FIC: Looking After You (3/?)
Title: Looking After You
Fandom: Thor/Avengers/Marvel Cinematic Universe (with slight references to Norse Mythology and Doctor Who)
Rating: Um...PG right now I think.
Characters: Loki Odinson/Laufeyson, Darcy Lewis (Loki/Darcy), Thor Odinson, Jane Foster (Thor/Jane), Frigga, Odin, Sif, Romana, The Warriors Three, various cameos of other Avengers.
Spoilers: Thor and Avengers movies. If you haven't seen Avengers, go see it, then come back and read.
Summery: After the events of the Avengers, Loki is brought back to Asgard to face his punishment. Odin decides to bind Loki's magi so he is unable to use it till he redeems himself and is worthy of the ability. However, when the binding takes place, it is found that Loki has more problems to deal with, and he will need his friends and family to help him through this.
Part III:
The old woman kept busy as she prepared a room for the procedure. It would take several days for this to be complete. If it went well, the house of Odin might finally be able to heal. It could turn out poorly though leaving Odin’s youngest son a prisoner in his own mind.
It would go well. The old woman would not have it go another way. She had always had a fond spot for the young man, even mentoring him when he wanted to find a place for himself other than the shadow of his brother. She had shown him how to use so-called magic to heal as well as taught him some skills in using knives and various length swords. He had eventually gone his own way, learning in ways she could no longer teach him. But she always saw a good person in him, and she would see to it that the object would not change that fact.
The room in which she worked was semi-round, a half dome, and the doorway to the hall along the curve of the room. The ceiling rose high, with the only window far up on the wall opposite the curved dome ceiling of the opposite side. Below the window was a pair of carved wooden doors that opened up into a private garden that was bookended with a room identical to the one she was in. These would be Loki’s quarters till his treatment was complete. Between treatments he needed to be in a place where there was limited sensory input. Otherwise, he would return to the state he was currently in, reversing the work that she had already put into healing the damage.
She had magically enhanced the window to produce natural light so she could forgo any lighting that would affect the baths that were both now filling with a solution. It was a warm caramel color and thankfully smelt like caramel as well. Instead it was a formulated mixture that would allow easier access to the inner sanctum where Loki was close to imprisoning himself in.
“Can you explain how this will work?” Frigga asked from her spot near her son.
“Loki would be immersed in one of the baths, while the person trying to reach him would settle into the other. The mixture will allow a telepathic bond to form and allow them to exist within the mind space of your son,” she answered not looking up from her work. “The mixture will be cleared out and renewed each day and will only be used for a few hours. Anymore then that both the mixture and those involved would tire and injury can occur.” She looked up briefly to see Frigga nodding her understanding of what was just said. The old woman sighed at the look of concern that Frigga had.
“Worry not. Loki is too strong a person to allow someone to make him his own prison. With the help of his loved ones he will succeed in returning to us.”
“Will you still bind his magic once he is better?”
“If that is the will of the King. And if it will not cause more damage. Affected your son was, but he is still responsible for his actions. He must face the consequences.”
The old woman returned to her preparations. She filled the room with various scents that worked well together. Scents that would remind Loki of good memories. Soon the room smelled like the great hall before a feast. Good food, mead and the smell of leather. It was amazing how much the senses were taken for granted besides eye sight. A smell could bring back a memory. A texture could produce an emotion. A taste could change a mood. In this room, the eyes were closed. The other senses would have to be used.
She walked over to the raised platform built into a wall topped with cushions that Loki was currently lying on being attended by his mother as he was still unconscious from the attempts to bind his magic. He appeared to be suffering less in whatever memory he was trapped in then his previous one. She rested her palm on his forehead to take a look. It would be important to find the good memories. She lifted her hand with a smile. That was not a memory she wished to intrude on, but it was a good sign Loki could be saved.
He could still find a memory of love and happiness.
“I have great hope, Frigga. And hope is very powerful indeed.”
~*~
Ariana did not like to travel Air-Thor. Halfway to Asgard she had started to wail, and no doubt half of Asgard was alerted to their presence because of it. Darcy rocked her daughter slightly; trying to get across to her that it was alright, the scary man with the body size sword was a friend of her Uncle.
At least Darcy hoped he was a friend of Thor’s.
“So this is the mother of Asgard’s future,” he stated, his voice deep and calm. She frowned at the comment, but decided he did not appear to be threatening. Well, he was not threatening her. He still looked pretty threatening in general. She figured it was the helmet. She wondered what the helmet maker of Asgard was thinking when he designed these things. Maybe, she could get one. That would be cool.
“Asgard’s future?” Her daughter was only two months old. Calling her the future of Asgard was a little premature wasn’t it? Besides wouldn’t the future of Asgard be Thor? Or was this a general future of Asgard because she was the next generation?
“Your child is heir till a cousin is born.” He looked at her as if she were a curious painting. “This shall be interesting indeed to behold in these coming days.” He stepped away from the doorway, and Darcy got her first look at Asgard.
“Wow,” she stated upon seeing the rest of the rainbow bridge and the towering city beyond it. Or at least she thought she stated. She wasn’t sure if her mouth had actually produced sound. Ariana seemed equally enthralled, for she was quiet again, her green eyes wide taking in what little she could see from her mother’s arms. Thor smiled, apparently happy that his home had impressed the newest members of his family. If the situation wasn’t as serious, he might have joked about their reaction.
“The King awaits you in his throne room. You should not delay your arrival.” Thor nodded and wrapped his one arm around Darcy and her daughter and suddenly they were once again airborne, flying over top the city gates (and if Darcy held her daughter tighter, could anyone blame her). And once again Ariana cried out, letting the realm know her displeasure.
Before they knew it, the dark blues and stark contracts of the outside were exchanged for the soft warm glow of Odin’s golden throne room. Odin was the only occupant, the room oddly silent and empty. Ariana’s cries quieted down as if she sensed the room herself. Odin’s were focused on where the noises were coming from and he didn’t seem to notice the woman carrying the child until he reached them. While he walked towards him, Darcy searched for signs of the sons within him. Loki obviously did not have any of his father’s physical traits, but she did notice Loki had inherited some of his father’s mannerisms, including the calculating judging look.
“Greetings, Lady Darcy. My son has told me much of you.” Darcy tried to decide whether she was supposed to kneel or curtsey at this moment. Loki seemed to have preferred kneeling, and Thor had never mentioned a preference or even if there was one. Either way, Odin seemed indifferent to Darcy’s lack of a physical act of respect.
“Which one?” Probably Thor. Loki probably wouldn’t say anything, if he bothered to think of her at all after leaving.
She hoped he had. She hoped he regretted that he left every second.
“Thor. He says you are studying the artistry of policy.” Darcy raised an eyebrow. Ok, small talk before we got to the pretty green-eyed baby-sized elephant in the room. She could do that. He seemed to be taking her in, seeing who this was that had caught his son’s interest. She stood up taller and looked him in the eye. If she was going to be judged, she wasn’t going to go into it slouching.
“Political science, yes. I wanted to be able to help people. In fact, I have recently been told that following my graduation in a few weeks I shall be considered for a job as part of the public relations department of the Avengers.” She was proud of that. It would mean a move to New York, but she could deal with that. Her mother lived in Pennsylvania, so she’d be overjoyed to have her daughter less than a day away. Cool. Her mom could baby sit Ariana.
“An interesting profession.” She raised an eyebrow. She got the impression that ‘interesting’ might not be the word he had wanted to use. “Given the stories I have heard of the Avengers adventures, it seems a woman who can speak to the masses on their behalf is a good thing to have.” Odin paused before turning to his son and resting a hand on his shoulder. His eyes softened. “Thor, Leave us.” Thor hesitated, sparing Darcy a glance before obeying his father.
“I fear I must ask a lot of you, Darcy Lewis.” He stated as soon as his son left the room. “First, may I see my grandchild?” Darcy was reluctant to hand over her daughter to a man who was a stranger to her except in stories. However, this was her daughter’s grandfather. And Thor promised the child would be safe, and Thor had yet to break a promise to her.
She carefully handed Ariana over to him, watching to make sure he was holding her correctly. Grandfather and granddaughter looked at each other in awe and both seemed to be searching out who exactly this other person was.
“She looks like her father at this age,” he commented finally. It was amusing to see the King of a few minutes ago relax in a way that seemed so human. While Darcy knew that there were people who simply did not like children, there were few she had met so far who could resist Ariana’s smile. Darcy wondered why she had remembered to bring her iPod, but not her camera. Then remembered her iPod HAD a camera and took it out to take pictures for Ariana’s baby album.
Odin did not seem to notice her taking pictures, as he was still watching the little girl, rocking her slightly. Perhaps he just did not care. Did they have photographs in Asgard? They seemed technologically advanced, but their culture seemed steeped with the past. She wondered if she could convince Thor to show her Loki’s baby pictures.
Darcy jumped slightly when the throne room doors were thrown open and Frigga rushed in, eager to see her first grandchild. Darcy wondered if everyone on Asgard was super strong because those doors seemed heavy and thick to her but Frigga had thrown them open like they were made of bargain bin plastic.
This was really going to make getting things child proofed hard, wasn’t it?
“Let me see her!” Frigga stated her tone that of new grandmothers everywhere who felt they needed to be the one to hold the child first. Odin obliged his wife, and handed the little girl over. Frigga’s smile became watery as she beheld her granddaughter. The King seemed to leave the man’s stance even more as he beheld his wife holding Ariana.
“What is her name?” She asked softly, briefly looking up at Darcy.
“Ariana Madeline Lewis.” Darcy said, relaxing slightly herself. They weren’t acting like they were going to take her away. They looked like grandparents who just wanted to see their grandchild. It was very human-like, she supposed. Maybe it was one of those universal truths or something. “Madeline is my mother’s name,” she added to fill the silence that followed her statement.
“Her family name on Asgard would be Lokidottir,” Odin stated, returning once more to a more formal stance. “Ariana Lokidottir. Our customs do not usually have so many names. She will no doubt be addressed as Princess Ariana or Ariana Lokidottir. This is not an attempt to remove your mother’s influence.”
Darcy decided to hold back that she didn’t think that Lokidottir was going to go well when she got to school. She had a feeling that telling the King that his granddaughter would not be spending the majority of her time in this realm would probably be a bad idea.
“Thank you for allowing us to see her,” Frigga said, attempting to lessen the tension that had arisen. She gave her a husband a look before continuing. “We weren’t sure Thor would be able to convince you to come, especially as it seems you and Loki did not end things amicably.”
“That is one way to put it,” Darcy said, trying to rid her voice of her irritation. She would save that for Loki whenever she got to see him. It wasn’t Frigga’s fault her son had decided to have a double life. She would rather not discuss the whole identity issue with his parents either. That conversation was saved for Loki himself.
“You mentioned other requests,” she continued, trying to change the subject before she started a rant that she didn’t think Loki’s mother would want to hear.
“Yes,” Odin answered, moving from behind his wife. “It appears that during the last year and a half my son has been under the influence of an object we call the Casket and humans had started to call the ‘Tesseract’.” His hands clasped behind his back. Frigga moved off to the side where she could sit down, rocking the baby as she did so.
“I’ve heard of it. My friend Erik was working on a project to use it as a power source.”
“Yes,” Odin responded, his tone implying that he knew exactly what that power source was for, and like his eldest son, was not too happy with the idea. “It appears the device caused mental harm to my son. In order to heal him, the Old Woman has requested that you be brought to Asgard. I’m not entirely sure how she intends to use us, but she says we are all needed if Loki is to survive.”
“Survive?” Damn it. She supposed that if it had been something harmless she wouldn’t be needed, but it hadn’t dawn on her that he would be dying from whatever it was. Or that she would care. But as soon as Odin let on how serious it was her heart had dropped.
It seemed she still cared for the jerk, even if his name was different and possibly had a completely separate personality.
“Indeed.” Darcy whirled around to see the old woman standing a few feet from them. “Loki must face the demons that the Tesseract has used to harm him. Each of us must take the journey with him. His sváss most of all. You are his tether as he searches to find his way out of the darkness. He must see the possibilities of his future,” she added, pointing towards Ariana.
“What do we need to do?” Odin asked.
“You must travel with him in his mind space. The journey there will be easy. The journey while there will not. But first, she will go. Then the father will travel, followed by the brother, the past love and the man whom he owes retribution. Each shall have a day, but she must carry all.”
“Whoa. Wait a second. What do you mean carry all? And ‘travel in his mind space’? I’m not sure I want to be in crazy land.” She also made a note to ask Thor what a sah-vass was.
“You shall be the link between the unwanted and the one who wonders. You will prepare him for his journey. No harm will come to you.”
“Please, Lady Darcy, he needs your help.” Darcy turned back to Frigga who was looking at her pleadingly. This was Loki’s mother, not his queen. She was begging her to help her son. Darcy looked down at her own child, and knew she would plead the same.
Plus, if Loki went insane she couldn’t really yell and rave at him, now could she.
Ariana choose this moment to surprise everyone by turning blue, giggling the whole time. Darcy simply smiled at her daughter; Odin acted as if nothing had happened. Frigga, however, seemed to know what Ariana found so amusing about shocking people with her shape shifting abilities and grinned down at her granddaughter, leaning down to kiss her on the markings on her forehead. That image, which she managed to catch with her iPod camera helped solidify her decision. These people accepted her daughter despite the fact that Ariana was different. She knew as her daughter grew up there would be other differences between her and other human beings, and she would need help knowing which change was something she should go with the flow with and what she needed to be concerned about.
There was also the thought that Ariana would probably not forgive her after that conversation when she was older when she had to be told that her mother had let her father die simply because of a broken heart.
“Alright, I will do it. But I want you to walk me thorough the process. Use small words and go slow.”
~*~
Loki felt nothing. He saw nothing. He heard nothing. He sensed NOTHING. He couldn’t even feel his own chest move as he breathed. He knew he was alive, and every once and awhile a memory would flash by him, but he always returned to this nothing-ness.
Not quite nothingness. While usually silent, occasionally he would feel the oppressive weight of something upon him. He would know there were whispers but he couldn’t hear them.
It hadn’t been this non-existent in the fall between the Bifrost and when he awoke with the Chitauri. Then he had felt pain, lots of pain, but somehow the lack of any feeling felt worse than the massive amounts he felt under their hands.
He never thought he could find a new level of loneliness then what he had felt for most of the last year. But he could honestly say he had never felt as alone as he did right now.
Master List | Chapter Two | Chapter Four