HELLLLLLOOO READERS! How are you? Readers once again I have to thank you for your continued interest and support of this story! All your reviews favorites and follows have meant so much to me. I still read and cherish each and everyone of them. I actually finished this chapter a lot earlier, but tite though. Since it is the last Chapter that will follow along with the Thor 2 plot line (be warned some spoilers) Well happy reads and writes God Bless You all.
The shiny, brass speeder-skiffs landed on the shores of Svartalheim with a loud thud and skidded to a stop. The ground of the Dark-World was rough and cracked. It was brittle and barren, ashen and dry. Svartalheim was a world like a skeleton, dead. It was lifeless, colorless, stark and gray. The sky was not cheery and blue, but instead it was terrible muted tint. The sun of Svartalheim was constantly eclipsed by its dark moon. It was not a fragrant land; it was perfumed by a stench like burning sulfur. The air tasted foul and stale. It truly was a Dark-world. There were no signs of life. No vegetation peeked through the top soil, there were no trees or shrubbery, no wildlife to speak of...not even birds cawing in the distance. There wasn't even a sign of civilization, but that was not surprising, the Dark-Elves had been destroyed long ago, all but that tiny faction that had managed to survive along with their dark crystal.
The abrupt and rough landing jolted all the of soldiers in the long-boats. Most, fell flat on their faces from their sitting positions on the boats. Thor had braced himself as the skiff skidded over the gravelly ground. His one mighty hand-held tightly to the rim of the speeder, while the other clenched protectively around Jane's tiny frame. She had not stirred since Thor had placed her in the flying-boat. He worried for her. Convergence was getting closer and the closer it got the more powerful the Aether became. He worried about how much longer Jane's mortal form could with stand the energy.
It was only Loki's enthusiastic, arrogant and playful, "TADA!" that pulled Thor from his concern for Jane. It was only then that it dawned on him that they'd made it. That that tiny crack in the cliffs filled with a swirling vortex of light actually was a portal. Somehow despite the gloomy look of the world around him, he perked. His heart started to swell with pride; Loki had actually kept his word. He'd managed to get all 50 of them there in one piece.
"Loki!" Thor called as he pushed himself up off of the floor beside Jane. "You did it!" he cheered. He looked around. All three boats had made it and all though the men looked slightly shaken by the bumpy landing, none were worse of the wear. "You did it!" He exclaimed once again, his big boots stomping toward his younger sibling who was slumped over hanging onto the steering rod. "We made it!" he sighed with relief as he clamped his strong hand on slim shoulders. 'Your pathway worked!"
"You expected less?" Loki replied somewhat with mock offense, but there was also a seriousness there. Thor doubted his abilities as he suspected all Asgardian's did. It wasn't that Asgardian's were strangers to enchantment, they knew well of magic, they just did not prize it. They didn't see how it could be stronger than force of arms. Thor most assuredly had never seen that. He was a simpleton and a fool and soon he would see just how powerful he truly was. "Lest you forget it was I who brought the Frost Giants into Asgard using one of the those secret gateways," he admitted his betrayal with the while Loki had still been leaning on the steering rod for support. He felt so light-headed. He gripped the side of the brass and iron long-boat clinging for support. Loki started to sway and his knees gave out slightly causing him to slump against the mast of the long-boat.
"Loki!" called as his large hands caught him by the shoulder to keep him from keeling over. Thor's baritone voice rallied the once prince whose eyes had closed in exhaustion. "Are you alright?" Thor asked and the concern in the mallet wielder's voice was thick and heavy. The wizard started to nod too exhausted in the moment to make his lips part to utter a word. The spell had taken a lot out of him. He exerted a lot of energy; more than he had actually anticipated. He'd never transported that many before. He had been confident he could do it, but he hadn't known what it would cost. Dimensional travel was required so much power and to transport over 50, he felt nearly wiped out. He couldn't help, but lean into his brother's strong arms. "You should lie down," Thor offered with care, he instinctively wrapped one of Loki's limp arms around his massive shoulders. It was thin that he noticed that the raven-coiffed man was shivering. "Sit down," Thor instructed his voice tender as squatted to help Loki into a sitting position.
For a moment Loki allowed himself to be lowered down to the side of the boat. He was almost grateful for Thor's care. He'd forgotten how doting Thor could be. He sighed and let out a sliver of a smile. Something deep within started to glow, it felt good to be cared for by his brother again. Even though he'd told him they weren't brother's any longer. They'd been so close once. They'd had their differences at times they scrapped like cats and dogs, but that hadn't ever meant that they hadn't loved one another. Thor was careful and moved slowly, so as not to throw Loki body into any shock, his calloused hands ran over Loki's forehead and pushed back the ebony strands plastered to Loki's brow due to the perspiration that lined his brow. Loki's bottom was nearly touching the floor of the speeder skiff, when all of a sudden he decided the shut off the warm and contented feeling rising within him. They were not close anymore, he reminded himself. Thor had lived a life a pampered luxury for a year while he'd been left to grind in a cell. Was that brotherhood? Thor came to visit you, despite Odin's orders, a small voice reminded him "Easy," the blonde prince cooed softly when Loki's bottom was hovering just inches above the deck.
Loki's bony fingers gripped at the edge of the boat stopping himself from sitting. He pushed himself back up. He shook his head to rally himself. "I'm fine," he announced in a whisper.
"Loki," Thor hesitated to release him.
"I said I'm fine!" Loki snapped with an unnecessary venom which caused Thor to withdraw his powerful hands. Loki then went back to smoothing his collar and outer vestments that had gotten rumpled and wrinkled from the abrupt crash landing.. He breathed deeply steadying himself as he supported himself on the rails of the ship. Thor gave Loki a once over, his eyes scrutinizing every inch of his pale form. Loki looked haggard and weary, somewhat malnourished, but Thor knew that Loki would resent more coddling at this point besides it would make Loki feel weak in the eyes of the troops.
Thor beckoned the troops from the other tow long-boats and they spread out in the center of where the boats had landed. "How are we going to find the elves?" asked Frandal excited once Thor and Loki approached. They allowed Jane to linger in the long-boat. She was still unconscious and she would need to reserve her strength for phase two of the plan.
"Where are we going to make camp?" Sif wondered as she stood up from the huddle and looked around. There was nothing around for miles and miles. The land was a blank sheet of gravelly, dried and gray toned soil. There was no foliage or mountain range for them to take cover with and they hadn't traveled with heavy artillery, only a few canons, they'd be sitting ducks for the Dark-Elves.
"Where are we going to gather food and water?" Volstagg asked and his concern was more out of greed than need.
"We have rations, Volstagg," Hogun pointed out as he pointed to a few sacks packed in the skiff. It wasn't a large amount, but Thor's plan was not for them to stay more than a day or two. They didn't have more than a day or two. Convergence was a mere 4 days away. And if they were not successful by then... well then it would be too late.
"Well that's not enough, after battle we'll have worked up at hearty appetite," the plump Viking persisted.
"Well, it will have to be enough," a clipped, sophisticated voice snapped. Loki cut through the crowd carrying a large scroll that was nearly the length of his arm. He cut through the crowd of warriors huddled in a circle. They all looked at him with narrow and distrusting eyes. It took all the restraint with in the warriors to not spit at the once prince's feet. All felt a deep sense of betrayal from the disowned son of Odin. Once he had been someone they bowed to and kowtowed to. Loki had always been more formal that Prince Thor. He'd always wanted the palace soldiers to greet him as a superior and he never treated servants as equals. There were times when his mischievous tendencies and childish pranks were down right cruel, but still all had shown him the respect a prince of Asgard deserved. They had been faithful and willing to risk their lives to protect him. When he wielded Gungnir and assumed the throne they'd obeyed him, most without even a word of protest, but all the while he'd been a viper in the grass. "The Dark-World has few natural resources, and any foods and crops that were grown here are all dead and gone now," he explained curtly. He spread out the large scroll across the rough ground. The map projected a large 3D image above the heads of the soldiers. "This is an outline of the land," Loki began to explain as he waved his hand over the scroll. "It is not updated, actually, it is ancient, no one has been to the Dark-World since the time of Bor," Loki reminded them. He felt himself setting for a lecture. He had always been a bit of a history buff. "There are three major rivers," Loki pointed out as he caused the map to show the image of the bodies of water. "Luckily, they all seem to come to a head at this center," his slim porcelain finger pointed to a central location on the map.
"And where exactly is that?" the brunette shield-maiden asked with attitude as she placed her hands on her hips. She stood unimpressed. Loki had always been more of the strategist amongst their group. The one who brought the maps and studied the fortresses, there had been times when she had found his cautious ways helpful, now every word that he uttered only mounted her distrust.
"It was," Loki's tongue lingered hissing on the "s" as he rolled his eyes at Sif, "The capital city of this realm," Loki pointed out. "I believe it is where the Dark-Elves will be making their encampment," Loki said proudly.
"How can you be sure that they'll be there?" asked another Einherjar.
Emerald eyes narrowed into a piercing gaze, Loki detested being questioned by his subordinates, then he reminded himself that in this scenario he was the subordinate. He was the one tethered and chained and shackled like so flee bitten animal. "For starters," he qualified. "It is one of the few places where there is likely to be any access to water!" he growled closing his eyes and clenching his fist so tightly together that his knuckles cracked. "Secondly, it was Malekith's home," Loki added "And it was the site of his last stand against Bor," the scholar amongst the soldiers explained.
"We will press on to this spot," Thor stated. "Loki and I will take the lead, we will try to handle this without involving, you men for as long as possible. Your attack will give us the element of surprise. We will need for you to stay hidden until my signal."
After they went over a few more logistics about the plan the group of soldiers ate, at Volstagg's suggestion. At Lady Sif's suggestion the sharpened their weapons and readied their ammunition. As they sat around and ate they sang songs. Dinner and music, that was the way of the Aesir. Loki had almost forgotten, it had been so long since he'd dined at the king's table, that he'd forgotten about the elaborate banquets filled with bards and minstrels walking around the tables and serenading the guests.
The soldiers were sitting around a large bonfire now. It was not such a lavished setting as the glistening, golden banquet halls of the palace, they were eating off their laps from wooden and broken metal plates. It was a far cry from the chalices made of gold and jewels and the plates made of delicate china, but still, the camaraderie around the campfire was the same warm that had resonated through Odin's halls. Loki forced himself to sit on the fringes of the circle. It wasn't like he was welcomed their presence. . Sif, Frandal, Hogun and Volstagg had taken a rigid body posture to shut him out. For a moment he felt like that same awkward youth, who longed to be apart of the crowd, even though they were plebian and base at best. They he looked down at the shackles on his wrist. He was a chained slave in their midst. Not a welcomed guest but a slave. He was taken on this adventure like one takes a pack-mule because he was a necessary beast of burden. He growled as he looked at his chains. He'd play along for now, but soon he'd be free and they'd rue the day they ever locked him up when Ragnarök was knocking at their door.
It was an elderly Einherjar who started the chorus of songs. His deep base voice burst forth in a familiar tune that everyone was able to join into. They sang the glorious battle songs of old. Songs that talked of the events long passed. Songs that told of how Bor had once defeated the Dark-Elves. Such songs rallied the hearts and mustered the souls of the few brave men who had taken this perilous journey with the future king of Asgard. As they ate Loki eventually found his toes tapping along to the lively beat It startled him. Loki immediately sucked in a sharp breath and placed his hands down firmly on his knees stifling himself. His shift, emerald eyes looked back and forth rapidly, no one hand seemed to notice. He sighed in relief as he went back to eating his dinner a refined and poised manner.
Everyone else had gotten rowdy around the fire. They filled their goblets with wine and toasted to a victory. Soon, hearts were merry despite the dire hour. The songs became more lively. The small troop clapped their hands and stomped their feet as they heralded a chorus of old battler hymns.
Loki managed to maintain his decorum not allowing himself to join in the musical, despite that fact that he knew every word and note to each song. He continued eating the rations provided for the trip. Albeit, the rations were actually quite scrumptious. There was quail and lambs leg, buttered potatoes and turnips. Along with a few bottles of wine. Wine was customary before battle. It calmed the nerves while igniting passion. A warrior should have nerves of steel, but an unquenchable passion in the heat of battle. It was the perfect combination to help the Einherjar channel the rage that welled in them from the Berserker staff. Not that the staff was in the possession of the Asgardians now.
The once prince continued to pick over his food while his eyes scrutinized his comrades. He watched as they continued singing and laughing loudly with their mouths full of food. It was all together inviting and repulsive at the same time. Eventually, a few of the soldiers started to break out instruments. A young, fresh-faced recruit started to play a pan-flute. The instrument was elegant and mythic, it's sound was melodic and whimsical over the jaunty voices of the singing soldiers. The playful fairy lute reminded Loki of Dagmar. What didn't remind him of Dagmar, thoughts of her haunted his every waking moment. Only thoughts of his revenge for her murder kept him from being overwhelmed with how painful the loss truly was. She had played such an instrument. He thought of the way her plump pomegranate lips would pucker and purse over each pipe of the pan-lute and make the wind instrument sing sweeter than any nightingale. He envisioned her slender, porcelain, manicured fingers quickly shifting over the holes in the pipes, Her hands moved with such grace it looked like a dance. She often taunted and tempted him with her sweet and lyrical playing. Her songs that were up beat were tempting and alluring. He'd often time been up in his tower studying hard for hours on end. Then he'd hear the joyous, toota-toot-toot of her flute. She'd stand outside his door, playing away merrily, like a sprite, tempting him away from being diligent. Soon he'd find himself drawn the sound, as if she was casting a spell over him making him follow her helplessly. He'd follow her out into the gardens. She'd turn herself invisible so that he chased after the sound blindly until he caught her.
The image of the Prime Minister's daughter elegant form dancing in the courtyard merrily to the beautiful sounds of the pan flute soon faded from Loki's mind. He was brought back to the present, where the person playing the mystical woodwind was not a beautiful maiden with skin white as snow, eyes soft as starlight and lights redder than a rose, but rather was that of a ruddy young Einherjar realization caused Loki to grit his teeth. In his mind for a moment she had seemed so real, so vibrant, he could hear her silver-bell laugh, smell the orchid perfume she wore, feel her milky skin, but as the young warrior continued to play the pan-flute he realized she was gone. She'd been ripped from him. He wanted to rip the instrument from the warriors hands and fling it across the field. It teased him. For now he would never catch Dagmar...never again. And it was his fault. He'd done it! He'd done it! It'd be the opportunity to save her. She'd even come and begged him to help and he refused, he'd refused out of pride and confusion and anger, so much anger, but also out of fear. His reasons were unimportant now. He could not explain to her why he'd allowed her to die. He'd signed her death sentence.
He could no longer take it. With every happy note of the ancient battle song played on the young soldier's pan-lute he could hear Dagmar's silver-bell laughter. Loki's fist clenched at his side, his whole body was aching, trembling, shaking with anger. His fingers itching for a Dagmar to plunge into that monster's chest. His breathing grew ragged, narrow nostrils flaring. He couldn't wait to look into those heartless eyes and stare back at it with a gaze that was equally as unfeeling as he watched the life drain out the beast. Oh how sweet such vengeance would be. He nearly cackled. "And after that what?' an unimpressed and quiet tone muttered in the back of his mind. The once prince of Asgard nearly jumped. The voice had never manifest itself when Loki was around others before. His shrewd jade eyes darted about inspecting to see if someone was there speaking over his shoulder. He was relieved to find that he was only in the company of Thor's small troop. "You will kill her murdered and then you will aid them?" the voice question. Loki bit his lip to keep from answering back to his conscience. It's nagging was becoming more incessant, more consistent and troublesome. It was hard not to answer it. "Yes that makes a lot of sense, Loki," the voice that had been so small and timid before...scared to raise any protest Loki's darker thoughts, now had gotten bold. "What does that prove?" a deep voice from within pressed. Loki didn't answer. The raven haired man did his best to drown out the voice focusing on the sounds of his own chewing. The voice wouldn't be silenced. "It doesn't prove you love her!" it answered for him. It wasn't that the voice was harsh or scolding. It wasn't even necessarily critical, just frantic. "You know it doesn't!" his inner-self urged him to remember. "You cannot! You cannot go through with this Loki!" it urged him.
"Enough! Enough! Enough!" Loki mumbled back to himself through straight white teeth. He squeezed his hand into tight, white-knuckled fist. He closed his eyes and squeezed the shut so tight that it hurt. "Enough!" he finally sighed. Luckily, the members of the small battalion were so busy trying to block out their one time prince that they didn't notice the raven locked man mumbling to himself as he sat on the outskirts of the circle. "Stop it!" the enchanter scolded himself silently.
"I know this isn't what you want," the voice persisted.
"You don't what I want!" he barked back mentally at the part of him locked away deep with in the recesses of his heart. "You don't know who I am!" he declared in his mind.
"No!" The voice protested. It was rising, before it had been still and small, nearly timid. It was not as if the voice had suddenly become a defiant roar. No, it was still subtle, but it was growing stronger. "You have forgotten who you are," it reminded him gently, it felt like a comforting hug. Like when he was a little boy frightened in the night by bad dreams. He'd scream out in the night and soon he'd find someone rushing in and gathering him into their protective arms reminding him that he was a prince of Asgard and had nothing to fear. "You have forgotten me," The voice sighed sorrowfully. "But I am here to remind you," now the tone was perky.
"I don't want to be reminded of you!" Loki ground out his eyes squeezed tightly. He flicked his hand as if he was shooing the memories away. "You were weak!" Loki criticized.
Inwardly Loki felt something shrink back, like a child it withdrew when scolded. "You don't have to do this Loki," the small part of him gave one last plea, hopeful but shaky. "Don't do this Loki," the voice begged. it beckoned for him to understand. Finally, Loki couldn't take it anymore, he slammed his plate on the hard ground, the iron plate clanked loudly as it hit the rocky ground. His hearty helping of meat and potatoes splattered onto the brittle terrain. He pushed off from his makeshift stool that was really just one of the barrels full of supplies for the journey. His lanky form stomped pass the rest of group and back over the speeder-skiff. "Yes I do," he muttered
At first light the small army prepared for battle. It wasn't much a light. Light did not seem to exist in the Dark-World. The sky was either completely black or a nasty muted gray tint. Thor and Loki headed the troop. Thor, Loki and Lady Jane Foster led the troop through the shifting obsidian plated canyon. Large shards of shiny, black rock jutted out from the sides of canyon. Making the landform more of an obstacle course to cross. The speeder had to drift slowly through the dark shards. The shards were sensitive and were purposefully implanted into the side of the mountain. They triggered some secret booby trap that would cause the cavern to collapse on itself burying any trespassers then and there.
Thor wanted the battalion to linger behind and float several feet behind them. The Dark-Elves had no idea that they were there, the element of surprise was there only advantage. They were in a strange and hostile territory and their army was completely out numbered. Still, Thor was convinced that the bulk of the plan could be executed without the entire group. Too many Asgardian soldiers had laid down their lives. Too many women were widows, too many children were fatherless, too many friends had already been lost; Thor knew that none of those who had accompanied him on this mission had been forced, they had volunteered. They knew the risk and they were willing to lay down their lives, but that didn't mean he was willing for them to perish this day.
"Jane? Jane?" Thor whispered tenderly as his masculine physique loomed over the tiny form of the astrophysicist. "Jane can you wake up for a moment?" he asked,
Jane shook herself from her sleep. It was hard to do. She still had a pounding headache from the Aether running it's course through her body. She blinked trying to focus on the face flashing before her eyes. The face was glazed over by the thick red and black film that covered her eyes. She tried to sit up as best she could, but her attempts were useless, soon she felt a strong hand coming and cupping her shoulders helping to support her. "T-thor?" she questioned as she squinted and tried to make out the visage before her.
He nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes," he nodded vigorously, he was so happy to see her awake. She'd been mostly unconscious since they left Asgard. She was so weak and frail and vulnerable looking. His warriors hands that were firm and calloused patted her on the head. "Can you sit up?" He asked. "Can you eat something?" he nearly begged.
The Midgardian woman attempted to sit up once more. This time she managed to do it without Thor's assistance. "W-where are we?" she asked blinking dully and looking around.
"We are in the Svartalheim, the Dark-World," the crown prince explained slowly. "I just wanted you to eat something, you haven't eaten," he explained to her.
"My head hurts so bad," Jane explained as she grabbed her head. "I...I...I can't...I can't take much more of this Thor," she expressed her eyes were trembling and filled with tears as she looked at him.
"I know...I know," Thor said back. He pulled her into a loving and protective hug allowing her aching head to fall upon his rock solid chest. He cradled the back of her head and stroked it with an amazing type of gentleness for a man of his size. For a moment his caress seemed to alleviate some of the pressure on her skull. She could feel the Aether oozing and moving quickly through her veins as if it was looking for an outlet. She knew that if by Convergence the Aether hadn't been taken out of her it would find the outlet and her own life would be forfeited. "It'll all be over soon," he cooed as he peppered the top of her head with gentle pecks. Jane nodded against his chest. "Can you eat something?" he prompted once more.
"I'm not really hungry," Jane tried to explain shaking her head.
"Please, just a little something," Thor coaxed as he presented her with a small bowl of diced fruits. Jane's eyes dropped down she looked at the small wooden bowl filled with assorted and colorful fruits. They smelled ripe and juicy too. They looked so delicious. She managed to agree to take a few bites that Thor carefully ladled into her mouth. Even in the foggy state that she was in Jane Foster couldn't help, but be amazed at the attention Thor showered her with. He seemed so different now than when they first met. He hadn't necessarily been mean then, but he'd been spoiled, selfish and demanding, now she couldn't imagine a kinder or sweeter man. He could have had any woman he wanted. He could have had princesses and goddesses, but he wanted her the astrophysicist.
He was so different from Donald Blake, he had all the breeding of a gentleman, but she found that the only person he truly cared for was himself. Donald always felt the need to remind her of what a catch he was. His mother was the principal of some elitist prep school and his father was a judge. He was a cross-country skier who almost competed on the US Olympic team. She should have kissed his feet in his opinion. He was an excellent doctor, but a terrible boyfriend. He was kind to patients during their time of sickness, but completely inattentive to her. One time she had just come down with a mild stomach bug. It was only a 48 hour flu, but it had been severe enough that she'd missed a couple of days of classes and that was terribly unlike her. She'd just asked him if he could talk to her professors and bring her, her assignments. He grumbled about it saying how he was terribly busy, but he did, reluctant as he was, bring the books. When he arrived she had a few personal items that she needed, medicine, tissues, soup and tea she asked him if he get the things for her. Once again he complained the whole time and asked her for money for the purchase. He came back and dumped the items on her couch, he didn't even offer to heat her up a can soup. She asked him if he wanted to stay with her and watch a movie, she just wanted company, wanted to feel warm and pampered and cared for. In grad-school she hadn't had a roommate, being sick and alone was miserable, but that was where Donald had put his foot down. Even after she'd pleaded he'd said that she'd taken up enough of his time tonight, he had to study and that she was still contagious and it was a risk for him to even be with her. He left in a huff, not even giving her a kiss on the cheek. Jane remembered feeling so hurt and rejected in that moment by Donald Blake. She really did care about him, but she knew then and there that he could never truly be the type of man she needed in her life.
She hadn't even realized she finished the bowl of fruit until she felt Thor's thick hands guiding her back to rest upon her mat. She blinked slightly disoriented by once again being placed on her back. "There," he said once he situated her comfortably, "Rest a little while longer," he instructed patiently his rough, hammer-hardened fingers gently stroked the silky edges of her light brown hair. "We still have ways to go before we reach the ancient city," he explained. Jane nodded slowly licking her lips that were becoming more and more chapped. Her eyes drifted shut as she reached up a shaky hand to stroke Thor's hairy chin. She gave a very faint smile before she dozed off once more.
"She's holding up well," Loki snickered in the background. Golden locks swung as the Crown Prince of Asgard's head swiveled to face the raven-haired man sitting smugly on the starboard side of the long-boat. His legs were crossed and so were his arms. He satt there looking at Jane as if he were enjoying his favorite operetta from his box seats at the Royal Opera House. "For now," Loki added cynically as he cocked his head toward the unconscious mortal woman sleeping next to Thor. Thor's subtle and grateful smile instantly faded into a harsh scowl. Loki stood up taking to grabbing the rudder staff and being careful to steer it gently through the shifting obsidian plates.
With of a turn of the rudder Loki guided the ship silently through the large shards. He turned back toward the tall hammer bearer who hovered over the body of the astrophysicist like a worried mother hovering over a sick child's bed. Loki shook his head and looked down while scoffing. "Say goodbye," he warned.
Thor's bright blue eyes flashed with lightning. He kept his strong hand on Jane's shoulder. "Not this day," the blonde countered as his hardened warrior's hands strayed to play in Jane's hair.
The bound man chuckled pitilessly while taking a seat. "Today, tomorrow, this year, the next, one hundred years from now," Loki's chuckling didn't end. "It is but a breath...a heartbeat," Loki qualified, Loki then tossed his long dark hair back as he raised his voice in a most amused cackle. "You'll never be ready!" Loki added his words were laced with venom like he was driving a poisoned stake knife through Thor's heart. He waited for Thor's response he watched how the large blonde watched the woman sleep, his doting, infatuation was nothing short of sickening. His thin pink lip curled upward in a snarl, "The only woman whose love you prized will be ripped from you..." the once prince threatened.
The mallet wield rose to his feet, his fist raise in fury and his breathing haggard. His sapphire eye to the filled brim with emotion as he listen to Loki's words. "And will that satisfy you?" he choked out.
Loki shook his head, his sickeningly calloused smirk stretched across his angular face in a most menacing way, "You should know by now, that satisfaction is not in my nature," the shackled raven-locked criminal replied.
'And surrender is not in mine!" Thor yelled back.
Loki shrugged nonchalantly, "Do not worry, Thor," Loki's voice was still and calm, "You will not have to surrender," the silver tongue assured. "She will surrender for you in time," he nodded toward Jane.
Thor rushed at the green-eyed enchanter his hammer poised at a deadly angle set to smash. He let out a battle cry as his thick hand wrapped around Loki's slim porcelain neck. He squeezed tight on the younger Asgardian's neck forcing distorted chortles to escape from Loki's throat. "And is that what you want!" Thor demanded of the cackling criminal. "To see her die!" Thor dropped Mjolnir and pointed back at Jane who lied helplessly shivering and trembling from the effects of the Aether under the blankets. "She has done nothing to you!" Thor shouted his strong thumb pressing deeper into the side of Loki's neck allowing him to feel his brother's quickening pulse. He could hear Loki wheezing as he laughed coldly, but still desperately trying to suck in air. "You hate mortals so? You really see them as so inferior that you wouldn't care for an innocent life that could be snuffed out?" Prince Thor questioned desperately as his sea blue pupils searched Loki's mysterious emerald eyes for truth. He looked in his eyes hoping to see a flicker of compassion a trace of the kind person that his brother had once been. Thor shuddered as he found no traces of that person in those cold and calculating jade eyes. Thor shook his head and took a step back, his hand slowly sliding down Loki's neck.
"I'd rather have had your mortal slut die than Dagmar... who you sacrificed without a thought to protect your precious pet!" the silver tongue spat.
Thor let out a thunderous rumble and reflexively his might, hammer-bearing fist flew through the air hurling toward Loki and punching him square in the jaw. Loki's face swung to the side. He turned back to face the golden son of Odin his emerald eyes shining as deadly as a cobra. Loki's body coiled, poised to strike, his hands set to land a blow to the prince, but as he drew his fist and heard the chains of his shackles rattling he realized this was a poor plan. Any blow he would have tried to land with his hands bound would have proved to be futile and merely would have ended up with him on the floor. Still, he didn't care his better judgment was being overridden by heat and adrenaline. He growled as he swung both manacled fist at the son of Odin clumsily attempting to clobber him in any way possible. Thor easily dodged the wild throws of fist. One arm blocked the blows while the other hand grappled to control Loki's chains. He pulled them down and pinned Loki's wrist in front of him. "Stop!" Thor ordered to the raven-haired scholar who was fuming and practically rabid with anger. "Stop!" he demanded once more keeping tight constraint on Loki's limbs. Finally, Loki ceased trying to fight against Thor's bulk and might. Thor's deep blue eyes softened as he let go of Loki's shackles and the thinner man stumbled backward bumping into the mast of the skiff. "You think you were the only one who cared for Dagmar, but that is not true!" Thor yelled. "She was like a sister to me," Thor explained.
"Like a sister to you...like a sister to you," Loki let out a bitter chuckle. He laughed for a long while. The laugh was hollow and cold and it got louder and louder until finally he was coughing and hacking into a fitful sob. "She was like my wife," the broken onyx-haired mage confessed his face to the wind as he held on to the rail of the skiff.
'Loki," Thor's baritone voice was tender and he made small steps as he approached the man with the trembling shoulders. Loki felt Thor's heavy mallet wielding hand lingering over his shoulder.
"Don't touch me,"the shackled wizard warned raising his ivory finger in the air.
"Loki," the blonde-haired prince persisted allowing his heavy mitts to fall upon Loki's slim shoulders.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" He raged his emerald eyes wide and welling with tears. Thor backed off slowly."You let your sister die to save some mortal wench!" He shouted whipping back to face Thor, "Huh?" he questioned indignantly his gleaming green eyes casting a cruel glance at the human scientist.
"What help were you to Dagmar in your cell?' Thor countered his face contorted in confusion as he asked the question.
"Who put me there?" Loki asked back. "WHO PUT ME THERE!" he hollered.
Once more in anger and frustration at Loki's refusal to see his own error, he gripped him and flung him down on the hard metal deck of the ship. Loki gasped as his spine came in contact with the metallic planks. Thor stood over him huffing and puffing with ire. His strong tree trunks of legs straddled him on either side. Loki panted in pain below Thor's statuesque form. "You know damn well who! YOU KNOW DAMN WELL!" he roared as a strong and condemnatory finger pointed at Loki's sharp nose like a gavel slamming on a judge's bench. "You actions!" Thor continued his thunderous voice slowly growing softer as he tried to compose himself. "Your pride and stubbornness and hate is what has led to all the pain and suffering in your life and everyone elses. Jane was going to sacrifice herself to the Dark-Elves hoping that they would leave Asgard...she knew they wanted the Aether," Thor elaborated, "Dagmar went back to save Jane!" Thor expressed his anger finally deflating and his large shoulders slumping as he told the story.
"Then she was a fool to risk her life for some mortal harlot," Loki spat from his back. His tone was stoic and aloof as he was just reciting a scientific fact, but pain shimmered in his trembling emerald eyes and despite the firm unfeeling mask he tried to where sentiment was literally leaking from Loki as a single tear trailed
"NO!" Thor blasted his firm hammer-holding hands gripped Loki's shoulder's. He hoisted him to his feet. "Nononono," Thor murmured relentless as he started to shake the thinner man to the point of near senselessness. Eventually, the blonde-haired prince stopped rattling his younger sibling long enough to feel Loki's skin and bone body trembling under the weight of his hand. Thor held Loki in place and watched as his green eyes shifted looking everywhere but never meeting his gaze, another tea rolled down Loki's narrow cheek and Thor felt overcome to pull the raven-haired mage into a strong embrace. He expected to be met with some resistance, but he found that Loki allowed his lanky body to collapse into his burly masculine form. He cupped the back of his head, Loki's hair, protectively, comfortingly, reassuringly. Thor could feel Loki shudder as he tried to contain a sob. "She's a hero," the thunder tried to console.
At those words Loki's relaxed posture grew rigid. He quickly pushed out of the strong arms of the hammer-holder, pushing Thor away roughly. The golden-locked Asgardian was left standing arms and mouth gaping, head reeling. "She's dead!" Loki retorted.
Thor swallowed deeply, he nodded resolutely, "Yes she'd dead, but she died with honor," Thor stated, Loki merely rolled his eyes. "Songs will be sung about her...If it wasn't for her the Dark-Elves would already have had the Aether, the day would already be lost! Her sacrifice has given the realms a fighting chance to stand against this evil! It gives you a chance Loki," Thor expressed. "Dagmar has given you a chance this day Loki, to prove who...what you are," Thor warned.
"Mmmm," the auburn haired astrophysicist groaned in the background of the dispute. The Aether was bubbling and boiling in her veins, it was pumping so furiously that she couldn't even sleep. She peeled herself from the comfortable position on the floor of the skiff underneath the warm pelts and forced herself to her knees. She managed to focus her bleary light-brown eyes on her surroundings. "T-Thor," she mumbled. "Look," she spoke weakly as her shaking finger pointed toward the horizon where a horrible black ship shaped in the form of a most hideous "T" stood in the center of a desolate soot field guarded by towering black mounds of ash a debris. The sight of the Dark-Elf ship made Jane's blood run cold and yet the rushing of the Aether quickened with in her.
The blue-eyed son of Odin and Frigga allowed his eyes to shift from looking into the hardened expression of his one time brother. He saw the ship. He turned to look at Frandal who had maneuvered another skiff several feet behind them. He then focused his attention on Loki. "I'm giving you a chance, Loki," He reminded the emerald eyed wizard. "Don't waste it," Thor whispered seriously before he sprinted off to the front of the vessel to stand behind Lady Jane Foster.
The dark-locked trickster guided the flying long-boat to its descent. It was careful gliding motion. In which he made sure to avoid the jagged ebony rocks so as not to alert the Dark-Elves of their presence. Loki piercing emeralds eyes narrowed, "Oh believe me Thor I don't intend to."
The sky darkened, and foreboding storm clouds rolled in making the muted gray skies of Svartalheim appear almost chrome in color. The wind picked up as if a storm was brewing from the southeast. The soot swirled about creating a fog over the volcanic mountain. The Dark-World didn't often experience rain, but when it did the tempest could be frightful. The troop of 50 remained in the distance. They landed their vessels about a mile behind where Prince Thor, Lady Jane and Loki brought their ship down to rest. Lady Sif and the Warrior's Three were well aware of Thor's plan and knew what signal to wait for before they lead the troop into attack.
Thor, Jane and Loki headed up the rugged and slopes of the hills made the charcoal black volcanic sands of the Dark-Worlds soil. Thor walked proud and strong up the jagged mountainside, he had a protective arm draped around Jane's shoulder to support her, she was still unsteady and fragile from the prolonged exposure to the Aether. Meanwhile, Loki hobbled behind the pair, it proved difficult for him to walk up the steep cliff without the full mobility of his limbs. The wind whipped ash stung his face as it blew all about and Loki had to shield his face from the soot.
Finally, he reached the hilltop. Thor and Jane crouched down hiding themselves behind the mounds of ash and soot to observe the Dark-Elves. Loki did the same allowing himself to get a good look at the enemy. The high hill looked over the Dark-Elf camp, there, Malekith and his hoard seemed to searching the shifting black sands for something. Malekith stood with the Kursed beast at his side. The sight of that most foul and ugly creature nearly drove Loki berserk. The Berserker Staff had been lost to Asgard for centuries, but Loki now longed for the power of the ancient relic. Just one touch of it and he would be able to release all his rage and venom his magic would spill out unbridled and without restraint and he would destroy that beast 1000 times and then 1000 times again. He cooled himself, the Kursed would feel his wrath soon enough and it would be the last thing the monster ever felt.
The atrocious horned monster and his master surveyed the other elves as they scoured the area picking up bits of rubble and debris. They gathered big chunks of rusted metal pieces and brought them back aboard the ship. This was an old battlefield and the last standing ground of the Dark-Elves before the forces of Asgard had defeated them more than a millennium ago. No doubt, Malekith had ordered his soldiers to collect any remnants they could find of their past. Malekith's forces almost tripled the small battalion of Einherjar that had accompanied Prince Thor on this venture. They had them outgunned, out manned and had a superior ship to the forces of Asgard, not to mention home court advantage.
"Ready?" Thor asked his nerves on edge as he pushed himself up. He had never flinched in the face of battle before. He had only known fear a few times in his life, but he could indeed say he was experiencing some anxiety. There was so much at stake, Asgard, the Nine-Realms and the life of the maiden which he loved.
"I am," Loki's crisp voice spoke up as he clambered awkwardly to his feet, his cold green eyes cast a disapproving glance at the mortal woman who stood with them. "You realize this plan is going to get us all killed," Loki said as his quick mind calculated the chances of the Asgardian's actually overcoming such a formidable foe, they were laughable at best.
"Probably," the blonde-haired heir to the throne admitted a playful smile tugging at handsome lips. It was often Thor's way to jest before battle, no matter how serious it was. "The men are in position and they know what to do," Thor explained.
"Does she?' Loki retorted as he looked Jane up and down. The Midgardian woman seemed to be on her last leg, she swayed and tottered without Thor's strong arms supporting her, she seemed as if she could collapse at the drop of a hat.
"Jane is to stay out of danger as much as possible," Thor reminded the thin mage.
"She is a MmmORTALlll!" Loki articulated precisely, "her very presence here, puts her life in danger!" he informed the prince sternly. "And it endangers the lives of all the men," he pointed out. Jane heard the way Loki referenced her. She was simply a mortal. He referred to her like someone might refer to a dog. It's a dog it barks. He talked about her like she wasn't standing only inches from him
"I know someone else whose presence people feel is dangerous," The female scientist snapped back.
A smug grin crept across pale angular features, "touche," Loki said as he craned his neck toward the human. He inclined his head in a mock apology. The auburn haired Midgardian certainly had some spunk. To some extent she reminded him of Sif, a woman who tried to rise in the ranks of me. It was admirable...to a point.
"Just be sure you stick to the plan, Loki" the blonde stated.
Green eyes flickered to glance at Thor. "As you wish, your majesty," Loki teased as he doubled over at the waist bowing before the Crown Prince of Asgard his chained hands outstretched toward Thor. His hands outstretched for a few seconds and Thor merely looked at him. Loki brought his glittering evergreen gems to stare up at floor, he hinted with his eyes between Thor and his shackled wrists. Loki rose to his full height. His long, ebony tresses blowing in the wind. "You still don't trust me brother?" He posed his tone housing shock as once again he proffered his wrist in front of the thunderer.
Thor looked at the raven-coiffed man who he had once called his brother. This scene seemed like one from so many times before. Times when he and Loki had faced enemies, fighting side by side supporting each other, having each other backs, he looked at Loki's face. He was smiling. It was not a wicked grin or a menacing sneer, it was so much like a true smile from his brother, one that had always softened Thor's heart. He looked at the hard silver manacles around Loki's wrist. Loki had worn them for nearly twenty-four hours. His limbs were shaking from the weight of the chains. Thor couldn't help, but take pity on him, besides despite the warnings of his friends that Loki needed to remain shackled to make sure he didn't run away, Thor couldn't very well keep him bound during the battle, Loki would be a sitting duck. Thor's strong bronzed hand motioned for Loki to extend his wrist. "Should I?' Thor questioned as he raised a golden eyebrow while dipping the skeleton key inside the lock. Loki listened to it click three times and then finally the right handcuffs fell from his wrist.
Immediately, Loki's left hand started to massage his porcelain wrist that had a large red welt mark around it from the tightness of the shackles he'd been chained in. With a touch of his hand he easily healed the irritation. He breathed in the air of the Dark-World was stale, smoky and putrid, yet it might as well have been a breath of fresh air for the freedom that Loki felt. "No, you shouldn't" Loki advised as he slipped a magic dagger from his pocket and jutted it into Thor's side.
"N-Noooo!' Jane shrieked as she watched the dagger shoved into the prince's side. Immediately, the scientist rushed at the ebony-haired man sneering fiendishly with the knife in his hand. Her tiny hands balled up in fist as flung them at him, she landed one pound on his shoulder, but he seemed unfazed by the blow. The gripped at the fine, velvety fabric of his tunic, pulling and tugging on it ruthlessly. "Loki what are you doing!?" she demanded her voice horrified squeal. Loki easily shoved the mortal woman from him, she flew back several feet. She was amazed the raven-haired magician was scrawny looking, but he was uncharacteristically strong for someone of his size. Jane hit the gravelly, soot hill with a bang, it jolted her. She was stunned for moment, but she found her bearings just in time to see Loki grip Thor's shoulder brutally pulling him toward the daggers point as he twisted it.
The muscular prince's face twisted with shock from the stabbing. He gasped as the sharp silver knife pierced just under his ribcage, he gripped his side and stumbled to the ground. Tears filled his eyes from the intense pain of the wound. He panted disoriented and groped at the ground trying to get his bearings as to what had happened. He heard Jane scream in horror. The great prince attempted to push himself off of the ground, but his attempt was only met by Loki's swift black boot kicking his jaw causing him to tumble like a boulder down the slope. "NO! THOR!" Jane Foster cried as she sprinted down the side of the mountain chasing after her beloved Thor.
Loki leaped down the side of the black cliff. He strutted toward Thor cackling with every step. "You fool! He called joyous as Thor struggled to pick himself off the ground. "You really think I cared about Dagmar?" He mocked. "About Asgard? About any of you!" He laughed wildly like a fiend raising his hands in triumph toward the blackened sky.
Thor's pleading, watery sapphire eyes quickly scoured his surroundings, desperate to find some tool to fend off Loki's unprovoked attack. Finally, his gaze fell upon the mighty Mjolnir. It must have fallen from his belt when he rolled down the hill. Thor reached out his hand summoning the great hammer. His arm shook, his body becoming weak from the endless bleeding of his side, he felt as though he was unable to hold it up much longer. Mjolnir never made it to his clasp as he felt Loki's cold, bony fingers wrap around his thick, bronze wrist plated in sterling silver. Loki pulled his arm back, nastily twisting it behind Thor's back. Thor let out a painful groan. Pale features contorted into an animalistic snarl, his lips curled tight in frown and his brows furrowed with concentration as he brought his dagger down.
A twisted maniacal grin slithered over his thin, pink lips,"All I've ever wanted was you and Odin dead at my feet!" He cackled triumphantly as the jagged dagger fell toward Thor's wrist. The precision weapon effortlessly slashed through the air and then sliced through Thor's flesh. Loki's deadly dagger mercilessly cut through brazen bronzed skin, strong muscles and hardened bone with a crunch and a crackle as veins, arteries and sinews were shredded without remorse and Thor's strong right hand was severed from the limb. The prince screamed out toward the heavens. His bellow causing thunder to rumble loudly across the sky. It was a soul splitting, bellyaching scream of pure agony. The great golden prince writhed in pain wiggling on his back as he grabbed at his wrist that was now merely a nub. His eyes welled with tears! He gritted his teeth trying to fight against another agonizing outburst.
Jane scrambled down the hill toward the wounded prince. "Thor! Thor!" she cried as she slid to his side. Tears were spilling from her eyes as she found him grunting and straining from the phantom pain of the severed limb. "Ohnoohnono!" she mumbled helplessly as her soft hands wrapped around his shoulder and tried to soothe him "It's gonna be ok," she choked out.
Prince Thor ground his teeth all the while nodding. His jaw clenched so tight that it ached. Jane tried to smooth her hand over Thor's brow that was knit together in pain and dripping with perspiration. Just then, Jane felt a forceful arm slither around her waist and hoist her from her knees. "NO! NO!" the auburn hair maiden screamed frantically as she felt her body being taken from Thor's. She fought kicking and screaming and clawing against the arm, but her efforts proved futile. She could hear that fiend laughing in her ear. "THOR!" she cried out her hand reaching for him.
"Jane!" Thor's voice was hoarse as he tried to force himself to his feet to chase after her. He only managed to roll to his belly, then he was helpless to watch as the black-haired tyrant dragged the brown-eyed scientist toward the center of the battlefield. "Jane!" he panted once more.
"MALEKITH!" Loki called to the white-faced elf who slowly approached. "I am Loki of Jotunheim," he announced as he still kept Jane tightly tucked under his arm. The astrophysicist still struggled in his grasp. "And I bring you a gift!" he offered as he tossed Jane to the black, gravelly dirt of the field. Jane looked up mouth gaping as the leader of the Dark-Elves drew closer to her. She started to quiver she could feel how his very presence caused the Either to ignite and surge with in her. The leader of the Dark-Elves continued to walk slowly toward the Asgardian looking man who claimed to be of Jotunheim. His expression was quizzical as his stark white eyes stared into evergreen pupils that gleamed with mischief, yet revealed nothing. Loki started to chuckle as he stomped on the edges of Jane's gown so that she was pinned in place. He threw down his long dagger that was still hot and wet with Thor's blood. "All I ask in return...is a good seat from which to watch Asgard burn," he finished his breath ragged with the pleasure at the thought.
Malekith's face was still unmoved by Loki's presentation. He turned to face the horned beast who stood protectively at the side of the elfin general. He whispered something in the guttural language of the Dark-Elves, explaining how he encountered Loki in the prisons. He was an enemy of Asgard and he was the one who the Other had told them to be on the lookout for. Malekith's bloodless white lips curled with pleasure. The heartless, elfin warrior marched over to Thor who still lied on the ground helpless without his right hand. Malekith strutted over toward the fallen prince. Indelicately, his boot maneuvered under Thor chest and roughly flipped him over on his back knocking the wind out the muscular blonde. Thor looked up at the hardened face of the general. "You will watch this," Malekith declared his accent thick. He stretched out his black gloved hand toward Jane while he planted his booted foot atop Thor chest causing the Aesir warrior to cough. Slowly Thor watched as Jane rose in air. He body hovering several feet over his head. He could see that she was trembling. "2000 years ago your ancestors destroyed my home, they killed all that I loved," He explained. "They took life from me and my people," he went on. "They tried to snuff us out," he sneered. "Now I shall return the favor," Malekith declared as he dug the heel of his boot deeper into Thor's bleeding side. The pain caused him to scream. "You will watch helplessly as your world is extinguished at my hand," he growled.
With that, he lifted Jane's limp body higher into the air and he started to motion his other hand about, calling to the Aether within Jane. Jane could feel the tug and pull of the ooze with in her as Malekith summoned it forward. Her body was quandary, mentally she wanted to get rid of the thing, it had tormented her for far too long, but her body was fighting to still hold it. She could feel it moving throughout every fiber of her being, from her stomach and the tips of her fingers and even her eyeballs. The Aether had been attached to her body for so long now. Painful as it was, it had become apart of her and her body was resisting loosing it. The withdraw of the Aether caused her to start to convulse in the air.
"Jane!" Thor ground out as he tried to pull his lumbering and bleeding body across the ground on to collapse from exhaustion.
The Aether started to leak from Jane, it ran from every opening in her body and she was powerless to stop it. The disgusting red and black liquid flowed from her nose and mouth, it ran from her eyes and ever her ears. It tickled and tingled and even somewhat burned as it oozed out of her. She could only emit a garbled grunt to express her discomfort as the bloody good poured out her mouth. Jane fainted once the energy sourced had been ripped from her. Her boneless body hovered in the air as Malekith extracted the last of the Aether from her system. All the while, Loki stood standing a few feet away from Malekith and Lady Jane all the while shrewdly observing the methods in which Malekith used to extract the Aether.
The Aether floated mid-air an exposed and vulnerable blob of crimson and licorice. A malicious smile slithered across Malekith's face as he stretched forth both hands to embrace the dark power crystal. "Loki! Now!" Thor hollered from the ground. In an instant their was a flash of green and the nub that Thor had stretched forth received its hand. With that Thor was able to call to Mjolnir. The mallet slammed against his bronzed palm and yielded to him his power. Electricity flowed through the prince's veins once more. The false wound was instantly healed and Thor managed to climb to his feet. With mighty roar Thor aimed Mjolnir at the glowing blob of reddish black goo floating above him. Lightning sizzled and crackled as it shot from the tip of the hammer it split through the sky and hit the Aether.
As Thor electrocuted the Aether Loki dove to cover Jane, the flimsy female scientist was still unconscious and lying on the ground. The thunderer shot a never-ending stream of lightning at the dark crystal until finally the gem could hold no more of the power. It burst! It exploded into a large, dark, red mushroom cloud. The sound of the explosion was louder than thunderer and the power from the blast of the explosion sent all standing in the valley in between the mountains made of black sand, flying back for nearly half a mile. The dust rose from the explosion in a thick cloud. The soldiers that prince Thor had brought with him waited with bated breath as they watched all that had transpired. Had Thor prevailed? Had the Dark-Elves fallen so quickly? The warriors gathered their weapons and arms ready to cheer for the mighty victory.
The dust slowly started to clear from the battlefield. "NOOOO!" Malekith cried seeing that the Aether had been destroyed. "IMPOSSIBLE!" He rumbled threatening as his half burnt face curled into a dreadful contortion. "The Aether cannot be destroyed!" he yelled. Prince Thor picked himself up from underneath the rubble that explosion had caused, he dusted off his face that was covered with soot, there seemed to be no sign of the Aether. He smiled ready to raise his head in exultation. He forced his blue eyes to look around the battlefield searching for Loki and Jane. The victory would mean little if they did not survive. His eyes fell on Loki, the thin mage had his body set like a cagey animal guarding its cubs, his back hunched and his right hand raised with the dagger tilted at a dangerous angle set to strike. He had another arm wrapped tightly around the mortal's head. As the sha settled he slowly loosened the grip of his right hand on Jane. She blinked, the boom of the explosion had rallied her. Thor bright sapphire eye met with Loki's piercing emerald pupils for a moment, the blonde offered a faint and hopeful smile, Loki started to return the expression, but then he felt something rumbling beneath him. He watched as small, glassy looking, scarlet-colored pieces began to subtly elevate off the ground.
"What in the..." Loki slowly mouthed as he watched the phenomenon of the Aether bits gathering together once more. Quick as a flash the remaining crimson shards took off rising above the ash and reforming the blob of goo that the Aether was in the sky just over the battlefield.
"No," The eldest son of Odin mumbled in disbelief as he watched the Aether form a new.
"Yes! Yes! YES!" shouted the crazed leader of the Dark-Elves as he lifted his hands beckoning the Aether to him. And it came. It came in a terrifying blaze of fury. The mixed black and red goo jetted toward Malekith and Malekith's whole being inhaled the substance like it was his very air. He sucked up through his mouth, nostrils, eyes ears and even through his fingertips. He roared as he took in the Aether its dark magic granting the wicked Elf unprecedented power. It was frightful to watch, the more of the Aether that Malekith absorbed the darker he became. The half of his faced that had still been the bloodless white color of their race soon blackened like a burnt piece of mutton. His eyes were ablaze with the fiery red color of the Aether, they glowed with malevolence.
Malekith cackled wickedly as his burning gaze for Thor. The general's eyes narrowed and her balled his blackened hands into tight fist and thrust his chest out and allowed a mighty Aether blast to shoot from his body toward Thor. Malekith gave some orders to the Kursed and then turned to enter the large t-shaped ship Thor managed to dodge the blast of gruesome red liquid. Only to have an onslaught of Dark-Elf soldiers run to attack him. The elfin warriors did little to stop Thor as they aimed their guns at him. Thor charged toward Malekith, swinging his mighty mallet with relentless fury, knocking down every foe who tried to get in his way. The elves flew back they were powerless to match the prince's weapon.
"Stay down!" Loki ordered as he pushed the auburn-haired woman low to the ground before he rushed to the scene alongside Thor. As he dashed across the field lithely dodging and skirting pass his attackers, he shot up three large green fire balls into the air.
"That's the signal!" Lady Sif declared as she looked out of her binocular and so the mystical green glow of the flames. "Come on!" the warrior woman called rallying the rest of the Einherjar behind her. She unsheathed her double edge sword and immediately went charging up and over the hill toward the enemy. She ran at full speed her double blade aimed and her voice raised in her signature battle cry. Right at her side were Hogun and Volstagg were right by her side. The three of them lead the charge of the small battalion. While Frandal and a handful of soldiers flew over head in one of the speeder skiffs where they had guns and bombs to drop on the enemy.
"Loki, don't let Malekith escape," Thor called to his brother as he swung his hammer beating back the pasty-faced elves. Loki grunted his approval of the plan and raced toward Malekith he was heading straight for the ship. Loki managed to narrowly dart pass the elfin guards and he could have almost grabbed him if it wasn't for The Kursed who threw a strange bomb into the air. The bomb was aimed toward Lady Jane. The mortal had not listened, she had pulled herself off the ground. Loki growled as he looked at the disoriented human tottering across the battlefield. "Foolish wench!" he spat. "She'd going to get herself killed!," he grumbled. He didn't even know why he cared, that mortal was nothing to him he reminded him, if she died it was no skin off his nose. She was the very reason beautiful Dagmar had died. "Dagmar, died to save he," a small voice in the back of his head nagged. Loki twisted away from the voice. Instead he told himself that Jane was all apart of his plan. Either way he found his feet carrying him swiftly toward Lady Jane.
The Kursed had released a bomb which caused vortexes that sucked in and obliterated all matter around it. Loki scrambled quickly to reach Jane and he actually managed to do so. His pale hands once again forced the human scientist to the floor. Jane was about to swing around a clock Loki square in his jaw for the rough way he was handling her, but as she looked up she noticed the sky parting giving way to swirling black-whole filled with a dreadful looking green light. She beheld as Loki was sucked up into the Vortex. She reached her hand out in attempt to grab at him, but she missed and Loki flew back along with large pieces of rocks and broken weapons that were scattered around her. The mage panted his breath hitching as he tried to release a spell that could free him from the pull of the black-hole bombs. But it was to no avail, no spell he could think of would be able to break the gravitational pull of the hole. Faster than lightning, Thor zoomed toward his brother as he saw him about to be sucked into the vortex. He whizzed by pulling his out of the strong gravitational pull of the black-hole.
The two fell to the ground in a heap. Thor held a protective hand on Loki's shaking back. The lighter-skinned Asgardian warrior panted as he caught his breath. "Are you ok?" the crown prince asked, his voice housing genuine concern as his eyes roved over Loki's form, inspecting. Loki bobbed his head his, he couldn't help the astonished looked that washed over his face. Thor had saved him. He was surprised. Perhaps he shouldn't have been, that had been their way for so long, but that was a very long time ago. "Good," Thor muttered as he gave Loki an affectionate smile and patted him on the back before the two of them rose to their feet. When they looked up the were surrounded by the white-faced soldiers holding their firearms. Thor let a feral rumble escape from his lips as he drew Mjolnir and raised it high. Likewise, Loki was poised and set with his deadly daggers.
Just then they Saw an athletic looking body catapult in the circle with them. Before either men could raise their weapons in battle, they watched as large double-bladed spear swung every-which-way. It took out the guns and the gunmen amongst the elves. The double-blade did not cease in its movements it cut, sliced and diced through every one of the elves who tried to come against it. It was a relentless flash of skill and fury. Blood spewed from the bodies of the elves as one by one they fell to the two-sided spear. A few heads even rolled a swinging steel swords decapitated a few of the Elfin soldiers. as the heard Lady Sif's distinctive battle cry echoing over the hills as she Volstagg and Hogun lead the calvary charge. In the end there was nothing left but fallen bodies of the elves in a circle.
In the midst of the carnage a figure had dropped down to one knee as the weapon was held erect and a dark-ponytail fluttered in the wind. "Sif!" Thor exclaimed.
The female warrior turned to face her commander, a smile that showed her pride in the display she had just put on her face as she rose from her crouching tiger position. She stood up and wiped the ends of her bloodied spear tips on the bodies of the Dark-Elves she had slain. Their blood was slimy, runny and black. "I thought you could use some help," she said her sultry voice addressing only Thor. She didn't even turn to look at Loki.
Volstagg and Hogun came rushing to join in the reunion on the battle field, "Thor!" the plump Asgardian warrior called jauntily. "You are alright?" the affectionate red-head asked as his fat hands gripped the crown prince by the shoulders.
Thor let out a chuckle. "Yes, my friend I am alright," he acknowledge clapping his hands around Volstagg's wrist.
"Where is the Aether," the slant-eyed warrior questioned seriously.
"Malekith...Malekith has it," Thor panted his eyes searching, for the leader of the Dark-Elves.
"Malekith?' the burly, red-head viking questioned. "How did he..."
"It doesn't matter," Thor shook his head in protest. "I will deal with Malekith," the blonde explained. "I need for you and Lady Sif and our forces to keep the rest of the Dark-Elves, busy. If they are focused on fighting then they will not be able to aid, Malekith, we cannot let him escape!" the son of Odin demanded.
"You can count on us," Lady Sif declared as she brought her right fist over her silver breastplate. Thor gave his close companions a thankful smile.
"Hogun," the golden prince called to the almond-eyed warrior. He reached out his hand to touch Hogun's shoulder. "I need you to protect Lady Jane. No matter what do not let harm come to her," he commissioned. Hogun's black eyes scrutinized the leader of Asgard's forces. It was an odd command. At the cost of a battle he was to protect Jane?
"As you wish," the silent warrior replied.
"Go!" lady Sif urged Prince Thor as he watched the decorated Elfin general attempt to slip back onto his ship with about a dozen guards as his entourage. "We've got this," she assured him,
"Frandal is stationed above," Volstagg explained as his pudgy fingers pointed to the foreboding clouds overhead. "He will give you the air support. That ship isn't leaving this realm," he declared. Thor grunted appreciatively before he whipped his mallet around in a furious circle preparing for take off.
Soon the Asgardian prince was soaring at lightning speed toward the fleeing fiend, Malekith. He was right behind him, he was ready to bang that monster into the dust, split his skull with Mjolnir and watch the Aether ooze out of him. Just as Thor's hammer was set to drop upon the Dark-Elf leader, the mighty mallet bearer felt a boulder like fist ram into his chest. The force knocked him out the sky and catapulted him a few feet backward. Thor found himself on his back, chest tight and in agony as he heard the thudding footfalls of the Kursed's molten body charging at him full throttle. It felt like an earthquake. In the blink of an eye Thor found the beast looming over him. It was massive, mighty and disgusting. It's hot and nasty breath stung the great prince's nostrils as the monster leaned over him. It emitted a sound a cross between a snarl and snicker. Thor looked into its terrifying face somewhere under the grotesque horns and gruesome tusk on the creatures face Thor thought he saw a smile, most unpleasant slide across its muzzle.
The warriors of Asgard took the Dark-Elves completely by surprised as the mighty Vikings came and smashed through their defense. With their swords drawn and battle axes sharpened their was no stopping them. Though the Dark-Elves had greater numbers than the Asgardians and possessed mightier weapons, they were no match for the spirit of the Einherjar warrior. Who fought for king and country and to avenge their fallen brethren.
Volstagg ran into a group of Dark-Elves with his battle-ax swinging to and fro. He swung with precision, he knocked heads and severed limbs with the mighty blows from his weapon. Even when a group of Dark-Elves tried to corner him he pushed through their defenses his ax flying along with their bodies.
Following Prince Thor's orders Hogun rushed to find Lady Jane. That battlefield was chaotic, bodies were flying left and right, bombs were bursting and blasters were being fired. The electric blue light flew all around the valley. Hogun didn't want to utter it aloud to Prince Thor, but he doubted that the Midgardian woman was even still alive in this raging battle. His keen jet back pupils scanned the dark landscape of the valley searching for her. He suspected that she wouldn't be too hard to find...and she wasn't. He saw her. An elf had her on the run. The menacing creature was chasing the mortal woman about. Jane ran best she could shouting for help, but no one could help her as all the warriors were too busy fending for themselves. Jane raced over the hills trying to get away from the elf who shot blast from its electric crossbow behind Jane's back. The astrophysicist stumbled she tripped over the long Asgardian robe that she'd been forced to where. She cursed under her breath as she found her body being hurled to the black ash ground. Her pretty face scraped across the rough black sand, Her face and hands stung, she looked at her palms they were cut up and bleeding profusely. She was startled for a moment. She looked around she saw bodied falling hitting the ground screams and bomb burst. She wanted to cover her ears and run for the hills, but she couldn't she tried to push herself up, but she couldn't she fell back down. She screamed out. Her ankle was twisted and throbbing, she looked up only to noted that now two of the Dark-Elves were headed from her from either side. She panicked, her breath hitching to the point where she was hyperventilating. Tears immediately started to stream down her cheeks she couldn't picture it ending like this. She'd never pictured it ending like this.
She'd so resented the criminal Loki's words when he called her a mortal. He called her mortal like someone might call someone an invalid. As if the fact that she was human had made her frail and vulnerable and completely incapable of taking care of herself. He called her mortal like she was inferior. Like she was a child being told to stay her place. She'd wanted to prove him wrong. He thought human's were nothing but sheep for him to dominate over, but here in the heat of this battle that was far beyond anything she could have imagined she had to admit that he was right. She felt so useless and helpless and utterly terrified now.
As they drew closer and closer to her she realized she had to do something. In a desperate attempt to protect herself Jane started hurling rocks at her attackers. Amazingly, her aim wasn't that off, she thanked her mother for getting her involved in that little league softball team that summer when she was 9. She and her father had always been academic types, but her mother was always an outdoorsy type. Jane ended up clocking one of the Elves right in the head. It only aggravated the creature, making it rush toward her quicker, but it didn't stop him. She threw another rock, this one missed but only by an inch. Instantly, the two Dark-Elf warriors started shooting down the rocks that she was chucking, with their blasted rifles. They were closing in on her.
Hogun automatically leaped in between Jane and her attackers. "Get behind me, lady Jane!" the strong and silent, slant-eyed warrior ordered as he got in front her. He stood over her protectively. His mace and bola set. The warrior clad in black armor and royal purple tunics slung his bola's round and round, he whipped them tight so that they ricocheted from one Dark-Elf head to the next. The two heads knocked together and the two warriors fell to the black ash. Hogun gave a please little grunt as he watched his enemies fall. Hogun had never been one to offer many smiles, smirks or even chuckles. He was serious minded warrior, there was a reason he had inherited the nickname Hogun, the Grim.
"Hogun! Look out!" the human scientist shrieked as she saw about 5 more Dark-Elf soldiers headed in their direction. These soldiers had their swords drawn and they were yelling a war charge as they ran at Hogun. They were fast and they charged at him from all-sides. Hogun didn't hesitate, he let his mace do the talking that his tongue didn't do as he slashed and thrust it at the villains. He bashed and thrashed and beat them back. He decimated all comers.
Hogun turned around to face Jane, he merely wiped his brow of the sweat and grime gathered there. "Let's go," he stated forcefully offering the lady of Midgard his calloused and cut hand. Jane nodded, dumbfounded and astounded by the silent warrior's heroics. She started to take his hand to pull herself, but as soon as she mustered up the strength to rise to her feet, she cried out in pain and fell into Hogun's strong chest. The midnight locked warrior gathered her in his arms supporting her weight as she slouched against him.
"I...I...I...I can't," Jane ground out as she closed her eyes and squeezed out tears while clinging to Hogun's tunic. "My...my...my ankle," she mumbled bitterly mashing her small chapped lips together that were now dusted with a coating of black soot.
Hogun stooped down allowing Jane to still support herself by holding on to his shoulder. Carefully he pulled up the hem of Jane's tattered silk gown. Hogun was a very austere warrior and a reserved man. Even seeing the demure glimpse of female flesh was enough to make him blush. Especially knowing that this was the flesh of woman who his friend Thor loved. The thought made him feel as if he was violating some sacred part of he and Thor's friendship, but Thor had said to keep his beloved safe at all cost and he supposed that included looking over any injuries that she may have acquired. Hogun examined the injury, he could see that her left ankle was swollen and black and blue. "Tis not broken," Hogun expressed he had a distinct accent of the region where he was from.
"I can't walk on it," Jane insisted as she gritted her teeth against the pain.
"Then I shall carry you," Hogun announced as he instantly, swooped his arms under her knees and rushed with her off the battlefield. Hogun ran fast he didn't stop or even seem to look around him as he made his escape he just dashed through the thick of the battle the way the winds whip over the sea. He carried her up and over the ridge to the place behind the hills of the valley where the Thor's reserves had been stationed. Once he brought her to the safe place along the ridges of the hillside he carefully placed her in the skiff. "You will be safe here," he explained as he gently placed her down. He then covered her with a burlap cloth that he pulled from the supplies. "Stay hidden," he explained pointing a firm finger in her direction. Jane nodded as she began to tuck the dirty burlap cloth tightly around herself.
"Y-y-your going back?" the auburn haired Midgardian scientist inquired her eyes wide and filled with fear at the thought of her protection leaving her
"I must," the grim warrior replied as he reached for his powerful weapon.
"But...but,...But," she stammered with fear. "Your hurt!"she pointed out breathlessly as she observed the large burgundy stain soaking though fine purple war vestments.
At first the silent soldire merely quirked his dark brows at her words, then for the first time he noticed a slight pinch in his side. His fingers strayed to touch the offended area. It was tender to to touch and it caused the normal scowl that lined Hogun's face too deepen momentarily. Then he actually managed to crack a smirk. He brought his now blood stained fingers to his lips and just dabbed at them with is tongue. His smirk became even more wry. "All in a days work," the warrior of Asgard proclaimed as he whipped his mace from the hook of his belt and dashed back off ready to fight.
Jane stuck her hand out desperate to catch the warrior as he rushed off. Hogun was seriously injured the blood was running from the wound on his side and down his pants leg. Surely, such a loss of blood was not a good sign, but as Hogun had said to her this was "all in a days work." Jane shook her head. Her petrified hazel eyes stared out as she watched the slant-eyed warrior;s form disappear in the cloud of smoke that was the battlefield. Perhaps such bloody battles were all in a days work for an Asgardian, but not for her. Not for a mere mortal. For her a days work was long hours in laboratory, hours spent at the computer, practicing and testing theory. An occupational hazard for her was a paper cut, eye strain from staring at the computer or perhaps at the worse carpal tunnel. She had thought herself brave once for chasing her theory into the desert and following an anomaly. Now it seemed foolish. . Her stargazing had ldeher to the love of her life, but consequently it had endangered that very man and his people. His world and all worlds. Suddenly, she felt so small and insignificant and so unworthy of the bloodshed that her false bravado had left on on the innocent. .
Jane looked out on the battlefield from her protective position a mile off, where she was safely hidden inside one of the skiffs. The valley was just a haze of dust and smoke, ash and debris. It all swirled around the mountains like it was caught in some sick blinder. It was a cacophony of horrible cries and screams the sound of blaster guns loading and firing, their were whizzes and clicks and explosions, ear-splitting explosions as the Dark-Elves threw their black-hole bombs in the air. She could see them, swirling of bright lights tunnels formed in midair. As a scientist she marveled at the science of the weapon! How was it possible to create this black-hole effect? As a person beholding the atrocities of war for the very first time she was horrified by the potent contraption. . The Asgardians were the mightiest warriors Jane had ever seen. The Aesir possessed super-human strength and their bodies seemed to heal quickly or either they didn't get injured as easily or maybe it was both. They had all trained in war since their youth. Still, for their prowess in warfare, it made very little difference with the Dark-Elves having the weapon technology that they did. Jane watched in horror as the bombs burst and she saw what looked like bodies fly into the vortexes. She could hear their strangled and petrified screams just as they were lost to the abysses forming in the clouds.
Loki fought tenacious, he wielded his daggers with deadly precision. A group of Dark-Elf soldiers encroached upon him. They crept forward silently and surrounded him. The Master Mage of Asgard merely chuckled as more and more of the Elves gathered around him and raised their weapons. He faked a surrender, slowly raising his hands. The Elves grunted commands to him and the trickster seemed as though he was acquiescing to their request, he made as if he was lowering his weapons. Then he launched them, simultaneously he shot forth two of his knives, one implanted itself in the jugular of one of the black-eyed creatures neck. The elf fell back silently, its bony hand groping to pull the dagger from its neck before it fell still. Immediately, the squadron opened fire on the prince. A dagger appeared in his hand as if by magic and as soon as it appeared the dark-haired magician wasted no time in using it. He dealt out vicious double stabs into the chest of one enemy soldier. Another sought to grab him from behind. The Dark-Elf grabbed him and held fast pinning his arms behind him. Loki elbowed the elfin warrior in the gut and the creature doubled over. While it was down Loki pulled it back up only allowing him time to slit its throat. With that the Dark-Elves opened fire on the emerald eyes mage. Their flashing, white ray guns spewed out streams of bullets. Loki spun around creating a force field around himself that repelled the bullets and caused the Elves to die at the blast of their own guns.
The pale Asgardian was on the ground, panting and breathless after his spell. A strong hand gripped his long, black hair and yanked his head back Loki groaned and grit his teeth, gasping as he felt the rough hands wrap around his slender porcelain throat. He opened his eyes long enough to see as one of the vortexes was forming in the path of Frandal's war skiff. The ship's plates and planks were starting to flying off and Loki could hear Frandal barking out orders for the rest of the men to abandon ship. But they couldn't, the suction of the swirling trap to great to escape. Loki struggled doing his best to pull away from the Dark-Elf's grip, which only caused him to choke the more. He managed the slip two of his knives from his pocket and plunged them behind him into the elf's stomach. The Elf let go and Loki fell forward as he let the magical light fly from the palm of his hand aimed directly at the vortex. The light shot for and its power annihilated the black hole.
The flying long-boat was thrust out of the pull and went sailing back in its planned course. Frandal looked at the bright, lime-green light and immediately bust out laughing. The jolly, golden-haired swordsman and defense specialist cheered and whooped raising his hands in jubilant fist pumps. "WOOHOO!" he celebrated as he slapped the backs of the five soldiers who were in the vessel with him. "Thank you Loki!" he called joyously. He turned around to the rest of his comrades. Frandal then took to dancing merrily with a couple of soldiers stationed on the flying boat. He twirled afer around in his elation finally he gripped one by the shoulders and was about to pull the man in. His lips poised to smooch. The soldier curled his lips pushing away.
"Sir!" he barked getting the flirtatious blonde's attention.
Frandal opened his baby blue peepers only to note that the face he was set to kiss was square, dirt, flint jawed with a little peach-fuzz on the top lip. "Goodness I wish that their was a damsel I could kiss right now," he grumbled. Frandal always celebrated with a kiss. He hated the occasions when he had to settle for Sif, mostly because it always ended with him on the floor, but at this moment he would have happily settled for the shield-maiden.
"How about we just make the elves kiss bullets, sir," the young private suggested with a smile of relief. He'd been willing to die this day if that meant saving Asgard, but that didn't mean he wanted to.
"I like the way you think private!" Frandal winked at the young warrior. "Hahah we'll make a captain of you yet before this day is done," he reported to the boy.
The young man beamed. "You mean it sir?" he asked hopefully.
"Don't see why not," Frandal admitted laughing. He reached out his hand and ruffled the youth's hair. "All the songs that are going to be sung about today, the might call you general!" he hooted.
The young warrior laughed and hooted back. "Taste fire Dark-Elves!" he yelled as he readied the canon and started firing off at the enemies large ship.
All the men on the floating long-boat manned their stations firing off rounds and rounds of cannons and pounding the enemy with sprays of lasers. They took out a few Dark-Elf foot soldiers from above, but Frandal noticed that the massive, T-shaped ship that the Elves had started to hum as it prepared for take off. "Keep that ship grounded men," the sunny-haired soldier ordered as he dropped an anchor from the side of the skiff.
"Frandal, what are you doing?" asked one of the Einherjar, The dashing swashbuckler merely gave a wink and flashed a debonaire smile before he swung down the rope. "FOR ASGARD!" he cried as he swung down the rope with his sword a blaze. He tossed his blade into the engine, hoping that it would slow Malekith's escape ship down. The fire blazed with inside the exposed engine, but it didn't break the gigantic machine. Frandal leaped from the rope his fist flying punching the plastic looking, bloodless faces of the dark elves who were shooting blasters at the small skiff.
Frandal's small group did the best they could. They fired all they had, but their onslaught did nothing to stop the large Dark-Elf mother ship from pulling into the air. Once the ominous looking ship rose into the dusky, cruel-looking, gray sky it started shooting off terrible looking red blast at the battlefield. Malekith had somehow managed to link the power of the Aether within him to the ship. The Aether shock-waves decimated anything around it. The blast sent both Elf and Aesir soldiers bloodied bodies flying across the field. That was the way of Malekith. He didn't care if he laid waste to his own people. Victory in battle was worth more than the lives of his men. The horrid dark red blast continued to come from the ship. The sound of the blast was enough to make ones ears bleed. The blood-red eruptions of were so potent that they caused craters to form where they landed in the already scarred looking landscape of the Svartalheim valley. The blood-curlding screams of the warriors could be head with each roaring clap of the Aether blasts.
The Aether shards caused the hard, rocky, ashen ground to explode. The residue of battle swirled all around; dust and debris and bits of broken metal. After about 5 blast of the dark-energy of the Aether a veil of smoke that coated the field. I was so thick that nothing could be seen for nearly 30 seconds.
Loki stumbled up from one of the craters in the soil that the Aether blasts had created. He crawled out from under the corpses of two Dark-Elves. Their black as ink blood was smattered on his clothing. He crawled to the top of the crater coughing terribly. His lungs felt clogged with the nasty soot. He shook his head trying to stop the ringing in his ears caused by the bombardments. He finally managed to open his evergreen eyes, they stung and watered from all the soot and ash. He could scarcely breathe the atmosphere was clogged with smog. He choked as he climbed to his feet. His chest heaving from exhaustion. He covered his mouth and nose with the front of his tunic to keep from breathing in more of the toxic fumes emitted from the canons. The windy atmosphere of the realm served as a blessing as it blew away for on the smoke and Loki's eyes were able to quickly scan the battlegrounds. Craters large enough to be bilgeschnipe nest littered the valley floor. In many of these craters fires were sprouting. Armor and swords and other weapons were scattered about as well as the forms of those who had fallen in battle. Loki frowned as he counted the forms of the men who had accompanied Thor on this little venture. Mentally, he rebuked himself for such thoughts. What should it matter to him now? Loki fanned in front of his face as the smoke started to clear, he could make out Sif's figure coughing in the distance as she placed her hand on the hilt of her weapon ready for another round of battle. "Sif!" Loki cried as he hacked one last bit of soot from out of his lungs while he trotted over to her. "Sif!" he cried once more trying to keep his head down so to avoid inhale the toxins of the smog. He finally reached her and gripped her wrist. Upon feeling Loki's cold fingers clasps around her battle-scarred flesh the female Einherjar immediately tried to rip her wrist from his hold. Loki held her wrist tight, forcing her to face him. Both of their faces were covered with black ash and Sif had a nasty gaping scar cut from her side burns to her chin. Loki, likewise, had his thin lips slit from the fray. "We need to pull the troops back!" the green-eyed mage stated giving Sif's arm a yank and pulling her closer to him so that his words could be heard over the second round of Aether shards being fired from Malekith.
Sif finally managed to yank her arm from Loki's hand. She never let a man lay a rough hand on her. Not sense she was a child and her father used to paddle her. Once her elder brother, leif had tried to manhandle her. He gripped her all too harshly on the forearm to remind her to show her manner to his fiance. His fiance was from a very well todo family and her father was an important diplomat in odin's court. They were a traditional family and he was sure that they would not be in favor of Sif's unladylike manner. She ended her brother flat on his back. Her sword pointed toward his own manhood. She reminded him then and there that if he ever gripped her like that again it would not be her ladylike qualities that would be of concern to his future bride. She growled at him and spat at the ground upon hearing his request. "No!" she declared. "Not all of us our cowards like you!" she insulted.
"Don't be a fool Sif!" Loki shouted back.
"The only foolish way is the path of the coward. Our force's will fight to the last breath for Asgard! We shall not lose this battle!" The shield-maiden declared as she flipped her double-bladed javelin in her hands to symbolize her readiness.
Loki shook his head. "The battle has already been lost," he expressed his voice rippling with tension.
"How dare you give up so easily when the lives of all of Asgard are at stake!"
"We are about to be over run!" Loki's green eyes flickered with anger. "The Elves have the advantage, they have the Aether, we have to retreat to live to fight another day!" Loki explained as he covered his ears as another bomb burst in midair.
"Coward!" Lady Sif ranted back at Loki.
"Sif," Hogun's cool, stern accented voice rang into the shield-maiden's ear. "He is right," the slant-eyed warrior stated. "We have many injured," he informed. "We must fall back," Hogun was always firm in his stance never did he have any qualms about the decisions he made. Sif looked at him with shock. It was not like Hogun to turn away from a fight. He merely nodded. Sif groaned as if the very thought of retreating was painful. To let the Dark-Elves escape now could be disastrous, who knew if they would have this opportunity again. Still she could see that their troops were spread thin, several men had already given their lives this day.
"FALL BACK! FALL BACK!" Lady Sif yelled as she took up her sword and headed for the hills. Upon hearing Sif's retreat call, the Asgardian warriors still left on the battlefield immediately started to run. Malekith must have noticed many of the Einherjar starting to flee the scene because it was then that he allowed his ship to rain down and intense fire on the battlefield. Sheets and sheets of deadly laser sprayed across the small valley. They scarlet colored lasers were indiscriminate as they rained down upon the armies. Soldiers fell left and right their bodies sizzled up by the bullets. The Einherjar flew from the battlefield gathering up their injured comrades as they ran. Some ran limping, but still carrying to fellow soldiers on their backs. Some were even noble enough to carry the body of a fallen warrior off the field. The way of the Asgardian Warrior was to never leave a man behind.
Finally, all the men had escaped from the terrible bombardment of Aether blast. They took refuge in the behind the hill. Malekith's dark ship loomed over the battlefield although it had ceased firing; it lingered over the field as if waiting for something. "Lady Sif," one of the captains came to the warrior woman. He saluted to her and then bowed. "Some of the men are not accounted for," he explained sorrowfully. The captain started to read the names aloud. "Bicoum, Mivik, Huln..." The captain of the guard rattled off seven more names.
"Thor!" Sif gasped. For the first time she had noticed the blonde-prince was not in their midst. "Thor!" Sif called out frantically, her mahogany eyes growing wide as she searched through the few men they still had left look for their leader. "Where is Thor?" she screamed out rushing toward Volstagg. "Volstagg, where is Thor?" she demanded of him as she gripped his tunics.
"He is not among us?' the plump red-haired Viking asked panic in his husky voice.
"No." the chocolate haired warrior woman stated. "No...he's not in the ranks" she explained breathlessly as her eyes continued to scan for Thor. She looked out on the horizon thinking that she would be hold the sight of the golden prince marching triumphantly toward them. His gorgeous gold locks would burst forth like the sun through the clouds of smoke and ash, his armor would gleam like a silver lining on a cloudy day and he'd stride over the rugged black sand hills with his hammer raised high while carrying all of their missing men on his back. She watched, but she merely saw sand and debris, soot and ash rising. Sif felt her breath-hitching. No! The Nine Realms could not lose the future all-father, Asgard could not lose its prince at this time, she could not lose Thor.
"He must still be on the battlefield," Frandal reported. "Ahh attaboy, Thor" the jolly blonde reported. "He never gives up a fight," he snapped his fingers and although his words were hopeful there was a fear behind his light blue eyes.
"No, he should be here," Volstagg pointed out.
"Something is not right," Hogun spoke up as from his seat on the ground he had a cloth pinned to his bleeding side.
"We must go back for him!" Lady Sif insisted.
"I will go back for him," a crisp voice spoke from the shadows.
"Loki," the brunette warrior hissed his name. "You..." she started her lip snarling.
"I can get to him quicker with my magic, besides you all can take the troops further away from here. Take them to the cliff, there are caves there where we can make camp for the night," Loki's porcelain finger that was now dirty and soiled with the ash pointed to a few cliffs not far in the distance.
Sif raised her sword set to object. "Sif there is no time," Volstagg meaty hands reached out and grabbed her shoulders.
"Fine," the mahogany eyed warrior grumbled. "You bring him back!" she growled her lips curling viciously as she raised her saber to his throat.
"Or...you'll kill me..." Loki added a devilish glint in his bright jade eyes. Before Sif could qualify her terms the magician had vanished.
The raven-locked magician suddenly appeared on the outskirts of the battlefield carefully positioned behind the hill. Much of the ash and soot blowing about had cleared and he had a good view of the gray field. Emerald eyes surveyed the land he saw the bodies of the brave Einherjar, but he did not see Thor. "C'mon Thor, where are you?" he mumbled as he did an intense scan of the stark surroundings. Just then he heard the horrible smashing and crashing of rocks and boulders in the distance.
The molten creature was pounding the golden prince of Asgard into the dust. His huge, charred fist repeatedly beat Thor in the face. The heavy blows knocked the prince down every time he got back up. Once Thor was down the monster did not stop in its assault. It would come roaring and charging at Thor with full speed. Only to pick up the Thunderer and slam him against the side of a mountain. Thor fell to the ground flat on his face. He was dazed and disoriented gasping for air and relief as the brute beast never seemed to slacken its assault. He panted reaching his hand out desperate for the power of his mallet. Mjolnir heeded its master's summon and flew from a mile ready to be wielded by its owner, but as it soared toward Thor's tawny, brawny hands it was knocked out of the air when it was merely inches from Thor's fingertips, by the Kursed. Mjolnir flew back several feet and Kursed loomed over Thor. The son of Odin could practically hear the creature's repulsive chortle at his expense. Thor managed to roll over onto his back, his face was completely bruised and banged up his eye blackened from the merciless fist of his enemy. Both eyes were practically swollen shut, but he willed them open the look at his opponent the creature's eyes glowed with wicked delight. Thor watched as beneath the ugly rock features the dark-elf seemed to form a smile. Surrender was not in Thor's nature and even though he was wounded and battered he did his best to get to his feet. His normally sturdy as tree trunk like legs faltered, he could hardly stand. Still with determination, the blonde raised his fist. He gave a wobbly swing at Malekith's molten pet. He landed a hard blow. The creature stumbled back and gave a painful groan. But the boulder made being immediately retaliated, its terrible talons caught Thor around the neck. It attempted to choke and burn the prince of Asgard all at once. Thor cried out in pain as he felt hands hot as lava wrap around his throat. He reacted well, he head butted the horned creature. It was enough to cause the burning hands to release their grip, but it also sent Thor's head reeling. He collapsed on himself. The animal grunted with pleasure as it saw the unconscious body of Asgard's hero splayed out before him. It would be easy to finish him off now. Quickly, the fiend looked around and found a boulder. Kursed rushed for the giant rock and broke it off the cleft of the mountain as easily as if it were snapping a twig from a branch. With glee it carried the massive boulder over its head and was ready to clobber Prince Thor with it.
Loki saw red. This was the monster... the horrible, hideous, disgusting creature that had slain Dagmar. This was the nasty vermin that had taken her from him. His lip automatically snarling. His heart started pounding ferociously against his ribcage and blood coursed through his veins as quick as if he were running a marathon. His breath hitched and he snorted through his nostrils like an ornery bull. was helpless and vulnerable on the field, the Kursed could destroy him with one quick blow. Loki sprang up on his haunches like a jungle cat. He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't allow Thor to be killed by the same monster that had murdered Lady Dagmar.
He was so convinced that he hated Thor. He had no doubt that he did. He wanted to hate Thor with every fiber of his being. It would be justified. Thor had been a constant thorn in his side from the time they were boys. Always leading them on some wayward adventure. He was idiotic, naïve, brutish simple-minded, loud, brash, conceited. Loki could have gone on and on with a list of words to describe how the blonde possessed all the qualities he loathed. Thor was a constant reminder of the life that he wanted that he was consistently denied. Thor was the favorite... the preferred one, the one everyone loved and longed to be around. He was the rejected one. From the very start it had been this way. When Thor was born all of Asgard had celebrated with fireworks and festivals and bringing gifts to the young prince. Even now on Thor' birthday was a holiday for the citizens. On the other hand, he had been unwanted from the beginning, his parents, had left him in a temple on a frozen rock as a sacrifice. He hated how Thor had a realm to rule while he was only granted a cell. He hated that Thor was a true son of Odin and he...he was nothing but the runt child of a Jotun, the creatures that from his youngest days he'd been taught were the arch enemies of his people. Yes he couldn't stand Thor. He wanted him gone, out-of-the-way, if he wasn't there Loki would be free to rule over Asgard. After all this was his plan... he wanted Thor to suffer as he had. Seeing Thor being beat into the ground certainly brought back memories of his own pain... he reminisced about the big green beast on Midgard, Hulk...that had flung him around like he was no more than a rag doll. It was horrible. He thought he would relish the day when he watched Thor suffer such disrespect and pain at the hands of an enemy, but in that moment as he watched the Kursed beat Thor mercilessly, as he watched Thor twitch ever so slightly struggling to pull himself off the ground and unable to. He found that he didn't feel the resentment and bitterness that he'd felt moments before. He didn't feel glee at watching the son of Odin being pulverized. He found he didn't see the thunder as his mortal enemy, he saw something he hadn't seen in a very long time...His brother.
Memories flooded the green-eyed prince's psyche. He saw he and Thor spending night-time hours in their nursery playing noisy games with their toy soldiers and figurines. He saw them as boys running through the garden, he saw himself little more than a toddler stumbling as he tried to chase the older boy, he'd fall flat on his face and quick as a flash Thor was there, dusting off his trousers and drying his tears, picking him up and hoisting him onto his shoulders for a piggy-back ride and he'd laugh happy to have Thor's support. He saw the two of them scuttling down the golden corridor's of the palace barely containing their giggles after playing a terrible trick on their nursemaid Helga. He relived so many moments of horseback rides, snowball fights and trips to the seaside. He remembered Thor giving him a little wooden sword and showing him how to use it. He thought of time's he'd been ill, so very ill, Thor had been by his side the whole time, feeding him soup, tucking him in, reading to him. He could see moments when he and Thor would argue viciously and then a few hours later Thor would slink back to his room and apologize. He'd want to stay angry with Thor for his carelessness, but when he looked into those big, puppy-dog blue eyes, he couldn't stay mad at the big lug. He pictured times when he carried his drunken brother home from a night at the tavern, it took a lot for Thor to get drunk, but when he became so the blonde couldn't even stand on his own two feet. He'd help his brother into bed removing his tunics and boots and Thor would look up at his through bloodshot, half-lidded eyes and murmur how he was the best brother he could ever have. He thought of all the times they'd fought side by side, trusting in the fact that they had each other back.
Spindly, porcelain fingers clutched tight around the hilt of a deadly silver dagger. The desire to kill that murdering creature was thick and heavy. That monster had taken something valuable from him. The woman that he loved. He loved Dagmar so. He knew in 1000 years he would never love another woman in the same way that he had loved Lady Dagmar. He had not even had the chance to tell her. In the end she died and the last words that hung on his lips to her were that he didn't care and it wasn't true...it wasn't true and she never knew. The only way to tell her now was to kill that creature and avenge her. AS the memories ran loose in Loki's mind, they feelings kindled and burned, the yearning to protect and defend this man with every fiber of his being. It was instinctual. He couldn't lose anyone else at the hands of the Kursed.
The Kursed stood over Prince Thor who was lying face down in the dirt. The monster chuckled as it raised the boulder high in the air ready to crush the young ruler of Asgard. Its hands were set to throw the boulder and crush the prince's skull. There was a whistle. "Hey, Ugly, look here," a crisps tongue called. The Kursed spun around and beheld the slim, raven haired enchanter standing only a few feet away on a mound of rubble, smug grin on his thin lips waving slowly. The Dark-Elf grunted, this one was curious indeed. He had said he was on their side, he'd helped them attack Asgard and now he fought against him. He didn't know what to make of him, but he'd not allow the pale young Aesir to trick him again. He roared and tossed the boulder toward the slender man, the big rock sailed through the air, but when it should have made contact with a body, it fell right through. The monster was bewildered at best, looking around and finding no trace of Loki. "Over here," the green-eyed trickster called from another position. Kursed narrowed his Dark-gaze as he looked at Loki. This time he charged for him. His charge only landed him eating gravel as the man disappeared. Kursed was now fuming mad at the trickery, he picked himself off the ground and turned to find the long dark-haired ex-prince scuttling toward the blonde. The molten monster rushed to his feet and ran toward Loki he reached his hand out to grip him around his slim white neck, his rocky palm came in contact with nothing once more. Finally the Kursed had enough of the emerald eyed trickster's game. He had to finish the job. He raised his boulder like foot about Thor's head ready to stomp. AS his foot was going down he screamed out in agony as he found a massive sword cut right through his chest. He grabbed and clawed at his chest trying to remove the weapon from his heart. He managed to toss the weapon from him he instantly healed himself and he went for Loki. He gripped him by his long black tresses. He hoisted him to his feet and squeezed tight around his neck. "See you in hell, monster," Loki spat breathlessly as his watering emerald eyes darted down to look at something clipped to the Kursed's belt.
The bomb detonated! The Kursed dropped Loki to his back as the bomb went off, erupting in a swirling vortex that sucked the terrible creature in whole. It was a gruesome sight, but Loki smiled as he watched the destruction of that foul and holy thing. The Kursed let out a bellow and then it was gone.
Loki limped over to Thor's side. He carefully gripped him, but the shoulders trying to pull him up. Thor stirred ever so slightly, his badly beaten eyes unable to open, but he felt the familiar hold. "L-l-loki?" he stammered weakly, "Br-brother?' he asked.
"Yeah, Thor it's me," Loki confessed his voice shaky as he looked at Thor's bloodied face, bright red liquid gushed from his nostrils. "I've got you," he assured him. Thor sighed in relief as he felt his arm being wrapped around Loki's shoulder and his body hoisted on to Loki's back as he was carried off the battlefield.
The small battalion took refuge in the clefts of the mountains. There was a deep cave in the mountainside and the Asgardian warriors were able to move their for ce there to take shelter. It offered safety and shelter from the boisterous dust storm that finally settled across the land. The black soot swirled around and howled right outside the mouth of the cave. The warriors used a few heavy pelts and some of the wood from the cargo to make a covering over the mouth of the cave to protect them from the fierce elements that raged without. Thunder boomed and lightening split the blackened.
They moved the weakened soldiers to the back of the cave and they lit a fire within, amazingly, with the pelts covering the mouth of the cave, the cave felt insulated and cozy for the injured. Their numbers had dwindled terribly they had lost 6 men in battle and they had about 10 more who were badly injured and in no condition to fight another bout with the Dark-Elves. They had only brought enough rations for two of three days and due to the extensive amount of injuries most of the warriors had sustained much of their medical equipment was already used up. It was doubtful that they would make it another 24 hours in Svartalheim. They would have to return to Asgard soon, but the Einherjar never returned with a deed undone.
Jane busied herself tending to the wounded men. She did as instructed by Lady Sif. She warmed up the few rations that they had left and did her best to quickly serve it to the weary, scarred soldiers. She boiled water to help keep the wounds clean and broke apart the crates to make kindling for the fire. The Dark-World would become cold in the nighttime hours and there was no wood to be found. It was hard to break down the crates and boxes of supplies especially being that Jane was still suffering from a sprained ankle. She dare not complain about the work she was doing around the camp though. She had no right to complain. All the brave Einherjar who had accompanied Thor had risked life and limb. Not one of the compay left the battlefield unscathed. Their were head injuries, busted ribs, broken bones and even a missing body part or two. One man had lost a foot. It was awfl and although Jane's ankle ached something fierce she would have felt like a heel complaining about something so mild in front of the battered warriors.
She felt bad, perhaps the guards had noticed her wincing or had seen her limping about as she carried bowls of warm broth and lambs leg to the soldiers. She'd tried her best to be discreet she hadn't wanted to let on to her pain. Her pain must have seemed like nothing but a papercut in comparison to what they all felt, but perhaps despite her best efforts to keep her pains to herself it had shown on her face. It seemed the feebleness of her mortality was ever present in the face of the long-lived Asgardians. Whatever the reason the soldiers prang to help, urging her to sit and rest while they broke down the boxes, but Jane could not allow herself to rest. Not as she heard the cries and screams of the one soldier, they'd had to cut off his foot and now he was left with a dull phantom did her best to gather blankets and keep the soliders warm. She helped roll out sleeping cots...anything to be of use.
"Lady Jane!" the distinctly sultry voice of the warrior woman came into Jane's ear. The female scientist was crouched down by one soldier whose head was bandaaged and bleeding. He was shivering something terrible and she managed to find a wollen blanket to wrap around him. He softly curse and quickly apologized for using such guttural language in front of a lady. He blamed weakness for his shivers as Jane tucked him in. Once her soft brown eyes left her patient they looked around the camp all the soldiers had been particularly helpful to one another, but their was one she was surprised by. Loki. "My Prince , Thor requests your presence," the brunette shield maiden explained. Her face was stoic, but her mahogany lives glanced down, but for a second as she spoke to Jane.
"Oh my goodness!" Jane gasped her hand immediately straying to cover her pink lips. "Thor," she gasped once more. It hadn't even crossed her mind that he might be hurt. He'd seemed so strong and so valiant. He was so ready to vanquish any for that would dare cross his path. She couldn't imagine seeing him wounded and weak. She seen it once before, during that time when Loki had sent that great metal warrior to her small dirt town. The Destroyer's gigantic metal hand had backslapped Thor heartless. His face smeared with blood that in shape of the Destroyer's harsh knuckles. She remembered him lying on the ground, practically motionless besides for his shallow breathing. She remembered rushing to him, finding that the color had drained from his tanned face. He was quivering ever so slightly, his eyelids growing heavy batting over heavenly blue eyes. But then just when it seemed he was fading, the hammer had flown to his hands and he'd risen gallant and victorious. Her conquering hero gleaming in glittering sterling armor...and she thought him invincible from that moment on. "Thor!" Jane declared once more shaking her head. "Yes, yes, take me to him," Jane responded nodding as she gripped Sif by the wrist.
Lady Sif immediately pulled her armor-plated wrist from Jane's fingers. "He is well," she started to explain. "Well," the female Einherjar qualified, "He is stable. He did sustain some severe injuries and we don't have many supplies, but Thor is strong, he will be just fine," Sif said resolutely as she started to lead Jane to the back of the cave where the leader of Asgard rested somewhat privately. "We don't have a proper healer and he does need some medical attention," Sif stated matter o-factly. "But mostly he is just beside himself with worry for you," The woman with the beautiful dark locks expressed and it wasn't as if she tried to hide the bitterness in her clipped tone. For a moment though, Jane thought that perhaps it wasn't exactly bitterness in Sif's tone, but more sorrow. Lady Sif brought her eyes to look at Jane's and she sighed offering the mortal a slight smile. "I tried to assure him that you were quite alright, but he wouldn't relent until he saw you," she admitted. They arrived at the tent in the back of the cave. Lady Sif, Frandal Volstagg and Hogun had insisted that it be set up so that Asgard's acting king could have some privacy amongst his men. Sif offered one last smile as she pointed to the golden flaps of the tent. "Now that you're here perhaps he will be able to take comfort and relax. Do not tax him,: the warrior woman warned. "He needs rest," she reminded the Midgardian as she turned on her heels quickly and marched away with the precision and timing of any good soldier.
Jane pushed back the flap of Thor's royal tent. She gasped as she looked on him. His chest was bare and wrapped where three ribs had been cracked. Also his side was pierced and even though gauze was set at the sight of the wound the gauze still was soaked through with the hot, red liquid. His chest and arms had terrible cuts and bruises all over them. His face was just as battered as the rest of his body. His full, fleshly lips were split and dried blood had coagulated in his golden mustache. Both of Thor's beautiful sapphire eyes had been swollen shut. The were a terrible mixture of red, purple a gray. Two, large, angry red knots hand formed on his forehead. He looked so pitiful. "Thor!" Jane shrieked as she flung herself to his side. Her light-brown eyes started to well with tears. "Oh Thor, Thor," she mumbled as water started to flow down her cheeks. Her hands feverishly patted down Thor's face and chest. She could feel him wincing under her slight touch. "Or Thor, I'm so sorry," she blubbered as she laid her head upon his chest. "I'm so sorry," she whispered once more as tears spilled from her eyes and soaked through the bandages on his chest.
"J-j-jane," the golden prince choked out, his voice hoarse and weak nothing like his normal thunderous tone. Jane felt as Thor's shaky hand softly, gently started to stroke her dirty auburn hair.
"Thor!" Jane shouted with jubilation as she brought her gaze up to meet Thor's it only deepened her sorrow to find that he was unable to even open his eyes from how swollen they were. "Yes, yes...I'm here," Jane told him as she set up and gripped his hand. "Oh Thor, this is all my fault, every last bit of it is my fault, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she whimpered.
The Prince of Asgard was only able to protest by raising a feeble finger in the air and shaking it. "Shh—shh," he cooed once more his quiver palm gently caressing her curly auburn mane. "Jane," he sighed. 'are you...al...all...alright?" the battered blonde prince inquired andhis trembling fingers felt around Jane's face. His eyes were so swollen he bouldn't bring them to open. Jane nodded vigorously unable to speak she felt her heart breaking into a thousand pieces at seeing him like this.
"Yes...yes," the scientist bobbed her head between her sobs. "I am fine...I am fine," she repeated. "But you," Kane pointed out with alarm. "What of you! you're hurt!"
Sluggishly, the crown prince nodded his body starting to shake just a bit. "So...much...pain... my...side," he stammered through gritted teeth. His other hand strayed to point out the injury. Jane sucked in a sharp breath as she beheld the gross blood-soaked bandages. Gingerly she started to remove the gauze. It was sticky and plastered to Thor's skin. Thor winced and breathed hard at even her slight touch. She apologized repeatedly for causing him any discomfort. Finally, once she had managed to remove the bandage completely she sat dumbfounded. The wound smelled and blood kept running from it. She could tell it was infected from the yellow pus forming on the sides of his flesh, but she didn't know what to do. Se looked around the around and managed to find a few utensils, more bandages, needle threads and ointments. She started to do what Sif had done to her and attempted to wrap Thor's side in clean, white gauze, but the blonde prince's body was big, and sweaty and it was hard for Jane to turn him.
"Foolish mortal," she heard a biting forked tongue hiss from behind her. She turned around only to see Loki's lean but crooked form standing in the door-flap of the tent. Se gasped her startled her. He smirked obviously pleased that his presence had given her a jolt. His eyes only stayed on the human woman for a moment though, they quickly glanced over at Thor, he still looked battered and bruised, Loki couldn't remember the last time he'd seen the young thunderer in such bad shape. He felt his heart clenching at the sight of Thor's two black eyes swollen as and his labored breathing, the way his cut hands fumbled to find Jane Foster's it as pathetic."You don't even know how to patch up a wound," his tisked as he turn his head away.
Lady Jane bit her lip, she started to growl but somehow it came out as a scoffing chuckle. She glared up at him although he was not facing her. "We can't all work magic," she replied coldly and unimpressed with his remarks as she continued her ministrations to Thor. Her hands trembled as she realized now she had an audience. She did her best to hold her hands steady as she twisted the top off the jar that contained a strong-smelling ointment. It made squishing noises in her hands before she brought her hands slowly down to rub the ointment on the outside of the bandages.
She felt a cold, bony grip her shoulder halting her from her from administering the salve, "I don't need magic to stitch a wound," he shot, his emerald eyes narrowed as he looked down at her. His skinny fingers squeezed tightly on her shoulder-blade causing her to gasp and as she did he scooted her out-of-the-way. Literally he dropped to his knees and bumped her out of her spot by Thor's side. Jane fell on her hip, her mouth open disgusted with the once prince's rudeness. She was about to protest. Jump on his back and yell for him to get away from Thor. She didn't trust him. She didn't know what time of wicked incantation he planned to work on the incapacitated Prince of Asgard. Her brown eyes stared in horror as Loki quickly unraveled the bandage that she had clumsily managed to wrap around Thor's torso. She wanted to scream out, but somehow she was compelled to silence and she wondered if the emerald eyed enchanter had put some type of spell on her forcing her to keep her mouth shut and sit still.
Loki poured wine on the open wounds and Jane watched as it caused the pus to bubble and leak out from Thor's side, but the pain of the alcohol in such a new and vulnerable injury made Thor hiss, grit his teeth and groan. "Shh, shh, shh," Loki scolded, but it was mild and nearly playful. "You can face a bilgeschnipe, but you cannot handle a your wounds being cleaned?" Loki clicked his tongue. "Shame on you mighty Thor,"he quipped and Jane saw the thin corners of his lip turn up in a smirk that was barely perceptible. Thor moaned, the cave merely had a small fire going to keep the leader of the small battalion warm as his body did its best to recover from the onslaught and it didn't give much light to Thor's face, but she thought that she could detect a little grin on Thor's face as if he was trying to laugh through the pain. He fanned at the stinging and inflamed laceration, it was still bleeding profusely, but at least it was draining the infection. Jane noted Loki lean over quickly and blow on the stab wound, she thought he was blowing on it to soothe the stinging sensation. "Here, have a swig," Loki offered and he brought the wineskin to Thor's lips. Thor's fleshy mouth curled around the tip of the bottle and attempted to guzzle all that he could, the bleeding, the sweating, the heat of battle he was so thirsty. "Enough of that." Thor eyes were shut tight, but his lips were left panting, longing for more. "Some of this," the green-eyed mage stated as he ladled water into Thor's parched mouth. After a few spoonfuls of the cool water, the ex-prince of Asgard swiped his even cooler fingers across Thor tawny, creased brow, he whispered some words and Jane watched as Thor's labored breathing eased and causing Thor to be lulled into a light and hazy stupor. Loki then continued to slather on the ointment and rub it onto Thor's wound. It soothed the pain and numbed it temporarily allowing Loki to hem the wound. Light-brown eyes stared with wonder and amazement as Loki's nimble, pale fingers easily maneuvered needle and thread and stitched together the bloodied flesh. Slowly, the torn area came back together. He patted Thor on the arm and rolled him on his back so that he could rest comfortably as the wound healed. He started to rise, but he felt trembling finger tips brush ever so slightly against the side of his wrist.
Loki's head swiveled and he turned to glance back and look at Thor he saw a sliver of a sapphire blue eye poke through a puffy purplish eyelid. "L-L-Lo-lo-lo," the stammered foolishly as he tried to see the face through the blur and fog that cover him. He felt so heavy and tired. "Loki," he finally formulated. Loki nodded. Thor was able to wrap his hand around his brother's wrist and bring the fingers up the clasp Loki hand stained crimson with his blood. "Brudder," Thor panted the clasps on Loki's hand becoming harder, stronger as if he was holding on for dear life. His blue eye struggling to look into Loki's the once prince's green eyes shifted all around as if trying to avoid contact, but the firm squeeze from Thor's bronzed hand forced their pupils to meet. Thor sighed contentedly as he felt something with a smooth, velvety texture drape around his large banged up and bruised shoulder. Out the corner of his eye he spied Loki's long evergreen cape wrapping around him. His smile deepened. He tugged Loki's pale hand closer to his face and pressed it against his cheek, the cold palm felt good against his sweaty skin. "I'm...mgladyoucame," the blonde-haired prince slurred sluggishly as the sliver of his sparkling sapphire eye disappeared as his eyelid slid closed. There was a small and innocent smile plastered on his cut and chapped lips. Loki gulped his adam's apple bobbing deeply in his throat from the hard swallow, he nodded his head and forced a slight grin onto his face as he looked at Thor's innocent expression. It was so trusting and peaceful...so guilless like the kind a child would give just before their parent tucks them in for the night.
It was that look that the trickster couldn't take, Loki shut his eyes and patted him on the hand, that hand already grown limp. The facial expression twisted his stony heart, filling it with a strange uneasy, apprehensive emotion. It was a gnawing guilt. He thought with this deed of avenging, Lady Dagmar he could wash himself clean from guilt, but he couldn't. How could he...if he went through with all that he intended. For a fleeting second he almost thought not to do all that was in his heart to do, but that couldn't be now... he'd come this far he couldn't stop. 'Go to sleep," he replied the green-eyed enchanter's voice breathy and shaking as he waved his hand over Thor's forehead, instantly Thor's muscular body went slack against his mat, his head lulled to the side and he was knocked out and softly snoring. He placed Thor's hand gently down by his side and then walked out of the mouth of the cave.
Loki walked out of the sweltering cave and into the dead of night. He stood just outside the mouth of the cave that was covered up by burlap sacks and quilts. The night was unfathomably silent. There were no night birds cawing in the distance nor the sound of the laughter of drunks just leaving the taverns. Nothing...the silence was empty, hollow and deafening. Now that the thunderous sandstorm had passed over them the Dark-World was silent and still and black, there was no moon or stars in the skies. The blackness of the sky was impenetrable. Loki supposed he should have been used to it. The first few months he'd spent in the dungeon he'd been left in obscurity. And surely when he'd fallen into the void he'd been in entrenched in the darkness. At first it had frightened him, but then all at once he'd embraced it. But he couldn't bring himself to embrace it tonight. He looked in the sky hoping to see some glimmer, some sparkle of sweet silver light twinkling in the far heavens as if then...he'd know...know that maybe she'd looked back from the illustrious halls of Valhalla and seen his act, seen his efforts to avenge her. By chance he'd catch the star flickering in the sky and know that her once gentle silver eyes were shining brightly for him with love. His hopes were left dashed as the only light on the outskirts of the cave was that of the shadow of the flame from the mighty fire that burned brightly within.
Loki heard soft footfalls approach. He let out a loud gusty sigh to show his annoyance at her presence. His aggravated breathing was not a deterrent before he knew it she was right words to say. It was her first attempt at talking to him. "Are you lost mortal?" Loki asked quietly as he inhaled the chilly and still night air with his hand clasped behind his back.
Jane sputtered for a moment. He caught her off guard. She started to answer him, but then thought better of it. She'd get right to the point of why'd she come to him. "He cares about you!" Jane blurted out.
Loki chuckled slightly as if bemused by some tale a child might tell him. "yes I know."
"And that means nothing to you?' Jane retorted back snappily.
"Perhaps it shouldn't mean so much to you," Loki responded flatly still keeping his back to her.
"I admire Thor for the fact that he is able to forgive you for all the despicable crimes you've committed," Jane spat. "After all the monstrous things you've done!"
"Hmm, yes admiration, but perhaps you should not hold his noble heart toward his wicked brother in such high regard,"he offered.
"I don't think it's wise of him," Jane qualified, "But I admire him for it," she qualified.
"You may not be so happy for it in the end," Loki cautioned once more. "Because, eventually he will have to chose and with all his care about me you can't be so sure who he will pick," Loki reported.
"You don't have to make him chose!"Jane called behind him.
"Fate will make him chose Jane Foster, now we just have to wait and see how fate plays out," he shrugged as he slowly turned around to look at her for the first time in their conversation.
She took a step back and took a deep breath. "I know he loves me," she protested.
The raven-haired enchanter smirked as he walked in a circle around her. "You think you are the only mortal that he has loved?" the silver-tongued man posed. "You're not." he stated flatly. "There was another once, a princess, lovely creature she," he expressed gesturing with his fingers. "She had an exquisite singing voice...Thor was young and she was young and he swore he'd have her as his bride. He used to come and visit her each spring...but years past and past and the princess grew older, not so lovely, she was weak and frail soon an old woman and Thor well he grew bored eventually he stopped coming to see her," Loki explained slightly grinning.
"I know you're a notorious liar," she said perceptively.
"Perhaps," Loki shrugged. "Believe what you will," he replied. "but one thing that is not a lie is that he will have to chose," the green-eyed Asgardian stated as he started to turn to into the cave.
"How can you be so unfeeling about the people who care you?" Jane yelled. "Like your mother!" Loki froze in his tracks, " Jane shouted. "Or Lady Sigyn, Or Thor, who trust you like a real brother," she continued. Loki balled his hands into tight fist. "Lady Dagmar!"
Loki spun around and gripped Jane tightly by the wrists then forcefully slammed her against the outer wall of the cave. She gasped as he body collided with the sharp stones. LOki's emerald eyes were blaring, his lips snarling like a rabid wolf. "Never utter her name to me!" he growled through gritted teeth. "NEVER!" he shouted his lips quivering with anger. "Everything I have done this day I have done for her," he reported. "To avenge, her to prove to her, to tell her...I" Loki stumbled his words becoming caught in his throat.
Loki's eyes slid close and he loosened his clasps on her wrist allowing his hands to fall and rest on the slimy wall of the cave. Jane watched as the thin man's whole body trembled as he tried to contain the sob desperate to break forth. "You did love her didn't you?" Jane questioned quietly as her hand cupped Loki's shivering shoulder. Loki brought his eyes up to Loki at Jane. They were wide and hurt, vulnerable and for the first time since she'd met him she did see him as a monster. He stood up straight his shoulders heaving as he heart pounded fast in his chest.
"Do not presume that you know me Jane Foster, because you don't!" he gave her a good rattle before he pushed off of her and back into the cave.
"She loved you, Loki," Jane informed, "She wanted you to know that."
Loki nodded slowly his emerald eyes welling with tears. he hung his head so that his black hairs obscured his face. "Go to be mortal," he instructed. "I will keep first watch," Jane did as he bid her scuttling back behind the burlap flap that guarded the mouth of the cave. On the outside of the cave she thought she heard the criminal, Loki weeping.