A/N: I wanted to say that I am sorry this took so long for this chapter but it was giving me trouble and it is also the longest chapter to date ! I would appreciate hearing what you guys think of it so please leave a review :)
Also a big thank you to my beta Hippogriff-Tamer for all her help and putting up with the two rewrites i had to do with this chapter...
Chapter 3
After being dismissed from the king's presence the guards took hold of Darcy's arms and led her away. She wanted to fight them but soon realized
she had no strength in which to do so. So instead she began constantly asking them where they were taking her and what the chamber was that the
king didn't want her to escape from. After a good five minutes they ended up at the door which the guards opened for her to reveal a chamber she
was sure was made for a queen.
"My Lady," they said bowing to her as she was escorted into the room.
Darcy took in the huge room and then asked them in whose room was she in, though she really didn't expect a reply, given that she had asked them
already and they had remained silent on the issue.
"You are in the chamber the king had prepared especially for you, my lady," they answered her then after making sure she wouldn't make a run for it
left to guard her door.
Their answer surprised Darcy and she did a quick once over of the room again only this time really looking at it. The room was huge! The decor was
in royal blue and gold with a huge four post canopy bed covered in a royal blue comforter that dominated the space. She knew that the bed was
larger than any bed she had ever seen which would make it larger than a standard king size. She wondered silently why she would need such a large
bed for just herself but shrugged off the thought to continue looking around the room. She could see that there was a sitting room right off the
sleeping chamber and walked toward it. On her way she passed the open doors of a very large dressing chamber which was filled to the brim with
clothes fit for a queen. She staggered back from it for a moment finally realizing in whose room she was now in. Figures, she thought to herself. He
would put her as close to him as possible. She knew from history books and other means that the queen's chamber was always next to the kings. She
went back to the bed and sat down to think about how she had ended up where she now was.
True she had not put up much of a fight when she showed herself to the Avengers. She attributed that to having had nothing to eat in two days as
she was too weak from hunger to protest much. That and she really was tired of hiding. She didn't know how many times in the past week she had
just wanted to give up and give in but her stubbornness would not let her. It had taken its toll on her that was for sure. Hopping from one place to
another was tiring. She had also thought long and hard in the week she had been holed up in that little room about her life.
She went back to the time she spent holed up in that room wondering if giving in would just be the better option than the constant running she had
been doing for the past two years. It wasn't like she wasn't attracted to Loki for she was, though she was loathed to admit it especially now that she
had seen him in person. But the fact remained that she didn't want to be put under the influence of the scepter he held like the rest of the
population. He couldn't be all that bad if Thor still held a deep affection for him even after everything he had done to not only himself but to Earth as well. She thought about the conversation she had with Thor right before he had been taken and she went into hiding.
Flashback...
"Darcy, you are the one he wants," Thor said gravely as he looked at her with sadness but also with hope.
"What so you mean he wants me? Why? I am nothing special," she said panicking.
"I do not know why my brother has singled you out Lady Darcy but he has and it's you he wants to make his queen."
"I don't want to be queen!" she said her voice rising in her panic.
"I know you do not and I cannot blame you for not wanting it. I know there's still good in him, Darcy. If you truly do not wish to be queen then I
suggest you stay hidden from his sight. He will hunt for you, trust me on this. He wants you and only you though there is no telling as to why as he
has not met you and yet it is you that he has his sights set on. If you were to become his queen you could restore him to the man he once was but I
understand your reluctance but promise me you will at least think about it."
Darcy wasn't sure what to make of Thor's words since they seemed to contradict themselves but she could read the sincerity in his eyes and knew
that he truly thought that there was still some good left in Loki. "Thor, I cannot be his queen. I understand that you think it would benefit him but as
of right now I just can't do it. He would put me under his spell just like the rest of the planet. Even now he hunts for not only me but you too."
It was after she said those words they heard the turned Avengers speaking and Darcy with one last look at Thor, who seemed to have decided to give
up his own freedom to aid in her escape, turned and went into hiding.
End of flashback...
Darcy still thought of that conversation and now that she had met the king in person she knew that Thor was right. Loki did still have some good left
in him though it had been hard to see given his fearsome presence but there had been a flash of goodness and tenderness in his eyes when she had
looked at him that had tipped her off. Maybe Thor was right. Maybe she could redeem Loki. But she immediately shrugged the thought away. She
still didn't want to be queen but she was beginning to think that she was not going to have a choice in the matter. He would force it on her whether
she wanted it or not. She may have been a political science major, though not yet graduated. She should start applying what she had learned. She had been trained in the political and what was more political than ruling the entire Earth?
She stopped thinking about everything for a moment to look around the room once more trying to see if there was a way out. She saw a door on the
opposite wall from the bed and walked over to it. Opening the door it revealed another bedchamber only this one was done in green and gold and
she knew immediately to whom the room belonged. Loki. He had put her in the Queen's Chamber just as she thought. If the clothes in the dressing
room had not given it away, walking into his personal bedchamber had. She closed the door that led to Loki's chamber. Her heart was beating rapidly
at her discovery and she laid a hand over it to try and calm it. She had noticed that there was no lock on the door and grew nervous. He could come
in at any time he wished, which didn't help her nerves at all and hoped that he wouldn't try anything because of it.
She went back to the bed and wondered if she would be fed anytime soon. Surely he wouldn't starve her to the point of accepting him, she thought.
Just as she was about to ask the guards if she could have something to eat when Jane came into the room carrying with her a tray of food.
"Lady Darcy," Jane greeted politely.
Darcy was thrown off by the greeting. This was not the Jane she knew. This Jane was more a servant than the proud scientist she had once been.
Seeing her friend like this, she realized that she wanted to free all the people of the scepters power. If Loki truly wished to rule this planet with her
by his side then he would do so the right way, this was something she would have to speak to him about.
"Jane, you know my name, please do not call me by that title," Darcy pleaded with her old friend.
"I apologize my lady, by the way have you tried on your wedding gown yet?"
This information came as a shock to Darcy. "What wedding gown?" she stammered.
Jane who could see that her mistress was in shock by the information went into the dressing room and came out with a beautiful white and gold
gown.
Darcy could only stare at the offending dress in Jane's hands. She had been right he was going to force the marriage on her whether she wanted to
marry him or not. She sat down and put her head into her hands and tried hard to keep her emotions in check. After a few minutes she looked up at
Jane and asked, "When exactly is the wedding?"
"Tomorrow night," Jane replied before returning the gown to the dressing room.
Darcy really did want to cry then. By this time the next day she would be married to a man she neither loved nor respected and all because he
wanted her.
Jane left and Darcy sat and thought about what had just happened before her hunger got the better of her and she devoured the food that had been
provided. After eating she decided to bathe since she hadn't in a long while and she was sure that she smelled horrendous. Locating the bathing chamber off of the dressing room, she quickly bathed then found a suitable nightgown and crashed onto the bed, sleep taking over in moments of laying her head of the satin pillow.
Xxx
Loki sat in his throne room thinking about the woman whose room was right next to his own. He had chosen that room for many reasons but the
foremost reason had been so he could keep her as close as possible to him without having to worry about her possibly escaping as his room and
hers were both guarded day and night. He wondered how he could make her trust him without using the scepter on her. He didn't want her under its
influence but if she didn't comply then he would have no choice in the matter. Loki would never admit that he had loved her, had for a long time now, but she would not believe him if he told her and he wanted her to love him. He wanted to be the one to make her smile. He wanted to see love and not pure hatred shining in her beautiful blue eyes.
He had chosen her for many reason and not just because he had fallen for her the moment he saw her. No, he wanted her because she had been
trained in what the mortals called political science. She had been trained to be diplomatic, which would serve her well as his queen. He grinned and
left the throne room determined to visit his soon to be queen.
He walked to her door where the guards stood and Jane was removing the tray he had had sent to her. He stopped her.
"Miss Foster, has she eaten?" he asked indicating the covered tray in Jane's hands.
"Yes, she is sleeping right now, Sire," Jane replied then added as an afterthought, "I did tell her about the wedding. She seemed very upset by the
information." She left after a dismissal nod from the king.
Loki walked into the room to find that Darcy was indeed asleep. He walked over to the bed and gently caressed her cheek before leaning down and
placed a tender kiss to her brow. Straightening, he left through their connected doors. When the door closed behind it he whispered, "Sleep well,
my love."
Xxx
When Darcy awoke the following morning she was greeted by Jane once more.
"Jane," she called out to her former boss as she turned to leave the room after once again bringing her something to eat.
"Yes, Lady Darcy?"
"Why do you call me that? It's just Darcy you know that," Darcy said.
"Because that is what we were told to address you as," Jane replied and left the room.
Darcy sat down exasperated. She couldn't even have a decent conversation with anyone anymore because of the scepter's power over them. This
only made her more determined to free them of its influence.
One of the guards then entered the room and told her that the king wished to speak to her and she got up and left with them.
Once in the throne room she was greeted by a casually dressed and surprisingly mortal looking Loki. She couldn't hide her surprise at seeing him
dressed so human like.
"I see I have surprised you, my dear," he greeted with a grin.
"Well, yes….that is…you look so different," was all she was able to get out. She was having a hard time resisting this Loki. In his Asgardian gear he
was intimidating and fierce looking but dressed as a normal human man he was gorgeous and really attractive. She did try to keep her expression as
neutral as possible trying to show her indifference to him and not how attracted she was to him if unwillingly so.
He knew the effect he was having on her as he looked at her face he could read her desire and could see her fighting it. This only made him want
her more and considering that she would be his by the end of the night made his inward grin grow even larger.
"Shall we go for a walk?" he asked offering her his arm which he was not too surprised to find that she didn't take.
"Why can't we just talk here?" she asked when he lowered his arm back to his side with a look of disappointment written across his features.
"Because I thought it would be good for you to get out of the palace," he replied.
"Oh, but here is fine. I see no need to leave the palace to have this talk you wanted to have," she returned stubbornly.
He wanted to scream at her to follow his orders but instead took her arm and led her out to the gardens despite her protests.
She huffed when they finally entered the garden and he removed his hand from her arm. Darcy rubbed it to displace the strange tingling she
felt where he had touched her. "So what is it you would speak to me about? The guard said you wanted to talk to me."
"I understand that Miss Foster told you about our wedding which is taking place tonight."
"Yes, she did," Darcy replied with venom in her voice. She still was not happy about the news.
"You don't seem very happy about the prospect of marrying me. Why is that?"
She turned and looked at him with a look of wonder. How could he ask something like that? He knows exactly why she didn't want to marry him or
was it he chose to forget her explanation from the night before?
"Loki, I told you last night why I don't want to marry you. Why are you asking me this again?"
"Because your explanation was not good enough, my dear. You said that the only two reasons you didn't want to be queen were that you didn't want
to be put under the scepters spell and that you didn't love me. I don't see how those two reason are enough to keep me from making you mine as
soon as possible."
Darcy wanted to scream out in frustration. "But..."
"No, my dear. You have had your freedom these past two years and now it's time you take your place at my side. You will be mine tonight Darcy make
no mistake about that."
Her heart sank with the realization of what he had just said. If what he said was true then tonight he would be sharing her bed or she his unless she
could think of a way out of it. It was one thing to be married to him but it was quite another to give herself over to him forever.
"Loki..." her voice quivered with nervousness.
He heard the quiver in her voice and knew that his decree sent the look of dread that fell over her lovely features. He sighed knowing he was being too hard on her and thought that maybe he could allow her to adjust to her new role before he commanded anything physical from her.
"Darcy, you don't have to fear tonight. For now you will only be my wife in name but in time that will change. I know that you do not love me and even though I want you I can wait until you are ready to give yourself to me. I do not expect you to give yourself to a stranger. I want you to get to know me and I you, before we are to join together physically, that is if you are agreeable to this that is."
"I...Loki...I honestly was not expecting this. I would appreciate the time to get to know you, though I will make no promises that my hate for you will
degrade in that time," she said after the shock had worn off.
They continued to walk side by side for a while in complete silence when Darcy spoke, "Loki there is something I would like to ask of you and I do not think it too large of a request and I know that you can grant it if you really want to."
"And that would be?" he asked quietly.
"I want you to release everyone from the scepters influence."
Loki looked at her like she had grown another head. Was she crazy? How could she ask him something like that? It would be impossible for him to
continue ruling without the scepter's influence on the population or would it? When he looked at her he could see determination written in her eyes
as well as pleading. Yet, when he thought about it, it wasn't that big of a request and if he did it would endear her to him which was his main goal.
"I can't do that and you know it, my dear," he tried to reason with her.
Darcy grew quiet and then a look of anger came over her features which terrified him for a moment. "And why not? It's not like you have to have the
people under your spell to rule! Look at me. I am still your subject and so is Stark and we are both free of its influence," she yelled.
He was taken aback for a second and then saw that she was right. She and Stark were the only ones not under the scepters spell and they still
served him, even if it was begrudgingly. "I will think about it," he told her trying to placate her ire.
She really hadn't expected him to say yes after her tirade but if it helped the people then she couldn't complain too much about it. At least he would
think on it which for her was a start in the right direction.
"Darcy, may I ask you something?" he asked after another long silence.
"It depends on what that question is, I suppose, but go ahead and ask," she said curious to know what it was he would ask her.
"What exactly is you opinion of me?"
With everything he could have asked this was not it. Darcy stared at him for a full minute before answering him.
"I see you as the conqueror of my world, my prison guard and soon to be husband, if that is what you are asking," she answered truthfully.
"So you see me as a monster?" he probed.
"I didn't say that, Loki," she said wondering why he what ask that.
"But it was implied was it not? I am holding you basically a prisoner here."
"True but that doesn't make you a monster. Loki, what are you trying to say? Do you want me to see you as a monster?"
"Well no, but it is what I am and I always have been," he said sadly.
The sadness in his tone stopped Darcy in her tracks and she turned towards him, "Loki, you are many things...the conqueror of my planet, my prison
guard, the ruler of my world, the master of the inhabitants of this world, my soon to be husband, but you are in no way a monster!"
"And how would you know that?" he asked just as sadly as before.
"You know what, you want to say you're a monster then fine but until you prove to me that you are I will not believe it! You haven't used that scepter
on me and you could have easily done so, you fed me when you could have let me starve, you haven't tried to trick me. In fact, you have been very
honest with me which I know goes against your personality. So tell me again, how this makes you a monster because I for one can't see it!"
With her words he turned away from her and turned into his Jotun form but kept his back to her. Darcy who was curious walked around him to see
his face to gauge for herself his self-loathing. She was not expecting to see that he now had blue tinged skin with raised designs on his face or that
his eyes now glowed an eerie red.
"Loki?" she questioned careful to keep her voice calm and soothing.
"I told you I was a monster, my lady," he said sadly.
"Loki, May I ask exactly what are you? I mean I know you are not exactly human but what are you?" she asked softly.
He was surprised that her voice held not an ounce of fear but curiosity and looked at her with his red eyes. "I am the cast out son of Laufey, former
King of Jotunheim and the adopted son of Odin. As you can see and accessed yourself I am not human. I am a Frost Giant though I am small for my
species and no one knows why."
"And this makes you a monster?" she questioned confused.
"On Asgard yes. Children are told stories about the giants of Jotunheim to make them behave. I myself grew up with these stories never once knowing that I was one of them. It was a fluke that revealed my true identity to me."
"I still don't see how that makes you a monster, Loki. I mean yes, you may be a different race but that doesn't make you a monster. You grew up
believing these stories but they can't be that horrifying can they? The Frost Giants that is."
He really looked at her then and saw compassion written all over her face. She didn't see him the way nearly the entire nine realms did and it made him fall even deeper in love with her.
"Darcy, in time when you get to know me, I will answer your question but not right now. Come, let us return to the palace. It is nearly time for our wedding and you must get ready."
With that they returned to the palace and Darcy couldn't stop thinking about what he had said. Even though she was not looking forward to marrying him, she did find that she looked forward to getting to know the man that walked beside her.
