Chapter eleven
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The mortal was impossible. How in the name of Yggdrasil was he supposed to believe such a reality would happen if he had not been born? Impossible. Absurd. Ridiculous. What was she after? Why did it matter to her? Loki couldn't make any sense out of Darcy. She was a sweet little thing, but she was messing around with the wrong monster. He wanted nothing more than to just hide and forget what he saw. It had been awful. He could not possibly be that important. Thor wouldn't have died, just banished down to Midgard and, sure, he would have taken longer to become worthy but perhaps long enough for the Chittauri to get through, he would have Asgard come sooner and it would be sorted to some extent. Thor would be around to get Jane and the Aether, they would manage to get out some way or another, and force Heimdall to take them. Everything would be fine. No shadow would take such an important role. Born to die. That was all. Odin, one of the most powerful people in the known realms, said it himself. Loki sighed and followed the path Darcy had taken. Of course, she hadn't gotten far and looked at him angrily when she saw him.
"Go away," Darcy said. Loki ignored her and stepped in front of her, leaning down and pulling her up by force, ignoring her struggles against him. "Get off!"
"We are going to try something," Loki said. "You showed me what it would be like in the universe if I did not exist, so I will show you how it is if youdid not exist."
"What?" Darcy said faintly. The gauntlet reappeared on his right hand and he put his arm around her before touching the yellow gem.
"Show us the reality that would be if Darcy Lewis did not exist," Loki said.
"Loki, nooooo," Darcy said, mocking his words with a sarcastic expression before they disappeared.
They appeared in a mortal hospital waiting room, where a man and a woman sat looking pale and worried. Loki looked down at Darcy to see her frowning. The pair must be her parents. He stepped closer to them and examined them. Her father had the same blue eyes as she did while her mother had brown eyes. Both parents had brown hair, but he could see that her shade was closest to her mother's. She definitely looked more like her mother, though he imagined people were more likely to look like the same gender parent. Thor did. Loki had no way nor any desire to see which parent he looked most like. His parents were both from the same race of monsters he hated. There was no way of knowing whether or not he looked anything like his mother. He didn't care. She and Laufey had left him to die. Darcy returned his gaze.
"My parents, though…I don't really know what's happening here," Darcy said. They saw an assistant exit a room.
"Mr and Mrs. Lewis?" She asked. Loki pulled Darcy along after her parents into the room where they sat down. The doctor or nurse had a clipboard in her hands. Loki didn't really know why they had nurses and doctors. Why not just the one?
"We're sorry to inform you that, from our tests, the chances of you conceiving a child are quite slim," the doctor said. "There are fertility treatments, but we can't promise they'll be very effective. I'm sorry."
Oh. That was rather tragic. He looked at Darcy again and although she was sad, she didn't seem too surprised.
"They told me this is what the doctors told them, but I ended up being a miracle child. They had given up hope by the time they found out they had conceived and were beyond happy. Oh God, I know it's just…I bet this reality has no miracle child at all," Darcy whispered bitterly. Despite her earlier anger towards him, she clung to him, closer. "I think that dream…with Ebony…was coming from the fear that I'd take after my parents…"
It made sense, yet the girl was ever strong, feisty and, presumably, cheerful. Of course, she was right in her prediction. They watched the years go by and, nothing. Her parents managed to live a decent life, just not in the way they had hoped. By the time they had settled and come to terms with the idea, they were unable to adopt a child for one reason or another, the main one due to health reasons. Their lives were reasonable, but obviously the two wanted a child more than anything.
"They were always so happy and healthy, I can't imagine them succumbing to anything," Darcy said.
"Grief can do a lot more than you would think, apparently," Loki said. Mental health wasn't really an issue on Asgard. It was considered a mortal problem. Maybe some mortals would consider it existing in Asgard…he was smart enough to realise that his mental health might be lacking. However, he put that to the back of his mind because it simply wasn't worth thinking about.
The scene changed.
"Erik, can you drive me please? I need to focus on my equipment and getting the readings," Jane said. Erik drove the two of them all the way out into the dessert and parked so that Jane could figure out what the hell was going on. There was nothing going on right now and Jane was clearly determined despite Erik's denials. Loki remembered the man from his stint on Midgard. He didn't care to ask how the scientist was doing right now. He doubted it would be appropriate.
"Looks like they don't have me there to notice the storm straight away," Darcy said. Loki saw the storm, which was Thor's trademark entry into any realm, to the right while Jane and Erik were faced away in the back of the van. They weren't exactly facing the opposite way to the storm, but they certainly paid no attention to their surroundings while they argued. By the time they realised where the storm was, it was just finishing. Jane drove them to the site and they got out quickly.
"I can't believe I missed it! What are these markings?" Jane asked. She carried on talking while Erik was looking at Thor.
"Jane, we're not alone," Erik said. Jane looked over at Thor. "I think he needs to go to the hospital.
"Okay. You go, I stay," Jane said. Thor got up and, really, he was quite undignified and embarrassing to watch. Shouting to Odin, hammer…what next? In the end, Thor was little better than he was. Erik was trying his best to communicate with him, but Thor was too confused and irrational right now, which ended up with Erik on the floor knocked out after he had tried to calm Thor down. Now that finally got the stupid woman's attention. She huddled around Erik and brought out her communication device, speaking into it. Luckily for Thor, he managed to not attack any further and was apprehended by the police once they and an ambulance came to take Erik, since she couldn't lift him. Jane followed in her van and followed the ambulance.
"Holy crap, wow…not sure that's going to end well for either of them," Darcy said.
"I do not suppose it will," Loki agreed. The police held Thor in custody for a while, although part of it was because S.H.I.E.L.D. had called in to make sure they did and they took him in after looking through Jane's findings and figuring out he had something to do with it. Loki came down and the events unfolded similarly, except with no more interaction with Jane and Erik. The damage came down on S.H.I.E.L.D. instead of the town and Thor did get his worthiness back, but it appeared that while nothing was really changed with regards to Loki's attack on Midgard, Jane and Thor never fell in love without Darcy being there.
The scene soon changed and showed the elves finding the Aether themselves and heading straight for Midgard once the convergence was at its peak. By the time it anyone realised, it was too late and everything went dark.
Loki and Darcy returned to the underground passages once again. This had become a routine.
"Wow…that was surreal, but…" Darcy said.
"It is difficult to believe. Do you see now, why I cannot simply believe that the universe is a better place with me in it?" Loki asked. Darcy sighed and tugged on his hand.
"Sure, I guess, but Loki, there's no point dwelling on it; we need to move on. You need to stop beating yourself up and just do something about it. Make the world right or whatever," Darcy said. Then she softened. "I know you're capable of it…you've shown me that."
"It is not quite that easy," Loki muttered.
"But just try. It won't be easy nor a quick solution, just…" Darcy said.
"Alright," Loki said. Eryyi jumped onto Darcy's shoulder again and Loki took them back out into the streets of Vanaheim. He walked to a magical clock that also showed the date that stood in the square and his eyes widened. Scholars had long ago determined that time within all the realms worked the same way, give or take depending on the place, much like the individual time zones found on Midgard. So while it might be daytime in America of Midgard, it was night time on Asgard. So according to this, it had been about five months since they entered the library. He looked at Darcy.
"Five months have passed since we entered," Loki said.
"Five?! What?! Oh shit," Darcy said. "How did that happen?!"
"I imagine the forceful reality shift made time go by quicker than it should have. The dream…I suppose we only really experienced five months of it, the rest was either false memory or lack of awareness that it did not happen. For example…" Loki trailed off.
"Sex. Yeah. Like, we knew it happened to get me pregnant, but I can't remember…it, which would be freaky," Darcy said, shivering suddenly.
"Indeed," Loki said. "I think we should visit healer Auðr and make sure you are well."
"What? Why? I feel fine. I'm not pregnant, seriously, that was a dream," Darcy said. He couldn't help but laugh.
"It is not because of such an absurd notion. It is merely to make sure your health is in order after so long," Loki said. Darcy sighed and allowed him to drag her along down the street towards the healer's home. He shifted his appearance and brought them both into visibility without a hitch. He knocked on the door and someone opened the door.
"Hello?" The woman asked.
"Hello, we are here to see Healer Auðr," Loki said. "I would like for my friend to have a check up."
"I am afraid Auðr is no longer with us; there was an attack here two months ago and she was killed in the fray," the woman replied. Loki frowned. He had liked this healer a lot; so much better than most of Asgard's healers.
"I am truly sorry to hear that. Blessed be her soul and let her rest with enlightenment," Loki said.
"That she can be one with knowledge," the woman answered. "Thank you, good man. We can give your friend a check up if this is alright by you?"
"I cannot see a problem with that," Loki said, looking at Darcy to see no objection there. Good. They stepped inside and followed the woman into the healing room.
"I am Sonor, it is a pleasure," she said.
"Likewise," Loki said. "I am Linðr, this is my mortal friend Darcy. We have recently underwent a rather unusual journey and I wish to make sure she has not fallen ill invisibly or otherwise."
Sonor nodded and gestured for Darcy to lie down on the healing table. Loki noticed that she was nervous, so he put his arm around her shoulders and looked into her eyes, reassuring her that she would be safe. He lifted her carefully after she nodded and placed her on the table, telling her to keep her hands still. Sonor got to work and he observed the energy at work. He wasn't a qualified healer, but he was quite versed in healing and was quite sure that there was nothing wrong with her.
"Darcy is healthy," Sonor announced.
"How about…I'm curious, my parents had been told they were extremely unlikely to have children…" Darcy started.
"You have not inherited that trait, my dear. Your only worry is if your future partner had troubles. Even then, we Vanir or the Light Elves could quite possibly sort that problem out," Sonor smiled. Darcy's expression was happy and shocked. Loki picked her up again and put her back on her feet.
"Thank you, Lady Healer," Loki said, bringing out a small pouch of coinage and placing it in her hands. "We bid you good day."
Darcy nodded. "And sorry about Auðr, I'm sure she was a wonderful person," Darcy said. Sonor nodded and Loki led her out of the house. He led her through the streets before stopping at an inn and leading her inside, getting a room with twin beds. Once inside, he watched Darcy kick her shoes off and jump onto one of the beds.
"You don't know how much I needed this bed…or I guess you did," Darcy said. "I can't believe Auðr is dead…how many more?"
"There have been a few deaths, two of whom I knew, the third I did not," Loki said.
"Rules out someone out for revenge against you," Darcy said. "Thank God. That's so cliché."
"You are quite something," Loki said as he walked over to the bed and lay down on the it. Yes, she was something else. Quite unlike any other female he had come across. What a pity she was mortal. He would have to give her back to Midgard once they found the last gem. He couldn't keep her forever; she had a life and was probably worried about. Loki never really thought about that before now. All he ever seemed to think about was himself, though he supposed that wasn't completely true. Loki didn't even notice Darcy getting up before she was climbing into bed with him and snuggling up to him. He moved over so there was more space for them both. He was used to this now, her arms around him and his around her. Such a strange notion. However, he would not turn her away. He found that he liked her sprawling all over him.
"You certainly go deep in thought a lot. Sorry, I hope you don't mind…I guess I just have this urge to try and cheer you up," Darcy said.
"You are very considerate, thank you," Loki said, feeling lighter.
"Although, your armour is pretty hard," Darcy said. "I'm not sure whether it's comfortable or not." Loki phased into a cotton tunic, much softer and simpler.
"Better?" Loki asked.
"Much," Darcy said.
The next morning Loki woke up slowly to the feeling of Darcy sprawled all over him. They had eaten the 'room service' food, as Darcy called it, but otherwise not left the bed. Loki moved a little and realised he had a little problem. How embarrassing; it didn't usually happen to him. In fact, it was an extremely rare occurrence, unlike for other men he had heard of. He was thankful that Darcy was still asleep and he could sort out his problem without her realising. Loki didn't understand why, as he was above the desperate needs of the pleasures a man or a woman's body could bring him, so this was completely beyond his comprehension. Loki sighed and waved his hand, using magic to solve it. Another advantage to magic. Just in time, of course, as he felt Darcy stirring before she blinked her eyes open and looked around.
"Morning," Darcy said.
"Good morning," Loki said.
"Where are we headed today?" Darcy asked.
"Jotunheim…we have been there briefly before, but I have a feeling we should go there," Loki said.
"The cold one? Sure, wait, is that where you're from? Originally, I mean," Darcy asked. Loki nodded stiffly before getting up and gesturing for her to join him. Once she was off the bed, he fixed them up with magic and led her out of the room. They sat down to have some breakfast before he took her out of the inn and transported them to their little boat. Loki used his magic to take them to Jotunheim and he was confronted with the familiar wasteland. Why did he have to come here? Were one of the Gems here? He hated being here. Darcy must have sensed his tension because she was holding his hand again. Loki looked down at her and gave her a small smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. He walked with her through the wasteland, realising that he was in the same place that he, Thor and the others had arrived, but it was in far worse condition than before. His actions before he had fallen from the Bifrost had caused this and he hoped they found whatever it was that had brought him here before the Jotunns decided to roast him. However, luck was not to be on their side as they were suddenly surrounded by Jotunns.
He used his magic to surround Darcy completely with a shield and stared around at the Jotunns, all of which looked ready to attack. So they did. Loki used mainly shields and his knives to fend himself off, all the while keeping Darcy protected. Oddly enough, the Jotunns didn't target her, but he wasn't going to take any chances. They fought this way for a while before a sudden flash of light and a whole bunch of blue beings, the same ones from Nidavellir, came at them. There were quite a lot of them, far more than when they attacked the dwarves. He imagined they were well aware of the giants' strength and decided to bring more. Loki looked at the Jotunns who were unsure who to attack.
"Truce! Let us not fight each other…we need to fight them," Loki yelled. The Jotunns looked at each other before nodding and he found himself working alongside the ones he had grown up to hate in order to defend against the creatures who had slain a few people he knew. Even that poor Fire Giant girl had suffered at the hands of these barbarians and it felt good to fight them. It was all strangely surreal, but it soon stopped when the sounds of alarm came from the settlement nearby. The blue tyrants disappeared in a flash and the Jotunns forgot about Loki in their rush to return to the source of the alarms. Loki took Darcy around the waist and led her after them. He did not know why, but he needed to know what was going on. He had a horrible feeling he didn't need to see, though. Reaching the source, Loki stopped a little behind the Jotunns, who were huddled around a fallen figure.
"No! How did this happen? Who did this?" One Jotunn asked.
"We did not see it happen! It was…very strange," another said.
"The attack by those beings must have been a distraction so that they could target her," Loki said. "Who is she?"
"Princess Embyr, the Queen's daughter," a Jotunn replied, before looking at Loki with narrowed eyes. "You are no longer safe."
"I realise that. However, I am prepared to tell you all that I know, if you would let us go quietly," Loki said.
"You test our patience, Odinson. What information do you have?" The Jotunn asked.
"Those beings have not only done this here on Jotunheim, but also on Nidavellir, Muspelheim and Vanaheim. All female, now that I think about it. A young girl from Nidavellir, a young one from Muspelheim and a healer from Vanaheim," Loki said. "Is there anything about Embyr that I should know? I think these attacks are related, but I know not how."
The Jotunns exchanged a look before looking back at him suspiciously. "She was a warrior, the first for Jotunheim…joined our guard as soon as she was allowed, after the Queen stepped in," the Jotunn explained.
"If you let us leave here today, I can further investigate these occurrences. I can assist your revenge," Loki said.
"We still owe you some revenge for the damage upon Jotunheim," a Jotunn growled.
"He did kill Laufey, though," another said dryly, causing a little round of snickering. Huh.
"Hmmm…we will allow you to leave, but if you return without anything useful, you will not be given the same luxuries," the Jotunn said.
"Thank you," Loki said, bowing before walking off with Darcy. Once they were out of earshot, he took her hand.
"You could have gotten us out of here without their permission. Right? Right?!" Darcy asked.
"Of course. This way they are less angry with me," Loki said. "Only a very small fraction, but even so."
"You're going to make me go premature grey one of these days," Darcy said. He laughed.
