boredbrooder:

Loki stood before the throne with a smug leer on his face.  Magic-binding chains bound him from neck to ankle.  King Odin scowled down at him, blue eye piercing, gold eye patch shining.  

Out on the balcony, Thor and Frigga talked with the mortal visitor, the first on Asgard in several millennia.  She was only allowed because of a special circumstance: the Ether had chosen to reside in her.

A claxon rent the air: disturbance in the dungeons.  “The prisoners,” Thor said concerned.  He looked at the mortal, Jane, whom he’d grown quite fond of.

“Go, I’ll look after her,” Frigga said, putting a comforting hand on the girl’s shoulder.  Thor dropped his black poncho, revealing his battle armor and red cape, then jumped off the balcony calling Mjolnir.  The mighty hammer flew him in the direction of the dungeons.

Odin glared at Loki, trying to find some way he could be responsible.  “Unchain me, I can help,” Loki suggested.  Odin ignored him.  “Asgard is in trouble, let me do something!”  

“Why should I trust you,” Odin said scathingly as he rose from his seat and hurried down the golden steps.

“I’m a prince of Asgard.  My people are in danger.  I have a responsibility to them, same as you,” Loki argued, walking as close to his father as the chain holders would allow.

“Where was that responsibility a year ago on Midgard?”  Odin spat back.  Loki *tsk* at him, knowing the king was more interested in his tale now than he was when he’d returned.  “You men, with me,” Odin ordered, and all four chain bearers dropped their burdens.  

“Take me with you,” Loki pleaded as a last resort.  Loki nodded at one of the guards, who returned to Loki’s side.

“Hold him here until the dungeons are secure,” Odin ordered.  As he marched from the throne room, more men gathered and the condemned prince heard him give more orders.  “Send a squadron to the weapons vault, defend it at all costs.”

Thor and the warriors four were busy suppressing the prisoners in the dungeons.  Frigga passed Odin in the hall and shared a brief but sentimental greeting.  Then she took the mortal to her chambers.  Loki studied his guard.  The man was barely more than a youth.  He trembled in his boots, sweats dripped down his forehead.  If he was any more nervous, Loki would be able to hear the clamor of his armor.

“Scared?” Loki asked conversationally.  The young soldier looked at him nervously but didn’t answer.  “Wish you were somewhere safe?”  His lip trembled and his hands shook.  “I can do that.  I can keep you safe, but only if you let me go.  Unchain me.”

“N-n-n-o-o-o,” the man stuttered violently.  “I-i-i’l-l-l-l-g-g-g-e-e-t-t-t-i-i-n-n-t-t-t-r-o-u-b-b-l-l-e.”

“You won’t get in trouble,” Loki coaxed.  “We’ll tell the Allfather I overcame you and stole the keys.”

Out at the end of the Bifrost, Heimdall noticed something Eerie.  In an amazing feat of acrobatics and strength, he took out a pilot craft.  To his horror, more came in – lots more.  Heimdall returned to his post and followed protocol.  He activated the castle shields with the Bifrost key.

The prison rebellion was mostly subdued when a violent explosion shook the dungeons.  Thor and the remaining warriors and guards scurried to the surface. Pilot ships were attacking the castle.  Ground-to-air guns were exploding everywhere, but the ships were quite maneuverable.  Silver longboats took off from the docks to engage in the air.  The golden force field was going up.

Frigga told Jane to hide in her inner chamber while she made an illusion of her and waited in the outer chamber.  Looking out over the balcony, she saw pilot ships appear out of nowhere and start firing on the castle.  It shook violently, but she kept to her feet.  Defenses were engaged immediately, but all the queen could do was watch.  The golden force field was going up.

Loki continued to work his silver tongue on the guard.

“W-w-w-i-i-l-l-l-h-e-e-e-b-b-e-l-l-l-” stuttered the youth.

“Yes, he’ll believe it,” Loki interrupted with irritation.  Suddenly, the whole building shook with a violent explosion.  The guard nearly jumped out of his skin.  Loki looked around for the closest threat, then turned back to the guard.  He’d taken the keys out of his pocket.  “Good man,” he encouraged.  There was a lot of fumbling, but the guard managed not to drop the keys as he unlocked Loki’s chains.  The power of Seidr surged through him.  He was as good as his word.  As soon as he was able, he placed his palm on the soldier’s forehead and put him to sleep.  Then, he hid the body with a glamor.  Forty-nine able fighters were better than forty-nine able fighters and a coward, Loki reasoned.  He glanced toward the window, where longboats engaged with pilot ships and explosions rippled the air.  The golden force field was going up.

Loki had no time to lose.  He knew exactly where he needed to be.  If Loki knew his family, Thor would be concerned with the mortal and Mother would take charge of her, hiding her the one place she felt safest: the chambers she shared with Odin.  Loki headed there without delay.

“Mother, are you well,” Loki asked breathlessly, seeing her before he was completely through the door.  They clasped arms.

“Yes, my son,” she answered quickly.  They both turned their heads to watch the golden force field fall again, before it even had time to reach the top.  The castle shook again as a pilot ship crashed into the throne room Loki had abandoned.  If he’d stayed there, he and the nervous guard would be dead.

“You’re not safe here.  Where’s the mortal?”  Loki asked looking around.

“Jane, you can come out,” Frigga called.  The real human came to stand next to her illusion, looking at it awkwardly.  Loki turned around and raised his outstretched hand over the side door.  It turned into a wall.  He did the same thing to the door to the inner chambers Jane had just come from, making another wall.

“Loki?” Frigga said questioningly.

“I’m planning on sealing you in with Seidr.  Help me, mother.  We must make sure no dark elves or their enemies can break even the walls.”  He held out both arms and green shimmered around all the walls and the entrance to the balcony.  Frigga followed suit, making the shimmer thicker.  “Alright, when I leave, I’m sealing this door.  Do not reverse my spells until it is safe.  I’ll come back for you.”  Loki was definitely concerned.  Frigga was the only woman who ever loved him, and he loved her more than anyone in the nine realms.  He placed a quick kiss on her cheek, then exited, doing just as he promised.

Loki re-entered the throne room where dark elves poured out of the pilot ship and engaged Aesir soldiers.  He helped make short work of them, but the dangerous one went unseen by him as the throne itself was sucked into a black hole grenade.  When none were standing but the Aesir soldiers, all panting heavily in their victory, Odin entered in all his splendor, holding Gungnir at the ready.

“Frigga,” he said hoarsely, fear gripping his heart.

“I have protected her, she is safe,” Loki said, stepping out from behind a pillar.  He hadn’t been hiding, he’d merely been resting for a few breaths.

“How did you get free?” he demanded angrily.

“I knocked out the cowardly guard and stole the keys,” Loki lied easily.  “I told you, I have a responsibility to Asgard and I intend to honor it.”  The men stared stubbornly at each other, other soldiers and guards watching nervously, until another explosion outside called their attention.

Malekith felt the Ether and followed it.  He could smell it like fresh-baked pie, see it like a thread of light.  Finally, he reached a solid wall.  The Ether was on the other side.  Malekith looked for a door into the room.  None existed.  Had they sealed a room with magic?  A giant horned monster showed up.  It looked loyally on his commander.  

“Break the wall,” Malekith ordered.  Kurse raised his mighty fists and brought them down on the wall.  A shimmer of green rippled around the walls.  No damage resulted.  Three more times, Kurse tried to damage the wall.  Three more times, he failed.  The Seidr seemed to hold.  Malekith growled his discontent.  “Come, we’ll get there through the wizard that cast it.”  Kurse followed behind Malekith as he exited the castle.

Inside the sealed room, the two women held each other as something heavy fell against the wall.  A shimmer of green rippled around the walls.  No damage resulted.  The Seidr seemed to hold.  The hammering against the walls stopped and the women breathed a sigh of relief.  However, another explosion from outside caused them to hold each other again and peer through the force field on the balcony.

Thor fought his way through battalions of dark elves, swinging his hammer furiously and calling on lightning when necessary.  The warriors were on his flanks and more soldiers and guards were fighting their hardest.  Thor was rather proud.  They’d had a lot of experience lately, squashing rebellions on Vanaheim and all.  Now their own homes and families were in danger and they held nothing back.  Another explosion overhead caused Thor to go into overdrive and finish them quickly.

Loki and Odin ran into Thor on the road between the dungeons and the castle.  The elder prince was mildly surprised to see the prisoner-prince unchained and ready to fight, but he was with Father.  He grasped the hands of both men in quick greeting.  Thick clouds gathered overhead for Thor’s use.  The city was in ruins from so many attacks and explosions.  Civilians were yelling and screaming and running for shelter.  Emergency response was doing its best to find and help the wounded.  Odin had a standing order that civilians were to receive help before the enlisted soldiers.

On a small landing platform overlooking the turnpike, the remaining dark elves gathered.  Malekith and Kurse were most notable among them, the former for his commanding presence, the latter for his massive size.  The three royals stood facing him together.  Thor looked over his shoulder to see the remaining Aesir soldiers gathering for the fight.

It was a nearly even fight.  Odin went for Malekith.  Thor went for Kurse.  Loki and the rest engaged the dark elves.  Clash of metal, laser blasts, the horrible sucking sound of black hole grenades, all intermingled with the battle cries and injured howls of both armies.  Hot lingering smoke mixed with body sweat and blood to form the stench of battle.  Thor took many hits, unable to subdue the giant Kurse.  Malekith was more fit than Odin, but the king had the scepter of power to balance the odds.  Loki kept an eye on Thor, throwing aid from across the platform when most necessary.  

Both sons saw it at the same time.  A blur of red and gray tumbled to the ground in a roll as a cry sounding much to much like Odin for comfort.  Thor hauled himself away from Kurse with an animalistic growl, throwing lighting at Malekith, hitting him square in the face.  Father Loki bellowed, throwing himself over the fallen man.

“Retreat,” Kurse bellowed, grabbing Malekith and pulling him away from the battle.  Dark elves retreated in every direction.  They practically seemed to disappear.  The soldiers shouted their victory, but the princes knelt by their father.  He groaned.  He grasped Gungnir to his chest as Thor gently rolled him over.

“I live, my sons,” Odin rasped.  He chuckled a little.  Both red-caped men were surprised to see Loki there.  The younger prince just masked his face and sighed.  He knew he was in trouble, but now was not the time for punishments.

“Bring the healers,” Thor bellowed, knowing many were in the field.  They must heal father and finish this first.