Hope this is long enough for you guys! 3 First chapter up, I'll post more when I get some reviews, maybe c:

I do not ow Marvel or it's characters.

Thor sat impatiently on his throne, fingers playing an irritated rhythm against the armrests. He had sent for the medic nearly a week ago and Loki was slowly getting worse. Despite all that the trickster had done, he was still Thor's brother, and he'd be damned if he let him die.

"My king," Sif's voice broke in to Thor's thoughts and his raised his eyes eagerly. To his surprise, Sif looked uncharacteristically angry. "We have returned with the healer."

"Well, bring him in!" Thor boomed and a cloaked figure entered the room, slowly making his way toward the throne and its king. "I wish to see your face, Herbalist. Remove your hood."

"As you wish, sire." The answering reply was soft and feminine, a touch of an accent dripping from the voice. As the medic removed their hood, blood red curls tumbled from the cap, falling to frame a pale, heart-shaped face. Blue-black eyes that reminded Thor of the night sky rose to meet his own ice blue gaze. He froze, lost in the depths of the healer's seemingly fathomless irises. Unlike most Asgardian women, the medic was tall and willowy, the muscles chorded through her frame taut with tension. Despite the smallness of her waist, her hips and breast provided tantalizing curves that would beckon any man. Thor swallowed, his eyes a mixture of several different emotions.

"Amaltheia." His voice held notes of surprise and disbelief. Sif's look of anger suddenly made sense now. The two had never gotten along, and after- Well, Sif had only hated her more.

"Miss me?" Amaltheia purred, running her tongue along her full bottom lip before smirking up at Thor. She was the best in all of Asgard? Fate was surely spitting in his face. Clearing his throat, Thor wiped his expression of emotions.

"I have called you here on matters regarding Loki." He informed. Amaltheia's eyes darkened at the mention of the god and Thor thought he saw a flash of something in her face, but it was gone much too quickly.

"What about him?" She inquired in a bored tone, examining her nails. The king felt irritation heat his blood at her indifference. There was a time when the three of them had been inseparable. He stood and motioned for Amaltheia to follow him, heading out of the throne room and down the hall. Ama suppressed the groan that was building in her throat, told her racing heart to calm itself, and followed after him. Thor led her down endless hallways and finally they reached a stairwell. Amaltheia felt cold air wafting up from the dark expanse.

"This is like, the base of every Misgardian horror story." She pointed out, only earning a glare from Thor as descended the steps. Pressing a hand to the wall in order to not lose her balance, Ama clomped down after him. A faint light glowed up ahead and after a bout of steps that seemed to go on forever, they hit the bottom and Thor led her down yet another hallway. The two came upon a glass-like wall and beyond that, Loki lay in a heap of blankets. There was nothing else in the room. Even from this angle, Amaltheia could see the pain, flushed expression on his face. He moved not an inch when Thor called out a greeting, tracing a complicated pattern on the glass. After he was done, a doorway materialized, sliding open.

"After you." Thor made a motion with his hand and waited until Amaltheia moved toward the door before following. Ama approached the dark-haired god warily, unsure if he was asleep or not. She had heard the stories about what Loki had done, all the people he had caused pain. Her heart ached. What had made him so cruel, so cold-hearted? Had it been her..? Shaking the cobwebs of the past from her head, Amaltheia crouched down, pressing a hand to Loki's cheek. Whereas his pale skin was normally almost freezing, it now blazed with heat that radiated off of him. The air around him was stale with sickness.

"How long has he been like this?" Amaltheia asked quietly, glancing up to see the pained face Thor was making.

"Over a week." He replied, voice thick. "It happened out of the blue, too. One day he was perfectly fine and the next day he was like this." A frown touched Ama's mouth as she studied Loki. His skin had slowly begun to turn blue, reverting back to his natural Frost Giant color. Suddenly his eyes shot open and he jerked upright, turning his head to heave a pool of blood onto the floor.

"Holy-" Thor began only to cut off with a strangled noise.

"Get me some water now." Amaltheia commanded, glaring at Thor until he nodded and scrambled away. "Loki?" She started more softly, pressing a hand to his back to steady him. Loki turned bloody eyes upon her face, breath coming in ragged gasps.

"A-mal-theia?" He asked in a weak voice that just barely scraped past his lips. His orbs faded back to green, though the color was dull with fever.

"Hey." Ama whispered with a soft smile, pushing his inky black hair away from his face. "You need a haircut." Loki tried to speak again, but only ended up coughing up more blood. Amaltheia's stomach clenched and she reached over to wipe the red substance from his chin. She took the glass from Thor as he returned and pressed it to the man's lips. "Drink this." After he took a few gulps, he lay back down, clearly exhausted, and fell into a shallow slumber. Amaltheia stood and followed Thor from the chamber, wiping Loki's blood onto a handkerchief the king provided. His blue eyes searched her face.

"No one here can figure out what kind of sickness he has." Thor ventured, watching the way Amaltheia's face tightened. "So I sent for the best known medic in Asgard."

"He isn't sick." The woman growled, anger present in the fierceness her dark eyes now held. The blonde looked dumbfounded.

"What do you mean? Of course he's sick! You sa-"

"He didn't suddenly contract something that the others have never heard of." She continued, interrupting him. Her gaze snagged his and he was surprised at the intense emotion that dwelled in hers. "He's been poisoned."