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didn't break eye contact. She was outgrowing her fear of him, and it blossomed into defiance, and strength.

He grabbed her forearm, and roughly pulled her down the corridor back to her chambers.

"Ow," She squirmed under his grasp. "Let me go,"

He granted her wish, practically throwing her into the chamber. He shut the door, and turned to her with an unsettled look on his face. She straightened herself, wondering how much of her conversation with Thor he might've heard.

"I am not your little project." He spoke.

So, apparently all of it.

"I didn't mean that you are--"

"Forget the conversation we had earlier, you cannot help me. I won't allow it."

"I'm so sick of this, Loki. Jesus, I am simply trying to be your damn friend. Do you even have any friends?"

"I've got friends."

"Yeah? Who?"

Loki paused for a moment. "You don't know them."

She threw her hands up in frustration, laughing humorlessly. "You're lucky Thor won't take me back to Earth, or I would've been long gone by now."

His ears perked at her statement. Thor wasn't going to bring Alex back to Earth? But, why? The Bifrost was available for use, and the girl the Avengers needed was in his grasp.

"In case you're wondering, it's because he's focusing on Jane's safety. Turns out, your brother really loves her."

Loki scoffed at this. His brother was in love with a mortal, a stupid thing to do. They were simply not compatible. A mere mortal could never withstand the power a god has. Not to mention, at some point, Jane will grow old, and Thor still won't look a day over forty.

"Jane's safety," Loki repeated under his breath.

"Yes,"

Loki's lips slid into a sly grin, realizing this would benefit him. His idiotic brother surely will forget all about the ransom, and focus on saving the mortal girl. Unknowingly, Thor has assisted Loki in his plans. Turning on his heel to walk out of the room, Loki pursed his lips.

"Where are you going?" Alex asked.

"Nowhere that concerns you." He said harshly, shutting the door behind him.

He strolled down toward the gardens, where he would be able to think clearly. He saw Thor and Jane walking alongside each other, talking and laughing. A pang of jealousy struck at Loki's heart at Thor's apparent ease. He always had it easy, compared to Loki. Thor was not burdened with the task of retrieving a powerful scepter that contained a very precious relic; no, his girlfriend was just dying.

"What in Odin's name are you thinking so hard about?" Loki heard a gentle voice speak to him.

His mother sat down on the bench next to him. He chuckled, shaking his head. He thought back to when he was just a young boy, and his mother would bring him out into the gardens to practice his magic. He used to love being outside, basking in the sunshine. Now, he'd rather spend his time tucked away inside, preferably alone.

"Odin would've had you locked away in the dungeons for your actions if he was around," She thought aloud.

"Why haven't you?" Loki turned and gave her a sarcastic glance.

"Because I'm sure you'd find a way out." She answered in a playful tone, dodging his question.

"My actions, you say. I was merely giving truth to the lie that I had been fed my entire life. That I was born to be a king," He responded defensively.

"A king? A true king admits his faults. What of the lives you took on Earth?"

"A mere handful compared to the number Odin has taken himself." He retorted.

"Your father--"

"He's not my father!" Loki snapped, standing up in his rage.

Frigga slowly stood as well, hurt flashing in her eyes as she softly touched her son's face. He held a look of regret after speaking so harshly to her.

"Then am I not your mother?"

He paused for a moment, pushing her hand away.

"You're not."

She gave a small laugh, but it was evident that she was hurt by his response.

"You're always so perceptive of everyone but yourself," She spoke. "Or maybe, not even of the girl."

"What girl?" He spat.

"The one you've held captive for longer than you anticipated. I see hope in her, and I know you see it too."

"I've no idea what you're talking about."

"See? You're unable to decipher your own emotions. Alas, you'll learn. She'll help you learn."

"She won't help me do anything but retrieve my scepter."

"You still aim to destroy, Loki. It disappoints me," Frigga spoke. "Maybe one day, when I'm long gone, you'll see what I've spoken of."

He furrowed his brows, watching Frigga turn and walk away. He was confused at her words, but knew they held some meaning. He always loved how she spoke to him differently than she spoke to Thor; it made Loki feel different, but in a good way.

Loki sighed, reluctantly walking back to his chambers. Maybe, he had been to harsh with Alex. He had let his emotions cloud the fact that she wished to understand Loki, something not many wished to do.

Pushing open the door, he was met with Alex's disappointed face.

"Oh, it's just you, Mr. Moody Pants."

He scowled at the ridiculous name. How did she hold the ability to piss him off with just her words? It took him everything he had not to walk right back out of the door.

"I've come to talk."

"Have you now?"

"I wanted to," He paused, trying his hardest to put his pride aside. "Apol--"

"Loki, Alex," Thor burst in the door, his chest heaving. "The dungeons,"

"What about them?" Loki asked, annoyance clear in his tone.

"Prisoners have escaped. Come!" He spoke urgently.

Alex looked at Loki, then down at her dress she was currently wearing. She looked back to Loki, who looked amused.

"You did wonder how combat in a dress would go," He mused.

"I don't really want to find out today."

Loki scoffed, rolling his eyes. With a wave of his hand, her dress was transformed into leather pants and a green tunic.

"Thanks, Fairy Godmother. Now, let's go!" She rushed out of the chamber, following Thor.

Loki followed, irritated that his apology was interrupted. He had to work up the courage to do so in the first place, so his energy to put his ego aside was long gone. The pair followed Thor down into the dungeons, where absolute chaos was ensuing.

Every prisoner was outside of their cell, wreaking havoc on the guards. Thor gripped Mjölnir, ready to enter the scene. Loki pulled out his dagger, and followed suit.

"Remember what I taught you," Loki spoke as prisoners started at him.

"What was that again?" Nerves were very evident in Alex's voice.

"Try not to die."

Loki plunged his dagger into the chest of an escaped prisoner, pushing him out of the way. Alex tried her hardest to stay confident in herself, not wanting to crack under pressure. She punched a man that ran at her, and successfully knocked him out. She wanted to conserve herself in case she had to use her powers, so she used her combat skills first.

Suddenly, a loud crash was heard above them, along with several booms. Something had hit the castle. There were sounds of screaming, and blasting. There was now chaos above them as well, and Thor had no idea if there was anyone protecting his love.

"Jane," Thor spoke. "Alex, come with me. Loki, fend them off!"

Thor grabbed Alex's hand, running up the stairs to the left. They hurriedly traveled to Frigga's chambers, where he knew Jane would also be.

Upon approaching the room, Alex's eyes immediately saw Jane. She was cowering in a corner, whilst Frigga was being held by a monstrous creature. A Dark Elf, whom they quickly deducted was Malekith, approached Jane, desperately trying to retrieve the Aether from her.

Thor held his finger to his lips, telling Alex to be silent. Theycrouched, waiting for the right moment to ambush. Malekith reached into Jane, but discovered she was simply a holographic trick.

"Witch!" The elf screeched.

Frigga smirked triumphantly.

"Where is the Aether?!" He demanded.

"I'll never tell you." She spoke gracefully, despite the danger she was in.

"I believe you."

Alex sprung out of her hiding place.

Time slowed down as she pounced toward Malekith in a desperate attempt to save Frigga. Thor's eyes widened as the creature behind his mother drew back his sword. He felt stuck where he was crouched, and couldn't tear his eyes away. Alex was almost to Malekith, seeing the sword drawn back as well. She latched onto its back, holding tightly and draining as much energy as she could.

"NO!" Thor screamed in agony, standing up from where they hid.

Malekith collapsed as Alex held his energy within her. The creature let go of Frigga, causing her to slip to the ground. It grasped his master, and hobbled off the balcony. Their fall was broken by a ship collecting them, and it flew toward its mothership. Thor threw his hammer angrily at the pair, a flash of lightning emitting from his fingertips. Mjölnir soared off into the distance, never reaching its target.

The ship was gone, and the castle was left in ruins.

Alex's knees buckled, causing her to fall to the floor. She picked up her head, looking to Frigga. Her hand was outstretched toward Alex, mouth slightly parted open and eyes lifeless. Alex gingerly held her limp hand, as her vision grew fuzzy.

Then, all she saw was black.

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𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚙𝚕𝚘𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚜!

𝚒𝚏 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚘𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚎𝚡𝚒𝚜𝚝 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚕 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚔𝚒 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙰𝚕𝚎𝚡'𝚜 𝚙𝚕𝚘𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎

𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚎! :)))