A/N: This first chapter takes place almost exactly one year later from the end of Unseen Curve.

I don't own The Avengers, Loki, Iron Man, or anything of the like. Just the thoughts inside my head. And taking some personal freedoms with mythology and lore.


Tony tugged lightly on the end of Loki's hair in their bed that night. Loki seemed to be asleep, but Tony knew better. He knew that Loki was ready to jump at the snap of a finger. It took a lot longer for Tony and Loki to go to sleep lately, and after what had just happened Tony was taking even longer, and Loki was on edge. Utgard-Loki had taken the mysterious woman's body to try and get some answer about who she was, where she had come from, and who, if anyone, had sent her to the party.

Tony and Loki heard the slight creek of one of the doors opening in their room and Tony put a hand on Loki's chest to keep him from jumping up. "Dad?" Melli's voice sounded in the room and Loki rolled his eyes at Tony's knowing smirk.

Loki reached over and touched one of the lamps, a small flame jumping from his fingers to the wick to light the room a little. It was enough for Melisande to see where the bed was, and to shuffle over in her large fuzzy slippers, stuffed fox in her arm. Loki put his arms out and the three year old jumped into his arms, letting him lift her up and over to lay between him and Tony.

"You're up awfully late, munchkin," Tony said, running his hand through her dark hair. She snuggled down under the blankets, bringing the fox up to her face.

"My room got really cold," she mumbled. "Can I sleep here? It's always warm in your bed."

"Warm?" Tony blinked, then bit his lip when Loki kicked his knee.

"Of course you can," Loki wrapped an arm around her, tickling her side. She giggled and pressed her face into her fox, trying to wiggle closer to Tony. "Daddy can't save you."

"Noooo," she let out through her giggles and Tony laughed. He pulled the blanket over her suddenly.

"You can't tickle her if there is no child to see," Tony declared, trying not to laugh when Melli nodded enthusiastically under the blanket.

"Oh I suppose I can let her get away," Loki said dramatically, letting out a loud sigh. "she shall be able to sleep tonight, but tomorrow she will have to dress like a princess again." They both heard the tiny squee under the blankets and snorted.


"Really?" Sander looked over at Fay as he slid his heavy jacket on. "You two are going exploring right after breakfast?" Tomas was wrapping a scarf around his neck next to his twin. "I know it's so you can avoid dressing up again."

"I'm sure we have no idea what you're talking about." Tomas grinned at his brother's partner. "We are merely using our last day to its fullest extent, getting to know our family's Kingdom."

"I am not covering for you," Fay told them. "I'm going to tell your Fathers that you ran off to get lost."

"I don't think they'd be very surprised, honestly," Sander commented and Tomas nodded. He walked over and kissed her, grinning. "We'll be back, don't worry." Fay let out a little sigh and kissed her back, pulling her jacket a little tighter around her, despite the heating charms Loki had gifted her with.

"Just don't get yourself killed, alright?" Tomas kissed her cheek and started to run, laughing as Sander chased him. She sighed louder. "I had to choose a twin."


Sander wasn't sure if they were jinxed for being Starks, or jinxed by Fay's words, but trouble found them not even an hour later. The two brothers had been hunting for a hidden cave when they both felt an unusual energy around them. Sander had turned first and swore when he leaned back to avoid a set of claws suddenly in front of him.

"Tom!" Sander rolled back, yelling to his brother when more clawed creatures came towards them. They didn't know what they were, they weren't exactly shadows, but they certainly weren't native to Jotumheim. They had been sent to target the brothers.

He turned and saw greens vines with large, and long, thorns on them, sliding through the snow. Sander frowned when he saw them, rolling away from one of the creatures to follow the vine. He conjured a dagger in his hand and turned, slashing one of the creatures chest, then spinning around to slide one of the vines.

Sander stumbled back then when the vine whipped back, slicing his skin, pressing a hand to his cheek, feeling the wet warmth of his blood soak into his glove. He tried to duck when he heard the vines whip through the air behind him but wasn't able to move fast enough. Sander gagged and grabbed at the thorn pricked vine that squeezed, trapping one hand under it, thorn pressing through the glove and trying to break through his scarf. He stumbled and fell back into the snow as the vine tugged, moving back to its owner.

"Sander!" Tomas turned as he froze the last creature, his hands still blue, breathing hard. "Let him go." Sander winced when the vine squeezed tighter, thorns digging deeper into his hand and breaking the skin on his neck. He wheezed in a breath, slowly moving to his knees.

"Why should I let him go?" The woman said behind him, moving slowly closer to him. "I need something to take back with me, so there isn't much you can offer me that will make me let him go."

"You'd be smart to fear our Father," Tomas told her, inching closer to Sander, little by little. He saw a small shot of power leave Tomas's figners, headed back towards the palace, and most likely their parents. "He's taken down much stronger, and smarter, beings than you." Sander felt a soft snort of air above his head, not moving when he felt long nails trail through his hair.

"I'm afraid there'd be nothing he could do by the time he got here," she said, watching Tomas. "I'm still not having seeing the incentive to let him go." She gripped Sander's hair suddenly and pulled him up to his feet. Sander let out a groan of pain, winching when he felt another vine starting to travel up his leg.

"Stop!" Tomas jerked forward. "Wait, just, wait." Sander frowned watching his brother. He didn't like the look in his eyes. "How about a trade, we're almost exactly the same. You wouldn't be missing out on anything. Sander's eyes widened.

"You would take his place?" The woman sounded intrigued and Sander was worried. "Willingly?" Tomas nodded, swallowing thickly. The woman walked past Sander towards his brother and he tried to move after her, but the vines kept him in place. She circled Tomas once, letting nails trail around his back and shoulders. "You must truly love your brother, to take his place. Tell me about him, why has earned such loyalty."

"He's already given his life once for us, I can't let him do it again," Tomas said, jaw tight as the woman stayed close, keeping her hand on him. "Our little sister is rather attached to him, and his partner just as much." She seemed to smirk a little at the information.

Tomas let out a hiss of pain when a vine wrapped around his leg and started to move up. She stepped behind him, running her hands up his arms over the jacket, more thorned vines following her touch. The vine left Sander's leg, moving towards his brother. The pressure around his hand and neck started to loosen up before pulling away suddenly, tearing up the glove and his hand with the thorns. He gasped for breath and fell back to his knees, his food hand stopping him from falling face first into the ground.

Tomas grunted when he was lifted off the ground a little, the woman stepping in front of him. "Would you like to know what's going to happen? What you've saved your brother from?" Tomas watched her but didn't say anything. "I've been fascinated for years by some of the old stories from different worlds, different places, and I've had a bit of nostalgia, re-creating some of my favorite stories."

The woman turned suddenly when Sander had pushed himself up, vines grabbing his arms to stop him from moving. Walking over to him she opened his jacket before ripping a hole in his shirt with her nails. Sanders eyes widened a little when her fingers settled on top of the arc reactor. She suddenly ripped it out, pulling a pained gasp from Sander, and tossed it away, a couple hundred feet away. "Sander let out a little cry of shock and pain when a large vine slid into the hole in his chest, thorns catching around the inside of the rim, keeping him in place.

Tomas found that his lips wouldn't move, he couldn't shout at her to stop, to beg her to leave him alone. He glared when she turned around to face him again. "As I was saying, you are going to play the pivotal role in re-creating Earth's story of, what do they call it, Sleeping Beauty?" She pulled out a long thorn and walked close to him before quickly piercing his chest with the tip of the thorn.

Tomas' eyes started to droop and his head started to lull forward when running footsteps in the snow caught their attention. "Let them go, now!" Loki shouted, hands green with spells. Tony ran over to Sander, eyes instantly going to his chest, but unable to get close enough to him because of the vines.

"You can kill me," the woman said, softly tapping Tomas's chin with her finger. His eyes fluttered a little before slipping closed, his head falling forward. "But he won't wake up, not now. Not for quite some time actually. What can happen now is that you can choose just how long he's gone." She turned to face the three men. "If you take him, it will take at least a century before he is able to wake up. If I take him, then the time will be dramatically reduced. Of course, I'm not exactly sure How he will be woken up but that's the fun of it."

"You seem very unconcerned for your life," Loki growled out. He recognized a yellow glint in her eyes suddenly and he frowned.

She just shrugged. "Killing me will not change what happens to your son." Her eyes roved over Sander then she smiled a little. "Perhaps you will spare me for a little while if I tell you where your other sons glowing heart is. He doesn't seem to be doing too well."

Sander was trying not to breathe to deeply, or too fast, but knew that he wasn't doing too well at the moment. "I can just replace it," Tony threw at the woman angrily. "If you-" He stopped when Sander let out a suddenly cry of pain, doubling over in pain, face draining of all color, when the vine twisted inside of his chest.

"I don't think you'll have the time for that," she said, and they could hear the satisfied smirk on her face. A trail of yellow suddenly appeared across the snow in the direction of the arc reactor. "Go fetch." Some wind whipped up, throwing the snow around the group. when it finally settled the woman and Tomas were gone. Sander fell to his side when the vine around hi were gone as well.

Tony dropped down and pulled Sander to him as Loki took off running for the reactor. Sander opened his mouth to say something and Tony shook his head. "I swear if I hear you say sorry for what just happened, I'll make sure you go into a cardiac arrest before he gets back with the reactor." Sander could hear the tightness in Tony's voice and just nodded, letting his head drop down, resting against Tony's leg. "I don't care what happened, this wasn't your fault."