Author's Notes: I have been really busy this week so I have not been able to get as much writing done as I would have liked. I apologize for the delay. But I had quite a bit of fun writing this chapter, and I hope you have just as much fun reading it.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, worlds, things, etc. Too bad, that would be fun. :) But alas, 'tis not meant to be. :'(

There was nothing to hear but the bloodthirsty roar of the frost giant as it swung its club down towards Thor's head with all of its might. There was nothing to see but the anger mixed with the pride of victory in its eyes the color of blood. The world had narrowed to nothing butthe attacking frost giant. It was simply as if nothing else existed; nothing else mattered. This was the end...

The club fell through the air with bone crushing force. The end was so near that Thor could feel the shift in the air as it neared his face. But then rather than world shattering pain, suddenly Thor felt the air above him change from the normal freezing air of Jotunheim to that of a blazing furnace. Was this what it felt like to die? He had certainly imagined it differently. So, he risked opening his eyes.

A thin jet of fire sprayed above Thor and directly into the face of the frost giant. Thenit cut off as suddenly as it had started, and it was as if it was never there. The air regained its iciness, and the night returned to darkness. But in that brief moment of light, Thor had seen the shadow on the sky again, then only a vivid outline of what seemed to be a person. It was too small to be a frost giant, but it was also too small for one of the warriors.

The frost giant howled in pain and clutched at its face. It lowered its hands, overflowing with rage, and let out a cry that would have shaken even the most experienced of warriors. The frost giant's face was now blackened and burned; pieces of ruined skin beginning to fall away. Blaming Thor for the mysterious fire, it directed its rage towards him.

Thor tried to take advantage of the slight delay in the action and get back to a position from which he could fight, but as soon as he got to his feet the giant swatted him back down. It wasn't allowing him even a chance to get away now. Amd having dropped its club when its face had been burned, it moved to stomp Thor's skull against the ground to kill him. Thor tried to scramble backwards up the side of the moutain to get away or at least lessen the blow a bit, but he was too dazed from his head striking the unforgiving rocks beneath him for it to do much good. His reaction time had been slowed too much. But then Thor heard a cry that didn't belong to the frost giant.

"NOOO!"

Thor saw the shadowy figure fly through the air overhead. The green eyes disappearing from sight as it collided with the frost giant. Thor's rescuer caught hold of the frost giant's neck and swung around onto its back. The giant struggled to shake him, no longer concerned with the now escaping Thor.

While the frost giant was preoccupied with this new attacker, Thor rushed to find his sword. It was stuck half buried in the snow nearby. After pulling it free of the ice, he turned back, ready to face the frost giant once again.

As Thor ran to rehoin the fight, the attacker on the giant's back shifted his position so that he covered the frost giant's eyes. It was unable to see Thor as he attacked and thus was unable to anticipate Thor's attack.

However, the frost giant struggled against the attacker currently covering its eyes. With it proving much more difficult to keep his hold on the giant this way, he finally slipped and was thrown back onto the icy ground.

But he had managed to keep the frost giant's attention diverted long enough. Before it even had sufficient time to regain its balacne, Thor had closed the distance between them. It raised its arm to strike at Thor, but it was already too late. The thunder god'd sword pierced the frost giant's chest. And with a strangled cry, it collapsed, dead at Thor's feet.

Thor stepped back from the frost giant's corpse and quickly looked around. The fight was over. The warriors had finished off the rest of the frost giants while Thor had been busy with this one. It looked like they had lost a total of three of the warriors in the fight. But now that all the action was ended, Thor could finally find out if there might still be time for him to save his brother...Thor took off running in the direction of where he could still see the first frost giant's spear protruding from Loki's armor.

"Brother, wait!"

Thor stopped, frozen in his tracks. He could have swore that that call had come from somewhere behind him, but it was unmistakably Loki's voice. Did the echoes of these mountains play tricks on his ears? Thor just stood there for a moment, frozen by his confusion.

"Do you really intend to leave me lying here like this?"

The voice was weak, but it didn't sound like an echo. Thor looked back in the direction of the second frost giant he had killed. Lyin on the snow covered ground almost right beside it, was the person who had come to Thor's rescue only minutes before. He had completely forgotten about the "shadowy figure" who had been watching over him. He'd forgotten about the green eyed attacker who had saved his life. He had only been thinking of ending the fight quickly that he might save his brother before it was too late...

He ran over tothe boy lying on the ground. Thor felt greatly relieved as he looked down on the smiling face of his little brother - his very much alive little brother. Loki looked only a little worse for wear after having been tossed around a bit by the frost giant. He was still waiting to catch his breath after having the wind knocked out of him when he had been thrown to the ground. "I thought I'd lost you there."

"You are not getting rid of me that easily." Loki laughed lightly. "Now, help me up." He held out his hand for Thor to help him to his feet.

Thor pulled Loki from the ground and kept his hand on his brother's shoulder until he was sure he wasn't going to fall back down. When he was convinced that Loki had recovered enough to walk on his own, Thor let him go. As they walked over to join the group of warriors, Thor finally asked, "How is it that you still live? I saw you skewered by that frost giant's spear, and yet you walk beside me now with hardly a scratch."

Loki stopped walking and turned to face Thor. He waited a moment, but seeing that Thor was not going to catch on to what he thought would have been fairly obvious, he decided it would be better to just explain. "What you believe you saw and what actually occured is not necessarily the same, brother. I knew that if the frost giants were to attack tonight, they would come for me first. I had already seen them and had already tried to warn you of their presence. Once they assumed us to be asleep and began to come this way, I removed my armor and cloak while they would not be able to see me do so. I positioned my things to look as if I was still sleeping there. While in actuality, I hid myself among the rocks of that mountainside. I apologize for not telling you of this beforehand. It was not my intentions to worry you, but this had to be convincing. And I knew you would not have agreed to let me do this."

"Why do you believe I would have stopped you from saving your own life?"

"Thor, you did not even believe me when I told you I had seen the frost giants in the first place...You thought me to be losing my mind, remember?"

"Amd my disbelief nearly cost us your life..."

"Do not think of it in such a manner. All turned out well in the end, and that is what truly matters."

"I guess you're right."

Loki laughed again. "Of course I am." They had almost reached the warriors now. A number of them were now staring at the two brothers as they approached. This could prove interesting..."So, do you still think I am crazy?"

Thor smiled, feeling a little less guilty now that he was sure Loki was alright. "No more than usual, little brother." The two began laughing, but their laughter was short lived as they got within earshot of the warriors. The group did not look happy to see them...