20. Fading
Hello readers. Well don't think I was going to leave you to long on such a big cliff-hanger. So here we go, on to chapter twenty. I own nothing but Daya, enjoy, review, follow favourite etc. Thank you lovelies.
Thor pulled Loki back as the avengers ran to Daya's side.
"THOR! I swear to you, if you don't let me go now I will kill you myself" Loki shouted. His harsh words seemed to shock Thor enough to let go of Loki's arm and let the God run to his wife's side. Steve had placed an arm around Daya to keep her upright but as soon as Loki approached, he took hold of his wife, letting her fall into his arms as he dropped to the ground.
Loki even with his hands cuffed, managed to hold Daya close, her weight spread out on his arms. Steve tore the sleeve of his costume to use as a tourniquet for the wound but Daya shook her head.
"There isn't any point, the wound is poisoned" she stuttered.
"How could this happen? We must have only had our backs turned for two minutes" Steve frowned.
"Thanos, realm travel" she whispered.
Loki let tears fall from his eyes, no longer caring if the avengers judged him for it. "Don't cry my love" Daya whispered, her breath already laboured. "At least I could have been with you, before the end".
Steve moved to sit on the other side of her and pushed her hair back gently. "No Daya, this isn't the end listen to me, Loki and I, we won't let you die".
Daya pulled out the note she had written for Loki out from her robes and shakily handed it to him.
"What's this darling?" Loki asked as he took it.
"It is a note, I wrote it in case I didn't make it if Thanos got to us, in case I didn't have time to tell you all the things I feel for you in person, before I died". Her voice could barely be heard but Loki understood all she had said.
He frowned and shook his head violently. "No, No I cannot accept this then, I won't allow you to die".
She smiled faintly. "You are so stubborn, please take it, I would hate for you or Steve not to know everything I feel before I go".
Loki nodded and she tucked the note into his armour before coughing, drops of blood falling from her mouth as she did so.
"Thor, we must return to Asgard, perhaps Odin can save her?" Loki asked.
"Loki, father would never do it, not after all you have do…"
"THOR PLEASE" Loki shouted.
Steve looked up at Thor. "Sir, if you could do anything that would help Daya, anything that could save her, please do it, I would forever be in your debt, as would Loki I'm sure".
Thor rolled his eyes and reluctantly nodded. "Fine, we could try, it isn't Daya's fault she is standing here today anyway, it's Loki's".
"Don't you think I feel guilty enough about that fact? Please Thor, just try and save her" Loki said, turning his gaze back to Daya whose eyes began to close.
"Stay with me Daya, stay with me my love, please. Don't you dare leave me, don't you dare" Loki called to her. She reached up and held his hand.
"I can't Loki, the poison, it's making me fall into a coma, Thanos said this would happen, he said it would be a slow death, so I could say goodbye to you all" Daya's voice was barely even a whisper anymore. She closed her eyes, falling into the coma Thanos had promised her before her death.
"Is there anything we can do?" Banner asked.
"No, this poison is not even Asgardian, it's rare, concocted from illnesses across all the realms, that's why it's so slow, and lethal" Thor frowned. He brought Loki to his feet roughly and Steve picked up Daya's body, as he stood up himself.
"Where do you think you are going?" Loki asked the soldier.
"To Asgard of course".
"No, no Asgard is not for humans, humans lose their way there, they go mad" Thor interrupted.
"I go just as mad if I stay on earth not knowing if Daya is alive or not. I want to take that risk, I will return to earth as soon as she is safe" Steve nodded.
Thor used the tesseract to create another portal that would allow the four of them to return to Asgard. Steve looked back at the rest of the avengers and gave them all one final nod before joining Thor and Loki near the tesseract as he carried Daya.
"It may be best if I hold Daya, and you hold onto Thor, I just want to keep her as safe as possible, I'm used to realm travel. Thor, could you unshackle me, so I can hold onto my wife as tightly as possible?"
Thor paused. "Loki, I cannot trust…."
"Thor please, do you really think I care about escaping now? I just want my wife to be safe, that's all I care about now, I've lost everything else, but not her, not Daya" Loki frowned.
Thor nodded and undid Loki's binds as Steve passed Daya's body over to Loki. Her head fell against his chest and he moved his from under Daya's body to hold the tesseract. Steve placed a hand on Thor's shoulder and prepared for the realm travel he had heard Daya speak of before.
It felt like Steve had all the air in the world rushing through him at once, it was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. When they landed on the party reconstructed Rainbow Bridge back on Asgard, Steve lent over the edge and threw up.
"I did say humans were not meant for Asgard" Thor said, not resisting a small grin when he realised once again he had been right.
Loki frowned and widened his eyes at Daya. "Oh no, Thor, Daya is going cold, she's cold, she mustn't have long left now we need to hurry".
Just as Loki said it Asgardian guards approached them on horseback.
"Why is Loki not shackled? He is a war criminal is he not? The All father knows everything and already wants to pass judgement on him. There is a human with you too? Odin will not be happy about any of this" A burly guard told them.
"Loki's wife Daya is dying, we need the All father's help, and Steve Rogers here is an ally of mine. A captain, hailing from the clan of America, he is here because he cares deeply for the safety of Daya as well" Thor told the guard, ignoring them almost as he got onto a horse. Steve got on the back of Thor's as Loki placed Daya on one before climbing up himself and holding Daya close.
"Loki should be escorted in some sort of restraints" A guard said.
"No! I will not let go of my wife. Listen I completely surrender myself to any punishment Odin has ready for me but I need to see if my wife can be saved first" Loki replied and set off towards the palace.
As Thor and Steve rode to the palace Thor looked over at Loki. "Loki, you must prepare for the fact that even if father agrees to try to help Daya, there may not be a cure, it may be too late. You need to believe there may be a chance she won't make it out of this".
Steve shook his head and lowered his gaze to the ground, not wanting to believe that was true.
"No Thor, you don't understand, she will be ok because she has to be ok. I need her, so no matter what anybody says, what anybody tells me, she has to be ok. She cannot die" Loki said. He lowered his mouth to her ear. "You hear that Daya, you will not die, we are in Asgard, we are home just like you wanted, we are here together and I am ordering you to wake up so you can see this" Loki whispered.
She didn't stir at all. Her eyelids no longer fluttered, her breath was no longer there, the heaving of her chest was no longer visible, her lips were pale and she felt cold but Loki would not believe that she was dead already.
As they reached the palace Loki was seized by guards. He struggled and cursed at the guards not allowing him to hold his wife. Steve went over to Daya and lifted her off the horse, holding her gently. "Loki, don't be stupid ok, just go quietly, we still need help, don't ruin her chances of surviving. Just go, I will keep Daya warm alright" Steve ordered Loki.
Loki obliged, hearing the truth in Steve's words and followed the guards through to the main halls of the palace, Thor, Steve and Daya close behind him. As soon as Frigga saw her sons her face lit up, despite knowing Loki was about to be punished for his crimes on Midgard. Odin seemed less pleased and stood from his throne staring icily at Loki.
When Frigga saw Daya in the arms of another, still and lifeless, her smile fell and she stepped forward.
"What happened?" She asked.
"Daya has been poisoned by Thanos, she needs your help All father, only you have the almighty power to save her, please, help her, please" Loki begged, dropping to his knees in front of Odin.
Odin stared at Daya and then turned his stare back to the god of mischief.
"And why would I help a man who tried to destroy Yotunheim and then try to enslave an entire realm full of innocent people? You deserve no help from me Laufeyson" Odin frowned, his voice booming around the halls loudly.
Loki looked up at the All father in shock. "This isn't helping me this is helping Daya, your daughter in law, an innocent herself".
"Perhaps a suitable punishment for your crimes would be to live without the one thing you love, just as you have taken away many Midgardians entire lives and reasons for living" Odin replied coldly.
Frigga gasped. "Odin, you cannot be serious, Daya is innocent in all this".
"Quiet! She isn't innocent, she assisted Loki in all this business, she is probably the only reason Loki travelled to Midgard in the first place".
Loki didn't have time to explain all the business behind his deal with Thanos, Daya didn't have the time left either. Steve stepped forward with Daya still in his arms.
"Please sir, your majesty. Daya grew to be my best friend back on Midgard and I know for a fact that she did nothing to harm the people of uh, Midgard. She helped them when the chitauri were released and she just wanted her husband to be safe at the same time. She doesn't deserve to die, not now, not like this. Please sir, if you have any kindness and sympathy in your heart, you wouldn't let her die here. Please help her" Steve pleaded himself.
Frigga touched Odin's arm and when he turned to look at her, she nodded once. "Daya is a good person my husband, she just loves her husband as I love you, and she doesn't deserve to perish within these walls".
Odin stepped forward and Steve lowered Daya to the ground letting Odin look at her closer. He knelt down, holding one hand just above her body. He closed his eyes.
"She, she has already passed. I'm sorry" Odin said quietly. Steve let silent tears fall as Loki cried out loudly, he fought out of the guards grip and ran to Daya's side, cradling her body in his arms as he called out her name again and again.
Even Thor let a tear escape his eye and fall to the ground, Daya truly was an unfortunate loss.
Frigga shook her head and went to the All father's side.
"Odin, what about the Odinforce? Can it work now? Its energy may be strong enough to bring her back if she has only just passed to the other side. She may not have passed through Valhalla's gates just yet" she said. Loki looked up, cheeks stained with tears as he looked hopefully at Odin.
"I could try it, but there is no guarantee it will work" Odin replied.
"Please father, please try, after this, I will accept any punishment you put to me but please save her if you can, I beg of you" Loki asked.
Odin nodded "Take her to your chambers, lay her on the bed, then I will summon the force".
Loki did so and hurried to his and Daya's chambers, Steve, Odin, Thor and Frigga following close behind. Loki placed her on their bed and stepped back so the All father could help her. Loki looked at Daya's form on their bed and couldn't deny he had missed the days of the both of them spending endless mornings lying in together on that same bed. He needed those days back.
Odin muttered some strange, ancient words and Loki saw his hands spark up with a pale blue light and he touched Daya's forehead softly. Energy surged through Daya, causing her back to arch and then fall again a few moments later.
"If the Odinforce has worked she will awaken in the next twenty four hours, if not, then I'm sorry Loki but you must say your final goodbyes, because It means Valhalla has reached her before we have" Odin said.
Loki noticed the pale blue light had created a veil over Daya's body, much like the veil that covered Odin during the Odinsleep. As Odin, Thor and Frigga left Loki and Steve in the chambers alone, Steve pulled up a chair next to Daya's bed, as Loki sat on the very edge of the bed, by Daya's side.
"You know, it would be polite to allow Daya some privacy" Loki said through gritted teeth.
"Then why are you here, practically sitting on her?"
"I am her husband, I need to be there when she wakes up, if she wakes up. She needs to wake up" Loki replied.
Steve sighed. "I travelled to a realm I might go crazy in to see her survive, I'm not leaving now".
Loki nodded once in respect to Steve. "I suppose it's brave of you to stay. I never really said thank you, for keeping Daya Company while I was gone. I know while she can never be yours, it was wrong, what I made her do on the helicarrier before I travelled to Stark towers. It was wrong to make her tell you those things. I'm sorry, I was jealous, that's the long story cut short".
Steve shrugged. "Well, you saved my life so I guess we are even. That's not to say I still don't think you are a major asshole for doing what you did to earth and all that. However Daya told me the truth, all of it, she told me about this Thanos guy, so I guess you shouldn't take all the blame for it."
Loki's face filled with rage at the mention of Thanos' name. "Good, so as soon as Daya wakes I am sure you will want revenge on Thanos as much as I do?"
"Well, of course, but I don't think we should go looking for trouble. Besides, if Thanos is as mad as he seems, he will probably come to us if Daya makes it out alive".
Loki paused, staring at Daya, he wanted to stroke her face gently, touch her hair, feel her warmth but he didn't dare pierce the veil of Odinforce. "You make sense soldier. I doubt my punishment will be any less harsh though, unless of course, Odin chooses to believe Daya about Thanos'. I doubt he will believe her, he thinks she is in league with me, an evil war criminal. The only one he is likely to listen to is Thor".
"I will tell Thor the truth. There are probably guards outside making sure you don't escape, not that you would want to leave Daya's side anyway. You stay here, and I'll tell Thor. Promise me you will alert me if she wakes?"
Loki nodded as he watched Steve leave. Perhaps not all mortals were as bad as he thought. He continued to watch Daya until he himself fell asleep by her side.
The morning sun shone brightly early the next morning and Loki still slept through it. Steve had been gone the whole night, hopefully achieving success in telling Thor the truth behind Loki's actions. Even then Loki would not fool himself into thinking he would get away from all this without punishment.
Next to his side, a presence stirred, and delicate eyes began to open slowly.
Wow, I had to write that quickly. Sorry for any mistakes I may have made, typos are only a human mistake I guess and sadly I am only human. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, lots of angst and Loki sadness. Poor Daya. Thank you so much to all those lovely people who have reviewed recently, it really gave me the push I needed to carry on with the story. Thanks also to all that have followed or favourited the story as well. I have my best friend coming over tomorrow for the day so I am going to try and write the new chapter for you in the evening so it will either be out late tomorrow night or early Saturday morning. Until next time guys