Chapter Fifteen

Facing the Unknown

The Dark Woods were a sprawling mass of gnarled trunks, pressed within a shadowed valley bathed with fog. The residents of Asgard had long beheld the forest with a deep sense of unease, preferring the skirt around the edges. Legend and myth had wrapped their tendrils around every branch, root and moss-covered rock of the tree-laden den, until it became home to creatures that existed only within the imagination.

From the moment Alex had heard of the Dark Woods she had been desperate to venture within. Her youth had been spent exploring the forested hills surrounding her childhood home. She did so alone, finding respite beneath the emerald canopy, momentary escape from her father, her foolish mother, the bullies at school. The wilderness had always been her sanctuary. It was for this reason that she could not believe that the Dark Woods were inherently evil.

As time passed, as her liaisons with Loki chewed up a great deal of her time, Alex had slowly forgotten about her ambitions to visit the Woods. It certainly did not help that Sif and the Warriors Three had gaped at her when she initially stated her desires.

"Are all who dwell on Midgard as mad as you?" Volstagg had stuttered over his fifth consecutive leg of mutton. "The Dark Woods are home to all manner of evils! Those that cannot be fought with fist or sword. Steer clear, Lady Alex!"

The sentiments of Sif, Hogun and Fandral had been the same. This only egged Alex on further. What could possibly be in the forest that four of the bravest people she had ever met refused to venture there?

It was not until the final week of Jane Foster's visit that Alex was once more reminded of the swathe of trees within the valley. The astrophysicist had finally earned a personal summons from the All-Father. Alex, Darcy, Selvig, Sif and the Warriors Three had watched in uttermost silence (a difficult feat for Darcy) as Thor and Jane had passed through the opulent gilded doors of the great hall. For what seemed like hours they waited in the anti-chamber, their eyes not leaving the dancing flames of the fire pit. All knew what the summons meant. Though Thor had not officially stated it, his desire to make Jane his future queen was etched upon every pore of his being. This meeting was Odin's chance to choose whether or not he thought the woman worthy of the role.

Darcy had started to unravel the white earphones from around her beloved iPod when the gilded doors burst open. Though no voice could be heard, the electricity on the air gave way to the idea that Thor had been yelling – loud. He emerged in a wave of crimson cloak, Jane in tow, looking less than comfortable.

"Thor! What hails, my friend?"

The usually joviality that defined Volstagg's voice was strained. Alex could understand why. She had never seen Thor angry. Determined? Yes. Upset? Certainly. But never furious. While it bordered on absolutely terrifying, Alex could not help but feel that Loki demanded more fear when he was calm.

It was Jane who finally spoke, her voice so weak they could barely hear it over the crackling fire pit. "I am to be tested."

Darcy cocked and eyebrow. "Tested? Again? What have you and Captain Barbossa been doing in there? Drinking tea?"

Selvig shot her a dark look, placing a comforting arm around Jane's shoulders. "It can't be that bad."

"It is that bad, Eric Selvig," Thor finally managed to spit out. "In order to test her courage, Odin has ordered Jane spend a night in the Dark Woods – alone."

"It is not a big deal, Thor. I'm sure I can make it through one night." Jane's voice was still unnervingly quiet, but she seemed resolved. "I used to go camping all the time when I was a kid."

"But the woods are different," Sif interjected. "No one goes there."

Thor nodded. "It is the home of the Unknown. No one has ever been known to make it through the night."

"This Unknown," Alex inquired, wondering why no one had informed her of this before. "Does it have a name?"

"We dare not speak its name."

Darcy smirked. "Fear of a name only increases the fear of the thing itself."

oOoOoOo

You must be silent. You must be still. Should you run, the test is forfeit. Should you scream, the test is forfeit.

The words caused the blood within Thor's veins to churn, boil, to the point of agony. Never before had he harboured such negative feelings toward the man he called father. He assumed that like Frigga, Odin would embrace Jane. She was beautiful, sweet, and intelligent, bringing freshness to the court long lost within the swarming mass of ancient nobles. It had been Jane that had brought Thor out of his destructive ways, helped him become a man suitable for the throne of Asgard. Yet his father had dismissed this all, flailing in the knowledge that the future queen would be from Midgard. Would he ever give her a chance? For thousands of years Odin had filled Loki's head with false ideas that he was competing for the throne, knowing full well that his true parentage would deny him of it. Now he was doing the same to Jane. This was not a test. It was failure. As much as he loved Jane, as much as he believed in her, he knew she would not make it through the night. If she did, she would not emerge from the Woods the same woman he loved.

Thor gently took Jane's hand within his own, allowing a small, strained smile to grace his lips. She looked so pale, so scared. She spoke not a word, preferring to look with determination upon the rough track hewn from the mountain – the only road into the Woods. As they came closer to the heavy blanket of trees, Thor could not help but feel that the branches, like the talons of a crone, were reaching out for them, luring them in. He had faced many men, monsters and warriors in his life, but nothing roused fear like the Unknown. The forest was evil. That is all he could think.

And now he would be sending his beloved into its depths.

"I'll be fine, Thor." Jane gently pried her hand out of his, hoisting the makeshift hiking pack higher onto her shoulders. Thor knew it to be a false veneer of bravery. As she had packed the various paraphernalia of her work into the pack (why waste a night?) her hands had been shaking. They were not shaking now, but her eyes said it all.

Thor nodded. "I will be here when you emerge." Whether that be sooner or later.

oOoOoOo

Jane Foster had never fallen to the doctrine of fear. She had been brought up in a family environment that savoured logic, and fear was anything but logical. It rendered an individual completely useless, unable to tackle the task at hand. Most of the time, the subject of one's fear was ridiculous. Spiders could be nasty, but they were small. Snakes ran from humans before they could attack. Logic dictated that Jane should not be scared.

But she was.

The Dark Woods was nothing like the forests she, her father and Selvig had explored when she was a child. The thick canopy did not open to a star laden sky, begging to be explored. Roots rose to trip her, branches scratched her face, leaving rivulets of blood and cold sweat dripping down her cheeks.

One night. One simple night.

A quick glance behind told Jane she had walked far enough. The forest had locked in around her, and impenetrable barrier. Biting her lip, she removed her pack, letting it fall to the leaf laden floor. Her eyes sought out a location to sit, finally settling on a large fallen trunk, caked with damp moss. Out of the bag she withdrew her notebook and pen. Perhaps the ever-comforting embrace of equations would help stave the illogical fear.

Time passed achingly slow between the boughs of the aged trees. Her mind was diverted for only seconds, perhaps even minutes, always drawn back to the severity of her position. Whether she had been there for hours, she did not know. Fear consumed her, made worse when it approached.

Jane had initially found the name Thor gave to the presence within this forest amusing. The 'Unknown'. As a scientist, an understanding of the 'Unknown' was what she strived for. Why should she fear it? Of course, this amusement was absent here in the forest. The 'Unknown' was not even bothering to keep its approach silent. Heavy footfalls rang through the trees. Her mind began to create monsters, huge beasts with tusks and fangs, longing to rip her to shreds. These images were replaced with goblins and nymphs, their sharp little claws perfect for skinning her alive.

What her eyes finally fell on was quite different.

Loki.

Of course it wasn't Loki. It couldn't be. This Loki looked different to the dirty gaunt creature in the courtyard. His face was plumper, the gold of his elaborate armour free from tarnish. Upon his head was a helm sporting two large horns. A grin spread across his pale features, dripping with mischief and cruelty.

"You looked scared, Jane Foster. One should not be frightened of their future brother-in-law." The image disappeared, only to snap back into reality behind her. A long, cold finger traced her jaw.

It is not real. It is not real.

"I assure you, Jane, I am very real."

Jane nearly gasped out loud, causing the Loki-Unknown to laugh. It was not the laugh she expected, more of a cruel giggle that flittered through the leaves, echoing in the darkness.

"I am in your mind, Jane, I know everything you know, feel everything you feel. I know what you fear."

I fear nothing.

"If you feared nothing, I would not be here. Lies are pointless, Jane. I should know, I am the God of Lies."

Not Loki. It is not Loki.

The laughter again. This time the cold finger was replaced by a hand, which clutched her throat.

Don't scream, don't scream, don't scream.

"No, I am not Loki son of Laufey. I am the monster parents tell their children about at night." Loki-Unknown's voice was now a dark whisper. "I know everything you fear, Jane Foster. I know all that you love, and I know all that you hate. You cannot escape from me. No one ever has."

I will. I will.

The little mantra seemed pointless, the insincerity only strengthening the glee of her captor. "I know that you fear not for your own safety. You, like my brother would happily sacrifice yourself for those you love. But I have no intention of hurting you, Jane Foster, not yet, not physically."

Fear is your greatest enemy, her father had told her as a child, as she screamed of monsters in her closet. Once you combat fear, you can do anything.

That is what this beast was. Fear. Everything she feared, all accumulated in the form of the man she feared the most.

Loki-Unknown smiled now. "I think I will begin with your curvy little friend, Miss Lewis. Loki wants her, I can see that from my forest. Every time she walks past he stares at her, raping her with his eyes." A shrill scream filled the air, not Jane's, but Darcy's. The brunette was tied naked to one of the nearby trees, her eyes wide, chocolate locks in disarray. A figure of Loki stood before her, naked, aroused, a small silver knife clutched between his fingers. Trickles of blood leaked from incisions over Darcy's body: her breasts, her thighs, her throat. Jane wanted to scream, wanted to assure Darcy that is would be alright.

It is not real.

"Tut, tut, Jane Foster. Ruining all my fun. You are a hard nut to crack." The image of Darcy disappeared and Jane lagged against her captor. More than anything she wanted to vomit, but his hand was making it difficult to even breathe.

"The form of the man I take yearns for revenge on all of your friends, Jane Foster. Once the chains have dropped he will seek out Eric Selvig, gutting him like a pig. Then will come the Avengers. One by one he will rip them apart, leaving his favourite morsel until last." Another apparition appeared now, morphing the patch of forest before her into a replica of Odin's throne room. Thor was strung up, much as Darcy had been, only this time to a hook in the high ceiling. The Loki before him was caked in filth from his incarceration. The vision was so vivid Jane could smell him, mingled with the tang of blood seeping from Thor's many wounds. Clutched between Loki's fingers was a blazing torch, his other hand clutching a pot of what looked like burner oil.

"The Chitauri," shadow Loki began in a distant voice, "may be foul, but they are a creative bunch, especially when it comes to inflicting pain." The figure started to pour the oil through Thor's long hair. "This particular gem was designed specifically for me. You see, when I am in my original form, heat is intolerable. You are Aesir, but I suspect the affect will be much the same."

Jane watched in horror as Loki put the flames against Thor's dripping hair, the straw-toned locks bursting into flames. Her lover started to scream, and as he did so, Jane heard her own screams echoing in the forest, mingled with the cruel chuckle of Loki-Unknown.

"You are quite the disappointment, Jane Foster. I honestly thought you would last longer."

oOoOoOo

The news of Jane's failure reached the citadel long before Thor located her within the forest. Her screams echoed from the valley, swarming up the hill before settling in the golden-hued halls of Odin's palace. Alex's gaze was trained on the All-Father, though the king did not stir. His lips did not twitch.

Frigga on the other hand buried her face in her hands, sobs clearly audible over the tone of Jane's muted screams. Alex yearned to comfort her, but found herself locked to the spot. Jane had failed. How had Jane failed?

Thor had basically insinuated that the test was rigged, but Alex had not believed it. Surely the All-Father would give Jane a fair chance? What was the point in putting his favourite son off-side? More than anything she wished to know – if it had been Sif, or another Asgardian woman that Thor had wished to marry, would she have undergone the same test?

The answer would of course be no.

Sending a parting look at Darcy and Selvig, Alex darted from the hall. Racism. That's all it could be. The All-Father had taken so very little interest in exacting justice upon Loki for what he had done to her planet. Now he would not even allow Thor to marry his Midgardian suitor. Did he think them foolish animals? So beneath him?

Alex was not exactly sure why she was so furious. It was not as though Odin had been openly horrible to her. It's just that she liked Jane, and she really liked Thor.

Her feet navigated their own way, her mind still too full of injustice. It was not until she heard the squelching of wet grass that she realised she had walked straight into Loki's courtyard. His pale eyes were tired, but followed her none the less.

"Your father's a git."

Her short statement caused his eyebrow to shoot up. Not my father.

Alex ignored him. She did not know why, but she started to rant. About Jane, about Thor about the injustice of it all. Perhaps it was because Loki's lips were sewn shut. He could not retort. In a way, she wondered if her feelings were not centred around Jane and Thor at all, but rather around her own relationship with Loki.

What if he was reformed?

What if he were welcomed back into the fold with open arms?

What if he wanted Alex to be his?

Would she be forced into the Dark Woods too? Doomed to failure?

It was a truly preposterous notion.