After a six month hiatus after starting this story I took a ridiculously long break of over six months (lack of inspiration is the main cause and Thor not being in the cinema or on DVD was the other). I finally bought the DVD and after watching it twice I am sworn to finish it. (And sorry Thor lovers... but for some reason this time around I'm routing for the 'bad' (misguided) guy – Loki – yum!) But don't worry, this is not going to change the plot, I know where I'm going with the story and I promise it's all about Thor (and Jane!)

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The moment before the battle began. Utter calm prevailed. His pupils were slightly dilated, his heart beating slow and sure, his breathing deep. His muscles tingled restlessly and he felt the build-up of sweat on his forehead. Jane lay like a heavy-weight in his arms and for a moment; just a moment he longed to put her back on the ground and raise his Hammer and race into the heart of battle. He looked at the three Midgardians, all of them brave warriors in their own right; although Darcy looked as if she was about to pass out.

"Erik. Darcy. We must go." He turned and ran from the Chamber, almost feeling like a coward at leaving his friends to fight in battle without him. He was angry now. Angry at what his father had done. Angry that he would miss the beginning of the battle. But with every step he took away from the silence before the storm, he managed to regain more control of himself. He looked down into Jane's beautiful face as he ran and she looked back at him, worry and hope etched in with love. Her radiance fortified him and he felt renewed power course through his veins. The pleasures of battle were losing strength inside him as was the feeling of helplessness that he originally saw when beholding Jane. He carried on running, Jane's weight causing him no difficulty although Erik was clutching his side and gasping for breath.

Thor stopped before a large ornate door. Two guards stood on either side of the door and at seeing Thor they automatically pushed it open.

"A battle in the Throne Room. Gather the guards and go." Thor shouted over his shoulder as he rushed through the door. The guards bowed deeply before starting to run towards the Throne Room.

Thor strode down the centre of a beautiful garden, walking along a winding path that was free of all the greenery and plant-life that could be seen on either side of a large fence. Erik and Darcy rushed after him, trying to catch their breath.

Thor reached the end of the path where the large Marble Pedestal stood before him, the Uru Goblet upon it. He laid Jane gently on the ground before him. Thor took hold of the heavy Goblet and carried it lightly to a small brook that lay just behind the Pedestal. He knelt beside it and lowered the goblet to the water and allowed the water to swell into the cup. He picked it up and carried it back to Jane and Erik.

"Lift her head Erik. She needs to drink from this."

"Will it make her better?" Erik asked, trying to keep the worry out of his voice.

"Yes." Replied Thor. "Please don't worry."

Erik raised Jane's head slightly and Thor gently placed the Goblet on Jane's open lips and upended it slowly.

"Drink it all Jane." He said. "Don't waste a drop and don't stop drinking, even if you feel you must. You are badly wounded."

She drank greedily, remembering the sweet tangy taste of the clear water from the first time. But after only a few large gulps the water began to taste bitter. She struggled to move her head and choked a little.

"Hold her." Thor commanded to Erik and turning to Jane he said. "You need to finish this Jane. You have been terribly injured and the water is healing your wound but in doing so it may hurt you.."

She spluttered and choked. The water now tasting foul, like salty dirty mud with a consistency like scummy water. She sobbed it down wanting to stop so badly. Feeling was returning to her lower limbs but it was all pain and heat and she wished the pain would stop. Tears ran down her face and Thor hated seeing her suffer.

Eventually she drank no more as the goblet ran dry. The pain was incredible. The greatest part was centred in her lower back but a deep red terrible heat was travelling slowly towards each limb.

"You must all return to Earth where it is safe. Jane will heal within minutes. I must return to battle."

Thor leant down and kissed Jane on the forehead. He stood up, turned around and started running back the way he had come, his love for Jane always within him, but the Blood of the Battle calling out to him.

# # # # # #

Slap. Slap. Slap. The heavy Mace slapped into the palm of Hogun's hand as he stood waiting to begin, swinging his weapon lightly again and again, and unconscious of the act. His excitement was palpable and the need for blood and death heavy in the air. He grinned at his friends at the challenge before him and waited for the beginning.

Fandral looked around him. The Frost Giants were still coming through the doorway. There were now at least twenty. He smiled at one and it grinned back. Lives would be lost in the coming minutes but he had no intention to die today. He would start with the creature that was grinning at him.

Volstagg rubbed his hands together in glee. He wasn't carrying a weapon and looked forward to knocking a few heads together.

Sif looked around her in silence, observing much. The Giants kept coming through the portal and if the Asgardians intended to win this battle they needed to shut that entrance as soon as possible. They were severely lacking in numbers, only her friends were there beside her. Thor was gone. Thor, who thrived in battle and needed constant challenges to satisfy his blood-lust. And although a part of Sif knew why, she felt only anger towards the girl who could distract one of the most powerful Gods at the beginning of battle. But he was gone and although she hoped for his quick return, she could not rely on him. Odin lay behind the ice, trapped. He needed to be set free as his weapon, after Thor's, was the most powerful. Loki stood in the corner, his usual place at the beginning of any battle. He had started this, she had no doubt. He needed to be dealt with. And the Destroyer stood ever silent, ready and waiting for its owner's command.

A second passed. And then another. And another. It was moments away from the beginning of battle and both sides waited for the other to make the first move.

"Volstagg, you must set Odin free." Sif whispered although her voice carried to the furthest corners of the large room. She then turned towards Hogun and Fandrall. "And you two start killing those Giants. I'm going after Loki." With these words, the silence was broken and all hell broke loose.

The two friends rushed at the Frost Giants. Ice and Metal thrashed each other in an orgy of shouts and glorified grunts as battle commenced and blood started to flow. Hogun and Fandrall slashed through the Frost Giants, slicing an arm off one and gutting another. The Giants fell before them. Fandrall was touched by a creature on the left and the grip of the Giant was strong. He felt increasing pain as his arm started slowly turning to ice, the blood just under the skin freezing. He yelled at Hogun who noticed his struggles and rushed at the giant and beheaded him.

Volstagg had rushed around the mass of bodies in the centre of the room and reached Odin's prison of ice. He raised his fist and smashed it into the ice, causing small particles to fly all around, some cutting into his skin but healing quickly. He did this again and again whilst the Destroyer turned its large head and a white-blue fire began within its depths. Volstagg saw what was happening and he leaped onto the ice and started to clamber up, using his bloody indentations for handholds. The Ice erupted from the Destroyer and missed him by inches.

Loki watched as Sif weaved her way towards him. He had set the Destroyer to kill and it would now begin to destroy anything that moved. He raised his arms at her as if in greeting and so did about ten other Loki's. Identical versions of himself surrounded Sif and she screamed in fury at his trickery.

"Fight me like a man, you coward." She screamed, surrounded by a circle of Lokis. The Lokis frowned in anger at the use of the word coward and she grinned back at them, knowing which words would cut deep. The Lokis stepped slowly towards her. She saw them and raised her weapon, the background sounds of battle disappearing as she focused on the immediate danger around her. She raised her weapon and rushed at one of the Lokis, swinging her sword in an arc. The sword cut cleanly through him and the apparition disappeared in a cloud of vapour before being immediately replaced by another.

"My clever Sif." The Lokis said in one voice. "You and I have never seen eye to eye but even you must see this is fruitless. You once called me friend and I have no wish to harm you."

Sif grinned back at one of the Lokis before her. "Fool. You were never my friend, just Thor's hanger-on." She said.

And with that she raised her sword and attacked another of the Lokis as the smile was wiped from their faces and replaced with an expression of hurt.

Volstagg was holding onto the back of the Destroyer, pummelling it with both fists, blood dripping from his ruined knuckles. It hardly reacted to him, ice-fire hitting into the centre of the group of Frost Giants and his friends. All were dodging the madness of the monster but Volstagg knew it was only a matter of time before they fell before the Destroyer. The power contained within the Destroyer was ice but it seemed to be dangerous to the Giants too. Two Frost Giants were a pillar of ice and although he saw them working their way out from the centre quicker than an Asgardian could they were still stuck fast.

The Destroyer twisted its arm and tried to reach him. He dodged between its legs and managed to thwack Odin's ice prison three times more before a blast struck his arm and shoulder and pinioned him to the ground. The pain was excruciating and he watched as the Destroyer advanced upon him, powering itself to strike. Volstagg waited for the inevitable knowing he had tried his best. He stared defiantly at the Destroyer.

# # # #

Frigga sat on a chair and plucked a few notes out of her worn harp. She found the soothing notes of the instrument could relax her and help her focus her mind to immediate matters.

She felt old. She had lived many millennia and seen many things – wonders and horrors alike. She had been married to Odin from a young age and although she had not loved him when being bonded to him as his mate all those years ago her esteem and love had grown over the years and she had never loved another. She sometimes questioned him over his decisions but had found that he always had a reason for doing something, even if it took centuries for those reasons to come about. He was sometimes wrong but rarely and she hoped that he was not wrong in regards to her firstborn son. Her adopted son was lost to her and she had loved him so much and he had returned that love but it had always been Odin and Thor that he had tried to receive it from. Whilst Thor gave it openly, he did so in a boisterous way which Loki didn't recognise and her husband had always been distant to his second son. She hoped that Odin would not make the same mistake with their first-born.

Whilst she mused about the present and future and plucked disjointedly at the strings the doors behind her crashed open and two guards entered her private chamber.

"My my." She said, raising an eyebrow at the unwelcome disturbance. "There must be a big reason why you have entered my quarters without first announcing yourselves."

The two men clasped their fists to their chests and bowed their heads. One spoke clearly. "My queen. We are under attack. In the Throne Room." Frigga immediately stood, her hand fluttering to her heart as she gasped. "We must take you from here and protect you. You must come with us to the rooms designated for your safety."

"Where is my husband?"

"He is in the Throne Room and you must follow protocol and remain hidden."

Frigga drew herself up to her full height and walked towards the two guards. "You will return to battle and I will make my own way to the safety rooms."

They looked at each other and hesitated in their role.

She smiled knowing they would listen to her and leave her to follow her heart.

"Now." She uttered in a strong, quiet voice.

They bowed and rushed out, leaving the doors open behind them. She breathed deeply knowing Odin would be in the centre of things and orchestrating everything to cause a favourable outcome. She remembered their conversation and worried. He had sounded distant and unsure which was unlike him.

She walked slowly from the room.