Author's note: Oh man I am so sorry for the wait; I have a lot of chapters written out, I just fell into a void over the last however long. I'm gonna get the rest up.
Thank you for your comments and thank you for your patience, if you're still here. X3
Chapter thirteen
The hard part
They rested and slept for the rest of the day and night, naked as the day they were born and Loki felt oddly free. He was not one for showing off skin outside of intercourse, but he knew the lake had properties that not even he could begin to explain. Truth and purity lay within its waters, rather unfortunate for his dearest Darcy who had to bare her heart out to him. Not so much unwilling, but a persuasive factor lay within the depths of those waters. Loki stroked her back, slowly waking up as he contemplated the previous day's activity. It couldn't happen again, at least, not until he had worked out how he felt about her. In all honesty, he didn't know and didn't care to lead her on anymore. It just wasn't his style.
Darcy opened her eyes and gazed down at him, before looking down at herself and blushing as she rolled off of him. He turned around so that she could gather her clothes. He slowly phased into his own and listened out for any noises she might make. Oddly enough, she was silent and it was only when he heard the clinking of her armour piece that he turned around and got up, walking over to help her fix it. She turned around to look up at him.
"Um…" Darcy said.
"How about we leave this serious conversation for another time, when we have had enough time to process it?" Loki asked, hoping she would agree.
"I'd really like that. I don't regret it, don't worry, I just…" Darcy said.
"I understand, completely," Loki said. "Now, I have a feeling we have wasted time re-dressing, for I think the Gem is likely in the lake. Of course, you may stay here if you wish." Darcy sighed.
"No, I wouldn't mind a swim, but I…" Darcy said. "It's silly, but it's just so weird, swimming naked…"
"Relax, I can use magic to, ah, cloud certain parts," Loki said, winking at her. "No matter how disappointing that is." He earned himself a shove with that comment, but they both took to the water, naked but hidden from each other's eyes. He took hold of her hand and took her deep down into the water. He slowed his swimming down so that he didn't yank her arm off. Loki could tell that she enjoyed what she saw and he couldn't help but enjoy being the one to show her these amazing things. Perhaps it was arrogant of him, but he did not care. He was obviously looking at her too much because Darcy ended up being the one to spot the Gem.
"Look! Look! Something orange is glowing down there!" Darcy said. Loki led her further down so they could see it up close, and it was indeed the Time Gem. Darcy picked it up and stuck her tongue out at him. "I found it first!"
He ruffled her hair before taking her around the waist, bending his knees and shooting up towards the surface before swimming to shore and getting out. He dried and clothed both of them before gently taking the Gem, putting it in the slot one the knuckle of the middle finger.
"One more to find," Loki said.
"Are we still going to take a break?" Darcy asked.
"Of course. I did not lie when I said we should," Loki said.
A week passed and it had been refreshing to just do nothing, take time out and relax. It was actually rather refreshing and he was actually loathe to move on. He knew Darcy was torn between being restless and anxious to see something else and yet staying here. She had gone for a swim at least once a day and they had not brought up their little rendezvous in the lake at all. It suited him just fine, for the time being. They found Eryyi and he took them into the main city again in order to treat Darcy to a proper meal, but the city was roaring with pain and grief. What had happened? Loki walked up to the nearest elf.
"Excuse me, but…what is going on? Who has…" Loki asked, but he had a feeling he knew already.
"The beloved Queen! It is terrible! These blue bandits came in and the guards did everything they could," the elf said, trembling. Loki felt his heart lurch. Freyja had been a dear friend.
"It is with much sorrow that I hear such news and hope for her eternal blessing," Loki said.
"Her love and memory will always remain," the elf returned. Loki and the elf both reached simultaneously, kissing each other's cheeks in turn. He watched Darcy do her best to repeat his words and do the same before they bid the elf goodbye and walked through the street.
"This is horrible," Darcy said sadly. "Are we staying for…?"
"It has already passed," Loki said.
"Can we visit the grave, if they have them?" Darcy asked.
"Very few outside of Midgard have burials and graves. Much like Asgard, Alfheim sends the body in a boat and sets it on fire. Alfheim tends to fill the boats with flowers before placing the body inside," Loki said. "I imagine Asgardian warriors will turn up soon…"
An elf passing them stopped and looked at them. "The warriors of Asgard cannot come here at present. Our Mistress of Fate cannot see Asgard, much like she did not see this attack on the palace coming…we believe Asgard is in trouble," the elf said. "We are preparing our armies in case of another attack and strengthening our magical defences as we speak."
"Thank you for your information," Loki said, before repeating the words and gestures of grieving. He took Darcy's hand. "We must return to Asgard. If it is these people, I will avenge Freyja and the others."
He transported the two of them invisibly to Asgard and it was chaos. How did they get past Heimdall? A lot of people seemed to be doing that these days. A few of the blue beings were charging up some sort of magical weapon on the Bifrost before they slammed it down. Not hard enough to break in one go. Even Mjölnir couldn't do it in one strike. Loki shifted the two of them into other forms and blasted the three off of the bridge. What a pity the Jotunns wouldn't be trustworthy here or he would bring them through to exact their revenge.
The battle didn't last long before the blue beings disappeared. Probably having killed someone. After making them invisible again, he walked up to the Warriors three and Thor, who started to clear up the mess left behind in the battle. Loki looked down at Darcy and started to pull her away when a guard came up to Thor.
"Do we have any injuries or fatalities?" Thor asked.
"Only one, Your Highness. It is difficult news to pass, but it is the Lady Sif," the guard said. He could see his brother's shock as clear as day, along with the Warriors'. He barged past the guard and Loki followed the four friends to where the healers had gathered around Sif in the palace entrance. How had she not been fighting with the Warriors? Usually they were inseparable.
"It cannot be…tell me that she is alive, Healer Eir," Thor commanded, desperate to know that the guard had lied.
"I am sorry, Prince Thor, but there are no life signs," Eir said. Loki saw anger on Thor's face as he silently vowed to find the beings and make them pay. He found it quite odd. These deaths seemed to be singular and sought out. The beings would leave seemingly when the person they had targeted was dead. All very suspicious. He kept wondering about it even as the funeral was set up.
"I can't believe it," Darcy said.
"Nor can I…" Loki said, though not with the same sentiment as Darcy's own. They watched the boat float across the water before they set it on fire using an arrow. Loki watched the flaming boat reach the edge and drop, with the sparkling…
Loki frowned.
To the normal eye, the mist that was the person's soul was normal, but this was…
Not right.
His eyes widened and his heart beat a little faster. This was hope. He leant down to Darcy.
"We must go," Loki said.
"What? But it's not…that would be disrespectful," Darcy whispered.
"To the dead, maybe. But the Lady Sif is not dead," Loki said.
"What?!" Darcy said.
"I am willing to believe that all of these deaths were faked. The soul that arose from her body did not possess the usual qualities…it was not real," Loki said.
"And you've only just noticed this?" Darcy asked.
"I was not really paying much attention the time in Nidavellir, and I imagine those of Vanaheim and Alfheim were too distressed to notice, if they were capable," Loki said. He pulled her closer to himself. He wasn't sure where else to look for the Soul Gem, but they hadn't been to the part of Svartalfheim that still possessed the remaining Dark Elves. Ones much different to the ilk of Malekith. To the point where they often called the remaining ones Svarrelves. He transported them to Svartalfheim, the other side of it.
The sky was as dull and dark as ever, but on the ground it appeared to be a metropolis. Of the dark variety. He felt Darcy shiver next to him and he held her closer.
"Worry not, Darcy, the elves here are not quite as bad as those you have encountered, but they are also not to be completely trusted. They are…tricky. Neither on the side for good or the side for bad," Loki said.
"Basically you, then?" Darcy teased. He shook his head at her and moved on, traipsing through the city and nodding respectfully at the residents. Unlike their other brethren, these elves had light purplish skin, with vividly coloured eyes and different hair colours. Not quite as varied as the hair colours of Vanaheim, but they were interesting folk all the same. Unfortunately, Loki did not get any particular sense that there was a Gem on this realm. He would not have expected it to be here, in all honesty, but he had to at least have a look. He knew it was not on Midgard, because he had been there nearly two years ago and had felt nothing. It seemed like a bit of a lost cause coming here and he knew there was only one place they had not checked.
"I think it is time to move on…I do not sense it here," Loki said.
"I'm not surprised," Darcy said. "It doesn't seem conductive to hold a Soul Gem."
Loki transported them to the final realm, the one that was believed to have been the first realm. It was covered in snow for as far as the eye could see and it was a mixture of white and very pale blue. Snow drifted lazily to the ground, only very gently and Darcy looked around in wonder.
"Welcome to Niflheim, home to the Norns and the gateway to Helheim," Loki said.
"That's where the old or sick people go in myths, right?" Darcy asked.
"Yes, though in reality, it is where all souls go. They name the destination of the good souls Valhalla and the bad, Hell," Loki said. He stepped forward. "The snow here is not snow, but memories. The white snowflakes are the memories of the living while the pale blue snowflakes are the memories of the dead."
"Wow," Darcy said. "So everyone's memory? If I put my hand out, I could catch my own memory?"
"Yes," Loki said. "Usually the memories you catch have some significance to you."
Darcy took his hand and held it out. "We should catch one together," Darcy said. Loki wasn't really sure he wanted to, but he had no choice. A pale blue snowflake landed on his palm and they were both suddenly surrounded by the memory. His mother paced the floor of hers and Odin's chambers, worried and restless. Loki swallowed, feeling the same pain and guilt over the loss of his mother. It would never ebb. He was stuck with it.
Finally, the doors opened and his mother rushed to the battle-worn Odin to see how he fared. Her face contorted in muted horror as she took in his face, now missing an eye, and Loki realised what memory this was even though it was new to him.
"Odin!" His mother breathed.
"Frigga, not now, it matters not. I…Laufey had abandoned his son in the temple. He is so small, I could not simply leave him to die," Odin said, softly. A rare emotion moment for the cold King. His mother looked down and gasped, immediately taking himself as an infant into her arms and moving away, cradling him as if he were the most precious thing in her universe.
"I think I would have had a lot to say if you had left him. Poor babe, you did not deserve this, so beautiful and so precious. We will name you our own, little one," his mother said.
"I do not think he was named. I think you should name this one, Frigga," Odin said, standing next to her and peering down at his new son. Baby Loki was content in his mother's arms, looking around at the world with green eyes. "It was quite unusual…I believe he will be quite gifted with magic, for he instinctively imitated an Aesir appearance."
"I feel it in him. A great bringer of magic and wonder…Loki," his mother said, practically glowing.
"Loki Odinson. I think good fortune has come from your illness of late, at least no one can suspect that he is not ours by blood," Odin said.
"No, but he is ours by everything else," his mother said. "We should introduce him to Thor."
"I already know that I will be grey by the time they mature," Odin said.
The memory faded and Loki blinked back tears. It did not change the lies, but it was something. He felt arms wrapping around him and he reciprocated the hug, his cheek resting on her head. When he started this journey, he never realised how difficult it would be. How much pain and sorrow it would bring. He never realised he would make such a friend in Darcy. Could he call her friend? He did not know what happened to that vow to never let anyone else in who could hurt and destroy him. Apparently it was inevitable.
He pulled away and took her hand, walking through the snow. They were greeted by the odd glimpse of memories, some of his, some of hers and some random people's. It was entertaining, though he couldn't quite rid himself of the sadness and emptiness he felt within. Some of the memories were humorous, but he felt no wish to laugh. It took them a long while before they reached the large hole in the ground that they needed to travel through. The Soul Gem was not here. Loki was out of ideas.
"Trust me," Loki said, taking her around the waist before jumping into the hole and getting sucked through very briefly before turning around and standing upon a ledge. It was a large cavernous place with high ceilings. A narrow path cut through black water, though what the water actually looked like was beyond anyone's knowledge, for it was only light enough to see because of the sconces on the walls. He led Darcy down the path towards their desired destination and stopped at a pair of very large doors, so large that even the giants of Jotunheim and Muspelheim would feel like dwarves in comparison. The doors were intricately carved with the Yggdrasil tree and what must have been the stories of creation. Each telling held different drawings and interpretations.
"This is…wow," Darcy said.
"The Gates of Hell, the Pearly Gates, the Doorway to Heaven…so many nicknames, we would be here for a long time if they were all spoken," Loki said.
"You should be here a long time regardless," a voice interrupted them. Loki looked upwards and stepped backwards as the figure dropped down and stood before them. Dressed elegantly in a black and white dress, there stood the Guardian of Hell and Valhalla, both synonymous with each other, reflecting the dual appearance of its keeper.
"Hel, long time, no see. You look even more beautiful than the last time I saw you," Loki said.
"Why, thank you, Loki. It is always a pleasure to see you, though I believe this time you want something," Hel said. As in legend, Hel's appearance split in the middle. On the right side, she had the appearance of a regular Asgardian: lightly tanned, fair hair and a blue eye. One the other, very pale death-white skin, somewhat gaunt-looking, black hair and a red eye.
Loki bowed politely. "Yes, I apologise," Loki said.
"Do not apologise, Loki. Most who come here do want something. You rarely do," Hel said.
"I never lied when I told you that I enjoy your company," Loki said.
"Um…can I ask…?" Darcy asked. Loki chuckled.
"No, Hel is not my daughter. She is older than I am," Loki said. "Older than most people, really."
"He does, however, treat me like a daughter, particularly when others are not so…kind towards my appearance," Hel said with a huff.
"Earth has you really wrong," Darcy said. "I think you look awesome. I like the half-half thing you got going on there."
"Yes, I am half-corpse according to the myths, it is rather dull. But thank you," Hel said. She looked at Loki. "Down to business. You know I cannot treat you as a friend at this point."
"Understood," Loki said. He revealed the gauntlet with the five Gems. "I could not find the Soul Gem, but I implore you to consider my proposal. These five Gems and the gauntlet in exchange for my mother. I want her back in the land of the living, no awful catch, just alive like she was before."
Hel stared at the gauntlet for a moment before chuckling. "Loki, reach into your right-hand, inner pocket," she said. Loki frowned, but followed her orders. He reached in and clasped something, bringing it out. The Soul Gem. "You had it all this time; your mother placed it into your pocket, knowing you would possibly die in the convergence."
"What?" Loki asked, faintly, looking up at her with a frown. "She…she could have lived."
"Yes, but your life was more important to her. Do not waste her sacrifice, Loki," Hel said. Loki placed the Gem in the slot on the top of the gauntlet, below the rest, in the middle. He took the gauntlet off and offered it to her.
"The gauntlet and the Gems for my mother. I believe it to be a fair exchange. They are the most powerful objects in the nine realms," Loki said.
"While that is true, I am not sure that is sacrifice enough. What else do you have to offer?" Hel asked.
Loki frowned. "Myself, my magic…please, Hel," Loki said. "My mother was taken, it was not fair…"
"Such petulance will get you nowhere. I will give you your mother back," Hel said. Loki's face lit up.
"In exchange for your companion, Darcy Lewis," Hel said.
