If He be Worthy [MCU/Thor]

The Bifrost's light faded, revealing Heimdall's Observatory in disarray. The great guardian himself lay The Bifrost's light faded around them, revealing the chaos that had engulfed Heimdall's Observatory. Thor's heart sank at the sight of the great guardian lying wounded, frost coating his golden armor. Despite his injuries, Heimdall still gripped his mighty sword, ready to defend Asgard to his last breath.

"The Jotuns," Heimdall gasped, struggling to rise. Blood had frozen along a gash in his side, the wound rimmed with frost. "They used paths hidden from even my sight. Laufey leads them... the passages between realms... they know secrets older than Asgard itself."

Thor exchanged glances with his companions, understanding passing between them without words. They had fought together for centuries, and they knew as well as he did what needed to be done.

"Sif, Warriors Three," Thor commanded, his voice carrying the authority of centuries of leadership, "Take Heimdall to the healers. Then alert the Einherjar we need every warrior ready. Secure the city and place a squad of Einherjar here by the bifrost."

"And you?" Sif asked, though her tone suggested she already knew his answer.

"I must reach the palace. If Laufey truly leads them..." Thor left the thought unfinished, but his grip tightened on Mjölnir. His father lay vulnerable in the Odinsleep, and his mother would be there, defending him with everything she had.

"We'll handle things here," Volstagg declared as he and Hogun carefully lifted Heimdall. Frost crackled on their gauntlets where they touched the frozen patches of his armor.

"Go!" Sif called back to him. "We'll rally the army and secure the city."

Thor nodded as he launched himself toward the palace, Mjölnir pulling him through the air at tremendous speed. The visions that had plagued him since touching his hammer showed him fragments of what was to come, but they felt less certain now, as if the future itself trembled on the edge of change.

The palace halls were eerily quiet when Thor landed, but the trail of frost along the walls told him all he needed to know. The temperature dropped noticeably as he followed it, his breath forming clouds in the increasingly frigid air. Here and there, he passed the frozen forms of palace guards, some dead, others merely trapped in layers of magical ice.

The sound of combat ahead spurred him faster. He could hear the crack of ice against stone, the hum of defensive magic, and beneath it all, his mother's voice raised in defiance.

Thor burst into Odin's chambers just as Laufey neared his father's sleeping form. The Frost Giant king stood nearly twice Thor's height, his blue skin marked with ritual scars that seemed to glow with an inner light. Ice crystals formed around his massive hands, growing into wicked blades that gleamed in the chamber's golden light.

Queen Frigga stood between Laufey and Odin's bed, her hands weaving complex patterns in the air. Golden shields of pure magic flickered around her, deflecting attacks from the two Frost Giant warriors that flanked their king. Her face showed intense concentration as she maintained multiple defensive spells at once.

"Your magic is impressive, Asgardian" Laufey growled, his red eyes gleaming with ancient malice. "But the ice of Jotunheim has existed since the Nine Realms were young. Since before Bor first drew breath."

The temperature plummeted as Laufey channeled his power. Ice spread across the chamber floor in intricate patterns, each crystalline formation glowing with that same eerie inner light. Where the frost touched Frigga's magical barriers, it began to creep upward like vines, seeking any weakness in her defenses.

"You will not touch my husband," Frigga declared, her voice steady despite the strain evident on her face. Another wave of golden energy pulsed from her hands, pushing back against the encroaching ice. The air itself seemed to vibrate with the clash of magics, ancient frost magic against the refined sorcery of Asgard's queen.

One of Laufey's warriors lunged forward, ice-blade forming around his arm as he struck. Frigga's shield caught the blow, but the impact sent visible cracks through her magical barrier. The second warrior immediately attacked from the opposite side, forcing her to split her attention.

"Your realm has grown soft, Frigga of Asgard," Laufey taunted as his warriors pressed their attack. "Too long have you hidden behind your golden walls. You've forgotten what true war is like."

Laufey raised both hands, ice gathering around them in ever-growing crystals. The temperature dropped so low that the very air began to crystallize, forming patterns of frost in mid-air. Then he brought his hands together with a thunderous crack, sending a wave of pure winter force toward Frigga's defenses.

The queen's eyes widened as she recognized the true threat. She poured more power into her shields, golden light blazing bright enough to illuminate the entire chamber. The two magics met in an explosion of power that shook the entire palace to its foundations.

The shockwave sent Laufey's warriors flying backward, their ice-blades shattering. But Frigga too was thrown aside, her concentration finally breaking under the overwhelming assault. She hit the wall hard, slumping to the floor as her golden shields flickered and died.

Thor moved to help his mother, but Laufey was already closing in on Odin's unconscious form. Frost spread across the Allfather's golden bed as the Jotun king raised his ice-blade high.

"The house of Odin falls today," Laufey declared, triumph in his voice.

But before Thor could intervene, a blast of green energy caught Laufey square in the chest. The Frost Giant king was thrown backward as Loki materialized from the shadows, Gungnir gleaming with power in his hands.

"Not yet" Loki said, his voice cold enough to match Laufey's ice.

The Jotun king's eyes widened in recognition—not of Loki as Odin's son, but as his own son. "You..."

But Loki gave him no chance to finish the thought. Gungnir blazed again, the blast reducing Laufey to ashes where he stood. The remaining Frost Giant warriors met similar fates, each falling to precise shots from Asgard's spear before they could rise from where Frigga's last defense had thrown them.

Thor rushed to their mother's side, checking her pulse. She was unconscious but alive, though frost rimmed her clothing where Laufey's magic had struck her.

"She will recover," Loki said, his voice devoid of any real concern. "Her magic protected her from the worst of it. Though I suppose I shouldn't really care though, should I?"

"Brother," Thor started to say, but Loki's voice cut through the air like a blade.

"Brother? Is that what I am?" Loki's laugh was sharp and bitter. "I who was raised to believe I could be king, Thor. Raised to think I had a chance at the throne. But it was all a lie, wasn't it? I was never meant to rule. I was just a relic, stolen from Jotunheim. A diplomatic pet, kept here to ensure peace with the monsters."

"Loki, that's not—"

"SILENCE!" Loki roared, Gungnir blazing with power in his hands. "I see the truth now. The only way to prove my worth, to show that I am truly of Asgard, is to destroy the very realm I hail from. To do what you once swore to do, eliminate the Frost Giants forever!"

Before Thor could react, Loki unleashed Gungnir's power. The blast caught Thor square in the chest, enhanced by Loki's own magic. The impact sent Thor crashing through the palace walls, tumbling through the air in an uncontrolled arc that would end only when he struck the ground far below.

Through the hole in the wall, Thor could see Loki turn toward the Bifrost, his brother's form rigid with purpose. He would use the bridge's power to destroy Jotunheim completely, proving himself Asgard's savior in the most devastating way possible.

The last thing Thor heard before he flew off was Loki's voice, carried on the wind: "I will show them all what the true savior of Asgard can do."

Thor crashed through several walls of the palace before a final impact sent him plummeting toward the city below. Slamming harshly into a house. As Thor laid there in the wreckage, strong hands suddenly grabbed him, pulling him up from the wreckage. An Einherjar soldier helped steady him, concern evident in his eyes.

"My prince, are you-"

"There's no time," Thor cut him off, already spinning Mjölnir. His brother's words echoed in his mind, each second feeling like an eternity. The visions showed him what Loki planned, the complete destruction of Jotunheim using the Bifrost's power. He had to reach him before it was too late.

Thor launched himself into the air, Mjolnir pulling him toward the Rainbow Bridge with desperate speed. The wind whipped past him as he flew, his heart heavy with the knowledge of what was to come. Below, he could see the Einherjar mobilizing, responding to the chaos that had engulfed their realm, but they couldn't help him now. This was between brothers.

The Observatory grew larger in his vision, its golden dome reflecting the eternal starlight above. Thor could already see the mechanism beginning to move, preparing to channel powers that were never meant to be sustained. If he didn't stop Loki in time, an entire realm would pay the price for his brother's pain.

Thor raced across the Rainbow Bridge, his heart pounding with growing urgency as he neared the Observatory. The Bifrost thrummed beneath his feet, its energies building to a destructive crescendo that threatened to tear Jotunheim asunder.

As he reached the Observatory, Loki emerged from within, Gungnir held ready in his hands blooded by the guards who had been placed there. His brother's face was a mask of cold fury, but there was a brittle edge to his rage now, a desperate quality that hadn't been there before.

"Brother, stop this madness!" Thor pleaded, taking a step forward. "The Bifrost must be shut down before it destroys an entire realm. This is not the way."

Loki snarled, leveling Gungnir at Thor's chest. "Do not presume to lecture me on the duties of a king, Thor. I am doing what must be done to secure Asgard's future, to prove my worth to Asgard once and for all."

Without further warning, Loki lunged, Gungnir striking like a serpent. Thor barely got Mjölnir up in time to parry, the impact sending judders down his arm. Loki had never been as skilled as him in combat, but there was a ruthless intensity to his attacks now, a savage determination born of desperation and self-loathing.

The brothers traded blows up and down the Bridge, Gungnir and Mjölnir clashing again and again in showers of sparks and concussive force. Loki moved like a viper, all speed and deadly precision, seeking any gap in Thor's guard. But the Thunderer stood firm, Mjölnir an unbreakable bulwark against Loki's assault.

It was like so many of their sparring matches of old, but magnified a hundredfold in intensity and grim purpose. Thor knew his brother, could predict his strategies, counter his feints. It was a deadly dance they had rehearsed a thousand times, but never before with such stakes.

With a roar of effort, Thor deflected a spear thrust and bulled forward into Loki's guard, Mjölnir leading. His hammer struck Loki square in the chest with carefully modulated force, enough to send him flying backwards but not to cause permanent harm. Loki hit the Bridge hard some distance away, Gungnir clattering from his hand.

"Yield, brother," Thor demanded, advancing deliberately. "I do not wish to fight you, but I cannot allow you to commit this atrocity."

Loki staggered to his feet, one hand pressed to his chest. Despite his heavy breathing, a sly, vicious smile curved his lips. He glanced down at his hand, watching with a mix of horror and fascination as a patch of blue began spreading across his pale skin. His eyes widened in disgust and he shuddered violently, clenching his fist until his knuckles turned white. The blue receded, leaving his skin its normal pale hue, but the memory of it seemed to fuel something darker in his expression. His green eyes flared crimson, their hue deepening to the color of freshly spilled blood.

"Loki..." Thor started in surprise, though in truth he had expected this. "Brother, what are you doing?"

"Reminding you of what I truly am," Loki hissed. He held out a hand and Gungnir flew back to his grip, its golden haft darkening with hoarfrost at his touch. "If Odin's get will not heed me, perhaps a monster's methods will suffice."

The air around them began to chill rapidly, their breaths escaping in plumes of condensation. An unnatural fog started to rise, conjured from nothing by Loki's Jotun powers. It rolled across the Bridge in billowing waves, reducing visibility to mere paces.

Thor strained all his senses, Mjölnir held ready. He knew his brother's tricks, knew that Loki would seek to use the obscuring mist to his advantage.

A flash of movement caught his eye too late. Gungnir's blade found its mark, piercing Thor's side with a burst of frost magic that burned like fire. Thor grunted in pain, swinging Mjölnir wildly, but Loki had already vanished back into the mist.

"Always so predictable," Loki's voice echoed from everywhere at once. Another blast of sorcerous energy caught Thor in the back, driving him forward. "While you were busy showing off your strength in the light, I learned how to survive, how to thrive in the darkness."

The fog thickened, and suddenly Thor found himself surrounded by a dozen clones of his brother, each one wearing that same cruel smile. Gungnir glowed with malevolent energy in every clone's hands as they circled him like wolves stalking wounded prey.

"Which one is real, Odinson?" the Lokis spoke in eerie unison, voices echoing. "Can you find me before it's too late?"

Thor swung Mjölnir in a wide arc, passing through two illusions that dissipated like smoke and one that smashed into thousands of pieces of ice. But the action left him open, and a blast of energy struck his wounded shoulder, sending him spinning. Before he could recover, an ice blade slashed across his back, frost magic burning into the wound.

"Too slow and predictable" Loki's mocking voice came from everywhere and nowhere. "You never could match my wit."

A flurry of ice daggers and magic bolts rained from all directions, some real, some illusions. Thor deflected those he could, but many found their mark, piercing his armor and drawing blood. He stumbled on the frost-slicked bridge, his crimson lifeblood staining the crystal surface.

"You claim to see me clearly" the Lokis sneered, their attacks intensifying. "Then see this!"

A barrage of spells struck Thor from all sides, driving him to his knees. Through blurred vision, he saw the Lokis raise their spears in unison, energy gathering at each tip. The real Loki was among them somewhere, but in his weakened state, Thor could no longer tell which was genuine and which was illusion.

The barrage of attacks continued, each blast weakening Thor further as frost crept through his wounds. But even as his body faltered, his mind reached for something deeper. Somehow he needed to defeat Loki.

Closing his eyes despite the danger, Thor reached inside himself, past the pain, past the cold, to the very essence of his power. Lightning wasn't just destruction, it was life itself, every living being had a subtle electric current that flowed through through them. He didn't need Mjölnir to sense it; he only needed to listen.

Slowly, carefully, Thor began to spread his awareness outward. Not with brutal bolts of lightning, but with the gentlest of charges, he had never used his power so weakly before. The surrounding air began to hum with barely visible static electricity, spreading further and further across the Rainbow Bridge.

"What's wrong, Odinson?" the Lokis taunted in unison. "Finally accepting your defeat?"

But Thor wasn't listening to their words anymore. Instead, he felt it the electromagnetic signature that every living being generated. The illusions created magical disturbances in his field, but only one figure among them had that spark of true life.

"There you are," Thor whispered, his eyes snapping open. With certainty, he hurled Mjölnir not at any of the visible Lokis, but at seemingly empty air exactly where his brother's electromagnetic signature pulsed.

The hammer struck true with a sickening crack of breaking bone. Loki flickered into view as he was flung backward, blood spraying from his mouth as he tumbled across the bridge and lay still.

"How..." Loki gasped, one hand clutching his shattered ribcage as he struggled to rise. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, his face contorted in pain and rage. "How did you know?"

"You can hide from sight, brother," Thor said, catching Mjölnir as it returned to his hand. "You can trick the eye and mind. But you cannot hide life itself."

A tremor ran through the Rainbow Bridge, drawing Thor's attention away from his wounded brother. The Observatory was pulsing with blinding light, its energy building to catastrophic levels. Through the crystalline surface beneath his feet, Thor could see the Bifrost's power streaming towards Jotunheim like a laser, beginning to tear the distant realm apart.

"Do you see?" Loki laughed through bloody lips, his broken ribs forgotten in his moment of triumph. "It's too late to stop it now. It won't stop until Jotunheim is torn apart!"

Thor looked at the Bifrost, then at Mjölnir in his hand. The weight of destiny pressed down on him despite all his foreknowledge, despite all his attempts to change things, here he stood exactly where his visions had shown him. Was he truly just acting out a role in some cosmic play, every attempt to change fate merely another step in the predetermined dance?

"If you destroy the Bridge, you'll cut off Asgard's protection of the realms!" Loki shouted. "Your precious Midgard will be left defenseless!"

Thor's grip tightened on Mjölnir. He had sworn to protect Earth. Breaking the Bridge would make that vow far harder to keep. But the price of keeping that promise couldn't be genocide. With a roar of determination, Thor raised Mjölnir high and brought it down upon the Rainbow Bridge.

The impact sent shockwaves through the crystal surface. Again and again Thor struck, each blow channeling not just his physical strength but the full power of the storm. Lightning coursed down Mjölnir's shaft into the Bridge, combining with the Bifrost's own energies in an increasingly unstable reaction.

The Bridge began to crack, light pouring from the fissures as the power within sought release. Thor could feel it building toward an inevitable explosion, just as his visions had shown. One final strike would end it.

"Look at me!" Loki screamed, his voice cracking with raw emotion as Thor raised Mjolnir to strike the bridge again. "All I ever wanted was to be your equal!"

Thor hesitated, the hammer lowering slightly in his grip as he saw the tears streaming down his brother's face. Loki's glamour had fallen completely now, his skin mottled with patches of Jotun blue, his eyes flickering between green and crimson a physical manifestation of his internal struggle.

"You still are my equal," Thor said softly, even as he tightened his grip on Mjolnir. "You always were."

"LIES!" Loki's voice shattered with despair. "I was never your equal. I was the shadow! The spare! The scapegoat for all of our problems!" His laughter turned hysterical. "And now... now I'll prove them all wrong. When Jotunheim falls, they'll see. They'll finally see..."

"See what, brother?" Thor asked, though he already knew the answer.

"That I am worthy!" Loki's eyes were wild now, desperate. "That I can do what even the mighty Thor could not destroy our enemies forever! Odin will wake to find his adopted monster succeeded where his true son failed!"

Thor looked at the Bifrost, then back at his brother's broken expression. Despite all his foreknowledge, despite all his attempts to change their path, here they stood tragedy inevitable as the sunrise.

"I cannot let you do this" Thor said, raising Mjolnir one final time.

"Brother, please," Loki's voice cracked, a sob breaking through his facade of control. "Don't make me lose everything. Not again. Not when I'm so close..."

Thor brought the hammer down. The Rainbow Bridge shattered with a sound like a dying star creating a giant explosion throwing him high into the air before landing roughly onto the rainbow bridge, taking with it both Asgard's connection to the realms and the last fragments of Loki's desperate dream.

When the dust settled and the last echoes of the explosion faded, Thor pulled himself to his feet, his body aching from both battle and the blast.

But as he turned to where Loki had been, he found only empty air. His brother was gone, leaving nothing behind but frost slowly melting on the broken Bridge's surface.

Thor stood alone at the edge of the shattered Rainbow Bridge, the weight of both victory and loss heavy on his shoulders. Despite all his attempts to change things, despite all his foreknowledge, some events it seemed were written in stone