Chapter 29:

This was maddening.

Asgard could be tumbling down a path to ruin and he was locked away in his cell. He was worried that, should the Other take Jane, his next target would be Wilhelmina. Loki turned and struck the wall, cutting his knuckles in the process. The fear and adrenaline that coursed through him prevented him from feeling the pain, and he hardly took notice of the small trickle of blood that ran down his forearm as his fingers combed through his hair. He had to find a way out.

He jumped to the side when his door suddenly flew off its hinges and into the room. What he saw in the doorway was an enraged Thor, Mjonir clutched tightly in his hand.

"Thor..." Loki began as his brother stomped towards him, hammer raised.

"WHERE IS SHE!?"

Loki's mind scrambled at the realization that his message had arrived too late. "What happened?"

"Jane is missing, and you know where she is."

"I do not."

"Do not lie to me, Loki! I received a message from you warning that Jane is in danger. Now tell me what you know!"

"Surely I would tell you if I knew where she was!"

Thor roared and grabbed Loki by the collar of his shirt. "Then you will help us find her."

He released him and turned to one of the many startled guards that had crowded the room. "Fetch my brother's armor; he is a free man until Jane is found." Thor spoke to the man, but his eyes never left Loki's. "You are permitted to use force if he tries to run." He then hurried out of the room and up the staircase.

As soon as Thor was out of his sight, Loki took hold of the guard.

"Send some men to watch over Wilhelmina's chambers. She is not to leave that room under any circumstance and none but the royal family may enter." He inched closer to him. "Should even a servant pass the threshold you will all die by my hands, understood?"

The man's voice was shaky as he spoke. "Yes, your highness."

Xx

He was not surprised by the shocked reactions of the lords and ladies in the halls as he sped passed them in full armor with a fleet of guards trailing behind him. He ignored the sounds of screams as he made his way towards the castle entrance.

He took a deep breath as soon as they made it outdoors, but did not have time to enjoy the sun on his skin before he was barking out orders.

"Begin in the city, every home and business must be thoroughly searched. Do what you must to find her…soon."

As the men marched towards the city, some with reluctance and suspicious glances, Loki waited a few moments before heading straight for the forest. He knew Jane was there, and he needed to find her first.

He tore through the forest while calling her name, his frustration growing as he trudged through the dense woods. He thought bitterly that if he only had his powers, he would have quickly dispersed many of his doppelgangers to cover more ground. Now he was forced to use all of his instincts to track her down.

He spent two hours calling for her and praying that his voice would be heard before the last of the day's light faded to utter darkness. When he received no response, he shouted again, causing birds to flee from the thick canopy of branches above him.

Only this time, someone answered him.

He ran forward as soon as he heard Jane's cry for help, following her voice until he reached a small clearing in the tress. From where he stood, he could see that the girl was tied to a tree, and he saw the cuts on her face and her arms; the blood that stained her torn clothes.

Loki drew his dagger and slowly approached her, his anger rising as he saw the look of terror in her eyes. He spoke his first words to her as he bent down to untie the rope that bound her to the tree.

"Are you alright?"

"No, but we have to hurry, I think they're coming back soon."

He paused for a millisecond. "They?"

"The same things that attacked New York."

"The chitauri."

Her eyes suddenly filled with fresh tears. "Did you send them to take me?"

"No. I'm not sure if you've noticed that I've been imprisoned for months."

She scowled at him. "You're a trickster, the god of lies!"

"I have nothing against you! In fact, I want to return you to Thor as soon as poss-"

He was not able to finish before Jane screamed and he turned, shielding her from the three chitauri that were running towards them.

Loki yelled for Jane to stay back as he charged forward, his dagger sinking into the nearest enemy. He knew he would have to do much more to defeat the creatures that swarmed him, creatures that had once been his to control.

He cried out when he felt sharp nails plunge into his side, breaking the skin and gripping his flesh enough to throw him to the ground. He managed to stand once again to fight his attackers until, breathless and bloodied, he stood above their corpses.

The next thing he felt was Jane's hand on his shoulder, then a harsh voice cut through the peaceful quiet.

"This is but a taste of what will befall your realm if you continue to refuse me Loki."

Seeing the hooded figure once again, Jane jumped behind Loki, and he steadied his breathing.

"I told you I will not do your bidding."

"You are a fool, you stand to lose everything!" Loki was silent. "I know what you fight for: I have breathed in the scent of your woman, have seen how big she is with child."

He broke his silence then. "Stop!"

The fiend was relentless. "I should have ripped that abomination from her womb and silenced their screams! Perhaps killing them will persuade you!"

He felt as though he were sweating from the heat of the anger that overwhelmed him. This had to stop, all of it. "Tell your master that our deal is off and I will not betray this realm. If he wants the damned tesseract, he will have to face the armies of Asgard to claim it!"

The Other gave a cruel laugh at his declaration. "You…declaring war? You failed to conquer a planet as pathetic as Earth with your own army!"

"Then believe this: your head will lie on the steps of Odin's throne." The enemy growled. "And you will see that this boy does not make empty threats either."

"Prepare your men, for you have marked them all for death! We will take what we want, but only after destroying your precious realm of imbeciles!"

"We'll be ready."

The creature growled at them, a low and menacing rumble in his throat before disappearing in a flash of light. Loki shielded himself and Jane from the light, only to find that where the Other once stood, flames now rose. They took hold of nearby branches that ignited the mighty trees, spreading the fire further. In a matter of seconds, black smoke began to fill their lungs and Loki quickly turned to Jane.

"Run Jane!" She did not move, so he yelled at her again.

"Jane!" She did not hear him, her eyes were still fixed on the flames and she was rooted to the spot while the fire made its way toward her trembling figure.

Her stare was broken when Loki picked her up and threw her over his shoulder before running into the forest, a screaming Jane bouncing on his shoulder.

He ran as hard and as fast as he could, all the while trying not to choke on smoke and his own lack of air. When they finally made it past the point of danger, he set Jane down and they both collapsed. The girl jumped when she heard his angered voice.

"If you are ever going to be a queen you must be brave, and not force your people to haul you out of danger!"

Her heart sank. "I…how did…"

Loki sighed. "Thor told me of his plans to propose some time ago. "

"Oh god…" She covered her face with her hands, and Loki gifted her with a small laugh.

They did not sit in silence for long before Loki was on his feet again. "Let's go."

Jane began to stand, but winced when her weight shifted to her right ankle. He saw the pain in her face as she leaned against a tree. "Can you walk?"

"I don't know."

He did not wait for her to find out before he scooped her up into his arms and began the long trek back to the castle.

Jane sighed in relief. "I think I'm starting to get what Mina sees in you."

He looked down at her with a wicked smile. "What's not to like?"

"Well there's the fact that you're crazy…"

"Crazy?"

She spoke quickly. "According to Thor of course."

"Is that so?"

"…ugh huh."

"You're a terrible liar."

"You would know."

They walked on in silence for a while before Jane looked up at him again.

"Asgard isn't safe anymore is it?"

She could see his jaw tighten. "No, it isn't."

Xx

All eyes looked towards the doors when Loki burst into the healing room still carrying Jane. As soon as he laid her onto the bed, the healers swarmed her, and he turned to the servants.

"Notify my brother that Jane is alive and send for guards to cover the doors."

"Yes, your highness!"

"May I tend to your wounds, sir?"

His head snapped to the voice and he saw that a young healer stood staring at him. It was then that he felt the stinging pain at his side once again.

Right then, Thor arrived in the healing room and headed straight for Jane. It was obvious that he did not see his brother or anyone else in the room, he only saw the woman he loved and that she was alive.

Loki watched their tearful reunion as the young girl cleaned his wound, but he took a defensive stance when Thor finally advanced towards him. He was surprised when Thor grabbed hold of his shoulders and pulled him into a crippling hug.

"I was told that you saved her from the forest. Thank you, brother."

"Do not thank me just yet. We have much to discuss."

Xx

When Frigga rushed into Wilhelmina's chambers, she was panicked when she did not see the girl right away.

"Mina!" She yelled for her until she emerged from another room.

"Are you alright darling?"

"Yes, I'm fine, but what's happened? My servants were sent away and there are guards outside my doors."

"Jane was taken."

"What!? Where is she?"

"Loki has brought her back and she is in the healing room."

The queen saw the color drain from the girl's face. "Loki?"

"Yes, Thor released him so that he could help in the search."

Her voice was quiet. "Is he hurt?"

She had to lie. "Only a minor injury. He will be fine."

Mina reached for Frigga's hands. "Will he come to see me?"

"I pray that he has the chance to."

Xx

Naturally, Odin was furious with Loki after the awful truth was finally spoken.

"You are still making decisions as though you were a king! I am the one to declare war, not a prince!"

"I'm sorry I did not have time to consult with you father, but the situation demanded a response!"

"And you thought this could be settled with war?"

"Yes, we can rid ourselves of this threat by destroying them."

Thor stepped in. "I agree; it is time we put an end to their treachery. Our allies will stand with us."

Odin ran a hand over his face, his weariness sinking down to his bones. "It has been centuries since this realm engaged in battle, and Thanos could be marching across the bridge as we speak."

Loki stepped forward. "The Other was able to slip past our defenses, but with only three chitauri. He would have stormed the castle with an entire fleet had the battle for earth not left them weak. Thanos will have to build up his army and that could take some time. We will be ready when the time comes."

"How can you make such guarantees when you are still a prisoner?"

Thor spoke before Loki could respond. "Father, he has valuable knowledge of our enemy that we can use against them, and he has proven to be the better strategist among us. I can think of no better warrior to have by my side. Lessen his sentencing so that he may aid us."

Odin stood looking into Loki's eyes, and was slightly convinced by the rare sincerity he saw in them. "One day of good cannot make up for all the damage you have caused. However, Thor is right, and in light of all that has happened…I will postpone your sentencing. You may roam the castle, but you will not present yourself at court. And if I hear that you have stepped one foot outside castle walls, I will throw you back into your cell myself."

"Yes, father."

"Both of you take the night to gather your thoughts. We will make all necessary announcements in the morning… Asgard is officially at war."

Xx

He counted every step it took to get to Wilhelmina's chambers. Though guards escorted him down the hall, he was so lost in thought that he hardly noticed them, and all he could feel was a terrible anxiety. While imprisoned he feared he would forget her face as the years passed, and now he found himself free and outside her room.

Loki placed his hand on the door and stopped, dread seizing him and his heart throbbing loudly in his chest.

Then he heard her voice through the door. She was singing. Loki closed his eyes when he recognized the same cradlesong his mother had sung to him as a child. Suddenly every fear he had was swept away, and a smile spread across his face as he stepped inside.