Chapter 7

They stepped back onto Asgardian soil. Loki, who was still holding Darcy, pulled her up into his arms and carried her to her room to rest from her ordeal. He called the healers in and ordered that she be healed immediately. Darcy was surprised by his protectiveness but allowed him to care for her.

"Loki, thank you for coming for me."

"Darling, I will always come for you. I told you that already."

"I know you did, it's just that I…" she was stopped by his finger shushing her.

"You need to rest, darling. I will be back later to check on you," he said before placing a gentle kiss to her head leaving her in the healers care.

Loki met his brother and hers outside her chamber and the three of them walked together to the throne room.

"How is she Brother?" Thor asked as they walked the golden halls.

"She will be fine or so I have been told. I mean to ask that the wedding be pushed back a little so that she has time to recover properly."

Ronin, who had not said anything, listened as his prince spoke of his sister. He knew that Loki was in love with his sister. In fact anyone who looked at him could tell especially when he looked at her but the prince would not say it to her. This confused the man greatly. He was about to ask Loki why he had yet to tell Darcy that he loved her when they reached the throne room.

"Father, Mother, Beren, Keeren she has been returned safely and is resting in her chamber from her misfortune. I am told she will recover but the beings that captured her injured her and she will need some time to heal so I am requesting that the wedding be put on hold until she has recover," Loki said to the group before him.

"Of course, my son. She has suffered from an extreme trauma and of course needs time to come to terms with what has happened to her. In the meantime though I am going to ask something very important of you, my son," Odin began startling Loki when he was once again called the son of Odin.

"Yes, Father?"

"I want you to magically seal all the old passageways leading into Asgard. Your mother has told me there are many coming into this realm and I do not want a repeat of what happened here today to happen again anytime in the future."

Loki merely nodded, letting the king know that it would be done even if he was not happy about it. But like Odin, he wasn't going to take the chance of someone coming after Darcy again.

Xxx

Keeren sat by her daughter's bedside waiting for her to awaken. She blamed herself for what had happened to her daughter even if she had nothing to do with it. She felt that since she had basically dragged her daughter back to Asgard it was her fault that she had gone through the ordeal that she had. Keeren caressed Darcy's bruised cheek that, with the healers help, had gone from a dark purple to a fading yellow and wondered why the creatures that had kidnapped Darcy had struck her.

Like everyone else she had been surprised that Loki was the one that insisted on going to retrieve his bethrothed when everyone there knew exactly the kind of man he was. It was a shock that still had not worn off even though it had been two days since the incident. Yet, now having seen his insistence at saving Darcy she knew that he would do everything within his power to keep her safe. Like her son, she knew the prince was in love with her daughter but she also knew that Darcy was in love with Loki. She wondered if and when the two would actually let the other know of their growing attachment.

Darcy stirred in her bed and slit her eyes open just a smidge so that they could adjust to the light flooding into the room. Turning her head, she could see her mother sitting in a chair beside the bed.

"Mom?" she croaked out through parched lips.

"Darcy! Thank goodness you are awake. How are you feeling dear?" her mother asked coming to stand over her.

"Thirsty," she managed to say with a small smile.

Keeren immediately filled a glass from the pitcher by the bed and helped her daughter to drink. "There, is that better?"

"Yes, thank you." Then after a moment asked, "How long have I been asleep?"

"Two days," was her mother's reply.

"Two days!" she exclaimed in shock, for she had never slept that long in her life.

"Yes, the healers thought it best to put you into a healing sleep that only you could awaken from when the time was right. Everyone has been by to sit with you but no one more than Loki. He is here almost as much as i am."

"I see. Let me guess who ordered the healers to help me in the first place," she said with a slight grin. Thankful that Loki had done everything he could to help her get well.

"Your guess is as good a mine dear," Keeren said with a smirk.

"Can I see him, Mother?"

"Of course, you may. I will be right back."

Darcy watched as her mother left her chamber and she laid back down to await her betroths presence. Her mother returned moments later and said that he was in a meeting with her father and his at the moment but he would be there as soon as he could. Darcy nodded and told her mother that she was going to take a nap. Funny how sleeping for two days could make one so tired, she thought before drifting off again.

About an hour later, Loki came into the room to find her sound asleep. He took up the chair that her mother had vacated an hour before. Taking her hand, he waited for her to awaken.

Darcy felt someone take her hand into theirs and knew that touch well. She had felt it in her dreams for weeks. Opening her eyes, she found Loki sitting by her side.

She offered a soft smile and waited to see if he was going to say anything.

"Darling I see you have finally decided to join the land of the living," he joked which made her smile grow.

"Indeed I have, your Highness," she teased back surprised at their sudden banter.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Better actually….thank you for taking care of me," she whispered softly, blushing the whole time.

"Think nothing of it, my dear. You are more than welcome. Besides it is my job to see that you are well taken care of as you are going to be my wife."

"About that, Loki," she began but he stopped her.

"I know you think that the wedding will take place in only a few days from now but I went ahead, in light of what you have gone through, and have asked that it be pushed back until you are completely recovered from your ordeal."

This surprised her as she knew how badly he wanted her, but she was grateful once again to his thoughtfulness. She wondered again if someone had replaced the old Loki she had known with someone else but shrugged the thought away.

"Thank you."

They spent the rest of the day talking quietly about everything that had happened in the past two days she had been out and she found out that he had sealed all the passageways leading to and from Asgard. He told her that he didn't want a repeat of what happened to her and that he did it to keep her safe.