.

He blinked forward, light bending space around him, reappearing beside Loki's illusion.

But the moment his blade struck, the image shattered.

Loki's laughter echoed around the throne room. "Faster than before, but still not fast enough."

Baldur gritted his teeth.

He needed to stop fighting Loki like an enemy he could predict.

He needed to outthink him.

Baldur closed his eyes for a split second, feeling the energy in the room. He let his senses stretch, feeling for something beyond just sight.

Then—he found him.

A presence just barely a fraction slower than the illusions.

Baldur whirled and struck.

This time, his blade connected.

Loki staggered, a hiss of pain slipping from his lips.

Baldur smirked. "Gotcha."

Loki's expression flickered—and for the first time, Baldur saw something in his brother's eyes that wasn't amusement.

It was anger.

A burst of green energy flared outward. Baldur was thrown back, crashing against the floor with a grunt.

Thor was already moving, hammer raised, the air around him crackling with lightning.

Loki snarled.

And then—the palace trembled.

A low, grinding sound filled the air.

Baldur's stomach dropped.

The Bifrost.

Thor realized it too. His eyes shot toward Loki, widening.

"Loki, what have you done?"

Loki's breathing was uneven, his face paler than before. But his smirk returned.

"What needed to be done."

Thor's knuckles went white around Mjolnir. "You are going to destroy Jotunheim."

Loki's voice was quiet, but deadly. "Yes."

And then, with a shimmer of green magic, he was gone.

Baldur shot to his feet.

"Where did he—?"

"The observatory," Sif said, panting from the fight. "If he's using the Bifrost as a weapon, he'll be there."

Thor was already running.

Baldur didn't hesitate.

The race to stop Loki had begun.

Baldur and Thor sprinted through the halls of Asgard, their footsteps echoing against the golden floors as they raced toward the Bifrost Observatory. Every second counted now. If Loki had truly set the Bifrost on Jotunheim, it wasn't just a matter of stopping him—it was about stopping the end of an entire world.

The corridors blurred past them. Asgardians, confused and uncertain, pressed themselves against the walls, watching in shock as their exiled prince and their golden warrior charged toward the heart of the realm. The storm outside had followed them, swirling ominously over the city, thunder rumbling in a warning that seemed almost alive.

Baldur knew the moment they reached the bridge. The temperature dropped, a biting cold creeping into the air as the energy from the Bifrost pulsed unnaturally.

They pushed forward, emerging into the vast, circular chamber of the Observatory.

Loki stood at the control panel, his fingers ghosting over the intricate mechanisms of the Bifrost, magic pulsing at his fingertips. His gaze snapped toward them the moment they arrived, but he didn't flinch, didn't startle.

He only smiled.

"You're too late."

Thor barely hesitated before charging. "Loki—stop this now!"

Loki's magic lashed out before Thor even reached him, a force of emerald energy slamming into the Thunderer and sending him skidding across the floor. Baldur blinked forward, light bending around him as he reappeared at Loki's side, a hard-light construct already forming in his hands—

But Loki anticipated it.

His blade flashed out, and Baldur barely managed to parry in time, the clash of weapons ringing through the chamber. He twisted, aiming a second strike, but Loki was faster, stepping into the movement and sweeping Baldur's leg out from under him in a perfectly executed maneuver.

Baldur hit the ground hard and barely had time to recover before Loki's foot pressed against his chest, keeping him pinned.

"I know you, Baldur," Loki murmured, his voice almost amused. "You never cared for the throne. You never cared for Asgardian politics. Why does it matter to you what happens to Jotunheim?"

Baldur gritted his teeth, golden energy crackling around his body as he flashed away, rematerializing in a crouch a few feet away. "You think this is about politics? You're wiping out an entire realm."

Loki scoffed, adjusting his grip on his blade. "You say that as if it's never been done before. Odin did the same when he conquered the Nine Realms. I'm simply finishing the war he was too weak to end."

Thor, now back on his feet, glared. "Father would never have allowed this."

Loki tilted his head, expression unreadable. "That is why I am king."

Baldur's patience snapped.

In an instant, he was on him again, a streak of golden light against the deep green of Loki's magic. Their blades clashed once more, the force of their strikes sending shockwaves through the chamber.

Loki was fast—far faster than Thor in a fight, far more precise. He didn't waste movement, didn't swing wildly. Every step, every turn of his wrist, every flick of his blade was calculated.

But Baldur wasn't just playing defense.

He knew how Loki fought. He had watched it happen in countless fights before.

And now, he was finally fighting back.

He blinked forward, twisting his body mid-flash so that when he reappeared behind Loki, his blade was already swinging.

Loki barely dodged in time, but the moment of imbalance was all Baldur needed. He twisted his wrist, redirecting his weapon in a perfect arc—

And his golden blade slashed across Loki's ribs.

It wasn't deep, but it was enough.

Loki hissed, staggering back, one hand clutching his side. His expression flickered—anger, frustration, maybe even disbelief.

"You—" he started, but Baldur didn't give him time to speak.

He lunged again, pressing the advantage. Loki's magic flared outward in retaliation, forcing Baldur to blink away at the last second to avoid the raw blast of energy that shattered part of the Observatory floor.

And then—

The Bifrost roared to life.

Baldur's stomach dropped.

Behind Loki, the golden energy that connected Asgard to the Nine Realms had twisted into a violent, pulsing storm.

Through the center of it, the image of Jotunheim burned.

The realm of the Frost Giants was cracking apart under the relentless force of the Bifrost's full power. Ice gave way to nothingness. Mountains crumbled. The entire world was being torn from existence.

Thor's breath hitched, realization dawning. "Loki, if you don't stop this, Jotunheim will be destroyed!"

Loki wiped at the blood on his side, his expression hardening. "That is the point."

Baldur felt something cold settle in his chest.

There was no hesitation in Loki's voice. No regret.

He truly intended to wipe out an entire world.

Thor's jaw clenched, his knuckles white around Mjolnir. "Then I will stop you myself."

Loki's smirk returned, sharp as a blade. "You can try."

Baldur moved first.

He flashed forward, this time aiming directly for the control panel. If they could shut it down—

But Loki anticipated it.

A barrier of shimmering green light erupted in front of Baldur just as he reached the controls.

The impact knocked him backward, pain flaring through his chest as he crashed onto the broken floor.

"Predictable," Loki mused.

Baldur coughed, groaning. "You've been spending too much time in front of mirrors."

Loki's lips quirked, but before he could retaliate, Thor was already airborne.

Mjolnir tore through the air, slamming into Loki's chest with enough force to send him flying across the chamber.

Loki hit the floor hard, skidding across the stone before crashing against the opposite wall.

Baldur forced himself to his feet. His chest ached from the barrier's backlash, but he ignored it. He turned toward the controls again, but even as he did, he knew the truth.

The Bifrost wouldn't stop unless they destroyed the Observatory itself.

And there was only one way to do that.

Thor reached the controls first. His expression was haunted, pained, but resigned.

Baldur took a breath. "Thor—"

Thor raised Mjolnir.

Baldur barely had time to move before the hammer struck the golden surface of the control panel.

The entire Observatory shook violently.

A crack split through the bridge beneath them, golden energy bursting outward. The Bifrost, unstable, shuddered—

Then the ground collapsed.

Loki, still on the ground, let out a startled breath as the floor beneath him gave way.

Baldur blinked forward, grabbing his brother before he fell into the abyss.

Thor did the same.

But they weren't fast enough.

Loki dangled over the edge, held only by Thor's grip. His eyes flickered—shock, anger, something deeper.

For a moment, just a moment, Baldur thought he might reach for his other hand.

But Loki's gaze shifted.

And suddenly, Baldur knew.

Loki let go.

His body disappeared into the void, swallowed by the collapsing Bifrost.

Thor's shout echoed through the ruins.

Baldur exhaled, chest heaving. He felt the weight of it, the finality.

Loki was gone.

Not forever, Baldur knew he would come back.