Thor's thoughts were brought back to the present as sounds of drunken laughter and general merriment filled the air of the local inn where The Warriors Three and Sif were celebrating their latest victory. Sif and Fandral were having a friendly spar in the middle of the room. Sif seemed to have the advantage, as Fandral's attention was constantly drifting to the many lovely women who were cheering for him loudly. Off to the side, Volstagg seemed oblivious to the commotion around him as he reached for yet another tankard of ale with one hand, a roast leg of lamb held to his mouth with the other. Hogun watched the mock battle impassively as Fandral lost his footing and fell backwards to the floor in a tangle of limbs and the frilly dresses of the women around him.

"I give, I give. The battle is yours." Said Fandral as everyone laughed again.

"It is a good thing you did not fight this poorly today or you would not be here now to celebrate with us." Jested Sif as she sheathed her blade and held out her hand to help him up. Thor did not hear his response as his thoughts drifted again to the earlier battle.

Back in Asgard, they had heard of a threat to the All-Father and the realm, so they'd set off for Vanaheim immediately. Once there, they encountered a group of rebels about a mile outside the very town they currently resided in. The rebels had made their camp in a grassy clearing by a small forest. There were not all that many of them perhaps eighty or so warriors. It was nothing the five companions hadn't encountered before, and with the aid of several local warriors it should have been a flawless victory.

Most of the rebels had fallen. Victory was all but assured. As the last enemy in his immediate area fell Thor's eyes scanned the rest of the battle where his friends were all fighting the last of their foes. At the opposite end of the clearing, an archer had taken aim at Sif who was already locked in combat with one of the more skilled swordsmen. Thor was sure she would be able to deflect the arrow without any difficulty, but why take the risk? He threw Mjölnir and the archer fell before the arrow was able to fly. That was when he saw motion from the corner of his eye. One of the rebels, whom Thor had assumed dead, had lifted himself to his feet and was now charging with his axe. Thor held out his arm and Mjölnir started to fly back towards him, but his enemy was already right on top of him axe swinging down. Thor felt a moment of panic, but then he saw a bright green light fly out of the trees and strike his opponent in the hand. He dropped the axe in pain. Just then Mjölnir made contact with Thor's outstretched hand which he brought down immediately upon the man. Once Thor was sure the man was dead for good, he looked over into the trees where the light had come from, but saw nothing there.

There was just no way Thor had thought. The energy blast must have come from someone else. Perhaps it was a local sorcerer who did not want to risk open battle. Thor hated how his mind instantly thought of his brother. Loki had been dead for over five years now. Thor could remember the day clearly. He remembered how he, Loki, and Jane had traveled to Svartalheim to draw Malekith out into open battle. He remembered how Loki had uttered his last words as he lay in Thor's arms and how he had drawn his last breath before growing still. Thor shook his head to clear his thoughts. It would do him no good to dwell in the past. He sighed as he looked around the merry scene of the inn again, only to find Sif walking towards him.

"Is something troubling you Thor?" She asked as she reached him. "You have been standing by yourself for quite some time now. Why not join in our merriment?"

"My apologies Sif, I find that I am in no mood for merriment tonight. My thoughts are too distracted."

"Distracted by what? Has something happened?"

Thor thought again of the green energy blast from earlier. It was identical to the ones he had seen Loki conjure countless times before.

"No, it is nothing. Perhaps I have simply had too much ale. I think I'll go for a walk to clear my head."

It was a lie, and Sif knew it, but they had been friends and comrades in arms for centuries now, so she didn't call him on it. Everyone had their secrets sometimes, and she knew that if the situation was dire he wouldn't hesitate to come to her.

"Very well, are you fit to go alone, or would you like for me to accompany you?"

"I am fit. Thank you Sif, I will see you later." Thor briefly grasped her by the shoulder and smiled before turning and leaving the inn.

Once out of view of the inn Thor summoned Mjölnir to his side. Something strange was happening, he knew that for sure. He did not wish to involve the Warriors Three or Sif, not just yet, but he was no fool and would not walk unprepared into a potential trap. Also, Mjölnir had the added bonus of being able to get him to his destination much faster. Thor swung the hammer around with his wrist a few times then threw it up without letting go, letting the momentum pull him airborne. Even though the sun had set some time ago, the moon was just days past full and he had no trouble navigating. He landed a minute or so later on the outskirts of the battlefield.

He didn't know what he had expected to find, but somehow he had expected something. The field was empty now. The bodies of the fallen warriors had been gathered into a funeral pyre that still burned in the distance, far from the trees to where the flames might spread. The grass around him was trampled, and by the light of the moon, shone dark with blood. It would stay that way until the next rainfall. It was also silent in the clearing. There was the occasional hoot of an owl or some other night creature, but most animals had been scared off by the battle.

Thor never liked revisiting the scene of a battle. He loved fighting the battles themselves. The challenge of a worthy foe, the adrenalin, the camaraderie, the honor of defending one's home, it was what defined a hero, but the aftermath always seemed … unpleasant. He couldn't leave just yet though. He began to walk towards the area of the forest where the magic blast had come from. Perhaps he could find some footprints to track. It would be difficult, but the moon gave off enough light that it would not be impossible for someone with his experience.

The more logical part of his brain told him he was being foolish. Loki was dead. He knew that, but there was another more treacherously hopeful part of his brain that thought 'Perhaps?' Loki was the God of Mischief after all. It was a title he had earned countless times over. Nothing was ever what it seemed with him, and he had returned from the dead once before, after he fell into the void.

Thor grimaced at the memory. It had all happened so suddenly. When he had been banished to earth Loki had still called himself Thor's brother, but a mere three days later Thor had found himself fighting off the Destroyer that his brother had sent after him. Upon his return to Asgard, he found his brother set to annihilate all of Jötunheim. The amount he had changed over just those three days still stunned Thor, but that was still nothing compared to how much Loki had changed when he showed up on Midgard months later. There was a madness in his eyes and a coldness in his heart. He no longer called Thor family. If Loki was still alive, what kind of man would Thor find, some five years later?

Thor jumped, startled, and instinctively lifted Mjölnir into a fighting stance when he heard a stick snap just a few feet to his right. He took a few steps back and looked into the trees where he had heard the noise, but saw nothing. A forest animal?

"Put the hammer down Thor. I have no intention of fighting with you this night."

Thor spun around to find the man of his thoughts standing not ten feet away from him where previously there had been nothing but air. A thousand things raced through his mind at once. Questions, accusations, relief, distrust, Thor wanted to say so much, but only one word left his lips. It sounded hopeful and yet fearful.

"Loki."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Ok, chapter one of my first fanfic in quite some time. Go easy on my guys. :)

I don't expect this to be too long. Just one or two more chapters. It's an idea that's been in my head for a while and Thor 2 gave me an opening to finally create it.

I'd appreciate any constructive criticism if you guys have it.