Author's Note: This chapter is rated 'M' just for mentions of torture. There really isn't anything in it that requires a true 'M' rating, but I would rather be safe than sorry. Anonymous1662 I would tell you not to be worried for Loki, but you should be. XD


Twenty-four hours.

That had been the arrangement Loki had made with Odin and the War Council. Twenty-four hours after he was discovered to be missing was all the time Loki would be given to figure out his own way of escape. If he failed to do so, the Crimson Hawks would be enlisted to get him out. It was a consideration that probably wouldn't be given to any other spy, but Loki was a Prince, and therefore had to be treated a bit differently. Of course his current captors could care less about his royal blood, and were in all likeliness treating him all the worse for it. It hadn't taken them long to realize his body's magical healing abilities, and they were taking full advantage of it. Their current form of torturous fun had been to see how badly they could wound him without actually killing him, and then watching the wound mend before doing it again. They had long since given up trying to get information from him, and were just torturing him for fun now. He was finally given a bit of a reprieve when his captors sat down for a meal. They didn't wander far off, but they were distracted enough that Loki felt safe testing his shackles. They were on tight, and there wasn't any give in them. Under normal conditions Loki would have just used his magic to free himself, but he was far too spent to even try by this point. He watched helplessly as his body healed his wounds once again before he could bleed to death. The healing process was getting slower and slower, which meant that he didn't have long before it wouldn't heal fast enough to save him. He wasn't sure when his Twenty-four hours had started, or if it even had. Surely someone had reported his missing status by now. If they hadn't, there was no chance Loki was getting out of this alive.

Loki had known that this was going to be his most difficult scheme yet when he first discovered the cell of rock trolls almost a year ago. Though not the largest force he had tried to subterfuge, the trolls were surprisingly strong and under good leadership. Not only did they prove to be a fairly formidable force in and of themselves, but it appeared that they were trying to unite several other rebellious factions to their cause also. The AllFather had approved his infiltration plan instead of just attacking the trolls outright so that they could discover what other threats where out there and how to best take them down as well. Loki had managed to infiltrate their ranks, and work his way into a place of no little power with little resistance. That is what should have clued him into the danger of his position.

"How does the Prince of Asgard?" A familiar voice asked.

Loki lifted his head from his chest to stare at Theoric. He had been wondering when the warrior was going to make his appearance.

"Believe it or not, I have had worse days." Loki replied in a hoarse voice. "I take it you offered to go ahead of the others."

"I did. We didn't want to send too many of us in if we could help it. The rest of the Hawks will be on their way soon enough."

"Does Sigyn know?"

"Know what? The reason why I had to run out on wedding planning? No. She was meeting with your mother today actually. A bit of a relief honestly, wedding plans are not really my specialty." Theoric replied with a smile.

"No, I dare say they aren't. Knowing Sigyn's mother though, I am certain you aren't getting much of a say in them anyways." Loki muttered.

"True enough." Theoric responded before pulling up a chair and taking a seat in front of Loki.

The warrior studied Loki's wounds.

"Not healing very quickly today, are they?" He asked.

Loki didn't bother to respond. Theoric shot a look over to Loki's captors, only speaking when he was certain that they were too preoccupied eating and talking to take any notice of the particulars of his conversation with Loki.

"The work you did on this job was superb really. I'll give you the credit for the last few pieces of the puzzle when I deliver the information to Odin. You'll come out a hero." Theoric remarked.

"Why bother with that?" Loki asked quietly.

"Because I only need to destroy you, not your reputation." Theoric replied cooly.

Looking back at the chain of events, it was easy to see where the dots connected. Loki's upward movement in the rock troll forces began not long after his inquiries into Theoric commenced, and now the reason for that was clear. It had been a trap. The trolls had been tipped off about his true identity from someone from the outside, that someone being Theoric.

"So you intend to help lead the forces of Asgard against these vermin once you are sure I am dead?"

"That is the plan." Theoric stated.

"And you don't think they have considered that possibility?"

"They probably have, but I am sure they considered it to be a risk worth taking in exchange for a Prince of Asgard. You almost threw me off there at the end though." Theoric admitted. "Last we spoke you weren't supposed to finish this up for a few more days, so when we were told that you had gone missing and I was the only one who seemed surprised that you had already gone in, I figured you had found me out."

Loki smirked.

"The dagger gave you away, the one Sigyn was carrying with her at the celebration. I recognized it as being identical to one that I had seen lodged into a table here in the rock troll headquarters. I thought it was a safe assumption that Sigyn hadn't been here, and of course I knew the dagger wasn't hers anyways. It had to be yours, which meant you had been here without authorization."

"So if you had suspected that I had betrayed you, why did you try to complete the mission at all?"

"I assumed that I would be able to convince them that you were lying in an attempt to infiltrate them. Being a known member of the Crimson Hawks, and what I had found out about your, shall we say, bloody record was all the advantage I thought I would need."

"If I hadn't already given them solid proof of who you were it might have been enough." Theoric conceded.

"Proof?" Loki asked.

"As my dagger betrayed me, yours betrayed you." Theoric replied while pulling a very familiar silver dagger from out of the back of his belt. "You should have thought to carry a different type of dagger in the presence of the rock trolls."

Loki stared at the dagger. When had Theoric come across one of his daggers? The only explanation hit him hard.

Sigyn.

That was the dagger Sigyn had stolen from him all those years ago. Theoric had given her his dagger, and she had given him Loki's in return. A new sense of hate for Theoric began to pulse through Loki's veins. He wasn't just trying to take Sigyn away from him; he was trying to take his place in her life. In the end, all of this came down to Sigyn. Loki would never have dug into Theoric's past if he hadn't been trying to protect Sigyn, and Theoric would never have been spooked into defensive action by Loki's prying if he hadn't known that Loki intended to reveal what he found out to Sigyn in order to separate them.

"Why did the trolls wait so long to take me prisoner seeing that they knew my true identity months ago?" Loki queried.

"Because I urged them to wait. I told them that if they waited till they were ready to attack the AllFather, that they would have extra leverage by holding you hostage. They couldn't take you prisoner before they were ready for their offensive though because the AllFather would send a force of no small might to retrieve you."

"And you needed me alive long enough to ensure that I got the rest of the information on their plans that they were never going to reveal to you. Not to mention you would be aware of when they planned on attacking when I went missing." Loki theorized.

"Exactly."

There was silence for a few moments.

"So she does still love me, doesn't she? For you to go to such lengths to get rid of me, she must." Loki noted.

Theoric stood up from his seat to look Loki in the eyes.

"She says that she can let my past stay in the past, but you know Sigyn, she is curious. Someday that curiosity would get the better of her, and she would try to find out what secrets I held."

"But the truth of your past would be no danger to her love for you… unless she was truly in love with someone else." Loki pointed out.

"It was no secret to me that you were still madly in love with her," Theoric began, "and I knew from working with you that you would go to any lengths to get her back. All I have done is proven that I am just as madly in love with Sigyn, and will go to any lengths to protect her."

There was no lie in Theoric's words. Loki could see that he was deeply in love with Sigyn. To contrive the death of a Prince was proof enough of that.

"Protect her? Having me killed is protecting her?" Loki asked incredulously.

"I don't know what you did to Sigyn to cause the two of you to split, but it must have been exceedingly cruel to cause her to shun society for almost an entire year. I couldn't help but wonder what other cruelty you would put her through should you manage to take her back. Your death will ensure her protection from any future heartbreak." Theoric reasoned.

"And ensure you get what you want." Loki added.

"Weren't you trying to do the same thing?" Theoric pointed out.

"I never tried to have you killed." Loki retorted.

"Only because you didn't think of it." Theoric remarked. "I will gladly kill to protect Sigyn."

"Which shows how shallow your love for her is. Killing comes naturally to you."

Theoric didn't reply, but instead looked over to where the several trolls that had been guarding Loki were eating… well had been eating. Loki had been so focused on Theoric that he hadn't noticed that his captors were no longer talking, eating, or breathing.

"You poisoned them?" Loki asked.

"Yes, and it will only be a matter of time before others come to check on them." Theoric noted.

Loki caught the slightest telegraph of Theoric's strike and was able to move his body ever so slightly to avoid his own dagger ramming into his heart. Theoric clasped his hand over Loki's mouth to smother his scream, and proceeded to twist the blade in further. He pulled the dagger out none to gently and went to retrieve the key to Loki's shackles from the dead guards. Loki's vision blurred, and he began to cough up blood. He didn't have to be a healer to know this was bad. Theoric returned with the key and released Loki from his bonds. Loki, too weak to stand on his own, hit the ground hard. The world around him was swimming as he tried to hold desperately on to consciousness. Whatever happened now, he could not lose consciousness. Theoric pulled Loki up a bit and began to make his way out of the chamber and down a dark corridor semi-supporting and semi-daragging Loki along. The lie Theoric would give would be believable enough. He would tell of how he managed to get to the younger Prince, but was too late to save Loki from his wounds. He would divulge the rest of the troll's plans to Odin saying that Loki had been able to give him that much before dying. Loki would be regarded as a fallen hero, and Theoric would be commended for his efforts before marrying Sigyn…

Marrying Sigyn.

This treacherous man was going to marry Sigyn. Loki's blood began to boil. This was unacceptable. He could not let Theoric have Sigyn. Sigyn was Loki's, but if Loki was going to be denied her through death he should at least refuse his murderer the right to her as well. Adrenaline began to fill Loki once more, and a second wind he didn't even know he had flooded his senses. It was as if his awareness had been returned to him even clearer than before, and Theoric never saw his attack coming. His movements weren't fluid at first, but he managed to throw Theoric off him regardless. The warrior was stunned temporarily, but his training soon took over. He made a motion to strike Loki with his dagger, but Loki deflected the blow. The two of them spent the next few moments struggling in the corridor. Loki could hardly believe he had the strength to go head to head with Theoric in his condition, but somehow he was managing to do so. His injuries burned, but the pain only spurred him on. The blood streaming from the wound Theoric had created was falling in puddles on the cavern floor causing a slick surface for the two combatants. It only took one of them losing their balance to bring them both to the ground. Loki found himself underneath Theoric, and had to quickly throw the warrior off-balance to avoid getting his throat slit. Theoric regained his balance without much difficulty and tried to drive Loki's dagger into his throat. Loki managed to grab Theoric's wrists, and began to push back. The dagger floated precariously above Loki's neck, but Theoric seemed to be having quite a bit of difficulty pushing against Loki despite the fact that gravity was on his side. Loki stared deeply into Theoric's eyes taking in the anger that burned there. Theoric wanted him dead so badly that Loki could feel the hatred radiating off of him. The only image filling Loki's mind was Sigyn. She was and should be his. Jealousy surged through Loki at the thought of Theoric being with her, and it gave him the strength to turn his dagger up to Theoric's neck. Theoric's eyes widened in fear as the realization of what Loki was about to do struck him. Loki bucked his hips up throwing Theoric forward, while pushing the dagger upward. The warrior was unable to react in time, and Loki's dagger found a home in Theoric's throat. Theoric's hands loosened, and Loki thrust the dagger the rest of the way through before pushing Theoric's body off of him. He rolled over onto his hands and knees and looked at the dead body that lay next to him. He pulled his dagger out of Theoric's neck and wiped it off on Theoric's tunic before sheathing it in the dead warrior's belt.

A wave of relief overtook Loki as he watched the dead man's eyes glaze over. The energy that had been surging through him seemed to die with the object of his envy, and Loki found that he could barely keep his eyes open. He refused to die by Theoric however, so he began to scoot himself on his hands and knees down the dark cavern. He could only imagine the trail of blood that followed him as he made slow progress out of the caves. He scooted till he could scoot no more, and then collapsed against a wall. He put as much pressure as he could on his gaping wound, but he knew it wouldn't be enough to stop the bleeding. He looked down at the torn flesh, and nausea hit him hard as the smell of his own blood accosted his senses. There was no escaping the inevitable now, so Loki closed his eyes and relaxed. He wasn't sure why, but the only thing he could think of was that morbid poem that Sigyn had always liked…

The fault with Fidelity is that she claims to be faithful,

When the only thing truly faithful is Death.

That day in the library had been so long ago, yet Loki had never forgotten it.

"Death is a promise that despite how differently we each have lived, we will all be given the same ending…"

He and Theoric were sure getting the same ending, but had they really lived that differently? They were both men that made their name through the use of deception and subterfuge, they both fell in love with the same woman, and they had both been willing to destroy the other to be with that woman.

"I find it comforting to know how my story ends for it takes out so much of the uncertainty that life holds…"

If only he had known how soon the ending would be though.

"I can live my life day to day confident in the knowledge that though I will make mistakes, those mistakes cannot alter the final fate I must face..."

He had made more mistakes than he could count, especially where Sigyn was concerned. His biggest mistake hadn't been that he had cheated on her, or that he had only been moments away from raping her. No, as bad as those two things had been, his first and greatest mistake had come when he didn't take her as his wife when he had the chance. His mother had been right, he had been given the opportunity to marry her, and he never did. Now he wouldn't even be able to apologize to Sigyn, or tell her that he truly had loved her.

"You may not believe me now, but one day death will not seem such an enemy, and on that day you will welcome it as a friend."

Dying wasn't so bad, but he wasn't sure he would classify it as a friend exactly. Memories of his family and Sigyn rushed to the surface. How would Thor handle his death? Probably not very well… His mother? If he had to guess: poorly. His father? He would care, but Odin wasn't one to weep. He would probably be the only sensible one about the whole thing. Sigyn? She wouldn't care, not once she found out Theoric was dead as well. She would probably just curse Loki for getting her betrothed killed. Well let her be angry. He and the Norns would know that he had done the right thing, and that was all that mattered at this point.

He could hear footsteps coming quickly towards him, and he managed to open his eyes enough to see a couple of faces hovering over him. It was too difficult to make out any features, but he was pretty sure they were Asgardian.

"Prince Loki…Prince Loki?"

Definitely not trolls…

"The attack… i… its…its …now… no, ton…tonight." He managed to sputter out.

Seriously his famed 'silvertongue' was going to give out as he died?!

"Did Theoric reach you?"

Loki half-consciously nodded.

"Where is he?"

"Dead." He replied almost inaudibly.

Those around him began to mutter something about getting him back to the palace, but Loki just tuned them out as he closed his eyes again. The last thought that crossed Loki's mind as he slipped into unconsciousness was that at least for once he wouldn't be in Thor's shadow. For one week it would be all about him.