Chapter 7

After the portal was destroyed, Thor and Loki only had to deal with the rest of the Chitauri left on Earth. Thor came down the stairs and swung Mjolnir at Chitauri soldiers while Loki continued stabbing them with his daggers.

Just then, a bifrost portal appeared on the edge of the horizon.

"Heimdall is calling us," said Thor, smashing a soldier.

"Go," said Loki. "The portal is closed; Emmeline and I will finish this with the Avengers. There is a battle to be won in Asgard." Thor smiled at his brother and flung his hammer toward the portal, flying out of sight. Loki continued slaying Chitauri and the Hulk came up to the roof, looking around for soldiers to smash. Loki smirked at him as he elbowed a soldier in the face.

"Ooh, look at you, Banner," said Loki. "Decided to unleash the beast?" The monster growled; Loki was pushing it. He laughed. "Go take down the rest of the whales. Emmeline and I have the soldiers under control." The Hulk grunted and jumped off Stark tower onto a whale's back. As Loki fought another Chitauri soldier, he could see Emmeline doing the same on the ground, a few kilometers away from him.

Once Loki had taken care of all the soldiers on the roof, he decided to kill the ones flying around. To get off of Stark tower, he quickly jumped onto a hovercraft and stabbed the soldier operating it. He pushed the dead soldier off the hovercraft and flew it near others where he could stab them.

The war went on and on with the Chitauri against the Avengers, Emmeline, and Loki. Eventually there were only a counting amount of Chitauri soldiers left. But as Loki was battling several of them, he looked over at Emmeline who was doing the same several kilometers away, and something terrible happened.

Loki elbowed a soldier in the face, knocking him down, and as he looked at Emmeline, he saw her freeze a soldier while another one took out a sword behind her. Before Loki could even think, Emmeline turned around and the soldier pushed his sword into her side.

"NO!" screamed Loki as Emmeline fell to the ground, cringing in pain. Loki ran as fast as he could to get to her side. As soon as he got there, he took the sword out of Emmeline and jabbed it into the Chitauri soldier's face. He turned to Emmeline and knelt down to her.

"Emmeline…" he said. "No, please…" Emmeline struggled to breathe, and blood came out of her mouth as she looked at Loki. She lifted a bloody hand up to Loki's face and tried to sit up. Loki gently pushed her back down and put her head in his lap. Tears welled up in his eyes and he stroked the side of her face. She looked at him blankly, half-conscious.

"Hey…hey," she said. "Don't cry." Loki bit his lip and blinked back tears as he buried his face into her shoulder. He held her close to him and sat back up. Emmeline tried to smile at him.

"I…I…" she struggled to say.

"It's alright," said Loki, tears streaming down his face. He looked around for someone, the Avengers; anyone.

"Help!" he called. "Somebody please, help!" But nobody was around. Suddenly, Loki saw a bifrost portal appear at the edge of the horizon like it had for Thor. Heimdall was helping him. Loki looked down at Emmeline, her blood in a puddle around her, desperately trying to hold on to life. He didn't know if he could get there in time, but he was going to try. He picked her up, her blood on his hands, and ran as fast as he could toward the portal

"Loki," said Emmeline, in a hoarse voice. "Don't…it's okay…" Loki didn't bother to fight the tears running down his face, mixing with Emmeline's blood when they fell.

"No," he said. "I'm not going to let you die. You're not going to end up like all the others. I'm not going to let you leave."

As Loki continued to run, he noticed Emmeline getting hot. Very hot. In fact, she was burning his arms as he carried her. He shut his eyes and yelled to fight the pain as he ran into the bifrost portal. It took both of them up to Asgard.


As soon as the portal dropped Loki and Emmeline in Asgard, Loki ran past Heimdall, calling for help.

"Thor!" he called. "Odin! Someone!" Loki ran straight to the sitting room, where Thor and his friends were.

"THOR!" Loki called down the hall. He entered the sitting room and Thor rushed to him.

"Brother, what is—oh dear God."

"Her blood is dripping onto the floor, Thor PLEASE!" Thor led Loki to the healing room and cleared off a table for Emmeline.

"Set her here," said Thor. Loki gently lied Emmeline on the table and several Asgardian nurses surrounded her. At that point Emmeline was unconscious. A nurse tried to force Loki and Thor out of the room.

"We will do what we can," she said.

"Will she live?" asked Loki.

"We'll try," repeated the nurse. She shut the door and Loki banged his fist on it.

"Brother, what happened to your hands?" asked Thor. Loki looked down at his arms. They were terribly burnt; they were red and blistered, and as Loki saw them, a terrible pain came.

"A Chitauri soldier…stabbed her with a sword," he said. "She got hot when I carried her." Loki hadn't looked at his brother. He just stared at the door; waiting for Emmeline to be okay.


The first thing Emmeline noticed when she woke up was that she was in terrible pain. Her side was throbbing as if she had been stabbed. But she began to recall—she had been stabbed. The second thing she noticed was that she was lying on a table. She was in a small dark room made of stone, which let her know she was in Asgard. She tried to sit up but immediately lied back down as a shot of pain shocked her side.

"Ah!" she yelled. Suddenly her hands burst into flames. She hadn't forced her heat powers; in fact, she couldn't even feel it. It was happening by itself. Emmeline had lost control.

"What's going on?" she said to herself. She wanted to get up and find Loki, but her wounds held her stationary.

"Hello?!" she called. "Is anyone here?"

Just then, an old man entered the room. He was wearing a suit similar to Thor's, and he wore a golden eye-patch over his right eye.

"Hello," said Emmeline. "Can you tell me what is going on?"

"You're on fire," said the man, slowly pacing around the room.

"I know, I seem to have lost control of it…are you a doctor?"

"No."

"Oh. Well, I'm Emmeline. I think Loki brought me here; do you know where he is?"

"He's sitting outside this room, waiting for you. He isn't allowed in here. You're not in good shape."

"Who are you, if you don't mind me asking?" said Emmeline. The old man looked at her.

"I am Odin, King of Asgard." Emmeline's jaw dropped.

"Oh," she said. "I'm sorry, your majesty, I didn't know."

"It is alright," said Odin. "But you have much to explain. I understand you are in love with my son Loki."

"Yes," Emmeline replied. "I think he brought me here…I got hurt."

"You can't be here. Do you intend for any harm to come to Asgard?"

"Oh no sir, I just…well, Loki and I have the same plans." Odin nodded.

"Even so, you are a danger here. Your power is a threat to our society."

"Usually I can control it, but…I don't know what happened." Emmeline's limbs were still in flames. Some sparks even flew off of her and Odin backed away.

"The nurses say you cannot leave here because you are not well," said Odin. "Therefore we must have you contained. There is a glass case in the throne room that is fireproof that has been constructed for you. You will be contained in there until the nurses can find out how to appease your powers and then you will be sent back to Earth. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir," said Emmeline. "What of Loki?"

"He and Thor will fight the war against the Chitauri here in Asgard. Then, if Loki behaves himself he will resume his position as my son, while Thor is proclaimed king." Emmeline sighed; she wanted Loki to be king and she couldn't help him.

"I'm sorry for any inconveniences, your majesty," she said.

"I know you mean no harm. But in the case that you attack Asgard, you will be killed."

"Will I ever see Loki again? You cannot keep me from him; I love him."

"That all depends on the behavior of the both of you," said Odin. "I only want what is best for Asgard; what is best for my son." Odin gave Emmeline one last expressionless look and left the room.

As soon as Odin left, Loki entered. He rushed to her and tried to hug her, but Emmeline leaned away.

"Loki, no," she said.

"What?" said Loki. He looked awful. He had red circles around his eyes, and his face had shadows on it as if it was sunk in.

"I can't control my heat powers," said Emmeline. "I'll hurt you."

"It's okay," Loki replied, showing her his arms, covered in bloody, dark red blisters.

"Oh God, did I do that?"

"I carried you," Loki said. He kneeled by the table she was lying on. "I have worried over you day and night. I did not leave the door."

"How long have I been here?"

"Four days."

"Oh my God." Emmeline paused for a second. "Odin told me he was going to put me away; in a glass case in the throne room." Loki stood up.

"What? Why? No! I won't let him do this, I—"

"—No Loki, I want to go. I need to be contained, I'll set the city on fire, I'll destroy everything. It's only going to get worse. It's only until I can figure out how to regain control." Loki looked at her with horror, tears welling up in his eyes.

"No! I—if you think I'm going to just let him lock you in a glass prison to burn, I…I just want to go home. I want to take you home."

"Where?" Loki looked down and shook his head.

"I don't know," he said. Sparks started to fly off of Emmeline and she looked at Loki sadly. Her whole lower body was in flames now.

"I have to go," she said, her voice shaking. Loki walked around the table where he was behind Emmeline. He put his hands on her shoulders—not yet in flames—and leaned his head over to kiss her. She turned her head and kissed him back. She could feel the wetness of his tears on her face.

"I love you Loki," she whispered. "I only want to keep you safe."

"I am going to win this war with Thor. And I am going to take Asgard into my power; and I will make you my queen." Loki kept his forehead pressed against Emmeline's, but suddenly the flames rose to her shoulders and Loki gasped, backing away.

"I'm sorry," said Emmeline. "Please go get them." Loki looked at her with sorrow for an instant, and then left the room quickly to get the nurses.


Loki thought that when he took Emmeline to the Asgardian nurses, they would help her to heal and recover and she would be fine. But things only got worse. Emmeline had lost control of her heat powers, and she couldn't even summon any of her ice to suppress it. Odin had ordered her to be incarcerated in a fireproof glass box in the throne room, where she wouldn't be a danger to anyone. And Emmeline went willingly.

Loki would go and see Emmeline in the throne room at least twice every hour, but he wished he could be with her without a glass barrier between them. Meanwhile, he and Thor knew that the Chitauri were planning another attack on Asgard, and they were working out their battle strategies.

"We need the Tesseract," said Loki to his brother. "If we take it back they will not be able to return here."

"But we cannot contain its energy," said Thor. "We would have to take it back to S.H.I.E.L.D."

"But they intend to make weapons with it!"

"Not if we explain to Nick Fury the dangers. He is a reasonable man."

"Okay fine, then let's steal it and take it back to Midgard."

"You don't understand. Then the Frost Giants would be drawn to Midgard and they would be in danger. When the Convergence comes and all nine realms come into alignment, Midgard will be the target."

"Then what do we do?"

"I don't know. I'm going to talk to father." Thor and Loki sat there for a minute in thought, and Thor eventually got up and left.

Loki wanted to go and see Emmeline, but he hesitated. He was almost afraid to go into the throne room. Emmeline had started to look really, truly awful. Her fire power, according to the Asgardian nurses, was draining her energy and nutrients, making her weaker and weaker. As time went on, her face sank in, there were dark purple circles around her eyes, and she was getting skinnier and skinnier. Loki couldn't bear seeing her like that. He would not lose himself in front of Odin. He couldn't.

But he longed for her.

Loki got up and walked through the west corridor and halfway, he was stopped by a sword. He stepped back. Sif smiled at him and put her sword back into its scabbard.

"Hello Sif," said Loki. "Did you miss me?"

"I wept every day," said Sif sarcastically. She turned serious.

"Why have you returned here? Did you fail in Midgard?" she said. Loki laughed.

"Midgard is no longer of my concern," said Loki. Sif smirked at him.

"Why do you go down to the throne room so often to see her? Do you mock her? She is injured." Loki's smile quickly faded, and turned into a scowl.

"I do not mock her! I go to ensure her health and safety! I go to visit her!"

"Why do you care?"

"I love her!" Loki yelled. Sif just looked at him.

"You are incapable of such feelings," she replied. Loki said nothing and pushed her aside as he walked past her.

When he got to the throne room, Loki stopped in his tracks when he saw Emmeline in the glass case. She was sitting on the floor, leaned against the wall, and Odin was knelt down to her, talking to her. Emmeline was looking at him weakly. Her whole body was enveloped in flames, and she was wearing fireproof armor so her clothing wouldn't burn.

Loki walked up to the glass case quickly and got on his knees.

"Odin, what are you doing?" asked Loki. Odin stood up.

"Nothing, son," he said. Loki looked at Emmeline, who looked more like a corpse now. She tried to smile at him.

"Have the nurses found out how to help you?" asked Loki. Emmeline shook her head.

"…I'm dying, Loki," she muttered. "I can't find any ice powers to stop the fire. I—I'm wasting away. I just…want you to know that I love you." Loki looked at her with horror and tears in his eyes.

"No," he said. "No you're not! I won't let this happen!" Suddenly Odin placed a hand on Loki's shoulder. Loki stood up and looked at him.

"Loki—"

"—No, Odin! I'm not giving up like you! You are a weak king! You're giving up on her just like you did Frigga! Well I won't stand for it!" Loki turned to Emmeline. "Don't give up darling," he said. He turned around quickly and marched out of the throne room.


Thor was very concerned about his brother. He was very concerned about many things: Loki, Emmeline, Asgard, and Odin. Emmeline looked worse every time Thor saw her, the Chitauri were coming and Thor was short on strategies, and Odin was up night and day worrying about Loki. He hadn't said anything, but Thor could see Odin worrying about his adopted son. He was losing him.

Thor worried about Loki too, but not for the same reason as Odin. Odin worried that he was losing Loki as a son, and Thor worried that Loki was losing himself. With Emmeline's injury, Loki concerned himself with nothing but her survival. But he began to lose hope.

One afternoon, Thor entered the sitting room to find it empty except for Loki sitting on the floor, leaning against a wall post. He didn't even look up at Thor when he entered. He had a sorrowful look on his face and he stared blankly at the wall. Thor could imagine what he was going through. If anything were to happen to Jane, Thor would be in hysterics. Maybe he could be a source of comfort for his brother. Thor walked over to Loki and sat next to him without a word. Loki looked down at the floor.

"What are you doing?" asked Loki, emotionless.

"I came to see if you were okay," said Thor. Loki laughed.

"I've never been okay a day in my life," he replied, and his smile faded. He looked at Thor for the first time since he came in.

"Do you think she'll be alright?" he asked. "I know that's not what they say, but I can't…" he trailed off.

"I think she'll pull through," said Thor. "She's strong. It was just a sword."

"Just a sword?"

"Alright…I'm just trying to make you feel better." Loki tried to smile a little, but he gave up and sighed, looking up at the ceiling. Thor saw tears form in his eyes.

"Don't give up, Loki," said Thor. He didn't know what to say. Loki closed his eyes and tears ran down his face.

"I just don't know how she is going to get out of this," said Loki. He turned and looked at Thor. "…I'm scared." His voice shook. Thor didn't know what to say or what to think. Loki had never admitted to any fear in front of his brother before. This was truly the most vulnerable Thor had ever seen him. He put his hand on Loki's shoulder.

"It's alright," said Thor. Loki looked at Thor and he couldn't hold it anymore. Loki broke down in tears and put his face in his hands, making a high pitched noise as he cried. Thor put his arm around Loki and hugged him. Loki wouldn't look at him, but he let Thor hug him. Seeing his brother in such a state made Thor feel sad and uncomfortable. Loki was sensitive, but he hid it behind a thick mask of deceit. Now he let his sorrow show through. Thor used to think that his brother wasn't touched by anything, but now he began to think…maybe he was touched by everything.

Loki lifted his head out of his hands.

"I am weak," he said, leaning back against the wall trying to gather himself.

"It is not weakness," said Thor. "You love her."

"I am not going to give up on her," said Loki. "I am not like Odin."


"The only way for her to survive is if she can force her ice powers through to even out the energy," said an Asgardian nurse. Loki was trying to find a way to save Emmeline. First he needed to know what was wrong with her.

"The root of the problem is her wound," the Asgardian nurse went on. "It damaged her nerves that her ice and fire powers were conjured. Her fire powers spun out of control and if she can force her ice powers through, she can get the nerves to respond again. We do not have that level of cold and ice to do it ourselves." Then Loki had a brilliant idea.

"I do," he said to himself. He looked up at the nurse. "Thank you." She nodded, and Loki left the room to find Thor. Just as Loki expected, he was in the sitting room with Sif and the Warriors Three, discussing battle. Loki stood in the doorway.

"Thor, I need to speak with you," he said. Thor excused himself from a frustrated Sif, and entered the west corridor to talk to Loki as he requested.

"I need you to come with me to Jotunheim," said Loki.

"Jotunheim? What for?"

"I know how to save Emmeline," Loki replied. "I have the ice powers that are needed to save her; remember, I am a Frost Giant! I just need to get the Casket of Ancient Winters from Jotunheim so I may use them."

"But the only way to get the casket is to steal it," said Thor.

"That's what makes it fun," Loki replied.

"You know it's dangerous."

"We're already fighting a war. And if we are careful, the Frost Giants won't even notice. I'll only have it for a second. Are you going to help me or not?" Thor sighed.

"Alright," he said.