Chapter Eleven: Bronwen
Two days later and Loki was about ready to kill someone. He had spent every free minute of his days with Rhonwen out in the desert practicing. Though he hated to admit it, he now understood why everyone warned him away from Liadain. The amount of pain Rhonwen had inflicted him with had been enough to send him to his knees, he had even blacked out once. And according to Rhonwen, Liadain was more powerful than her. He shuttered to think of the pain she could cause.
He walked into the lab after another session with Rhonwen, his head aching, to find Darcy pacing the length of the room. She had been acting strange the past couple of days, and he wasn't sure what to make of it. She had always been nice to him, treating him no different than Thor, something he reluctantly admitted to being grateful for. Lately though she had been giving him what the mortals called, the cold shoulder. To be fair, she wasn't actually rude to him, but she was cool, greeting him in passing but never actually stopping to talk to him. It bothered him more than he thought it should have.
"Darcy, what may I ask are you doing?" Loki held in the laugh that threatened to bubble out of his chest as his voice had so obviously startled the woman. It annoyed him, but he couldn't help that the little squeak that had come out of her had been… dare he say it… cute.
"I'm pacing, what does it look like I'm doing?" Darcy regretted her tone the moment she spoke. It was not his fault that she had been acting like a smitten school girl, or that she had her heart broken when the boy she liked turned out to like another.
"Yes, that is obvious, but why are you pacing?" Loki gritted his teeth, her current attitude towards him was grating on his nerves.
"Another Weaver showed up, about ten minutes ago. But since I'm just a defenseless, weak mortal girl, I haven't been allowed to see her. So, here I am stuck down here for my own safety while everyone, even fucking Jane, is on the roof." Ok, so maybe she was a little sore still about being the unremarkable one. But she dared anyone else to not feel the same around that particular group.
"Though, too, I might be kind of freaking out right now cause even if I did see the woman there is no way I could tell if it was Liadain or not. I'm worse than useless, why am I even here? I make coffee and type down stupid equations that I don't even understand in the computer, if it is Liadain what am I to do? Offer her coffee and tase her ass hoping it would actually do something to her? Which by the way according to Rhonwen, it wouldn't. Stupid, pointy-eared, magic elves!" Right, so she was beyond the point of simply freaking out and was now headed straight towards full on panicking. If someone didn't stop her she would be reduced to unintelligible babbling and hair pulling.
Realizing that full on panic was setting in, Loki grabbed a hold of her shoulders, forcing her to stand still. She looked up at him with wide eyes, her breathing slowly calming as he pressed his thumbs firmly into her collarbones.
"Now, before you start hyperventilating, I need you to listen to me. The Weaver is most likely Rhonwen's sister; she is expected to be here any day. Besides that, I don't want to hear you call yourself worthless again."
"Actually I said worse than worthless."
"Be that as it may, worthless or worse than useless, it doesn't matter. Should I hear such sentiments from your mouth again I will not hesitate to mete out punishment." Gently, Loki pressed the nail of one thumb into her flesh. Not hard enough to break skin, the pressure just enough to leave a mark. Slowly he dragged his nail across her skin, his breathing coming harsher as he watched Darcy's pupils dilate.
Darcy's tongue felt too thick and she couldn't swallow, couldn't really do anything with Loki holding her the way he was. She was about to retort when the back door opened again, this time to reveal Rhonwen.
Realizing she was in Loki's arms, she jumped away from him like she had been burned. She wrapped her arms around her chest, trying to forget the feel of his hands. Hopefully the Weaver wouldn't read too much into it, not that she actually knew what had been going on herself. What the fuck had he meant by punishment?
Loki looked rather funny at Darcy, at the almost guilty expression that crossed her face, but ignored it. If Bronwen had finally come, then there were more important things to worry about than the strange behavior of a mortal woman.
"Ah, Rhonwen, Darcy has just been telling me that another Weaver has joined us." Loki watched Darcy out of the corner of his eye. She had removed her arms from around her chest and it looked like she had finally composed herself.
"Yes, Bronwen has finally returned. Come, both of you, I shall introduce you." Rhonwen was smiling as she led them up to the roof. Though she couldn't help but sigh as she opened the door to find Clint and Thor standing at attention before her sister. It was rather obvious they were twins, but Rhonwen knew warriors always suspected foul play.
"I would appreciate it if you wouldn't harass my sister, Clint." Though scolding, her voice was light, as though she were trying to hold back a laugh.
Clint and Thor both stood back, looking sheepish, as Rhonwen walked forward and embraced her sister.
"All, I would like you to meet my twin sister, Bronwen of Briarwood." Bronwen nodded her head, but did little else as they each introduced themselves. She was almost an exact copy of Rhonwen. Same nose, same cheekbones, same full lips. The difference between them came by way of coloring. Where Rhonwen's hair was a dark blood red, Bronwen's was a sunny blonde, Rhonwen's eyes were emeralds, Bronwen's the color of the sky. Even their facial marking differed; Rhonwen's matching her eyes, while her sister's were black and white. Even their clothes followed the theme, differing only in color, Rhonwen of course green while Bronwen wore a black dress with the collar around her neck red and black instead of jade.
"Our allies are in position, they just await our instruction." Unlike her sister, Bronwen cared little of pleasantries. Between them Rhonwen had been the social butterfly, while Bronwen preferred her studies.
"So we are ready then?" Clint ran a hand through his hair; it was a bit surreal watching the two sisters. It wasn't so much that they looked alike, because when he was younger he had actually dated a set of identical twins. It was more the fact that while they looked similar, they were extremely different. It was their way of standing, the way that Rhonwen smiled all the way to her eyes while her sister could barely lift the corner of her lips. It was strange to think, that out of the two of them, Rhonwen had been the one with the tragic past.
"We first must wait for our cousin to make her move." Bronwen ran a critical eye over Clint, it was no surprise that her sister had chosen the mortal as a lover. He held himself like a warrior, always alert, always poised for battle.
"If we are ready, why must we wait for Liadain? Why couldn't we make the first move?" Darcy felt even smaller when Bronwen turned her unyielding gaze on her. Though the Weaver looked much like her sister, it was easy to see that Bronwen was much darker. She made Darcy feel uncomfortable; it was a similar feeling to that of waking from a nightmare but being unable to actually remember what it had been about.
"The problem is that we don't know where Liadain is. I have tried to follow the strand from Loki's mind back to Liadain, but it has been too long since he has dreamed. The threads between them have grown thin, making it too hard for me to follow without completely breaking them." It had been a long shot, Rhonwen had known that when she had first tried, Liadain had never met Loki and the length of time she had woven dreams for him had been too short to create thick enough threads.
"What do you mean, 'follow the thread?'" Jane had been excited to learn about the magic of the Weavers when Rhonwen had first shown up, but so far she had been unable to follow anything of what she had said. Nothing seemed rooted in the science she so loved, not like the bifrost she had been working on for SHIELD.
"When Liadain wove dreams for Loki back on Asgard she created a connection between them, a thread that goes from her mind to his. Should Loki still have been having the dreams, I could have latched onto the thread and followed it back to where Liadain is. Sadly, that thread has grown too thin and should I even attempt it, I would snap the thread completely." And though Rhonwen hadn't said it, it went without saying that their plan depended on that thread.
"How is that possible, to follow a thread from someone else's mind to another's?" Jane had known the Weavers could read another's mind, but to jump from mind to mind like that? It was a little scary.
"A person's threads are not just in their mind, the threads are everywhere, connecting people together like a web. Right now I could easily reach in and grab a thread in your mind, follow it as it weaves its way to Thor, and through him to Odin, to Frigga and so on and so forth. Everyone is connected in some way, the problem is finding the right threads that will lead you to who you want, and hoping that those threads are strong and thick enough not break, thus severing any connection." Never before had Rhonwen tried to explain weaving to a mortal, it was strange. She knew that no matter what she said, Jane would always be left with questions. Still, she endeavored to explain the best she could.
Loki caught Rhonwen's eye, knowing that she would skim through his mind at the look he was giving her. Rhonwen just gave a half nod in his direction before turning back to Jane. Ignoring the rest of the conversation, he focused his attention on Darcy. Not caring if he angered Clint at the moment, he reached down and gently ran a single finger through her hair before turning and leaving back down into the lab.
After a while, the two sisters found themselves alone on the roof. Jane and Darcy had left to finish that day's work, Thor following behind them like a puppy. Clint had remained the longest, though took his cue from Rhonwen when she had nodded towards the door.
Once alone, Bronwen turned towards her sister with the first smile since she returned to Earth.
"I approve of your choice in lovers, Sister. Clint Barton is a fine man, I am happy for you." Bronwen knew that Clint was quickly becoming more than just a lover, her sister was seriously thinking on taking him for a mate. Though she would have never chosen a mortal herself, she was pleased that her sister had found love after so many lonely years.
"Thank you." Rhonwen went to look out over the desert as she did every day. Their time on Earth was growing short. Before long they would be forced to once again leave, Rhonwen found herself distressed by this much more than she had the first time.
"Sister, what are we to do about Liadain? All the amassed allies in the universe will be of little help if we can not find her." Bronwen went to stand beside her sister, the vast desert before her. She had to admit Rhonwen had been right, Earth no longer bristled with magic energy. All of their kind had long fled; there was no place for them any longer.
"We have gained Loki as an ally; I believe he finally understands what it is that he must do." Rhonwen looked at her sister, allowing her time to read the newest threads that had formed.
"It is a fine plan, but it could so easily fail. He could die or fully succumb to her." She agreed that Rhonwen's plan would work, was in fact the best hope for defeating their cousin, but Loki was a wild card. Should he, in the end, betray them all would be lost.
"He may very well die, but I no longer believe he will give into Liadain. He is strong, and has learned a great deal since I've worked with him. He will survive long enough to play his part. After that….let us hope that his connection to the mortal is enough." Loki could die, it was a very real possibility, and it did bother her. But she also knew that she would do anything to stop her cousin, and if that meant the death of Loki or any of the others, then so be it.
"Is he ready you think?" Bronwen could see the stress everything was causing her sister, she hated to sacrifice a life, but would do so in order to save the nine realms. But maybe there was a way she could ensure that the Asgardian lived.
"He will have to be, time is running out. Liadain will soon find Loki. I can already feel the threads thickening as she searches for him."
Loki was silent the rest of the day, he didn't read, didn't go out into the desert with Rhonwen. He just sat at the table, watching Darcy. She didn't know what to make of it, and so she ignored it.
She finally couldn't take it anymore when it was time to go to bed. She had spent the day snapping at him in her head to take a picture, that it would last longer, but she was still reeling from the unnerving feeling Rhonwen's sister had given her. Not to mention Loki's strange behavior earlier. She could still feel his touch on her collarbone and in her hair.
"Ok, Loki, what is your deal? Why have you been staring at me? Do I have something on my face, or what?" She had expected some snarky remark; instead he just blinked as though he hadn't been aware he had been staring.
"Are you still having nightmares?" Loki watched as Darcy blushed, the enticing color creeping up her chest and over her cheeks. He wondered what he had said that would have caused such a reaction.
"No, I've been sleeping pretty good lately." She knew she was blushing, and she damned her pale skin. But she couldn't help flushing at Loki's words. No she hadn't had any nightmares, but her sleep had been filled with dreams about the two of them. Some sweet, like the dream that morning, others heated. It was the memory of those, dreams where her and Loki had been tangled up, their nude bodies twisting underneath bed sheets, that made her cheeks pink.
Loki nodded and laid himself down on his cot, closing his eyes without a word. Darcy watched him for a moment confused, but soon gave it up and laid down herself. It had been a strange day.
Liadain's lips stretched from ear to ear as she finally found the thread she had been searching for. Grabbing a hold of it, she followed until she found herself once again in Loki's mind.
She growled as she gazed upon the new tapestries. It looked as though her cousins had been busy, but their interference was not what angered her. It was the tapestry that was, even then, still weaving. It looked as though her prince had found himself a mortal girl. Oh that wouldn't do at all.
Liadain turned away from the tapestry and began to weave, her and her prince needed to have a little talk.
Rhonwen sat up, her eyes wide. Clint shooting up beside her, ready to battle whatever disturbed their sleep.
"What's the matter? I don't see anyone." Clint scanned the roof, but the only other one besides the two of them was Bronwen, who was across the roof awake herself.
"There is no one here. Liadain has finally found Loki, I can feel her weaving for him." The threads were red hot in her anger. Rhonwen had no doubt that Liadain knew not only of them, but of Darcy as well.
"What are we going to do?" Ok, maybe it was 'they' and not 'we,' but Clint was used to working as a team since the Avengers. It was hard realizing he couldn't help.
"For now, nothing." Rhonwen winced as she felt Liadain finally make contact with Loki, she was beyond angry.
"This was part of your plan all along, wasn't it?" It shouldn't have surprised him, the best way to catch something was with bait.
"We need the threads between Liadain and Loki to thicken. This can only be achieved by contact between the two of them." Rhonwen reached out a hand and ran her fingers through his hair.
"Go back to sleep, it is not yet time to strike. I must go now and talk with Bronwen." She ruffled his hair, and after placing a kiss on his cheek got up and dressed.
Reluctantly Clint lied back down, he wanted to be able to help, but knew that in that matter he was worse than useless. He watched as Rhonwen joined her sister on the other side of the roof. His poor Wenny had been through so much, he feared what killing her cousin would end up doing to her.
Loki blinked a couple of times as a familiar room came into focus. For a moment Loki swore retribution on Rhonwen, sure that she had sent him another dream. It was the taste of the dream though that stopped him short. Liadain had finally found him.
He turned as a hand landed on his shoulder, and sneered at the woman before him. She had seemed more beautiful back before he had been sent to Midgard. With her floor length white hair and slate gray eyes she had reminded him of snow. Now that he knew who and what she was, he could make out the markings on her face that she had obviously hid from him. They were white and silver, giving her the appearance of ice more than snow.
"You see me now with no glamours. Do I scare you?" Liadain stepped back, raising her arms for his inspection.
"A bit of sparkle on your face is far from frightening. You forget who you are talking to." Loki looked Liadain up and down, wondering how he could have ever found her to be arousing. She really was like ice, cold and hard.
"Ah yes, but you rarely wear your Jotunn form. Pity actually, you are very impressive." Liadain flipped her hair behind her shoulder, her own eyes staring lustfully at Loki.
"Enough of this, why have you come Liadain?" Loki rolled his eyes as she began to circle him. Did she really think to intimidate him?
"Because you have been a very bad boy." She slid a hand along Loki's shoulders as she walked around him, smiling at the hard muscle she found beneath his loose fitting tunic.
"I have never denied this. Do try again." Really, it was like saying Thor was spoiled or that the grass was green.
"You think to joke, fine, but you might not be in such a gaming mood when I take that little mortal whore and disembowel her with your own knives." Liadain stopped circling, coming to a stop before him. Her face contorted as she spit out her words.
"You will not touch Darcy!" Loki tried to lunge for her, but found himself rooted to the spot.
"Oh, and you plan to stop me? I own you; you are mine and mine alone! Prepare yourself, Prince, I will be coming."
Loki shot up out of bed, his breathing once again harsh as he tried to catch his breath. He looked over towards Darcy, a sharp pain shooting through his chest and stomach. Liadain knew about her now, and Rhonwen was right. Because of him Darcy was in grave danger.
Author's Note: So things are moving along, Bronwen has returned, Liadain has once again found Loki, Darcy and Loki are being silly, but they did have a moment.
Anyway, a picture of the necklace that Bronwen wears is on my Tumblr. And if it helps, I picture the twins' dresses much like the ones worn in the movie "The Mists of Avalon"
Next chapter: Powers return, Darcy finds out she is in danger and isn't happy about it, feelings are revealed in the most unconventional way, return to Asgard, an artifact, Darcy wants no regrets.
Also, just a quick note, there are only six more chapters for this and once I finish with this I will hopefully be posting a Darcy/Tony and a Sherlock/Molly.
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.
