Chapter Text
Darcy’s dream was about a man with green eyes, long hair, thin lips and pale skin. His touch ghost over her body in her dream, lips pressed gentle kisses on her body and he speak of ways to worship her. All in all, it was a good dream but it was still just a dream. She woke up in the realm eternal with a sigh, she definitely has a crush on Loki the bad prince. And she can’t emphasize it enough that it’s a bad idea, worse she has ever had in a very long time.
She got up, startled to see that a maiden was by at her door with her head bowed down. ‘Creepy,’ she thought. ‘Was she here while I sleep?’ She threw the bed cover aside, her movement didn’t made the maiden look up at her. She cleared her throat and that got the maiden’s attention. “So,” she started awkwardly. “You’ve been here a while?”
“Since the sun has risen, milady.” She answered dutifully.
“Uhm –okay,” she scratched the back of her head. “Anything I can help you with?”
The maiden stare at her, clearly confused. “I am here to assist you, milady.” She walked up by the end of the bed and sat on the floor. “The King sent maidens to be of aide to his guests. The halls are long and confusing, there are proper attires that one should wear during a gathering, and Aesirs’ names that should be known.”
“Oh,” Darcy exclaimed in comprehension. “That’s really thoughtful of him.”
“It was actually the second prince’s idea,” she said with a smile that got Darcy thinking but the mortal said nothing. “Shall I assist you in getting dressed for the morning meal? The Queen sent quite a selection of clothes.”
“Yes, sure.” The maiden lead her to a bathroom that’s almost the size of her apartment. The bathtub was almost the size of a car and it has its own fountain. The maiden pointed out the soap and shampoo equivalent of Asgard, asked her if she needs assistance with washing. She told her that she can managed, the maiden went out of the bathroom with a promise that once she is done washing she would have a dress prepared for her to wear.
Once dressed, a knock on the door of her room caught her attention. The maiden stare at her, waiting for her instructions. “Uhm –let them in, I guess.”
A guard entered her room, staring down at her but not really belittling her. She’s just really short. “The King asks for your presence for the gathering that would take place after the breakfast meal.” He said in a booming but not really like Thor booming voice.
“Yes, tell the majesty that I would be there.” The guard gave her a nod and was about to walk out of the room but she stopped him. “Wait,” the guard turned towards her. “A Midgardian with a black eye patch, we call him Director Fury, is he already here?”
“I believe that the King had already sent Prince Thor to fetch that particular Midgardian along with a very few selected warrior.”
She gave away a wistful sound before speaking again, “Thank you.” The guard bowed and left, she then turned to the maiden. “Where would the gathering take place?”
“Worry not, my lady.” The maiden smiled, happy to be of service. “I shall take you to the gathering hall after breakfast meal.”
Darcy had breakfast with the scientist three, they also had maidens hovering just a few meters away from them. Tony seemed pleased but Jane and Bruce could really use some getting used to the idea. The four of them would attend the gathering along with Fury and the rest of the Avenger, the royal family would be there –along with the Queen, and the council members of Asgard.
They were already walking down the hall to the gathering place when Tony started spewing things about all the gold that there is in the place. “What if point break accidentally light up the whole palace? This interior design is not the wisest.”
“What if it’s conducive to other thing?” Darcy thought.
“Like what?” Jane asked.
“Magic,” they all turned to the familiar voice they heard. Loki beside the man named Uk caught their attention.
Uk was smiling happily at Darcy, “You’re so perceptive.” Then turned to Tony, “Prince Thor’s lightning cannot –as you say, light up the palace. The King made sure of it.”
“So, he can’t use it in here?” Brue asked.
“He can use it, but the walls won’t be conducive to it.” Loki explained as he open up the two door for them, “Ladies first.”
Jane gave Loki s suspicious look, the second prince merely gave her a bored one. Darcy yanked on Jane’s forearm so they could go along and turned to Loki apologetically. Once inside the gathering hall, Darcy saw that every Avenger was present along with Fury and Phil. She feels bad for Hill –yeah, not really after the try to take the ring from her moment. She was about to sit next to Jane but Thor directed her to another seat, she noticed that she was far from the other mortals. She was half surprised when Loki sat next to her, he looked annoyed but it didn’t seem directed to her. When the second prince gave the first prince a death glare, she understood. Thor being Thor simply beamed a smile at them.
“Everyone is here,” the Queen was wearing a kind smile on her face. “Let us get started.”
“Yes, of course.” The King turned to Fury, “You don’t need to worry about any Asgardian planning to attack your realm. My son, Thor, already proclaimed that the realm is under his protection. No one would come near it unless they would want to face his wrath.”
“If I remember correctly, it was also your son who created a portal in the sky and sent an army of aliens in our realm.” Fury reminded everyone.
“He was ill during those times,” Odin simply answered. “He wasn’t in his right mind,” he then turned to Clint. “He experienced the same thing your archer experienced, he was under controlled.”
“I call bull on this one,” Clint growled.
“Why is it so hard to believe that you were controlled and my son was not?” The Queen asked.
“He’s the God of Lies,” Clint narrowed his eyes at Loki.
“He’s the God of Mischief,” Odin corrected. “Never of lies, have your Midgardian tales been twisted. What could come out of your mouth? That Loki gave birth to a horse and a wolf? That he is married?” Odin huffed a laughed.
“If you’re saying that most of our tales are wrong, then we don’t really know anything about you.” Darcy piped up, “And I read hundreds of pages of books, too.” She grimaced.
“Worry not, Lady Darcy. You can read about our history in the library, all you have to do is ask the maiden to take you there.” Frigga smiled at her.
“Back to our original discussion,” Fury cleared his throat. “Your kid was controlled, how can we be sure that it won’t happen again?”
“Return the scepter to us,” Loki spoke up. “As long as the scepter is not tucked away safely it can happen again.”
“Yeah,” Tony piped up. “About that, the stone was actually used to bring to life an android. If you would take it, we’re not really sure if he would –die.”
“An android?” Odin asked him.
Tony whipped out his phone, and showed a holographic image of Vision. “His name is Vision, Thor said the stone is called the mind stone.”
Loki stood up, his chair falling because of the action. “The mad titan would come for that stone,” he said to everyone. “He intends to court death by killing you all.”
“Oh, dear…” Frigga murmured then turned to Odin. “It seems that we have a war to prepare for.”
Odin let out a heavy breath, “We shall form an alliance.” He said to Fury, “We must be united in order to defeat the mad titan.”
“We can’t even unite our own countries,” Darcy said that mostly to herself but with the way everyone is looking at her she can tell that she said it out loud.
“There is nothing that can unite races than a common enemy,” Odin turned to Loki. “You would be Asgard’s ambassador in Midgard, you must unite them all in the span of a year.”
“Father, I don’t know much about their politics. I will need time to learn-“
“It’s a good thing we have Lady Darcy to teach you then.”
The room erupted into chaos.
“You cannot possibly,” Abbe said to the king. “She’s nothing but a maiden.”
“Hold your tongue!” Loki hissed venomously at him.
“But it’s the truth,” the nobleman kept his head held high. “Even this –“he pointed at Fury, “–man, thinks so little of her.”
“Then, I think this would be an opportunity for Lady Darcy to prove her competency in politics.” The Queen said, still holding a smile on her face. “Don’t you agree?” She asked Fury.
“You’re placing the unity of our race in the hands of a girl?” Fury asked in disbelief.
“I am placing nothing at the hands of no one,” Odin piped up. “She would merely teach Loki about your Midgardian culture and politics. What is so wrong with that?” He asked both Abbe and Fury.
Fury sighed, determined not to let Darcy close to the second prince. “She hasn’t finished her studies, yet.”
“That’s your fault,” Tony pointed out. “You wouldn’t let her continue because you think she would spill the beans.”
“That’s right!” Jane seconded, “If it weren’t for you, she could have had a master’s degree by now.”
Nebula’s crease free face contorted into what seemed to be distaste. “You held back a child who wants to learn? How can you be a leader?”
Tony nodded in agreement, “I sometimes wonder, too.”
“Did Lady Darcy ever told anyone any secret?” The Queen asked, trying to get the gathering to move along.
“Never,” Bruce said with confidence.
“She didn’t even told SHIELD about the Portal Project,” Clint said a little amused.
“Yeah,” Steve agreed. “And she’s helped me in trying to catch up on pop culture.”
Darcy blushed at the Captain’s smile and Loki wanted to leer at him.
“I don’t see any problem, then.” Odin said.
“I do,” Fury won’t go down without a fight.
Odin was about to say something but the Queen rested her hand on his to stop him, they stare at each other for a moment before the King nodded to Frigga. “Director,” she called to him. “I don’t think you are understanding our subtleties. So, I’m going to tell it to you straight. I, along with the King, don’t trust you. You have lied to your champions, you have lied to your subjects, you have lied your way to your position. I don’t trust liars.”
“Burn,” Tony muttered from the side.
Fury open his mouth only to be stopped by Frigga, “I do trust Lady Darcy. And I know that she would never try to make a fool out of my son, she won’t use him to gain power but rather she would equip him to protect his self from people like you. I don’t want anyone else to teach my son but her, are we clear on that?”
“And what if I don’t do as what you say?” Fury’s walking on a very thin line.
“What do you think?” Frigga stare at him, not faltering until Fury was the one to give in.
The ability to see the future is not what it seems and it more of a burden than it is a blessing. What use is her visions if she cannot warn the others about it? And even if she warns them about it the outcome would still be the same. One cannot escape his or her fate and all she can do is try and equip Darcy for what the future has in store for her. Frigga greeted the younger woman with a smile on her face, warm and true this time. Behind Darcy is the maiden they have tasked to assist her, with a nod everyone in her study left except Darcy. She gestured for her to sit on a chair, the young lady did and she sat next to her. “How do you feel about the task appointed to you?” She asked as she pour them a cup of tea.
“Nervous to be honest,” she’s twiddling with her thumb. “One of your council members along with Fury were pretty vocal on their opinion about the subject.”
“Pay them no mind, they don’t know everything even if they pretend to. Though, you should be careful.” She handed Darcy a cup, “The Norns would test you and bad men will hurt you but know that you have an ally in me and Loki. With that said, I have gifts for you.” With a wave of her hand two journals appeared before them.
“Magic is so awesome,” Darcy couldn’t help but say it.
“It is quite handy,” Frigga said cheekily. She handed her the journal, both leather bond but one was green and the other was black. She placed the black on top and explained what it is for, “Inside is written all the titles of the books available in the royal library, all you have to do is read the title and its contents would appear in here. Once you’re done reading a certain book, all you have to do is close it and run a finger on its spine, it would automatically go back to containing book titles.” She handed it to Darcy and she accepted it with an open mouth. Frigga then held up the other journal, “This is a simple journal. For now, it’s empty but I know soon you will fill its pages with rare experiences.”
“Oh, wow.” It was the only thing that Darcy could say at the moment. After a few seconds of staring at the journals then back to the Queen she finally uttered, “Thank you.”
“You are very much welcome.”
“I don’t have anything to give in return-“
Frigga held up her hand to stop her, “There’s no need to give me anything. But, I would want you to keep a close eye on my son. I know the director doesn’t trust him but he is truly trying, please take good care of my son.”
“I would, you can be sure of that.” Darcy said with a smile, “We’re friends and friends look out for each other.”
Frigga’s smile widen, completely pleased. “Then I should warn you about the pranks Loki might pull."
He’s going back to Midgard and unite its countries, he sighed. That would be an easy task but given the time Odin has given him it would be difficult. He could do it in two years, or a year and a half but a year flat? He better get started in learning about their culture and politics right this day. And it has nothing to do with wanting to see Darcy, no –nothing to do about that at all. He doesn’t want to see her and stare at her blue eyes, and make her laugh. He stopped on his tracks, closing his eyes tight and running a finger through his brows. ‘The Mad Titan is coming, there’s not time for acting like a love sick fool over an extremely gorgeous and intelligent-“He scowled at his own thoughts, ‘Can’t you think of her without complimenting her in your mind?’ An image of Darcy popped out of his head, wearing a shy smile and all he can think about is her lips. Yeah –no, he can’t. “Oh, Gods.” He muttered to his self.
“Is there anything wrong, Loki?”
He almost jumped out of his skin upon hearing the All-father’s voice. He hurriedly turned around and bow, “Not at all.”
“Well, you sounded like you were in distress.” The older man pointed out. He had no maiden nor guard with him which was a rare occurrence. “Now tell me, what is it that’s bothering you?”
“It is the unification of the Midgardian countries,” that wasn’t really a lie. “A year, don’t you think it is too short?”
“I’m aware that it is,” Odin told him. “But we have to be prepared for whatever will come and when. Being prepared ahead of time is necessary in war. I am placing my complete trust in you and I know you won’t disappoint.”
“I shall try my best,” he said regally.
“On to different matter,” Odin said with a smile. “What is it that’s really bothering you?”
At this point, Loki knows that there’s no covering it up now. “It is…”he hesitated but then continued. “The Lady Darcy.”
“What about her?”
“She’s…”he paused looking for the right word. “…young.”
“That she is,” his father agreed. “Yet, she has potential in her.”
“She would be easily fooled,” he argued. “Fury would, he certainly would-“
“That’s why you would be there for her,” Odin told him.
He was taken aback by what his father said, and all he could give him was a nod. Of course he would be there for her, he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her.
Present day..,
His calm composure is the exact opposite of the seething rage that is boiling at the pit of his stomach. His mind is racing, thinking about all the possible things he could do to Nicholas Fury. He’s pushing those unpleasant thoughts for the time being, he has to take Darcy to a safe place. “I am Loki,” it pains him to introduce himself once more. “I am a friend.”
Her brows creased, clearly she’s trying to remember him.
He’s praying that she would, but it’s already proven that she won’t. “I hope you won’t be offended by my honesty, but the doctors here have done all they can, they simply can’t cure you.”
She snort and could only smile bitterly. “I had the feeling, they said it’s only going to get worse.”
“Indeed,” he grabbed his coat. Cocking his head to the side as he stare at her, “What would you say about getting out of here?”
“I don’t remember you,” he expected that from her but it didn’t stopped the stinging sensation that spread through his chest.
He reached for his phone –the same phone she gave him years ago. “Then, I guess you’re just going to have to take a leap of faith.”
She paused for a second, considering his words. Then shrugged, this won’t be her first time trusting a complete stranger. And it’s likely she would forget whatever morbid thing he would do to her, isn’t that a depressing thought? Though the man doesn’t seem like the rape-y type, he’s too put together and he has this strange look on his faith –almost pained. She got up from the bed and reached for her clothes as she walk to the bathroom. After getting dressed, the guy –Loki, was leaning on one of the walls with a phone in his hand.
He looked up at her, expression showing determination. “I called a few friends,” he informed her as he hand her his phone. “You won’t remember them either but they could help you.” She took the phone from him, “That would give you an idea of who I am.”
She stare at the phone, his wallpaper is a picture of them smiling.