Author's note: Warning for reference to torture. It's not really graphic, more implied. Just thought I'd stick that here just in case.
Chapter six
Strength of heart
They were in another realm in seconds and Darcy looked around to see where they were this time. Now, when she had thought of a fiery, probably volcanic, lava-y world, she had definitely not imagined this. It was beautiful. The sky was a burnt orange, though maybe a little lighter. Honestly, Darcy didn't know all of the many different names for different shades of colours. It seemed as if there was a new one every week. The mountains (or volcanoes) in the distance seemed a dark brick red in shade and most of the ground seemed that way too. Now, she certainly hadn't expected to find foliage and grass…plants and trees and a lake! How on…Muspelheim, she supposed. She was no longer on Earth right now…how was there such things when it was supposed to be a fiery planet? Instead she was looking at a beautiful orange-red landscape that looked as if it was constantly trapped in the sunset time of day. Because that sun was too high up for it to actually be sunset. The thoughts were all racing around her head and she looked at Loki.
"How is there water or grass here?" Darcy asked, amazed. "Wait, I'm not even hot!"
"You think that because it is a hot realm that nothing would grow? Perhaps on Midgard, but here the plants are stronger and are better adapted to such a climate. I suppose you could call it a combination of that and natural magic, the latter being the reasoning for the water," Loki explained. "As for you, I have cloaked you in a spell to keep you from overheating."
"Wow, okay, cool…thanks. That is surprisingly thoughtful of you," Darcy said, unable to stop herself from speaking honestly. She walked with Loki through the land, wondering whether he had any idea of where the Stone would be. Would they be traversing the whole planet? Oh, good lord; if the planet was anything like the size of Earth, this would be a long trip. "Any ideas where the next Stone is? The sooner we get these, the sooner I can go home." Or die, a little voice in her head added. She shuddered at the thought. He seemed like a particularly creative guy…
"There is definitely one here; I can feel it. However, we best have our little boat to take us to the places of interest quicker," Loki said. "I have a feeling it will be in a cave."
"I seriously have no idea how you even know this stuff. Are you reading from a script?" Darcy asked dryly. She could practically feel the eye roll that came as a response.
"No. I am a being of magic and quite strongly so; I can simply feel the energies and magicks through every pore of my body," Loki said.
"It sounds awesome; I wish I had magic," Darcy said. "What I could do with that kind of power; it'd be great." The boat appeared and they got into it, Darcy holding on for dear life as usual. Once again, even though it was moving quickly, the scenery didn't move at the same speed. They got closer to the mountains when the sight of rather tall, reddish beings stepped out of the caves ahead. Darcy could feel the boat slowing as they approached the base of the mountain until they were completely stopped. She looked at Loki.
"Are they friendly?" Darcy asked.
"As long as we do not cause trouble," Loki said, no sign of humour in his voice or expression. She was glad; she half-expected him to do just that. He got out of the boat and she followed him as they walked towards the giants. Yes, they must be the Fire Giants. When they were close, Loki nodded his head respectfully to the giants, and Darcy copied him.
"What brings you here, Asgardian?" One of the giants said. He looked at Darcy as well. "And Midgardian. You are both quite far from home, are you not?" The giants seemed to be wearing some form of toga and no shoes. If she thought Thor and Loki were tall, these guys were even taller. Darcy couldn't even give an estimate, but Loki came up to just above their stomachs.
"We have no ill intentions, only that I am in search of an Infinity Stone," Loki answered. Darcy wondered whether it was really a good idea to state what he was after. Especially when she saw the giants all look between them with unreadable expressions before looking back at the trickster.
"You would not be the first to come here with such intent," the giant replied.
"I feel its energy here…is there someone after it now?" Loki asked.
"No. All who have come before have been reduced to insanity and perished," the giant responded. "I would advise you to turn back now. You are not strong enough." Darcy gulped and looked at Loki, who didn't show any signs that he would listen to their warning.
"The Mind Gem…Would you show me where it has been kept?" Loki asked.
"It depends entirely on your intentions," the giant said. "We would not want it falling into the wrong hands."
"I thought you said all have perished and that we're not strong enough…what would it matter if you showed us if you think we would not get it?" Darcy asked. The giants looked at each other again before looking back at Darcy. She gulped. "I meant no disrespect! I'm sorry!"
"Relax yourself, child, we are not angry," the giant said. "No matter what may appear to be, it cannot be set in stone. We are not clairvoyants; we cannot see the future or divine past our own opinions."
"I have no ill intent…I swear an oath upon my magic," Loki said. The giants looked at each other again before looking back.
"Then we will take you. You must, however, leave your mode of transport here. We will not fit inside nor will we be made to walk while you glide," the giant said.
They walked for a while in silence behind the large reddish figures who seemed pretty cool to Darcy; they had fiery eyes, flickering from a light red to orange to yellow with a glowing aspect to them. Honestly, the glowing was a pretty neat addition to the colours. Their hair colours must all be whatever would be in the range of fiery colours as well, for one had burnt orange hair, another with alarming red and a couple of yellow-haired fellows. Darcy looked at Loki for a moment.
"Is there something special about swearing upon your magic?" Darcy asked. "I mean, we have people swearing upon dead parents' graves and they can still break their promise like the assholes they are."
"It holds a binding promise; if I break my oath, I will suffer dearly. We do not take oaths lightly," Loki said. "Especially since my magic is what I treasure the most, as Thor does Mjölnir. The same goes for love, really. If Thor were to declare that he would give up Mjölnir for his beloved, then it is quite serious. I have never heard him utter the phrase, however."
"Have you ever declared that you would give up your magic for someone?" Darcy asked.
"No. I have loved before, but I suppose they have never truly been the one and only," Loki said.
"You never know; lots of stories I've read have some idiot girl deeply in love with a villain, despite their better judgement," Darcy said. "And they love them back, some of the times. So don't give up hope, Dr. Evil."
"Your humour is amusing, but I do not need love," Loki said. "I need no one."
"Then why am I here?" Darcy asked.
"I need you for this mission, but nothing personal," Loki said dryly. Darcy was wondering whether that was really the truth; sure, he may actually need her for something, but maybe he also wanted company. Obviously desperate enough to go for the first person he could find. She didn't say anymore on the issue, though, because frankly it was awkward enough already. While she couldn't deny that some parts of this adventure were fun, she still felt uncomfortable travelling with a mass murderer. She couldn't deny that he wasn't actually awful towards her, which was the really confusing part of it all. He also took all of her jibes without much of a reaction. That was weird.
They walked for hours and hours until she started slowing down, hungry and thirsty.
"Guys…I need a break," Darcy said. They didn't seem to be tired at all; must be the whole immortal thing. Loki came closer to her, too close, before she was in his arms like she was a bride. She squeaked and tried to push him away.
"Come, we will take rest in a cave," Loki said. The giants looked at him.
"We will take our leave; the mountain yonder is the one you seek," the giant said. Darcy saw the massive mountain that rose up higher than the rest. Of course it was. How cliché. Loki nodded.
"Thank you. Also, do take care; I know not the reasons nor whether they would come here, but some blue beings I have not seen before attacked a home on Nidavellir…I would hate for you to be caught unprepared," Loki asked. "Although I imagine you would have a better time of it." The giants' faces seemed to become stormy.
"So it has happened elsewhere…we were attacked about a week ago," the giant said.
"Did you lose anyone?" Loki asked. Their faces showed the answer.
"One of our friends' daughters; the youngest, in fact. Only her, which is odd in an attack. Hemr was quite out of the way of the attack and yet…" The giant said, his fist clenched. Darcy looked glum, stepping closer to the giant and gently putting her hand on his arm.
"I'm sorry to hear that; Nyali from Nidavellir wasn't in the vicinity of the attack either…there must be something going on," Darcy said. The giant looked at her hand with a frown. "Oh…sorry…this is how we, uh, show sympathy on Earth. It's supposed to be comforting." The frown disappeared and turned into a look of appreciation.
"You are not like the Midgardians I have heard stories of," the giant said.
"Some are good, some are not so much; you kinda have to just take us individually and not as a whole," Darcy said. The giant nodded and looked between them both.
"Farewell," the giant said.
"Blessed be her soul," Loki nodded.
"That she return to peace in Vallhalla," the giants responded, turning and leaving them. Darcy watched them for a while before she felt a tug on her arm. Darcy walked with Loki towards the cave.
"So there are different phrases for mourning the dead for each realm?" Darcy asked.
"For every culture, yes," Loki said.
"What is it for Asgard?" Darcy asked.
"I cannot say; you never repeat the words outside of their intended use," Loki said. "It is a bad omen and impolite." Darcy nodded, saying no more. It was a sad and yet curious notion. They walked for a while before they finally reached the cave. Inside was just like any other cave she had seen in the movies (because she wasn't some adventurer nor was she a fictional character), except it was some reddish rock rather than grey. Loki took her in fairly deep before finally sitting down and performing various acts of magic that, honestly, she didn't think she could get tired of. It was magicand it was exciting. She'd always loved Harry Potter and all that. Loki had set up a blanket with food on it, gesturing for her to help herself before tucking in himself. They ate in silence and the food was delicious. After a little while she found herself full and sat back against the wall, staring up. Loki had magicked some glow-y float-y ball things.
Darcy didn't know what to say; they hadn't really stopped like this save for in Nidavellir where they were both preoccupied with the attack and the grief. Now, they were free to talk, but nothing came to her. How do you talk to someone who had done the things he had and yet…had also showed signs of being decent? It was mind-boggling and Darcy didn't have the energy to deal with that. She looked at the floor and wondered whether she would get any sleep tonight; the chances were unlikely. Darcy lay down on the hard ground and was at least glad that it was far too warm to need a duvet. It was still uncomfortable, however. A few moments later she found that it was softer than before, as if she was on a mattress. She looked up at Loki and saw him nod. She murmured a thank you before closing her eyes and attempting to sleep.
Darcy woke up the next morning feeling kind of…tight. It took her a few moments to realise that she was wrapped in someone's arms and, from the green of the sleeves, she realised that Loki must be spooning her. She wasn't even sure how to feel about it, but man, his arms were stronger than they looked and she wondered how this had come about. Her tiredness slowly slipped away and she remembered waking up during the night in a panic. Loki must have cradled her and…yeah, okay, she vaguely remembered the arms wrapping around her. Oddly enough, it felt comfortable and she tried not to think about how creepy that sounded, considering whose arms they were. She carefully turned in his arms and looked up at his face, peaceful in slumber. Sad. He was so unguarded while he slept; vulnerable and boyish. She slowly got out of his arms and sat herself opposite him, not wanting to disturb him. He was only asleep for another ten minutes before he woke up, quickly, and was sat with more food laid out on the blanket in very little time. She wondered whether he felt embarrassed about cuddling her and just wanted to pretend it didn't happen. In all honesty, it was for the best. After eating some breakfast, they were back on their way to the cave of mystery.
They walked rather than summoned the boat; maybe there was a reason, or maybe Loki just forgot. Darcy didn't really see him as the forgetful type, but she could also see no reason behind it.
"I don't suppose you can give me a piggy back?" Darcy asked. Loki looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. "You know, a ride on your back."
"We are not far," Loki replied. Darcy was relieved, though it was short-lived as she started to get nervous about what the giants had said about the cave; all had died before after going insane. She shuddered at the very thought of it and tried not to make a sound. Soon enough they were walking up the mountain paths towards the cave and she honestly just wanted to stop, turn around and run away. She carried on, however. Darcy wasn't a coward. She had faced two dangerous scenarios and sure, this one she could avoid, but…something told her to plod on. Loki stopped outside the cave and looked at her.
"Are you willing to enter with me?" Loki asked. She had a choice? That was a surprise. Darcy bit her lip with a frown; he sounded uncertain and his expression told her more than words could, which was a surprise. He needed her. There was no doubt about it and even though it wasn't a good idea, not really, she nodded. Loki actually smiled at her, though it was a little sad. They walked together into the cave and it was definitely different to the other cave; rather than red stone, it was black. Loki didn't even need to light it up; it was already sort of lit. It was kind of creepy, almost like the black image with veins she sees every time she has an eye test. Everything seemed to flash and yet, not in the typical sense. It was like she couldn't turn her head without a very sudden change in view. Darcy honestly couldn't describe it even if her mind was open for others to grasp. Something suddenly changed and black clouds seemed to form, followed by words. Blue flashes and crackling as the words snapped across the walls, and Darcy could barely recognise whether they were visual or audio.
Laufey's son.
Why? You were knee-deep in Jotunn blood, why would you take me?
You were an innocent child―
No, you took me for a purpose, what was it?
Darcy looked around frantically as images of Loki―shorter hair and more boyish looking, yet she didn't think this was when he was much younger―flashed across the darkness. Odin was there and a flash of a small, blue baby skittered and echoed.
So I am no more than another stolen relic, locked up here until you might have use of me?
Why do you twist my words?
Loki was walking along, looking shaken, but determined to carry on.
You are my son, I wanted only to protect you from the truth.
What? That I-I-I-I am the monster that parents tell their children about at night?
You know, it all makes sense now, why you favoured Thor all these years, because no matter how much you claim to love me, you could never have a Frost Giant sitting on the throne of Asgard!
Darcy felt shivers creep around her spine; the words of what must be Loki's memories cutting right through her. Was this real or was this the effect of the cave? They walked on deeper, though she didn't know for how long they had been walking nor how far inside they were; it was difficult to tell. She tried to reach for Loki's hand, who looked pale right now, but as soon as she touched it, he pulled away.
"Just carry on," Loki breathed. The atmosphere seemed to crackle with more memories, the warriors and Sif's disapproval of his Kingship, their betrayal, his fight with Thor and falling. This was where the colours started to twist almost painfully and she felt Loki take hold of her, a hand over her eyes. "You should not see this."
"Too psychedelic?" Darcy joked half-heartedly. No reply. Honestly, she didn't expect one. The room seemed to scream and she wasn't sure whether it was one of them or a memory.
How far you have fallen, Prince of Asgard. Perhaps you would like to seek revenge on those who have wronged you.
How?
I seek the Tesseract and it is upon Midgard. Your brother likes that realm, no? Hurt the realm he loves, bring me the Tesseract and you could have anything you want…
Darcy shoved her fingers into her ears as inhuman sounds echoed through the caves that she didn't want to identify. The hand was removed from her eyes and she caught glimpses of Loki on the floor, shuddering. Which was exactly how she found the real Loki, drenched in sweat and, despite what he had done, this was too much to bear. Darcy dropped down and picked up his head, holding it in her lap. He flinched and cried out. She tried to shush him, speak comforting words and stroke his face.
"Loki…Loki, it isn't…it's not real anymore. You're here, safe. You need to get through this…you need to get up and get that Gem…it's just playing games with you, trying to break you…don't let it," Darcy said frantically, trying to get him to get up. However, it was easier said than done and he wasn't budging. "Loki…come on." His eyes opened and it was an awful sight. They looked so stricken; she didn't know what to do.
"Y-y-you…you need to go on," Loki stammered, his body shaken. She hadn't seen much from after his fall, though heard words that chilled her to the bone. These Gods might be immortal and strong, but they had limits. Even ones who could provide their own air con; turn up the heat enough, they'll roast. She swallowed the bile that she felt rising in her throat, and bit back the images before blinking at his words.
"What? I can't…how could I possibly do that…I don't know how…" Darcy said.
"You can…please try," Loki whispered, shuddering. A tear left his eye. "I need…I need that Stone." The room flickered.
The Queen of Asgard is dead. I am sorry for your loss.
Darcy blinked; his mother was dead. She winced as she watched him grieve; his magic destroying the cell and soon followed by him physically lashing out. No care or consideration for his own well-being, ripping at his clothes before ending up in a mess on the floor, screaming and shaking.
HE IS NOT MY FATHER!
Then am I not your mother?
…
You are not.
Darcy saw the tears fall freely down his face, utter anguish like she had never really seen before. He shuddered with his tears and curled up, his head still in her lap as she tried to figure out what to do. Whatever this was about, whatever he needed these stones for…he had already told her and sworn an oath that it was not for anything bad. Darcy sighed and gently placed his head on the ground before standing up.
"Alright, I just hope there are no monsters; not sure this taser's good enough," Darcy joked.
"The monster has already been defeated," Loki rasped. She couldn't help but look at him sadly. She knelt down briefly and found herself kissing his cheek.
"You are not a monster," Darcy said, the words out of her mouth without even thinking them. It was an odd situation and she stood back up, facing the way they were walking before going on alone. The clouds seemed to be back, crackling as she heard familiar noises. Running through the streets, men's voices, her own screams as she saw herself pinned to the wall by a couple of men. Something seemed to hit them before they could traumatise her. She had still not figured out how, but the memory didn't rattle her; she had long gotten over it and had bought a taser, which had worked out on a few occasions…one of them an overreaction, but Gods of Thunder were made of tougher stuff. Darcy walked for a while before something different appeared. She didn't have a lot of bad memories, so whatever was pulling them out was clutching at straws. The Destroyer, watching New York's attack via the media and the convergence were scary, sure, but nothing gut-wrenching like Loki's. It confused her immensely. She was taken out of her thoughts by a ghostly figure, who appeared a little in front of her.
"Uh…hello…" Darcy said.
"You have come very far, Darcy Lewis of Midgard. Further than the trickster himself," the figure said.
"Who are you?" Darcy asked. "Uhh, I didn't mean to be impolite."
"It is quite alright. My name is Verdandi and I am here to guide you," she said. Verdandi was beautiful and serene looking.
"Verdandi…one of the Norns?" Darcy asked.
"Yes, though I would not rely completely on the legends; much of the nine realms are far different than your stories would have you believe," Verdandi said.
"Wow…okay…so why would you help me? When so many have apparently perished before…" Darcy said. "Not that I'm ungrateful, of course."
"You are the only one to have ever come this far, and I believe you worthy of it, Darcy Lewis, though I can only help you so much," Verdandi said. "This is a test of wits and knowledge. The first test is of Midgard."
"What if I fail? I mean…will I die?" Darcy asked, a little worried. Verdandi smiled and shook her head.
"You are past that; you can try again and again as much as you wish," Verdandi said and Darcy relaxed. "Simply because you have good intentions."
Darcy nodded and looked forward, wondering what it would be. Chess? Oh God. A rubix cube? One of those sphinx riddles? God, she didn't even know. In front of her a large square appeared, with little squares inside and…symbols or runes. Oh shit, it was that stupid 2048 puzzle that everyone had been raving about…well, more like wanting to stab their eyes out over. She'd never played it, but today was apparently the day.
"This…doesn't seem very ancient powers," Darcy said.
"Worth is not dictated by age; even the oldest of Gods are not the wisest of beings," Verdandi said. Darcy nodded and stared at the board. So, she gave it her best shot. She knew how it was played and the objectives, just without having actually played it before now. It took a while, but alas, her first try wasn't meant to be. She'd gotten pretty far, though. Darcy had no idea how many tries it would take for her to hit it. So she tried again and got a bit further. She couldn't remember how many levels there were, but she tried it for a third time and…whoa. It lit up and it looked like it smashed like glass, except without any physical residue. She blinked and looked around, seeing Verdandi smile.
"How many are there?" Darcy asked.
"Just three; one for your own realm and two for your companion's realms," Verdandi said. Darcy breathed a sigh of relief; three wasn't quite as bad as what she had been anticipating. She just hoped the next two weren't enough to make eight other tests look more inviting. Darcy straightened up and nodded her head at Verdandi.
"So, same spiel as the last? As many goes as I want?" Darcy asked, which earned her a nod. Thank God.
The next test was infinitely more challenging and she could see the pattern already; the previous test was more of a game of logic and observation, whereas this one was a game of intelligence and strategy. Not that she wasn't intelligent, but man, this was utterly crazy. It was like battle strategies and how to locate defences, armies, everything to do with all of that and more. Well, okay, there was some logic in this, but then, didn't everything overlap? Of course, this was a completely different ballgame and she wished she had Loki here. Surely he would find this easier? Ah, but maybe he would get a different puzzle. Darcy bit her lip, looking at the stratagem and trying to work it out. Wait. Reverse the polarity of the neutron flow. Of course, she didn't know how that got there and why she was quoting Doctor Who (not even that; it had roots from before the show, Doctor Who merely popularised it), but she started looking at the maps and grids from the reverse point of view. How would the enemy see it? What would they do? She scoffed and looked back into the darkness; it would be easy if the former villain himself were here.
She sighed and ran her hand through her hair. Darcy looked back at the display and experimented. Oh! It worked like Stark's holographic technology; it was more widespread than just him, of course, but she always associated it with Stark just because he was a technological genius. She wondered if Apple were going to go out of business. It would be sad. Very sad for her iPod love. She started moving things around and using the keyboard to type things in. Rub it out and fix any mistakes she had made. It was somewhat fun and more than a little irritating at times to the point where she must have blanked like one whole section because Darcy couldn't for the life of her remember working on the midsection. When she had finished, it dissolved and she was free to carry on walking. She leant against the wall for a moment as she realised she was only one away from getting through to the Mind Gem. The next one would be truly difficult; she had a vague suspicion this next one would be the most difficult one yet. Typical. She breathed in and out deeply before pushing away from the wall and carrying on deeper into the cave. Darcy wasn't sure how long she was walking before hearing a noise. She walked further forward before she saw what was making the noise; a baby, bigger than a newborn and yet something about him or her made newborn the only word spring to her mind. The baby was crying and on closer inspection, appeared to be blue with markings.
She stepped closer and there was suddenly a voice that was followed by the appearance of another ethereal female.
"My name is Skuld; you have already met one of my sisters," she said. Her features and voice were not as soft as Verdandi's; Skuld seemed strict and harsh, a little older-looking than her sister.
"Nice to meet you…" Darcy said. "Um…"
"That is Loki, as a child. Frightening little thing, is he not?" Skuld asked, practically cackling. Darcy blinked at the baby and looked back at Skuld. "Here you have an opportunity to end suffering before it ever happened." Skuld took out a sharp, curved blade and offered it to her. "You could kill him before he got the chance to kill your people." Darcy's eyes widened.
"Where's Verdandi? She said she would guide me…" Darcy said.
"Change of plan; take the knife and kill him," Skuld said. "Kill him and you will have the Mind Gem." Darcy ignored the knife and rushed forward, picking up the baby. Baby Loki. It was strange seeing him so innocent and yet, she knew what he went on to do. Darcy would never kill anyone, especially a baby. It didn't matter what they would become. She found he was very cold, but then maybe that was normal. She held Loki close to herself and backed up from Skuld.
"I would rather not get the Mind Gem than kill a baby; no way! No freakin' way; what kind of sick and twisted person would do that?" Darcy asked, holding Loki closer and looking down at him, rocking him and realising he had stopped crying. She looked back up at Skuld to see that she was grinning. Suddenly the baby was not a baby anymore, but a small, floating purple gem with a spiral pattern in the middle. She cupped her hands and it dropped into them. She looked up.
"Darcy Lewis of Midgard, you have passed all three tests. The Mind Gem is yours to keep. If you choose to give it over to your companion, you may. You have shown that your mind is exceptional and thus you know what you are doing," Skuld said. "Goodbye, Darcy Lewis, and good luck. There are tougher times ahead for you."
With that, Skuld vanished.
