Later in the morning, Loki was riding back to his family. Snow covered the ground, Loki in new clothing, a dark green tonic, a golden and green cape. With a black velvet cloak that sat on his shoulders. Loki approaches the cottage house.
The horse stops by the well, Loki pushes the cape and cloak to the side and dismount. "Who's there? I'm warning you. I'm armed!" A familiar voice rings out, Loki turns around and pulls the hood off his head. "Loki!" Thor states, setting the gun down, pulling the table from the door, opening it. Loki walks up to him and Thor quickly pulls him inside the house and shut the door behind him.
Thor hugs his younger brother, he smiles at him, removes he's cloak from his shoulders and place it on the hook rack, he smiles at his brothers and looks around the house.
"The house is a mess. What are you going with all these weapons?" Loki asks when he turns to them. "Ask Thor that." Scott nugs his head in Thor's direction, "Shut your mouth. Go back to your post." Thor orders him, "Back to my post?" Scott question him.
"Yes." Thor states, "You think you're a general? What an idiot." Scott states. "Enough, enough." Hogun tries to stop the fight, "Stop defending him." Scott snaps at Hogun. "You're so scared that you drink wine all day." Scott throws at him.
"Me Scared?" Hogun grabs at him, but Thor and Loki broke them up. "Stop! Stop!" Thor tells them."What's going on here? Have you all gone mad?" Loki demands of them. "Come on brother, everything will be fine. Don't worry." Thor states and leads him up to the rooms.
"Selling you as a slave to pay off Thor's debts is out of the question." Fandral states as he sharpens his sword. "It's no worse then being on a ship full of sweaty sailors." Sif states, as she loads the guns. "Will they make us clean the hull?" Fandral ask with worry.
"Well you can tell them that we're sea-sick and don't know how to clean." Sif suggest, "I like it." Fandral smiles at her and then they hear the sound the door opening.
"Fandral? Sif?" Loki calls out to them they peek over the couch and were shock to see Loki again. "I've come back." he tells them with a smile "Fandral, are you seeing what I'm seeing?' Sif asks in a quiet tone, "It's Loki's ghost, come back to haunt us." Fandral states in a quiet tone.
"All cover in green and gold, just to taunt us." Sif whispers to Fandral. "I assure you my brother and sister, I am very real, I came to say my good-byes one last time." he tells them, "Even dead he's more handsome than I." Fandral complains, Sif glares at him and sighs.
"Know that I will always love you both." Loki tells them, "We love you too, brother. We think of you all the time." Sif tells him. "She made me take your room." Fandral states, Loki climb onto the couch and looks over at them as they shot back.
"Oh no, what have you done? I will have my revenge." Loki said in a playful tone. Then starts to laugh, "Where's Mother and Father?" he asks of them, "Father remain by Mother's side since you left." Fandral states. "She laid down one right and never got up." Sif also states.
Loki smiles fall, he stood up from the couch left the room and walks to his mother and father's room. "Mother? Father?" Loki calls out to them, Odin turns and saw Loki enter the room. "Loki, My son you've come back." Odin walks over towards him and hugs him.
"Hello father. How's mother? Is she alright." Loki asks him, Odin's smile falters and he turns and looks at his wife who was still asleep. Loki walks over towards her and sat beside her, tears well up in his eyes, "Mother. It's me, Loki. I've come back." Loki tells her, but she didn't wake."Wake up, my dear mother, please, for me." Loki begs her. Then lies his head on her shoulder, crying softly.
Downstairs Thor tore the ruby that was attach to Loki's cloak, he tosses the cloak to the side and held the ruby in the sunlight. "Have you ever seen a stone this big?" Thor asks them. And turn to Hogun, "Do you remember the trunks that Father brought from the castle?" Thor asks them.
Hogun nods "Oh no, don't even think about it. I forbid you." Scott tells them and stood in front of the door. "This is our only chance, Scott." Thor tells him, "You'll only get out this door over my dead body." he warns them. Thor knock him out, Hogun catches him, sets him on the ground, Thor grabs their thing and left out the door.
As Loki and Odin slept by Frigga, the small fire flies return to Loki and invade his dreams. He was running through the snowy dark woods, hearing the voices call to him. He sees the water mirror, he walks up to it and it shows him an image of the two sisters hiding somewhere in the woods. Trying to stay out of sight.
"Do you think they follow us?" Jane asks as she pants, Sarah looks around the area, "They will find us eventually, we have to keep moving." Sarah tell her. Taking her arm into her and started moving again, Sarah's head snaps up when she heard the sound of a twig snapping, "they found us, we have to run." Sarah tells her and they took off running again.
They both ran down a trail that took them back to the castle gardens, the man that was to be Jane's husband chase after them; a fat greedy corrupted man that loves money. Sarah's friends and hounds did their best to keep them from getting to them.
But not enough so that Sarah could get her sister out of the kingdom, he had stolen Sarah's golden arrow set along with her crossbow. Jane stumbles and fall. "Come on Jane." Sarah said as she help her stand, held her hand and ran again.
"Damn women, never doing as they're told." he said as he spit some of his salvage on the ground. He load the crossbow with a golden arrow and points it at Sarah's back. "Sarah! Jane!" Clark calls out to them as the rest of the party and the hounds run up to them. But it was too late, the arrow was fired and it flew in the wind.
Jane looks over her shoulder and saw the arrow aim for Sarah, so she jerks her hand free, makes herself a shield behind Sarah and the arrow struck her in the chest. Sarah turns around and was horrified that her sister sacrifice herself to save her.
Sarah turns around, caught Jane in her arms, lowers them both down on the ground and held Jane in her arms. "Sister, why? Why would you do that?" she cries, Jane just coughs and cradles her cheek, "You are always protecting me, so it's my turn to protect you." Jane tells her, the man stood there ready to aim again, when one of the hounds bites his ankle and Sarah's friends disarm him.
The clouds darken, blocking out the sun as Jane's breathing quickens. Sarah held her hand and looks up at the sky. "God of the forest, hear my plea!" she calls out. Thunder rings out, "I beg of you, save my sister, she is dear to me as your children are dear to you. Please save her, I will pay whatever price I must pay!" Sarah states her case, the sky rings out with thunder as a terrible voice resounds across the sky:
"I will answer your plea, she will be place into an eternal slumber and you will be forever curse to live as a beast. Only true love will awaken your sister and free you of the curse. But who could ever love a beast? be curse for an eternity." the voice rang out.
Sarah nods, laying her sister down on the ground gently and folding her arms on her belly, tears spill out of Sarah's eyes. "Sister. . ." Jane calls out, but Sarah stops her from speaking. "Hush now sister, you will sleep and I promise you will be save." Sarah chokes on her tears.
Jane's eyes lids start to fall, "Sleep well my little sister." Sarah cries and kiss her forehead. Sarah stood up and moves away from her sister as vines shot out from the ground and engulf Jane, who had fallen into an eternal slumber.
Sarah watch how big it grown with a mere of seconds. Then the bright golden light shines down on her, Sarah smiles up to the light. "Thank you." she whispers, closes her eyes and accepts her cursed fate with open arms.
Loki groans in his sleep as the fire light retreat from his sleep and disappear.
Thor and Hogun awaited for someone to show, "You're betraying Loki." Hogun tells him, "I'm saving us. He'll understand." Thor tells him, "You'd like to have one more brother like me, right?" Thor asks of him, Hogun just smiles at him as some people approach them.
"What are you doing here, my rabbit?" Perducas tells him with Astrid sitting behind him. "Weren't we suppose to meet you at your shack? Look. My boys dressed up just to met up with your sister." he states, his men laugh at his statement. As a few of them check the two.
"I have a proposition for you." Thor states, "I'm not making anymore deals with you. "I've been very patient" He tells him, "Look." Thor shows him the ruby and place it in Perducas hand, "It's from an abandon castle. I'll take you there and you'll get the rest of the treasure. And you'll for get my debt." Thor proposes to him.
Perducas looks over to Astrid and back at him, "How many stones like this are there?" he asks him, "There are trunks full of them." Thor states, Perducas leans over a bit, "Don't disappoint me, my rabbit. This is your last chance. You know that." he tells him, Thor mounts up on his horse and Hogun does the same.
Thor leans forwards close to the horse's ear. "More than anything in the world." he whispers to it, and the passage way opens up to them.
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Loki jumps awake, from the true story of the two princesses. "I understand now." he mumbles to himself. Then he remember the gift Beast gave to him, the healing water, he unclip it from his neck, opens it and pours it pass his mother lips and she drinks it, as the last of the fire flies slips pass her lips.
She flutters her eyes open and looks at Loki. A smile graces her lips as she looks at her,
"My son!" she states with a smile, he returns the smile, kiss her cheek and hugs her. "I've miss you so much!" she said with such delight. "Loki!" Scott calls out as he enters the room, he and Frigga look at him with smiles.
"My god." he said and ran out, "Father! Fandral! Sif! Come quick! You have to see this!" he yells as he ran to the other room and bang on the door. "I was so scared." Loki states as his mother looks into his eyes, "Something in you has changed. Your eyes and voice. . ." she states, "I have to go now mother. I have to go back there." he tells her.
Sif and Fandral walk into the room and saw that there mother was well and awake. They shout with glee and run over to the bed. Odin in the doorway with a smile on his face. Sif, Fandral, Loki and Frigga were laughing with smiles on their faces. Scott stood against the railing what his two older brothers have done.
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
The group enter the castle grounds and look to the castle itself, Perducas raise his hand, making his men stop and help Astrid down from the horse. Some of the men dismount as well, Astrid held her hand feeling the aura around the area.
"Do you feel something?" he asks of her, "Danger, I feel it. It's everywhere." she tells him. He dismount from the horses and walks over next to her, "Everything we desire." he tells her. She just looks at him, then he turns to his men. "Let's go. You three to the west. The others, take the east" he gave out orders.
"You my rabbits, will go in front of me." he tells them and they all spread out along the meadow. Astrid walks until she found a tree, then the small fire flies flew pass her leading her into the great tree and showing her the chamber where the sleeping princess slept, the fire flies whisper to her, calling out her name.
They warn her of what will happen they stay on the castle grounds for too long. And also telling her to take the golden arrow that was plunge into the young princess's chest. Astrid walks over to her and grips the arrow.
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Loki hurries down the steps and to Scott. "Where are my brothers? I must hurry." Loki tells him, Scott stood up and gave him his black cloak. Loki takes it and realizes that the main button was missing. "Thor took the horse. I tried to stop them, but. . . forgive me, Loki." Scott tells him. Loki looks up at the clock and saw that he was running out of time.
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Beast climbs the wall with her bare hands and feet, jumps out the window and onto the ledge, her ears twitch at the sound of chopping wood. The invaders were planing on storming her home.
Thor and Hogun were chopping away at a tree and the others were laughing at them, Hogun stops when he see Astrid return to the group. She was over to Perducas, who has a worry look on his face as she approaches him, he took her by the arm and walks to the side.
"I hate it when you're far away from me. Where were you?" he demands of her.
"If I tell you that we have to leave now, will you follow me?" she asks him. Showing him the golden arrow, he laughs and takes it from her, "Is this gold?" he asks her, "This arrow is very powerful. I feel this will give us more than just wealth. We'll be respected. We'll be above everything else." she tells him as he looks at the arrow.
"Open your eyes. We've finally found what we've always wanted." she states, looks at her, grabs her by the jacket and forces her close to the ledge. She gasp and held onto the railing, Hogun wanted to help her, held him back.
"How do I know that you won't come back here later to steal my treasure?" he questions her. "If you don't believe me anymore, believe the prophecy of the cards." she tells him. "What have you seen?" he asks her, "Death." she answer, "Ours or Mine?" he asks.
"Which do you prefer?" she asks back. "Neither, my love. And since we're not sure about about anything, we'll sat this one dies tonight." he said, pulling Astrid back and points to Hogun. And tosses her to the side, then walks to his men. "Well, the gates not going to open by itself." he tells them.
They all begin their assault on the Beast's castle, they broke down the door, that lead to the dinning room, disregarded the food, destroy her loin statues with ruby eyes. And the leader tells them that they need to visit all the floors. Beast growls softly to her knowing that she's going to need help from some old friends.
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Loki and Scott rode on the same horse as they tried to travel through the thick dead bushes, "We have to find another way." Scott tells him, "Look it torn fabric from my old cloak. It can't be too far now." Loki states as he took the fabric from the branch.
He hops down from the horse and tries to continue on by foot. "Loki, where are you going?" Scott calls out to him, Loki pushes himself through the branches.
Scott continues to call out to him as Loki pushes himself forwards, he push his cloak off his shoulder and continue on, he could hear the sound of his clothing and cape ripping, but he didn't care at the moment, all he wanted was to return to the castle.
But then knowing that the branches were too think to move through he collapse on his knees and grabbing a handful of snow in his hands, then he lifts his head, in hopes of being heard.
"God of the forest, hear me. Let me go back to her. It's my only wish. My one desire." he pleas to the forest and lies his head on the ground, in fear that he wasn't heard, but suddenly the branches start to create a path way to the castle, Loki lifts his head and a smile graze his lips.
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Perducas and the rest of his men were loaded up with the gold they found in the castle. He then walks up to Astrid with a trouble look, "You were wrong. There was no one waiting for us in the castle." he states, she just looks at him.
"Don't spoil the fun. I am rich. Now I can fulfill your desires." he tells her, "My desire is that we would be together." she tells him, "Your cards don't deiced that anymore. I decide" he states and turns and walks away. She walks after him.
As one of the men went on ahead, a crow flew pass him and he stops at a strange sound. Something had frighten the crows away and he turns to the direction they came from and walks. Then he stood there, seeing almost then, when suddenly a strange white thing begins to move.
It pulls it's arm free from the ground and slams it down in front of the man, causing him to fall to the ground and dropping everything. It then reels his stone head up, showing his face to be none other than James.
As the other men gather with Perducas to leave the castle they all heard the sound him screaming as the latest man runs to them. "Why is he running?" Perducas asks with a smiles, as the man was closer to the group, James reaches down, grabbing him and throwing him back to the ground. Killing him at the impact.
They all look up at him and James roars at them. Perducas sets the gold down, took out his guns and fires at him, James covers his face as the rest start to fire at him.
Causing him to back into the mist. Perducas gang just laugh at him, but their laughter was short lived when the ground shook. They all look over and saw more gigantic statues of men coming at them; Clark, Antonio, Jeff, Mario, all the others advance on them.
James kneels down, offers his hand and lifts up Beast as anger clouds her face and he set her on his shoulder. The stone men start stepping on them like ants as they ran like ants. Loki and Scott rode onto the castle grounds and heard the sound of men shouting.
"Where are our brother?" Loki asks him, "Over there, with Perducas." Scott tells him as they all saw the group run for their lives from the stone men, Loki spots Beast on the stone man's shoulder as they advance on them, "She will kill them." Loki warns him and they rode off to save them.
The remaining people ran as fast as they could, But James raises his hands together and slams them on the ground, knocking them all off their feet and onto the ground. Hogun push himself on his hands, and saw that his older brother was wounded.
"Thor!" He calls out and ran to his side. "Save yourself, Ask Loki to forgive me." Thor asks of him, "No!" Hogun protested. "Go, now!" he shouts and Hogun looks over behind them, "You can ask him yourself." he states, Thor looks over and saw Scott and Loki ride to them.
James ready his fist to smash them. But Loki jumps off the horse and stood in front of them, arms held out. "Stop!" Loki shouts, Beast roars that James and his stops his fist from making impact with Loki, which was half a foot away.
Loki pants as Scott jumps off his horse and went to his brothers. James pulls his fist away and Loki lets his arms down at his sides, But Perducas comes but behind him, grabs his arm and held his machete as his throat, "You my friend, are going to help me." he whispers in his ear.
Beast growls at him, ran down James's arm and lands perfectly on her feet. "Let him go!" she orders him, Perducas looks at her with confusion. "What are you? A Loin? A big cat?" he asks her, "The one that will tear your throat out if you don't release him." she growls at him.
"Purr all as long as you want, but if you don't want your boy toy here dead, you will let me go." he offers her, she glares at him, Perducas pushes his blade deeper against his neck, causing a cut.
Loki's blood trails down his machete, a drop fell, plot against Loki's boot and a small drop of his blood hit the ground, causing the vines to come to life, Perducas became distracted by this, so Loki took his chance, he push his weapon away from him and ran, Perducas grabs for him, but miss and he got hit and scratch but the incoming beast, who threw him back a few feet.
Beast flexes her claws, James stood up, Perducas felt the claw scratch on his face and reaches for his weapon, but then notices Astrid stand far behind the beast.
Then he remembers the golden arrow that she gave to him. Beast raise her claw. "Sarah, wait! I beg of you!" Loki ran up to her, she stops with her action and looks at him. "Remember that you were once a woman, you sacrifice your humanity so you could save your sister from death and from a horrible fate." Loki tells her, she gasp as he told her this, she lowers her claw.
"Please spear this vermin and my let my brothers go." he asks of her; Perducas reaches into his boot and pulls out the golden arrow. "The important thing is that I'm here now." he states, Tears well up in her eyes, "And I'm never going to leave you alone, ever again." he states, she smiles a bit.
But Perducas shouts, the two turning towards them and her stabs Sarah in the chest with the golden arrow, Loki's hands flew to her waist and shoulder. Sarah gasp and looks down at the arrow that pierce her chest, her hands hover a few inches away from it, eyes widen in shock.
She throws her head up, roars and collapse to the ground, Loki knees down beside her, lowing her fall. The statues of her friends start to creak and begin to crumble, Loki looks up at Perducas. "What have you done?!" Loki shouts at him and turns his attention back at Sarah.
The wind begins to pick up, clearing the mist out and sunlight shines on the castle grounds. Thunder growls through the clouds, Loki cradles Sarah's cheek. The god of the forest was not please at all. "Help me!" Loki calls to his brothers and they ran to his side, Help Sarah out of her cape.
Astrid runs to Perducas side and grabs his hand, "Come on, quickly!" she tells him and they both ran. Thor, Hogun, and Scott pull the cape off of her and they follow Loki, "We have to hurry!" he tells them, the vines that reacted to Loki's blood, started to follow after them.
Loki leads them back to the castle he looks over and remembers the small pool in his room and Sarah's words to him.
-You know the power in this water, if you were hurt. . .- her words ran out to him, his brother carried her over the bridge as the vines strikes out at the statues. They ran into the castle in up the stairs; Astrid and Perducas ran contentiously, until Astrid trips and falls down.
"Don't leave me!" Astrid calls out. Perducas was going to run back to her, but he looks up at the statue and back at her, and took off running. "Love, your fate will be just like mine." Astrid whispers to herself and the falling stone crushes her.
Loki lead his brothers into his room, they carry Sarah into the room, lies her down and Hogun went to shut the door, but some of the vines were pulling against the door, then Thor and Scott slam the door the close, cutting a vine off. It fell and vanishes in a golden light, then they went back to Sarah, Put her in the pool, hurry!" Loki tells them.
They lift her up, carry her to the pool, set her back down took off her vest, and toss her into the small pool. The little pups watch with worry for their master, Loki sat on the ledge next to the pool as she float back to the top.
Loki place his hand over her nose, "She's not breathing." he states. Then the vines broke through the windows, they all look and saw more vines coming through the ceiling as well, Thor pulls out his sword. "Loki stay by the pool, Scott, Hogun defend them." Thor orders them, they also took out their swords and start swing away at the vines.
Loki looks at his brother, then back at Sarah, he reaches over to her, grip the arrow and yanks it out of her chest, Sarah growls dangerously and sinks into the water.
Loki drops the arrow behind him and watch her emerges from the water and drifts on the surface, Hogun spoke to him, but Loki wouldn't hear him, his focus was on Sarah only. She open her colored eyes and looks over at him.
"We've missed our dinner." he informs her, she smiles a bit, "You say that as if you regretted it. Loki." Sarah states and breaths a bit.
Loki tries to steady his breathing as his eyes water, "Do you think that with a little patience, or maybe out of habit, could you have. . . loved me?" she asks of him, he smiles a bit at her. "But I already love you." he tells her, a tear falls from Loki and touch the water, with the first strike of the bells. She looks at him with a small smile, the vines stop with their assault and vanish in golden light. The three brothers look over to Loki. The light outside fades out, leaving the only light from the pool to light the room.
As Perducas was leaving the castle grounds, he heard the sound of the bells ringing; Sarah sinks back into the water and the little fire flies swam around her; Perducas went to leave, but vines trap him in his place, preventing him from moving and they advance up his legs slowly.
The fire flies swam around Sarah's furry legs, slowly changing them into smooth light tan legs, with her feet and toes; Perducas began to struggle against the vines as they crawled up his waist, bursting open his shirt and coat as it crawls up his chest.
The fire lights, circled around Sarah's arms, torso, and chest. Her claws begin to shrink into finger nails, the fur covering her arms, torso, and chest, transform into light tan smooth skin, her lioness head shrunk into a normal human size one, her wavy fluffy hair became the color of red and was still wavy; Perducas shouts as his body started to become wood, he reaches to the sky, but became still. Perducas died from his own greed and stupidity.
The sun lights up the room again, Loki reaches into the pool, grabs a female's hand and pulls her up, Sarah was finally free from the curse; within the tree, Jane awake from her slumber, slowly sat up and looks around her, stood and left the tree and make her way to the castle.
Loki pulls Sarah out of the pool and laies her in his lap, wrapping his arms around her frame. She breaths softly and snuggles her head against his shoulder, "Brother, who is this?" Scott asks him,Loki brushes her wet locks out of her face.
"She's the beast from the story that mother told us when we were children. But that story is a lie." he tells them, standing up, holding her in his arms, walks to the bed and gently sets her down. Then the hounds come out from under the bed and crowd around Loki.
He laughs as one of the hounds jumps on the bed and laies his head on her belly, whimpering for his master, "So if what we know is a lie, then what really happen?" Hogun asks, before Loki could answer the door open, they four look over towards it and saw Jane looks at them in confusion. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intruded on something, but could someone tell me what is happening?" she asks them, looking around the room.
"Princess Jane, you've been asleep for a very long time." Loki tells her. She walks into the room, looking at them. "How is it you know my name, when I've never met you?" she asks him, Loki smiles at her, "That is a long story. One I'm willing to tell." Loki tells her.
Jane spots Sarah resting peacefully in the bed, she walks over towards her and smiles, "I'm willing to hear this tale of yours, my good sir." she states and sat next to Sarah. His brothers sat down as well and Loki begins the story of the Man and The beast.
