4

Heimdall stayed back and allowed the Healers to do their work on the Thunder god; Eir herself operated the Soul Forge, to determine the extent of Thor's injuries, and to begin the process of healing them. Heimdall had sent word to the Allfather, but as yet no one had been able to find him and he would not leave the Healing Room until he knew if Thor would recover or not. Heimdall could see Thor's chest rise and fall as he breathed and that at least was a good sign although his Prince had not regained consciousness which kept the gatekeeper worried and then he thought, should the worse happen who was going to tell Jane Foster and then he sighed, he would have to send one of the Warriors Three, perhaps Hogun, to tell her.

"Make way for the King!" Heimdall heard shouted in the hallway leading to the Healing Room and he turned to see Odin burst into the Healing Room gasping for breath.

"My son" Odin wheezed, "how is my son? Does he still live?"

"Yes my King" Eir turned and spoke calmly to Odin, "while his injuries are many he will live but it will take some time for him to recover from them."

The Allfather sighed with relief and it appeared to Heimdall that a great weight had fallen off his shoulders.

"I am not sure my Liege but I believe Thor has stopped the beast, although he had to destroy half a planet to do so, with your leave I will return to the Bifrost and keep that planet under careful watch least some other race should accidently free it again."

"Yes, yes you may go" Loki/Odin voiced distractedly keeping his worried gaze on the fallen Asgardian Prince, his son, his brother.

A chair was fetched for Loki/Odin and he remembered to keep his knees together while sitting and chew on his mustache while thinking. Loki/Odin would order the return of his people only after a week or so to determine if the creature actually was either dead or imprisoned in the last planet Thor was on. He would then hold a gala event to honor Thor's victory and again offer him the throne, and this time should Thor refuse again, it would be public and then what better time to announce that the Lady Amora had accepted a proposal of marriage from him and as their King it behooved him to produce an heir to the throne. The only one that he knew that would be outraged; first at Thor's abdication of the throne, and then of Amora being chosen as Queen would be Sif. It was more than transparent that The Warrior Maiden greatly desired the position of Queen, as Thor's Queen, and on his wedding night both he and Amora would have a good laugh at Sif's expense.

A moan from Thor snapped him out of his thoughts and he stood up to approach the healing bed as he saw Thor's eyes open slightly.

"You are in the Healing Room my son, the battle is over and once again you are victorious" Loki/Odin laid his right hand on Thor's left shoulder. "Rest and regain your strength."

"Thank you father" Thor whispered in a hoarse and weak voice as his eyes closed and he fell asleep.

"Keep me informed of his condition, and when he is able to be moved, have him moved to his quarters."

"Yes Allfather" Eir bowed her head and then went back to operating the soul forge to continue repairing and healing Thor's wounds.

Despite all his anger and bitterness towards Thor he felt strangely relieved that his "hated" brother was still alive. In confusion he wondered why as he left the Healing Room for the Golden Throne Room. Should not he be worried that his idiot brother just might see through his disguise and then denounce him as a traitor, for indeed he would not escape the axe this time if that should happen. Then neither would Amora, and what would happen to their child, if Amora was with child? Would Odin even wait till she had his son or kill the child along with his mother? Or worse, raise the boy to be HIS son and heir and never telling him of his true parentage and the boy would be one more thing stolen from him.

As he ascended the stairs that led to the Golden Throne Room he knew that somehow he would have to get word to Amora that if worse came to worse she should flee in disguise, possibly to Nornheim, and place herself under Karnilla's protection. Yes, with Karnilla she would be safe, his son would be safe and if the axe should fall, his son would rise up with an army of Norns and retake the Golden Throne, his birthright, by force. Loki would still be Karnilla's "sword of vengeance" through his son.

As he reached the pinnacle of the stairway and The Golden Throne came into view he was struck by the strange feeling that he was staring at the hilt and cross guard of a gigantic sword. Even though he knew that it was just an illusion brought on by the upsweeping arms at the back of the throne and the squared pillar directly behind it. Still, that was the appearance it gave to all who entered the throne room used for celebrations, ceremonies, visiting dignitaries and it was the one he preferred as it was grander and much larger compared to the duller throne room of Justice where criminals, as he had been, were judged and condemned. The last time he had been in this room he was sitting in the throne as Asgard's King, made so by his late mother, who for some reason thought that he could make Odin proud of him. He snorted quietly, as nothing he ever did or tried to do was ever noticed by the old warrior unless mother pointed it out to him and even then Loki's accomplishments were dismissed as inconsequential. The old bastard never missed to heap undeserved praise upon Thor's head however and no doubt was still going to make that dimwitted fool King despite the fact that he, himself, had been ruling Asgard for four years now and Asgard was entering a time of great prosperity.

Crops had been good as the weather had been very favorable to the farmlands; fish were proving to be harvested as equally bountiful, livestock were healthy as were the numerous children born in the kingdom. All due to the love and care he gave to HIS beloved Asgard, the most beautiful and shining jewel in all the cosmos. He smiled as he walked down the golden stairs that ended at the gold plated marble floor decorated in knot work patterns and across the floor to the gold plated stairs that led to the throne. This is where he belonged as he ascended the golden stairs to take his place on the ornate Golden Throne; HE was the one who had truly been born a KING.

As he sat the throne his heart trilled within his breast which made him want to scream ecstatically as the dreams of childhood were now reality, but for safety sake he was quiet as he waited to hear from his other "sons" as to the progress of the evacuation and if there was anything from Heimdall that needed reporting about the beast, as well as whatever Thor's condition would be.

Amora made sure her father was warmly bundled up as six Einherjar guards carried the Vizier on a litter up the gang plank of one of the last long ships carrying evacuees. While the healers had stopped the bleeding, both external and internal, and had healed his head wounds received they said as he hit the shelf then the floor, he was still unconscious and that worried her to no end. The long ship's captain had room made below deck for the Vizier and the guards carefully carried him down into the hold. Once they set him down they formed a ring around him and the Lady Amora as the King himself had given them orders to protect the Vizier and his daughter under pain of death should they fail in this duty. The Healers assigned to the Vizier, Amora's female thralls, and the old servant who cared for her father were the only other ones allowed below deck as the ship rose in the air and made for the northern mountains.

He awoke from the oddest dream as Thor stirred in his bed. It seemed real though, and that gave him cause to worry as he thought he had heard Loki's voice, but that was not possible for his brother was dead. Dead because of him, because he'd been wrong about being able to destroy the Aether and once again Loki was the one who suffered, and died because of his stupidity. It seemed to take the longest time to force his eyes to open and when he did he saw his personal thrall standing over him with a smile of relief upon his face. The thrall turned and ran from his bed and Thor could hear him talking excitedly to someone else but couldn't make out what was said. He was very sore as he tried to sit up in his bed and he heard the servant coming back into his room.

"Oh no my Lord, you shouldn't exert yourself, Healer Eir said you were to remain quiet in bed for the next few days until you're strong enough to move about."

As the room started to swim before his eyes Thor smiled weakly, "Perhaps you're right but I am very hungry and I'd kill for a cup of mead right now."

"Yes my Lord I shall fetch food and drink immediately" with a relieved look upon his face the thrall quickly left to fulfill his master's wish.

Slowly and grunting all the while Thor moved to a sitting position while his eye sight cleared somewhat and that's when he saw the bandages on his arms and hands. He chastised himself for being clumsy as he must have been struck by his own lightning when he smashed his hammer into the ground to bury Mangog. He started to wonder how his friends were when he heard the doors to his quarters burst open and the sound of Volstagg bellowing a somewhat ribald drinking song as his friends entered his bedroom with Volstagg carrying a barrel of ale and four drinking mugs, Hogun carrying several loaves of bread, and Fandral carrying a platter with a very large roasted Gamoth Field bird on it.

"The beast is dead, our Prince returned victorious" Fandral laughed as he set the platter on Thor's lap, "let us eat, drink and make very merry."

"Where is Sif?" Thor asked when he did not see the warrior maiden.

"I put her on a long ship and she is now in the northern mountains" Hogun answered back, "because our dandy was too frightened to carry her on board."

"That was not fear that was wisdom" Fandral protested, "as I didn't want a second broken nose to have to be repaired by the Healers."

At this they all laughed as Volstagg poured out ale for all from the barrel on his shoulder and passed around the mugs, "To the Lady Sif!" he loudly proclaimed as they all drank to their missing comrade and to himself Thor said "To Loki."

After hearing reports from Tyr, Balder, and Uller about the evacuation being complete; not only in the palace, but the city and surrounding country side as well Loki/Odin passed on the news that Thor had defeated the creature but he was going to wait, perhaps a week, to see if the creature was no longer a threat before bringing the women and children back. Until then he wanted Tyr to command the guard at the palace, Balder the warriors at the outer gates of Asgard, and Uller to take command of the archers, warriors and armed men at the center gate of the city. Placing their arms over their hearts each one of the Odinsons saluted their King and left the throne room to their respective duties. As Loki/Odin watched them go a guard came to the throne to inform him that Thor had awakened and was taking food and drink with his friends in his quarters. Loki/Odin nodded his head and dismissed the guard to his duties and then scowled as he rose from the throne to go to Thor's room as he would have to tolerate the presence of those fools in order to see Thor, but once he did see him he intended to make his way to the northern mountains and see Amora and how her father was doing.

Loki had been right about the Dwarf King's greed and they expected outrageous sums of gold for every little thing done until a thoroughly exasperated Amora called down darkness and lightning to strike the towers of stone that had been carved out of the skin of the mountain so that they burst sending rubble falling everywhere. The little toads became much more hospitable to the Asgardians after that and Amora procured a well secured room for herself and her father to stay.

She was going out of her mind with worry over her father's condition and the fact that his body had grown cold during the trip did not help matters. Even though the Healers had placed warm blankets on him and were heating up gelatinous pads to place under various parts of his body to compensate for his lack of body heat he was still so very cold. If he would just wake up, just for a moment, it would ease her fears because if her father were to die she would be all alone in the realm as he was Amora's only living relative.

The room was not large but it had an enormous fireplace and one of the thralls had started a fire which now bathed the room in light and warmed it somewhat. Amora sat on pile of large floor pillows watching everything being done for her father while holding on to the thinnest of threads of hope that he would recover.

When Loki/Odin walked into Thor's room he walked into three fools made even more foolish by drink but when Hogun saw him he snapped to attention and slapped his arm cross his chest and bowed his head. The other two cretins followed suit when they got around to noticing he was present.

"Father" Thor said with a mouthful of meat which he tried to chew faster but Loki/Odin held up his left hand to quiet his son.

"I came to see if you had recovered from your injuries and I see that any worries I had have been allayed. Enjoy your rest for the next few days and then I wish you to take three legions of Einherjar to the western borders and patrol them to stop what appears to be Norn raiders from devastating the countryside, and after that, all of Asgard will celebrate your victory over the beast."

"Yes father" Thor managed to swallow down his food and he realized that somehow he was going to have to get a message to Jane about what happened and tell her that he might not be able to return to her as quickly as he'd like to.

"Good" Loki/Odin said as he turned to leave, "carry on with your private celebration and I will see you again tomorrow."

All four of them saluted him as he left and once out the door their merriment continued, although a bit subdued from before he entered the room. A week from now Thor would once again abdicate his right to the throne and a smile crossed his bearded face as he thought of the looks on their faces when he would announce his upcoming nuptials to Amora, his Enchantress. As things had settled down it was time to go to the northern mountains and find out how his Vizier was doing and how Amora was holding up. Though he was going to have to wait till nightfall before he could, he already knew how he would, for amongst Odin's possessions he'd discovered a charm that gave one the ability to shape shift (and had the ability to enhance one's own shape shifting talents). Loki would use it to shift into the form of a bird to fly to visit Amora, spend the night in her arms before flying back in the early morning so as not to be missed, as for what to do now? Perhaps a visit to Odin would be called for as Loki now had more news to tell the old fool and he felt like gaining more power as well.

Odin crumbled to the floor after Loki released him and he heard his son exclaim ecstatically, "All that power in the hands of a fool" as he looked up from the floor to see his son exalt in the life energy accumulated for over four millennia.

"Soon I will have it all; the throne, a young Queen, and my heir and as for you, well I'll leave you to Hela's tender mercies since it was you who condemned her to Niflheim" Loki grinned viscously at Odin before continuing. "In one weeks' time I will celebrate Thor's victory over the beast and ALL will hear him abdicate his blood right to the throne when I offer it to him again. At the heighth of the shocked silence of the assembly I will introduce Amora and proclaim her to be my next Queen, and just so you know, your great grandson, and my heir, is already on the way."

Loki stared hard at Odin for some time then continued, "Once he is born and officially presented to the people then Odin will tragically pass away from old age and after a proper time of mourning for "you", Amora will "fall in love" with a young nobleman from your brother Ve's branch of the family, marry him and make him king and I shall sit the throne unchallenged for the next five thousand years."

"And what of Thor, what will you do to him?" Odin wheezed when he was finally able to speak.

"My idiot brother shall live his life as he chooses, and I shall personally see to it that he goes into the Chronicles of the Kings as a warrior and hero for Asgard who spent the rest of his existence mourning for a mortal wench whom his father denied him the right to wed. At the end of Thor's days he will, no doubt, hate you as much as I do and all because of Jane Foster."

"Odin" had gone to bed early that evening and when Loki shifted back to his own form he produced a small charm shaped like a falcon's wing that hung from a golden chain from a silver plated box sitting on an alcove shelf next to Odin's bed. With a broad smile on his face he opened the chain into a wide loop and draped it around his neck. He hoped Amora would be particularly randy tonight as just thinking about her luscious body was arousing him. He was well assured within himself that she was with his child, this visit would be for pleasure only, and perhaps to find out how her father was doing. With but a thought he transformed into an eagle and flew out Odin's bedroom balcony and headed north.

Thor was well fed and fairly drunk by the time his friends left to allow him to get some rest. They left the food and what little was left of the ale and Thor gave it all to his thrall so as to not let any of it go to waste. His servant bowed with a smile of gratitude and took the food away to his family. It was rather quick how fast he fell asleep and he slept peacefully to begin with but then the dreams of Loki returned.

It was his coronation day and he was striding up the stairs to the Golden Throne Room. When he reached the landing he heard once again the thunderous applause and cheering for him on his day of days. The Warriors Three were to his right on the golden stairs to the throne and just Sif was to his left, but his mother and father were missing, and in the place of his royal sire on the Golden Throne was Loki. Loki looking resplendent in a woven golden chest plate that shined like a sun over a green shirt that left his sides bare and a green cape was attached at his shoulders. His golden horned helmet seemed to glow like a torch. His arms were bare, but for the green strips of cloth that wound around the palms of his hands, his wrists and forearms under the golden windowpane vambraces. His breeches were green and gold and his boots were gold. Gungnir was in his right hand as his left hand rested on the arm of the throne. Once again Thor walked down the stairs to the golden marble floor to make his way to the stairs in front of the throne only this time there wasn't any braggadocio from him. He didn't feel worthy of all the praise being thrown at him and he was very uncomfortable because of that.

When he reached the foot of the stairs he knelt and took off his winged helmet, just as before. He looked up at Sif and gave her a weak smile which she returned with a look of pride. At that moment Loki stood up and slammed Gungnir's point into the floor and there came silence.

"Thor Odinson" Loki spoke in all solemnity, "the heir, the first born, so long entrusted with the mighty hammer Mjolnir, forged in the heart of a dying star, its power has no equal, as a weapon to destroy or as a tool to build. 'Tis a fit companion for a King. I have defended Asgard and the lives of the innocent across the Nine Realms from the time of the great beginning. Though the day has come…"

Nearly every word was the same as what his father had spoken years ago when he was brash, thoughtless, selfish, and uncontrollable. With each word spoken Thor's head hung a little lower with the regrets he felt and the sorrow as he still mourned for Loki. Loki who would never know how badly Thor wanted his forgiveness for all he had put his younger brother through.

Loki slowly began to walk down the stairs towards Thor and he began to change as he did so. A green and gold light slowly traveled over Loki's body and his skin began to turn blue, "Do you swear to guard the Nine Realms?"

"I swear" Thor replied just as he had the first time as he watched the light change Loki's Asgardian armor for Jotun jade body armor. The chest plate, shirt and vambraces disappeared as they were replaced by a shoulder piece that went from Loki's left shoulder to his neck and a large piece of jade covered his left pectoral muscle.

"And do you swear to preserve the peace?" His horned helmet vanished to be replaced with a jade diadem encircling Loki's head with two flattened brow pieces that held a yellow jewel on his forehead. On either side it had a set of three spiked horns in graduated sizes as Thor could now see Jotun body scarring upon Loki's face and his eyes were now red.

"I swear" Thor answered back as Loki's green cape became a cape of leathery skin from a Jotun Rilsac beast that was attached to the front and back of the shoulder jade piece and draped over his right shoulder.

"Do you swear to cast aside all selfish ambition and pledge yourself only to the good of the Realms?" Loki's breaches disappeared to be replaced with a loin cloth made from a Rilsac whose front fold, decorated in geometric patterns with inlaid jade, went past Loki's knees as his boots vaporized and Loki was bare foot.

"I swear" Thor spoke as he wondered at Loki's appearance even though he'd known since after the Bifrost had been destroyed that Loki was half Jotun…but to actually see the Jotun part of his brother was proving to be disturbing to the Thunder god.

Loki was silent and the solemn look on his face was replaced by a nervous look and he stared down at Thor and then he spoke, "How do I look?"

With a hint of a smile on his face, for that was the question he'd asked Loki so long ago. Thor looked up at his brother and replied with the answer that Loki himself had given to him, "Like a King."

With a bit of a start, Thor woke up. He stared at the ceiling briefly then sat up in his bed. He was feeling stronger so he made an attempt to get out of bed and that's when he noticed his legs and feet were also wrapped up in bandages. He shook his head in surprise at the fact that he hadn't electrocuted himself, but he wasn't sure as to whether the monster Mangog was truly dead. Could he have killed a thing as powerful as a billion, billion souls, who could survive the cold vacuum of space and leap frog from one planet to another?

On unsteady feet he rose up from his bed and managed to stand up. Well that was a good sign as he tried to take a step forward and nearly fell over. He regained his balance and tried again but this time he took a shorter step and was rewarded by staying on his feet. He managed to walk over to an old and seldom used reading table and pulling the chair away from it he sat down in front of it and a memory came to mind of a brief conversation Loki had once with him about this desk.

"You never read anything at this desk so why do you still keep it?"

"Because mother gave it to me and I use it for other things."

"Such as piling junk upon it that only gathers dust" came back Loki's annoying retort just before he threw something at Loki, which missed as his younger brother ran out of the room laughing.

Thor looked at the old desk and yes he had piled junk upon it and it definitely was dusty. His right hand moved to his forehead and he leaned into it slightly as he quietly wept in mourning for his brother.

THIS WAS GLORIOUS! Soaring in the heavens, coasting on the wind currents as Loki flew north to the mountain kingdom of King Enar, he would definitely have to do this again. He climbed above the clouds and he saw the peaks of the Northern Mountains not too far away. Soon he would be in the Enchantress' arms getting drunk on passion and pleasure and even if she wasn't with child yet, she soon would be. What enjoyment that would bring. What wonderful enjoyment indeed as he descended from the clouds and flew towards the palace of King Enar.

It took some searching but Loki finally found where Amora had secured a room for herself and her father. He landed on one of the four narrow windows and then flapping his wings he landed on the floor. A small fire was burning in a large fireplace and it cast a dim glow in the room. He shifted back to himself and after his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he spotted Amora half draped over a short dwarfish bed with two feet visible under blankets and a sick feeling hit his stomach. The Vizier, Amora's father, was dead.

Softly, slowly he walked to the bed making no noise at all and Amora had no idea that he was present even when he stopped just inches from her, "Amora?"

He heard a whimper from her as she picked her head up from her father's chest to half sit up and she sniffed while wiping her nose with the back of her hand. Her eyes were puffy and her face was smeared with tear streaked make up.

Her eyes were blurry as were her other senses and it took her mind, dulled by grief and confusion, time to realize who was standing next to her, calling her name in the dark. Blinking away her tears she became composed enough to recognize him. Kneeling down he reached out to touch her shoulder and in gasps and jerky motions she reached out to encircle his neck with her arms as she wept anew upon his shoulder.

"I swear to you Amora I will find out who murdered your father and then I'll leave them to your tender mercies" Loki kissed the top of her head, "You have my promise."

He heard nothing but a groan from her as she contorted her body somewhat as she continued to cry. In doing so she slipped off the bed and her body began to shake. Loki looked down at her face and it seemed to be gripped in agony as she gasped then cried louder and he realized that if her cries became any louder it would attract the attention of guards so he mumbled a spell of concealment to avoid interruptions. Her fingernails dug into his shirt and she seemed to go into a spasm as she gasped for air and whimpering. The last time he'd seen her like this was when they were held hostage by Karnilla, threatened with death, and the two of them were cowering in a corner of an unused nursery awaiting their fate. Fear had plunged her into a dark depression. Long ago it had been the fear of death, but now Loki surmised, it was the fear of being all alone that mauled her beautiful body and her heart. Carefully he picked her up as he rose to his full height and carried her over to the large floor pillows and he gently laid her down on them.

She wouldn't let go of him and he lay next to her wrapping his arms about her to pull her close to him. Not exactly what he had in mind, but his mind raced back over what she had told him about her father's attack. He would have to talk to the guards that took the Vizier to the Healing Room and the Head Librarian as well, and if he did not hear from Karnilla's spies soon he would go himself to the western boarders and spy out the land.

Dawn was breaking over the horizon when Loki woke up. Amora had her head on his shoulder and tucked under his chin and he noticed she was sound asleep. Her eyes were puffy and red and most of her makeup had rubbed off during the night. He stroked her face with the back of his fingers and as he did so a green and gold light restored her makeup. The touch of his hand made her stir from her sleep and she blinked as she woke up, "Loki…how…how long have you been here and how long have I been asleep?"

"I've been here for most of the night and you fell asleep nearly five hours ago."

"Father…"

"Yes, I figured that your father died shortly after you arrived" he watched her rise up on her right elbow to look in the direction of the bed where the Vizier lay unmoving, "you went into another deep depression and I stayed with you, but now" he rose up to his feet, "I have to return to Asgard before 'Odin' is missed."

"No please, stay with me, I don't want to be alone" she began to panic as she climbed to her feet and caught a hold of Loki's shirt with a strong grip.

"I must go" Loki took her hands in his and pulled them from his shirt, "have guards move your father's body to one of the long ships and bring him back to Asgard for the funeral."

"But the beast?"

"Thor has dealt with the monster and it is either dead or imprisoned on a dead world so it will be safe to come back home" Loki released her left hand and he pulled her head to his to kiss her red lips. "You won't be alone my dear, you'll always have Loki."

"And besides, tonight in Asgard I will make up for what we missed this past night when you join me in Odin's bed…permanently my Queen" a final quick kiss and Loki let her go and went to the windows where he transformed into the eagle again and flew off.

Amora went to the window and watched him fly off until she could no longer see him, turning away from the window she waved her right hand in front of her face to smear her makeup again and walked to the door to her room to open it. She gave an order to the guards to fetch a litter and her thralls as the Vizier was dead and she would take his body back to Asgard as soon as possible. Nodding their heads they crossed their arms over their chest in salute then left to do her bidding.

Word of the Vizier's death spread quickly among the Asgardians in their refugee camp and they lined up to see him carried to a long ship with his daughter, with a black blanket draped around her as there had been no time for bringing clothes, walking behind the litter. The people bowed and some even threw wild flowers in front of the guards as they passed. One woman, whom Amora recognized as a lady of the court, seemed to be aside herself with grief as a young maiden with an intense gaze stood next to her with the older woman's right arm draped over the girl's shoulder. Amora had the feeling she'd seen the girl before but she knew in her heart that she hadn't. With a polite smile Amora acknowledged the small tokens of respect for her father as her eyes watered up but she was determined not to cry in front of the masses, as it was not her way. Her entourage followed her up the gang plank and down into the long ships' hold. Once the ships' captain heard from the Lady Amora he ordered the ship to rise and head home, to Asgard