A/N OK I WANTED TO LET YOU LL KNOW THAT HOW DARCY ENDS UP ON ASGARD WILL BE EXPLAINED IN THE NEXT CHAPTER

Chapter 8

Asgard. How he hated his former home. But more but more than that, he hated the man whom he was kneeling before chained like the dog. He had once told his wife that if he was ever returned to Asgard he would most likely end up chained like he was now. At the thought of his wife he allowed himself a small smile which was followed shortly thereafter by a frown. He knew that she was going to tell him something important before they were interrupted by Thor's appearance and he wondered if he would ever know what that something was or if he would ever see his precious wife again. His heart clenched painfully with the thought of never seeing her again and he vowed to himself that he would find a way back to her.

"Loki, you have broken the laws of Asgard as well as the nine realms. For your crimes you will spend the rest of your life in the deepest darkest
prison we have," Odin decreed with no hint of mercy in his voice.

Loki blanched at this. He had expected to be punished but this was far too extreme. Yet before he could say anything a voice he never thought he
would hear again spoke, "No!"

"How dare you interrupt my ruling!" Odin said to the newcomer who was standing between his wife and heir.

"I have every right to defend my husband!" Darcy growled out to the man before her.

"And what right does a mortal have here?" he questioned.

"I am not mortal. At least not anymore. And, furthermore what right do you have to punish him when it was you who started this whole mess to begin with!" she returned heatedly as she made her way regally to her husband's side.

"You cannot talk to me that way!"

"And why not? You would punish him for your sins because you are a coward who cannot take responsibility for your own actions?" she returned heatedly, stepping towards the irate king.

"Why do you defend the man who took over your realm?"

"Because, your majesty, despite everything he has done he has been a good ruler to the people of Midgard," she began then looked at her husband
and kept eye contact with him before continuing, "And because I love him."

Loki was shocked by her confession but then a dazzling smile broke over his face as he looked into his wife's eyes, seeing the truth behind her
words. She loved him! If he wasn't chained up like he was he would have pulled her into his arms and kissed her senseless right then and there.

"How can you love a monster?" Odin sneered at the Midgardian queen.

"He's not the monster you are! You, who told him all his life that his race were monsters, knowing full well that he was one of them. You, who told him it was his birthright to be king only to choose your favorite son as your heir knowing that Loki would be the better ruler. You never intended for him to sit on your throne because of his heritage. It makes me wonder why you took him in to begin with because it certainly was not done out of love. You know nothing about him so you have no right to call him a monster!" Darcy ranted.

"You know of his true form then?" Odin questioned suddenly realizing that the woman before him was a force to be reckoned with.

"Yes, I do and he is not a monster. He cares about the people of Midgard."

"You are not afraid of him I take it then?"

"Why would I be? He may be a different race than me but does that truly make him a monster? He comes from a race of giants so what. It's what is on
the inside that counts but you wouldn't know that because all you can see is where he came from and not the man he is. If you had then maybe you
would have seen the good in him instead of the bad. Do you really expect him to act against his very nature? You know for one who is supposed to
be wise you certainly don't use that wisdom very well," she paused for a moment then continued.

"A parent is supposed to love their child unconditionally but you put conditions on your love for Loki. As a parent you, pardon the expression, suck.
You only do what you think is right instead of looking at the situation from every angle. Take Thor for instance. Did you allow Loki to have his say when you banished Thor to Midgard almost five years ago? Did you know that he was going to take the blame for the whole fiasco as it was his fault to begin with? No, instead you thought that you were right and told him to be silent as you banished your precious heir to an unknown fate. Have you ever even listened to him at all? I know that Frigga loved him unconditionally and always will but how about you?" she finished, revealing a bit of the conversation she had had with her husband only a month before.

Loki listened as his wife berated his adopted father and felt pride well in his chest for her. He never would have thought that she would be the one
to defend him but looking at her now he would have it no other way. He looked at Odin to see if her words were getting to the old man and saw that
he was staring at his wife with something akin to wonder in his face as well as extreme anger.

"You have said quite enough, Midgardian," Odin finally said anger barely leashed.

"Oh, but that is where you are wrong, your majesty. The punishment you propose is far too extreme for his supposed crimes. Yes, he tried to destroy
his own race but would you not have done the same thing if you had been in his place? Because I for one can say that I know I would have in my own
anger and betrayal done the same thing. Does it make it right? No. No, it doesn't but then again it wouldn't have happened had you just been
upfront and honest with him from the beginning."

Odin looked at the woman before him surprised by the conviction within her tone. She had the bearing of a queen and as his son had taken over the
ruling of Midgard she was their queen. He knew from watching Midgard for the past two years that she had not wanted to be queen. In fact, she had run from it for the longest time.

"Why defend the man that forced you to marry him?" he finally asked a now calm Darcy.

She had not been expecting this question and it took a moment for her to answer. "I told you why. I love him. True, I didn't when I first married him
but the more I learned about him the more I came to see the man that hid behind the ruthless ruler that had chased me down in order to claim me
as his own. I no longer saw him as ruthless or cruel but a man capable of loving and caring for those around him."

Odin nodded before sitting back on his throne thinking. He finally looked at his wayward son who was looking at the Midgardian Queen with love and
admiration in his eyes. She was right he, had changed. Before Loki had only thought about himself but now. Now he almost seemed subdued and
Odin knew it had to do with her. It was then he remembered her saying that she was no longer mortal.

"Midgardian, how is it you came to not be mortal?"

Before Darcy could answer Frigga spoke. "Because Loki gave her the Golden Apple on their wedding day."

"WHAT!"

"Calm down," Frigga told her husband before continuing, "I gave him the apple many years ago after telling him that his mate would be mortal as I
had already seen her in my pool. I knew that with her death would come the end of the worlds as we knew it as it would bring about Ragnork. I also
saw that she was a pure spirit and worthy of the Apple," Frigga said smiling at Darcy warmly.

Darcy thought back to her wedding and remembered Loki telling her that he had it on good authority that the Apple would not harm her and now she
understood why. She returned the Asgardian Queens' smile with one of her own.

Odin returned to his seat as he had stood when Frigga broke the news of how Darcy had become immortal.

"Release him," he finally told the guards.

Loki, Darcy, Frigga and Thor could not believe what they had just heard the Asgardian monarch say. It wasn't until the chains had been removed did
they really believe the king had just set Loki free.

"I am giving you your freedom Loki. Your mate is one very brave woman to stand up to me in defense of you. And as I cannot hold a ruler of another
realm without rightful cause and seeing as how the inhabitants of Midgard have come to respect your rule of them I am releasing you."

"Thank you," was all Loki could manage before they were dismissed.