EPILOGUE 2

When the smoke cleared, Thor found himself in a strange hall and he figured he was now on Alfheim. He was still held captive by the Elvin warrior's blade as the woman Elf commanded smithies to be brought with a forge and anvil to make what she called "a collar of containment" and a warrior left to do her bidding.

"Thou shalt be kept in hosterage Odinson until the timely return of our Father and Mother-Consort, and hast no need to fear from us, unless it be that thou shouldst attempt to escape." The Elf woman lowered her spear from Thor's throat resting its end on the floor and the warrior behind him removed his dagger from his throat as well.

"Do I have your word on that" Thor questioned his captors with a hint of doubt in his voice.

"My word is my bond of honor Asgardian" the woman growled at him, "as High Stewart of Alfheim."

Turning to another of the warriors that had accompanied them to Asgard she commanded him to fetch a Healer to attend to Thor's wounds. Bowing the warrior left them in obedience to the High Stewart.

The Elvin smithies showed up at nearly the same time as the Elvin Healer did and both quickly set upon their respective tasks. A thrall brought Thor a flagon of ale and a stool to sit upon as the Healer, kneeling next to the Thunder god, set his broken arm and immobilized it with four thin, grey metal bars wrapped in leather taken out of a leather pouch. Which were then carefully wrapped with leather strips around his hand and arm, these were held by a thrall, to hold them in place. The Healer was an Older Elf with grey hairs sprinkled through his red hair and he wore a white Tabard over a gold colored shirt. His breeches were also gold in color and Thor noticed that he was barefoot. As a matter of fact all the Elves were barefoot, even the High Stewart. The Healer produced a shimmering disk, which seemed to cast multi-colored hues, from his pouch and when held in his hand it began to glow brightly and the Healer slowly waved it over his injured arm. Thor could actually feel the broken bones knitting together. After only a minute the Elvin Healer put the disk away and rising up to his bare feet informed the High Stewart that his work was finished.

Now Thor turned his attention to the Smithies who were still heating up a small portable forge to begin their work on the collar of containment. Accompanied by three young male thralls the largest male Elf took a long flat bar of silver and began to heat it on the forge. With repeated firing and hammering on a small anvil, the Smithy beat the bar into a flat sheet of sliver that was as broad as Thor's hand was long. Then the Smithy started to curl the flatten silver into a tubular shape with the edge of the anvil. When it gained the appearance of a pipe with a slender opening down the side a thrall handed him what looked like a transparent eel whose insides were various colored wires. There were two silver disks at each end and it had some wires hanging from them with silver dots at their ends.

This, the Smithy placed inside the silver pipe and then returned it to the forge to reheat until the silver was glowing like a bright yellow sun. Thor was amazed that the 'eel like thing' didn't melt, didn't seem to be damaged in the least from the heat of the fire or the pounding of the Smithy's hammer. Once the silver pipe was completely closed, the Smithy began to curl it into a semi-circle until it resembled the torques the Elves (with the exception of the thralls) all wore. Holding up the torque for examination it seemed to satisfy the Smithy and he lowered it into a large metal bucket of water. Steam from the hot metal spewed forth and after inspecting it again nodded towards the High Stewart.

"It be ready M'Lady."

"Then place it upon his neck and activate it." She commanded as she picked up her spear and placed it again at Thor's throat.

Going around to Thor's back the Smithy placed the silver torque about the Asgardian Prince's neck and with a grunt of exertion bent it to so it fit snugly as the ends of it nearly touched. The ends rested upon his collar bone as the Smithy did something to the back of the torque and it began to whirr and whine as if it were alive. Thor heard a clicking noise and then his neck and chest were pierced by the wires that hung from the two metal disks at each end of the torque. Caught off guard, as he hadn't known what to expect, he screamed in pain and slid off the stool onto the floor. The pain was sharp, but momentary, and gasping he slowly got to his feet as he realized the thing within the torque was now grafted into his body.

Lowering her spear from his throat and resting the butt of it on the floor the High Stewart spoke. "Thou art free to access any part of the hall of the High Stewart or anywhere in this providence, but, make any attempt to escape or set foot outside its borders, and thou wilt die a painful death Odinson. Make any attempt to remove thy collar, whether by force or craft, and thou wilt die. See to it that thou obey the laws of Hosterage and we will see to thy every need. Whether it be food, drink, or concubine shouldst thou require it, it shall be done for thee."

Turning to the Elvin warrior she had called Oder she ordered him to prepare a room for and to take Thor to it. "Go with the Stewart of Alfheim for he shalt see to thy needs. Thou hast my leave to go Odinson."

Motioning with his right hand Oder directed Thor to make for the room's exit. Bowing his head and placing his arm over his heart, in respectful salute to the High Stewart, Thor made for the exit with the Stewart walking alongside him.

"To thy left Odinson" The Stewart spoke up after they passed through the doorway and Thor followed him down the wide hallway.

They walked on for what seemed to be a quarter of a kilometer when the Stewart motioned for Thor to enter a room. It was spacious and the Stewart ordered a thrall in the hallway to send more thralls to clean and prepare the room. "Now Odinson, what doth thou require at the nonce…food, drink, concubine? Whatever thou wouldst like it shall be brought to thee."

Jane Foster had just finished two speaking engagements and had time off before her next one about the Convergence and she'd received an invitation by Eric to come to the Avenger's facility in northern New York to share what she knew with S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists. A handful of lower level S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were helping her, Darcy and Ian with their luggage while a Maria Hill was leading them to their rooms. Eric greeted Jane at her room and offered to help with her luggage to relieve the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent carrying them. "It's good to see you again Jane and nice of you to come as I know your schedule is pretty full."

"Just set them down anywhere Eric" Jane pulled off her jacket and threw it on her bed along with her purse and night case, "and how could I refuse an offer from you to take a week off in beautiful upstate New York, even if it's in The Avenger's new headquarters."

"Well I'll let you get settled in" Maria Hill chimed in. "Now I'll show you two to your respective rooms and I have to warn you again not to wander into restricted areas or you will be shot."

"You're kidding right" Darcy smiled slightly snarky at the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and Nick Fury's right hand woman. "Right?"

"Hum mm, no, I'm not" Maria answered back in the same snarky vein and then smiled at Jane's unpaid intern.

It was Eric that noticed the pillar of smoke that came from nowhere to develop in the middle of Jane's bedroom. It grew in size and width as they piled into Jane's room to see this oddity while Maria Hill pressed her com-device on and ordered guards, double-time, to Jane Foster's room as she drew her service revolver and aimed it at the pillar.

"Everyone get behind me" Maria ordered and they started to when the smoke started to clear and they saw an armored man step forth as he drew the sword at his side from its scabbard.

"A Dark Elf…but you were destroyed…Thor stopped you from unleashing the Aether" Jane gasped at the man.

"Thou art mistaken woman I am of The Lios Alfar…"

"A White Elf!" Eric Selvig blurted out, interrupting the warrior.

"I hast come for the woman known as Jane Foster" Oder kept his sword by his side at the ready but made no attempt to use it, even though he knew the strange thing the dark haired woman held must be some kind of Midgard weapon.

To Jane he seemed not to be totally unlike the Dark Elves of Malekith as his ears were pointed, but that was as far as the comparison went. This Elf had golden blond hair and blue eyes; his armor was woven brass over a green side less shirt, his trousers were tan colored leather and he was bare foot.

"Why would you want Jane Foster?" Eric questioned the White Elf warrior.

"Odin hath disappeared, taking our Queen's son…our Father-Consort with him and we know not where they hast fled to. We have taken the Odinson known as Thor hostage until our Father-Consort be restored to us. He hath requested I bring the mortal woman, Jane Foster, to him on Alfheim."

"I'm not going anywhere" Maria Hill answered back still holding her pistol at Oder.

"I'll go" Darcy spoke up "If he's alright."

"No don't, I'll go" Jane said with concern as she could see this stalling tactic was only making the Elf angry.

With an irritated huff the White Elf warrior whirled around behind Ian as he whipped his sword to the intern's throat and growled, "I hath not the time or temperament for such nonsense, give me Jane Foster or I give thee his head."

"No don't…please don't" Darcy started to cry, bringing her hands to her mouth in fear, as she knew this joker wasn't kidding, he actually would cut off her intern's head.

"Please, I'm Jane Foster and I'll go with you" Jane placed her hand on Maria Hill's and made her lower her gun. "Just please don't hurt anybody okay."

Slowly Oder lowered his sword from Ian's neck and extended his left hand to her. Cautiously Jane took his hand in hers and he pulled her close to his body as they were enveloped in smoke and then the two of them disappeared

As Commander of the Einherjar and the oldest Odinson, Tyr ordered what was left of his men to clear the rubble from the streets and to search through those buildings that were safe to enter, for the wounded and the dead. A group of Einherjar were searching through the rubble at the palace, of which only half of it still stood, and they had not been successful at finding anyone alive but they had already found several dead bodies and were pulling more out from under the crushing debris.

One man gave out a loud yelp and many paused in their grim work to see what he was yelling about. They saw him pick up a large hunk of what used to be a column and throw it at something they couldn't see. A blond haired Einherjar walked over the rubble to ask him what it was he'd seen and why throw something at it. The warrior replied he thought he'd seen a rat and that he must have killed it as he didn't see it run away. With this little bit of excitement over the soldiers went back to their duties.

From behind a pile of rubble, two hate filled eyes watched the Asgardians as they searched for the dead, and the small form scurried further away from them.

"I will yet have my revenge on you Odin for how could you destroy a hatred as deep as mine" and with that said, the tiny Mangog began to dig his way through the debris to reach the ground. Then he would continue to tunnel his way out of Asgard proper to wait until his time would come to destroy them all.

Fin