Chapter 6: The Lie That Lingers

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

If you haven't already, please read the update in chapter 5 and please reread the first four chapters if you get confused. All chapters were revamped and revised.

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"You must remember, my dear lady, the most important rule of any successful illusion:
First, the people must want to believe in it."

― Libba Bray

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Jane's twenty-seventh year

Darkness settled over the palace – an area still in shambles from the battle only hours ago. A distinct air of awkward sadness etched between talks of revolution and sparks of search parties.

Jane smoothed her hand over the boy's head as he rested against her. Only the light of the drifting and dancing glow of the waning moon above reflected beyond the large floor to ceiling window in Jane's room.

Her eyes remained open.

"Loki is alive."

The woman scoffed while exhaling and glanced away from the faint glow beyond the glass. The movement disturbed Logan. Jane sighed and scrunched her features as she attempted ease out of the bed.

When he stilled, Jane smiled.

The princess moved to her window and observed the demolished landscape. Repairs would begin tomorrow, but the ceremony of the departed would be tomorrow night.

These pieces of information had been received through her thick door. Thor had tried to enter her room only an hour ago or so. She'd not been paying much attention to his words, honestly. Her whole body was on "autopilot."

Frigga and Odin were busy directly overseeing the organization of the future repairs and the extent of the damage. Even in this part of the palace, many dead bodies of both Asgard and the fiends who attacked them littered the floor.

A knock beckoned beyond the door.

She was hesitant, but Jane gracefully moved toward the door, "Who is it?"

"Calder Bjornson, ma'am."

She opened the door and raised her brow, "What-"

The guard held a tray of food. He had a stupid grin about his face, "The other guards tell me you hate formalities."

Jane's eyes narrowed and she leaned her head against the large door to her room. "Who told you to bring me food?"

His smile broadened, "My prince, Thor, requested this tray be at your disposal and convenience."

Her eyes softened. "Oh, thank you."

They stood there for a prolonged second before the guard drew his brows together, "May I drop this in your room?"

Jane only nodded.

Calder waited for her to open the door wider so he could pass through. As he did, he was careful to keep quiet. His attention shifted to the sleeping boy on the large bed in the center of the room. "The boy is quite large for a child so young," he uttered quietly.

Jane closed the door and swept back into the shadows of the room toward the bed. Her eyes never left the guard. She was intent on watching his every move, "My son is unique."

"Quite," he answered. Calder moved his attention to Jane, "He is half of a Jotun and half of a human."

Jane raised her brows and met his eyes, "What interest do you have in his bloodlines?"

Calder only laughed cheerfully, "Offense is not my intention."

She kept her distance, but lowered to the bed. "What exactly is your intent?"

"I am merely curious how such a union could supply such a rare creation," he retorted quickly.

Jane smiled smugly, "You do know the process on which having a baby is reliant. Don't you?"

The provocative statement weighed heavy over his grin. Soon, he swallowed, "I am sorry."

Jane shook her head and decided to stand up again as she moved closer to the man, "You're only curious of things you cannot understand."

His eyes went wide.

She narrowed her eyes and sighed, "Loki told me that once."

Calder remained silent.

The princess rolled her eyes and glanced over to the bookshelves in the corner of her room. A collection of tomes and books gathered tightly from edge to edge of the shelves. "We didn't know he wasn't Asgardian when we decided to act on our feelings…make love…whatever people call it nowadays," she said absently.

"Does his pedigree concern you?"

She didn't know why she spoke, but she found herself answering, "It never has. It probably never will."

Calder coughed. "I should get going."

"Does that offend you?" she questioned. "It disgusts Odin quite a lot." She brought her hands together, "The irony," she continued, "is that he knew what Loki was all along."

Calder shook his head and shifted. His armor made brief clanking noises as he did so. "Disgust is not something I would say I feel."

"It doesn't matter, though," she interrupted.

Silence absorbed the room and settled into even the tiniest nooks and spaces. Their eyes met casually and both opted not to speak until Jane saw a flash of longing in his eyes with a mix of curiosity. "What do you want to know?"

He swallowed and appeared distressed, "How did you survive the birth? I just cannot understand that part. You are a human blessed mildly with healing powers. How is it possible that you could be so powerful and survive such an unnatural union?"

At first, she was quiet. She still stared at him with a brand of patience she hadn't tapped into in…years. Her eyes relaxed and she glanced away while she chuckled lowly, "Odin couldn't bear losing me. Not after he had lost one of his sons."

"So, Odin saved you?" Calder concluded, relief embedded in his tone.

"No, Odin helped me," she responded hurriedly, "He did not save me. Loki did."

Calder's brows drew together in confusion, "But he had vanished."

"Without a trace might I add," Jane joked. Eventually, her smile faded, "I don't know you well enough to tell you the whole story, but Odin kept me alive by transferring some of his power to me. He made me an Asgardian before the birth. Even a month before Logan was due I was nearly a corpse.

"My body was freezing from inside out. Odin didn't know about my condition until it was nearly too late. After Loki left, Odin spent a great deal of time alone or wandering the realms for clues to his whereabouts. My pregnancy was easy to keep hidden, since he was never around."

"When did you notice your powers strengthening?" Calder inquired.

Jane laughed lowly, "I only noticed quite recently. Two years or so ago, I started to notice them. Precisely around the same time I accepted my betrothal to Thor is when they amplified."

Jane's hand twitched, though she doubted he would notice, "My powers slept from the time I gave birth to my son until I verbally agreed to marry Thor. It doesn't take much rational thought to know that Odin unlocked my powers as an incentive to keep the betrothal standing. If I were to break off my engagement, I'm sure Odin would bind my powers again."

Calder remained silent, but when Jane glanced to him, she noticed a soft, dangerous, and sickening anger rippling over his features.

Jane swallowed and narrowed her eyes. Slowly, the princess moved toward the tall window to observe the sea glossed in the blackness of the night.

When she cast a long glance over her shoulder, she met his lethal, large eyes. "What could you possibly be angry about?"

That's when the door opened and the fire outside in the hall reflected on the glass of the window. Immediately, Jane moved her attention to the bed.

Logan was no longer in it.

She immediately rushed out of her room and looked to her right. She saw nothing, so she looked down the left and saw the boy round a corner. "Logan!" she called out.

He did not return her call.

Jane bolted down the hallway. "LOGAN!" she shouted. Her voice carried over to all the private rooms the royal family and those nearest in rank. She chanted his name several times as loudly as she could, but the boy never turned around to acknowledge her.

She rounded the corner and was only a few yards from her son until a strong burst of wind swept through the hall. Her body was lifted and sent against the hard wall. She cried out in swift pain, but she once again, shouted Logan's name.

As Jane fell to the floor, she fought against the strong gust to stand up and inch her way to Logan, who was unaffected by the gale. Once again, she called out his name.

She reached out and struggled against the unnatural wind. Through the stark darkness, Jane realized a large wormhole stationed itself before the boy.

Suddenly, Logan screamed loudly and turned around with no problem. He reached for Jane and shouted, "Mother! Don't let it take me!"

Jane eventually neared close enough to barely touch his small fingers. "I won't…just a little further. Logan, reach!"

"Mother!" he said as tears fell down his face. "I don't want the gift! Make the voices go away!"

Jane stretched desperately and finally grabbed hold of his hand. "I got you, Logan. Hold on!"

Something grabbed Jane's other hand and pulled her back. As this happened, Jane's hold on his hand weakened in her surprise.

"Jane!" Odin bellowed from behind.

She didn't turn around. Her full attention was on the boy, who was now floating in the air as if being sucked in the wormhole. Her eyes settled over Logan's, "You can't let go, Logan. Don't let go!"

"Boy! You must let go! Otherwise, you will kill her, too!" Odin roared behind them.

Jane's eyes went wide with fear. She shook her head, and her throat was tight with agony, "Logan! Don't let go! Don't leave me!"

A black strand emerged from the wormhole, wrapped around Logan's feet, and pulled him closer, but Jane didn't let go. "Mother!"

"Logan! I'm right here! I'm not going anywhere! Don't let go!" she assured as her eyes weighed down with tears.

"You will kill her, boy!" Odin shouted. He would not let her go. "Let go, now!"

Logan shrieked with pain as soon as a dark light began to move up his body, encasing him in the dark strands. "Mother! I don't want to go!"

The dark light swallowed his lower body slowly and eventually worked its way up to his torso. Jane sobbed, "Logan, I'm never going to let go! Just hold onto me!"

"I can't…" he wept.

"No!" Jane choked. Her grasp tightened despite the pain engulfing her arm. "Hold on!"

The dark light moved to his shoulders, "I'm…I'm sorry, mother." His eyes closed and he was swallowed by the light. As it worked up his arm, his hand went limp and he fell through her grasp.

When he let go, the wind became stronger and thrust Odin and Jane backward down the hall. Jane immediately stood up and tried to fight the wind, but fell down.

Then, the wind stopped and the boy, wormhole, and dark light was gone.

Jane ran down the hall to where the wormhole was and fell onto her knees, "NO!" After a few seconds, Jane stood up and turned around. Immediately, she furiously walked toward the crowd beyond the hall.

Frigga rushed toward her, and Jane ignored her by walking past her. Odin had retreated back down the hall to Thor.

Jane's target turn toward her and appeared shocked when she lifted her hand and threw him against a wall with her powers. Her other hand threw the Allfather's staff down the long hallway and out of sight.

"I'm going to kill you," she stated evenly. Jane closed her eyes and focused on his throat. Immediately, he began gasping for breath.

"Jane!" Frigga shouted. "Stop!"

When Thor tried to fly to Jane, Jane held out her hand and thrusted Mjolnir the opposite way from her, sending Thor away from her entirely. Eventually, Jane pulled Odin toward her and screamed out in misery. "I hate you! You have taken everything from me!"

Jane held up her hand at the wrecked stone ceiling and broke the radius around them apart from the rest of the roofing. The stone lowered until it hovered over Odin and Jane at about fifty feet high.

But, Odin managed to stretch out his hand and touch Jane's ring on her left hand. This sent a wave of shock through her body, causing her to slacken and fall to her knees. She appeared in a meditative state.

Her powers were cancelled out. Odin's staff returned to him. However, the stone began to fall above them. Odin immediately reached out his hand to reach for Jane's slack body, but Calder was quicker. He carried Jane away from the stone's impact – barely.

Odin managed to move away from the impact site, too.

Jane's body was limp in Calder's arms. Screams were heard from beyond the smoke of the impact. Thor rushed to Jane's side and Calder handed her over to her betrothed brother.

"Father–" Thor began.

Odin lifted his hand, "I only bound her powers. She will be fine." His features were sad and slack, "Take her to her room. She is harmless for now."

He walked away with Frigga quickly following him.

"What just happened?" Thor mused aloud. He glanced down at Jane and kissed her forehead, "I will search for him, Jane."

After taking her to her room, Thor assembled the Warriors Three and Sif to devise a search party. Calder was nowhere to be found.

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Breviary-Rose