"I was wrong to accept it. Father isn't to blame for this." Thor's gaze shifted to the hammer where it had fallen. He could feel its pull still, not as strong now, but present all the time. He had always thought the consequences of his actions all his own to accept. If he had known he would be holding his brother in his arms while he bled -- but perhaps he should have known it would come to this. Was this what it meant to be king one day? That all whom he loved would suffer his failures?

He swallowed and turned back to Sif, but he could not meet her gaze, his own eyes clouded again with tears. "It was my foolishness, all of it."

But there was no time to talk of that now. Loki had curled up, and Thor was struck by how small his brother felt against his side. He moved his arm briefly to tug the cape from his shoulders and wrap it around Loki's shivering form. "Brother, I know that I have failed you already, but listen to me. Look here..." He squeezed Loki's arm through the layers of material. "You are too strong to be broken by this. It will be done soon. It will be alright."