Okay... it took a while... so sorry... hope you don't hate me ;)

ENJOY!


Chapter 25

"Oh, Mummy! You look beautiful!"

"Thank you, sweetie…"

Jane smiled while picking up Frigga's sweater she had thrown on the ground after changing into her new Asgardian robes. For the last hour, the little girl had insisted that her mother tried on everything in the closet. In the end Jane had chosen to stay with the light brown dress, she'd worn the last time she'd been on Asgard. Frigga on the other hand only wanted the most striking set of clothes ever. The maids of the palace had made her a beautiful silver dress, which made her blue eyes sparkle like two sapphires. Her golden hair hung loose over her shoulders and she had one thin braid tucked away behind her right ear.

"Mummy, mummy!" Frigga shouted enthusiastically while jumping on the bed. "You think daddy would take me for a flight? And Loki promised he would teach me magic, mummy! Real magic! Like Harry Potter, mummy! And he really likes Harry Potter! Oh, he does!"

Jane laughed and caught her daughter in mid-air. Frigga cheered in excitement.

"I think it's time for miss. Princes to get some sleep…" she said while trying to put Frigga under the blanket.

"I'm not tired mummy! I want to see the castle first!"

"You'll have plenty of time to do that tomorrow…"

"And do you think Arya would teach me how to shoot a bow like she can?"

Jane scowled. She didn't really like the idea of her daughter handling weapons.

"We'll see about that… Now you really need to…"

Jane was interrupted by a sudden hard knock on the door. Jane sighed. Couldn't they leave her alone for a second…

"Frigga, it's time to sleep! I'll be back in a second to tuck you in…"

Frigga nodded vaguely and jumped of the bed. Jane sighed and rubbed her forehead. Of all things she'd feared to face on Asgard, this must have been the one she hadn't seen coming…

In thought, Jane walked over to the way to heavy front door of the room. With some trouble she managed to open it. Out of breath she looked up at the visitor. It was a guard, a guard she hadn't seen before. Not that she had met many guards….

"Can I help you?" Jane asked.

The guard smiled.
"I have the feeling I'm interrupting something…"

Jane pulled up her eyebrows. This was a weird one… The guard continued.

"Actually, I came to collect my books…"

Jane's eyebrows shot even further up her forehead, until it struck her. That smile, the way he was talking…

"Loki?" she asked in surprise. The guard grinned and for a second his brown eyes turned light grey.

Jane laughed and stepped aside to let Loki in. "What are you doing?" she asked while trying to shut the door again. Once it had closed, the room was lit up by a short green flash.

Loki looked round him. He didn't need to search far, because two seconds later Frigga came running in the room with her arms held open, ready to hug her uncle.

"Loki!" she cried out while closing her arms around Loki's legs. The young king smiled. In fact he didn't really care to show his affection towards Frigga anymore. After all, it annoyed Thor and irritating his brother was always fun…

Loki laughed and picked up the little girl. Again she cheered in excitement until her arms and legs found Loki's body in a tight hug.

Jane turned away from the door and pulled up her eyebrows once more when she witnessed the sight in front of her, but when the first surprise had disappeared she couldn't do anything but smile. She knew Frigga had missed Loki extremely and she was sure that Loki had missed Frigga too.

"Loki, Loki, Loki! Are you gonna teach me magic now?" Frigga asked. Loki looked down on the girl.

"I.. errr… I don't really have the time now, but… later…"

Frigga frowned, but she knew that when people said "later" that you better stopped asking.

"So? Why the disguise?" Jane asked.

Loki turned around with Frigga in his arms to face Jane.
"I didn't want to attract to much attention. All the bowing and complaining is getting annoying.

Jane nodded. "Understandable… anyway, your books…"

Loki blinked as if he had forgotten about the books. "Yes… my books…"

Jane picked up the two plastic bags standing in the corner of the room and walked over to the young king.

"All yours…" she said. "And this…", she continued while empting her backpack,"is also for you. Coca cola, like you ordered."

Loki nodded vaguely. "Eeerr.. Could I leave the cans here? I don't really have any place to store them where no one can see them. I mean.. Asgardians might think it a bit weird…"

Jane smiled almost invisibly. She knew Loki was just searching for an excuse to drop by every now and then, but she nodded.

"Of course…"

Just at that moment the heavy door opened again and Thor entered. He watched Loki holding Frigga and frowned.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. He was still a little bit cross with his brother. Loki noticed it and scowled.

"Not to see your beautiful face, brother…"

Thor slammed the door shut. He really didn't want to see Loki at the moment. On his way towards his room, he'd been stopped by Lord Argus and Lord Gunnar, only to hear their same complaints again. Something that hadn't made him any happier.

Jane looked from one brother the other and softly whistled between her teeth.

"Frigga…" she started. "It's time for bed…"

"But…"

"Now Frigga…"

Loki slowly put Frigga on the ground without taking his eyes of his brother. The little girl shivered as if she could feel the cold stares the two men were sending each other. She quickly followed her mother towards her part of the room.

"I thought you were working on a plan?" Thor asked harshly. Loki smiled while walking a bit closer to his brother.

"I am…"

"Clearly…" Thor answered sarcastically.

Loki watched his brother for a couple of seconds.
"I think you are just jealous…"

Thor smirked. "Jealous? Of you?"

Loki pulled up his shoulders. His eyes turned dark. "No one would blame you, of course. I mean… your brother is king… and he is so much better at everything you want to do…"

Thor took a deep breath. He knew Loki was comparing him to how he, himself, used to feel in the past. Awkwardly enough… Loki did have a point… But Thor wasn't going to let Loki win that fast. He sniffed and answered: "I think… you are not doing your job!"

Loki's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"You're a king, for God's sake, but you let your people starve!"

"I can't do anything else!" Loki shouted back.

"Oh yes, you can! You just don't want to see it! You're a coward!"

"As if you would do it any other way!"

" I would!" Thor shouted furiously. "I would fight!"

Loki raised his arm and pointed at his brother. "And that is exactly where you have always been wrong!"

Thor couldn't take it anymore. "Listen well, brother…"

"NO! YOU LISTEN TO ME!" Loki interrupted furiously. Thor was so surprised that the words got stuck in his throat. Loki continued while taking a step closer to the startled God of Thunder.

"I am king! You listen to me! You have no idea in what kind of danger I would bring myself, and by doing that, also the rest of Asgard and even the other realms in the end! But of course, that doesn't matter to the Mighty Thor! He just waves his hammer around and everyone will fall down and kiss his feet! That is not how things work, Thor! I suggest you get used to that!"

Both brothers stood face to face, breathing heavily. Thor refused to break the eye contact, but that also counted for Loki.

"Okay… I promise I'll stay out of your brilliant plan of destruction…" Thor silently whispered. "But we still need a plan! And we need one quickly!"

Loki turned silent for a couple of seconds, thinking over the possibilities. Finally, he took a step back and forced the dark expression of his face.

"All right then… If you want to bring Asgard in danger… I'm okay with that… After all, with a little bit of luck, my plan might be our salvation after all…"

Thor frowned and watched his brother walk over to the door, carrying the two bags in his hands.

"But don't say I didn't warn you…"

Just before opening the door, Loki changed his appearance again into that of the guard. He turned towards Thor and said in his own voice: "Meet me tomorrow in the throne room, ten o'clock, sharp!"

With that said Loki opened the door and walked into the hall.

After the door had fallen shut again, Thor turned to face Jane who had followed the conversation from behind the corner. She bit her lip.

"You think that was wise?" she asked. "Have you any idea what his plan might be?"

Thor walked over to his wife and put one arm around her. He kissed her softly on the forehead.

"That was absolutely the most stupid thing I could have done, but I wasn't kidding. We need a plan, even if it might harm Asgard afterwards…"

Jane looked at the door as if Loki was still standing there. "I just hope he knows what he is doing…"

-xxx-

The next morning Thor decided to get up at half past nine. Not that he had slept that much. The whole night he had been wondering about Loki's plan and what Loki meant with "danger". As silent as possible, the God of Thunder put on his clothes and cape. After a some hesitation, he decided to take Mjölnir with him, just in case... Just when he walked towards the door, a sudden voice made him jump a foot in the air.

"Daddy?"

Thor looked down and saw the worried face of his daughter. She was all dressed and seemed right awake.

"I want to come with you daddy!" she said. Thor sighed.

"You can't, sweetheart…" he said, but he was cut off when Jane also entered the room. Thor pulled up his eyebrows.

"I'm tired of sitting here and doing nothing, Thor…" Jane said. "Whatever Loki's plan may be, we'll find out sooner or later. I'm coming with you!"

Thor looked at his wife speechless. He swallowed. "But… Frigga…"

"Frigga's is coming too!" Jane quickly added. "She's not staying here by herself!"

"But it might be dangerous!" Thor said. Jane pulled up her shoulders.

"If it is, Loki will not allow us to come…"

Thor wanted to say something else, but he couldn't find the words. He sighed.

"All right then…" he muttered while opening the door. "We better leave then… We don't want to keep Loki waiting…"

-xxx-

Loki was lost in thoughts. He stared through the throne room without really paying attention to what he saw. The young king still wasn't sure he'd made the right decision. Maybe it was too soon, or maybe it was already too late…

Loki groaned and rubbed his forehead just when the doors opened and Thor entered. The young king took a deep breath and got too his feet, until he saw Jane and Frigga enter the room too. Loki frowned and descended the stairs.

"What are they doing here?" he asked a little more harshly than he meant.

"Jane and Frigga wanted to come…"

"I didn't give permission for that…" Loki started, but Jane interrupted.

"Excuse me, correct me if I'm wrong, but since I am married to Thor, the prince of Asgard and therefore the next in line, I think it is only logical for me to understand the ways of Asgard…"

Thor, Loki and even Frigga looked at Jane with surprise covering their faces. Jane smiled softly.

"Well I mean… err.. right?"

Frigga looked away from her mother and waited for Loki to say something. Thor did the same. Loki on the other hand didn't know what just had happened. Of course Jane had a point, but she had completely overthrown him. Now he came to think of it… Thor was indeed the next in line…

Loki shivered almost invisibly… Even now, all he had to do to make his brother king after all, was die…

"Err.. I eeer…" Loki tried. He cleared his throat. "I suppose…"

Jane smiled a little too enthusiastically and quickly forced a serious expression on her face again. She wasn't really planning on becoming queen of Asgard. She just really wanted to know what was going on.

Loki shook his head and shared a look with Thor, who pulled up his eyebrows. He hadn't seen this coming either...

"I see…" Loki continued. "All right.. you can come, but you have to do exactly as I say!"

Jane nodded her head. Frigga nodded her head like a lunatic. This was so exciting!

Loki smiled sadly. He hoped Frigga would stay this happy…

-xxx-

Thor looked around. Five minutes before, they'd left the throne room and had followed Loki through the hallways. All the way, Loki hadn't said a word, but just kept walking and walking without paying attention to the guards who bowed when they passed. The worst thing was that Thor knew where they were going. Loki was leading them towards the dungeons!

Thor watched Loki, walking just in front of him, keeping up a fast pace. He knew that if he asked any question, his brother would only get more annoyed, so he kept silent.

Five more minutes past and finally they reached the dungeons. The first cell on the left was empty. It had been Loki's cell. Thor tried to ignore it. Frigga, who had been whispering excitedly the whole way, turned silent and grabbed her mother's hand a bit tighter. She absolutely didn't like this place. Jane was starting to regret her decision to join Thor. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea… She walked over to Thor and looked her husband in the eyes for a second. Thor nodded. He tightened his grip on Mjölnir, just in case Loki was going to try something…

The four of them kept walking and Thor started to wonder where Loki was going. Why were they in the dungeons in the first place?

Cells past and every time, the prisoners seemed more and more dangerous. Their eyes followed Loki and Thor, wanting them to look back, but both brothers were used to ignoring stares like this and just fixed on the path before them. Jane and Frigga on the other hand hadn't felt more uncomfortable in their whole life. Jane picked up her daughter and held her close to her body in an attempt to calm the little girl down.

Just when Thor wanted to ask Loki what he was up to, they arrived at a heavy, golden door and Thor swallowed. Now he knew where they were going, but it didn't really put him at ease… The God of Thunder stepped next to his brother.

"What in the world do you think you're doing?" he asked in an angry whisper. "That is the most secure prison cell on Asgard!"

"Exactly…" Loki answered with a grin. Thor couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Only the most dangerous criminals are kept there! Are you planning on letting Jane and Frigga enter that!"

"They wanted to come…" Loki simply said while putting his golden staff in a whole next to the door.

"Loki!" Thor almost shouted while taking hold of the sceptre. "What are you doing!"

The young smiled while pushing Thor's hand of the gold of his staff. "Let's just say… we're visiting some old friends…"


I know, it's not very long... Especially not after waiting for such a long time... I'm sorry!

I still hoped you enjoyed it!

Please review!

Rumple x