The house was in ruins.

When you stepped out of the portal with Freya behind Thor, she almost felt like laughing.

It was a pathetic sight. The roof had huge holes through which whole mountains could have passed, while the façade was full of cracks and dust. Windows were smashed.

"Sindri...", Freya gasped and hurried past you to the front door, which had been torn off its hinges. "Brok! Kratos?"

You stopped beside Thor and glanced up at him.

"The boy.", he said in a calm voice.

He seemed tired. His hand rested on Mjölnir but his shoulders had lost their strength.

"I will look around.", you said and squeezed his hand. "Rest a little."

He almost had to snort.

"If I rest, they will kill me."

"We have a deal."

"Do you think she'll stick to it?"

You hesitated for a moment.

"The question is not whether she will stick to it.", you whispered with pain in your voice. "What is the matter with you?"

Frowning, he settled down on a root of the tree Yggdrasil. The force made you stagger.

"You still don't trust me?", there was so much pain in his words, so much disappointment in his eyes.

You had to swallow hard.

"I trust you like no other."

"But?"

Again you hesitated.

Any more words would hurt him as no blade could have done. Even after all these years, he valued your opinion more than his own dignity.

"No buts.", you said at last, and gently grasped his face with both hands. "I want to save you trouble. Death, perhaps. We both know that if our attempt fails you'll..."

His hands closed around your wrists.

"If they so much as threaten you or dare to raise a hand against you, I will slaughter them as I did the giants.", there was not a single doubt visible on his face nor in those blue eyes of his. "I'll do anything. Because I've failed you once. I won't fail you twice."

It hurt.

It hurt so much to see that he was really trying. But the past could not be undone.

It hurt to know that he still loved you more than his own wife. Than the mother of his children.

Maybe it was true and he had really left you for the sole purpose of producing heirs. Perhaps.

But what hurt most, what tore you apart, was the certainty that you two would not find a happy ending.

This was not a question of whether you and Thor would become a happy couple again after Odin fell. All that mattered was saving Thor's life.

"You should be careful with your words.", you said softly and kissed his forehead. "Someone else might take them the wrong way."

He let out a long breath. How tired he looked. Perhaps all he needed was a long, dreamless sleep.

"Of course.", he murmured and closed his eyes. "I should always... be more careful. Think more. Not let others think for me."

With a sad smile, you shook your head.

"Rest a little.", you whispered as your legs moved away from him.

The pointed tips of your fingers danced through the thick hair of his beard, so deep that you could scratch his chin.

He followed the familiar sensation of your fingers with pleasure until you were so far away that he almost fell over forward.

At the door, Freya greeted you with two dwarves. Neither of them looked enthusiastic, but all right under the circumstances.

Irritated, you frowned at the sight of the one dwarf.

"What is wrong with you?", you asked while your gaze tried to inspect him from all sides. "Why are you blue?"

Baring his teeth, the dwarf raised his chin.

"And what about you, greenhorn?", he asked bitingly, his arms folded in front of his chest. "You don't look all that pretty either. I've seen some better looking Aesir."

"I think that's a very unkind question.", said the second dwarf, dressed in golden armour.

He looked unusually clean, especially for a dwarf known for his blacksmithing.

"Forgive me.", you murmured, and had to look at the blue dwarf one more time. "It's just... I've never seen anyone like him before."

"Pah, what do you know about dwarves?", the blue one asked.

"Quite a bit. Tyr was a good friend of yours."

Both raised their eyebrows in surprise. Briefly they exchanged a look, then the dwarf in golden armor stepped forward to look at himself.

He was very careful not to touch you. It was as if the wind was examining your form.

"It can't...", he muttered. "No. Yes? Brok, what do you think?"

The blue dwarf scowled and folded his arms in front of his chest. Grumbling, he looked at you more closely now, too.

"I think this one needs a proper weapon. Looks like a wimp."

The other dwarf waved his hands in denial.

"Be serious for once.", he asked.

A little annoyed, yet obviously searching for an answer to the other dwarfs question, the blue one tilted his head. The way his eyes lit up gave away that there was indeed a faint memory.

But you couldn't recall seeing these two faces once before.

"That little appendage...", he grumbled with his eyebrows drawn together. "Shit, yes! What was that name again...?"

"Little (Y/N).", the dwarf in the armor laughed enthusiastically all at once. "Yes we remember."

"Tyr's old apprentice.", Freya finally said and addressed you directly. "You don't seem like you remember them either."

You shrugged.

"No hard feelings on either sides, I suppose.", you smirked.

"Of course you remember us!", the blue dwarf, Brok, said as if you had offended him. "I'm unforgettable."

With an embarrassed smile you shook your head.

"We've met before.", the other dwarf said and pointed at the knife in your hand. "We made this for your master, don't you remember. We're Brok and Sindri."

"The smith brothers.", it suddenly came to you with a smile.

"See, you do remember us.", Brok said, pleased.

"Yes.", you looked at both of them just to internalise their faces. "You've changed though."

Sindri shrugged.

"Yeah, well, we all do, don't we?", he smiled, but seemed embarrassed. "Uh, you wouldn't mind, if you're capable, I mean..."

"The house?", you asked. "Allow me to fix it."