Maybe Today Will Bring a Different Tomorrow

A Thor: The Dark World Fanfiction

Chapter 10/12

At the openly oblivious look her son wore, Frigga found it suitable to grace him with another blow, this time to his arm. It wasn't hard or bruising, but it was firm and made him rub it as it smarted. At his torn and slightly rejected look the Queen felt no sympathy for him, raising her chin a dominating manner as she looked over the prince. He didn't deserve her empathy, nor her assurances, not after what he had accused Loki of. After all her adopted child had suffered. What a thick-skulled son she had birthed!

The disappointment she felt in Thor stung and Frigga felt no need to keep from sharing it with him.

"Mother…" Thor's voice was filled with a lack of understanding that made the Asgardian Queen boil inwardly. "I…what….?"

She snapped at him, eyes narrowed. She was in no mood for his idiocy.

"You will be silent!" Thor obeyed instantly, clamping his jaw together as he and his companions looked at her in confusion. She waved them off, focusing only on her child as she spoke. "By what grounds do you abandon all acceptance for you brother? You believe he desires Malekith's treatment, the imprisonment he suffered to keep me safe? Who is this man who stands before me, pledging honor when he would cast away those who are most dear to him? It is not my son, not the boy I raised! Not the child who loved without measure!"

Thor looked horrified at the fiery words that slipped off his mother's usually gentle tongue, but Frigga showed him no mercy in her tone. Her lips were well-practiced in the art of negation and manipulation, just as Loki's. She knew well how to bite with venom, though it was not a widely known skill of hers. While Odin had been the fist and master of the kingdom, she had been the tamer and the peacekeeper, he in more so in brawn and her in brain. She knew well how to weave and spin textures of confusion and influenced emotions. Far from being a fool was she. Her one son left in pain, the other in denial and so she grasped at her skills, worry and hurt filling her mind.

She feared also, feared the destruction of her family's health, both mental and physical. Her maternal hackles were now raised and pity on those who defied her when she felt the urge to protect.

"Have you nothing to say?" She hissed, watching as Thor only stared at her, eyes wide and mouth agape. "Is your mind so set in stone that you cannot reply? Speak Thor, for my patience is gone for your foolishness this day!"

The prince stumbled over his lips in an attempt to form speech, sucking in a full breath of air to help him steady his mind. It was clear he was in shock of how he had been spoken to and was currently trying to absorb the information in a bundled attempt. He was unused to her treatment in this way and was unsure how to respond.

He gasped, finally forcing himself to talk, though he sounded far from confident.

"Mother…. I have not abandoned anyone! It…it was Loki who aided in your capture!" His brow furrowed as Frigga's lips grew thin with displeasure and suddenly anger seemed to hit him dangerously, his spirit rebelling against her accusations. "I only reacted due to his actions! If Malekith turned on him then it is of no case to me! He should have not thrown in his lot with him!" He hefted his weapon up, brandishing in rage. "In his cowardice he aided in your capture and my honor demands me to protect you, brother or no! I-"

"Damn your honor!" Frigga sizzled, effectively cutting off her son.

Now even Jane, Fandral and Volstagg stood by Thor gazing wide-mouthed at the Queen, whereas before they had control enough to show respect in a private quarrel. Never had they heard her speak with such disregard before, never had they seen her grind Thor to dust with language unfitting of a noble woman. Loyal and kind though she may be, she was not one to provoke to such a degree of viciousness.

Only enemies of Asgard and her family were greeted with such hostility from her. Not her subjects, not her friends and most certainly not her offspring.

"Even now Loki is tormented for merely being with me in captivity!" The Queen's eyes were hot with tears, but she refused to allow them to fall. "He did nothing but try to defend me against the elves who would have killed or tortured my person for information or some cruel satisfaction! They did something to him and pained him greatly as I could to nothing but watch!" Her features became rock-like and cold, eyes stabbing her eldest with precision. "And you speak to me of the honor of defending family when you do not? It is hypocrisy you preach, Thor!"

"Mother, please…."

Thor's face was only showing further incomprehension and it burned Frigga's heart to see it. How could he not understand his mistake? How could he stand there expecting his assumptions of Loki to be right? Her Loki, who held so many hidden secrets for fear of the opinions around him. Her Loki, smart, cunning and so, so wronged, by her and everyone. Her Loki who now was alone in his agony, once more left without anyone to challenge the nightmares and shadows with him. Thor knew little to nothing of the truth, his self-confidence far too great for seeing the whole picture, even after his banishment and it irked her.

Why must it always, always be so? After living so long, one would think she could see it….

Soul bruised, she pushed the prince away, furious and betrayed.

"He dies, Thor! He dies and I am not with him!" Her face crumbled suddenly, broken and sorrowed as the thought processed completely. "I…I am not with my baby!"

Hands at her heart, the salty tears slipped through, the purely orbs rolling down her cheeks to drop into dusty ground. Her elegant shoulders shook and a soft sob escaped her throat. Within seconds Thor's arms were about her, comforting and concerned. She fisted her long hand against his chest, weeping gently against the child who only moments ago had held her rage.

"His screams, oh Thor, your brother has endured so many untold horrors. He was so very afraid." The prince shushed her kindly, tightening his strong limbs about her with a surprising tenderness. "He pushed me away when he hurt, as if to protect himself. Am I so terrible a mother that my child fear to have my aid to prevent further harm? Have I truly neglected him to such an extent?"

"This is not your fault." Thor tried to reassure her. "You are my Mother and I have no fear to come to you."

Frigga cried, trembling fingers pressed to her lips as she squeezed her eyes tightly against her stress.

"But Loki would not come to me when it started. Only through coaxing did he find it in him to trust me enough. Is that not a sign of failed link between mother and child, when trust is absent?"

The prince frowned deeply, rubbing his mother's back as she confessed her worry, but he said not a word to contrast to her distress. The Queen knew that his soul lay in the right place, but at his lack of reply she felt withered inside, taking his silence negatively. His muteness spoke multitudes against her and left her ability to raise children in doubt. Had she truly been so neglectful of the pair as they developed into men?

Still, Thor shushed her sorrows gently though he did not answer directly, obviously desiring to calm her soul and understand what had occurred to make her so very upset. Still, it gave no relief to the Queen.

"Tell me of what has happened."

And Frigga did, baring all that had happened since her capture so that her son might see the side of Loki most thought he did not think he possessed. Within her head she could still hear his bitter cries, see his determination to shield himself from her in a cold mask of anger and hate. It burned her when he had cried, the obvious humiliation he had felt at her knowing that there was something deeper going on within him. The shell he had so carefully created for himself had cracked and she had seen the bruised boy concealed inside.

The Queen told her eldest everything, hoping, begging that he would be able to look at his sibling's situation in a different and brighter light. But as she finished her tale, his face remained fixed in it's icy form, hard as stone and just as cold.

"Where is he imprisoned?"

Frigga's jaw set, her hands clenching as she moved a step away from the prince, head raised and eyes glistening with unreleased tears. He did not believe her story, could not comprehend the fact that perhaps Loki was the one wronged. She could see right through him, right to the core of his soul and she was afraid.

"Have you not listened to me, Thor?" The Queen all but hissed, completely appalled by her son's distrust in her words. "Your brother did not bewitch me! At this moment he lies pained and for my protection! Yet still you would look for the worst in him! Do you think I lie?"

Thor frowned, releasing a harsh sigh as he looked over to where Jane, Fandral and Volstagg had subtly moved off to as they felt the pair had need of privacy. He turned back to his mother, his face unhappy at her persistence.

"You have never lied before, but you may have been manipulated to Loki's liking. Thanos, mother? He is but a tale to tell the children to keep them behaved." He hefted his hammer up, meeting her gaze directly. "Tell of his location and I will speak to Loki myself."

The Asgardian Queen stared openly at her child, thrown by his utter loss of faith in her word. There had been a time where neither of her children ever doubted her, finding her trustworthy in all matters and secrets. Now though, they eyed her with suspicious gleams and broken hearts and Frigga knew, she knew that while she may have betrayed them through mistakes, she still loved them both.

Thanos was very real, despite what his life story had become since his banishment. Thor aught to know that every tale has it's roots, a little bit of truth to support the falsity of it. Loki knew this well, and had dedicated mush of his time to uncovering hidden mysteries behind the folklore. He had never been one to share in his discoveries unless one sought him out, believing that none would care to look at what he had dug for with time. As the saying goes, he would not 'cast his pearls before swine', so to speak. It was obviously a protective measure, but none had looked to seeing it broken with trust.

Not even Frigga, and she felt shamed for it.

But right now was not the time for talking out such topics and Loki's life flow was draining as every moment passed. The look in Thor's eyes may have been anything but good, but right now they could waste no more time.

"He lies captive in a hidden cell somewhere in the middle of the ship." She touched her son's weapon with a few whispered words before drawing her fingers away again to meet his electric blue eyes. "Mjölnir shall guide you to his position. The door is sealed, so you will have to crush the wall to make entry."

Thor nodded sternly, waving over to his companions so that they might join them. They acknowledged his signal, gathering up the equipment they had loosed as they awaited the end of the conversation. When the golden prince turned back to his mother, a silent tear of silver rolled down her cheek before she brushed it quickly away. She allowed no emotion on her face then, merely meeting his eyes in a quiet demeanor.

"Stay with Jane, Mother. I would not have you in the field of battle."

"I will not stay."

Thor furrowed his brow, a frown over his lips at her refusal.

"Mother-"

"I am coming, Thor. For your brother's sake as well as for your own." The Queen walked passed him in the direction of the elven ship with a cold air about her. "I would not have you do something you would later come to regret. Do not try to bar me from Loki further."

And so they moved out, leaving the dead elves to rot upon the ground of their home world where thousands of years before the blood of Asgard and Svartalfheim mixed the dirt to reddened mud.

Over the hill stood the tall, dark elven ship Malekith had deemed his own and so crudely had imprisoned Queen and prince within. It had not activated it's shielding cloak and therefore stood foreboding and as a terror against the dark skies. With Frigga at their head, the group moved swiftly over the dusty ground and towards their large destination. Each of them was prepared for a fight. Even Jane, who knew not a thing of combat and warfare had been presented with a small dagger to use for her protection in case her guard was cut. No chances could be taken when in the territory of the enemy.

In a few short minutes they stood together at the base of the gigantic ship, Frigga moving directly for the door as the others gazed up in wonder and awe at the strange creation. Thor also, kept his eyes strait and joined his mother by the passage, the door broken and blackened with burns marks. Three dead elves lay slumped against the walls, their bodies having been pierced and also charred like the door. About them lie their weapons, showing clear signs that they had indeed been ready for intruders.

Thor stepped over the threshold after his mother, the others close at his back. Looking about at the scorched, battered and scratched walls he hummed in acknowledgment of a fight, toughing the battered surface with battle-worn hands. His observation left a light smile on his face and he pulled back his fingers.

"Heimdall and Sif seemed to have left their mark here as we were occupied making our own elsewhere." He grinned at his companions. "The plan goes well."

Fandral snorted at that, raised his sword a bit higher as he observed his surroundings.

"Odin was certainly correct about the amount of rage these elves would have. Just look at the fight these three put up. I do wonder how fair our warrior maid and gatekeeper made it with such bloodthirsty creatures lurking about. Being as this is their ship, their must be a least a hundred."

"Heimdall and Sif are both capable at handling themselves I assure you, Sir Fandral. Our focus must remain with finding Loki and executing any elves they may have missed. " Frigga said, continuing to roam deeper into the darken halls of the enemy ship. "Thor come walk beside me, I have enchanted Mjölnir to guide us so let it do so. Merely listen to the hum, as it grows louder, we shall come closer to your brother."

Thor did as his mother bid of him, walking beside her as he outstretched his weapon before him. No sooner had he done so, the humming started, faint and a soft sound, but certainly there. They followed it dutifully, moving silently through the eerie silence of the voyager, ready to deal with any foes that might appear.

It was fifteen long minutes of utter silence as they passed by destruction and bodies before the humming suddenly began to grow in a slow, gradual way. The unspoken silence, too, was broken by the echos of combat in the corridors ahead, resulting in every one of them to tighten their grips on axe, hammer and blade, prepared for the oncoming fight. Cries of rage, the zap of weapons and the clash of steal greeted the ears of the group, Frigga foremost as she straightened into readjustment.

Thor looked back at his companions, orders firm on his lips.

"Volstagg guard Jane. Fandral, with me, stay close and swing hard." He looked to the Queen. "Mother...I would prefer if you kept safe until forced to wield a tool in defense."

Frigga's eyes flashed in the dark.

"Defense? My child suffers alone, I already act in defense. Move on Thor, it is these creatures who should fear, not I them."

He gave him no chance to reply, for without another word the Queen advanced, the magic that had been dampened within her during her imprisonment in the cell dying for release. It swirled in her system, battering at her limits for a way to escape and be formed. She felt it's need and waited not a moment longer before easing it free of its confinement. Opening her fingers, a blade, long silver and with a delicate curve formed within her hand, it's emerald jeweled hilt resting perfectly in her palm. It glistened in the damp light, promising deadly precision on those who stood against it's mistress. She brought it up, clasping both hands around the double-handle and swiftly turned the corner, robes flaring in the breeze of her movement. The flush of oncoming battle pumped violently through her veins and she embraced it wholeheartedly.

Behind her the whir of Mjölnir followed dutifully, thick rock to her slim steel.

Heimdall and Sif were currently under the brutal attacks of seven elves with nine more sprawled out over the floors, which now glistened with slick blood. Both gatekeeper and warrior were covered in gore of their enemies, as well as their own. Each of them were wounded, as the elves fought with vicious purpose and with an enraged aura about them, using underhanded techniques and movements that brought them little to no honor. But Sif's tactics were hardly to be considered slow, black hair flapping behind her head as she gracefully struck out again and again. Heimdall was no different, his face holding no emotion towards the clashing and fiery advances he fought off.

Frigga joined the fray without a second thought, her son at her back and his friends at his own. One elf quickly lost his head as he turned in shock to defend himself from her sudden appearance and fury. Warm blood soaked her gown, but she paid no heed, moving on. Another turned his gun towards her, only to have Mjölnir fly through the air and strike him fatally in the chest, ribs snapping with the momentum of the strike. Frigga impaled yet another upon her blade, before tossing him into the line of Thor's weapon as it returned. It struck him harshly in the back of the head and a loud crack was heard as it ended him, leaving his skull utterly shattered as Mjölnir was reclaimed by Thor's hand. Frigga made no flinch at the sound, though it was gruesome, moving on to another opponent to destroy.

Queen Frigga, mother of two princes and wife of a warrior King, was in combat and woe to those who stood in her way.

The last few elves that remained were quickly and brutally vanquished, falling one by one under odds they could not defeat. It was only when the last met his end under Volstagg's heavy axe, did Frigga turn her attention to the gatekeeper, her eyes filled with determination and the demand for respect. Jane's mouth was gaping, her eyes ogling out at the woman who at first meeting, seemed too gentle to ever cause harm to anyone, but the Queen paid her no mind, even as Fandral shushed her shock. The golden eyes of Asgard's guardian met hers and understanding passed without words between them.

Frigga wanted her son and she would wait no longer to get him.

"How is your sight within this vessel, Gatekeeper?"

"I can see, my Queen." Heimdall stated, eyes strait as though staring into a void none could ever understand but him. "It is not clear, as the elves are a shadowed kind, but my eyes can see much within."

"He lives still?" Frigga questioned, hear pounding with fear at the idea of losing her second-born.

The man bowed to her in affirmation, the grip on his spear tight and his mouth in a thin line. His deep voice filled the hall as he spoke reverently to his Queen.

"He is weak and fades, but life is still within him. The poison has taken a toll on his body and I fear that aid will be too late. Speed is the only weapon that may save him."

"We won't get there in time!" Jane's voice jumped out suddenly, soundly oddly misplaced in the deep and cumbersome atmosphere. "We're not even halfway to the middle of this place."

Frigga's throat felt tight as she heard Heimdall's words, allowing them to register into her mind and understand just what danger Loki lay within. Thor moved next to Jane for comfort but the Queen did not even see the action occur, her mind past the obvious statement the mortal had made. She knew they had no chance of reaching his level in time to save his life, not with so many elves still at large and fuming with boiling rage for those who ended their leader and fellows. The outcome upon their arrival would most likely be Loki dying within her arms, afraid, confused and while not alone, he would probably not understand the fact, thinking himself abandoned once more by all he had held dear.

Such a terrible thing she could not allow.

The mother within her could not take such thoughts and her heart shattered with the very idea of losing her dark child a second time. No, she would die herself before she allowed him to be forgotten once more. If he was to die, then one would not be able to say she did not try to stop his death to the best of her ability. The things she had learned of him, his suffering after falling to the void, demanded her to try and save him, even at the cost of her own life.

Yet, there was a chance, a possibility of saving his life. She would have to do it alone, but it was worth a try.

"I will teleport to him."

Thor instantly scorned the idea, eye wide as he moved towards his mother. It was no surprise, his discouragement. He knew the dangers of preforming such magic in a ship like this, clouded in shrouds of darkness, a location uncertain. Frigga could very well end up in a wall, suffocation being her end as her son tried frantically to find her only for it to be too late. It mattered little to her though, the chance of her dying when Loki was doing exactly that.

"You cannot! I will not let you Mother, it is too dangerous and-"

"I cannot leave Loki alone for another moment Thor, not with the state he is in. You may not have forgiven him, you may not even hold him as your brother any longer, but he is and always shall be my son." The Asgardian woman looked upon her golden child, head raised in defiance. "Were it you alone and sick, Thor, I would go to you as well, regardless of what crimes you may have committed. My skills are needed with him now. It is my duty and my wish to do this, would you begrudge me the demand to aid my child?"

Thor shook his head, not moving in his decision against her.

"Mother Loki would not desire this of you. Surely-"

Frigga cut him off once more, staring directly into his blue orbs.

"Use Mjölnir to locate us, I will be waiting for you by Loki's side."

Her gaze softened slight and she allowed a small smile to grace her features for his benefit. If this was the last time Thor would ever see her, she did not want him to remember her stern face and bloodied clothing, she was still his mother and she would do this for him also if he needed it. He was merely misguided and worried, not hateful and therefore did not deserve anymore hurt.

"Be quick, my son, your brother's life depends on your speed. Vanquish all and leave non alive to cause more pain." She touched his face softly, fingers brushing over his cheek as he reached up to hold her hand. "Hurry and find us."

Gripping her blade she gently closed her lids and sighed, Thor's cry ringing in her ears as she whispered a few soft words.

And then she was gone, the weight of Thor's hand vanishing with her. Using her magic to guide her through the ship's outline with the image of her prison in mind, she began her search for Loki. She did not know if this vessel had barriers to prevent anyone from teleporting within, but she also knew that she would have to risk it to find her child.

With the intelligence and experience in magic she contained, she was quickly able to locate the desolate spot where she and her son had been held prisoner under Malekith. However, instead of only sensing her son's presence within the room, she felt another few, at least three, all hostile in intent, moving towards his weakening aura just outside of his chamber. They were odd, not bearing the same level of red shadows as the elves. Instead they seemed brighter, more filled with the blue glow that surrounded those beings who were not planted to one home world.

She wasted no time then, flashing herself into the room after delicately feeling it's barriers with her magic, and hoping that that was indeed where she would land.

With a bright light and a mist of golden magic about her, she raised her lashes, relief settling in her breast as she found herself mobile and not restrained by a solid wall.

She had made it successfully.

Without hesitation, sh turned to look about the room and instantly located Loki, lying still and barely breathing upon the polished ground. His skin was white as paper, eyes bruised and purple, and his cracked lips were open slightly. The rise of his chest was ragged and slow, his prison clothing was thin and thread-bare, having not been changed since his imprisonment in Asgard.

"Loki..."

Frigga's heart ached and she felt the magnetic pull of maternal instincts telling her to go to him without a moment's thought.

But outside the chamber she felt the three wicked auras, heading for the room in a hurried fashion. She quelled her emotion and waited patiently, blade ready. She did not know what manner of creatures these were, but she knew their intent and she would die before they got anywhere near her son. She froze, breathing lightly.

Seconds later, the door appeared and slowly slide open from the outside to reveal three Chitauri soldiers.

She moved like lightening, furious with the realization of what was just about to occur had she not appeared when she did. Two met their deaths so quickly, they did not even have the chance to breathe again after meeting her gaze before hitting the floor. The third she impaled with her blade, twisting it fatally through his heart with pure hate before pulling the blade back out, now stained purple and red with the blood of her previous foes still lingering.

Three had come to take her son, three now lay defeated before her feet, a proof of her determination.

It was only after checking to ensure they were dead with the sharpness of her weapon, that she turned back to her son, dropping the sword and rushing to his side as she finally allowed her emotions to enfold once more. She knelt by his side, cradling his pale body in her arms and placed a trembling hand to his heart, speaking words of protection and delay against the poison that left Loki frail and so close to death.

It shriveled from her golden mist, retreating back from where it had began to creep into his pounding heart. It raced from her presence and she formed a temporary wall within her boy's veins, filtering the poison from his magic until he might be able to get professional help in Asgard.

Removing her hand when satisfied, she allowed her gaze to fall on the dark prince's face.

"Loki?"

No response.

Battling the silence with her own breaths, Frigga held tightly to her adoptive son, looking to the door. She resigned herself to awaiting Thor's arrival.