Chapter Nine: Promises

Days past as they had been since Loki was first sent to Earth, silently and slowly. No word had yet come from Rhonwen's sister, or Asgard. It was frustrating to say the least, though Loki was more than a little glad that he remained hidden to Liadain. Not that his nights weren't filled with terrors, not since Rhonwen had woven him the dream of Darcy's death.

He hadn't been able to sleep much since that, for every time he closed his eyes he saw another horror, another way that Liadain would use him to murder Darcy. Instead every night he did much as he was doing then, leaning back against the wall his cot was pushed against, and watched over Darcy.

He set his head back and closed his eyes, hoping he could at least get a couple of minutes of terror free sleep before sunrise.

Darcy struggled in the iron grip of the woman above her. She screamed, scratched and bit, but the woman just kept dragging her along. She could feel the material of the white gown she wore rip as it was dragged across the ground. Sharp stones dug into her hips, cutting her flesh.

When she thought that she could take no more of it; that she would surely pass out from the pain, the woman tossed her away. Darcy looked up from her place on the floor, her eyes sweeping around her.

Tears gathered in her eyes as she looked around the stone chamber, there above her stood the woman that had been dragging her, and beside her, Loki.

Hope gathered in her breast, Loki would put a stop to this madness, he would surely rescue her. She reached her arm out towards him, silently begging him to take her away. The tears swelling behind her eyes fell as he only sneered at her before walking to stand beside the woman.

"And what is this?" Loki refused to look at her again, his back straight as he stood and turned away.

"A gift. Do you not like it, my Pet?" The woman's voice was thick with false affection. It poured from her mouth like fetid honey, the man before her lapping it up greedily.

"Oh, I think I just might." Loki finally turned to look back down at Darcy, an evil smirk spreading across his face.

"I thought you would. So, go on then, play." The woman stroked a hand down Loki's cheek, in a way that would have been loving had she not been sneering down at the girl on the floor.

Darcy continued trying to get Loki to help her, her arms raised above her towards him. Hope blossomed in her breast once more as he kneeled in front of her, his hand lifting up to cup her face. She smiled at him.

"I knew you would help me." She melted into his arms, feeling safe until she heard his bitter laugh. He leaned down as though to kiss her, but at the last moment turned to lick a line from her jaw to her temple.

"Oh, that depends on what you mean by 'help.'" He pulled his face back just far enough that she could see the dagger in his other hand.

"Shall we play?" Loki's words drifted across her cheek as he brought the dagger down, lodging it into her side.

Darcy woke herself up screaming, her breathing hard as she tried to take in much needed air. Arms gathered her to a hard chest, and it took a moment for Darcy to realize that she was being held by Loki. For just a second she wanted to struggle, still seeing the Loki of her nightmare, but his soft soothing whispers to her eased her mind. She was safe, this was not dream-Loki, the man holding her so tightly to him had not joined Liadain.

She wrapped her arms around him, holding onto him as tightly as she could as he continued to whisper to her, telling her that she was safe. When she was finally able to stop shaking she looked up at him. He looked shaken himself, though in that moment all she could see was what a powerful presence he made. She laid her head back down on his chest and squeezed him to her.

"Promise me that you will never allow Liadain to get her claws into you?" She gathered fistfuls of his shirt in her hands, not caring if she accidently scratched him along the way.

"Darcy…" Loki laid his head on top of hers, holding her as close as he could without hurting her.

"No! Promise me! That you will do whatever you have to. Promise me that you won't join her." She knew she was frantic and irrational, but with the nightmare still fresh in her mind she couldn't have cared less. She needed him to promise her, needed to know that what she had dreamed would never come to pass.

"I can not make you that promise." Loki ran a hand through Darcy's hair, his fingers pressing a little harder than necessary into her scalp. He refused to release her as she looked up at him, fresh tears shinning in her eyes.

"What?" She thought she would be sick, she had known he was tempted, but had been sure he had not made up his mind. Not after everything that had happened.

"I may not have a choice, Darcy." Loki hated the anger that took over her face, the look of revulsion directed towards him.

"PROMISE ME! God damn it, promise me!" Darcy just held herself back from actually pounding her fists against his chest; instead she yanked on his shirt until it pulled tight against his back.

Loki slipped his hand from her hair and cupped her face, setting his forehead on hers, his eyes closing as he breathed her in.

"Alright, I promise….I promise."

Clint sat up from the pallet he had been sleeping on, pulling a blanket around his nude body as he stood to walk over to where Rhonwen was standing. She looked exactly the same way she had the night she had first woven a dream for Loki.

"What did you make him dream of tonight?" It really irked him that he was beginning to pity the fucker, but it was hard not to knowing what Rhonwen had been doing to him.

"Nothing, I wove one for Darcy." Rhonwen felt a pain in her very core, dreams and nightmares were always woven from the thoughts, fears, and emotions of those who would receive them. She had not expected the amount of hope that Darcy held for Loki, hope that he would turn from Liadain, hope that he would actually see her, and hope that in the end he would find peace. Using that hope and her growing love for him in such a manner left her feeling drained. She endured it only because she knew she would have to do what she must in order to save the entire universe.

"Shit, do I even want to know?" If he felt pity for Loki, he knew he felt absolute horror for Darcy. The girl didn't deserve what was happening to her. In fact she deserved more than someone like Loki could offer her. Clint was surprised, but he had found himself caring for the plucky girl.

"No." Rhonwen's voice was short, but held the taste of weariness.

"Do I need to go down to her?" Clint nodded his head towards the stairs, ready to rush down there if needed.

"Loki is taking care of it." She waved her hand absently, as though Clint should have already figured that out.

"You know, you meddle more than a mother-in-law. Wenny, why did you weave a dream for Darcy?" Clint ran a hand through his sleep mussed hair; he was beginning to think dealing with Tony Stark would be less frustrating.

"Loki needs something to fight for. He no longer has his family, his world, or his friends. He has not yet passed the point of no return, not like Liadain. Though if he continues to have nothing he will soon cross it." Men without something important in their lives could be dangerous, with nothing to live for Loki would soon seek out her cousin, for there would be nothing left but his lust for power.

"Why Darcy?" He didn't understand why it had to be Darcy, why it couldn't be one of the women in town or another Weaver. Surely there were other options out there?

"I'm not meddling in something that wasn't already there. The connection between them had already been established before either of us got here, I'm just tightening those threads between them." Rhonwen turned to look at the man she had taken as her lover.
She knew he disapproved of the building relationship between his friend and Loki, but the only hand she had in it was to advance something that would have happened regardless of her presence.

"So, you are saying that Darcy will…." Clint cringed at the thought that passed through his head. He had known the two were attracted to each other, but he had hoped to remain ignorant to the full extent of it for as long as possible.

"I am saying that Loki will fight for Darcy, in turn he will help me destroy my cousin and save all nine realms from a fate worse than death. I don't see how you can have a problem with this." Rhonwen raised one swooping brow, her voice just this side of condescending.

"It's not so much that I have a problem with you saving the universe, but the way you are doing it. You are manipulating things." Clint pinched the bridge of his nose; he couldn't seriously believe that his first fight with Rhonwen was about Loki. Ok, not fully about him, but he was at the center of it.

"Of course I am. I am a Weaver, it is in our nature. We are able to see the threads that create dreams, nightmares, connections, lives. We can see them as they weave, tangle and knot. As they fray and break. It is bred in us the want, the need to touch those threads, to weave them in such a way that the world runs smoothly. I could no more stop weaving than you could stop breathing. It is who I am. Would you really want me any other way?" Rhonwen had sadly not anticipated such a problem between them, and she found herself worried that he would be unable to accept her for who and what she was.

Clint walked closer, opening the blanket to gather Rhonwen in his arms. She leaned her head down against his chest, listening to him breathe.

"No, I wouldn't. You are perfect."

Loki refused to let go of Darcy until she fell back to sleep, not that she complained. He kept looking around the room for Rhonwen, surely she had been the one to send Darcy a dream. But she was not there.

Once Darcy was asleep he laid her back down and stood up. Her voice, pleading with him to make that promise, just kept ringing in his ears. Never before had lying bothered him, but he could barely spit out the lie when he promised Darcy he wouldn't allow Liadain to get to him.

Author's Note: Ok, I know, it is short, but I thought this one was best on its own.

Next Chapter: News from Bronwen, Rhonwen and Loki begin to prepare, Darcy dreams and learns to hate sunrises, a lesson in weaving, and the Widow's story.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.