They Come on White Horses: Chapter 15

Requested by: NoVacancyMind and many wonderful others
Sequel to Knights.

I'm so sorry! I tried to update yesterday, but the wifi here is crap! So here it is. BTW, we are getting close to the end. :( But we will keep on keeping on for now. Please enjoy.

The new poll is on White Collar plots, so if you like that fandom or read my WC stories, check it out. :) (It's a tie, people! Help me out!)

Please enjoy and review!

Disclaimer: Don't own. Never will. So sad.

Destroyed

Amora was pacing back and forth violently only a few feet from the two boys huddled in the corner. Their eyes followed the Enchantress's mad march around the room, though she paid them no mind.

"Where is he?! Why hasn't he come yet?!" Then her head whipped around to glare at the two boys. "You are his weakness. I watched, and I knew. Or.." Amora slowly prowled towards them, a mad gleam in her eye. "Was I wrong? But no. I couldn't be. Loki loves children. He cared for you. He will come. Yes, he will come." She crouched down in front of the boys and caught Bruce's chin in a tight hold. He whimpered as her sharp nails dug into his skin. Amora got an inch from his face before she whispered,

"For your sake, he better…" She let go of his chin and patted his cheek, ignoring his flinches. Sitting back, she made herself comfortable, on the floor across from Tony and Bruce.

"Did he ever tell you about me?" She barreled on over their silence. "I was young and fascinated by magic. We had been growing side by side for a number of years, and were teaching it to ourselves. Loki, he was a natural sorcerer. The magic seemed drawn to him, and he could wield it with such ease. He quickly surpassed me and began to teach me what he knew. I grew stronger each day, and then…" Here Amora sighed wistfully. "I fell in love. With Loki's brother, no less. I think what hurt him the most was that I chose his brother over him. He stopped me whenever I had Thor within my grasp, until one day he finally went running to the Allfather and had me banished." Amora spat the last word like a curse. Tony and Bruce listened intently to her words, but couldn't stop comparing her story telling to Loki's. He was better.

Amora calmed herself a bit, before she continued.

"We would cross paths every now and then, even occasionally help each other. But that all ended when Loki tried to kill my sister." Bruce had to squeeze Tony tighter to stop him from the screaming the same thing he wanted to. Their Loki would never do something like that. Amora turned a far off stare at them and tilted her head to the side, a sickeningly sweet smile slowly growing on her face. "And now, you two will help me avenge her. She lives, but he does not deserve to. You will see that." She snapped out of her reverie and started to pull herself from the floor. Right when she stood, she paused, then a crazed smile lit her face.

"He's coming! My line was snapped, and only him, only he could do that. The gauntlet has been taken up. I will defeat him." The boys were frightened by her nonsense babbling, but they could understand one thing. Loki was on his way to them, and he was going straight into a trap.

Natasha and Clint piloted the Quinjet with ease. Steve and the Asgardian princes were preparing themselves in the back, Loki telling them what he knew about Amora's fighting style. Thor did not listen to his brother's words, he had dealt with the Enchantress before and knew what to expect, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from Loki.

His younger brother was dressed in his Asgardian armor, and stood tall as he informed the others. Loki, as he had not had it with them when they left Asgard, was without his helmet. Also at some point, when he was preparing for the journey, Loki had cut his hair. When he had walked out to meet them, Thor was frozen in his place. It was like seeing a ghost, the ghost of his brother before any of this had happened. It was equally frightening and wonderful. Like, these past days as Thor was able to see glimpses of his younger brother return to him, now he was truly standing there. His brother was back, and they would fight side by side.

Loki cast a few irritated glances towards his brother. The oaf was obviously not listening, but the blatant staring was beginning to unnerve him. Thor had acted as if he had seen a ghost when Loki first walked out of his room, and now the Thunderer looked to be on the verge of tears. Though if the slight upturn of his lips was anything to go by, they would be happy tears. They were only a couple of hours out, and he was growing anxious. He did not doubt his ability to fight or protect himself, but he was without his magic. There would be little he could do against Amora should she attack with her own magic, which she would most definitely do. To calm himself, once he finished giving the others the information they would need, he sat on the floor of the Quinjet and crossed his legs. Loki closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. In and out. In and out. If he let his emotions get in the way, it would endanger not only himself, but the team and more importantly, Tony and Bruce. He would not allow that to happen.

The flight went smoothly, and then Natasha was calling out the ten minute mark. That was when Loki felt it. He stood from his position on the floor to stretch his legs, but nearly fell over, when he felt something knock into his chest.

"Brother, are you alright?" Thor laid a hand on Loki's back, as his younger brother straightened.

"Amora set up a trigger spell. She knows we're here." Clint huffed and rolled his eyes, though no one could see him.

"Well, knock knock." Steve turned to Loki.

"I can get in position now, and-"

"Cap, if you think you are going to jump out of this jet without a parachute again, you are mistaken." An awkward silence followed, as Steve looked properly chastised. Loki shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"There is not much of a plan for this. She knows we are coming, and will no doubt be waiting for us. All we can do is be constantly alert."

"Guys, we're here." The others stood behind the pilots and looked out the window. Ruins sprawled across the land before them, stone crumbling and peaks caved in. However, what caught their attention was the woman standing meters in front of the castle, two small boys beside her. They quickly lowered the jet, but didn't rush out, no matter how much they all wanted to. They had to appear calm and collected, even if they weren't.

Loki walked out first, hands clenched into fists at his sides. His brother was close behind him, and the others followed, no weapons drawn but hands ready for them at the slightest provocation. As they drew closer, Loki ground his teeth together at the smirk on the Enchantress's face. They were still twenty feet away, when she called out to them.

"You can stop right their, Odinson." Their collective march came to a halt, but Steve stepped forward.

"Ma'am, release those two boys right now, and nobody gets hurt." Amora simply threw her head back and laughed. She had a hand on each boy's shoulders, and dug her fingernails harder into their skin. Even at that distance, Loki could hear the boys whimpering at the pain, and Thor had to lay a hand on his brother's arm to prevent him from running towards them. Amora's smile only grew wider and sicker at that.

"I'm not here to negotiate, Captain. I'm sure Loki has told you what this is about. I will only take what I need from these precious little ones, then you can have them back. Loki will be dead, and I will leave your dirty, little planet." Steve shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but we can't let you do that." Amora's face contorted with rage.

"Why not?! He is a monster! He tried to kill my sister. He can not live for what he has done!" All of the Avengers, including Loki, tensed at the turn this was taking. Amora was more unstable than they had originally thought. Loki chanced a brief glance behind Amora and had to bite down on his smile. Only another minute or two.

"You are right, Amora!" Thor clamped down on Loki's arm and hissed in his ear.

"Loki, what are you doing?!" Loki scowled and shook off his hand. He stepped forward and continued.

"I was trying to kill her, but only because she was such a nuisance." Amora screamed in rage, and stepped a foot away from the boys. "She was weak, and did not deserve the power she was given. Much like you!" Amora screamed again, and this time her hands crackled with energy. Another glance at the sky, almost there. Almost there. "You are barely even worth my time. Just an insignificant wench with a barb caught in her tights!" Amora raised her arms, but before she could shoot out a spell, she was slammed into from behind.

The collision rolled her far enough away from the boys, that they wouldn't get hurt. Loki ran forward.

"Anthony, Bruce! Run to me!" The two boys snapped into action. Bruce was faster, and Tony clung onto his hand for dear life. They were almost within arms reach when a blast of energy flung them apart. Loki fell to the ground, and his heart clenched when he heard a cry of pain. He had been clipped in the shoulder by a piece of metal, and his arm was bleeding, staining the ground. Amora had destroyed the Iron Man suit Jarvis had been controlling and the pieces had gone flying. She was quickly circled by the other, standing Avengers, but Loki only had eyes for Tony and Bruce.

They laid on the ground, unconscious before him, having been flung yards away by the blast. He could barely get his feet under him fast enough. The sounds of battle were distant in his ears, and meant nothing to him, even as he dodged spells and stray bullets. He did turn however, when another piercing cry came from the Enchantress.

Her arms were held high, and she was almost a storm of magic. The others lay on the ground around her, pinned by the sheer power flowing around her. Her eyes locked with his, and she looked to the boys on the ground. Another smile crawled across her face, and something broke in Loki. He knew her intent, and he knew he would not be fast enough.

He cried out, and felt his own restrained magic lash out. It was a blur. The shouting, and power and crying. Something in the world just snapped.

Thor was able to pull his head up enough to see his baby brother just reaching the boys as Amora's spell hit. His body covered them, and Thor knew his brother had sacrificed himself for them. However, as soon as the lightning struck Loki, and he cried out in pain, a light just exploded from him. Thor had to cover his eyes, lest he be blinded by the sheer force of the magic that filled the area. He could barely hear Amora's cries above him, but he knew when he stood she would no longer be alive.

Finally, the light left, and Thor could pull his head up again. He struggled to his feet, and saw the others doing the same around him.

"Loki!" He ran to his brother, and fell to his knees beside him. Loki was curled, unconscious, around Tony and Bruce. Thor almost fell over in relief, when he saw that all three of them were breathing. He heard the others gathering around behind him, and turned to look at him. That's when he saw it.

On the ground by Loki, were the bracelets their mother had given him to lock away his magic.

They were shattered into a hundred pieces.

Tell me what you think! Please review! :)