Sigyn begged for death, it would be a mercy after everything she had endured. Loki had failed, and in failing, Thanos had become enraged, he wanted the Tesseract, and now it was safe in the vaults of Asgard's great palace. At least that was something; no harm would come to the realms from it if it was under the protection of King Odin.

She heard voices growling angrily as she remained in a state of barely conscious. The last beating she took was not as brutal as others, as each day they became more and more lenient, but only because Thanos was waiting for something more. Biting back tears, she knew there was nothing she could do to stop it. Chained so that her limbs were not able to move and flex, she could not even consider taking her own life as she had before. The only good thing to come from it all was that Loki had gotten free, that would have to be her solace. The voices were becoming angrier and more aggressive, so taking what little energy she had, she strained to focus on them.

"They are after getting through the guards of the passageways."

"How did they even get here?"

"Who are they?"

"It is that Asgardian, and he brought that brute of a brother of his."

Sigyn's eyes widened. Loki had returned, and he brought Thor. She found herself very conflicted, she was relieved at the idea that her torture may come to an end, but also infuriated that he had risked himself for her.

"Get the girl; let us see what he makes of her when he sees all that has happened since his leaving." She could hear the wicked grin on the speakers face. Preparing herself for what was to come; she heard footfalls coming close to her.

"Get up little wench, looks like your lover has returned for you. It would be a shame if he were to come all this way and not see you before he dies."

Barely able to stand, she was dragged from the room, hissing to herself as the top of her feet scraped against the floor as she went, praying she was not dropped to the floor at any stage, as she knew there was no hope of her catching herself in the fall. She realised where she was being taken to and gasped. Thanos's personal little throne room, had Loki and Thor been able to reach so far into the complex? She was proud of him; he must have shown such power and strength to be able to have done so.

She was kept behind a rock, so she was unable to see Loki, but she could sense him close. "Little boys playing games they cannot possibly understand." She heard Thanos chuckle. "I would wager you do not even know the rules, well princelings, I am about to show you both why you made a fatal error coming here on this day."

"ENOUGH!" That voice, her mouth dropped open. How could it possibly be?

"Well, well, the Allfather." Thanos's voice showed his utter indifference to the apparently unexpected ruler of the realms. "Why are you here for something that does not concern you?"

"You forced my boy to do such terrible things, you marred his skin and you tortured one of my realms citizens in his stead, this is of the utmost concern for me." The old man's voice declared.

"Father." There it was, Loki's voice.

"I heard it all Loki, in my Odinsleep, I hear all, and I can see all, your mother told you that previously."

"How touching." Thanos's voice was laced in venom. "Although, this does make my day all that more interesting. Annihilating the entire Aesir royal family in one foul swoop. I do not even know where to start. Should I annihilate the brute first and shatter your morale, or perhaps the old fool, so that you boys give it your all, making my victory all the sweeter. Who to kill last? Loki, so that you can see that your father and brother sacrificed themselves for nothing, or Allfather, to see your line obliterated. These are such difficult decisions to make."

"Where is the girl?" Odin demanded.

"She is close by." Thanos smirked.

"Why have you kept her alive?" Loki asked, fearful of the answer.

"I had planned to kill her sooner, to burn off her skin and wait for death to claim her, but she…well she became of greater value then. When I get what I want from her, then I will give her the sweetness of death." His chuckle was deep and menacing.

"What do you mean?" Thor raised Mjolnir slightly.

"Take a look for yourselves." Thanos gave a small nod, and the creatures holding Sigyn walked out from behind the rock, pulling her with them.

Exhausted and almost defeated, she looked at Loki, whose usually pale face was even more so as he looked over her body. She had lost substantial weight, she was convinced she was almost like a corpse, the rags of the dress she had worn since the day Thanos's scouts had taken her from asgard was nothing but shreds now, her once beautiful body littered in silver scars.

"You see, when it came time to strip her of her garments and set her alight, we came to notice a little bulge." Thanos grinned. "Well you have to pay your debt in some manner Asgardian. Your child is as good as you to do so."

Loki stared at Sigyn's rotund stomach, where, after a night that she had sought the warmth of his body in the cold; his seed had clearly taken root and grown within her. He recalled it often, the feel of her soft body against his, the manner which she held onto him, not repulsed by his true heritage.

"You monster!" Thor sent Mjolnir straight at Thanos, who diverted it and sent it to some unknown part.

"The first to die I think will be you little princeling." Thanos glared at Thor. "You are most irritating." Thor ran forward and made his way to Thanos.

"Loki." Odin called, causing the younger to look at him and indicated for Loki to give him Gungnir. Obediently, he did so, and not a moment later, before Thor had even reached Thanos, Odin aimed the great staff at the being and unleashed its fury.

Thanos's throne like chair disintegrated and weakened by the blast, he fell to the floor, and not a moment later, with Mjolnir returning to his hand once more, Thor jumped into the air, and with the force of a thunderstorm, brought the great hammer down on the helmet of Thanos.

As his adopted family dealt with Thanos, Loki rushed straight to Sigyn and those holding her. With swiftness born of years of practise, he sliced through the throats of both those holding her before they could do harm to her. With no one to assist her to bear her weight, she collapsed to the ground, though at the last moment, she was helped by Sif and Loki to remain standing.

"Her leg is broken." Hogun noted.

"Get her to somewhere safe." Loki ordered.

"Is she…is it…?" Fandral pointed awkwardly to her stomach.

"Yes." Loki looked to Sigyn hopefully, the nod she gave confirming it. "She carries a child of my blood."

"Loki!" Sigyn cried as an odd looking woman came running up behind him, a blade drawn. Just as she reached him however, he fizzled away, making the woman look around in concern, backing into a rock as Sif got Fandral and Volstagg to keep Sigyn standing as she and Hogun moved slowly toward the woman, weapons ready. Yet they were unneeded, as Loki sent three clones from within the rock towards her, startling her into backing away from it before gasping in pain as Loki revealed himself once more, one of his daggers lodged in her throat.

"No!" Thanos's voice bellowed from behind, seeing what Loki had done, rising again, even after Thor and Odin's assaults, he lunged towards the prince to destroy him.

Before he could reach him however, Odin shielded his second son, taking the blade Thanos was wielding into his gut. Thor called upon lightning once more as Odin used his remaining, though weakened strength to harness Gungnir, shocked to see Loki place his hand on the staff also, permitting his own seidr to be added to it, and the three attacked Thanos as one.

Cracks appeared in the beings blue skin before he was obliterated by the sheer force of the attack, sending all around in different directions from the force of the blow. Groaning, they soon tried to right themselves.

"Sigyn." Loki ran straight to her. "Are you…?"

"I'm fine." She groaned. "I landed on my back." Her leg seemed all the more mutilated under after the blast. "But…"

"But what?" he looked at her stomach, where her hand was resting. "It's coming, isn't it?"

"I think so."

"She needs to get to a healer immediately." Thor stated as he went to his father to aid him to his feet. "As do you father, to come out of an Odinsleep and…Father!" Tt was only then he realised that Odin had been pierced by a weapon.

"Do not concern yourself with me, I will not make it." Odin's voice was raspy.

"Why?" Loki asked.

Odin turned to face him, rubble in his hair as he lay looking at him. "Because you are my son Loki, I told you that before. A man looks after his family, let that be my advice to you, look after yours."

"Father." Thor's eyes welled with tears.

"Do not fret my boy, your mother awaits me, and I long to see her." He looked at Sigyn, who was shaking and wincing in pain. "Look after him, won't you? He's a bit sensitive." Giving a small tearful laugh, knowing full well what he meant, she nodded, before the pain in her back and leg were overshadowed by a new and more terrifying pain that told her the baby would soon arrive. "Good." Odin spoke to himself as he stared to the skies before stilling.

"Heimdall!" Thor yelled to the skies. With the assistance of the Tesseract, Heimdall was able to call back those on the barren rock to the Bifrost. Looking at the pile of batter and bruised bodies in front of him, he was about to make comment, until he saw Odin's lifeless body. "We need…" Thor didn't know what they needed, his mind would not work.

"We need someone to go and get a carriage to bring father back to the palace, but more so, we need to get Sigyn to the healers, now. Thor, bring her with Mjolnir." Loki ordered.

"No." Sigyn tried to keep hold of him.

"I will be by your side soon, but you need the healers faster than I can bring you there. Thor will ensure the safest and fasted manner of doing so." He kissed her dirt and blood covered hands. "I swear it." With a nod, she allowed Thor take her against him as gently as he could so not to harm the child, and brought her to the palace.

The kingdom was bewildered. Loki was alive, Odin was dead, Thor had apparently abdicated and there was a royal child, none of which the people knew anything of.

"You should be king Loki." Thor stated after their father's boat had been set alight and they watched him ascend to the stars, to join their mother in Valhalla. "You are better suited, you have done so well at it."

"Are you not frightened that I will try and destroy realms again?"

"You were lashing out after…well you know, with Jötunheim. With what was revealed by Thanos, it is clear you never wanted Midgard. You are what the realm needs now."

"A Jötunn runt with an illegitimate heir?" Loki raised his brow.

"They know not your heritage, and well." Thor grinned. "There is a manner to change the other part."

"What are you implying?"

"Every king needs a queen." Thor winked. "I think she will do nicely do you not? Did father not need mother?"

The mention of Odin caused Loki's stomach to clench. "He did not hate me."

"Why would he? Honestly Loki, why would he take you from Jötunheim and raise you as his son if he hated you?"

"Because look at all I have done."

"But they still loved you Loki."

"Why?"

"In years to come, if your son does something to cause you to be angry, will you hate him? No, you will love him still."

Loki thought of the little boy asleep in his chambers along with Sigyn, who was still recovering from what she had endured. "I will always be willing to move the realms for him." He swore.

"Would you die for him?"

"In a heartbeat."

"As father was willing to do so for you." Thor placed his hand on his brother's shoulder before leaving the room.

Tired and worn, he walked to the other part of the chambers, where Sigyn and Vali were resting. On entering he heard the sound of the small child suckling. "Eating again?"

"I fear his stomach to be bottomless." She smiled. Looking up, her face fell. "What is it?"

"Thor thinks I should be king." He stroked Vali's little hand with his finger.

"And what do you think?"

"I think I can do so." Sigyn gave a small nod. "With aid of my beautiful queen."

"Sentiment." She scoffed playfully, looking to the small baby against her breast, his hair as dark as his fathers and his little eyes alight. She smiled knowing he would never know the darkness they had once been forced to ensure, but lucky enough to find one another in. "Are we safe now?"

"Of course, none shall ever harm either of you. I swear it."

"Thank you."

"Whatever for?" he pushed some of her hair out of her face.

"For saving me."

"Darling, you saved me first."