Second part of the TDW rewrite and the one where the convergence actually takes place.
This is where the crossover happens. The Secret Circle is, as always (they've appeared in a number of AUs) is the same from the L.J Smith books of the same name; I've just taken some liberties with a few things. If you want to know more about them you can read the first trilogy of books, it's the one that concerns things here (the one that Smith actually wrote), I know there is another trilogy but Smith didn't write it, someone else did, and I haven't read it just yet (if I like it I might add some of that in the future). Still, you don't need to truly read it, the important stuff is explained in the chapter. Also, if you've watched the tv-show but not read the books... it's nothing like the show.
Also, the 'battle-attire' of-sorts that Nightingale wears on this chapter (and again later on) is the one you can see in the cover and wallpapers, just in case you're interested.
Third Element: Water
Like the Water we flow, with it we learn to adapt, and it allows us to feel...
It took me a number of seconds to be able to focus. Half-disjointed images spinning in a corner of my mind, things that I might have been dreaming about: Loki singing (which was odd, as he'd once told me he did not sing, even if he had not told me why, and I still hoped to change his mind someday), people in medieval-like clothes dancing, a forest where every blossom and every tree shone like precious stones, a baby crying and... there was a lot more I couldn't remember, maybe even something that would give those flashes sense, for I hadn't the slightest idea what any of it was supposed to mean!
Eventually I managed to stop thinking about those things, it was also then that I realized I wasn't awake per see, and I was inside my match's mind. I'd done that before, we both had, both talked telepathically and used our bond to 'meet', in a way, when apart. Still, it wasn't something I'd ever done without intention, or while unconscious. I began truly paying attention to what was going with my match around the same time we became aware of my presence.
*How are you?* He asked inside our bond.
*Alright... I think.* Knowing better than to try and lie to him. *Haven't actually woken up just yet to find out.*
*Lady Eir likes you, she will make sure you're as good as new by the time you wake up.* He decided. *I'm just sorry I cannot be there when you wake up.*
*That's alright, I understand why you're doing this...* I assured him.
I truly did, I'd seen his reasoning inside his mind, along with the memories of how exactly he, Thor and Jane had managed to get out of the palace and to the Hidden Path that connected to Svartalfheim (with Jane carrying the Aether it would have been a bad idea to use the Shadow Paths to do it).
I turned my attention to look through my beloved's eyes then. He was in the back of an Asgardian skiff, controlling it; while Thor sat at the front, beside a a napping Jane.
"You know one day you'll have to say good bye to her, right?" Loki asked him quietly.
"Not this day..." Thor grumbled in denial.
"This day, the next, a hundred years, it's nothing, it's a heartbeat." Loki said, voice weighed by an immeasurable sadness. "You'll never be ready. The only woman whose love you prized will be snatched from you. And you will feel lost... you will feel like gravity no longer holds you, like the sun cannot warm you, like there's no beauty left in the world... you'll feel like you cannot draw breath, and yet still keep living..."
I couldn't say a word at that, though I still focused on pouring as much love as I could into my love, at the same time a part of me wondered if that was how he felt when I died two years prior? It made me wish I'd been able to reveal myself to him sooner.
*It's alright my love.* He assured me mentally. *You're here with me now and that's all I care about. The time we might have spent apart stopped mattering the moment I had you in my arms again... still, these are things that Thor needs to be aware of, if he will persist on his relationship with Jane Foster... especially since I doubt Father will be very cooperative.*
*I wish there was another way... some way we could help them.* I admitted softly.
*As do I, but some things are simply beyond our control my Nightingale.* He replied, sending the equivalent of a tender caress through our connection.
He was right, of course, didn't mean I had to like it.
"Why are you telling me this, brother?" Thor asked Loki, tense.
"Anyone with eyes can see how much you love your lady." My Maverick told him quietly. "And it's obvious she reciprocates. However, you've heard Father's opinion, if you try to make Jane your betrothed, he will not approve of it. And while I fully believe her capable of gaining the respect and approval from Asgard... that will not make her one of us, it will not make her an Aesir, or immortal... without Odin's blessing she will not be able to partake of Idunn's apples..." He made a pause to clear his throat a bit. "Which means that one day, whether it is a year, a decade or a century from now... you will lose her."
"How did you handle it?" The blonde asked after what seemed like forever.
"I'm sure you remember enough of the days following the loss of my Nightingale to know I did not 'handle it'." My love deadpanned. "The only reason I did not take my own life was because I was quite sure Father would do it for me!"
"*What?!*" I wasn't the only one crying out in response to that.
"Brother..." The Thunderer seemed to have no words.
Loki didn't offer any, and I kept doing my best to pour as much love into our bond as I could, even as I tried my best to hold back the terror I felt at the very thought of my soul-mate committing suicide. Even if I'd truly been lost, the idea of him no longer existing brought me such pain I felt like I couldn't breathe...
*A life without you isn't one worth living, my love...* He whispered into our bond.
"What about what you two did?" Thor asked unexpectedly. "Those bracelets, your bonds..."
"I told you before why the deamarkonian would be a bad idea in your case." Loki reminded him. "The kind of power you posses, on a fully-healthy human like Jane... it might overwhelm her. The risks are simply too many." He shook his head. "And regarding bonds... you are already bonded to her, brother."
"What?" The blonde obviously hadn't known that.
"It's true." My match nodded. "Both Nightingale and I have seen it. The thread is still thin, a bit fragile, but it's there. Though, Thor, that won't be enough. A bond like that is, indeed, proof of your love and commitment... still, it won't be enough to keep her by your side when her mortal life runs out."
"Why not? Explain me brother, please, for I do not understand."
"The kind of bond that is needed to achieve such a thing... it takes much longer than a human, any human has, Thor. It takes a hundred years..."
"What?! But... but you and Nightingale..."
"Yes..." My match let out a breath. "That is a mystery we haven't been able to solve, even now. The strength of our bond, in such a short time, it shouldn't have been possible..."
"Was it those bracelets?"
"The deamarkonian might have bolstered the bonds initially, but it's not meant to strengthen them, not like that. Besides, if you will remember, brother, Nightingale unlocked them that day, which is precisely why her mortal life ended."
"Yet she returned to you."
"That she did... and as grateful as I am for that, I know not how it was possible. I will never stop being thankful for it, however. I think... no, I know I would have never been able to survive without her... the mere thought of it is almost enough to drive me insane..."
"But then... what about us? What can we do?"
"You should talk to mother, she might have some idea, I have none." He shook his head. "I promise you Thor, that when the day comes and you bring her before Father, I will stand by you, support your choice. I know not if that will be enough."
"I could never ask for more, brother. I shall talk to Mother..."
For a little while, not a word was spoken. Though the peace was short and I knew the end had come when I felt my love begin tensing.
"We're here..." He announced, guiding the skiff to a stop. "And so is Malekith."
*Take care...* I whispered softly in his head, even as I felt my consciousness beginning to pull away from his. *May the stars protect you...*
All I got in response was a sense of reassurance, and then I was waking up...
xXx
By the time I was found I was finished dressing in the new version of my battle attire (the other one was beginning to get a little old, and the new had been made with special fabrics that allowed my love to better weave his protective spells into it). It consisted of a short-sleeved, calf-length, round-necked dress with a slit up the middle that reached to the upper-thigh; beneath that was a long sleeved tunic as well as short-shorts, both figure-hugging both for protection and to make movement easier; The over-dress was cinched by a metal-belt, which held a secondary layer of protective spells, and could also act as holder of several blades; the final details were over-the-knee boots and a pair of finger-less-gloves. It was all done in shades of violet, from the darkest plum in the dress, to the somewhat-pale mauve of the inner tunic. I had no armor on, but that did not matter, because the inner tunic had enough magic in it to work better than even the elves' best mithril coatmail.
"Where do you think you're going?" Odin demanded, striding into my private chambers (mine and Loki's) without warning.
"I'm going to help my family." I answered simply, putting down the pen.
I'd been bent over the desk, writing a note to explain where I was going and why.
"But child!" Lady Frigg called worriedly, entering behind him. "You just woke up."
"And I'm already late." I told her softly but firmly.
"You don't even know where they are!" The Allfather snapped at me abruptly. "You were left behind for a reason!"
"Don't pretend like you were part of the plan sir, because if you were, they wouldn't have been forced to go to the lengths they did." I retorted with a snort. "You were quite willing to put your people in danger out of pride, do you know how many kingdoms, empires even, have fallen because of pride? It's the most notable fault in monarchs through history... of course, if one considers it that way, it's the one mistake no one's ever learnt from." I shook my head, that was so not the point! "Loki, Thor and Jane are currently in Svartalfheim, making sure Malekith and his army won't be coming to Asgard again. They will make sure Jane is released from the Aether..."
"By handing the weapon back to Malekith?!" The King deffinitely did not like that plan.
"Thor kind of hopes that if he hits the Aether at the moments its most vulnerable, after it's left Jane but before Malekith can fully take it, he might be able to destroy it." I explained.
"It cannot be done." Odin stated blankly.
"Of course it cannot, one cannot destroy a singularity, one of the original pieces of existence... not even Titans could do that, wield them, yes, destroy them, no." I'd been able to conclude that much from all my reading. "But there's no way Thor would be able to understand that, and it's not like we lose anything allowing him to try. Loki only hopes their move will allow Jane to be saved. Afterwards our best bet is channeling the energy created by the Convergence and use it to defeat Malekith and what remains of the dark-elves."
"Use the Convergence against Malekith?" The Queen seemed surprised by that part. "How could such a thing be achieved?"
"No idea." I admitted. "Science is kind of Jane's area of expertise, not mine. But Loki believes it can be done, and I trust him."
"That still doesn't explain where you think you're going." The Allfather pointed out.
"To Midgard, to wait for them, hopefully be able to call SHIELD and get people ready to help when it all begins." I told him honestly.
"Midgard?" Lady Frigg inquired.
"Being the center of Yggdrasil the Convergence will be stronger there than anywhere else in the Nine Realms." I elaborated. "Loki knows this, and we expect Malekith knows as well, he will head there once he has the Aether."
"How do you even know all this, my lady?" Ylva blurted out.
She'd been there all along, keeping quiet until that moment. While Thor's friends and Heimdall were in the dungeons over their actions during Loki's, Thor's and Jane's escape from Asgard, Loki had made sure that Ylva's own involvement could never be proved (he always did try to take care of her, after all, she was as good as his daughter-in-law), so while Odin kept her close, she hadn't been formally charged with anything.
"I spoke with Loki before waking up." I answered simply. "It's something our bond allows us to do. He explained to me what happened after Malekith fled, where they were, why, and what I could expect next. It was then that I decided to go ahead to Midgard and get things ready for their arrival... and I risk being late if I don't hurry up..."
"Who says you're going anywhere?" The King demanded. "You're going to get killed, girl!"
"His Majesty is right about the danger, princess." Ylva admitted quietly. "You nearly died just yesterday... I really don't think prince Loki would want you risking yourself like this."
"My match knows me, he knows I would never stand back while people, while he, needs help." I stated in my most serious voice. "He will be expecting me to go to Earth and help, and I shall not disappoint him."
"Oh child..." The Queen at least did not try to stop me, she knew me too well for that.
"I actually expected, when you brought that boy with you back from Jotunheim, that you would have grown more sensible." Odin stated in his best 'disappointed father' tone. "Do you really believe my son wants you to be in danger? Do you want to risk your son being motherless?"
"Of course not!" I took offense to that last comment. "But neither do I want him to be fatherless. And in case people around here are forgetting this, again, if my match dies, so do I! So staying back for safety is a moot point!"
"It would keep you from making yourself a target." The Allfather insisted.
"And it might keep me from being able to do something that could save him!" I retorted.
I knew, deep down, that his statements were valid, but so were mine!
"You are not thinking clearly, I will not allow yo to leave Asgard, to risk your life so needlessly." The King stated, completely inflexible.
"Most of the time you cannot stand me, you hate that a mortal girl married your son, and now suddenly you're afraid of something happening to me?" I really, really did not understand that man, god, whatever!
"You do not understand..." Odin began, and for a moment I could almost believe I heard sorrow, maybe even regret in his voice.
"You won't let me." I pointed out.
And really, I hadn't the slightest idea what he meant. His mood-changes were so sudden they would end up giving me whiplash!
"Regardless..." I stated softly but as serious as ever, after several seconds of silence. "My King you may be, Allfather, but Loki is my match and nothing, no one, not mortal, god or titan, will ever keep me from him..."
I didn't give him the chance to insist, threaten, or anything else, simply giving a step to the side and sinking into the closest shadow in a second.
xXx
The one thing I did not count on, was Ylva being able to see through me, to predict my actions, a fraction of a second before I moved. Just enough time for her to dash to my side and hold onto my arm tightly right before the shadows swallowed me. She ended up tagging along. And since she'd never traveled the Shadow Paths, and I hadn't been prepared to do so while taking someone with me, when we emerged (thankfully in the right place), we both dropped to our knees, feeling particularly nauseous and dizzy for several seconds.
"What in the abyss did you think you were doing?!" I demanded as soon as I got my breath back.
"If I'd let you go, and you'd gotten killed, prince Thor would have killed me himself for letting his siblings die and not being there to help somehow." She answered honestly. "And besides, you are as good as family, you and the prince both. So here I am. What's the plan?"
"Ylva...? I really didn't know what else to say.
"I'm not stupid, I haven't forgotten that between you and prince Loki, if one of you dies, so does the other." Ylva said stoically. "So neither of you would get to mourn the other if something were to happen. But what of prince Thor? Do you think he wouldn't grieve? Or the Queen? Fenrir? Lady Hel...? And what about your son? The little prince... you and His Highness are that boy's whole world. How do you think he would feel if he were to lose you two?" She seemed to guess what I was thinking by what she said next. "I know I'm kind of new to all of this, though Sif has told me enough about the messes you and the prince seem to get into all the time... and while there's a lot I still cannot understand: a lot some people say Prince Loki has done that should mark him as evil, when I know he's not, not really. In the end I respect his intentions, his goals, and yours, I truly believe that if all they say happened, did, there must have been a reason. And until I am given reason, and a very good one, to believe otherwise, I will follow the oath of loyalty I swore when I became your handmaiden, and your protector, princess..."
"Thank you." I nodded, considering things a bit before adding. "And call me Nightingale, Ylva, call us all by our names. It may be true that you're my handmaiden and bodyguard, but you're also my friend. Maybe when this mess is over we'll get the chance to sit down and explain you our story... allow you to truly know and understand."
"I believe I would like that very much pr... Nightingale." Ylva smiled at me.
It was true, she might technically work for me, but she was more than that, and not only because of her bond to Fenrir, and his own indirect one with Loki and I... but for herself. She'd done so much for me since I'd known her, how could I consider her anything less than a friend?
It probably shouldn't have been surprising that things did not go according to plan, at all... but a part of me had still hoped. It was nerve-wracking: first I tried Darcy's number, it sounded busy; then Phil's, his was disconnected; Maria Hill's assistant didn't seem to have the slightest idea of who Professor Salani-Hvedrungr was supposed to be, and since I apparently wasn't on the 'priority list' my call wasn't important enough to interrupt the Deputy Director of SHIELD from whatever it was she was doing; Fury never answered his phone. I was beginning to consider trying getting in touch with one of the Avengers, since I was really running out of options, when we ran out of time.
The real surprise, in the end, was in those who did answer the call for help. A magical coven from America: the Secret Circle. Loki and I'd met them briefly during the months leading to the battle where my mortal life ended (while we were searching for a possible cure for my lack of voice). We'd seen them again a number of times after our return, in my 22nd birthday (Loki liked them better than most of the Avengers).
It was interesting, really. The Secret Circle was a coven formed by twelve magic-wielding young humans, five boys and seven girls, all in their early twenties. Their greatest achievement/test had come in the form of a confrontation against their ancestor's most fearsome enemy, a man they called 'Black John' who had attempted to take over the Circle, and used the safety of their small island-like town of New Salem to try and force them into compliance. Except the Circle, all of them between the ages of 16 and 18 at the time, had refused to surrender, and instead unlocked the highest level of power witches from their bloodlines had ever possessed (which, by that point, had become nothing more than legend), the ability to call onto the very forces of the universe (the sun, the moon, the stars, the earth, the rain, etc.).
While the coven wasn't too numerous, they were still lead by a triumvirate, three girls: The two younger ones (by a few months), were polar opposites, as well as a perfect match: both tall, with long straight hair and perfectly unblemished, sun-kissed skin; the first of slender build long hair a perfect blend of moonlight and sunlight, and eyes like the brightest emeralds; her counterpart had a voluptuous figure, hair black like a raven's wing and eyes the color of liquid gold. One dressed in white, the other in black, perfectly identical slips with no sleeves and a slit up to their thighs on one side; also, each of them wore matching garters and arm-bands on opposite sides made of soft green silk and silver. They were Diana Meade and Faye Chamberlaine, better known by some as the Priestess and the Huntress respectively. The final member of the triad was quite different from them: with a petite but elegant figure, fair skin, wavy topaz-brown hair with highlights in various shades of auburn and big cornflower-blue eyes; when in 'duty' she wore a Greek-style tunic that began in an off-white color before turning blue, the garment was floor-length, showing nothing of her legs, but with a deep-v neckline; golden hem and a sash going around her back and arms in the same colors complimented her, as well as the choker around her neck and the shiny diadem sitting on her brow, both silver with crystals. Her name for most people was Cassandra (Cassie) Blake-Conant (married to Adam Conant, another member of the Circle), though some also knew her as the Muse.
The most interesting part, though, was the members of the Circle were some of the few humans to know, and accept the existence of soul-mates, the most basic (beginning) form of a match. They called it the silver-cord, and some of them could even see it. In fact, Cassie and Adam were bound together by it.
The greatest surprise was because I didn't actually call the Circle for help, yet they all arrived nonetheless. It was Diana that explained it to me, the line from which Cassie was descended, on her mother's side, had the most power and the clearest sight (or so it'd been explained to them); adding to that the power her father had held... Cassie knew the Circle would be needed in London the moment Jane found the Aether, as if that had been the final piece of a puzzle long set out. The group had begun making plans, right away, taking a plane and arriving just in time.
"And what is it you can do that you believe might be of help in the upcoming battle against Malekith and his dark-elves?" Ylva asked, distrustful.
No one liked her tone, not even I, though I also had to admit that if I didn't know the Circle beforehand I probably would have felt the same way she did. After all, what could anyone expect from a bunch of barely-out-of-their-teens humans, even ones that could wield magic?
"Why you...?" Faye was trully annoyed by the comment, and it showed.
"Easy..." Diana calmed her quietly but swiftly. "She does not know us." The blonde then turned to the Aesir-lady. "We know better than to believe we can actually fight against such creatures and live. No, we're here to prevent as much collateral damage as possible. By calling on our highest power, and a special spell we created after our battle against Black John we shall create a barrier that will limit Loki's and Thor's confrontation with Malekith and his people to a very specific area. This is to be done in an attempt to protect as many lives as possible, and to try and make sure the battle doesn't get out of hand."
Everyone agreed with that.
"We shall be going ahead then." Cassie announced.
Everyone began filing out, the Muse just turning back at the last moment:
"The Convergence has already begun, the peak is yet to come, but the power is already in the air." She stated. "Loki won't be able to track you down all the way here. But you can meet him easily if you go to Jane Foster's apartment in London. A friend of yours, I believe her name is Darcy, is there too, looking for help. You might be able to assist each other until the others arrive." She smiled. "We shall meet again when the battle is to begin."
"Until the battle begins." I agreed.
Cassie was gone then, following the rest of her coven into the rental cars the group had driven there from the international airport. I did not have a vehicle, which complicated matters some. It was true that the Convergence had technically already started (though it would be a while before it reached its peak); with that kind of energy locking onto the realms, crossing through the abyss, it was a bad idea to try and access the Shadow Plane. Loki and the others would most likely use the Hidden Roads as well, for that very reason (which also explained why Loki couldn't get to Wales). Mind made up, I asked Ylva to cover her Asgardian attire with one of Aunt Kathryn's old coats and then the we went to take the next train to London.
We made it to the apartment almost at the same time Thor, Loki and Jane did. Ylva was quite worried for me by then, as I'd been constantly rubbing at a spot just bellow my collarbone, it felt funny, like pins and needles. Then we reached the apartment, met with the others and learnt that my match had been nearly skewered by the Kursed (the same monster that had been so close to killing the Queen and myself) with the very same blade Loki had used to stab him from behind while the creature was focused on pummeling Thor to death; he'd barely managed to move out of the way in time, though still, he had a nick to his collarbone to prove it (and that was what I'd been feeling before).
Cassie, of course had been right that Darcy was there. Apparently when SHIELD had learnt that Dr. Selvig was investigating strange gravitation anomalies, and had called Jane as well, they'd decided it might be of interest to SHIELD, and sent her after Jane, with the excuse of helping the astrophysicist's new intern learn the ropes (too many had thrown the towel, being unable to deal with the young Dr.'s strange quirks). Darcy had seen the whole thing as a working-vacation, until things got real, and SHIELD did not answer her calls!
It took a few minutes, but soon they had all of Erik's research around them, as the group tried to come up with a plan to deal with what was coming.
"Malekith is going to fire the Aether at a spot where all the nine world are connecting." Loki announced, being the one who knew the most about how such things worked.
"He's right." Jane agreed. "I saw it even as the Aether left me."
"You're lucky such a thing didn't drive you insane." Loki murmured, mostly to her; by the tone of his words I could tell it wasn't the first time he expressed that opinion.
"Amplifying the weapon's impact." Erik deduced. "For each additional world, the power will increase exponentially. The effect would be universal."
"The universe will return to the darkness... to the abyss..." I murmured, horrified. "That's exactly what Malekith wants."
"Yes, but the alignment is only temporary." Thor reminded us. "He must be in exactly the right place at the right time."
That should have given me, given us hope, that Malekith might not be able to find the place on time... however, considering he could sense the Aether, I hazarded a guess that he would be able to do the same with the Convergence. Besides, the effects were already there for anyone to see (or at least those who had any idea what the strange phenomenons taking place throughout the United Kingdom meant at all). So, if Malekith could find the place, that meant we needed to do the same, and we could not hope magic would guide us this time, as we needed to get there before he did.
"Well, how do we know where that is?" Darcy inquired.
"We follow the directions." Erik announced, extending a world map over the table. "This has happened before, thousands of years ago, and the Ancients were there to see it." He began marking points on the map. "All the great constructions, the Mayans, the Chinese, Egyptians... They made use of the gravitational effects of the Convergence. And they left us a map..." Once finished marking points, he began drawing lines to connect them. "Stonehenge, Snowden, the Great Orme..." One by one, a connecting point soon became obvious. "These are all coordinates taking us… Here..."
"Greenwich?" Ian and I asked at the same time.
With one hand I began typing a message on my phone. Though I expected the Circle to already know exactly where they needed to be (even if they hadn't seen it fit to tell me), I decided it wouldn't go amiss sharing the information with them.
At the same time I couldn't help but look at the intern, Ian Boothby, the poor boy looked so far out of his depth it wasn't even funny. There was also something in the way he kept looking at Darcy, I realized he had a crush on her... too bad for him she was already taken.
"The walls between worlds will be almost non-existent." Jane stated as she considered everything that was going on. "Physics is going to go ballistic. Increases and decreases in gravity, spatial extrusions… The very fabric of reality is going to be torn apart..."
"And unless we want the effect to be permanent, or worse, we better get moving." Loki stated soberly, before turning to Darcy. "Did you get in contact with SHIELD?"
"The only one who did answer my calls is too far to be of any help to us." Darcy admitted. "I'm afraid we're on our own on this one."
"Not quite." I chose that moment to reveal the other participants. "The Circle is here."
"The Circle..." Jane repeated, confused, as she'd never met them.
"I thought the coven lived in another country?" Thor had actually met them (as he needed to escort us on our trips to Midgard back then), but he'd never gotten to know them.
"They do." I nodded. "But Muse knew we would need help, so they came. They shall form a perimeter around the place where we expect the confrontation against Malekith to take place. Nothing shall get in or out once the barrier is formed. That will allow us to limit the damage and protect civilians as much as possible."
"Do they have the power for something like that?" Loki asked, worried.
"They should." I nodded. "The triumvirate are confident they can do it, if needed I will link myself to them to give them more power."
"Meanwhile my brother and I will battle Malekith." Thor declared.
"Forget not the Lady Ylva, brother, she's a brave warrior too." Loki pointed out before the blonde could complain about her exclusion.
"Of course!" The thunderer realized his blunder immediately. "Forgive me, Lady Ylva, it will be a pleasure to have you fight by our side."
Ylva nodded, satisfied.
"What are we waiting for?" Loki asked, ready for the action.
He was right, there was no time to lose, we simply couldn't afford to be late, not with the threat that was coming...
xXx
The place of the confrontation turned out to be Greenwich University. On the way there we argued about the plan of action. Thor, as always, was all for a direct fight, the rest of us thought that was absolutely idiotic.
"What about those things Dr. Selvig has been working on?" Ian asked.
"They're sensors, nothing more..." Erik began.
"What if we used them to create anomalies, rather than just detect them?" Jane proposed, a plan beginning to form in her mind. "I mean, the Convergence will already be taking place, we could use the devices to pull the energy to them, creating smaller portals. If we plant them around the area we could get rid of the dark-elves, a few at a time."
"It might be helpful." Loki agreed. "If you manage to make it work. I don't think anyone has ever tried to channel the Convergence's power in such a way..."
"We lose nothing by trying." Jane decided.
"Indeed." My love nodded. "We will see about setting the devices in the best spots, meanwhile you and Dr. Selvig should find a vantage point from where you can see the area and be able to activate them at the right time."
"Ian and I can help with that." Darcy offered, and when seeing the looks everyone directed at her, she added. "We won't stay, of course. But there are five devices, if each of us takes one, we'll finish faster. It'll also be safer to you. If the three of you deliver the ones behind wherever the dark-elf and his army come out you could take him by surprise."
"I like that plan." Ylva stated, eyes predatory.
"I do as well." Loki agreed. "However, how do you plan to distract Malekith from noticing us the moment we begin working on the devices? How o you even plan on protecting yourselves while you are setting yours?"
"I can do that." I spoke, finally.
"No!" Several voices cried out at the same time.
"You're not getting yourself killed, my Nightingale." My love stated seriously. "Not when you barely avoided such a destiny, for the second time, two days ago!"
"I'm not getting myself killed." I assured him softly, caressing his face. "I can protect myself, and the Circle will be there too. Also, how shocked do you think the bastard will be to see I've survived?" She smirked. "It's the perfect distraction!"
"I hate to admit it, my lord, but she's probably right..." Ylva admitted quietly.
"My love..." He began, voice hoarse with fear for me.
"I'll be alright, he will never be able to touch me. I promise you." I told him softly.
"He better not." My lover hissed, pulling face to him and kissing me shortly but full of passion. "If he so much as touches a hair on your head I will tear him limb by limb..."
"Hey! I like that idea!" Darcy cried out abruptly.
Everyone turned to look at her like she was crazy.
"Not the creepy-touching part, the tearing-limb-from-limb part!" Darcy explained quickly. "It would be like that episode where they talked about how the Judge had been defeated the first time, by cutting him into pieces and then burying them across the world. Only in this case it could be worlds, plural..."
And everyone just kept looking at her like she was crazy. I had some idea what she was talking about, though I couldn't actually remember where she might be taking the idea from, just knew I'd heard it before..
"No?" Darcy asked.
"What Judge do you speak of, Darcy?" Thor asked her, finally. "Is there some other threat to this realm we should worry about?"
"No!" It looked like the girl couldn't help herself, she laughed. "Have none of you ever seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer?"
There! That explained it. I'd been a fan of the show once, the love-story between Buffy and Angel was so beautiful... but after he left it just wasn't the same. I'd lost interest in it eventually. But yes, I remembered the Judge, and began to like Darcy's plan.
"That's it, when this is over we're having a Buffy the Vampire Slayer marathon!" The young woman announced. "You'll get to learn about pop-culture and maybe even some techniques for fighting evil creatures!"
The idea of Asgardians using techniques from a tv-show to fight their battles was so ludicrous I couldn't help but laugh uproariously, so did Darcy and Jane for that matter. Loki himself chuckled quietly, able to see the thoughts in my head; while Ylva and Thor hadn't the slightest idea what had caused our laughter.
It was a nice way to lift the mood, especially considering the seriousness of the battle we were headed for. We all knew what we stood to lose if we failed, and our lives were actually at the bottom of that list. No, if Malekith won we would end up worse than dead, that was for sure, and so would be everyone else in all the realms... we couldn't fail, we simply couldn't.
xXx
As I'd expected, the Circle was already there by the time we arrived. Cassie, already dressed as Muse, and accompanied by her husband, with short wine-red hair and blue-gray eyes, dressed in more normal clothes, went to meet us.
"We're ready." The witch announced the moment she stood before us.
"Are you sure your shields will be able to endure?" Ylva inquired.
She'd never seen mortals wield magic, but she doubted it could be strong enough, considering how fragile their bodies tended to be; on the other hand, she'd seen Jane endure being the host for the Aether without losing her mind completely or her body being torn apart, and that was no minor achievement.
"Since our confrontation with Black John a while ago, we all made sure to be ready in case we'd ever need to go against someone powerful again." Muse explained calmly but sternly to the Aesir warrior-lady. "What we will be doing here are no individual shields, as they would be too fragile; neither can we use layered ones, for the area we expect will be used as a battlefield is too wide to allow for such a close circle to be formed. So instead we've prepared to create a dome, channeling the highest form of each of our powers."
"How will you be able to do that when, as you've already mentioned, the area is too wide to form a proper circle?" Erik asked, curious.
"With these." Adam, Cassie's husband, explained as he raised what looked like a piece of rope.
It only looked like a piece of rope, in truth, it was a lot more. The plait was formed by a strand of actual rope, weaved jointly by the crones of their coven; while the other two strands were formed by locks of hair of members of the coven. That was important, since their kind of magic was better channeled through their own bodies than anything else, hair was good enough. Also, placed at specific points of the 'rope' were gems, the one corresponding to each person that would be holding an end of the cord as well as one meant to augment power. Each piece of 'rope', therefore, was made to connect two specific members of the Circle, channel their powers together in the best way possible as well as bolster them; and it was what would allow them to create a perimeter wide enough for what was coming.
For the time being the Circle had taken positions, sitting on the ground, in a wide circle, around what they expected to be the battlefield. Except for the point closest to the Thames River, as Muse had seen the enemy coming from that direction. Diana and Faye would be closing the circle on that point, and were ready to move into position as soon as the enemy was in his. The pieces of rope too were laying on the ground, connecting the witches and warlocks, ready to be picked up the moment the dome was to be raised.
"Will you, your shield, truly be able to hold against Malekith's power, against the Aether?" Thor asked next, doubtful.
"We will, it will." Adam stated solemnly. "The earth, the sky, the sun, the moon, every star, and planet, and flower and tree, every drop of water from the rivers, the rain, the sea... every force of nature that exists in the universe is ours to call on, and it will make sure that our magic holds."
Thor could only look at the young man in silence, his brain screaming that it was ludicrous, absolutely impossible, mortals couldn't have that kind of power, it just wasn't possible... not even his brother could access that much power...
Loki stopped him before he could say a word, he knew that Thor did not understand, then again, he wasn't a sorcerer. If his brother had any idea of how much power my love had access to... still, having access to power, being able to use it, did not mean there were no consequences. If mortals were to call on that kind of power for any considerable amount of time, it would consume them... also, the kind of power Adam had enlisted wasn't accessed by any one person, but by all twelve members of the circle working at the same time. It simply wasn't possible any other way...
"What about the civilians?" Erik called right then. "Haven't seen anyone yet but..."
"That's because they're all gone." Muse explained. "Huntress caused a small fire, nothing truly life-threatening, but enough to make the alarms ring and prompt everyone to evacuate. If our calculations are right, the enemy will be here before the fire-fighters can arrive and secure the place. Afterwards it won't matter."
"It's starting..." Several of the witches announced at the same time.
Turning our eyes to the sky we could all see it, like mirrors floating among the clouds, perfect circles, windows into the other realms... the same Malekith would use to aid in the destruction of the universe... the Convergence had begun.
As if on cue, the water of the Thames began agitating violently, a second before Malekith's ark materialized on the river-shore. Except it did not stop there, it moved forward, onto the dry-land, pushing into the yard where the others were waiting, until it eventually stopped, in the very center of it, beneath where the windows into other worlds were beginning to align.
"Lets get moving people!" Jane called out loudly as she began running, Erik on her heels. "It's now or never!"
Loki, Thor, Ylva, Ian and Darcy each took one of the devices before running to surround the ship, placing them at more-or-less even intervals. For the three Aesir it was easy, simply a matter of thrusting the things down, until they were deep enough into the ground. It was harder for Ian and Darcy, who had to use mallets to push them in, as their own strength wasn't enough. At the same time, behind the huge vessel, Diana and Faye rushed to take their places, ready to close the circle and raise the dome after the two young humans got out.
Ian finished first, he didn't even look back, the dark-elves were already marching out of the huge spacecraft; so as soon as he was sure the strange thing (he hadn't the slightest idea what it was supposed to be) was steady enough, he turned and ran, dashing in between two of the members of the Circle, right before they raised from the ground, holding a rope between them. It was only once he was outside that he turned and noticed that Darcy was still working on her own sensor.
"Darcy!" He cried out, horrified.
He tried to return, but the Circle didn't allow him to. And really, once they's stood and closed their piece of the perimeter, it couldn't be opened again.
"Let me in!" He hissed, uselessly. "You don't understand!"
"We understand." Adam was the one to speak. "Darcy is strong, she doesn't need you to rush in to protect her, she doesn't need anyone to do that."
I could only shake my head silently. It wasn't like I hadn't noticed the way the intern kept looking at Darcy; I wasn't sure if he didn't know she was taken, of he just didn't care to know... in any case, Adam was right, Darcy did not need Ian rushing in there to protect her. She was perfectly capable of looking after herself.
That was, at least, until Malekith himself stepped out of the ship, and his eyes immediately turned to the opponent closest to him: Darcy...
He paid no attention to the object she was still fervently working on (which was probably a good thing), though he did notice her, marching her way.
"Mortals..." He hissed. "You will die this day..." He raised an arm, the Aether beginning to gather around him. "And you shall be the first..."
From my position I couldn't really see if the others were ready, and I had no idea if Jane had gotten into position just yet, but I couldn't wait anymore. While I still believed that Darcy was quite capable of looking after herself... Malekith, and especially the Aether were another matter entirely. So, taking a deep breath, I stepped into the (still open) circle, and allowed my aura to reach out, just enough for Malekith to notice me.
Curiously, the Aether seemed to react to my presence before Malekith himself did, I noticed that on a corner of my mind. I still was mostly focused on the dark-elf, on calling his attention onto me. It was time to see if our plan worked...
"Surprise! Surprise!" I called loudly, with fake-cheeriness.
That certainly called his attention. So I just stood there, waited... and nothing. Malekith was looking straight at me, but it was as if he wasn't really seeing me.
"Who are you to stand before me and defy me, child?" He asked darkly.
"You really don't know who I am, do you?" I laughed at the irony. "And to think I'll never be able to forget your horrible face..."
He roared at me, an attempt at intimidation probably, I could only laugh.
"Let me jog your memory a little." I told him playfully, before pulling on the band securing my hair in the tight bun, letting it loose around my shoulders. "Remember me now?"
Even before he said anything I knew he did, it was in the expression in his eyes, the way his expression twisted, he was furious...
"Witch!" He snarled at me. "You should be dead!"
"You know, you're not the first to think that..." I admitted, keeping the laughter in my voice, both because I truly found the whole thing funny, and to annoy him further. "You're the second person who's failed at it, though."
"I will destroy you!" He roared at me, pointing at me with both hands.
I did not need to look down to see the Aether being directed. Still, I refused to allow fear to take over. So, with the same serenity I'd walked in his direction, I walked backwards. From the corner of my eye I could see Darcy finally finishing setting the last device, before pulling out her two electric-guns and using them with dead-on accuracy against the closest dark-elves even as she ran to the edge of the circle, jumping over one of the ropes as the two witches in that area raised it, and themselves into position.
"You should be dead." Malekith kept insisting. "I will kill you!"
"No you won't." I told him calmly. "But my family will still destroy you for trying... and also for trying to destroy the universe, of course."
Behind me, and all around, the chanting started:
"Power of sun have I over thee... Power of moon have I over thee..."
"Power of stars have I over thee... Power of planets have I over thee..."
"Power of blood have I over thee... Power of shadow have I over thee..."
Power of day, of night, of rain, of tree, of flower, of tides, of wind, of fire, of stone... and so on and so forth. Each member of the Circle was calling on their own spell, and yet it was as if they were all calling the same thing in perfect unison. I couldn't see the power being gathered, but I could sense it, and while very different from what I'd sensed from my match, it was absolutely amazing. The way it combined... it was enthralling...
It all happened in a fraction of a second, or at least that was how it felt to me: the Aether reached me, or it seemed to, I could practically feel its power, see it right before my eyes, except it never touched me... almost at that exact moment I gave the final step back, a rope raised before me, just an instant before the full force of the Infinity Stone would have hit me. The Aether hit the rising dome full-force and I could see one of Adam's and Cassie's arms shaking, the ones holding the rope before me; at the same time a shiver ran through everyone else in the Circle. Yet none of them faltered, they stood firm, their voices growing louder as they kept their chant, reaching a peak at the same time the dome finished forming.
"It's done..." Muse announced quietly a second after the chanting stopped.
It was done, all that was needed was for them to endure until the battle was over. And by the way elves began falling, most to Aesir weapons, but a few to carefully calculated portals; it was quite obvious everyone was doing their best to make sure the battle was as short as possible.
Ian was the first to notice the military planes on the air, seeking to approach Malekith's ark. They couldn't, of course, the Circle's shield didn't allow them to. At first I thought nothing of it, really, considering the size of that thing, and the battle taking place, it was only to be expected that the government would send someone to investigate, even to try and take down the ship (even if they hadn't the slightest idea of what was going on).
In the end, they did go the 'Judge-route', something Darcy, Jane and I found incredibly funny. A moment came when the warriors couldn't help but be distracted by the seemingly-never-ending army of dark-elves; something Malekith took advantage of, to send the Aether up and through the portals created by the Convergence. Jane began calling loudly that it was too late, only for my love to use his magic to pull out the devices (and to think how long it took Darcy and Ian to hammer in theirs), before splitting them between the three and rushing into the black-and-red tornado created by the Aether.
No one outside got to see what was going on in there... then again, I did not need my eyes to do so. Jane and Darcy knew that, and they hurried to my side.
"They're alright." I stated, eyes closed so I could see through my match's own without getting dizzy by the double images. "Jane, have you the controls ready?"
"Yes." She knew there must be a plan. "What should I do?"
"One of the devices will appear as active in your screen any moment, when it does, do what you need to, to have it create one of the small portals." I instructed. "You must do that every time one appears on your screen. Also, make sure the portals lead to separate realms."
"What's going on in there?" Ian asked, absolutely confused.
"They're taking Malekith out, a piece at a time!" Darcy crowed, ecstatic.
She should be proud, I thought, it was her plan after all. And it worked quite well. What none of us could have foreseen, was the way the Aether went completely out of control once Malekith was gone... well, that was without taking Cassandra Blake into consideration.
I could sense the power shifting and growing a second before it all happened, calling out to my love before I was fully conscious of doing so:
*Get out of there!*
"Power of darkness have we over thee... power of light have we over thee... power of reality have we over thee!" The Circle chanted loudly, strongly.
The shield-dome they'd created before seemed to collapse upon itself, at the same time the ropes aiding in creating it turned to ashes in between the fingers of each pair, jewels vaporizing completely. There was a loud rumble, the ground groaning, followed by every window in our vicinity shattering at the same time then... silence.
"Is that it?" Darcy asked, hesitantly.
"Did we win?" Ian questioned almost at the same time.
"We did." Thor nodded slowly.
He, my match and Ylva were standing behind me, where Loki had teleported them the moment my frantic warning reached them; and just in time, I could only imagine what that much magic would have done to them if it had hit them.
He touched my arm lightly, a way to reassure me, and himself, that we were alright. Then he stepped through the edge of where the shield had been formed, and to the center, where the blackened and smoky remains of Malekith's ark remained. one only had to see those to get an idea of how much power the Circle had called on, at the end; that and the way most of them were either sitting or kneeling on the ground, panting, in that moment. That much power had certainly taken a lot out of them.
"Brother?" Thor called, unsure, seeing my love navigating those ruins.
"One moment brother." Loki replied, before seemingly finding whatever he was looking for, and bending to pick it up. "Alright!"
There, in his hand, he was holding what looked like a small, rectangular box, it looked almost like a brick, most of it ashen black, but with a thick layer of shifting red in the middle.
"The Aether..." Several voices called at the same time.
It looked as if it were in a box, an invisible one, created with the power of the Secret Circle.
"How long will this last?" Loki asked of the triumvirate.
"As long as the universe does." The Huntress stated, a tint of arrogance in her voice.
"And as long as a Circle exists." The Priestess added for good measure. "It's created from the power of the universe, and held by the unity of the Circle. Even when we're gone, as long as a Circle exists, it shall remain."
As long as a Circle existed... that was some serious magic! I couldn't even grasp the idea of something like that.
"We should take this back to Asgard, decide what to do with it." Ylva declared.
"What are the chances that we won't all get arrested and thrown into dungeons the moment we set foot on Asgard?" Thor asked, only half-joking.
"It doesn't matter." My love replied with a mischievous smirk. "Even if they do throw me in a dungeon, it's not like I plan on staying there."
I couldn't help it, I giggled, at the same time almost everyone began laughing. They all saw it as a joke, if they just knew! My love was quite capable of doing as he claimed... it was probably good that they didn't believe it.
I still hoped we wouldn't end up in a dungeon, though. While I knew I hadn't left Asgard on the best of terms (an understatement considering the arguments I'd had recently with the Allfather), it had still become my home in the last year and I missed it... and I missed my son!
"Lets go home..." Loki murmured, seemingly reading my mind.
"Lets." I agreed.
Next chapter: the aftermath of the convergence (and the battle), hints of AoS and a pretty huge revelation (the 'other' plot is coming to a head). Hope you'll like what's to come.
I'm trying to decide who should play Ylva (for possible future covers and wallpapers), and I'm interested in your input. Currently I'm debating between Gage Golightly and Kristin Cavallari, but if one of you knows of someone better who fits the description given in chapter 1 I'm all ears! Also, I'm changing the one playing Hel from Amy Lee to Katie McGrath (Morgana in the Merlin tv show).
One other question, for the fans of AoS out there. While I won't be diving into that particular piece of the MCU just yet, I'm outlining plans; so right now is the time to let me know if there's something you would like (either a piece of canon you want or some specific way you would like me to twist it). I cannot promise you I'll do everything I'm asked, but if it fits with my plans I will try.
See ya around. And please don't forget to comment!