Thor: The King of Everything.

Summary: "(A sequel to "The King of Nothing") One month after Loki's sudden, inexplicable disappearance and the cryptic message he left behind, Thor desperately tries to hold everything- and everyone- together. But now, facing the cruel reality that his brother before him couldn't bear, failed to overcome and ultimately left to him alone to face, a war that Asgard has no chance of winning; too many people who refuse to see that terrifying truth, and even loosing the one last person he fights for, the God of Thunder knows he has got to make a stand before it's too late. His quest for victory- and to finally end all the suffering around him- will lead him into a long since forgotten, forbidden place, and reintroduce him to the cruel world he never realized he knew existed. But, with the help of his friends, and someone else who may or may not really be there at all anymore, Thor might just end up saving not only himself, Jane, his people, and his home from certain doom, but someone else who no one knew needed saving in the first place."

Warning: "This will be a relatively tame fanfic, with the exception of some blood, violence, angst, some language, a character death or two, and other adult situations. So, to be on the safe side, we'll be going with Rated T. I have watched both Thor movies and the Avenger's movie, but this does not mean that I am perfect and/or know absolutely everything there is to know about, and I'm bound to forget or misuse something. So, with that, please forgive me if I screw up, and just enjoy the story."

Disclaimer: "I do not own Thor. Please don't ruin my day by thinking I do."

A/N: "This story is dedicated to Adamzgal."

N._.s._.S

Chapter Eleven: The Trap II.

"A trap is only a trap if you don't know about it. If you do know about it, then it is a challenge."

- China MiƩville.

He caught her.

And, deep down, from the very beginning of the chase, Jane knew he would. The alien was tens, if not hundreds, times faster and stronger than she was, and she figured it was inevitable that he would apprehend her in the end without Thor or Loki there to help (I.E. rescue) her, especially because it had only been a lucky break that enabled her to escape him in the first place.

But until he actually caught her, she never even thought about what he might do to her.

Zak'Vael turned out to be more perceptive than she'd given him credit for. He'd seen through her tactic of moving up and down the street to throw him off her trail, and known she'd really been taking the shortest path to the gates of the palace, through and not around, and had managed to corner her at one of the last alleyways after forcing her to make a wrong turn by attacking her from nowhere again.

That was probably one of his big M.O.'s, catching people off guard and then taking advantage of them after that.

You have finally run out of luck, my dear, Zak'Vael said, quietly, as Jane turned back out of the dead end to find him blocking her way, Such a shame, really. I'd have truly preferred that the God of Thunder bear witness to your death, but no matter.

If possible, the former King was even more menacing than he had been back in the courtyard, and his incensed, midnight blue eyes were only enhanced by the large, ugly, jagged crack Jane had made along the left side of his face with Loki's knife- which she still had, clenched tight with both hands in front of her chest, as though it's presence alone would protect her.

"You won't get away with this."

Such an obvious, even stupid thing to say, but it was true.

She knew that if this monster killed her, Thor would stop at nothing to tear him limb from limb.

That was comforting; at least, knowing her death would not go unavenged for long.

In a sick, twisted way, of course.

Get away? The alien blinked, and his head tilted a little in apparent, taunting confusion, Get away with this, you mean?

He moved so fast that he was just a blur of black and silver, and within a moment, he had Jane off her feet and pushed up against the wall, one large, thin hand pressed against the center of her chest and the other, free hand grasping her's, the one that held Loki's knife, keeping her from moving that arm and therefore leaving her practically helpless before him.

You still don't get it, do you?

Jane has the distinct feeling that the former King was smiling under that thick, cracked, black exoskeleton of his.

You are but a Human, and an absurdly dense one at that, He stated, flatly, as she stared defiantly, daringly, right back at him, Your blood may, perhaps, be less filthy than the Jotun's, but even that is comparing one repulsive little creature to another!

The clear jab at Loki caused Jane to lose her already worn temper.

"His blood is cleaner than yours will ever be!"

That, as it turned out, was probably one of the worst things she could have said.

At her words, Ceil Zak'Vael's midnight blue eyes lit up with such a tremendous fury that something deep within Jane cringed and hardened at once, and that may have just been the move that saved her from what happened next.

Crack!

Jane could hear something, probably a bone (or two) shattering, when Zak'Vael all but threw her into the wall adjacent from the one he'd had her pinned against, and even as she fell, he was on her again, grabbing her by the collar and then roughly pulling her harshly back up to her feet and then slamming her once again into the wall.

Loki's dagger was thrown and lost in the scuffle.

You dare compare the Honored Lord of the Vaelheim, and master of all souls, to the vile Jotun?!

This time, he had both her wrists caught in one hand, and the other was clenched around her throat. It was a battle between defiant, blazing dark brown eyes and a pair of cold, furious ones as they stared at each other, each in equal hatred for the other.

The silence that lasted between them for that moment was long and brutal, and it seemed to press the air down onto them both- even the snow around them collapsed off the edge of the roofs and blew around them, as if their very spirits were clashing as they stared off.

I should Curse you, Jane Foster, Zak'Vael declared, his voice low and deadly, I should Curse you, right here, right now, and have you stand helplessly by my side as I burn Asgard to the ground.

Without even flinching at his threatening words, Jane gathered all the blood in her mouth...

And spat at him.

After that, everything suddenly went black.

N._.s._.S

After Jane spat at him, Zak'Vael threw her back onto the ground with probably enough force to shatter her back, and then knelt down beside her in the snow as she lay there, unable to move or fight back, and just a barely conscious.

He slowly ran the back of his hand over her cheek, and then brushed his fingertips against her exposed neck before settling his open palm over her chest.

His hand seemed to sink slowly into the young woman's body, unaffected by the flesh and bone in his way, clenching tightly and then drawing out something bright, bright cerulean blue and surrounded by blindingly glowing tendrils of gold, out of her chest.

It reminded him of the glowing, golden-green one that belonged to Laufeysson, the one he had seen for only a split second before the infernal God of Mischief snatched it from his grasp the last time they fought.

At the loss of her soul, Jane's body reacted instinctively, even as she lay practically unconscious, and, as battered as it was, she reached for it, and actually managed to wrap her right hand over his wrist in a feeble attempt to stop him from taking it, but Ceil Zak'Vael effortlessly unlatched her grip with his free hand and carelessly shove it away, back onto the ground. After that was done, he looked back into the woman's eyes.

He marveled, for a long moment, at the defiance that still illuminated them.

Then he let his fury at her dishonor of him take hold again, and he tightly gripped the little soul within both hands and murmured his Curse under his breath.

"Oh, damned soul;

I dare you, play the savior.

Oh, savior;

I dare you, play the hero.

Oh, hero;

I bid you, sicken in return for your selfless deed."

As he finished speaking, a jagged crack in the soul appeared, right underneath his fingertips.

As he anticipated, the moment the crack in the object appeared, the human woman began screaming, and the defiance in her eyes was replaced by agony.

All as she cried out and convulsed from the excruciating pain, Zak'Vael watched her; head tilted in what could only have been sadistic curiosity, his large, dark eyes positively glowing with malevolence-

And something else.

Pure satisfaction.

As if this was exactly what he wanted all along.

After watching her literally writhe at his feet for a long moment, the Vael simply got back to his feet, carelessly bouncing the glowing, cerulean glass ball up and down in his palm as if it were merely a toy, and began to walk away, leaving Jane, whose body was still uncontrollably convulsing, lying on the ground.

He was leaving her for dead.

Zak'Vael stopped a few steps away from his victim and leisurely bent to pick something that had apparently caught his eye out of the snow.

It was Loki's dagger.

Such a strange, pretty trinket, The King commented, softly, looking back over at Jane, gripping the handle of the blade with one hand and pinching the tip of it between two long, black fingers with the other, Someone clearly put their heart into making this little thing...

Such a shame.

And with that, the cruel Vael easily snapped the blade from the hilt, breaking the dagger almost cleanly in half, and, as he started walking away again, he tossed it carelessly back into the snow from whence it came.

N._.s._.S

She doesn't remember how she made it to the gates. Perhaps Ceil Zak'Vael, so convinced that he had killed her, let down his guard and let her slip by while his back was turned, or maybe he pitied her so from seeing her battered form staggering out of the alley that he decided to let her go by.

Regardless of what it was, she made it to Thor.

But the pain was so intense, so excruciating, that the moment she saw him, the mantra "You're okay, just keep going, you're okay" that she'd use to keep the tears at bay, broke down and she literally fell sobbing into his arms.

Why did it hurt so much?

Why wouldn't it stop, go away?

She doesn't hear anything Thor is saying, doesn't see him drop Mjolnir in his haste to help her even though they're in the middle of a battlefield, and doesn't even feel his arms wrap protectively around her.

Which was an added cruelty because his arms were, to her, supposed to be the safest place for her.

He was supposed to be safe, damn it!

But now...

Now, as she looked up into a suddenly black, ash-filled sky of flames, she felt nothing.

N._.s._.S

Holy crap, man.

0kay, I have no idea how you people are going to react to this one.

So, let me have it.

Good?

Bad?

Overkill?

I really have no freaking clue, so let me know!

And a special thanks to AthanasiaElpis.

Thanks for speaking up! XD