Bella again, people! I bring you yet another chapter, and I just want to thank those of you who have been dying to see more Fandral/Darcy, and patiently waiting while following the path of the story. But guess what? Heeeeeeere's-Darcy!
Rosie the rioter, here you go! ;-D
introspectivesubwaystations, I hope you like this dream sequence :-)
Aggiebell (a.k.a. Julie), welcome to the Asgard Marvel-verse! I'm glad you're enjoying the ride, and thank you for the wonderful grammatical compliments!
BlackMarketTrombones, Kell/KnightMistress, RandomFanatic and BeautifulStormMunroe, I hope you're not getting tired of my weekly thank-yous! I mean them with all my heart, and I value all the help you've given me :-D
Note: I don't own Thor, Fandral, etc., blah-blah-blah; you can rest easy, Stan Lee. But I am very happy that I own Princess Hildwyn...(evil face)...mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
So...
Chapter 6: Call Me Darcy
"He did what?" Darcy gasped.
Fandral himself was laughing almost too hard to get the story out. "Tumbled backwards off his stool, dead drunk—almost literally!"
The Lady was shaking with laughter, one hand clamped over her stomach.
"I was certain I was doomed—we had all gambled and lost, and I would forfeit my arm as a result. But then Thor stepped up and offered another deal: if he won a contest against Siegfried, I would keep my arm; if he lost, both of us would lose an arm. Sif, Hogun and I all tried to stop him, tried to tell him that he could not possibly hope to succeed where Volstagg had failed, but he would not listen to us.
"I braced myself for our impending doom as he sat down opposite Siegfried. Asgard's Healers can mend a deadly wound in minutes, but they cannot grow back a sword-arm! Then the mediator told Thor to choose the ale for the contest, and he chose the Earth-Shaker's Mead! With all of Vanaheim's finest laid out before him, he chooses that one! I thought he was mad, and even Siegfried looked a little taken aback at his choice."
"Why?"
"The Earth-Shaker's Mead is one of the strongest brews in existence. I myself have never finished one tankard of it, I am barely half-way when it brings me to my knees. The mediator gave Siegfried a potion that removed the effects of his contest with Volstagg, and they began. I steeled myself for what was to come, wondering if it was possible to train my left to do what my right has always done best, when Sif jabbed me in the ribs, hissing, 'They are past the half-way mark!'
"I could not believe my eyes. Thor was calmly taking one long draught from his tankard, which was already half-empty, and although Siegfried was matching him he was looking a little dazed. A few more gulps had him blinking and shaking his head somewhat stupidly, but Thor was still as fresh as when he started. I started to hope that perhaps at the very least he could outlast Siegfried, when Thor too began to show the effects of the ale. They both drained their tankards, plunked them down on the table, and as the mediator poured them both more ale they seemed to be trying to stare each other down. Then Siegfried laughed and when he spoke it was so incoherent that I just barely made out what he said: 'Do you think you can beat me, Odin's boy? I bested your fat friend; it will be an easy matter to outlast you as well.'
"And then, with a satisfied grin on his face, he tumbled backwards off his stool, just as Volstagg had!"
The Lady had both hands over her mouth, but it barely muffled the sounds of her laughter.
Fandral paused a moment to catch his breath. "Ever since then I have never questioned Thor's prowess, let alone challenged him."
Although she was still smiling, the Lady regained her composure. "Jane told me he actually carried Erik home after something similar to that happened. You Asgardians certainly are tougher than we are."
Fandral caught himself just in time before he made a boast about Asgardians' constitutions—or worse, himself. He hastened to change the subject.
"Tell me about yourself, my Lady. Tell me all the fascinating things there are to know about you."
The Lady looked down momentarily with a short laugh. "There's not much to tell…I like to listen to Colbie Caillat and Jason Mraz, I'm crazy about the Hunger Games, and I love black cherry ice cream—"
Fandral must have had a very perplexed look on his face because the Lady stopped herself.
"You don't know what any of these things are, do you?"
"I fear I do not, my Lady."
"Well, Colbie Caillat's a girl singer, and I actually have some of her songs on my iPod, and Jason Mraz is a guy singer. The Hunger Games is an awesome book I'm just nuts over right now; it's about a sixteen-year-old girl named Katniss who volunteers to take her sister's place in the annual Hunger Games, which is basically a fight to the death—"
"Children? Going into battle?" Fandral said, his brows furrowing.
And so the Lady told him the fascinating, riveting tale of a land ruled by a cruel Capitol, twenty-four boys and girls who go to die so one can win, and a courageous girl who defied the Capitol and its Games.
Fandral sighed as the Lady finished. "What a marvelous tale. I am not much of a reader, but I would have read that book with relish."
"There are two more, actually."
"Indeed? Have you read them?"
"No. I just finished The Hunger Games recently. I haven't had a chance to start Catching Fire yet."
No sooner had the words left the Lady's mouth when an object appeared on the grass between them. It was a book with a brilliant red cover—red as fire, bearing the image of a dark-grey bird and the words "Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins." It was smaller than most books Fandral was accustomed to, but the Lady snatched it up as if it was a priceless treasure.
"This is it! Do you…would you like to read it with me?"
"It would be a pleasure, my Lady."
The Lady cocked her head at him. "Darcy. Call me Darcy. It's only fair."
Fandral smiled. "Very well then, Darcy."
She beamed at him and opened the book, turning the pages eagerly, but her face quickly fell.
"Wha—why's it blank? Where are all the words?"
She turned the pages of the book rapidly, but they were no words on any of them.
It was then that everything began to dim, and Fandral once again felt the fading of the dream-world. This time he did not fight it, for he knew he could not win.
"Perhaps I may read the book with you some other time, my Lady. I fear I must go."
The Lady glanced up from the book in her lap. "Darcy. Remember? You're supposed to call me Darcy."
"Of course, forgive me. I hope I shall see you again soon, Darcy."
He loved the name. He loved that she had asked him to use it, as if he were her good friend. That was the thought in his head as he woke to golden sunshine pouring in through the window and the warm tingle of the sapphire sitting on his chest.
Hildwyn, I will be forever grateful…
SSS
As he made his way through the hallways of the Healing Rooms, he had the good fortune to come across the young Healer he had met the night before.
"Good morning, madam. May I ask your aid with something?"
"Of course, my Lord! How was your rest?"
Fandral couldn't help the broad smile that came to his face. "Whole and peaceful, thank you."
The young Healer beamed. "That is good to hear! Nothing warms my heart like the news that weary and wounded have found healing."
"I seek Healer Naneth, madam. Do you know where I may find her?"
"Certainly. I shall take you to her."
She led the way to a room which very well may have been the one in which he had healed from his sparring wound and sworn his oath to Hildwyn.
"Naneth, Lord Fandral wishes to speak with you."
The elder Healer patted the shoulder of the younger with a kind smile. "Thank you, Eorwen."
Eorwen bowed once to Fandral and departed. Naneth regarded him with pleasure.
"I am pleased that you remembered, Master Fandral. Few warriors in my care have ever returned willingly once I had released them."
"I gave you my word, Healer Naneth. And here I am."
She examined his wound, which was now nothing more than a clean, bright pink mark on his skin, and made him drink a clear potion that was so pungent it made tears roll down his face. While Fandral was still blinking and coughing, she dabbed up the tears on his cheeks with a handkerchief and inspected the wet spots on the cloth.
"Tears are clear. Good, no infection. You are healing well, Master Fandral. Now, just one more potion."
It was the same golden, biting-cold potion she had given him before, and Fandral gasped and choked it down in much the same manner.
"Must I continue to drink that?"
"It is for your continued healing. It is also what enabled your wound to heal at the pace it did."
"Very well. I expect I shall endure it again tomorrow."
SSS
Fandral's heart was light and he could not stop smiling as he walked along the Palace corridors. It was early, and he guessed that it could not have been later than the eighth hour of the morning. There would be few people in the Great Hall at this hour, and his friends would not be there yet. Hogun and Sif had undoubtedly risen by now, but Volstagg was probably still sleeping; it was very unlikely any of them would be present in the Great Hall at this hour. So it was with great surprise that he saw Thor sitting alone at one of the tables.
"Thor! You are early!"
Thor cracked a smile. "I am capable of rising early, Fandral."
"Since when?"
"What is your excuse?"
Fandral felt the blood rise to his cheeks and ears, and he was robbed of any answer for a minute or two.
"Fair enough."
They ate in silence for a few moments, and then Thor said, "Where did you go rushing off to last night? What was the hurry? You were not in your rooms." His brows furrowed. "Fandral, you told me that you were forming an attachment to the Lady Darcy. If you were telling me the truth, where were you last night? You were not…were you?"
"No!"
"Then where were you?"
Fandral was scrambling for a reply. Dare I tell him? About my bargain with his…his mother's sister? Will he even believe me?
"I…I made a bargain with your mother's sister, Thor, with Princess Hildwyn—"
"What?"
"Please, Thor, hear me before you judge me."
And so taking a leap of faith, Fandral told him everything. Thor listened without interrupting, but there was a growing disturbance in his face.
When he finished, Thor said, "Fandral, have I ever told you that Loki learned a great deal of magic from Hildwyn?"
"What? What do you mean? But Hildwyn's powers exist only over dreams—"
"That is true. But I have to warn you about her, Fandral: She rarely performs favors without a hidden reason. She possesses a cunning mind that cannot be matched by any in Asgard, not even my father….save for Loki."
Fandral became painfully aware that he knew very little about Queen Frigga's sister. "You surely do not mean that she is e—"
"No! No, she is not, Fandral. You know full well that no evil can exist here in Asgard under my father's eye; and Hildwyn has shown in the past a capacity for compassion that no evil can ever touch. But she always has a reason for performing favors; sometimes it is indeed generous, and sometimes it is more…devious. Loki adored her, and I believe that his affection for her rivaled that he accorded our mother. She may not be evil, but what does that say about her?"
Fandral had no answer. What in good Valhalla's name have I done?
I love that you guys are so free and generous with your reviews! Don't stop now! Let me know what you like/don't like/or...that you love Fandral/Darcy time, or hate me for keeping it so short...I wanna hear you all!
Bella ;-)
