Chapter Twenty-Three – Day 184, Part I

Jane had never been one to enjoy crowds of people. The press of unfamiliar faces and bodies all around her was merely irritating at the best of times, but right now all she wanted was for this to be over. There was a lot of thinking she needed to do after last night, the kind of thinking that demanded solitude and the complete removal of any and all distractions.

That morning, a servant girl had been sent to her room to wake her and help her get ready. Jane had endured the primping and fussing with as much patience as she could muster; all she really wanted to do was bury herself back in bed and let the shame and despair wash over her. Her brain was punishing her, forcing her to relive in excruciating detail every moment of the night before: the inexplicable sorrow on Loki's face when she had mentioned her mother, the warmth of his body as she leant into him, the tenderness of his lips against her cheek. His very presence was far more intoxicating than any drink, and after two weeks of seeing neither hide nor hair of him, her resistance to his pull had been lower than ever before. She had been ready to throw caution to the wind and give in to the desire she swore she had seen in his eyes before he had pulled away. Stupid, stupid Jane.

But she let the servant girl do her job and was pleased by the result. Loki had left the Fairy Godmothering this time to Frigga, who had given her a dress of vibrant blue the week before. Jane suspected it was to prevent her son from starting any more trouble with secret color meanings, but she appreciated it all the same. The soft fabric contrasted with the bits of decorative plating that imitated armor, and her cuffs (transformed once more into silvery vines) blended right in. She looked the part of an interplanetary diplomat, even if she would never feel like one.

Sif had directed her to her place between the delegations from Alfheim and Vanaheim before the ceremony started. She felt small and inconsequential between their large parties, but it did give her the opportunity to observe the two different races. The Vanir were indistinguishable from the Aesir to her eyes, but the Elves were a bit more interesting. She tried not to stare as she took in their pointy ears and dainty features; if not for their height, she would have called them delicate. At any rate, it was almost disappointing that so many alien races were humanoid.

The roar of the crowd swelled as Thor finally made his entrance. Jane was content to watch it all silently, only laughing slightly at his showboating. The sudden hush of the horde of attendees at the king's command was eerie, but the entire crowd was captivated by him and his son. Jane felt her own anticipation intensify as their declarations rang loud.

Then suddenly, everything stopped. The king whispered something unintelligible and went over to Frigga, murmuring something in her ear before striding out of the hall in haste. Thor was frozen in place for a moment before racing after him, Loki not far behind. Mutterings broke out through the crowd as confusion spread.

"People of Asgard!" The queen's voice rang out just as loudly as Odin's had, once again reducing the crowd to silence. "There has been an attempt by deceitful beings to use this moment of triumph as an opportunity to strike against Asgard. But our strength is unwavering!" The crowd cheered at her words. "For now, go home and be merry while your king and king-to-be deal with our foes. Asgard's future is bright; we will celebrate Thor's ascension on another day."

Jane stayed rooted in her spot in shock; for all of the queen's gentleness, she sure knew how to give a rallying cry. The delegates beside her grumbled as they moved to leave, but Jane was unsure of what to do. Even after months of chaperoned movement around the palace, it was too easy for her to get lost in the winding passages.

"Jane!"

She whipped her head around to locate the source of Sif's call. The warrior was cutting through the crowd to get to her. Filled with relief, Jane grabbed the other woman's hand and let herself be pulled along; everyone here was so freakishly tall that she would be screwed if they got separated.

"You looked a little overwhelmed out there," she remarked amusedly as she pulled Jane to the stage, safely out of the way of the departing guests.

"Thanks, I was," Jane answered truthfully. She glanced at the door the king and princes had left through. "What just happened?"

Sif's expression clouded. "I'm not sure. We'll have to wait until Thor gets back to find out." She paused, looking around at the still-dense crowd. "Do you want me to take you back to your room? It could be a while."

Jane smiled gratefully at her. "Yeah, that would be great." She still would have the problem of the cuffs to worry about, but she could make it a few hours in them yet. She hoped.

Manipulating Thor into thinking it was his idea to take the fight to Jotunheim was almost too easy. Loki bit back his grin with difficulty; his plan was going off with barely a hitch.

The deaths of the two Einherjar guarding the weapons vault had been unfortunate, but it was hardly his fault if the frost giants had deviated from the plan. He could only control so much, after all. Their deaths were in service of saving the multitudes of Asgardians from Thor's ignominious rule. So very, very soon, his machinations would be at their end, and he could move on to the next phase of his grand plan.

Thor had given them an hour to prepare for their departure. He wanted to attack while his blood was still hot with rage. The Warriors Three and Sif had been skeptical, but like the pathetic followers they were, they had put up little fight against Thor's foolish idea. Apparently, none of them had the self-preservation necessary to pick staying home over going to an ice planet in the twilight.

Loki hurried to his room to get his real armor and stock up on his weaponry. Though he had no intention of actually going to Jotunheim, he needed to be prepared for Thor's idiocy to muck something up. He would not slip up so close to the end.

Tying on his vambraces, Loki's mind itched with the sensation of feeling like he was forgetting something. Something important. Examining the armguards again to spur his memory, he felt the chill of dread spreading down his spine as he suddenly remembered Jane. Or, more importantly, Jane's cuffs. Shit. It had been far too many hours since the aborted ceremony. He doubted his mother would have thought of it, likely assuming that he would take care of it. How could he have forgotten!?

Hurrying back out of his room, Loki raced down the stairs faster than he ever had before as panic set in. Not bothering to knock, he barged through her door, his mind dredging up the memory of her unmoving form lying on the bathing room floor. Except, this time, it would be entirely his fault.

"Loki?"

His head jerked around until he found her confused face propping up to look at him from her bed. Relief flooded through him instantly. Calming himself, he made his way to her side. Her head had already dropped back onto the pillow, lolling to the side as she watched his approach. "Oh, you're still alive," he tried to joke, but his heart was still beating a bit too fast as he sat beside her.

"I feel like death, if that counts." Her voice was raspy, like her lungs were pulling insufficient air for the words. She raised her wrists to him weakly, arms shaking with the effort. "Help, please."

He snapped the cuffs off in a flash, pulling away briefly as a flurry of red sparks erupted from her exposed flesh. As they faded, he was thankful to see the flush of color return to her deathly pale skin. That had been much too close; he needed to convince Odin that the cuffs were no longer necessary. If he had not remembered until after Thor's doomed venture… it was too awful to imagine. It seemed every week brought a new reminder of how easily her life could be ended, and he could not bear to contemplate the day when it happened for real.

She grabbed his hand in thanks, still holding it as she maneuvered herself into sitting against the headboard. It took her several seconds to recover from even that small movement. Her eyes were still a bit dull as she asked dryly, "And where are you off to this fine evening?"

He followed her glance down at his change of clothes. Grateful for the distraction, he explained lightly, "Thor intends to do something stupid, so I am on my way to make sure he doesn't."

"Hmm, sounds important," she murmured with a wry smile.

"Unless you want Asgard to go to war, it is."

Her mouth dropped open with a silent, "Oh." Letting go of his hand, she feebly pushed him away. "Go on then, save the world. You can tell me what happened during the coronation later."

He chuckled at her playfulness, feeling another wave of relief that even on the verge of suffocation she was still his Jane. His Jane – oh, he liked the sound of that. Caught up in the surge of possessiveness, he gave in to a reckless impulse, catching one of her nudging hands and pressing a kiss to the inside of her palm. She stilled instantly, her eyes widening in astonishment. "I'll tell you all about it tomorrow."

Smirking at her silent nod, Loki patted her knee and got up. With her here waiting for him, he was eager to get this whole thing over with.

Jane remained unmoving on her bed, losing all sense of time as her mind spun. Her palm tingled from the ghost of Loki's lips. Last night had not been a fluke; the prince was romancing her.

Her mind struggled to wrap itself around the idea. It was easy enough for her to understand why she liked him; he was brilliant and clever and beautiful. In that odd way of his, he seemed to respect her, even care about her. She had never met anyone like him before, and she likely never would again.

But the reverse was not so easy. He was a prince of a vastly more advanced society. He could have anything he wanted, and somehow, he had decided he wanted her. The mortal girl who was intelligent enough by human standards and pretty enough to not have earned the 'plain Jane' nickname – though with all of the flawless Asgardians around she really did feel plain by comparison. Jane had never had much of an issue with her self-worth – the struggle was always in trying to get others to regard her with esteem – but the disparity between herself and Loki was immense. Her idle fantasies had never bothered with considering the complications of reality; how could this possibly work?

She was getting too far ahead of herself. He had said nothing about his intentions. Maybe he was secretly a super affectionate person and only just now allowed himself to show it. She snorted at the thought. No, she knew him well enough by now to reject that theory. It was more likely that all of the excitement around the coronation had just gone to his head. That had to be it.

A knock sounded at her door. She glanced up; had she been lost in thought long enough for Loki to be back already? She doubted it. "Yes?" she called out.

An unfamiliar voice answered, "The Allfather wishes to speak with you."

The Allfather? Jane frowned; what could the king possibly want with her? He had never requested her presence before, and she would have preferred it stayed that way. With a sigh, she replied loudly, "I'll just be a minute."

Drearily, Jane forced her limbs into submission, groaning as the abused muscles protested her movement. Sliding her legs over the edge of the bed, she eyed the cuffs on her end table with disdain. At this rate, someone was going to have to carry her back.

Maybe Odin wanted to watch her suffocate in front of him.

Shuffling to the door, Jane slipped the cuffs on at the last second before pulling on the knob, stifling a sob of pain as the red light was forced deeper into her body. Maybe she really should become an interplanetary diplomat; her first act would be to get these cuffs banned as inhumane torture devices. She barely looked at the guard in front of her, simply muttering, "Lead the way," as she shut the door behind her. He took off at a slow pace, evidently noticing her tremulous gait.

The passageways blurred together as she followed behind him. It was all she could do to keep upright. If only Odin were calling her to him because he had found a solution to her parasite. That would be a lovely surprise.

It took until she felt the night breeze against her burning skin before Jane realized the guard had led her outside. She stopped in place, cajoling her muddled brain into cooperation. Something was very much not right here. The guard noticed she had stopped, turning around to gaze at her questioningly. His skin was pale, far paler than even Loki's gothic pallor. His features were also razor-sharp. He looked more like the representatives from Alfheim than someone from Asgard.

"Who are you?" The question came out more timidly than she had wanted, but she held his gaze, his ghostly blue eyes giving away nothing.

"My name is Malekith," he replied simply in a low, emotionless voice. "Now come, you should not keep the Allfather waiting."

Jane took an uneasy step back. Unless Odin was summoning her outside to be executed, there was no reason for the guard to be taking her through this courtyard. Debating her options, she was relieved by the sudden calling of her name. Spinning around unsteadily, she spotted the flash of Frigga's golden skirts as she quickly yet gracefully approached. "Jane, dear, what are you doing out so late?" The queen's eyes flitted between her and the strange guard.

Jerking her head at the man, Jane explained uncertainly, "He said the king wanted to see me."

Frigga stepped closer, one hand grabbing Jane's upper arm. Her calm voice took on an air of queenly authority as she said, "I'm sorry, I don't recognize you, sir. The king has retired for the evening; I will take the girl back inside and let you return to your duties."

Jane could feel the tugging sensation on her arm, but it would not budge. It was as if her body had turned to stone. Panicking, she tried to move each of her limbs, but nothing below her chin would respond. She looked pleadingly at Frigga, but the queen had already turned her attention to the guard. His hand was raised at Jane in a clenched fist; somehow, he was holding her in place. A sinister smile spread across his face.

"I nearly had her." His deep voice took on a hint of gloating. "One of the most powerful tools in the universe, and I almost took her without raising the suspicion of a single one of you pitiful warriors."

"What do you want with the girl?" Frigga's posture shifted, a sword materializing in her hand.

Malekith eyed the queen with derision, revealing a weapon of his own as he removed his helmet. A long braid of white hair tumbled down his back. "To take back what she has stolen. It belongs to my people alone."

"She is under the protection of Asgard. Now go."

"I think not." The man struck, swinging his blade so fast that Jane barely saw the movement. Only the clang of steel against steel assured her that Frigga had parried the blow. Her heart pounded in her chest, the beats coming so rapidly she felt sure she would pass out before long. The queen and the fake guard moved in and out of her peripheral vision, and Jane wished someone – anyone – would notice the attack. Frigga was a fighter, but she was also past her prime; there was no way she could keep up with Malekith's assault for much longer.

At a startled cry of pain from the queen, Jane's heart could take no more. Everything hurt. Not even the agony of that first day on Svartalfheim after she had touched the red lights could compare to the raging inferno now surging through her veins. She could feel the parasite pulsing violently beneath her skin, fighting against the pressure from the cuffs as it burned everywhere it went. She wanted to die.

Then, there was nothing.

A/N: Oh my, that was a bit cliffhanger-y, wasn't it? I wonder what happened to Jane...