Melting His Icy Heart

Chapter 7

They were still talking on the terrace when it seemed that all hell broke loose. An odd horn sounded and Thor took notice immediately.

"The prisons."

"Loki…"

"Go. I will look after them."

Andrea nearly ran after him as he took off with his hammer, but the Queen held her back with one deceptively delicate hand.

"No child. You must remain here. I may need your help keeping Jane safe."

Andrea nodded and the three of them headed towards the Throne room as Odin was giving orders.

"Odin."

"Frigga. Go. It's a skirmish. Nothing to fear."

"You've never been a very good liar."

Andrea and Jane watched a female warrior, the only one she'd seen yet, walk by and give Jane an odd look. Andrea was fairly certain this was the Lady Sif that Thor had told her about, and she was equally certain she didn't like the look the woman was giving her and Jane.

"Take them to your chambers. I'll come for you when it's safe."

"You take care."

"Despite all I have survived, my queen still worries over me."

"It's only because I worry over you that you have survived."

Andrea snorted softly at that statement, and the look Frigga gave Odin when she said it. She was really coming to adore this woman. She could see a bit of the mother she barely remembered in her and it made her both happy and sad. As they passed a column of guards Frigga nabbed a sword from one of them, and Andrea had a sinking feeling they were going to need it.

"Listen to me now. I need you to do everything I ask, no questions. Both of you."

"Yes ma'am."

Jane answered enough for both of them so Andrea only nodded her agreement. She and Frigga sat in her chambers with an illusion of Jane, and Andrea had to admit she was impressed. This was the woman who taught Loki how to use magic after all. They could hear explosions and screams outside and it made Andrea's fire flare up. Frigga's soft hand on her own calmed her slightly but she was still a jumpy bundle of nerves. Waiting patiently was never her strong suit after all. She watched a shimmering golden shield start to rise around the palace and thought they would now be safe, only to watch in horror as the shield fell and even the queen's face showed concern.

"That's bad isn't it?"

"Everything will be alright child. I will not allow harm to come to either of you."

Andrea wanted to believe her but her instincts were screaming at her that something was about to go horribly wrong. When the doors opened she stood back close to Jane as this figure came in and the queen rose to meet it.

"Stand down creature, and you may still survive this."

"I have survived worse woman."

"Who are you?"

"I am Malekith, and I would have what is mine."

Andrea groaned audibly and whispered to Jane.

"The dark elf that Odin insisted was dead…perfect."

Frigga began to fight with the dark elf, and appeared to be winning until an even bigger…thing came up and disarmed her. It grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up off the ground and Andrea felt terror creeping up her spine along with that sinking feeling of dread. Malekith strolled over to where she and Jane were standing.

"You have taken something child. Give it back."

"You think she wanted this thing inside her? If we knew how to get it out we would have done so."

The dark elf looked at Andrea briefly as he reached out to grab Jane, only to have her vanish before his eyes. He turned to Frigga in anger, grabbing Andrea's arm and dragging her with him to stand before the queen.

"Witch! Where is the Aether?"

"I'll never tell you."

"I believe you."

When the large creature thrust it's sword into Frigga's side Andrea screamed at it, her flames erupting and burning the flesh off of Malekith's arm where he had held her. Thor's scream of anger and anguish followed, along with a lightning blast that scorched half of Malekith's face. The other creature lifted Malekith and the two escaped before Thor could stop them. As Odin came into the room Andrea was pressing on Frigga's wound, desperately trying to stop the bleeding and keep the woman alive. She didn't even realize she was crying until one of Frigga's hands came up to brush the tears away with a soft whisper.

"Hush child. Everything will be alright. You will see."

Odin came to his wife's side and cradled her body to his. Andrea could see the sorrow in his face as Thor lifted her from the ground and tried to comfort her as the real Jane came into the room.

Later that night Andrea and Jane stood next to Thor at Frigga's funeral. It was breathtakingly beautiful, and heartbreakingly sad. Andrea watched as Frigga's spirit became one with the stars, and several dozen glowing orbs were released into the night sky. She lost her composure and began to cry yet again, while Thor wrapped an arm around her shoulders and let her cry into his chest and Jane put a comforting hand on her arm, knowing Andrea's past in losing her own mother made Jane far more aware of how her friend was feeling. She couldn't help but think that Loki should have been allowed to be there. She had been his mother, and Odin wouldn't even let him come to her funeral.

Jane had been all-but locked in a room thanks to Odin's orders. Armed guards stood outside her doors and would not allow even Andrea to go in and see her. She had gone to Thor and they wouldn't let him in either. The two of them went to the throne room where Odin was having a war council and Thor was angry enough to not care.

"She is your prisoner now?"

"Leave us."

The men all left silently and Odin came down the steps as he spoke to Thor.

"I do not wish to fight with you."

"Not I with you. But I intend to pursue Malekith."

"We possess the Aether. Malekith will come to us."

"Yes, and he will destroy us."

"You overestimate the power of these creatures."

"And you underestimate it. Do you not see what they have done here this night?"

Andrea was ignored as usual.

"No, I value our people's lives. I'll take Jane to the Dark World and draw the enemy away from Asgard. When Malekith pulls the Aether from Jane, it will be exposed and vulnerable. And I will destroy it and him."

"If you fail, you risk this weapon falling into the hands of our enemies."

"The risk is far greater if we do nothing. His ship could be over our heads right now, and we'd never even know it."

"If and when he comes his men will fall on 10,000 Asgardian blades."

"And how many of our men shall fall on theirs?"

"As many as are needed! Ah! We will fight! Till the last Asgardian breath. Till the last drop of Asgardian blood."

"Then how are you different from Malekith?"

Odin's chuckle made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and Andrea didn't like it.

"The difference, my son, is that I will win."

She hissed softly through her teeth and had to fight the urge to scream and throttle the so-called King. Instead she uttered a single soft phrase that made both King and Prince stare at her in shock before she stormed out of the Throne room to wait for Thor to join her again.

"Loki is a better man than you, and he would make a damned better king."