Cover image for this fic is a lovely piece of art I found done by brilliant artist slugette on deviant art.

I'm trying to keep chapter 5000 to 6000 words, so updates will likely be slow as I'm a slow typer. So be warned.

"Where is he!" Thor roared in anger as he slammed his brother into the throne room wall, hand tight around his throat and hammer raised threateningly. "Where is Father!"

Loki gave a strangled cough as a twisted grin broke across his face, blood trickling down his chin, from the damage Mjolnir had caused his chest, his body no longer possessing the strength to heal the wound. "No point searching... For the dead."

A cry of pure rage ripped through the thunder god's throat as he brought his hammer down, aimed straight for the trickster's skull.

Two years.

It had been two years since the convergence, since his battle with Malekith, since he had stepped foot on Asgard, and two years since the loss of two of the most important people in his life. The faint twinge of pain that flared whenever he thought of his mother was still there, in his heart, but it was nothing compared to the pain that tore through him whenever his thoughts turned to his brother. Still just a boy.

His mother Frigga he had mourned, he had attended the funeral and mourned the loss along with everyone else. But there had been no funeral for his brother, no ceremony to see him off, no day of mourning, his body left forgotten on Svartalfheim.

Loki may have done many horrible things between Thor's coronation and Svartalfheim, but in the end he had given his life for both his mother and Thor. He deserved better than to rot away in that barren wasteland, but he just hadn't been able to bring himself to go looking for his brother's body. Loki had most likely have been long buried by the shifting sand and gravel anyway.

Thor knew his mortal friends worried about him, since Loki's death, he just hadn't been himself. He had tried at first, acting as though he were still his cheerful self, tried walking around with a smile on his face and joking along with everyone else, though he hadn't been able to keep it up. A year and a half ago Jane and Darcy had held their own little ceremony to try and help him mourn, the three of them had lit half a dozen tea light candles in a lovely little stream, in one of the parks a few blocks from their apartment and watched the current guide them down stream. Jane had even spoken a little about the time she had spent with Loki during the trip to the realm of the dark elves, it wasn't very long as she didn't really know his brother but Thor had been grateful none the less.

It had help with his grief a little, it wasn't the big ceremonial sending suited for a prince, but it was more than Asgard had given him. And it had seemed to lift a little of the weight off his shoulders.

He had never have imagined it would be so much harder the second time around. But then the first time he had only watched helplessly as Loki fell into the void. This time he had held his baby brother as he died, felt Loki's blood as it dripped from his body, watched as the life faded from his eyes. He was right there, he held Loki in his arms, but he could do nothing.

The worst part in it all had been the fact that he had given up on Loki, lost hope of getting his brother back - the wide eyed, mischievous boy, full of curiosity that used to follow him around, before he had been tainted by madness. That same boy he had caught a glimpse of when Loki lay there dying.

"Earth to Thor." Darcy's voice broke the god from his thoughts, he blinks as he turned from the balcony to look at the dark haired girl standing by the kitchen.

"Finally," she huffed. "Quit zoning out on me, Muscles, I've been calling for you for like the past five minutes, I had to come all the way up here just to get your attention. If someone's stolen it, all blame is on you buddy." she pointed accusingly.

"If what is stolen?" Thor asked, Darcy seemed to have a way of just assuming people were on the same page as her. Like the other morning when she had rushed into the room declaring "It's gone! Nowhere, like poof." arms waving all over the place. Of course, no one knew what she was talking about, to which she replied. "Duh, my iPod, only like the most important thing in my life. Geez, do you people even listen to what I say."

"Jane's parcel." Darcy rolled her eyes as if the answer was obvious. "The big heavy box filled with thousands of dollars worth of equipment. I need your super muscles to get it upstairs to the apartment, because I tried dragging it into the foyer, and I'm one hundred percent certain my arms would drop off before I even got it through the door and into the foyer." She explained before heading back out into the hallway.

"I think we're going to need a bigger apartment." Darcy said, as they two of them tried to cram the oversized parcel into the kitchen/living room without it blocking access.

"This is indeed a large box, just how big is this machine of Jane's?" Thor asked.

"Too big for the apartment that's why she had SHIELD buy us that warehouse two blocks down." Darcy flopped back onto the couch, "Though I don't think that's all of it, the delivery guy said something about the other package coming next week."

"Please tell me I do not have to take this thing all the way to the warehouse once Jane returns?" Thor frowned, it had taken almost twenty minutes for them to get the thing up the stairs, having struggled to angle the thing around the bend in the staircase every time they made it up a floor.

"Of course not." Darcy laughed, as Thor sat on the armchair across from her. "Jane will tear the box open the second she sees it, then we'll take it over in pieces."

"So, I can't help but notice you seem to be in higher spirits lately, you even laughed at me when you accidentally got me wedged between the corner and the box when we got jammed in the first corner. Which was kind of mean by the way." She smiled. "But it was a real laugh, not that fake one you've been using the past few months."

"Aye." Thor nodded. "I have been feeling a little better lately, I think that ceremony, we had at the park really helped. I think I may finally be beginning to move forward."

Thor and Darcy were both on the lounge when Jane returned, watching a movie about a group of kids who decide to spend the weekend in a cabin in the woods and are now being hunted by some killer. For some reason Darcy likes to watch horror movies even though she spends most of the movie yelling at the characters not to do something or covering her face with her favourite cushion insisting she can not watch.

"OMG it's here!" Jane shouted with excitement as she spotted the human size box, causing Darcy to jump at the unexpected sound of her voice. Dropping her keys on the corner stand by the door as she rushed to the box tearing the tape away so she could open it up.

Darcy's brows twisted in confusion. "Uh, where's intern? You didn't leave him behind again did you?" She asked. Okay, so Ian had saved her and they even dated for a while, but it hadn't lasted, but at least things didn't get awkward they just went back to normal, like nothing had changed. She still called him intern, hell, even when they were dating she rarely used his actual name.

"One time." Jane reminded, she had only driven off without him one time. "He ran into a friend on our way back to the van, they've gone for drinks to catch up." She waved the other off as she tore the front of the box open. Thor had come around beside her to see what was inside. Janes face lit with excitement as she pulled out some of the smaller metal components. "When does the rest of it arrive?" She called out to Darcy.

"Next week sometime." the dark haired girl called back before going back to her movie. "Move away from the window idiot! Dang, why'd they have to kill the cute one."

"I can't wait to get this thing hooked up and going, do you have any idea how valuable this will be in furthering my research? It has almost three times the range of the equipment we have now and the picture quality is like ten times better not to mention it has ultraviolet, X-ray and gamma..."

Jane's excited rambling faded out as Thor's thoughts wandered back to his brother, seeing Jane so excited about her new machine even if it was only half of the thing, reminded him of the way Loki would get whenever he received a new book he had found particularly interesting or a spell he'd never seen before. He now regretted the way he never payed Loki's rambling much attention, eventually his brother had stopped trying to get Thor to join in his excitement.

"Thor are you okay?" Thor's attention snapped back to his girlfriend as she watched him with concern.

"I am fine." He gave her a small smile. "Seeing you just now, reminded me of the way Loki used to get when we were younger." He said. "I just wish I had paid him more attention."

"Hey, how about dinner. I was thinking we could try to give spaghetti another go." Jane smiled as she pats him on the shoulder and headed for the kitchen. "This time we won't use a wooden spoon." She had been trying to teach him to cook and their last attempt at spaghetti ended in flames after he left the wooden spoon a little too close to the stove top flames.

They had just finished eating when suddenly the Bifrost flashed outside, the bright beam fading to reveal the lady Sif standing on the balcony. Thor rushed over to the glass door that stood between them and the balcony and pulled it open.

"Sif, what are you doing here?"

"I have urgent news." The dark haired warrior woman spoke.

"Please come in." Jane insisted, gesturing for her to come inside. Sif nodded respectfully before following them to the living room.

"You must return to Asgard immediately." Sif said in all seriousness, looking to Thor. "An imposter has taken the throne under the guise of the All-father. We have not acted out against him yet, as Heimdall only just glimpsed through the guise recently. We know not where Odin is, Heimdall has scoured the realms, but has found no sign of him."

"What?" Thor was taken aback by this news. How had someone managed to steal the throne without Heimdall seeing and where was his father that the all-seer could not find him, but more importantly how long had his father been missing? How long has this imposter held the throne?

"Who is it? Who is this imposter that has usurped the throne?" Thor growled. He was not prepared for his warrior friend's reply, none of them were.

"Loki."

"Tha-that cannot be." Thor stammered completely caught off guard. "Loki? That's impossible... He... I saw him, I was there when he died. You are wrong! Loki died an honorable death, it is someone else, it must be." The thunderer's fists clenched by his side, Sif may be a close friend, but she had not right making such accusations. In the end his brother had lost his life doing the right thing. As far as Thor was concerned Loki had redeemed himself and he would not have her or any other try and drag his fallen brother's name through the mire.

"I am sorry Thor," Sif placed a comforting hand her her prince's shoulder, she knew it was painful for Thor to hear, but someone had to tell him. "But Heimdall saw it himself, he slipped up and his spell fell, for but a moment, but it was long enough for the truth to be seen."

"Then Heimdall saw wrong." Thor snapped back, ripping his shoulder free from her touch.

Sif's face scrunched in annoyance as her patience ran thin, Odin was missing and The throne was occupied by a false king. A false king who had already tried to destroy one realm and waged war on another.

"Face it Thor, Loki has played you again!" She snapped. "He has played us all for fools, this wouldn't be the first time. Scheming and trickery is what he does best and with you here on Midgard he has Asgard all to himself."

Thor was sure he was just about to hit the warrior woman in the face for such words, but two gentle arms wrapping around his chest kept him from doing so. He looked down to meet Jane's concerned, honey eyes.

"Perhaps you should go with her, to clear this mess up." Jane suggested. "Your father is missing after all."

"Yeah, give this imposter a butt kicking for messing with ya family." Darcy nodded, giving an emphasizing punch.

"Very well, I shall return to Asgard." Thor announced, giving Jane a light squeeze before heading for the balcony, Sif close behind, he nods goodbye to Jane and Darcy as the Bifrost worked its magic.

He would return to Asgard, he would deal with this imposter, find his father and clear his brother's name.

He was bound to slip up eventually, with the way things had been going lately he knew this as a fact, and though his spell had flickered for but a moment he knew it had been one moment too long. If the gate keepers gaze had been cast his way, and with his luck, it surely would have been, then there was no doubt Thor would be on his way.

A simple slip up that would never have happened before, but lately things had been falling apart, he had started making mistakes, minor actions or slips of the tongue. Others were starting to get suspicious he was certain of it, well, pretty sure, he was almost positive one of the Einherjar had been giving him a funny look as he passed this morning. Though perhaps he was just being paranoid, it had been almost a month since he has had a proper night's rest after all.

"Brilliant, why not have Loki is here painted in large letters for all to see next time." A mocking voice hissed to his right.

Loki just continued to stare at the towering golden doors at the far end of the throne room, attempting to ignore the illusion that took his image. Though he knew it was pointless, it had first appeared when he was a small child, he had created it to help keep him company during days he had no one else to play with, only to be forgotten as he started occupying himself with magic and studies. But it had come back after his mother's death and he hadn't been able to shake it since, at least it only seemed to come out when he was alone.

"Though I'm sure the Chitauri still got the message. You were dead to all the nine and in between, and then you had to go and reveal yourself, pin your location on the map with a bright red marker." It scoffed, as it rounded the throne placing its self right in Loki's line of sight with a cruel smirk on its face. "I'm beginning to think it isn't Thor who's the useless dim-witted fool." It gave a short chuckle before fading into nothing.

Loki let out a low growl as he was once again alone in the room, he wasn't a fool he knew he had messed everything up and he was well aware that if Heimdall had caught his slip, then The Other had as well, which meant it would not be long before they came for him. Though he was sure Thor would come for him first, in fact he planned on it.

He ran his fingers through his hair for the umpteenth time, pulling tight as he got to the ends as he continue to stare at the doors, Thor was bound to arrive any moment now.

Everything had been going so smoothly in the beginning, where had he gone wrong? Perhaps the question was when hadn't he gone wrong? It seemed he could do nothing right lately, ever since Thor's botched coronation. Every decision he has made since that day seemed to bring him one step closer to his own downfall.

His fall from the Bifrost, the months spent held by the Chitauri, his failed attempts on Midgard and then... His mother. He had given it directions, Maekith's beast, not that he knew of the trouble brewing with the dark elves at that time, but that changed nothing, he had still aided their escape which led to his mother's murder.

So he should have known from the start that he was destined to fail here as well.

He had been so angry when the man he once thought his father had talked to him upon his return from Midgard, if you could call their little interaction a talk that is. Disowning him and declaring that Frigga's love was the only reason he was allowed to live. No, Odin held no love for the boy he had once claimed a son, all he cared was his wife didn't leave him. And then when his name had been the first word to leave Odin's mouth when he had been informed that a body had been found.

Loki.

Not the mortal Jane, it had to be Loki, he had expected Loki to fail, to fall in battle. But of course, weak, pathetic Loki had to be the one to fall in battle. Odin was so sure that the trickster had died that he never saw him coming, and the throne was his. Though this time he wasn't trying to prove his worth to the old one-eyed god, he'd stopped caring about what Odin thought of him the day he was locked away in a cell beneath the palace. Even if there was a faint whisper in the back of his mind that insisted that was a lie. Tat told him he did not report his latest kingly triumphs on accession simply to rub it in the old fools face but because he still secretly desired praise from the man.

Asgard had been in shambles, they needed a king more than ever, so why not him? He could be a better ruler than Odin ever was, even if he had to wear the old king's image to do so. Thor hadn't wanted the throne, not that that was surprising it seemed all he cared about lately was his precious mortals, what had caught him by surprise though, was when Thor had admitted that Loki had understood rule better than Thor himself did.

So Loki had done all he could to make sure Asgard would be back on its feet and prospering by the time the thunderer took the throne, Loki wasn't foolish, he knew he could not hold the throne forever.

Asgard was pretty much rebuilt in a little over a month, thanks to the aid of the dwarves. He had easily tricked the tunnel dwellers into wanting Asgard's repairs done swiftly, while Dwarves have been known to be stubborn and unbearably patient at times, to be able to hold grudges for as long as a lifetime, they were rather impatient when it came to gaining something they desired.

And they had desired samples of the metal the thought extinct Dark Elf ships were made of, which Asgard's king was happy to give them, though the city's repairs came first. He was more than happy to give them a generous portion of the metal from the downed ship, after at least eighty percent of the city's damages were seen to, of course the dwarves wanting to get their hands on the metal samples as soon as possible offered ten of their finest smiths and builders to help with repairs. Rather than two, as was agreed upon during the time of Bor, should one of the realms fall in need of assistance. Getting Asgard up and running again in half the time.

Which the people had praised him for, they had also commended him on his success in convincing the Elves of Alfheim in assisting with supplies to help the Vanir, who were still recovering from the attacks they had suffered, and managing to reengage the peace treaty with the Jotnar. A long and tedious task that was, though some grew wary as to why their king had handed the casket back to the Jotnar after denying them for centuries.

Just imagine everyone's faces when they find out it had been him on the throne all this time. That it had been Loki they were all complementing and praising.

Loki lets his illusion drop, losing the image of Odin that had cloaked him the past two years and removing the wards he'd placed on the throne room to shield it from prying eyes. No point in continuing a lie that's been exposed. Let the gate keeper see, let Thor's friends run off and tattle, it certainly wouldn't be the first timed they'd betrayed Loki and he knew for a fact that they would do so again in a heartbeat, as would the rest of Asgard. He should never have let Heimdall and the warriors out of the dungeon, he should have left them to rot where Odin had left them, instead he had released them for his brother's sake.

No, not his brother, Thor was not his brother. For the sake of the man he hated most - besides Odin, but that old fool was nothing to him now - and yet every time he hurt Thor, Loki felt as though he were being torn apart from the inside out. And he hated it. It frustrated him more than anything, Thor's presence, his voice, touch, even his smell gave Loki an inexplicable feeling of safety, as though nothing could harm him, yet at the same time made him feel weak and insignificant. He had always been the lesser of the two and no matter how hard he tried, how far he pushed himself he could never be what everyone wanted.

He could never be Thor.

But none of that mattered any more, because soon enough his brother would burst through those doors. Loki may have messed up, but he would use it to his advantage, he'd had time to think whilst he waited for the golden prince's arrival, Thor would burst through the doors demanding answers, they will clash and in the end one will be victorious. He already knew exactly how it would play out, step for step and once all is over only one brother will be left standing.

Only one will win.

"You cannot win against Thor and you know it, you will fail just as you do everything else." The dark voice goaded from his side.

"This is one fight I won't lose"' Loki insisted, it was sad really, that talking with this false creature had somehow become a normal thing over the past few years.

"Pathetic really, how easily you lie to yourself." The other him replied without interest, as it moved towards the doors. Once again the room fell into silence, until it decided to speak again. "Tell me you haven't honestly managed to convince yourself that there is actually a scenario in which you come out of this the victor. You know your mind was the ONE good thing you had going for you, and now look at it, it lays in more ruin than that tin can's tower."

Loki snarled, clenching his hand so tight his nails pierce skin, why could he not dismiss this thing. He was about to respond when the doors at the end of the room clunked as someone prepared to open them, the other Loki fading once more as Loki stood from the throne.

Finally.

"You dare to steal the throne of Asgard!" Thor roared as the doors burst open with unnecessary force, pointing his hammer threateningly, as he stormed into the room. Apparently his friends were wise enough to stay put in the hall rather than follow him in.

'Good.' Loki thought, he was not in the mood to interact with those pathetic nobodies, and he certainly couldn't guarantee their survival if they had so gallantly volunteered to intervene. Always sticking their noses where they didn't belong.

"... Loki?" The blonde brute's mouth fell, his blue eyes growing wide as realisation dawned on him.

Loki simply smirked as he caused the heavy doors behind Thor to slam shut with a flick of his hand, muffling the surprised shouts of the warriors four. Thor gave a quick glance at the door behind him before looking back to his brother. This wasn't real, it had to be some sort of trick, some form of foul magic, cast to trick him into believing he was seeing his dead brother.

"What form of trickery is this." He demanded angrily, stepping closer to the imposter.

"Trickery," Loki raised a brow as he made his way down the steps, placing his hand on his chest in feigned hurt. "Dear Thor, you wound me. I see no tricks here." He glanced around the room as if searching for some form of trick or trap, as he summoned one of his daggers with his left hand, his right tightened around Gungnir.

Thor's eyes narrowed as he searched his brothers face, he looked far paler and thinner than he had last seen him, his dark locks were cut back to just above his shoulders, though the ends were messy and uneven, much like the time when he was a child and took a blade to his own hair because he had been told he looked like a girl by one of the other kids.

But it was him, it really was Loki standing I front of him. Thor's brow twisted in pain as he spoke. "But, how? I... I thought you dead." The words came out a little more than a whisper.

Loki took a deep breath, smothering out the pain those words dragged up. He had no room for those emotions, no need, soon enough everything would be decided once and for all. So instead he shot back coldly.

"Well, thinking never was your strong point."

Thor staggered at those words, was this all a game to Loki? "I thought you gone, Loki! I mourned you. Again! I've spent the last two years blaming myself for your death, do you care at all for those you hurt, you cannot just toy with others feelings!" He cried in frustration. Frustration at both Loki, and himself, for once again letting himself be fooled by his brother's cruel tricks.

He should have seen through it earlier, he realised now, just how long his brother had been playing king, it was Loki who had sat upon the throne when he returned after defeating Malekith, it had to have been. Odin would never have allowed him to turn down the throne for mere mortals, his father had been furious with him for bringing Jane into Asgard, he certainly wouldn't have allowed Thor to return to her after he had turned down the throne. It was so obvious now, how had he not seen it at the time?

"Why?"

"Why?" Loki laughed back, before his face fell back into his usual mask of indifference. "Why, what? Why did I deceive you? Why did I attack you precious mortals, you're beloved Midgard. Try to obliterate that hunk of ice infested with monsters?" Loki shook his head, "Why, Thor, surely you should know by now. I am a monster, it is in my nature. In my blood."

"A monster?" Was this really what Loki thought of himself? A monster. He still believed the Jotunar to be nothing but monsters, believing the exaggerated tales they were told as children. "Monsters are not born, Loki, they are made. You were not born one, you became one."

"Enough!" Loki growled.

"I had, honestly thought you changed, that you'd managed to pull yourself from whatever madness had taken hold. But I see now I was wrong, you haven't changed at all, still scheming, plotting and trying to steal a throne. What would mother think if she could see you now!" Thor growled out.

Their mother had still believed in him, believed he still had good in him, that the intelligent, quiet boy full of playful tricks and curiosity, was still in there somewhere. "She had never given up hope for you, she defended you with everything she had, even after everything you had done. What would she think now?"

"DO NOT SPEAK OF HER!" Loki snarled violently, his eyes flashing dangerously. "It is forbidden to speak of the fallen queen." His entire body shaking with anger. How dare Thor bring Frigga into this.

"Forbidden?" Thor scoffed, "By whom!"

"By law of Asgard." Loki snapped back. "As declared by Asgard's king!"

She was gone, why did everyone have to keep bringing her up? Loki couldn't stand it, every time she was brought up it just reminded him that she was gone, that she was dead and it was his fault. And the last words he had spoken to her had been denouncing her as his mother. He hadn't meant a word of it, he was just angry that she still insisted Odin was his father, of course she was his mother, she was the only person he still loved and trusted completely, and now she was gone forever.

"You forbad her to be spoken of?" Thor shot back in angered astonishment. "She loved you, and you would have her forgotten by all."

"Shut up! SHUT UP!" Loki shouted, breathing harshly as he gave his hair another tug. Not now, he had to keep it together. Stay focused. They were getting off track, he had to gain back control, Thor was calming down, this wasn't part of the plan.

"Loki?"

Was that concern, he could hear in Thor's voice, as the blonde took a step closer. No. No, Thor had to be angry he had to keep the thunderer in a rage or this wouldn't work, Loki would lose. He couldn't lose. With a snarl Loki tossed the dagger in his hand, embedding it deep in Thor's shoulder.

"If you've come to claim the throne for yourself, Odinson, I'm afraid you've made a wasted journey." The ex-prince goaded.

Thor let out a snarl as he pulled the blade from his shoulder, the two brothers circling each other like wild beasts. "Where is he?" Thor ordered, the name Loki had used to address him jolting his memory as to why he had come to Asgard.

His missing father.

"He," Loki spat, "is no longer of importance, he has no place here now that I am king."

"Where is father, Loki. Answer me!" Thor growled, he was beginning to tire of Loki's games.

"Make me." Loki lunged at Thor, narrowly missing the god of thunder as Thor sidestepped.

"Do not try me, brother." Thor hissed swinging Mjolnir, only to have the hammer slice through the air as his brother's projected doppelgänger vanished. The amused huff sounding behind him, as the backend of Gungnir slammed into his back, sending him stumbling, only added to his anger.

Loki couldn't help but smile as a roar of anger escaped Thor's throat. This was more like it. Loki ignored the voice in his head that continued to insist he would not win, as the brothers continued to clash, what did it know, he knew exactly what he was doing. Thor was both at his strongest and his weakest when he was in a blind rage. His rage fuelled his strength, making him twice as dangerous, yet it was so much easier to manipulate him, a nudge here, a well thought word or two there and you could have him playing straight into your hand.

Loki rolled left, firing a blast from Gungnir the moment he got back to his knees, blasting a hole in the pillar Thor had just been I front of. Ducking as Thor retaliated tossing his hammer straight at Loki, soring over his head and into the wall behind him.

"Predictable, as always, Thor." He scoffed, as he swung the golden spear at his brother once more, following him as Thor stepped back, striking at him once more before crouching to the ground and sweeping his leg around, avoiding Mjolnir on her return trip back into Thor's hands.

Predicting Loki's attack, Thor jumped the trickster's leg, unfortunately he hadn't seen the next one coming, letting out a pained growl as Loki slammed the backend of Gungnir into the still healing wound on his shoulder.

Gripping his shoulder as he backed a few paces putting a little distance between himself and his swift striking brother. Loki was toying with him, using the end and shaft of Odin's weapon rather than its blade. He was mocking him, this was all just some sick game to his brother.

"No more games, Loki. Tell me what you have done with the All-father." He demanded. Loki simply laughed in his face, that cruel hollow chuckle, he'd become so good at, a wicked grin spread across his face.

Thor growled, he would wipe that smile from his face. Each sound that escaped Loki's lips just added to his anger as the dark haired god used the same trick he had on the Bifrost two years ago, multiplying copies of himself all around the room. His laughter echoing loudly in Thor's ears. He howled as he swung Mjolnir through the illusions only to have others replace them just as quickly as he destroyed them, unable to use his lightning like last time as he was indoors, in a fit of frustration, he tossed the mighty hammer through the copies and across the room in anger, breaths coming raggedly through his nose as he clenched his hands it tight fists.

Thor was just as surprised as Loki, that Mjolnir actually hit, startling a yelp from the younger god and sending him flying into the wall with enough force to crack the stone. Gungnir clanging to the floor as it fell from Loki's hand, the dark haired trickster crumbling to the floor after it, as Mjolnir returned to her master.

Loki lay still, half lent against the wall as he struggled to regain his breath, coughing up blood as his hand moved to his broken chest, where the damned hammer had crushed and broken ribs. Several pushed back into his left lung which he was pretty sure had been punctured, making it increasingly difficult to breath. As was to be expected when one foolishly decides to go into battle without their breastplate. He didn't even have a chance to try and straighten himself out before Thor came striding across the room and grabbed him by the neck.

"Now, where is he!" Thor roared in anger as he slammed his brother into the throne room wall, hand tight around his throat and hammer raised threateningly. "Where is Father!"

This was it, this was the moment that decided the battle, the moment that would determine the winner once and for all. And all Loki had to do was say six little words, six words that would play Thor just the right way.

Loki gave a strangled cough as a twisted grin broke across his face, blood trickling down his chin, from the damage Mjolnir had caused his chest, his body no longer possessing the strength to heal the wound. "No point searching... for the dead."

A cry of pure rage ripped through the thunder god's throat as he brought his hammer down, aimed straight for the trickster's skull.

"Finish it." Loki whispered to himself, closing his eyes, as the hammer descended.

I win.