Thank you for being patient everyone. The last few days have been pretty rough on me. But I do have some good news and bad news...

Good news: Stockholm has finally reached completion. It is done!

Bad news: The review count has been quite low lately and I would really hate to deprive the ending if the counts do not go up.

Please continue to review as I cherish every word.

There is a bit of violence in this chapter that might make a few uncomfortable.

For your musical joy, here is what I suggest:

In the throne room (all off Tron soundtrack): "Overture," when Loki and Thor are talking: "Father and son," when the super villain attacks and until the end: "Fall" off the Tron soundtrack,

Chapter Nineteen - Unbinding the ties

Asgard

The cosmos stirred violently as the armies of Jotunheim, Svartalfaheim, Muselheim, and Midgard seemed to be crying out for combat.

In the realm of Asgard, Thor did not hear about any of the warmongering. It felt good returning to his home realm after returning from Midgard. He wanted to move on with his life.

And to do that, he would spend the day with Sif and his child.

He searched around the castle for his lover and daughter, but could not find them anywhere. Thor wanted to take them out for a day at the cove outside the village.

In the location he searched, they were not in their shared quarters, the garden, and the lake retreat, nowhere.

Where would Sif and Torunn had gone?

He walked toward the throne room and figured he would ask his mother if she had seen them.

However, when he walked in, he saw Sif holding Torunn, his mother, and his father standing around. His father was near his throne while the ladies stood at the base of the stairs.

There were two other people there as well; two people that he recognized and never would have expected to see in his home realm.

"Darcy," he called her name when she turned to face him. "Black Widow. Welcome to our home. What a pleasure it is..."

Sif had been coming to meet him after he nearly got to the staircase.

She met him with a harsh slap across his face.

"Congratulations," she whispered to him. "Not only have you decided that you want to be with Jane, but you have doomed your house to destruction."

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"This edict that these lovely ladies from your brother's court were so obliged to bring to us," his father said showing the parchment in his hands. He started to come down the steps while reading it. "This edict of the Supreme Justice Court of King Loki the First, son of Laufey of Jotunheim and adoprted son of Odin of Asgard, ruler of Midgard do herby charge Thor Odinson with Assault upon Lady Jane, Queen of Midgard."

"What?" he shouted. "What is this mockery?"

"Thor," Frigga called out to him. "You will not dishonor your father while he is charging you."

"Charging me?" he questioned.

"Shut it god," Widow blasted. "Just because you have social status and I am a lowly Midgardian minion, you do not need to be imprudent."

He could not believe this mortal woman was telling him to be quiet.

"What did you do to Lady Jane?" Frigga asked.

"It was nothing," he replied.

His father shouted at him and rapped his spear on the floor. "What was it?" he ordered an answer from him.

"I kissed her," he finally answered.

They were all dumbfounded and flabbergasted at him.

"Thor, how could you?" his mother asked.

"It was innocent," he told them. "I wanted to test and see if Jane was under a spell and kissing her proved to me that she wasn't. She is in love with my brother. In return for the "assault," Jane struck me across the face and ordered me to stay away from her.

"Darcy, Black Widow," he pleaded, "let me go to Jane and apologize for what I have done..."

"That is no longer possible," Darcy told him.

"What do you mean?"

"What she is trying to say to you genius," Black Widow said, "is that because you dishonored her, a video made its way to Loki, and he struck her out of anger. She felt that she had lost everything and tried to end her pain...by drowning herself."

Thor was speechless.

Jane had killed herself, taken her own life all over the kiss that he had given her. It was true that she was not under a spell, but why would she leave the man she loved so much by taking her life.

"That...it's not...possible," he said breathless to get the words to come so he could speak them. "Jane would never kill herself."

"I said that she "tried" to end her pain," the Avenger said. "She is lying in a coma, brain dead, but like humans do, we are not giving up. Our queen's blood is on your hands. Hence, well I will let your father give the terms from our king."

"Terms? What terms?"

"King Loki of Midgard orders Lord Odin Allfather and Queen Frigga, the ruling house of Asgard to immediately surrender the condemned to be extradited back to Midgard to face judgment. You have three days to comply with the request or war will be declared."

"We have the full backing of the United Nations, Jotunheim, Svartalfaheim, and Muselheim ready to join Midgardian troops in a full out assault on your realm."

"Should you choose to not surrender of course," Widow said as she twirled a set of cuffs around her finger. "Make it easy and just come now so I can go home and serve my people."

"This is an outrage," he shouted. "Father, you cannot be serious in letting them, in giving me to Loki."

His father came to him, resting his hands on his shoulders. "Thor, Odinson, I cannot save you this time," he told him. "I will not surrender one son to another, but if you truly do love Lady Jane, you will do what is the right thing. Do what is best for your love, your daughter, your family, and your people."

A tear left his one jeweled eye before he embraced him.

Then his father left the throne room, escorting Sif with his daughter in her arms and his mother out with him.

He stood there and faced Darcy and Black Widow who stood there with arms crossed over their chests.

"Are you going to come willingly or are we going to have to play rough?" the agent asked.

He had to think fast. Did he want to surrender so quickly and disappoint his brother with a war? Did he want to run and take out his brother before he had the chance to do the same to him?

Then he thought of something to do.

"Let me speak with your king before my surrender," he told the women. "I promise you that you will have me either way."

The girls looked at each other and then slowly approached.

Portal Room: Midgard

The portal frame began to glow that it was about to receiving a signal...and the arrivees were coming from Asgard.

"Portal opening from Asgard sir," one of the technicians said.

Tony Stark was there checking on the energy readings. "Looks like three and we only sent two through initially," he stated. "Abby, how we looking?"

"Massive energy fluctuation than the initial send-through," his loving wife replied. "Do you think...?"

"Too easy," he answered. "Alert the king!" he shouted over the railing.

Guards went running from the railing that encircled the chamber into the residence.

He watched as the portal began to glow and take shape.

Tony went down the staircase and could see the shadows that were coming forward into their realm.

The shadows took shape to reveal Darcy Lewis, Natasha Romanoff, and in their custody in irons was Thor of Asgard.

Barton came to join him. "So when do I have to pay you back?" the archery master Avenger said to him.

Tony snickered that he had won the bet.

Thor returned to the large portal room of Midgard. However it was not just filled with the portal ring or the technology to use it.

Soldiers were gathering weapons and technology that they were no doubt preparing for their onslaught of Asgard.

What could Loki be thinking? Asgardians were much stronger than these mere mortals? Most of these men and women would be slaughtered if war were to come to Asgard.

Then he saw the level-making troops. There was a Jotun Frost Giant who was working with soldiers to develop a battle plan. Svartalf, or dark elves as they were known by, was working on energy charging the Midgardian weaponry to be stronger.

Loki had multi-realm support...and with troops from both realms and the Midgardian infantry, they could stand a chance against Asgard.

He marched calmly down the ramp with each of the Midgardian women on his arms.

The soldiers that lined the sides of the ramp and the aisle lead to the staircase, which in turn lead to two doors to the residence.

All of the mortals had their weapons pointed towards him.

He made contact with two men, the metal man and archer, who stared at him.

"Thanks for helping me lose a bet," the archer called Barton sneered at him.

"Ignore him," Tony Stark replied. "Our king should be expecting you."

They walked up the staircase and into the palace.

Thor was watching as the servants all stared at him. He could hear their thoughts as though they were speaking directly to him. They were remarking that he was the murderer of their queen and that they could not believe that he had surrendered to him.

From the chamber at the end of the hallway, Loki appeared with his scepter in hand. He was marching, clothed in a uniform that was of true Midgard standard.

The look on his face was of the purest hatred.

"Stop there girls," he ordered.

Darcy and Black Widow stopped.

"Take him inside," Loki snapped. "I want him to see his handiwork. To see what he has done."

"Get in there," Widow growled and pulled him into the room to his right.

Thor was left breathless when he saw the queen lying there. Her skin was pale and sullen. Her eyes were softly closed, but he could barely see her face due to the apparatus that covered her mouth and nose.

Her hair was a tangled mess of vines across the pillow.

"What do you think?" his brother whispered as he walked by him. "Quite a piece of work you have done upon my wife. Ever since we were children, you always had to have what I had. You were always jealous of me."

"Loki, I," he said, but was knocked across the back by a club of some sort.

"You will not talk when the king is addressing you," a guard told him.

He watched as Loki was caressing Jane's forehead and then kissed her gently upon her brow.

"You have taken what I hold dearest to me," Loki continued to explain to him. "But if there is one thing that Jane has taught me during this time we have had together, is that there is a heart in everything and everyone.

"So here is my gift to you Prince Thor," he directed his speech to him, "I am going to release you."

"What?" he asked, not understanding why, but was about to get his explanation.

"I will send you back to Asgard," Loki told him. "Give you a chance to take in every last breath and vision of your realm...only to watch it be razed by a realm of superior rank and valor. My realm will crush your own and there is nothing you can do about it. I will take away from you what you love and cherish, just as you have me."

"No Loki, that is madness," Thor tried to plead with him. "You cannot think to punish mother, father, everyone in Asgard for one thing that I have committed upon you. I ask you to take my life instead."

Loki smiled and let out a brief inside laugh. "You think that I want to do this," he told him. "You have brought this upon yourself. My people are crying for the blood of the Asgardians all because you cannot seem to choose which woman you claim to be loyal to; Sif or my wife."

With a wave of his hand, the cuffs fell from his wrists.

"Now go," his brother said as he took his seat by Jane, "and tell mother and father that I am sorry."

He tried to protest, but the guards and Avengers would hear nothing of it. He was slowly being pulled from the chamber.

Thor tried to plead with his brother.

Suddenly, there was an explosion as the castle window-wall was blown in. Loki was able to put a force-field around Jane and himself in time to avoid the debris.

Thor stared around amidst the smoke and flames to see that the guards had been knocked into the wall, Darcy had collided with the mirror that fell onto her, Widow was slowly trying to get up from being knocked back.

Those that were able to look saw the menacing evil that came for them.

It was the figure known as Doom; the one who had attacked Jane before.

"Long live the king," he growled. "We heard that the queen was in distress and decided to come and pay our...condolences."

Loki stood and came to face him. He snapped a hand out to bring his scepter to his hand. "How dare you enter my home, you filthy heathens," his brother shouted. "I have had enough of you all."

"The feeling is mutual King Loki," the masked villain said and blasted at him.

The king was able to block the shot, but barely. A second blast, he was not so lucky and crashed into the wall and several of his soldiers.

"Ah, Lady Jane," Doom said as he floated towards her. "So frail you are, even in your death. Allow me to alleviate your suffering." His power churned violently in his hands.

"No!" Thor shouted and blocked the path. "You will not harm her."

"Back away Prince Thor," Doom ordered. "She does not deserve to suffer at the hand of her captor anymore. I am here to save her."

"By killing her? Where is that right?" Thor asked.

He did not get a chance to answer.

"Doom!" a voice called out to him. It was Captain America who came in whipping his shield out to try and take him down.

The wizard avoided the slice, but took an arrow from Barton to the chest.

He reached down and grabbed Thor by the neck.

"You are coming with me," he ordered and dragged Thor from the room.

Loki stared in amazement as one of the rebels, Dr. Doom invaded his castle and then abducted Thor just as he was releasing him,

Now, he needed to get him back.

"Avengers, get him!" he shouted.

While his elite squad went after Thor and Doom, he stayed to make sure that Jane was still alive and still with him.

Thor was carried by the villain back to the portal control room. Guards fired on them, but a shield blocked and even repelled some of the projectiles.

They made it to the room, where he was dropped to the floor.

"Hurry, we need to get this thing functioning before your brother's men catch up," the wizard told him.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked.

"Because I need you to get back to your world," the villain told him. "You and your armies have to come back here and save the Earth from his tyrannous rule."

"You tried to kill Jane. Why should I help you defeat my brother?"

"To correct you Prince Thor, the resistance has been trying to save your precious Jane from this Stockholm Syndrome she has."

"Stock...what?" he asked.

"Stockholm Syndrome...where a captured or kidnapped person identifies with their attacker and eventually will do anything to keep their oppressor pleased. It is a survival mechanism of sorts.

"The point is if only you could see what they have done to keep themselves in their posh lifestyle and station. You might reconsider. People disappear if they oppose him. There are few good people left who do not want to be oppressed by him. This war, though how personal it may be," he continued ranting, "will get millions of Earthlings killed; signaling at last the overthrow of your brother."

"But you are not good," the god questioned.

"Semantics," the wizard said and got the console up and running.

Thor saw that the portal was opening.

"Get going Thor," the Midgard villain was saying. "Bring your people here and save us..."

The man fell to the ground.

He looked to see the archer had struck him in the neck with a precision shot. It was powerful enough to pierce through and through.

Blood spouted from the tip.

"Go!" the man gurgled.

"Do not let him get away!" he heard his brother roar at the soldiers.

This was going to be his only chance of getting home and have the ability to end this conflict or muster up the troops he would need to defend it.

Thor leapt from the control tower, took one last look at his brother, and dove into the portal.

Loki howled in anger that his brother had been allowed to escape. He was looking forward to torturing him if he did not return to Asgard.

However, thanks to Von Doom's interruption, his brother was now safe in his home realm and he was made to look a fool yet again.

The king marched down the steps to where the fallen body of Victor Von Doom was resting after he had fallen; thanks to his skilled archer's precision.

"You are a credit to your race Hawkeye," he acknowledged him.

"You do not pay me for my good looks," Barton replied. He stayed close to him, an arrow aimed downward at the bridge of his nose on the mask.

Loki hovered over the fallen wizard, staring at how weak and helpless he was in this moment.

"Dr. Doom," he said his name.

"My bastard king," the rebel replied.

Loki brought his scepter's pointed end to hover and float above him; a pendulum swinging that would decide his fate.

"That is the second time you have taken a shot at my wife," he told him. "Any particular reason why she is the object of your attacks?"

"She is one of us, a Midgardian that you soiled by taking her hostage," Doom told him. "I wanted to liberate her. Save her from you."

"Oh," he said and looked to the rest of them. "He wanted to try and save her from me."

The soldiers and Avengers around laughed.

"You really need to keep your day-job as a doctor instead of a royal pain in my arse," he replied. "However, since you now have assisted the real killer of my wife, I think it only prudent of me to return the favor."

"Do your worst King...Loki. There will be more like me. All the more people that are going to celebrate me as a god for standing up to you. Damn you and damn your whore of a wife."

Loki, enraged at the words of calling his wife a whore, was driven to the edge. He took his spear in both hands and plunged it deep into Von Doom's abdomen.

Blood spouted from the entry wound and stained his scepter.

The wizard tried to fight on, but it was frugal. He did not survive.

He withdrew his staff.

"Captain Rogers, prepare the troops," he ordered to Captain America. "We march for Asgard at dawn."

"Yes my king," Rogers replied as he walked up the steps.

Loki is a very confusing character, is he not? First he orders Thor to surrender and then lets him go because he wants to take Asgard anyway...hmmm? Then with Doom's interuption, it all basically hit the fan on turbo. Remember to review as I have some exciting items planned for the rest of the story. You will not be disappointed!