Okay, this delay was so long I'm considering climbing under my bed from embarrassment. But I really hope you will find it worth the wait and I'll be working on the next gap not being so long!

If I can ask, it was my birthday on the 16 of this month, nearly two weeks back and could you please leave a review as a late birthday gift? I know some of you probably don't normally leave reviews, but could you make this time the exception? Please? Thank you!

You awaken a beast from a lazy sleep

Brought him down upon our heads

Perhaps we won't live to see him die

But this is the enemy we all must face

Chapter XIII: The Beast Awakened

They all stood for some time, no one speaking or moving. Above them the navy sky seemed to revolve, like it was the thing moving and not the ivory white clouds. Thor was the first to stir, his eyes on Sigyn.

'It was you was it not,' he said,' who came and told me of Loki's planned execution?'

Sigyn raised her eyes to his face,' yes, it was I,' she said quietly,' I could not stand by silent while such a thing took place.'

Anyone might have expected Loki to say a word of thanks at this point, or at lest to look it, but instead he looked up at the sky, his expression acid and cold. He turned at last to look at Sigyn, but only to ask coldly,' do you know of a route to Jotunheim?'

'From here, without the bifrost?' she asked,' no, I do not.'

'Surely you know of one Loki?' cut in Thor.

Loki slowly shook his head,' not from this realm,' he said.

'And exactly what realm is this?' asked Darcy.

'Alfheim,' said Sigyn,' my home.'

'The world of the light elves?' said Jane,' oh my word!' she turned her head this way and that, her hair whipping in the light breeze, while her eyes darted eagerly, taking in everything they could of the fantastic new world.

'You remembered which world was which,' said Thor, his tone impressed at his finance's easy memory of the all the unfamiliar complex names and to which world they belonged.

Jane looked round at him,' this stuff is my life,' she said enthusiastically,' I don't forget a word of it, not from when you first ever told me of the nine realms.'

Thor looked at her with admiration,' you never cease to amaze me Jane of Earth.'

'Earth?' Jane grinned,' wow, you are learning about us, you didn't call it Midgard.'

Thor smiled,' some adjustment all round I think we agreed,' he said.

She nodded and then gasped, a hand to her mouth,' we haven't told them!' she exclaimed.

'Told us what exactly?' asked Darcy.

'Thor and I are getting married,' said Jane, holding up her hand with the engagement ring to further illustrate the fact.

'Oh my goodness!' Darcy gave an excited squeal and jumped to hug her friend tightly, even rounding it up by smacking a kiss on the cheek of an unsuspecting Thor.

Sigyn smiled slightly and murmured quietly,' congratulations.'

Loki looked struck. It was as if it had come to him for the first time that Thor really was serious about his human girlfriend. His thin lips formed a hard line and he said softly,' better be getting on with it then, it'll scarcely feel like a day and she'll be dead already,' the tone was hard and cold, bitting back all the anger and grief behind it.

'You will not wish me joy brother?' asked Thor.

Loki raised his eyes to meet his brother's,' your life together will be so short there is scarcely time,' he said.

'Years can be a lifetime,' said Thor,' you have achieved so much in your last years,' he added in a tone of hard, pained sarcasm.

Loki's brows snapped together,' much can change in a single day,' he said,' but it still remains just one day. Her whole life is a heartbeat for you.'

'Do your guys hearts really beat that slow?' asked Darcy,' cause in that case it'd take real long to know if one of you die.'

Thor gave her a half smile and said to Loki,' she is right, sixty years for her is still sixty years for me.'

'And what will you do with the remaining three thousand? Grieve? Try start a life again when all you cherished is long gone?'

'Have you ever cherished a memory?' asked Thor,' or do you so forgot all that was beautiful once it has passed? Is this the reason you pulled your cell down when mother died? When once a person is gone are they so utterly lost to you?'

'Do not speak to me of mother!'

'First father, now mother, will a day come when you can no longer speak of me either brother?' snapped Thor.

'You are still living, mother is dead and my father lies dead in Jotunheim.'

'If you will not acknowledge Odin I defy your right to acknowledge Frigga!' thundered Thor,' you had another mother too.'

'I have no wish to replace mother.'

'But you'd replace father with Laufey, like you were oddly proud of such a heritage!?'

'I have no pride in the deeds of my father,' retorted Loki,' I am Loki of Asgard, son of no one!'

Before Thor could make a heated retort to this a scream filled the air and all faces whipped about in the direction into which a horrified Sigyn was staring.

'An interesting change in events Odinson,' said the tall figure of the fire monster,' who'd have dared to guess that the son of Odin was a frost giant?'

'Who are you?' cried Thor, while Sigyn backed away, hand to her mouth,' and what do you here?'

'I am the messenger of Surtur, Durkahn is my name. Surtur wants something that was promised him, but then he smelt betrayal,' Durkahn focused his red eyes on Sigyn, who shuddered backward in terror. Indeed Surtur's messenger was almost his own size.

'I swear,' she chocked,' I was coming, I was going to explain!'

Thor looked round at her,' you made a deal with Surtur?!' he exclaimed.

'The casket of ancient winter,' sobbed Sigyn,' Surtur wants it.'

'Oh,' Loki turned his eyes on Durkahn, noting with some inner alarm that a crowd of other fire monsters had gathered around him,' as you can see, we don't have it.'

'Surtur saw you last with it,' boomed Durkahn, pointing a long, sharp nailed finger at Loki,' frost giants have their ways of hiding their own weapons I do not doubt,' he turned his head now to look at Thor and his eyes fell on the hammer, Mjolnir,' he seeks that too,' he said softly.

'Oh is that why you attacked my house!' snapped Darcy, stepping forward,' for mueh, mueh?'

'Indeed that was under no command of Surtur, it was the act of a idiotic few who thought they might earn his gratitude by such an action, it seems however their stupidity earned them an earlier grave. But I warn you I come armed and well supported, resist me and you may join your father in death mortal.'

'Yeah?' Darcy fixed her eyes on his face,' I'm so not going to Surtur's... place and you look pretty mortal too!'

Thor got a tight grip on Mjolnir, a slow grin spreading over his face. He took a step forward,' if you want the casket and Mjolnir you will have to do more than ask.'

Durkahn laughed, a sound that crackled like fire,' very well,' he said extending his arms toward his supporters behind him,' take them all down,' he commanded coolly.

Fire creatures moved forward as Thor threw Mjolnir. It hit the first two of them and then swung back into his hand. Loki swung around, throwing a sharp spiral of ice which struck the one fire creature who screamed and leaped back in pain. Clearly the ice of the frost giant burnt the fire monster.

A spark of terrified magic burst now from the palm of Sigyn's shaking hand, it was green and looked like a growing vine as it wrapped itself about the leg of a fire creature, tripping it over to meet the merciless ice of Loki.

Jane backed to catch up a branch from a nearby tree and this she flung at a fire creature who killed over at Thor's feet. Thor glanced round and seeing her looked impressed.

'Was that your doing?' he asked.

Jane tried to look modest, but rather failed as she nodded,' yeah,' she said in an offhand casual way,' I can do a thing or two.'

A fire creature, taking advantage of Thor's distraction, now punched him full in the face and he started round,' don't do that,' he commanded swinging Mjolnir to knock the creature off it's feet.

Darcy meanwhile had backed away and was pulling out her cellphone.

'Why is there is no stupid signal?' she mumbled.

'You are you planning to call anyway?" asked Jane, snapping off another branch,' the police?'

'Ian,' said Darcy blandly.

'What's that meant to do?' asked Jane, swinging her branch into an enemies face.

Darcy shrugged,' well what else am I meant to do,' she glanced round at her friend,' hey, where'd you get the stick, I want one too!'

One came now flying into her hands and she looked up to see Loki whipping round after throwing it.

'Cool!' Darcy swung the stick, aiming for a fire monster, but failed to realise that Thor had just got in the way and smacked him on the back of his head.

'Sorry!' she cried, holding up both hands in alarm.

'What for?' Thor looked round at her, having apparently not felt a thing.

'Oh, nothing,' she called back,' do I hit so badly?' she asked of Jane.

'He's tough,' said Jane, looking proudly toward her Asgardian fiancé.

'These aliens,' said Darcy,' why are they all so much more powerful than us?'

She was looking toward Sigyn who was staying out of reach, but swinging magic from her hand, all leaf green and vine like. Loki was near her, ice spreading the ground around his feet and spiking from his hands.

Thor had jumped back as a coil of flame licked at the side of his hand, but he barely flinched as he calmly knocked the guilty party across the field with the aid of Mjolnir. The fire creature nearly hit Loki on it's journey across the field and he (Loki) called to Thor.

'Would you be careful, you'll have me over next time.'

Thor gave his easy laugh,' you are too agile to hit,' he retorted, swinging his hammer.

However this was defied the next second for a spray of fire burst from the hand of Durkahn and scraped the arm of Loki's jacket. It burnt through and touched the frost giant's skin. Loki's face contorted with pain and he collapsed onto his knees, lips parted in silent agony. Durkahn took his chance and swung a mallet at Loki. It struck him on the forehead and he knocked over, only to receive another and another. Thor rushed forward and took Durkahn on with a fierce thrust from Mjolnir. Sigyn ran to Loki, but he say still, knocked out cold, a thin trickle of blood running down from his mouth. One hit as fierce as Durkahn had launched would easily have killed a human.

Thor was clearly furious and was battling Durkahn in the centre of the field, Mjolnir meeting the mallet and splinting it down the middle. But Durkahn was not yet beaten. He swung his hands out and then brought then down, hands filled with fire which he sent spiraling. Fire licked the grass, smoke rising high toward ivory clouds and navy sky.

Jane stared dumbstruck as flames licked about the ankles of her boots while Darcy, who was a few steps behind and out of the fire's reach, screamed loudly.

Sigyn was still bending over Loki and she stared too at the roaring flames, mere steps from where she knelt.

'Jane!' bellowed Thor loudly above the noise.

She turned to stare toward him, eyes wide and then smoke and flame rose sky rocketing and she vanished from his view.

'Jane!' Thor turned and leaped amidst the flames. He could hear the sound of Jane coughing and her voice called out to him.

'Thor! Thor!'

He followed the sound and nearly bumped into her.

'Jane,' he caught an arm around her and flung Mjolnir before him. It cleared a path through the flames and for a moment Thor saw Durkahn, then something strange happened. Mjolnir changed course without warning, it swung up and backward stricking Thor. He killed over almost at once and would have landed amidst the flames only they vanished on the instant and Jane collapsed next to him, shaking him while smoke rose about her.

'Thor!' she chocked,' Thor, wake up! Thor!'

Then something hit her on the head and she fell to her side, one hand still gripping Thor's arm.

The smoke had cleared and Darcy stared up to see Thor and Jane lying knocked out in the midst of the burnt field and Durkahn, standing over them, while Mjolnir lay on the ground beside it's fallen master.

Darcy started forward, but only got one step before a wave of something like powerful magic hit her and she fell where she stood. Durkahn remained staring at Sigyn.

'Do I have to knock you out too?' he asked,' or will you come?'

Sigyn was breathing too sharply to respond. She tried to get to her shaking feet, but they failed her and she fell back onto the grass beside the still Loki.

'I can explain all this to Surtur,' she manged to choke out.

Durkahn smiled sourly,' oh, he's counting on it,' he assured her.

More to Come! (Next Up: Surtur, his palace and a fight come together.)

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