A/N: hello, ladies and gents and welcome to chapter 20! Hope you all liked the last one. Don't want to disturb you any longer so enjoy the update and please leave a comment about your opinion.

Thank you again to all reviewers/story alerts/author alerts. You know who you are and you guys are awesome!

Thor tried to be everywhere and talk to everybody, shake hands and give courage to the exhausted citizens of Asgard. He and Fandral held council with the Einherjar's captains and the generals, and tried to get an exact overview, but there were moments when even he reached his limits.

Odin was reaching his too, he knew, and his father would soon have to give in to the Odinsleep he had been denied for too long. Frigga's death had weakened him further and sometimes he caught glimpses of his father's grief in his uncovered eye.

Thor took over the lead, even though his father refused to rest. It was the prince all sought out for counsel and orders.

And it was he who tried to quench fears of a second attack. The lies he would deliver together with a tense smile haunted him at night, but he could not allow fear to overpower his people. They must stay strong or Malekith would destroy the Realm Eternal and with it all light in the universe.

The only one capable of lifting his troubled mind was Jane. The stolen kisses and conversations they were granted reminded him that there was hope. She remained strong in the face of eminent danger and not seldom did he see traces of his mother in her. Her honest desire to help gave comfort to the weakest and youngest and he knew that when this was all over she would make a magnificent queen.

That is if she still desired to stay considering all the misery he had brought on her.

He did not dare imagine that she might not have much time left.

Malekith desired to see him again and so Loki had been led back to the machine room he remembered from his first day there. As he tried to stay upright his legs were weighed down by exhaustion and pain. The muscles on his back and chest were sore and twitched under the pressure of movement, his tunic still hung in pathetic stripes around his shoulders and his eyes fought against the beckoning torment of sleep.

"Today our hospitality comes to an end." Malekith´s emotionless growl echoed in the dim lights. "It is agreed that you will be set free now."

At the last sentence Loki felt his fingers curl into fists, but he refrained from raising his gaze to meet the elven leader´s icy one. Unsurprisingly, this lack of a response did not seem to bother anyone.

"You will go back to Asgard and you will bring us the human."

Then Thanos growled. You have four days to persuade Thor and his human to follow you to the desert of Svartalfheim. And one last time he let waves of pain force Loki to shut his eyes. Then his decaying presence swept out of his system and Loki felt his lungs take in needed oxygen. He sensed a lightness around his ribcage, as if he had been drowning the moment before and now finally broken to the water´s surface.

Your scars will be a reminder of what I can do to you, Jotunn. If you fail me a far worse destiny will await you.

Time passed.

But while time allowed Asgard to gradually rise again to beauty it was not kind to Jane.

It was during dinner when the Aether at last sprung back into everyone's consciousness. No formal banquet, but a warmer and all together more pleasant gathering in the wine cellars. Thor and Volstagg were telling tales of their heroism to a group of fair children, and Fandral shared his cup of wine with two blushing maidens. Those were the kind of gatherings reserved for those of lower birth – the guards and soldiers, the servants and visitors from outside the palace gates, but the Crown Prince and his friends were always a welcome and cherished sight among the people. Drink and food left their heavily sweet signatures on everyone's tongues and the atmosphere was filled with laughter from young and old. The men, women and children enjoyed moments without worries and forgot their burdens for the evening.

After a while someone had taken out his lute and his friends had called for their harps and drums and not before long a circle amidst the tables was cleared for those couples in the mood for a jig. Fara had just taken a sip from her wine when a little boy with red curly hair and shy eyes had asked her for a dance. The boy's companions were not far away and she could hear the children cheer when she took his tiny hand and led him to the dance floor.

The music was fast and merry and the seeress, seeing that the boy was just so tiny, took the lad into her arms and whirled with him in circles to the rhythm.

It happened just as suddenly as the first time. From one moment to the next the shattering of copper and wood penetrated the air. The music had stopped, so had the laughter and story-telling. Fara turned around and her eyes immediately fell upon Jane's white face, lifeless on the ground.

She put the child down and rushed to the woman's side. A babe's frightened cries could be heard from somehow and people whispered and yelled but she could not discern their words. Thor was there of course, his one hand holding Jane's head up whilst his other covered her ice cold fingers.

"What was that?"

"What happened?"

"Is the Lady Jane alright?"

Questions came from all directions.

"Jane?" Thor spoke in a soft voice as he cradled her head and brushed his fingers over her hair. No response. He raised his gaze and met Fara's equally concerned one. Both knew what the other was thinking. Last time Jane had remained conscious, but now all blood seemed to have left her sleeping face.

"Let's get her to bed." It was Fandral who kept his calm. The blond warrior helped Fara to her feet while Thor lifted Jane's limp body and so they walked away from the staring crowd.

As Fara hurried her steps behind the two men she did not miss a cloaked figure standing apart in a dark corner - Sigyn. Her sister's eyes were fixed on her with an unreadable expression and a tingle went down Fara's spine at the thought that the elder girl had not simply come for enjoyment.

Eir was still awake when Fandral came to fetch her. They burst into Jane's room just moments after Thor had placed her limp body on the bed covers

Eir was not for naught Asgard's most treasured healer. Quickly her professionalism set back in after the initial surprise and she came to the other side of the bed, hand already stretched out and laced with soft spells. She knew or could at least guess the reason for Jane's passing out.

"The Aether demands more energy. It is no longer satisfied with its current host." Her brows were drawn together in concentration and her eyes shut.

"Will she make it?" Thor spoke, voice trembling with emotion. He could not hide his fear, for no one knew how long the Aether would need to fully consume her human body.

Eir kept her eye lids closed for a moment longer, then looked up to him with a faint smile gracing her lips. "Oh yes. She was weakened by the incident but the sleep is just a reaction caused by shock. Her body needs rest, but she will recover sufficiently in her own time." Then she added with the knowing eyes of someone who had watched Thor grow up all his life. "She is stronger than she looks."

Thor let out a sigh, relief evident in his tired form. "How long?"

"Anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days. There is nothing else we can do for her but let her rest now."

"Thank you." But his reluctance to leave Jane's side made his movements slow. From behind her Fara could hear Fandral suppressing a tiny laugh.

"Come now, we should not keep the women any longer from their sleep." He said under chuckles.

"Do you mind if I..." stay a little longer. Thor's eyes were downcast and his hand had not left Jane's the entire time. Fara could not keep her own smile from tucking at the corners of her lips at the simple show of affection. Relief made her forget the threat they still had surrounding them.

"Of course." She said. "I think Fandral and I should better rejoin the others. I'm sure they are just as anxious to hear that Jane is well." The dashing warrior sent her a wink.

Eir excused herself then aswell and returned to her own covers. Thor gave his friends a grateful nod before Fandral and Fara left. The two walked in silence for a while, content that this would not be Jane's last evening. However all were once again reminded of how real the danger was that licked at her life force.

"I really thought that was it for a moment. That it had killed her there." Fandral sighed after a few quiet moments.

Fara too remembered the shallow shade of Jane's cheeks and shivered. "It has been less than a month since the queen died and Asgard has still not recovered. If Thor should lose Jane as well in such a short time I cannot imagine the effect it would have on him."

"Time is not our friend it seems."

She could only agree to that. The more they waited the closer Jane came to death. But their options were limited and she knew they nagged on Thor during every waking moment. He would never forgive himself should she die.

As they walked they passed the gallery leading to the gardens and Fara hesitated. "Fandral?"

"Yes?"

She looked up into his exhausted and yet still cheerful eyes. "I think I need a moment alone. Would it be alright if I joined you in a few minutes?"

"Are you unwell?" His expression was once again laced with concern and she shot him a smile.

"No, I simply need a bit of fresh air. All is well."

"Shall I join you? He did not seem altogether convinced, but she declined, telling him she would follow soon.

"Alright then." He sent her a salute just as he would a commanding general, only that the irony in his light eyes betrayed the subtle irony and turned away, leaving her alone in the golden gallery.

It was a warm evening and the breeze did not help much to cool her skin, but still she felt its soothing touch as she stepped outside into the night air.

She let her feet carry her to the hidden corners she had not seen since her last stay so long ago, to the spots where jasmine and thyme let their sweet perfume dance through the silvery light. Night flowers beckoned for her to come and take in their honeyed fragrances.

The sight of the moons and planets above her head calmed her screaming thoughts and each breath she took brought more calm.

They could not wait much longer. What if Jane did not survive a third attack? What if the Aether was too strong for her weaker growing body? She had tried hard to hide her discomfort or exhaustion in front of everyone but that could not go on forever.

They may not have the Infinity Gauntlet at hand, but there was still a way. Thor would come to see the logic in that. Fara's physique was stronger than a human's. She was determined to help and she would, no matter what.

So lost in her mind had she been that she did not notice the smell the air carried towards her. This was no flower, no sweet scent, but a putrid stench that soon alarmed her. She had once as a young girl seen a dead dog and still remembered the odour that had steamed out of its decomposing flesh after a couple of days, but this was much stronger.

Is it not a bit late for women to roam around the gardens?

She thought at first her mind had played a trick on her for the words were so softly spoken that they culd have been a simple prank of the wind.

"Loki?"

She turned around but nowhere could she see a single trace of him. The light of the twin moons was strong enough to allow her to distinguish her surroundings, but for all that she searched she appeared to be alone.

The second time she heard his voice she was certain however that it had not only been her imagination.

Tell me. Has Thor's little mortal finally breathed her last? What a pity that I should have missed that. Bitterness interlaced with the sarcasm of his unnaturaly coarse tone. Again her eyes could not spy him, but nonetheless she could feel his presence nearby. Her legs tread on an invisible path and her hands trembled in anticipation. A part of her expected him to turn up behind a corner, the usual detestable sneer in its place and hands folded behind his straight back.

Coming closer she could not keep herself from shivering.

Finally she found him. What greeted her sight was a far cry from her imagination. The man before her stood shakily on his legs, one hand grasping the trunk of a tree to help him keep his balance. Instantly she was overrun by horror at the sight that appeared before her.

"Loki."

A soft groan, almost lost to her ears came from his direction. There was no patch of skin she could find that was not covered in dried blood and puss. She was grateful for the dirt as she felt instinctively that it hid wounds from her that were much more gruesome. She hoped...wished it was not his blood, not his own dirt plastered on his form.

"No."

It could not be.

He was alive. He was back. But in what condition!

Again she came closer to him, her spidery fingers fluttering to his face. Barely touching. Too afraid to touch. His dark hair hung in dirty streaks over his face and she brushed it away, mentally recoiling at the greasy texture. Yet she did not move back. Her eyes had widened when they had first noticed the dark threads that were sown around his mouth. Bile rose up her throat at the sight of such a horrible remainder of torture. His upper body lay fully bare to her sight and only his trousers served as a poor protection. The smell that streamed from his pores almost made her retch but still she did not step away. As her hand touched his hair his eyes shut as if it gave him physical pain to have her so close to him.

Only then her mind began to work again. He needed to get inside. "Help! Please-"

His hands shot upwards, one capturing her wrists and the other sealing her mouth in an iron grip. She hissed at the pain and her surprise was great that he could still produce such strength, but the expression in his eyes made her hesitate. He did not seem to breathe as he held her firmly. Ony his eyes moved, flickering as they looked out first for anyone approaching and then locking into hers. And she could not bring herself to look away. His eyes held her bound as his grip gradually loosened.

Don't. He hissed as he let go of her, arms seeking the trunk to give him back his balance. She was not surprised to taste salt and copper on the tip of her tongue and she was prepared for the bile that again threatened to creep into her mouth.

What have they done to you?

Fara was surprised at the steadiness of her words. Loki too was stunned, but what made him hesitate was the softness with which she had uttered them. It was a warmth, a comfort Loki had not heard for years in fact, yet he still could not keep his heart from fluttering a tad faster. One could almost think she was genuinely concerned.

He closed his eyes, his breath heavy inside his bruised ribcage. The memory of the past days was too fresh. Only thinking of it made his body ache more.

She could sense the weak state of his body. The next moment his knees gave way and he collapsed to the ground.

"We have to get you to the healers."

The succession of protests that arose in his mind died away at the worry he encountered in her eyes. He knew he was weak in giving in to her, yet his tired self could not keep up its walls. I don´t need the healers. Some sleep and dinner will do.

There was a bitter glimmer in his sullied features. His voice was still laced with the familiar streaks of sarcasm but there was something in his tone she could not discern. "What happened?" She tried to help him up again, one hand pressed against his back and she tensed with a gasp after she noticed the bumps and streaks of scarred skin against her palm.

She knew he wanted to be spared the humiliation of being seen in the outer shell of a slaughtered scarecrow, but they had to get him to his room immediately. If the Einherjar should hear of his return they would seize him in the blink of an eye for interrogation. For now she first needed to tend to his wounds before he could be dragged around the palace like a piece of meat.

"Can you walk?"

A sound of irritation answered her as he shook off her grip, slowly returning to his haughty behaviour. But he had scarcely put the second foot on the ground when he was again forced to his knees. This would be harder than he had thought.

Fara watched his wrecked limbs fight for balance with growing doubt. Finally she told him to hold still and pressed her right palm to his chest, dirctly over his pumping heart, careful not to hurt him. His eyes were wide with protest and he had a sharp intake of breath before her magic transfered some of her own strength into his shrivelled muscles. She could feel his heart beat with new force and pump life through his veins.