Hey Guys!

Welcome back and I'm so sorry this is late coming out. I've been super busy and I've just not had the time to get round to posting this. But it's finally here!

Thank you as always for the Favs, Follows and Reviews. Please continue to do all three and let me know what you think. Are you still liking the story? Do you think I should change Amora a bit more? I know I've been keeping her following Loki's story line, due to this being set in Avengers but do you want it to go a little more off script? PLEASE REVIEW!

Anyway, after that, lets get to the chapter! Loki's back!

Cheers!

D.S x

Disclaimer: I do not own Thor, the Avengers or any other of Marvel's various properties

10

Loki fell end over end as the glass prison continued its decent through the sky to inevitably land on the hard earth of Midgard which was rapidly getting closer. The Young Prince crashed into the sides, the glass splintering under the weight as he was thrown about. His face smashed into the glass, causing his nose to sting, only to be ripped away a second later.

"Fukka!" Loki yelped, which wasn't helped when his back crashed once again into the glass. "Get it together."

Channelling a little Seidr into his hands before he could be twisted from his recent crash site, he stuck his hand to the glass, allowing the Seidr to stick in place, stopping him from being tossed about. However, now he was in one place he had no choice but to roll with the glass prison, which was not slowing.

"Got to stop this thing," Loki hissed, Seidr once more reached out to try and slow the decent, but Loki may be a Seidr wielder, but even an experienced practitioner had trouble wrestling with natural forces. And besides he had nowhere near enough power to stop something from falling. With his efforts in vain Loki focused on halting the spinning, though once accomplished he wished he hadn't.

With widening eyes Loki stared in fear at the blue expanse of water that was rapidly raising up to meet him. With a growing terror he realised that if he impacted with it as this speed he wouldn't know if he would survive it or not.

Panicking, Loki tried to teleport, but his panic was overriding his mind, causing the deep focus and concentration he needed for the spell to be beyond him.

"Calm down, calm down," he muttered, but his words sounded more like sobs as his Seidr failed him again and again. The water grew closer and closer, making it more and more obvious that Loki couldn't escape. Tears pricked at his eyes, rolling down his cheeks as he choked out, "I don't want to die."

"Loki."

Loki twitched at the voice, so familiar and comforting.

"Mother?!"

"Loki!" the voice answered him again, though it sounded frantic, desperate and so, so sad. Loki's vision darkened, only for a familiar image to come to his eyes. He was in his family's quarters; the curtains were drawn, and it was late in the evening. His Father and Thor were sat in chairs before the fire, a hnefatafl board between as they played quietly. Loki could easily make out the frown lines that marred Thor's brow, while his Father smirked, all to content in his victory. A hand stroking through his hair brought his eyes from the scene, looking up into the smiling face of his Mother as they sat on the small couch together, Loki's head in her lap as she continued to play with his raven locks.

"Tired, my little trickster?"

Loki opened his mouth to answer, only for a crack of broken glass to shatter the image, sending his mind careening back into the present and his fall through the sky and to certain doom.

"Mother!" Loki called out, but the image didn't return, however a renewed feeling of determination did. He couldn't allow himself to die, he wanted to see his Mother, Father and Brother again. He wouldn't allow Amora to defeat him.

Without thinking, he reached out a hand, concentrating on pulling, something, anything, every last bit of Seidr out of himself. If it meant it saved his life, allowing him to see family again, he would do anything.

The water got closer, Loki grit his teeth and closed his eyes. "Come on!"

A lurch in his gut came before a feeling of freezing cold washed over him, on its heels was something being shot from his hands. Startled, Loki opened his eyes only to see a continuous blast of ice was issuing from his palm. Having smashed through the glass of the prison to hit the water below, freezing it on impact. The body of ice grew bigger as Loki felt his back being pushed into the glass painfully, though it was easily ignored due to the fact his decent was slowing.

The ice on the water spread, Loki felt his Seidr protest, but he shoved it aside, adding as much strength as he could to the primal release of his power. The prison was still falling, but it had slowed considerably, Loki braced himself and the prison finally collided with the glittering ice he had created, though it was far gentler that it should have been.

Loki released the Seidr, gasping as the cold spread across his skin. He curled into himself as the glass shattered from the impact. Thankfully the structure held, so nothing but glass shards fell across Loki's tired and prone body. He didn't know how long he lay there, his exhaustion making it impossible to move straight away. Eventually he felt life return to his limbs, allowing him to sit himself up painfully.

The light of the sun above made the ice glint, blinding him momentarily, he lifted a hand to try and block it, taking in the shadows of the glass prison which was scattered around him like a broken toy. He blinked rapidly, trying to get his eyes back into focus. Finally, his vision cleared though rather than fixing on the ice and destroyed prison around him, his gaze focused on his own hand. His breath stilled and he felt his heart clench painfully as he could only stare wide eyed as his own limb. As instead of the usual pale appendage it was now an azure blue, with scar like markings marring the otherwise flawless surface.

In horror Loki pushed himself so that he was crawling along the ice, he slipped and skidded but eventually he found the edge so that he could look over into the water below. He was surprised by how far the water was, the ice thick which was probably why the impact from the glass prison hadn't broken it in two. But he was close enough that he could see his shimmering reflection.

Who looked back was a stranger with his face, the shape of the eyes was familiar, as well as the jaw and brow, along with his raven hair which was a mess atop his head, but everything else was alien. The blue skin appeared brighter in the sun, though it made his dark hair even more pitch black due to the contrast. The lines that had been on his hand were also on his face, though now that he was actively looking, he could see the patterns they formed, swirls and spirals that Loki assumed must mean something, though it was lost on him. Though the one thing that shook him more than any other was his eyes. The shocking bright green that he was known for was gone, replaced by a red without even a pupil in the centre.

Loki reared back in disgust, that couldn't be him. In no possibly way could he be that … that monster. He lifted his hands to cover his face, only to freeze as he finally realised that his whole body had reverted to that of a Jotun.

"Turn back," Loki muttered as he stared at his hands, which refused to obey him. "Turn back! Turn back!" He tried to summon his Seidr, but it was still too weak due to the ice conjuring, so his body remained stubbornly blue. "Just change back." His plea remained unanswered and Loki was stuck sobbing on the ice.

"Monster, I'm a monster," he whispered, fingers coming up to grip his hair tightly. This was what he truly looked like. This was the freak that lurked under his skin.

"Prince Loki, what have we said about speaking of yourself or the Jotnar like that?"

The voice was not his Mother this time, but it was still familiar and from a not so distant memory. The Healing Halls came to mind, him sat petulantly across from Eir, who was giving him her usual look of aggravated annoyance. The session came back to mind vividly, Eir in her usual brusque manner telling him that he shouldn't care that he was Jotnar. Drilling him on the books his Mother had provided about the culture and traditions of the frozen realm. That memory morphed into another, an older one, not long after the coup that had nearly taken his family.

He was sat in his Mother's garden, showing off his Seidr to his parents who were smiling indulgently. Thor was also there, all four members of the family enjoying their hard-scheduled time together

"Look Mother," Loki cried joyfully as he proffered his conjured flower to her, which she took gently, bringing it to her nose to smell.

"That's wonderful Loki," she said with a smile. "Conjuring life is a feat many Seidr wielders struggle with."

Loki beamed at his Mother's praise, even as she handed the flower back to him. "But have you tried composition transformation."

"No," Loki tilted his head to the side in curiosity. "What's that?"

"Frigga don't push the boy," Odin said, though his admonishment was more teasing than stern.

"You don't think he can do it?" Frigga asked, but before Odin could voice a word Loki cut in.

"I can do it. What is it?"

Frigga smiled indulgently, clasping the hand which held the flower. "It's when you change the elements which make up an object. For example, the flower would still be a flower, but it would be made from stone, or gems instead of living tissue."

Loki frowned, mind turning over the explanation. "I think I see," he said, shaking his Mother's grip from his hand, lifting his over to cover the flower and closing his eyes. The tingle of Seidr was instant, he felt it swell from his gut to come to his command. Though the transformation was not as instantaneous as he thought it would be. As his Seidr hit the flower he found it resistant to the change, he growled as he pushed more Seidr at it, sweat starting to form on his brow.

"Come on, change!"

"Don't push it Loki," Frigga spoke softly. "Raw strength is not what's required here, but subtle intuition."

Loki didn't really understand his Mother's words, but he pulled back his force, trying to coax the flower to change. He pictured gems, bright and glistening, it would look beautiful if his Mother turned it into a broach. Though the flower was being stubborn and it a fit of frustration he shot his Seidr at it. The sudden cold jolt made him yelp, causing both his parents to look at him in worry.

"Loki are you well?" his Father asked, while his Mother reached out her hands to steady him.

"Brother, what is going on?" Thor had come striding over, taking in the scene with his curious blue eyes. "What's that you have in your hand?"

Loki glanced down at his hands, feeling the weight of the flower had changed. He grinned, elation filling him.

"I did it! I think I did it?"

He lifted his hand, revealing the flower, which had indeed changed, only for his victorious smile to faulter as he stared at it. Instead of the gemstone flower he had wanted, what sat in his palm was one made of frost and ice. It steamed a little in the golden sun of Asgard, the cold burning into Loki's pale palm as he stared at it in growing horror.

"That's not … that's not what I wanted," he whispered, hand starting to shake. He was just about to drop the flower when gentle hands took his, rescuing the ice flower from a broken fate on the grass. Loki watched, terrified as his Mother took the flower, lifting it to her face to gaze at it.

"Such a wonderful transformation Loki," she said, smile never wavering as he turned her attention back to her son, before reaching out to pull him into a hug. "It truly is beautiful."

Loki stiffened in the hold, not sure what to do. "B…but -"

"Aye my son, such great work," Odin added, his hand coming down to ruffle the Young Prince's raven locks. "I'm sure you will be a master of your art one day."

"'Tis true Brother," Thor said, slapping a hand on his back. "I could never dream of creating such a craft."

Loki looked from one family member to another, his growing fear and panic at the sight of the ice flower lessening as he took in the smiling faces. Finally, he looked down and said quietly.

"But I wanted it to turn into a gemstone."

There was a pause, before soft fingers gripped his chin, lifting his face to meet his Mother's.

"Whether a gemstone or ice, it is still beautiful," Loki opened his mouth to protest but Frigga beat him to it. "We cannot change somethings Loki, in a transformation or about ourselves, but we have to learn to accept them and know that even though not all will appreciate them, the most important people in our lives do and that is all that matters." She looked at the flower again, the ice shining like a star. "I love this," she said, calm and understanding lacing her tone. "It matters not to me what it is made of, only that it came from you, my son."

Loki blinked, shock and awe infusing his chest. "T…truly?"

She nodded, along with his Father and Brother. The fingers fell away and Loki allowed himself to relax into the hug, revelling in the feeling of warmth.

"I love you, Loki."

Loki basked in the memory, letting it comfort him as he sat on the ice in the middle of the Midgardian sea. Slowly his crying stopped, his hands released their grip on his hair. Eventually his took a shaking breath and looked up to stare at his hands.

"It doesn't matter," he mumbled to himself. "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. They love me, I know they do. I'm not a Monster."

Amora's mocking face came to the fore, along with Alviss as he fell, but he pushed them away. He had to remember that even if the Jotnar were seen as monsters, even if the whole of Asgard derided them, he knew he wasn't a monster, that he was loved, that is family loved him and that was all that mattered.

With his panic under control and his self-loathing held at bay for now, Loki could finally make an assessment of himself. His Seidr was weak, his transformation into his Jotun form had saved some, but he needed to rest if he was going to have any power to get off the iceberg he had created. And what an iceberg it was, stretching out over ten feet, in a jagged spread that ended abruptly so that the sea could lap at the edges. Frost coated the immediate surface, melting on Loki's hands as he used them to shuffle around so he could take in the remains of the glass prison.

The glass was completely gone, though some shards remained, the metal structure was somewhat intact, but there was nothing Loki could use that would help him get off his island prison.

"I need help," Loki said to himself, glad to have something to fill the crushing silence. He adjusted his legs, so they were crossed, though he winced as his body ached. Once in position, the wind coming off the water, whipping his raven locks around, Loki close his eyes and tried to reach out for Sigyn.

He was sure that the Apprentice and his Valet were still alive, after all there was no great flying beast falling out of the sky. His Seidr quivered, not yet strong enough to be used to such an extent, but Loki ignored it. As his chest tightened, he felt a shimmer of familiar Seidr.

"There you are," Loki muttered, his brow furrowing as he strained to reach out towards it. But it seemed his Seidr had had enough, as immediately it shut down. Loki yelped at the backlash, his own energy searing his already pain filed body. After taking a few breaths he let out a muffled curse.

"That went well," he breathed, leaning forward so his elbows were resting on his knees. With his Seidr so weak he was only able to feel Sigyn, he didn't have the reserves to try and talk to her through Seidr, not with the distance that was still increasing between them.

"At least I know they live," Loki said, taking what he could get from the situation. If Sigyn was alive than Leif had to be to. Loki could only hope that they had either escaped from the flying beast, or they had come to some sort of arrangement with the Midgardians. From what Loki had gleaned of the species, they seemed to care a great deal for children, he could only hope that extended to ones not of their realm.

"That doesn't help me though," Loki suddenly bemoaned. And he was right, with him not being able to contact Sigyn for help, he was stuck on his iceberg indefinitely. Or at least until he had gathered enough Seidr in order to try and teleport. Glancing up, Loki frowned at the sky. It was clear of clouds, though Loki could hear a rumble in the distance. It reminded him of his Brother, if Thor were here, he could have flown he and Loki off the ice in but a moment. But he wasn't and Loki didn't know if his Father would be able to gather enough Dark Energy in time for Thor to come and save the day and the Bifrost was broken so re-enforcements would not be coming anytime soon.

Biting his lip, Loki sunk down into a meditative pose. It was a move he was greatly familiar with, due to the amount of meditation that was needed at the beginning of any would be sorcerers training. He concentrated on his Seidr, calling it forth so that he could see the damage for himself. He hissed when he realised that he was practically running on empty, it also explained why he had reverted to his Jotun form. He may be a Shapeshifter, but his Jotun skin was the one he was born with, even his Asgardian skin required a small amount of Seidr to keep up, so in order to save some, his body had helped in the only way it could.

Sighing, Loki perused his options. He could wait for his Seidr to replenish on its own, if the wielder had enough rest it would come back naturally, but that would take time. Time Loki didn't have. With Amora back on the loose, Loki was positive the Witch would begin enacting her plan soon. She had her staff once again and with knowledge that Asgard was aware of her presence she wouldn't want to risk bigger threats making their way down to stop her. That left one other option for Loki.

Settling himself, Loki switched his focus from his Seidr to his surroundings. Keeping his eyes closed and his breathing steady he allowed the natural Seidr of Midgard to take him up in its flow. It was a little jarring, Loki had done this on Asgard before, though always under the watchful eye of his Mother. But Asgard's Seidr felt very different to that of Asgard. Being an older realm that was used to its energies being harnessed by the inhabitants the Seidr flow was usually calm, like a crystal-clear stream where you could easily see what was coming ahead. However, Midgard was a young realm, where its people did not have access to Seidr and so no way to feel or interact with the energies of their own world. So, when Loki joined its flow it was like being tossed about in a turbulent sea. Powerful and chaotic, Loki had to mentally cling on before he was able to adjust, merely to keep his head above the metaphysical water.

Gritting his teeth, Loki wrestled with centring himself, so that he wouldn't be swept away. Once done he was able to begin the difficult task of filtering off some of Midgards Seidr. It was like trying to use a ladle to empty a pool, there was so much Seidr that it spilled over the sides and Loki had to struggle to keep what he had captured, to funnel it back to himself. His Mother had taught him this technique for emergency use only.

"Seidr is dangerous, Loki," she had said. "It can overwhelm you, especially if you take too much. Always take care to not overindulge."

"That's easier said than done," Loki mumbled as he continued with his careful sipping of Midgards Seidr.

It took longer than he had wanted, much longer than it would have done with the familiar Seidr of Asgard, but finally Loki was satisfied with the amount of Seidr he had been able to filter from Midgard. He wasn't completely refilled, that would have been pushing his luck, especially with Midgards chaotic energy. But he was at a point where his Seidr would respond, just as long as he was careful.

Opening his eyes, Loki felt his body was in much better shape. It didn't ache like it once did, and he could feel where the bones, which more than likely had been cracked had repaired. Glancing at his hands he saw that they were still blue. Taking a shuddering breath Loki forced himself to look at them.

"It makes no difference," he hissed, lifting them so they were right in front of his face, eyeing the scar like designs with surprising interest. "I'm me, it doesn't matter."

Saying it out loud made him believe it a little bit more, though it didn't stop him from shifting his shape back into his familiar Asgardian form.

"Blue would stick out," he muttered, coming to his feet.

The iceberg shifted beneath him, rolling with the waves as it moved through the sea. Loki took stock, noticing that the sky had dimmed a little, but not so much that he thought he had lost a great deal of time.

"Now, what to do?" Loki said. He had several options available to him now. With his Seidr replenished he could make his way to Sigyn and Leif. It would be logical to meet up, there was safety in numbers after all. But there was also the Midgardians to consider, while he didn't think they would hurt them, Loki had no doubt that if he was right in assuming Sigyn and Leif were in Midgardian custody, if he joined them, he wouldn't be leaving any time soon. And that did not suit his plans at all.

Which left the other option, heading straight for Amora. He had no doubt that he would be able to track her Seidr, or at least that of the staff, so finding her would be no problem. No, it was the success of his actions that niggled at him, would he be able to defeat her? Being alone made that thought impossible, with the previous encounters to go from, he now knew Amora was even more powerful than when she fell from Asgard. And even then, Loki wasn't the one to defeat her.

He cursed, shaking his head, what had he been thinking? Believing he would be able to beat Amora, and for what? For satisfaction? For Alviss? He shuddered as he thought of the old Steward. It was true on some level he did want revenge for the kind Asgardian, but he'd used it as an excuse. What he really wanted was to forget his guilt. Thinking that if he could beat Amora, it would take away some of the pressing shame he felt for his part in Alviss's death.

No, his revenge against Amora, could not be taken in blood. He had neither the experience, nor power, but that didn't mean he couldn't do something to rile the Witch.

Straightening his shoulders, Loki was quick to search out the feel of Amora's Seidr. She wasn't hiding, more than likely convinced that Loki wouldn't be able to move even if he was still alive after his fall. Fixing on the location, Loki gathered enough Seidr around himself. This would be much easier without passengers, he just hoped he was able to make the landing better than last time.

With a swell of Seidr, Loki disappeared from his iceberg, teleporting across the distance to New York where Amora waited to enact her plan. Loki may not be able to defeat the Witch in combat, but by the Norns he would stop her invasion.

In the pristine white observatory, sat at the end of the Rainbow Bridge in the golden Realm of Asgard, a frantic mother wrung her hands worriedly. Her husband stood to the side, eyes closed, and face scrunched in concentration as their eldest son continued to pester the already overwrought Gatekeeper.

"What do you mean he's vanished?"

"As I already explained to you Prince Thor," Heimdall, the Gatekeeper said, his usual stoic voice starting to strain. "I cannot see any Seidr users when they teleport, I must wait for them to reappear."

"But he should have done so by now."

"Not necessarily Thor," his Mother, Frigga answered. "Sometimes there can be a time delay, depending on the distance and the amount of Seidr the caster has at their disposal." She smiled, though it hurt her lips to twist them into a parody of a feeling she couldn't, nor wouldn't be able to feel at that moment. "He will be alight."

Thor said nothing, but he nodded. Frigga was glad her older son had calmed, she was having trouble herself keeping her emotions intact, and Odin needed to concentrate if he was to hurry and send Thor to Midgard to right this mess and return her child to her.

It had only been two days since they had discovered Loki missing. She had been waiting for him in the breakfast room, hoping to spend some time with him before Odin would need her to help with sending Thor to Midgard. But her little trickster had never arrived. She'd waited, thinking he had possibly slept in, or there had been a problem with his Valet. While she liked Leif, she was concerned that he was a little too jumpy to attend to her son well. But she was not about to go against her son's decision, Leif was to be part of his Household after all, plus it would be a good learning experience.

After early morning had given away to mid and noon was fast approaching, Frigga had had enough and sent a servant to her son's quarters. She had not expected them to return, face pale and sweating, stating that her youngest child was nowhere to be found.

Frigga, usually such a calm and serene woman had panicked. Her heart had stilled in her chest and she'd let loose a wail that had summoned more than one guard to her side. Though, they had been swiftly swept away as she hurtled through the Royal family's quarters to see her son's chambers for herself. She didn't know what she had expected to find, possibly Loki hiding under the bed, it all being some sort a prank. However, her hopes were dashed when she stalked into Loki's private chambers to indeed find them empty of life.

Her worry mounting, Frigga had cast out with her Seidr, ignoring the calls of the guards and her servants, searching frantically for any sign of that of Loki's. But her search was in vain and it was that that finally sent her to her knees, hands coming up to grip her hair, pulling it from the intricate style her attendants had spent time arranging that morning, as she cried her despair and fear on her son's chamber floor.

It had been a time of haze for her then. Odin and Thor having been summoned by the guards, both demanding to know what was going on. Frigga had just sat there, unable to move, her mind racing with one rapidly escalating thought after another. Where was Loki? Where was her child? What had happened?

She didn't remember being taken from the rooms, only the familiar gentle guiding touch of her husband as he supported her to their own chambers. Thor had long since vanished, starting a search for his Brother, determined to discover where he was. The time had stretched out endlessly for Frigga, placed on one of the chairs in her and Odin's parlour. Frigga vaguely recalled nights spent here when the boys had been young, Loki cradled in her arms as she rocked him by the fire. Thor, already a young man, speaking with his Father about one thing or another. Though that happy image did nothing to sooth Frigga now. Her child was gone. Her baby was gone. She could not feel his Seidr. How was that possible, it should be impossible, Loki could not simply have vanished?

The answers to Frigga's questions had finally come a whole day later, when Heimdall had arrived from the observatory, unsummoned, to state he could see Loki on Midgard.

"Midgard?" Thor had gasped, while Odin had narrowed his eyes in confusion. "But how could he have gotten there? Is the Bifrost -"

"The Bifrost is still not completely repaired, my Prince," Heimdall had interjected before Thor could begin a rant. "It would have been impossible for Prince Loki to use it to cross to Midgard. Additionally, I was at my post all night."

"Then how? Who could have possibly taken him there?"

"Thor, calm down."

"No Father! Some one kid -"

"Skywalking," Frigga had quietly muttered the word, much to the surprise of everyone else. "Loki must have skywalked."

"Impossible," Odin had said.

"My Queen surly there must be -"

"What's skywalking?" Thor's question was ignored as Frigga pushed the last of her melancholy behind her. If she was going to get her child back, moping about crying would not aid her. Squaring her shoulders, she stared at Heimdall who met her fierce blue gaze with his otherworldly golden one.

"What else did you see, Gatekeeper?"

And so Heimdall had given his report, describing how he had finally seen Loki on Midgard when he and two others had appeared out seemingly nowhere.

"I can only assume that must have been when he stepped from between the branches," Heimdall looked to Frigga for confirmation, who nodded. Odin let out a tried sigh, a hand coming up to rub down his face.

"That foolish boy."

"Who is with him?"

"His Valet, Leif and a girl I do not know, though she wears the robes of a Healer."

Frigga had been flabbergasted, three children had made their way to Midgard by skywalking, it was unheard of.

"No one else?" Odin had asked and Heimdall had shook his head.

"No, my King, I saw no one with them. From what I observed before seeking you out it appeared as though the Prince was leading the other two."

"Leading?" Thor gaped. "You're not suggesting Loki planned this?"

"It appears that way, my Prince."

"Loki would never -!"

"Your Brother has had many troubles recently Thor," Frigga said gently. "It is not beyond reason to believe he would wish to take matters into his own hands."

Thor opened his mouth, though no sound came out. Odin had simply grunted, turning to Heimdall, continuing to grill him for details of his youngest. Frigga though, while she had been able to remain cool for Thor's sake, had to clench her fists to stop them from shaking. Loki had gone to seek vengeance on Amora. She didn't have to have him tell her that, his actions spoke much louder than he ever could. Not that she could not understand where this desire came from, Loki, if he had been a man, would have been well within his rights to claim blood against the Witch. But Loki was not a man, but a boy, a young foolish boy, who was being powered not by his usual clever mind, but his volatile emotions that would lead him astray and into trouble.

"What are we to do then?" Thor's hopeless question had pulled her from her thoughts, and she reached out to take his hand softly.

"We'll bring him home."

"How?"

"I have gathered nearly enough Dark Energy," Odin announced, having finished discussing things with Heimdall, who had already left the chambers. "I will relocate to the Bifrost where I will be able to send Thor to Midgard, and Loki."

So that was how the Royal family had ended up all but living in the Observatory. Heimdall had taken it all in good stride, though his patience with Thor was beginning to wear thin. Odin had set about gathering the remaining Dark Energy he needed with vigour. His want to be reunited with his child was something Frigga knew he was determined to achieve as fast as possible. Though he would never show it, privately Frigga had comforted him while he fretted and worried over his lost son.

Thor had been the most vocal about his rage, fear and distress. His turbulent emotions effecting even the weather of Midgard, though Asgard had born the brunt with rain and harsh winds. With his initial search for Loki having been in vain, it had brought the situation to the attention of all Asgard, so rumours had been quick to spread. Frigga was not blind to the recent attitude towards her son by some of the Palace staff and common folk. Alviss's death and the coup had shaken many and some had taken their sadness and frustration out on her son. Though with the discovery that the Child Prince of Asgard was now missing it had turned the Palace into a hive of concern.

The Guards, even the ones which had been off duty had come to Thor's call, scouring the entire Palace and into the city beyond. The Palace servants had been inconsolable, searching the smaller nooks and crannies of the Palace which they knew the Young Prince liked to haunt from time to time. Devoting all their time, which was not taken up by the duties, to finding their Young Prince.

Once word had reached the common folk things had escalated quickly. The people taking their own time to search, adding to the Guards manpower. Even the outlying villages and towns had joined. All with one goal in mind, finding their little Prince. It had made Frigga's heart sore, giving her hope that the people of Asgard truly cared for their Prince. Now all she needed was her baby home for him to see it.

Though her insides churned with worry, even with all the hope she felt Frigga had remained the calm one. Once moved into the Observatory she'd taken a seat by the large arch ways that showed the endless mass of space beyond. Stretching out in vain with her Seidr, she'd hoped beyond hope that she would be able to feel her child, even just a glimmer would have been enough, but it had remained silent.

A spike of energy suddenly came from where her husband stood. Frigga twitched, quickly crossing to the King of Asgard where he had his eyes closed in concentration, though sweat beaded on his temples, while his brow furrowed.

"Odin?" she asked, gaining a grunt and an opening of his remaining eye.

"It's time."

She nodded, calling to Thor, who swiftly came to stand at his Father's other side. "Are you ready Thor?" Frigga asked. Thor nodded, determination sparking in his eyes like the lightening he commanded. "Now listen carefully, the Dark Energy your Father has gathered will blast you through the branches of Yggdrasil, be careful not to move too much, or you could end up throwing off the trajectory. You'll need the Tesseract to come back, so you must procure it from the Midgardians, for their and your safety. Also be aware, there will be a time delay, though your Father has fixed the Dark Energy onto Loki, so you should appear near wherever he happens to be, though at what time from now, I nor could your Father say."

"I understand Mother," Thor said. "Do not worry, I shall bring Loki home to you."

Frigga smiled, reaching out to place a kiss on his cheek. "I know you will." And with that she stepped back to stand beside Heimdall.

Odin shook, Gungnir starting to glow as the Dark Energy surged. Thor remained by his side, red cape billowing out behind him, silver armour glinting brightly while Mjolnir sat heavy on his belt. Frigga kept her smile in place for her eldest son, she would not doubt him, she could not.

All of a sudden Odin gave a mighty cry, grabbing Gungnir with both hands, swinging it around to thrust outwardly at Thor. Frigga felt the Dark Energy before she saw it, heavy with corrosive Seidr that could kill a wielder if they were not careful. Odin had used it only three other times in his life and Frigga did not like to remember any of them. The Seidr that blasted from the tip of Gungnir was a deep purple colour, looking almost like liquid than the usual cloud like texture Seidr was compared to. It enveloped Thor quickly, almost blocking the Golden Prince from sight before with a flare it vanished, taking it and Thor to Midgard.

Odin collapsed soon after, Frigga rushed to aide him, cradling his tired form as she whispered. "You did well my darling, Thor is on his way."

"A…aye," Odin managed to breath out, leaning his weight further into his wife as she held him.

A choked gasp had both parents flinching. Frigga flicked her gaze from Odin to Heimdall, whose gold eyes were wide as he stared at something only he could see.

"What is it Gatekeeper?" Frigga asked, while Odin tried to push himself up.

"How long do you believe it will take for Thor to arrive on Midgard, my King?" Heimdall asked.

"I do not know," Odin answered honestly. "It could be from an instant to a few hours."

"Why?" Frigga demanded. Heimdall didn't answer right away, before finally, under the combined gazes of his monarchs he had little choice.

"Midgard is being invaded."

Fukka - Fuck in Norse