28. VANAHEIM PLAINS - DAY
CUT TO Jane and Loki, riding on horseback at FULL SPEED downhill, west, away from the Aldrtrad. The scene is eerily silent – the only sound is the repetitive, concussive thud of horses' hooves against the earth.
They come to the crest of a hill and the view widens to show the field of battle – and the scene EXPLODES with sound. Ahead of Jane and Loki the Vanir and Aesir forces are in a state of disarray - and in the sky, great, terrible DRAGONS are descending.
JANE
(whispering)
Oh my God.
The scene is chaotic. The dragons are attacking both the Aesir refugees and the Vanir archers, and doing tremendous damage. Across the field, one of the dragons – an enormous gray-green creature – lands with a CRASH amidst a group of Aesir refugees. The refugees go running in every direction as the creature seizes one of the men in its claws. It shakes the man violently, and there is a sickening snap as his spine breaks. The dragon reaches for another man, when:
SIF
(O.S.)
Ey!
SUDDEN CUT TO Sif, further down the field, riding at full speed toward the dragon. She is holding the reins in her left hand, and her sword in her right. Before the dragon has a moment to react, she is across the field, nearly at its feet.
As her horse skids to a stop just short of the creature, Sif LEAPS off the horse and PLUNGES her sword into the meat of the dragon's shoulder. The dragon thrashes violently, and as it does, Sif – now dangling from her blade by one hand – TEARS a long line down the dragon's webbed wing, as if ripping through fabric. The dragon ROARS and, turning quickly, FLINGS Sif to the ground some distance away.
HOGUN
(O.S.)
Sif!
CUT TO Hogun, halfway across the field. He turns his horse and rides at full speed toward Sif and the dragon.
Sif, meanwhile, rolls backward, skidding to a stop in the dirt, and quickly finds her sword again. The dragon – now bleeding freely from its wounded wing – stalks toward her, brings its face close to hers, and ROARS.
But the roar is cut short with a TERRIBLE CRACKING SOUND as Hogun, riding directly toward the dragon's head, SLAMS his mace into the dragon's jaw. The dragon's head snaps sideways, exposing the soft flesh of its throat. Sif seizes this opportunity and lunges forward, DRIVING her sword into the creature's gullet. Black dragon blood gushes everywhere, but Sif does not withdraw her blade until the dragon heaves its last, rasping breath.
CUT BACK to Jane and Loki. Jane looks stunned; Loki laughs.
LOKI
Well, those two can clearly take care of themselves.
JANE
But those people can't.
She gestures to a group of Aesir refugees, running away from another dragon, along the river's edge.
JANE
(continuing)
Come on, let's get down there.
Loki gives her a strange look. He laughs again, but there is no humor in it.
LOKI
To do what?
JANE
(frustrated)
To save them! Jesus! We do not have time for this.
LOKI
(coolly)
And if we saved them?
(beat)
To those people there, I am a hateful monster - as deadly and terrifying as those dragons. Probably worse.
JANE
(dismissively)
Then prove them wrong.
LOKI
But they are not wrong.
JANE
Yes, they are. I saw you, when we went through that gate: looking at all those stars and suns and galaxies.
You weren't hateful then. You were -
She fumbles for words.
JANE
- curious.
LOKI
(severely)
You are deluding yourself. I have done…terrible things. I have committed crimes that will not be forgiven.
(quieter)
I am not a good person, Jane Foster. I am not heroic, like Thor. I do not even have Odin's self-righteous rage. I am, above all things, greedy – for knowledge and for power.
JANE
But the Tesseract –
LOKI
(coldly)
I lied to you, that day in Valhalla. The Tesseract never controlled me. It only magnified what I already am.
Jane takes a deep breath, as if deciding something.
JANE
(firmly)
I don't believe you.
LOKI
(angrily)
You should. I cannot change. And I am not sure that I would if I could. I like those things about myself. And there is every reason to believe I will keep on liking those things. That I will always be what I have been: selfish and cruel.
JANE
You say that as if it's a cycle that cannot be broken. As if everything is set in stone.
Loki gives her a strange, suspicious look; but Jane doesn't notice it.
JANE
(continuing)
But it's not.
She reaches out and puts one hand lightly on Loki's arm. He looks at Jane: still angry, but haunted, too.
JANE
You saved these people when you hid Valhalla from Surtur. I know that. They must know it too.
(beat)
You can't control what happens tomorrow. But you can do one good thing today.
Jane nods toward the battlefield. CUT TO the front lines of the Vanir, where a great silver dragon has landed amidst a group of archers and is wheeling in a circle, breathing blue fire at them.
JANE
(continuing)
You help them. I'll get to the refugees.
Before Loki has a chance to respond, Jane spurs her horse to a gallop and begins crossing the field toward the Aesir refugees, most of whom are climbing uphill from the river. Loki turns and begins riding toward the Vanir line.
CUT TO the Vanir, who are dispersing around the silver dragon and trying to take shots at it as they run. They are able archers, but not experts at melee combat; the dragon is literally slicing through their ranks with its razored tail, and burning others alive with its fiery breath. It is a terrible, grisly sight.
Loki gets close, and leaps off his horse. The dragon swings its great tail again, and this time Loki GRABS the tail with both hands. He digs under the dragon's scales with his fingers, and mutters something under his breath. There is a flash of green light, and then an explosion of white ice, beginning at his hands and spreading up the creature's tail. For a moment, the creature is frozen solid.
As the dragon begins to shake itself free of the ice, there is a loud HISS and a THUD. From the far side of the dragon, someone has shot the creature with a crossbow bolt, to which a long rope is attached. With effort, FANDRAL appears, climbing up the rope and onto the dragon. As he crests the dragon's back, he sees Loki: his look is one of terror – then anger.
LOKI
(quickly)
I am on your-
Before he can finish, the dragon shakes violently, and Loki's grip falters. He slides further down the dragon's tail. The dragon, meanwhile, senses something on its back, and turns to snap at Fandral. Before it can, however, Loki creates an explosion of green light inches from the dragon's eyes. For a moment, the creature is dazzled – and it's long enough for Fandral to POUND the crossbow bolt into the dragon's spine, severing the connection between two of its vertebrae. Yelling, both Loki and Fandral ride the disabled dragon to the ground, where it lands with a deafening CRASH.
MEANWHILE, across the field, an enormous gray dragon is diving toward the river – and the Aesir refugees. The beast drops low, so that the tips of its great wings graze the surface of the water. As they touch the water, the river begins to freeze and crack - only under the dragon, at first, but then racing ahead of the dragon, toward the Aesir refugees.
Panicked, the refugees clamber out of the water, toward the banks on either side. Not all are fast enough, though, and many become trapped in the frozen water. Others slip and slide, running forward on the thick, ice-crusted river.
CUT TO a small child, no more than six, among the refugees who are running on the ice. Being so small, she is slow - at the back of the pack. QUICK CUT to the healer EIR, a sword in one hand, also running on the ice ten or twenty feet ahead of the child. She sees the child, and turns.
The dragon drops low, and buries its claws in the ice. It flicks its great, razor-edged tail around - to kill the child. Eir, moving quickly, runs back and pushes the child out of harm's way with her free hand. In doing so, however, she herself slides closer to the dragon - and with a sickening sound, the dragon buries its barbed tail in Eir's chest. As the dragon draws its tail back and begins to turn away, Eir stumbles and falls to the ice.
CUT TO Jane, a short distance away, on the riverbank.
JANE
(anguished)
No!
Jane rushes to Eir's side. Without hesitation, she picks up Eir's sword and HURLS it, end-over-end, at the dragon. The sword embeds itself solidly in the dragon's neck with a THUD - and the great creature turns back toward Jane. It opens its jaws over her and breathes blue fire at her. Just as it does, Jane raises her hands over her head in one last gesture of self-defense.
As she raises her hands, the cuff on her right arm suddenly glows white. An iridescent dome of light materializes around Jane. The fire disperses around the dome - leaving Jane unharmed. Jane stares at her arm in surprise - then up at the dragon.
The dragon rears back, clearly irritated. It lifts one clawed hand to CRUSH Jane - but before it can strike, it staggers backward, howling in pain. As the creature tumbles backward and down to the ground, it turns its head. We see VOLSTAGG, who has apparently taken advantage of the dragon's distraction to climb its great back and bury his axe in the base of its skull. The dragon thrashes in pain - its final death throes. Volstagg, covered in thick black blood, rides the creature as it CAREENS to the ground and dies.
JANE
(out of breath)
Thanks.
Volstagg grins as he wipes great gobs of dragon blood from his face.
VOLSTAGG
Jane Foster, it is my -
Zzzzzzzzzzz - BAM! A huge BOULDER flies between Jane and Volstagg and lands in the ground some distance away. Both Jane and Volstagg turn to look.
In the distance, a reddish dragon with only one good eye and four wicked arms is lifting enormous rocks into the air and HURLING them toward the refugees – first one, then another, crushing and killing anyone in their path.
The creature stops, however, when a sizeable rock HITS it solidly in the back of the head. The dragon turns: the source of the offending rock was none other than Sif. The creature looks at Sif almost curiously, and slowly steps toward her. Each time its foot hits the ground, there is a concussive BOOM.
Sif turns her double-ended sword over in one hand, and takes a deep breath. The one-eyed dragon is near enough now that Sif is eye-to-eye with the great creature.
SIF
(whispering)
Jeg er ikke redd for å dø. Jeg vil møte deg, min kjærlighet, ved porten til Hel.
The creature's jaws open wide, revealing bits of broken bone between its teeth. Just as Sif steels herself to leap INTO its bite, there is an EXPLOSION from behind the dragon. The dragon rears back; in the distance is a figure, arms in the air, creating brilliant flashes of light.
SIF
(incredulously)
Loki?
The one-eyed dragon whirls around. CUT TO LOKI, a good distance away, further down the battlefield. The dragon gives an ear-splitting ROAR and begins racing toward Loki.
Loki makes a small gesture with his right hand, and in an instant his appearance begins to shift. As his features reassemble themselves, the dragon pounds ever nearer to him - then, suddenly, it stops. CUT TO Loki, who by now has fully transformed - into Skadi.
The one-eyed dragon stops in its tracks, and studies Loki with its one good eye. It turns its great, wedge-shaped head to one side, then the other. Then, after a moment, the dragon bows its head low to the ground and presses its shoulders against the earth - offering itself to Loki.
Still in Skadi's physical form, Loki climbs up on the dragon's shoulders. He gives the dragon a firm thump with one hand, and it begins to lift itself into the air with a heavy beat of its wings. As the creature rises, Loki looks up, to see –-
- BREDI, riding an enormous white dragon, flying toward the Vanir line. Another, smaller blue dragon follows close behind him. Bredi smiles to Loki as he passes, then looks away. Loki stares back in confusion, then slowly transforms back into Loki.
LOKI
(muttering)
Wonderful.
In the distance, Bredi's dragon wheels south over the battlefield, while the smaller blue dragon continues on toward Alrik and the Vanir. CLOSE ON the Vanir archers as they reform their line and take aim at the dragon. One of them, however, looks off to his left, a surprised expression on his face:
VANIR ARCHER 1
Is that -
A second archer beside him turns and looks.
VANIR ARCHER 2
- Amora?
CUT TO Amora, riding toward the Vanir line on horseback. She is guiding a second horse with one hand – and Heimdall's unconscious body is slumped forward in the saddle on the second horse. Upon seeing the scene, Amora draws her horse alongside Heimdall's, and takes him by the shoulders. She shakes him violently.
AMORA
Wake up! I need you to wake up now.
Heimdall groans, and slowly lifts his head. His lower jaw is covered in dried blood, and his eyes are out of focus. Amora shakes him again:
AMORA
Can you guide their shots?
HEIMDALL
(groggy)
Wh-what?
In the distance, the blue dragon makes another pass, and HITS three archers with a swipe of its great claw. There is a sickening crunch as the three men, dead on impact, go flying backward.
AMORA
(urgently)
If I put you inside their minds, can you guide their shots?
Heimdall hesitates a moment, then nods. Amora brings her hands together in front of her, palms forward, thumbs crossed. CUT TO the Vanir archers; their eyes suddenly glaze over, an eerie white. CUT BACK to Amora, who turns to Heimdall.
AMORA
Hurry! Take my hands.
Heimdall takes Amora's small hands inside his great ones, and closes his eyes. At a distance, the archers' eyes glow gold, like Heimdall's. Each one lifts an arrow to his bow, draws - and takes a shot.
Each shot is true, and in an instant the dragon's blue eyes split violently apart with the force of twenty arrows. Blinded, the creature careens downward and SLAMS into the earth. It spins and thrashes on the ground, shooting its two clawed arms out in every direction - but without sight it is harmless. The archers finish the creature off at a distance, and it dies with an earth-shaking groan.
QUICK CUT to Bredi, still aloft. Seeing the blue dragon's death, he brings his own dragon around and begins SPEEDING toward the Vanir line, until—CRASH! Out of nowhere, Loki and his dragon slam into Bredi and his. The two dragons grapple with one another, spiraling downward until they RAM into the earth, sending a blinding spray of dirt and rocks in every direction. For an instant, the dirt obscures all view –
- then in a heartbeat, the dirt clears. The two dragons are not the only ones fighting; as the dust settles we can see Bredi, straddling Loki's shoulders and PUNCHING Loki repeatedly in the face. Black jotunn blood trails from Loki's broken jaw – but Bredi does not relent.
BREDI
(crazed)
Where is she? What did you-
Bredi is cut short when Loki grabs his leg and BURIES his fingers into Bredi's flesh. As Loki tears at the muscles above Bredi's knee, green fire dances blooms around his hand, burning Bredi's skin to a crisp. Bredi recoils from Loki, and grabs his wounded leg, howling in pain.
LOKI
Skadi is dead -
Loki quickly reaches behind his back, draws his dagger, and DRIVES it into Bredi's stomach.
LOKI
(hissing)
- go now to join her.
Bredi gasps, and fumbles at the dagger with both hands. Then, after a moment, his face settles into a dull scowl. He reaches out with one hand and SEIZES Loki by the throat, and as he does, blue light flickers around his fingers. Loki yells in pain, but his cry is cut short. Bredi tightens his grasp, crushing the very life out of Loki. Struggling for breath, Loki begins to transform into his underlying, jotunn form – blue skin, red eyes… and black, oxygen-starved veins crisscrossing his flesh.
Just as the light is beginning to fade from Loki's eyes, there is a loud CRUNCH. RACK FOCUS to a figure, behind Bredi, who has just plunged a great axe into Bredi's back. Loki's unexpected, axe-wielding rescuer is Alrik, king of the Vanir.
Blood gurgling up out of his mouth, Bredi releases Loki. Bredi then lunges toward Alrik, both hands extended. He seizes Alrik, and there is a blinding EXPLOSION of blue light. Energy surges from Bredi to Alrik, racking the old king's body with electric fire. After a long moment of this, Bredi falls to the ground, dead. Alrik collapses beside him.
HOGUN
Father!
CUT TO Hogun, running toward his father; Sif is a few steps behind him. Nearing his father, Hogun falls to his knees, and takes Alrik's hand.
HOGUN
(continuing)
Lie still. We will heal you yet.
Alrik coughs weakly, and his lungs sound shallow and frail.
ALRIK
No – you will not.
The old king reaches up for the hammered metal disc that hangs by a leather cord around his neck. The disc is stamped with the knotted wheel of the Vanir. Alrik tugs at it, and the cord breaks.
ALRIK
Take it. You will be our King now, my son.
(beat)
I hope you do not abandon your people -
as readily as you abandoned me.
HOGUN
(with emotion)
I will not. I swear it.
(beat)
I - I am sorry.
Hogun hesitates, and turns. Sif is standing behind him, several steps away. Alrik sees her too:
ALRIK
Come closer, Valisdottir.
Sif kneels at Alrik's side; her expression is wary.
ALRIK
I saw you fight for him. It is possible - that I was mistaken about you.
(beat)
And your people.
Alrik looks back to Hogun, and clutches at Hogun's sleeve.
ALRIK
(continuing)
Do not forget what I have told you - my son.
Alrik takes one last shuddering breath - anddies.
SIF
I am so sorry. I cannot guess what you are feeling.
HOGUN
(dully)
Neither can I.
He pinches the bridge of his nose between his fingertips:
HOGUN
He was not a particularly kind father - but he has always been there. A fixed point, good or bad. Always at the Aldrtrad - always on that throne. Whether good or bad, a constant. ...I cannot imagine him gone.
(shaking his head)
And I certainly cannot imagine myself in his place, ruling a kingdom.
Sif leans into Hogun's field of view, and sets her hand on his. She smiles gently:
SIF
Can you imagine yourself ruling two?
Hogun looks up in surprise - and then he begins to grin as he realizes just what Sif means.
QUICK CUT to Loki, still lying on the ground not far away. He has retaken his human form, but he is in terrible condition. His face, neck and shoulders are covered in black bruises, and his entire body is a tangle of broken armor and jotunn blood. CLOSE ON his face as he stares up at the sky, and then, slowly, closes his eyes.
JANE
(O.S.)
Hey.
His eyes open. Jane is leaning over him. She, too, is covered in cuts and bruises and blood – but she is alive.
JANE
(grinning)
Good job, you.
LOKI
"Good job"?
JANE
After all that talk, you have, in fact, done one good thing today.
LOKI
(smiling)
Not yet, I haven't.
He reaches up, takes Jane's bloodied face in one hand, and KISSES her. It's an epic, momentous, time-stopping kiss. Around them, dust motes in the air slow to a meditative whorl, and beams of sunlight burn a bright corona behind Jane's head. The shot pulls out to show the excitement of the battlefield around them, all in slow motion: the battle is over, the dragons are dead, and the Aesir and Vanir survivors are celebrating. And for one perfect and immortal instant, there is no sound but the faint rustle of leaves in distant trees.
But like all good things, it comes to an end.
THOR
(O.S., roaring)
Brother!
Jane pulls away from Loki, and both of them come to their feet. Thor, carrying Mjolnir in his right hand, is crossing the battlefield toward Loki; Darcy and Erik are trailing behind him, struggling to keep up.
LOKI
Thor – I am not going to –
BAM! Without warning, Thor punches Loki solidly in the stomach. Loki staggers backward, but does not respond. Frustrated, Thor punches him again.
THOR
Fight back, you miserable thief.
LOKI
I will not fight you, Th-
BAM! Thor hits Loki a third time.
JANE
(anguished)
Stop! Jesus, give it a rest.
Thor turns toward Jane, his face full of anger and pain.
THOR
Jane Foster, do not be blinded by his lies and trickery. Loki saved you only because he knew that in time,
you would save him. Everything he does, he does for his own good. He cares nothing for anyone but himself.
LOKI
(to Jane)
At first that was true - but I swear that since then I have come to -
He hesitates.
LOKI
(continuing, with effort)
- to learn that yours is a life very much worth saving.
Jane looks back at Loki with indescribable emotion.
THOR
Hers, perhaps. But how many others were not worth it?
How many humans died in New York?
(to Jane)
Do you know, Jane Foster?
JANE
I know that the Other seized his mind, through the Tesseract.
Just as it seized Erik's mind, and Barton's. He's not a murderer -
THOR
(interrupting)
Not a murderer? Ask him what he did to his own brother.
(beat)
Ask him!
(to Loki)
I saw what became of Baldr! Hela showed me the truth of it.
You are a killer - and a monster - and I was a fool to believe that you could ever change.
JANE
But Baldr was killed by Skadi.
THOR
(darkly)
Baldr was killed by Loki, wearing Skadi's skin. He created the woman who raised these dragons and killed these people. All this blood is on his hands, and his alone.
JANE
(to Loki, hesitantly)
Is this true?
LOKI
(to Thor, darkly)
You have no idea what you are talking about.
You have no idea what he -
THOR
(interrupting)
He was our brother! Our blood!
LOKI
Your blood. Not mine.
JANE
(repeating, quietly)
But is it true?
LOKI
There is more to it than Thor would have you believe -
Jane's face falls.
LOKI
(continuing)
But no. I cannot deny it.
Jane stares at Loki, a pained expression on her face.
JANE
Why didn't you tell me?
LOKI
(quietly)
As I said – there are some crimes that cannot be forgiven. Some crimes that even you cannot forgive.
(beat)
You see now, I was right.
After a long moment, Thor places his hand on Jane's shoulder.
THOR
Come with me, Jane Foster. Stay with my people, while the Bifrost is repaired.
It will be some years - but when it is done, you can go home.
JANE
(incredulously)
Years?
THOR
It will not seem like so long. I promise.
At length, Jane turns from Loki and begins to walk away with Thor.
Loki comes, unsteadily, to his feet:
LOKI
Wait.
Thor turns on his heel and SLAMS Mjolnir into Loki, HITTING him squarely in the chest. Loki seizes the head of the hammer with both hands. He skids backward with the force of the hammer, but does not fall. The hammer swings back into Thor's hands, and Loki clutches at his chest with one hand.
LOKI
(wheezing)
You do not have to wait for the Bifrost to be repaired.
Thor gives Loki an expression of pure hate. Jane is puzzled:
JANE
What? What do you mean?
LOKI
That cuff - that shard of Surtur's weapon - it is a powerful artifact. Like the Casket of Winters,
or the Tesseract itself. That - thing - has power enough to fuel the device you brought...
(beat)
...as my brother well knows.
THOR
You miserable, lying -
LOKI
(coolly, to Thor)
It would seem I am no longer the only liar in Asgard.
(to Jane)
You can take yourself home. You're free.
Jane looks from Loki to Thor, and back again, saying nothing. After a long, tense moment, Jane shakes her head - and turns away. WIDE, LINGERING SHOT of Jane walking into the setting sun - then, FADE TO WHITE.
THE END
MID-CREDITS: HALLS OF HEL - EVENING
The camera BURNS IN to a WIDE SHOT of the halls of Hel at sunset. The shot lingers for a moment; then an immense dragon, great enough to blot out the sun, descends and lands in front of the hall. A silhouetted figure climbs down from the dragon, and walks inside.
A CLOSE SHOT follows a man as he walks down a long hallway. The shot widens as the man enters Hela's throne room. The camera comes around to face the man: it is LOKI. His face - still bruised and bloodied - is haunted, even heartbroken.
LOKI
(shouting)
Hela!
He approaches the empty throne, and runs one hand over its black, intricately-carved arms.
LOKI
Hela! Come out a-
Something catches Loki's eye, and he stops short. CUT TO the 'column' behind the throne - a twisted mass of organic fiber, like the root of a great tree. When last we saw this root, it had been vibrant and alive - brown and gold, with bright flecks of green coursing across its surface. Now, it is black and withered, with blood-red light flickering faintly from within.
LOKI
(whispering)
Oh, no.
The camera pulls back to show Loki's look of horror as he looks down to see the floor at his feet - filling with a black, inky substance. AERIAL SHOT of Loki, standing amidst the black oil as it spreads outward across the room. It fills the field of view - until the entire screen is BLACK.
Coming Soon: "Yggdrasil", a sequel.