Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters here used. I wish I did, but they all belong to Marvel and its great All-Father: Stan Lee.
My Beta is still too amazing to be real. :)
"I get up and pace the room, as if I can leave my guilt behind me. But it tracks me as I walk, an ugly shadow made by myself."
― Rosamund Lupton, Sister
*one year after prologue*
"Miss Darcy, the ceremony is about to start!" Her chambermaid (every time she visited Asgard, Odin assigned her the same chambermaid and she had to suck it up because protocole), Túrid, urged her.
"I know, I know! If you had practical clothes up here I would be ready in no time!"
Darcy was currently struggling with the many laces of the back of her light blue dress.
The dress was beautiful and it moved around her with the grace of clear water. It covered her enough to be appropriate for the occasion, and it was also comfortable, but complicated af to put on.
Túrid, who was waiting at the door, sighed in exasperation and walked to her with scolding written all over her pretty Asgardian face. She adjusted the laces a bit too tightly and Darcy huffed, knowing that this was Túrid's revenge for her words about Asgardian clothing. Then she took a black, thick velvet cloak and put it around her shoulders. Dacy tied it up with a silver brooch and smoothed it while Túrid prodded her towards the door. As soon as she was out, Darcy started running through the hallway.
"At the end of the corridor, turn right!" She heard Túrid's yell behind her. " And then, remember, THIRD DOOR WITH A GOLDEN WOOD FIRE CARVED IN IT!"
"Everything's golden, you twit!" Replied Darcy, but raised her thumb.
The freaking dress was threatening to make her trip all over the floor, so she grabbed fistfuls of it, pulled it up and raced through the endless hallway. She had to make it. She wasn't going to be late. Just in time. As usual. This was important. The place resounded with her footsteps, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest.
The hallway finally ended, Darcy turned right and entered the throne room. She stopped in her tracks - almost tripping, what the hell with Asgardian floors?- located the famous third door and then sprinted towards it. Yep, that one had the fire carved in it, and it was slightly opened. She thought she heard a few guards snickering at her, and she knew why: not every day you got to see a clearly not Asgardian girl running like crazy.
When she was about two meters to crash against the door, she stopped, smoothed her clothes again, wiped the sweat from her forehead and entered the place, breathing deeply through her nose to steady her heartbeat.
It was an ample room, with a high ceiling. Everything was enveloped in shadows, with the exception of a warm, orange lamp at the other side of the place. There, a group of people were standing in silence. Darcy stepped quietly towards them, and joined. The ceremony was about to start.
A young girl, (she looked around fifteen, but Darcy knew better than to judge by looks when she was among Asgardians) with a black gown and barefoot, walked to the dimming lamp, carrying a bottle with oil. She poured the oil around the only flame left, and suddenly the flame expanded to the entire surface previously occupied by the oil. It was a perfume burner, very similar to the Olympic Torch. Darcy could see the entire room then: everything, from floor to ceiling, had runes carved in it. There was no grave, and Darcy knew from Jane that Frigga had been given an Asgardian funeral, very similar to a Viking's funeral in many ways. She had been incinerated in a boat and the boat had been sent to Valhalla...quite literally.
A strong flowery scent filled the air, and for the first time, Darcy noted the people who had gathered to honour Frigga's death anniversary.
Odin was the closest to the torch, his head low and wearing a black fur cape instead of the usual red. Thor was next to it, and he had his armour on, only without the cape. Jane was at his side, and she had a grey gown and not a single piece of jewellry. Their two children, Thyra and Haldor, were silently watching the ritual, grabbing her mother's hands. Sif and the Warrior's Three were next, then, some members of the court she knew the names of: Bjarke, Aslaug, Kustaa, Hertha...
Lastly, in the farthest corner and with the hood of his black cloak up, covering his face, Loki. He wasn't moving, or doing anything. He was just standing there, still like a statue.
No one was looking at her and she didn't want to draw any attention, so she stayed where she was.
A woman with a soft voice was singing about death, loss and consolation, and her song draw tears to everyone's faces. The light was warm, and her flickering shine moved the people's shadows across the walls. Darcy, a stranger in that place, lowered her head.
When the song finished, everyone was given a glass cup and a servant poured amber mead in them. Odin was the first: he finished drinking his cup with a long sip and smashed it on the floor.
"Another!" He screamed, making Darcy jump.
Okay. That was weird. Thor used to smash mugs when he was on Earth for the first time, what it was nothing compared to what Odin had just done.
Everyone else raised their cups, drank its contents in one gulp and smashed the glass at the screams for another glass. Darcy could hear thunder crackling outside, and knew Thor was experimenting a lot more than he was showing with his face. Jane was openly crying and her children stared at her, unable to do anything.
After everything quieted down, Odin spoke.
"Thank you for being here today. I now initiate the feast. It will last three days and three nights. At the end of the third night, we will come back here and re ignite the Flame of Eternity with the magical oil that will last another year."
The people started talking and Darcy approached Jane first. Her former boss was still weeping softly, and she put a hand on her shoulder.
"There, there, princess." Darcy whispered, and Jane jumped at the sound.
"Oh my goodness! Darce!" Jane smiled openly through the tears. "Why didn't I know you were coming?"
Darcy took a while to reply, because as soon as Thyra and Haldor saw her, they ran to her giggling and hugged her waist tightly.
"Hmpf! How are you, tiny nerd Thors?" Darcy ruffled the blond hair of the twins and they yelled and laughed. Darcy embraced them both and filled their cheeks with tiny kisses. Then she looked at Jane and beamed. "You didn't know because I wanted it to be a surprise! I didn't want to miss this ritual."
Jane's face fell.
"It is a very important day here. And now you have to attend the feast."
The people started walking towards the door and the two women stayed back purposefully. Thor, sensing that they needed some privacy, nodded at Darcy and took his children with him. Loki was already gone, without acknowledging her presence. Darcy and Loki barely spoke at each other in public. Few and very select people knew about their alliance, and they wanted to keep it that way. The rest of Asgard knew her as the friend of the Princess.
"I will not be here three days. I have information for him, and then I'll wait on Earth until he is able to come. I have some stuff to do while waiting anyways. So, what were your thoughts about this kind of...um...thing?"
"You know Frigga saved my life from the Kursed. Without her, I wouldn't be here today, and my children would not exist. I owe her...everything I have." The honeyed eyes of Jane were bright with tears. Darcy threw her arm around Jane's shoulders."Anyways, I thought it would be different. More...Frigga-like. Thor told me she was sweet, comprehensive and compassionate. She liked her garden, her flowers, her music...she wasn't a warrior unless she had no other choice. This ceremony was a bit too Odin-like. But I guess she would have liked it that way."
They had reached the door, and when Darcy saw the throne room, her mouth fell open.
A large wooden table occupied most of it, and they had lowered the lights to make everything a little more welcoming to the eye: candle-lit rooms made people look younger and healthier. Also, the dark corners were the perfect place to naughty couples.
Everyone was already sitting, and Darcy noticed that there were more people: probably the entire court, their families and children, and some ambassadors from other realms: a man from Vanaheim, Fikri, whom she knew personally. He was a very nice light elf and Darcy was fascinated about his similarities with the elves from Lord of the Rings. There was also a dwarf from Nidavellir. She had seen him before, but she hadn't been officially introduced to him...so she secretly called him Gimli. The dwarf nodded in her direction once, but he didn't try to talk to her. Across the Nine Realms it was very impolite to just go talk to someone you had seen a couple times. You had to be introduced to that person. That was one of the first things Loki had taught her.
Thor was already sitting besides Odin. The Allfather had his two grandchildren on his lap, and for a brief second she found him similar to Santa Claus. Shaking the thought out of her head, she smiled at him respectfully and took her seat between Jane and Sif.
Everything started really...normal. Food, mead, wine, some soft - kinda celtic music in the background, laughter and conversation.
At midnight, Darcy was ready to go to bed. Sif didn't trust her (she didn't trust anyone who had anything to do with Loki and Sif knew about the alliance), so the woman kept surreptitiously glaring at her. As if Darcy couldn't tell what she was doing. Good-old Jane hadn't noticed, and she tried to bring up topics of conversation with both Darcy and Sif. Neither of them did anything to help Jane. Also, she had caught the attention of Fandral already. He couldn't manage his own libido and anytime he saw her around Asgard, he flirted with her. The guy was persistent at his best, and annoying at his worse. The children had all gone with their nurses to sleep, so Darcy couldn't go play with them to have a proper excuse to not talk to Sif or avoid Fandral.
Some time later, things were going downhill for Darcy. The air was heavy with the smell of food, people and the heat of the innumerable candles.
Thor was making out with Jane in one of the dark corners, a drunk Sif had gone to fight with Hogun on the training fields and a bunch of warriors who were making bets on which one of them would win, Fandral had two asgardian women on his lap, the ambassadors were gone to their realms, Volstagg was still eating and not talking, and Odin was locked up in Frigga's mausoleum.
The rest of the people? Some were having a competition on who could drink more mead without passing out from the intoxication.
But a lot of them were dancing. Provocatively, tightly dancing to the loud music. Some exotic - because she had no other word to describe them- dancers were sensually moving their hips, letting the men graze suggestively their flawless skin.
Darcy had never been in an orgy, but she bet that's how those started. More and more couples were smooching by the minute, and she was really uncomfortable. She could feel the energy of the room heating up. She had also drank a considerable amount of mead, but her state was far better than most of the presents.
Suddenly, she remembered. She was there for a reason. She had information to tell Loki.
Even in the warm and pleasant haze of the alcohol running through her veins, Darcy knew Loki was not going to be easy to find. He never was.
But that night, luck was on her side.
Her wandering eyes stopped at one of the doors. One she had never crossed. He was there, standing against the wall, the hood of his black cloak hiding most of his face. He also had a glass of mead and his long, pale fingers held it firmly by the base. He was tall and dark, an ignominious stain among the loud, golden and bright crowd of Asgardians, with their blond hair, their sunlight-kissed skins and their colourful gardens. Loki was a ghost. A traitor. An unwanted surprise. An unexpected consequence. An outcast. His own darkness made him stand out between the crowds, almost as if he could swallow the light around him.
Darcy sighed and raised from her comfortable chair. The world spinned in her field of vision, swirling around her in a confusing mix of color and music and smell and the coldness of her drink in her hand. However, she kept her composure and walked to him, feigning a sobriety she didn't entirely felt.
"Hi, moody alien…"she waved happily.
Loki was uncomfortable with her informality at such public display. Glancing around quickly, he murmured only for her to hear:
"Not 'ere. Follow me."
As a general rule, Darcy would have made a witty remark about his intentions, but this time she was too surprised to say anything. Loki was drunk. He was drunk! Why else would he speak like that! His voice, though still low, was a little too raspy. His words were slightly slurred at the ends. She could have said it right there, but the information was her priority. It had to be done. It was not the best moment of all, but it was the only moment they had. Still, she hated being drunk herself. Why had she had that mead? It was Asgardian, it was strong AF!
Loki moved fast and with catlike movements that Darcy envied slightly. His cloak swayed around him gracefully, like feathery raven wings, and his footsteps were silent. Darcy could never be like that.
He took an unguarded and narrow hallway and turned right. A beautiful little arch was the private entrance for a peaceful garden. When Darcy saw it, the surprise filled her blushed cheeks.
Suddenly, the sounds of the party were no longer audible. The air blowed soft between the trees and flowers, fresh and pure, and the moonlight - Darcy knew that it was not technically a moon, but another realm...anyways it looked like the moon for her- bathed everything in a silvery, if not mysterious shadow. Millions of stars twinkled in the night sky, and for a second Darcy felt overwhelmed about the destiny of the Universe, should they fail in its protection.
"What is this place?" Whispered Darcy, absorbed in the contemplation of the surrounding landscape.
There was a moment of silence, and Loki cleared his throat.
"This is my m...Frigga's favorite garden. When she was...alive, she often came 'ere to read, to knit or just to think." His voice was neutral, his words carefully selected, even when he was not entirely sober. Darcy envied that as well. She closed her eyes for a minute.
"Why were you in the feast? I thought you hated Asgardian parties."
"'tis not a party, Miss Lewis. This is Mo...Frigga's death anniversary. I did it fa' her."
Loki started to walk and gestured Darcy to follow him. They stepped between a labyrinth of plants, and at the end of the way they found a little round table and two crescent-shaped seats, all of it made of white stone that reflected the light. Loki took a seat and Darcy sat down on the opposite side, the table between them.
"So, why hiding? You've never had a problem with being an annoying prick in front of other Asgardians."
Darcy wasn't really hoping he would answer, but maybe the mead he had drank had something to do with the way his voice sounded when he spoke.
"This was different. I was hoping somethin' different. That feast is not what she would've liked."
"Why?" He was actually answering the question! Maybe she was pushing her luck, but hey, she wasn't about stopping now.
"'Cuz she was not from Asgard. She was from Vanaheim. And there things are differen'. More delicate."
"How so?"
Loki finally put down the hood and revealed his face. His long, black hair was combed backwards, as usual, and his high cheekbones and pale skin were perfectly visible. He stared at her for a moment, thinking about his answer.
"In Vanaheim, they don't do...all this noise."
"It is a little too noisy, right? I thought they were going to start an orgy at some point."
Alright. She was actually making Loki talk. Miraculous Asgardian mead!
To her surprise, Loki chuckled.
"This is nothing. Asgard is known fo' its wild parties. Not orgies, anyways."
Darcy knew she had information to give...but the temptation was too strong.
"Um, so how's a celebration of this kind in Vanaheim?"
Loki let his gaze wander around the place. Everything was so peaceful...and it felt safe. Even when it was a lie and the information she had proved it, Darcy cherished that false sense of protection. She never had enough of it.
"They sing songs. Not all that yelling you heard about war, honor and Valhalla, but real, beautiful songs. Everythin' is don' outside the palace...they plant flowers all around the memorial...and when it's nearly evenin', they release kuumailmapalloksi to the sky."
"Kuwhat?"
Loki sighed, a little exasperated with her ignorance of Vanaheim's dialect. She was supposed to know at least the basic words of each realm...good luck with that. Even English was complicated for her sometimes.
"Those balloons we saw in the last diplomacy mission…"
Darcy beamed, a little touched about the ceremony. It really was more delicate. And the balloons had been a beautiful surprise, though they weren't invited to the ritual.
"Why didn't they do something more...vanaheim-ish?"
She muttered the words for herself, but Loki heard her and answered anyways.
"Because my mother choose to abandon her native traditions in Odin's favour. A decision she tried to hold through the years, though fa...Odin knew she missed her home. I thought he would honour that decision by giving her something from her home, even after her death. But he didn't."
Darcy was not surprised by the resentment she heard in Loki's voice. His adoptive father -not that he would call him father at all- was a difficult man to have a conversation with, and his past actions regarding Loki were not precisely talking about an excellent fatherhood.
She had never knew Frigga. She hadn't even seen a picture or a portrait of the woman. But Frigga, a queen from another realm, wife of a stubborn old god, with two problematic children and a kingdom to take care of, had saved Jane. Frigga had saved her best friend, and because of her sacrifice Jane had lived enough to marry Thor and have two children with him. She had also saved the Universe from the Dark Elves.
Yes, the Universe was in danger again, and yes, Darcy hadn't forgot about her task, but...Frigga haven't been properly honoured. If Loki was telling the truth about Vanaheim, Odin hadn't even considered something similar to a Vanir funeral.
She had to do something.
"You know what, I'm done with the feast. I'm off to sleep. And you're drunk. Don't think I haven't noticed."
Darcy tended to do that when she felt a conversation was too deep. There were things she never discussed with Loki. Like his torture. Or the murdering of her parents. Or even his relationship with Thor. She knew Loki was doing some kind of "community service", and she knew he had confessed. She knew he was pretty much on the good side...though apparently Odin didn't trust his adopted son that much. He had, after all, given her a little device that could knock out Loki in case he tried to betray her. Asgardian weaponry.
"Very clever observation, Miss Lewis." Loki closed his eyes and tilted his head. " Good night."
"Night."
But when Darcy finally went to bed that night - realizing in the way of her dormitory that she had left her cloak in the throne room- she couldn't shake Frigga and her death away from her thoughts.
Things in Asgard were fairly pleasant. She woke up and the breakfast was already there, hot and waiting for her. Along with the tray, a little note in which she recognized the handwritting of Túrid.
"Hungover? Drink the brown cup. Then eat. I hope you had a great time last night! T."
"Come on! So they have crazy feasts and then they don't have to suffer hangovers?" Darcy complained.
However, it was actually great she had that beverage around, because her head felt heavy and her mouth was dry.
She had forbidden Túrid to enter her room in the mornings to help her dress - I'm not five!- but that morning was a little hard for her to choose her clothing. It had to be neutral enough, and comfortable enough.
Darcy had been thinking a lot last night. About Frigga and her sacrifice. She wanted to honour her in a more proper way. And, not that she was going to tell anybody about it, the ritual Loki described was very close to what she wanted to do on Earth to honour her own parents.
Claudia and Thomas Lewis had been loving, patient and comprehensive humans. Their deaths had been unnecessary and painful, and there wasn't a day in which Darcy didn't think about why they were not with her anymore. The answer was simple: she had caught the wrong attention on her person, a year ago. Some evil dude had recognized her and he had escaped. Not even four hours later, her parent's house in New Jersey exploded. Police said it was a homemade bomb.
It had been a year ago. She was ready to honour them in the way she couldn't when they died. Nobody had told her until two days later, when there was nothing to be done. She never knew what happened to that guy she failed to keep her identity hidden. She was sent to spy, and she had failed. There were consequences.
Heimdall smiled faintly when he saw Darcy walking to his Observatory. She had refused to ride horses or climb on boats on her own, so she always walked when she wanted to talk to him alone. They were familiar with each other, and Heimdall was always nice, if not intimidating.
The girl was wearing black pants and a short white dress over it, black boots and the hair neatly pulled in a ponytail. She carried a leather bag and a bright smile.
Suspicious.
"Good morning, my favourite Asgardian dude! So, keeping an eye at the Galaxy?" Darcy waved a little too enthusiastically.
"Good morning, Lady Darcy. What brings you here in this fine morning?" Heimdall decided to play along.
"I only wanted to visit you!" Darcy acted all offended...but then her expression fell. "...and maybe ask you if you could let me go to Vanaheim for a short while. I kinda need to buy a few things but..ahem...I can't find them anywhere but Vanaheim."
"Miss Darcy, this is against all the rules." Heimdall was nice, but firm. "You can't travel through the Bifröst unless it is for a diplomatic mission and with company. You agreed on this matter a year ago."
"Yeah, you see… " Darcy scratched her head. "I'm on a mission...it's not diplomatic, but hey, my contract said "mission". Work with me here!"
"Clever word choice." Heimdall smiled sympathetically. "But it's still against the rules."
Darcy sighed unhappily.
"Dude. Come on. I need to go to Vanaheim...and Midgard after Vanaheim."
"What could possibly be so urgent if you're not on an official mission?"
"Well…you saw Frigga's commemoration last night...it was not really Vanir. Loki…" Heimdall went very serious and Darcy cringed, knowing mentioning Loki was never an advantage. "Loki told me she quit every tradition from her realm to be with Odin and help him. And last night was...so very Asgardian! I know" alright Loki had told her that too but she was so not going to mention him again. "how is the ritual for the deaths in Vanaheim and I want to honour her in the ways her own parents would have. And...I kinda want to put my parents into the equation as well. " Well, that was hard to mention so lightly, but she had to go on and persuade Heimdall. "That's why I need to go to Earth. And Vanaheim."
Heimdall stared at her with his golden eyes for so long Darcy was half expecting some kind of x-ray (superman style) coming out of his eyes to melt her on the ground.
"Very well. You have one hour to go to both places."
Darcy jumped and almost hugged him, but the armour was still too much for her to process.
"Thankyouthankyouthankyou! You are the best, dude! I'll go to Vanaheim first!"
She walked quickly to the exit of the Bifröst and stood there, impatiently waiting. Heimdall smiled and climbed up his spot, where his gigantic sword was placed.
When he sank the sword, a question escaped through her lips.
"Why are you letting me do this so easily?"
She could see the faint half-grin he gave her, like knowing she was going to ask that.
"My father was from Vanaheim, and the Allmother was very well known to the other realms. Known, and loved."
And with that, he sank the sword and in a flash of light, Darcy was gone.
Vanaheim was a beautiful planet. Bigger than Asgard, and no so densely inhabited. The Vanir were very similar to Asgardians, with the exception that they were lso magic yielders, and the ones who had provided Asgardians with all their magical weapons. Over the years, Darcy had come to appreciate Vanir a lot more than she did Asgard in general. Vanir loved nature, and they didn't have one ruler but small communities, in some kind of tribal organization. They were guided by elders. Also, they were nice and welcomed everyone into their borders.
She landed in a forest clearing, inhaling deeply through her nostrils. Though she had grown accustomed to travel by Bifröst, it was still a little hard for her to not panic.
The air was chilly, but Darcy knew that the sunlight and the ten minutes walk till the nearest "Kuvila" was going to warm her up.
Kuvila was the name Vanir gave to their small communities. The one she was going to visit was called "Kaupunki linnut", or "city of birds".
Two guards stepped forward when she approached the town's entrance, and Darcy smiled to them.
"Good morning. I am Ambassador Darcy Lewis, of Midgard."
"What is your purpose for this visit?" Asked one of them sternly.
Okay, maybe during her first visits the people had been welcoming and warm...now it was not that great. War had made them cautious, at least this particular Kuvila.
"I'm here to buy some things at the market...not going to take long."
"Do you have some kind of identification with you?" the other said, a little nicer.
Darcy raised a hand gesturing them to wait and fished the ID SHIELD gave her out of her bag. She gave it to one of the guards and he examined it carefully.
"You may pass, ambassador."
"Thanks, have a good day."
The very first lesson she had learned while studying Political Science was how to be internationally nice. Presently, it would be how to be universally nice. Or, as Tony had put it once, "keep your friends rich and your enemies rich until finding out which is which."
She had to say, it worked amazingly well.
The little market in the city had everything she needed, and in barely half an hour she was back in Heimdall's Observatory. In Earth, things were even simpler and she was back in fifteen minutes.
"Jane...Jane. Jane! Wake the fuck up, woman!" Darcy half-whispered while shaking her friend's shoulder.
"Darcy have you ever heard about silence while one's sleeping, shit?" Jane grumbled groggily. She closed her eyes again, but Darcy was not easily deterred when she wanted something.
The room was dark, but Thor was not sleeping there. Darcy had came across him in the kitchens, and he was having a quite large breakfast with the Warriors Three. Hogun had a black eye that wasn't there the night before. Though she wasn't particularly close to Sif, she smirked on her way to Jane's room. Girl power!
"I need you to cover me up tonight at the feast. Make up some excuse...please."
At that, Jane opened her eyes just a bit.
"Are you going to be on a mission?" She asked, her voice raspy.
"Not exactly. It's too long to tell now. I need you to say something, like, I dunno, like I'm sick from last night and that I won't attend the feast."
"W...what? Why?" Jane woke up completely and stared at her.
"Because...like I already said, I can't quite tell you right now. Alright, damn it! I'll tell you. Have you ever been to Frigga's garden? It's actually close to the throne room."
"Yeah...Thor showed it to me a while ago. Nobody ever goes there. Odin certainly doesn't want people in that place."
"Well, Odin be damned. I'm doing something there tonight. I'll tell you when you have breakfast in your tummy, come on. You are invited to go if you want. Thyra and Haldor as well." Jane kept staring at her. "Alright, fuck, I'll be honouring both Frigga's sacrifice and the death of my parents tonight!"
Darcy was expecting Jane's good old scolding, but to her surprise, her friend smiled.
"It was about damn time! Thor's been ranting about it for days now!"
"Thor?" Darcy was confused.
"Yeah. He told me Frigga was not from Asgard but from Vanaheim. Odin was going to make only an Asgardian ceremony. He was rather furious."
"Okay. Well, he can also drop by, though I'm sure people will notice his absence. Um, and besides Loki is going to be there. I don't want them destroying Frigga's garden, or Asgard, because of their problems."
Jane gave her a knowing look. Thor and Loki couldn't be in the same room for fifteen minutes. Loki would say something offensive - on purpose, of course- Thor would answer and between seconds they would jump at each other's throats. Odin would yell, Jane and Darcy would roll their eyes and the guards would pull them apart...screaming and kicking like children.
"So…-Jane fidgeted with the sheets and looked away, feigning innocence. - Are you doing this for Loki?"
Darcy knew that the question was unavoidable. Though she had pretended not to see, everyone who knew something about their alliance speculated. Darcy couldn't blame them. With the Universe hanging on the balance, a war at their hands and literally lots of new dimensions...people tried to avoid the acknowledging they might die sooner than later. They held on whatever distraction they could find. Feasts, parties, movies, shopping...anything.
And, let's face it, she and Loki were a good distraction. A human girl working with the psychotic god? - nobody really knew he had been tortured, after all. - Anyways, even when only a few Asgardians and even fewer humans knew the nature of their relationship, whispers and gossip followed them wherever they went.
"I'm doing this for Frigga. For what she did before dying. For saving the universe...and for my parents. Loki is in this because he told me about the ritual…"
"Okay" Jane surrendered. "And he was not present when Frigga's funeral was made. He was in prison. The funeral itself was a mix of Asgard and Vanaheim."
"He deserved it."pointed out Darcy.
"….Yeah. I'll be there tonight. And Thor. Just...I'll get him to behave."
Night had fallen again over Asgard. And, after sleeping it off for almost the entire day, Asgardians had decided to get drunk and dance one more time. Darcy was excused from the feast by Jane, and no one suspected anything. Asgardian alcohol was not made for human complexions. So basically everyone assumed that Darcy's liver had just given up and tried to save itself by making her throw up her first meal.
Thank God it wasn't that.
Darcy was wearing a white dress, a little less comfortable than her usual clothing, but white was the color of the Vanir funeral. She was going to respect it. Grabbing her bag, she sneaked into Frigga's garden completely unseen.
Fortunately, she thought, there was no space in that garden to plant trees.
Darcy set herself to work and made sure none of the things she was going to use caused too much noise. Heimdall would protect the palace, the shield was already up, shimmering golden in the night and blocking some of the stars from view.
When everything was ready, Darcy went back inside just in time to see Loki getting out of his prison/room, surrounded by guards. Shit. That was unexpected...or not at all. She hid behind the corner to decide what to do, but then Thor appeared in her field of vision.
"I have to take Loki somewhere else. Please, continue with your following tasks for the night." The guards nodded respectfully and Thor commanded his brother." Follow me.
"Oh, please do not tell me you want to have a brotherly chat with me!" Loki laughed and Darcy ran silently back to the garden, rolling her eyes. "You know it won't work."
"This is not about you and me, brother. You'll see when we get there."
"Get where?" Asked Loki. "And I'm not your brother."
Thor muttered something, though he didn't punch his not-brother in the face. Of course, Loki liked to push the limits.
"Please do tell me this is your stupid attempt to "control yourself". I'm sure that mortal of yours told you to behave. What did she promise in exchange for this...quiet mood you're honouring the Universe with?"
"Shut up. And she's not mortal anymore."
Thor really, really wanted to punch his brother in the face. But they had arrived to Frigga's Garden, and Loki's face had gone from irritatingly teasing to downright murderous.
"This is her place. You don't go in there." He hissed, thin lips retreating over the set of perfect teeth. But Thor did not fear.
"Tonight, I do. And you as well. I do not intend to talk to you now. Our relationship, bad as it can be, does not matter tonight."
"Or ever." Muttered Loki loud enough for Thor to hear him. And they crossed the archway.
At first sight, nothing had changed. The air still smelled like the flowers Frigga loved to plant. Everything was full of life and so peaceful that Thor cooled down his temper almost instantaneously. They walked around the place, both in silence, until they reached the center of the labyrinth. There was Darcy, sitting at the same white stone table. Thor and Loki recognized the attire immediately: it was the funeral garment women used in Vanaheim. Her hair was not her usual ponytail but two long braids, each on one side of her face.
Loki had already realized what it was. The kuumailmapalloksi were on the table, ready to be lit up.
Miss Lewis was about to honour Frigga's death anniversary. And she had got Thor to help her.
When she cleared her throat, Loki snapped out of his thoughts.
"Um...Well, Loki, you've told me about how Odin's feast is not something traditional from Vanaheim, where Frigga was born. So, I wanted to honour the Allmother. And, as you may know by now, a year ago my parents were…they died. And that's why we are here tonight. I am honouring both Frigga and my parents, and you can honour Frigga in a more...proper way."
Jane suddenly appeared running through the garden and without a spare glance for the dumbstruck brothers, she hugged Darcy briefly.
"I could make it! Need help?" Jane offered.
"Actually, yes. I need you to light up the balloons…"she eyed Loki, who was about to say the correct Vanir word for them. "Kuumailmapalloski! Could you do that while I check everything else is ready?"
Darcy quickly walked outside the labyrinth. Jane lit up the balloons carefully and handed one to each brother.
"Do not let them go until Darcy is here." She instructed.
And for once, Loki was still too shocked by what was happening to actually answer.
Darcy finally came back and received her balloon. Her smile was sad.
"This is for you, Queen Frigga of Asgard, Princess of Vanaheim, Peace Maker and sweet Allmother. Thank you for the lives you saved and the lives you allowed to start by your sacrifice." Recited Jane with her eyes closed.
"And this is for you as well, Claudia and Thomas Lewis, because I could never honour your death properly." Darcy's voice trembled slightly, but she went on. "Don't go too far. We'll meet again."
At Jane's signal, the four of them released the silver balloons. Their eyes followed them in their slow but ascending path. Darcy took her I-Pod from the table and started a song. Loki was not familiar with it, but the other three were muttering the words along.
I saw the light fade from the sky
On the wind I heard a sigh
As the snowflakes cover
My fallen brothers
I will say this last goodbye
Night is now falling
So ends
this day
The road is now calling
And I must away
Over hill and under tree
Through lands where never light has shone
By silver streams that run down to the sea
Under cloud, beneath the stars
Over snow and winter's morn
I turn at last to paths that lead home
And though where the road then takes me,
I cannot tell
We came all this way
But now comes the day
To bid you farewell
Loki was staring at the sky, his green eyes reflecting the millions of stars above. If he had been a smart, innocent though prankish boy again, he would have thought the night sky only showed beautiful worlds, all of them familiar to him, or his family. Familiar of the glory of Asgard. Now, he knew better. He had found some secrets between the stars. And some dark, forgotten secrets had found him first.
He could not be certain about "meeting again" with Frigga. Not like Miss Lewis was about her own mother. His spirit was not a flame but merely a frozen shadow. He craved for Valhalla, but he was sure it doors would not open for him. Still, miss Lewis, a mortal, a tiny little mortal, who hadn't even met Frigga alive, was honouring her better than Odin himself.
The thoughts left his head when two silver lights exploded in the sky in red and blue sparkles, followed by more colours. When he looked down, he saw Thor and his mortal questioning miss Lewis silently. She shrugged, her teary eyes raising to watch the lights.
"My parents loved fireworks. I thought it would represent them well"
Jane threw her arm over Darcy's shoulders.
"It's a beautiful show, Darcy. Your parents would be proud of it."
The "fireworks" continued for up to ten minutes, almost soundless in the night. Darcy had made sure to buy the best ones. Within that time, Thor and Jane left. The chilly air made Darcy shiver slightly, and she turned around only to see Loki still mesmerized by the sky. When he heard the movement of her skirt over the grass, he looked at her.
To say that Loki was speechless was being too obvious. He was not only speechless. He couldn't even think coherently.
Miss Lewis had risked a lot by travelling through Bifröst. He had to admit, she was brave, bold and utterly surprising.
"So?" she asked, expectantly. "Did you like it?"
He blinked a few times, as if even that question was a lot to process.
Loki wanted to say many things. That he was surprised a mortal could pull off something like that without being caught, that he was sure his mo...Frigga would have loved the ritual, that the fireworks had been fascinating...But for the first time in his life - and he was going to make damn sure it was going to be the last- one stupid question left his mouth.
"How did you convinced Heimdall to let you travel?"
Darcy stared at him a second, her mouth slightly opened, as if she couldn't really believe he has said that. Then she laughed, her laughter loud, joyful and authentic, full lips spread as wide as they could over slightly crooked teeth. And her answer was even more unexpected:
"I used your method, dude! Tried to say the right words at the right moment...though I was sincere all the time. An improvement to your method, I would say." Before he could reply, she rubbed her hands over her shoulders. "I'm freezing here. I'd love to stay and count shooting stars, but I think I'll head to my room now."
"Where have you left your cloak?" He stupidly asked. Again.
"Actually, I think it's still in the throne room…" Where possibly everybody is drunk or making out, she thought. "I'm not in the mood to go there right now. Have a good night!"
When she left, he raised his eyes again. He hadn't been thinking straight. He had been planning a future revenge against Odin, because he had been more focused on Odin's lack of thought. He hadn't even considered honouring his mo...Frigga on his own. Instead, the mortal had done it for him. Miss Lewis.
Loki wanted to forget. To be left alone. He didn't even care if he died or lived after the war. He had confessed in order to achieve that. People leaving him on his own. Silence.
But he realized in that moment that the hell he had lived in Thanos' hands would never, ever fade away. The demons in his head would never leave him. His own guilt would never disappear. The problem, he realized, was not Asgard or Thor, but his own mind. The way he had chosen to deal with everything. He couldn't escape his own mind without help.
He needed...help.
Darcy didn't realize she hadn't given him the intel until the next morning.