Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Marvel or any quotes you might recognise.

NYCTOPHILIA

Chapter 1

"Something wicked this way comes"

Asgard

The golden city. Home to the gods. Protector of the nine realms.

Even at night no one good deny its magnificent beauty. The rainbow bridge that thrummed with energy in the distance. The glorious golden palace with its many towers reaching up into the clouds.

Odin All-father turned from his balcony to face his son and lovely wife. The two people he loved most and meant everything to him. He watched as Frigga laid her hand in a loving gesture against Thor's cheek. A smile formed on his lips as he slowly made his way to them.

He was just about to ask them what they were discussing when an urgent knock on their chamber doors interrupted his thoughts. He frowned as he contemplated what urgent business could force his guards to disturb their peace at such an hour. His eyes met briefly with those of his wife and son before he answered.

"Enter."

The doors opened immediately and one of his most trusted royal guards stepped in, bowing his head and placing his right hand on his heart.

"My king, I apologise for disturbing you at this late hour, but I fear this cannot wait until the morrow."

"Speak."

"The guards patrolling the east wall apprehended a woman after she killed one of them. She is …."

"What?" Thor bellowed as he took a step closer to his father. "How did she manage to kill this guard? Was he taken by surprise?"

The royal guard shifted nervously from one foot too the other under the scrutinizing eyes of Odin and Thor.

"No my prince, he was not taken by surprise. From what I understand she strode up to them and demanded to speak to the king. When they informed her to come back in the morrow she started rambling strange things and tried to force past them to get entrance. The guard that was killed grabbed her and pushed her back. She stumbled and fell to the ground and he pointed his sword at her, demanding her to leave before he was forced to throw her in the dungeons. She started to laugh and that was when she lifted her hand and blasted him with a green light. He was knocked back against the wall. They told me he died instantly. The other guards managed to subdue her without any further incident."

"Where is she now?" Odin asked as he lifted Gungir from its resting place.

"She is in the throne room, my king."

"Get the magic-binding restraints from the vault and bring them to the throne room. Send guards to prepare the other magic-binding cell in the dungeons." Odin said and watched as the guard left in a hurry.

"Father, what is the meaning of this?"

Odin met the troubled eyes of his son and felt his heart clench. He had no answer to give.

"Frig, please stay in the chambers until we are certain there is no threat. Thor, come with me."

Without another word father and son left the chambers and Frigga was left alone with the burden of uncertainty.

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

Thor stood beside his father as he stared down at the woman surrounded by guards.

She was on her knees, her head bowed down. The hood of the tattered brown cloak she wore obscuring her face from him. If it was not for her frail form and strings of dark hair falling from under the hood, he would not have been able to determine her gender.

"What is so urgent that you dare disrupt the peace of this realm and kill one of my guards?" Odin's voice boomed through the throne room.

Thor watched as the woman slowly raised her head and stared straight into his father's eye. Her face was expressionless, her eyes devoid of any emotion, her stare cold as ice as the corner of her mouth twitched slightly. He instantly recognised that look and his heart skipped a beat. How many times had he not stared into those similar futures? If he did not knew his brother was locked away in the dungeons he could have sworn it was Loki, disguised in one of his illusions, kneeling before them.

"I came to warn you." Her voice was but a mere whisper that lingered around all present.

"Warn us? Of what?" Thor said as he tightened his grip on Mjolnir.

Her gaze drifted slowly to him and he was struck by the luminescent green of her eyes. He was unable to look away. They were pulling him in, pulling him closer. Willing him to surrender, to drown in there depths. His father's voice snapped him back to reality and a strange feeling of utter loss settled in his heart that he could not explain.

"Speak!"

"The dark elves have awakened and they are searching for the Aether."

"What nonsense do you speak?" Thor laughed as he turned to his father. "The dark elves were destroyed thousands of years ago. This must surely be some poor attempted jest conjured by a mad woman. Let our time not be wasted any longer…"

"Believe me, I do not jest. They will come, and when they do they will destroy everything. And you and your mortal lover will lead them here." She hissed.

Thor could feel the anger boil in his veins as he turned back to the woman on her knees. He took a threatening step closer and she had to crane her neck up to look him in the eye.

"How dare you speak your lies and threaten Asgard. Disrespect your king! Your prince!" He bellowed down at her.

"Heed my warning, Thor Odinson, because they are not lies or the ramblings of a mad woman! You will invite destruction to this realm and you will be the cause of your own mother's death! They will take the Aether and I will watch Asgard burn!" She spat out as she struggled against the hold of the guards.

Thor's anger boiled over and before he could stop himself he slapped her hard across the face. Her head snapped to the right and for a moment she held it there, laughter bubbling up from her chest. She slowly turned her head back and before she looked up at him she spat out the blood forming in her mouth on the floor in front of him.

She met his blazing eyes and her blood covered grin sent chills down his spine. The hairs on the back of his neck started to rise and the crackle of magic filled the air around them. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see the guards shifting nervously, tightening their grip on her chains.

Her eyes were two pools of green fire filled with the promise that he will deeply regret his action. Instinct took over and he started to lift Mjolnir from his side, ready to strike if necessary. But his movement was to slow, for the next instant he was blown back by a blinding green light. The force so strong it felt as if he was struck by Mjolnir itself.

When he came to his senses he was lying a few yards away from her. She was determinedly walking his way her hands shimmering with green light. His eyes quickly swept around the room and he saw his father slowly rolling to his side in an attempt to get up. The guards were scattered on the floor on the other side of the throne room, some of them moving and others lying motionless.

His eyes jumped back to her and with one swift movement he threw Mjolnir at her. But Mjolnir never hit its target and his eyes widened in awe as she caught it in her right hand. Her fingers curled around its handle as if it belonged there. Who was this woman dressed in rags? How was she able to hold a weapon only the worthy were able to lift? Doubt filled his muddled mind and for a second he wondered if her words were not true. But that was impossible, right? His grandfather destroyed the dark elves and the Aether.

His eyes focused on her again as she shifted Mjolnir from the one hand to the other.

"Tell me o mighty god of thunder, have you ever been struck by lightning before?" She said as her eyes mocked him and her hand slowly lifted to the sky.

"Enough!" Odin boomed and the next moment a blast from Gungir ripped past Thor.

It struck her in the chest and she was thrown hard against the wall behind her. A sick crack resonated through the room as her head hit the wall. Mjolnir slipped from her grasp and clanged to the floor next to her. She gasped in pain as her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell to the floor.

A dozen guards burst into the room, weapons at the ready.

"Put the magic restraints on her and escort her to the dungeons. The rest of you tend to the injured and take them to the healing rooms."

Thor slowly got to his feet watched in shock as the guards slipped the magic restraints on her wrists. A whimper escaped from her lips as they roughly pulled her to her feet. Her eyes flashed open and landed on the restraints around her wrists. A mixture of shock and pain flashed over her features as she clenched and unclenched her fists.

"No! No! What have you done!" She cried out as she tried to free herself of the steel grip of the guards.

Her gaze snapped to him and he had never seen so much desolation in someone's eyes before, so much raw pain. Her body started to tremble and her knees buckled under her. The guards had to strengthen their grip on her to keep her upright as they dragged her out of the room.

Her eyes never wavered from him as she craned her head back to watch him.

"Do not blame Jane, your mother was only trying to protect her." She whispered before she was dragged down the hall leading to the dungeons.

Thor started to follow. He wanted to know what she meant by her words. How she knew Jane's name, but his father's stern voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Leave her be. We will discuss this further with the council in the morrow and deal with this accordingly. Go to your mother and tell her all is well, but do not mention what was said in this room."

"Father, surely she must…" Thor started but his father's raised hand silenced him again.

"Not until we know what we are dealing with. There is no need to start panic."

Thor nodded his head and with one last look at his father he headed for his mother's chambers with a heavy heart.

Odin watched his son leave before he turned and stared at Mjolnir still lying on the floor. His mind was racing. This could not be. He was certain that they all were destroyed, but there was no other explanation. He saw it with his own eye, how she lifted Mjolnir ready to use its power on his own son. Could it be that his past was back to haunt him?

He shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of his dire thoughts.

"It does not matter." He whispered softly to himself. What's done is done. Without her magic she was nothing. No threat to him or Asgard. She will spend eternity in the dungeons alongside his other attempted failure to orchestrate peace among the nine realms.

With this last thought he turned and made his way to his chambers where he knew he would find comfort in the arms of his loving wife.

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

A/N: Firstly, I humbly apologise for any grammar mistakes – English is not my first language. So pretty please let me know what you think and thank you for reading!