Thor: The King of Everything.

Summary: "(A sequel to "The King of Nothing") One month after Loki's sudden, inexplicable disappearance and the cryptic message he left behind, Thor desperately tries to hold everything- and everyone- together. But now, facing the cruel reality that his brother before him couldn't bear, failed to overcome and ultimately left to him alone to face, a war that Asgard has no chance of winning; too many people who refuse to see that terrifying truth, and even loosing the one last person he fights for, the God of Thunder knows he has got to make a stand before it's too late. His quest for victory- and to finally end all the suffering around him- will lead him into a long since forgotten, forbidden place, and reintroduce him to the cruel world he never realized he knew existed. But, with the help of his friends, and someone else who may or may not really be there at all anymore, Thor might just end up saving not only himself, Jane, his people, and his home from certain doom, but someone else who no one knew needed saving in the first place."

Warning: "This will be a relatively tame fanfic, with the exception of some blood, violence, angst, some language, a character death or two, and other adult situations. So, to be on the safe side, we'll be going with Rated T. I have watched both Thor movies and the Avenger's movie, but this does not mean that I am perfect and/or know absolutely everything there is to know about, and I'm bound to forget or misuse something. So, with that, please forgive me if I screw up, and just enjoy the story."

Disclaimer: "I do not own Thor. Please don't ruin my day by thinking I do."

A/N: "This story is dedicated to Adamzgal."

N._.s._.S

Chapter One: The One Left Behind I.

"It's hard being the one to go, but it's even harder to be the one who stays."

- Audrey Niffenegger.

There was never a silence nearly as powerful, nor as damningly poignant, as the one that seemed to descend over all of Asgard the days following Loki Odinsson's sudden, second death.

No one seemed to know what to do with the wayward God of Mischief now that he was gone. Indeed, he had proven that he wanted to be accepted back, despite everything he had done, and even despite all those who remained who still deeply mistrusted- and even hated- him.

Plus, he certainly deserved a hero's hailing with his actions during the battle with the Space Dragon and the mysterious, still-unnamed creature that had come with it (not even Lady Sif could dare to argue that), but strangely enough, nothing was ever held, not even the traditional sending-off ceremony.

Perhaps it was the shock of losing him again so soon.

But now, one month has passed, and Asgard was still trying to regain a sense of normalcy.

Everyone, that is, except one.

N._.s._.S

The small, perfectly flat, grayish-blue rock skipped twice across the smooth surface of the crystal-clear water before promptly disappearing into the dark grass on the other side with a soft rustle.

Thor Odinsson slowly bent to pick up another.

You're late, brother.

The God of Thunder hesitated for a long moment before letting his arm fall back to his side, the rock dropping to the ground at his feet. As he looked over the surface of the water he could clearly picture it frozen again, with Loki standing just a few steps away, staring at him with those dark, miserable-looking eyes of his.

That was what had scared him the most that night, if not what came next.

His brother's eyes had been so sad; so dark- scared, even, like he knew something he couldn't say.

Or something he never got the chance to.

I'm sorry.

Why was Loki always apologizing to him now?

Better yet, why was he only apologizing when he had done nothing wrong?

Or over something he clearly had no control over in the first place?

It was after dawn when Jane and Heimdall found Thor lying unconscious on the shores of the lake. The mounds of snow that had covered the Courtyard and aided in Loki's disappearance (Thor refused to think that his brother was dead- again), had melted, flooding the whole place with a good two-and-a-half inches of hypothermia-grade water, but oddly enough, Thor had been unaffected.

The Head Medic, Sanat Eir, insisted that it had been the shock of seeing his brother "disappear" (the man had chosen his words quite carefully) right before his very eyes that had done the most damage, and while he couldn't explain exactly how Thor had been protected so well from the freezing cold water that surely would have eventually killed him if he hadn't been found, he did offer one very likely explanation.

He believed that Loki, in his final moments, had protected him.

And somehow, Thor knew that had to be it.

Loki had protected him.

Again.

You'll have to promise me something before I go, Thor.

Anything.

Promise me you won't let him touch you.

Even now, Thor had no idea what the hell Loki had been asking of him.

And keep that safe for now.

Slowly, Thor took out the six-inch long, sapphire-embedded silver dagger, turning it over in his hands, wishing it could give him the answers he sought.

You'll need it soon.

Thor himself had presented Loki with this weapon years and years ago- it was one of the last presents he'd ever given his brother, in fact. Naturally, Loki had found it a truly, magnificently beautiful blade, and had carried it around with him for years.

Now, though, for some reason, he'd given it back-

Along with that damned letter.

Which no matter how many times Thor read and re-read, the true meaning behind it eluded him.

Sure, he understood the warnings.

He understood that the Vael had hurt his brother just because he was a Jotun.

He understood why.

But what came next?

I don't know if you can win this, Thor. There's no secret weapon I can give you that will suddenly make all this disappear. I don't have powers that can allow me to see the future, and tell you that everything will turn out in your favor in the end.

I can't even tell you what your next step is.

All I can give you is some advice, and my faith in you, for whatever these things are worth.

He didn't have a chance.

Thor knew that, buried under all that bitter humor and all that silence, Loki had still cared about him- cared about Odin, and all of Asgard too, even, in spite of everything he had done.

But he also knew that something had changed in his brother during these past few months.

Loki had finally opened up.

I wish I could tell you more. I wish I could tell you something that will make everything easier for you- that would give you the strength to stand fearlessly against such a terrible enemy and able to bear the reality that I truly could not.

Better yet, I wish I could stand beside you like I did two years ago, staring down at our enemies with confidence; knowing you had my back and you trusting that I had yours, and that there was nothing in the world that could hope to stop us.

That chance is long gone now, though; what was then can never be again, and I have accepted this.

But, that doesn't mean that I can't help you from the sidelines.

He had let him in.

It was only a crack, and for just a moment, but it was more than enough.

Thor understood him again.

Good luck, brother.

I wish you farewell, if we do not meet again.

N._.s._.S

Hey, this is NothingSoSpecial, and I'm introducing the winner of the little challenge I posted at the end of "The King of Nothing."

And... It's a TIE!

The winners are: theFGnat, and Adamzgal!

Congratulations to you both!

Now, since there are two winners in this, you each will recieve one of the origional two prizes. Origionally, ALL of the prizes below were to go to the one winner, but since there are two of you, I will be giving the honor in a "First, Second" basis, based on how complete and accurate your responses to the three questions were.

So, here you go:

To the FIRST PLACE winner, Adamzgal:

You get the dedication for the "King of Everything."

Also, if you so choose, you may receive completed chapters by email, giving you the chance to view (and maybe even help create) "The King of Nothing."

(PM me for details)

To the SECOND PLACE winner, TheFGnat:

You get the privilege of naming the mini-ficlet of Loki I will present very soon.

You also get that fic dedicated to you.

(PM me for details)

So, what exactly did they write?

(Minor changes were made for spelling. XD)

The three questions were:

Question One: What was the significance of the Rubik cube that Jane Foster gave to Loki?

Question Two: What does the sapphire dagger represent, and why does Loki want Thor to keep it?

Question Three: Why didn't Loki tell anyone about what he found?

Adamzgal:

Question 1: The puzzle was a peace-offering linking their two worlds together. Jane saw that it exemplified Loki himself-mystery and many ways to try to solve but only one way to complete.

Question 2:The dagger represented Thor (and his blue eyes), and was given so Loki would always have something of Thor when he carried it. By returning it to Thor, Loki was reminding him that it symbolized their love as brothers and maybe, just MAYBE, he was able to enchant a piece of himself into it so that he can be saved later-thereby entrusting his brother to protect that essence.

Question 3: I think it's a two-fold reason. First out of love and protection for his family, second was was in case whatever plan he had could not be revealed to the Vael-either by magic or telepathy (not sure what word to use there lol).

TheFGnat:

Question 1: Hmmm, for me the Rubik cube is not only a token of friendship from Jane and an homage to the old "gift tradition" between Thor and Loki, but also a representation of Loki's search for identity, for whom he truly is and his destiny if you will: it is when he has completed the cube that he makes up his mind about what to do with the whole Vael situation...

Question 2: I guess the dagger is a symbol for brotherly love and better (and simpler) times for the both of them. The sapphire could represent not only Thor's eye color but also the color of the sky and lightning considering these are Thor's elements so to speak. Perhaps Loki has put some kind of enchantment on the dagger that is going to help Thor in any way, or that ties him down to earth -a backup plan in case the curse works- to help "from the sidelines".

Question 3: To protect them and/or because it would somehow hinder his plan (because Loki wouldn't be Loki he didn't have a plan of some kind).

Congratulations to you both! XD

And to the rest of you who tried, thank you very much!

Please enjoy the rest of the story!

N._s._.S