Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Marvel Universe, Joss Whedon, and anyone else involved with the movies or comics. I am not making any profits from this writing, it is all for the purposes of fun and creative writing.

Author's note: I'm sorry if things seem a bit OOC, I am just hoping the reactions I am writing for certain characters are believable enough.

Chapter 3

The winds howled like mournful wolves as they swirled about the spires and houses of Asgard, so forceful that they toppled over potted plants, ripped shutters on windows clean from their hinges, and sent all things not firmly bolted down flying into the air to dance among the rain that poured more like waterfalls from the heavens. The people within the vast city all huddled inside their homes, and whatever shelter they could find, all wondering what was going on.

They knew that today was the day that Loki, the former Prince was to receive judgement from the All-father, but they could tell that something was wrong, so very wrong. As many cowered from the howling winds that shattered many windows, they could not help but turn there minds to the golden palace of the All-Father, and what was happening there.

The people who still stood in the hall were silent, but many women, and men were silently weeping as they gazed at their beautiful Queen's devastation, and that of her oldest son.

" My wife, my son, please, you must calm yourselves." Odin said, trying however futile it was to get his family to regain some semblance of composure. But his words fell on deaf ears as Frigga bitterly wept on, now crushing Thor to her chest so hard that parts of his armor had already bent out of shape. Thor was not openly sobbing as his mother was, but tears were gushing down his face as he clung to his mother. No longer was he the great God of Thunder, in that moment he was just a boy who had found out he had lost his best friend and then been tricked into believing the worst about that person. Thor could scarcely draw breath as he wept, realization hitting him without mercy that his brother had been innocent of every atrocity thought to have been committed.

Worse still that he had been dead this whole time.

An eternity passed on this way, Frigga inconsolable as she cried out Loki's name over and over again, Thor right there beside her, the both of them kneeling on the floor with Odin trying desperately to curb their grief.

Sif felt her own eyes burn as she, Volstaag, Hogun, and Fandral all hesitantly drew closer to the royal family that lay in shambles at the center of the great hall. Behind them Heimdall, looking centuries older and painfully weary followed after, his usually bright amber eyes now dull and empty as he too made his way to his King, Queen, and Prince.

When the five of them finally reached Odin and his family, the warriors three and Sif all made their way immediately to Thor and Frigga. They encircled the weeping Prince and his mother and knelt down around the two of them. Sif gathered her nerve and reached out, laying one hand on her friend Thor's quivering shoulder, while her other went to cover one of Frigga's hands that had a death-grip on Thor's red cape. Volstaag felt his face crumble as he looked upon the devastation written across Thor's face. Fandral was pale and trembling lightly, completely at a loss for what to do and shame already written clear across his face, while Hogun knelt with his eyes over-bright and his hands clenched tightly into trembling fists in his lap, at a loss as well. Volstagg reached out slowly, genuinely afraid that he would lose said hand, and carefully laid it over Thor's blond head in a gesture of comfort. Gone was all pretense of maintaining any royal dignity as Thor looked up at Volstaag through his tears, his lips trembling and his body shaking violently. With a broken noise Thor reached out and grasped at Volstaag's sleeve with the desperation of someone barely hanging on. Volstaag instinctively reached up with his free hand and clutched Thor's elbow tightly, as if trying to give Thor all his strength through touch. Odin stood silent now, his hand never leaving Thor's shoulder as he bend forward and reached out with his free hand, placing it with infinite care to the base of his devastated wife's neck. Frigga looked up at the touched to meet her husband's gaze. The grief she was feeling was reflected in that one blue eye, and it made her shattered heart lurch further, as with a sob she finally spoke.

" Our baby, Odin... our baby." She croaked brokenly before she dissolved into gut-wrenching sobs once more.

" I know my wife. I know." Odin breathed.

Movement caught the corner of Odin's eye and had the All-Father turning without taking his hand from either Thor or Frigga to see Heimdall, his gatekeeper standing before him. The two stared at each other for what seemed a life-age before Heimdall fluidly lowered himself onto one knee, holding his sword out in front of his like a cane, his hand folded over the hilt as he bowed is head low, so very low and spoke.

" Your servant kneels before you All-Father, for he has failed in his duty to protect a Prince of Asgard."

Odin was silent as he gazed at his gatekeeper, inwardly pained once more as he spoke.

" If you have failed Heimdall, than I have failed a hundred-fold, for it was my duty to protect my child as much as it was yours. Now rise gatekeeper and do not dare to lower your gaze to me." Odin ordered in all serious.

Taking in a deep, rattling breath Heimdall did as commanded and rose to his feet, forcing his gaze to remain high and meeting the All-Father's as he waited for his King to speak.

" Has all of your memory been returned to you Heimdall?" Odin asked, while everyones eyes, including the tearful one of Thor and Frigga went to the devastated Gatekeeper.

" Yes All-Father, the true memories of the coronation day have been restored, in every facet." Heimdall said gravely.

" Very well, then we shall go into seclusion and-" Odin began, went Frigga let out a low growl and swiftly rose to her feet, her tear stained face a cold mask, while her eyes blazed with renewed fury as she reached up and gripped Odin's wrist, his fingers digging in deep as she glared unyieldingly at her husband as she spoke.

" Like Hell we go into seclusion All-Father!"

" But my Queen-" Odin began when Frigga shook her head and cut him of.

" NO! We will not retreat into some cozy little corner of the palace to watch what happened Loki as if it is some cheap private drama." Frigga hissed vehemently as Thor rose to his feet beside her, his face just as stained with tears, and just a s determined as his mother's.

" Mother is right father, I will not cower from this." Thor said, his voice shaking only a little as he tightened the arms he still had around his mother's shoulders.

" We failed him my husband, we failed he who we called son by heart. We do not deserve the privilege of calling him our son, nor do we deserve to be spared anything." Frigga said, her voice wavering as she squeezed Thor back before continuing, becoming the Queen she was known to be once more as she spoke steadily now.

" We failed my King, and now all of Asgard will see our failure. That is my final word."

"And I concur Father." Thor added.

Odin met his desolate wife and son's gazes, and while he kept his face neutral, he had to swallow covertly before he could speak.

" Very well my love, your word is my will." Odin finally said before he turned to Heimdall.

" Give me your sight Heimdall, it is time for the truth to be known." Odin commanded.

" As you wish my King." Heimdall said as he took his right hand from the hilt of his sword and held it up to the all father, the hand vertical with the palm facing the All-Father.

Wordlessly, Odin reached out with his own right hand and pressed his palm to that of Heimdall. Heimdall focused his mind on the horrible memories that had been returned to him, while Odin concentrated his magic so that he could project it for all in the great hall to see.

As Heimdall and Odin's joined hands began to glow, everyone else looked up at the ceiling to see the hazy mist that was forming. The mist grew thicker and more opaque until it was almost a giant white cloud hovering over everyone. Then with a small burst of energy from the All-Father and his gatekeeper, the cloud grew darker as an image began to form over it.

Thor's heart in particular gave a painful lurch as the image cleared into that of a large bedroom with dark mahogany furniture and deep, emerald green curtains and rugs, a familiar scheme that Thor only knew too well. With books and trinkets laying about, and everything immaculate, it was no great mystery what this room was.

Loki's bedroom within the palace, there resting on a neat black mahogany was a familiar Asgardian helmet with long, curved horns standing polished and luminous, glinting against the sun that streamed in past the green curtains.

Frigga barely stifled a sob with her hand when Heimdall's memory progressed, and Loki came walking into view, deftly fastening the clasps of his billowing green cape to his shoulders. He was dressed in full armor and regalia, sans his signature helmet. Loki looked serious as he came to stand before the tall mirror on the wall as he made some final adjustments to his cape. His intricate armor glinted as he moved about, checking his appearance in the mirror. Loki stepped away from the mirror for a moment and with a fluid motion of his hand, conjured a small silver box, meant for jewelry. He opened the lid to gaze at what it held within, a soft, sad smile crossing his face for a moment before he sobered and closed the box, setting it on the table by his helmet and then stepping back to the mirror to finish getting ready. Then there was a knock on the carved door of his room that had Loki looking away.

" Enter." Loki said.

A servant, one of Frigga's ladies in waiting, stepped into the room, dressed in a pale gray, flowing dressed as she bowed gracefully to Loki.

" Prince Loki, my Queen has sent me to inform you that she is ready and awaits you." The girl said simply.

" Very well, tell Mother I shall join her presently." Loki said with a nod, before he turned back to the mirror and gave the servant no more mind.

All who were witnessing the image, a sort of film being projected from Heimdalls mind all gasped when they saw the servant close the door to Loki's room without stepping out. The room grew cold with dread as they watched the young ladies brown eyes shift and morph to a pale, glowing milky-gray while a sick, twisted little smile curving up the corners of her lips as she pressed her finger to the door and cast a spell over it.

Menkos, it was Menkos.

" That bastard, he used the form of one of my ladies to sneak in." Frigga said in despair as she and the others watched on.

They watched as the lady silently morphed into the vile Chitauri mage, and Loki was completely oblivious.

Menkos grinned as he tapped the blue gauntlet he wore, summoning a ball of fiery blue energy and whirled around to send it flying at his intended target. Only he stopped dead in his tracks when there was no one there to hit, Loki had vanished.

" That's my son." Frigga said with pride despite her despair.

" Where'd you go little Trickster?" Menkos snarled as he stepped further into the room.

There was a low sound of metal flying through the air, and then Menkos let out a yell as his shoulder exploded in searing pain, a glinting, silver knife now protruding out of his flesh.

" Right here asshole." Loki seethed from where he was standing behind Menkos as he conjured another knife and let it fly. This time Menkos snarled as he dodged the incoming weapon, pulling the blade from his shoulder as he did so.

" I'll make you pay for that you little quim." Menkos promised as he sent the ball of energy still in his hand at Loki.

Loki swiftly dove out of the way and then let loose a magical attack, three fireballs right for Menkos. Menkos bellowed in rage as he was able to dodge one of the flaming projectiles but not the third that hit him square in the chest and sending him flying backwards. Loki seized his chance and made a B-line for one of the windows, intent to jump from it, but when he reached it and tried he bounced off of a blue, magical barrier, the spell Menkos had cast.

Thor felt his face crumble as he watched his brother realize that he was trapped. Odin, standing with his eyes still closed was receiving the most vivid picture out of all, a direct line into Heimdall's memory. Despite his own pain at watching all of this, he also felt pride in his youngest for the fight he was putting up.

Back on the projection, Loki turned and let loose several more magical attacks that ranged from fire, to lightening, to ice in an effort to keep the vile beast at bay while he tried to figure out how to escape. He was trapped, and his attempts to teleport were in vain.

But just as Loki conjured another knife to throw, Menkos let out a roar let loose a full blast from his gauntlet. There was no escape this time for Loki, and everyone watched in horror as he was hit full force by the blast, that burned his clothing and melted his armor as it lifted him off his feet and blew him back. Loki screamed in agony as he careened into the far wall of his room with a sickening crunch before falling to the floor in a broken heap.

Loki groaned and writhed on the floor, dazed. Menkos seized his chance. Thor clenched his fists hard as he watched Menkos slither forward like a happy serpent closing in on its poisoned prey.

Every single part of Thor wanted to fly up there and save his brother from what he knew was coming, but it only devastated him further that this was a memory, and he was way, way too late to do anything now.

Sif felt her stomach roll at the sight of the look of sheer glee that filled Menkos's brutish face as he roughly grabbed Loki my his long back hair and started dragging him towards the center of the room. There were gasps and cries all around as everyone watched on in horror at what unfolded next.

Loki tried weakly to summon some magic to defend himself, but for his effort Menkos merely stomped down on his hand hand, shattering it. Loki screamed loud in agony, but he did not once cry out for mercy, he gazed up at Menkos with his bright green eyes still blazing defiantly. To this, Menkos balled his hand in a heavy fist and let it swing, punching Loki across the face with brutal force.

" Oh sweet Norns no!" Volstaag cried as he watched Loki's face exploded in blood and torn flesh.

Loki let out a gurgled cry through his broken jaw as Menkos straddled him perversely, his behemoth form crushing whatever air there was out of his already battered lungs. As he lay gasping, his body desperately trying to reclaim the oxygen it needed, Loki's hand that Menkos had not crushed glowed, weakly sparking with magic as he tried to fight still.

" Still trying to fight me are you." Mekos grinned mockingly before he lashed out and seized Loki's remain hand by the wrist and twisted mercilessly.

Fandral's hand flew to his ears in a vain attempt to keep out the sound of Menkos savagely snapping Loki's bones.

" GAH!" Loki cried out as his hand fell to the floor with a dull thud, his wrist bent at an odd angle.

" Oh I am just getting started little Trickster."

Menkos's grin was feral as he reached out and roughed clamped his hulking hand over Loki's mouth, muffling his gasps and obstructing his attempts to breath. Menkos squeeze this hand, so that he could cruelly make the bones of Loki's broken jaw grind together to add to the agony the prince was already in. With his other hand, Menkos curved his clawed fingered under the ruined metal and cloth of Loki's chest plate and gave it a violent tug.

" MMMMPH!" Came Loki's muffled cry through Menkos's thick fingers as the Chiaturi mage ripped the chest plate and leathers off of him, exposing his bruised and burned chest.

Hogun's mouth fell open as he watched Menkos smile as he tossed the ripped out garment and armor aside like a used napkin and then with sickening gentleness, graze his clawed hand over the length of Loki's chest like a perverted version of a loving caress. The next words out of Menkos's mouth had Hogun feeling bile rise up in his throat.

" Such a pert little body, oh how I wish I was not so pressed for time, the fun we would have had together." Menkos said while his gray tongue darted out and licked his lips lecherously. Loki's legs flailed behind and he desperately wreathed about, trying to dislodge Menkos's greater weight.

Then Menkos leaned forward, a blue glow filling the hand he had used to caress Loki so disgustingly, the blue orb that formed in his palm elongating into a truly wicked, jagged blade.

" Time to squeal for me some more little prince." Menkos grinned before he promptly buried the blade into Loki's lower stomach to the hilt.

Thor could not hold back his cry of horror as he watched his brother's body arch in agony, making the blade go in deeper.

" MMMMMMMMMMMMMM!" Loki's harsh scream was muffled by Menkos's hand as the fiend gleefully twisted the blade a full three hundred and sixty degreed before roughly yanking it out, taking bits of Loki's insides with it. A fountain of deep crimson burst out of the wicked hole Mekos had left, and then Menkos was sending the bloodied knife back into Loki, this time skewering him beneath his ribcage and twisting once more.

There was the sound of many people violently being ill within the great hall, others collapsing entirely but it was largely ignored by the majority who watched as Menkos stabbed Loki two more times, one in the stomach, the other high in his shoulder, before he finally stopped to gaze at his handy work. With rapidly glazing green eyes, and mortal wounds to four areas of his torso, Loki lay covered and convulsing in his own blood as Menkos lazily gazed down at him.

As blood began to spill through the fingers he had clamped around Loki's mouth, Menkos's promptly released Loki's head and drew back.

" Any last words your highness?" Menkos asked, sounding bored out of his mind.

Chocking on his own blood and feeling the life rapidly leaving him, Loki gathered whatever strength he had left to utter a single word.

" Bro...Brother." Loki whispered desperately before he coughed up more blood, his eyes rolling dangerously.

Back down on the floor of the great hall, Thor screwed his eyes shut as a new wave of agony washed over him at Loki's last word. His brother had called out for him, and he had been completely deaf to it.

" Oh don't you worry at all, I'll be the best brother I possibly can be to him." Menkos grinned before he seized Loki's by his hair and yanked his head back so that his throat lay bared and then in once cruel swipe, he sliced his blade across.

Frigga moaned in fresh agony as her knees gave out beneath her, dragging Thor down with her as they watched Menkos finish his torture, slitting Loki's throat like he had said he had done.

Menkos rose to his feet while Loki convulsed and began to bleed out before his very eyes. He calmly tucked away his blade and then roughly seized Loki by his ruined throat, hoisting the dying body up into the air and holding him up at arm's length. Everyone watched on in horror as Loki's life-blood spilled out of him and onto Menkos like something straight out a Hellish nightmare. Loki continued to convulse as his broken body hung within Menkos's grasp. Still smiling, Menkos reached up with his free hand to tap the bloodied blue jewel of his gauntlet.

" The wolves of Nifleheim will enjoy a feast of royal flesh on this day." The vile beast chuckled as a swirling portal that led to only pitch-blackness as far as anyone could see suddenly burst open on the bloodied floor of Loki's room.

Then without any thought or care, Menkos tossed Loki away from him and towards the portal in the floor.

" He was not yet dead." Sif whispered brokenly in horror, tears spilling down her face without shame as she and everyone else watched the look of terror that filled Loki's still living eyes as he fell into the blackness. The second his body ws within the portal's grasp, inky black tendrils like the arms of a hungry beast surrounded Loki and swallowed him up as the portal closed around him, devouring him into darkness.

" Well, that was fun but duty calls." Menkos said with a shrug as he set to work. With a tap of his gauntlet he erased all trace of the blood and destruction that littered the room and then turned his attentions onto himself.

Everyone watched, sickened to their core as Menkos rubbed the blood that stained his chest over his arms and thighs, crudely coating himself in Loki's blood while he muttered incantations in a language not known to anyone. Before their very eyes they watched as Menkos's hulking mass of a body shrunk and paled, till he was no longer the Chitauri mage that had just brutally murdered the second prince of Asgard, but was said prince, dressed in the same green, gold, and black as Loki had been.

Humming tunelessly and now wearing Loki's face, Menkos made his way over to the mirror Loki himself had been staring at just a few minutes before, preening himself and adjusting his clothing.

Then there was a knock at the door, and Menkos undid the spell he had placed over the room to trap Loki before he cleared his throat and spoke.

" Enter." Menkos said, with Loki's soft voice, the sound like nails on a chalk-board to everyone's ears.

To everyone's chagrin, the real lady that Frigga had sent stepped into the room and spoke.

" Prince Loki, my Queen has sent me to inform you that she is ready and awaits you." The girl said, completely unaware that she was speaking to a murderer and impostor.

" Very well, tell mother that I shall join her presently, just a few final adjustments is all." Menkos said, while smiling Loki's smile.

The servant nodded, only marginally put off by Loki's smile that was not quite, right before she turned and left the room.

Thor gritted his teeth in rage as he watched the smile Menkos had using Loki's face turned into a vicious little smirk as the impostor sauntered away from the mirror, casually picked up Loki's helmet from where it lay and dawned it as if he owned it. They all watched as the vile thief them walked out of the room, still smirking to his hearts content.

Then the image above went completely black, and all eyes lowered in time to see Odin draw away from Heimdall, who actually had tears streaming down his face as he gazed at his king.

" F-Father?" Thor began as he climbed back to his feet and helped Frigga up as well. Odin had his back to them so they could not see anything.

Then Odin slowly turned to face his wife and eldest son, and the sight that greeted them had everything shattering once more. Gone was the reserved and strong All-Father famed from his steely countenance. There was only a devastated and dangerously swaying old man now, his one eye wide with horror and despair at having just witnessed the brutal fashion in which his youngest had been slaughtered without mercy and his form and identity usurped for his butcherer's own evil designs.

Odin's feet seemed to move of their own volition, as if he was sleepwalking as he walked towards his son and wife. With each step, Odin seemed to wither further under the many gazes that were trained on him. Thor blinked and seemed to snap out of whatever paralysis had gripped him and with a gasp he ran forward.

" FATHER!" He cried as he barreled right into his father and took the teetering King into his arms in a vice-like hug.

" Husband." Frigga gasped in despair as she too ran forward, her hands seeking out Odin's ghostly-pale face.

Odin for his part seemed lost, acknowledging neither his wife's hands on his face, nor his son's arms that were at this point the only things holding him up.

Odin was utterly lost.

Meanwhile, across the branches of the world tree, in another realm entirely...

Dark clouds gathered over the city of New York, ravaged by a failed alien invasion, but still standing. In the penthouse of a large tower that was under repairs but with a large red letter A still hanging where there had once been his name, Tony Stark stood by the large glass window of his newly renovated living room and gazed out at the gathering storm with a glass of scotch in his hand.

He frowned at the clouds, an uneasy feeling pooling in his heart as he took a sip of the strong drink and then spoke to no one in particular.

" Wonder what's got Point Break all upset."

Then with a shrug Tony turned away from the view and headed down to his lab to partake in some new upgrades to his latest version of the Ironman suit.

He was completely unaware of just what meaning the words he had just said had for the Thunderer in question.