Frank Makes a Friend
“The Queen demands your presence, Prince Thor.” A messenger said having entered Thor’s room.
Thor was practicing with Mjolnir, testing the weight in his hands and attempting to optimize its strength. “In a while.”
“She insists.” The messenger said again.
Bitterly, Thor stopped swinging Mjolnir. “Fine! What is it that she requires of me?”
The messenger smiled coyly for a moment before being washed in gold light, emerging as the tall, blonde form of his mother. “Is that anyway to address your people, Thor?”
The boy cursed himself internally. How could he not have known? If his mother was upset with him before, she would be seething now. “I’m sorry, Mother.”
She raised her light brow, entering his room and seating herself on a red upholstered chair. “Oh? Thor, perhaps it is not me you need to apologize to.”
He set down Mjolnir, taking a seat across from his mother. “Who else then?”
Her gaze pierced him like bright icy daggers straight through his heart. “I think you know whom.”
Of course, Mother would be upset with him for battering his brother. “Loki? Mother, I have done nothing.”
“Leave the lying to Loki. He’s better at it. Though, he is not so dull as to lie to his mother.” Frigga said knowingly, sending her eldest son a pointed stare.
Thor uncrossed his arms, letting them hang at his sides. “Mother, I do not understand why you trust Loki to go out by himself and he is not even adolescent. It is not fair.”
“Thor, it is not about fairness.” She chided, taking the blonde boy’s hand. “Think about it like this: what is Loki good at?”
“Reading.” Thor grumbled, “Magic, throwing daggers, being irksome.”
“Do not resent your brother.” She scolded lightly, expression firming before continuing her inquisition. “Now, what are you good at?”
He looked over at Mjolnir. “Fighting.”
A tender smile met Frigga’s lips. “Thor, you are a strong, willful, young man. But you must stop being so cruel to your brother. You have your strengths in battle and passion for the Asgardian custom. But Loki carries important traits as well. He is studious, knowledgeable, and cares for Asgard the same as you. I need you to fix whatever skirmish you have with him. You need Loki at your side, Thor, whether you want him there or not.”
Angrily, Thor stood. “Why?! So that he can protect me? For what purpose—“
“Because he knows things that you do not.” Frigga said, her words clipped, streaking with disappointment that drew Thor back into his chair in shame. “That doesn’t mean that Loki is any more intelligent than you or that you are any less capable. It means that the two of you must find a balance.” She stood, smoothing her skirt. “You must learn to work with your brother.”
“But Mother, what could I possibly do? Train him in the fields? I am not even allowed outside the gardens!” Thor said.
A small smile lit the Queen’s face as she swept from the room. “No. I don’t think you are. Perhaps you should speak with Loki.”
Thor was confused by his mother’s words. Would Loki explain her riddling speech? “Where is he?”
Frigga’s glance flicked out Thor’s window, lingering on the forest just visible near the midday horizon. “You know, I’m not quite sure. Oh well. Do mend things with your brother; it will make your life exceedingly simpler.”
Now, usually Thor left the mind games to Loki, who could understand them as well as give them. However, he was fairly sure his mother had just given him permission to go look for Loki....outside the palace grounds.
“Yes Mother.”
She turned to leave, a smug smile on her face, when she spoke one last command. “Oh, and Thor, darling? This is something you and Loki must do alone. It is a family matter, is it not?”
Thor gulped in nervous anticipation, as he realized he would not be going with his friends. He would go out and find Loki himself.
“Yes Mother.”
***
“Darcy, I think we are lost.” Loki said, bending over her shoulder to look at the map. She was holding it upside down.
“We are not lost, Loki. I’m just taking a detour.” Darcy reminded him for the fourth time in the past hour.
According to Darcy’s watch, they had been walking for two hours and Loki was convinced that their ‘detour’ through the woods had been a bad idea. She claimed that they could get into town quicker if they went through the woods because Darius told her he did that all the time. Loki suspected her older brother had lied.
Darcy rubbed her forehead, opening her bag and pulling out a snack bar. She undid the wrapper, tossing it back into her pack. Jörmungandr looked at it hopefully, his smallish body trailing over Darcy’s hand. Reluctantly, Darcy fed him half the bar, his small mouth gaping to fit the entire thing.
“Loki?”
“Yes Darcy?”
“How come Frank can eat so much? I was watching the discovery channel, and usually snakes get big bellied when they eat stuff.” She said, examining the small creature’s thin body as he made open mouthed grabs at the remainder of her snack.
Loki let Jörmungandr slither onto his hand, “I don’t know. He is an Asgardian snake. Shall I bring you a book on Asgardian animals?”
She nodded enthusiastically, fishing out leftover pizza and handing Loki a slice. “Yeah! Thanks! Now, I think that Main Street is just up here. If we can get through…”
He could see what she meant. A street lay through the stretch of yellow leaved trees, a few buildings popping up. Perhaps Darcy had not been lost. They surged forwards through the wood, Darcy tripping at least five times, helping herself up before Loki could get to her. Finally, they made it to the street and Darcy glanced around, confused.
“That’s funny.”
Loki looked at her skeptically, “What is funny?”
“Uh,” she glanced at the map, then at the buildings, “I don’t know.”
Frustrated, Loki peered at the map, its lines making little sense. “We are lost.”
“Not exactly….”
“We should ask for directions.”
“No, I know exactly where I’m going. I don’t need to ask for directions, Loki.”
Jörmungandr wrapped around his wrist, mouth covering his thumb. “Darcy…”
She folded the map, stowing it in her back pack. “Alright, so…maybe I don’t know exactly where we are. But I’m sure it’s around here somewhere.”
Loki relented, following her on the ‘sidewalk’, watching cars pass and people talk on their ‘cell phones’. It was different, and despite Darcy’s obvious misguidance, he rather liked the envelopment of Midgardian culture. Perhaps Darcy should like to visit Asgard sometime.
They passed buildings, so very different from those on Asgard. Some made with stones, bricks, and wood. Others seemed to be of metal and glass. People passed by, but it did not seem to be busy.
“New York city has a lot of people.” Darcy told him as they turned down a corner they had passed for the third time now. He did not bother her on it. In fact, he was rather enjoying himself. “But, there aren’t so many people here. She walked down a new path that stretched between two tall buildings, a few waste cans in the passage. “I need to sit down. My feet hurt.”
Loki wondered how her feet could tire, as they had only been walking a few hours. Were Midgardians really so fragile? “Shall we look at the map again?” he asked her, looking skeptically at the ground. It did not look terribly clean. “Would you like me to navigate to the library?”
Darcy crossed her legs, pulling out the map. “Okay. But I was thinking maybe we could just ask my mom to drive us to the library next time. It’s eleven o’ seven and my mom said I had to be home at twelve.”
Loki smiled a bit, “And we’re lost?”
She sighed loudly, muttering under her breath.
“Darcy, it is not proper to mumble.” He chided, hoping to get one of her giggling smiles or teasing shoves.
She gave him both, “I said, we’re lost. Where’s Frank?”
Loki checked his wrist where the reptile had been only moments ago. He was not there. “I’m not sure.”
“Frank?” Darcy called, an edge of panic in her voice. “Frank! Come on, I want to go home!”
She walked in tight circles in the alley, blue eyes searching the ground for Jörmungandr. Suddenly, there was a large metallic bang! It came from the large steel bins that smelled of waste.
Darcy approached it without hesitation. “Darcy, wait!” Loki said, coming up behind her, his dagger drawn. He’d made a special pocket for it inside his suit.
“Why?” she asked, standing on her toes and he gripped her shoulder to keep her down. “C’mon Loki, I wanna see—“
There was another sharp noise, followed by several scratching noises. “Darcy, it is dangerous. If you become mortally wounded, I cannot fix you with the limited magic I have now.” He said soothingly, trying to talk her out of it.
Darcy shook her head, “Loki, it’s probably just an animal.”
“Yes,” Loki agreed, giving another tug. “A feral animal contaminated with disease. Let’s go home, Jörmungandr is probably on the walk-way.”
Though he gave it his best effort, Darcy still managed to climb up the side of the bin and push open the lid. She gasped loudly, her small mouth forming a perfect ‘O’. Instantly, Loki was at her side, prepared to heal any injury or kill any foul creature.
But Darcy’s shock came, not from fear or pain, but rather sentiment. “Oh no.”
There, at the bottom of this strange metal rubbish bin, was the smallest wolf pup Loki had ever seen. It looked up at them hopelessly, whining in need. It’s blue eyes were wide, clear, and beautiful just like Darcy’s. On top of the pup was a slack jawed Jörmungandr, letting his tongue loll happily.
“Loki, help. Here.” Darcy guided her body up the side of the bin and he was impressed with her climbing abilities. Most small people would not be able to lift themselves so far. “Hold my ankles, I’m going to reach down and get them.”
Quickly, Loki grasped her ankles, fingers covering her white socks as she bent over the bin, and she grunted in discomfort. “Almost there…”
“Darcy, perhaps we should try another way?” he asked, moving a hand to grasp under her shoulder.
“No…wait…I’ve almost got….there!” she grunted, “Hoist me up.”
Swiftly, and with as much gentleness as possibly, Loki pulled Darcy back out of the rubbish, the small animal in her hands. Its fur was matted with dirt and bits of Midgardian trash and its paw was bent at a rather painful looking angle. “Do you think it’s a boy or a girl?” she asked him, her small hands tenderly picking plastic from behind the dog’s ear.
Loki carefully placed his hand on the pup’s head, heart warming when it whined affectionately, nose bumping his hand. “A boy, I think. He is hurt.”
Darcy’s wide eyes looked on the verge of tears as she examined his foot. Something deep inside Loki stirred in seeing Darcy upset. Until this moment, he had never seen Darcy anything other than cheerful. He would admit that seeing Darcy in pain was heartbreaking. He would do anything to bring back her smile.
Also, this wolf pup was undeserving of such pain. “His paw is broken, I…I think I may be able to fix it….” Loki breathed, letting Jörmungandr shift onto his hand from the pup’s back.
As he said this, he was reminded of his accidental wayward spell with Hel. He thought he could heal her too…
Shaking his head, he brushed it off. He had practiced healing so much since then. He was determined never to make that same mistake.
Darcy’s smile was what convinced him. It was big, watery, and encouraging. “Really?”
He nodded once, holding up his hands and focusing very hard on the spell in his mind. Jörmungandr waited by, looking like he wanted to retreat to the top of the pup’s head. Closing his eyes, he focused his energy onto the animal’s paw, casting the spell.
Darcy’s sharp intake of air had him panicked in a second. Had he killed this poor thing as well? Would he also reincarnate as an undead wolf?
“Loki…you did it!” Darcy squealed, giggling as the dog wiggled in her arms to lick her chin and dive at Loki.
Glee rose in his chest as the little creature put its muddy paws on his chest, licking his nose in happiness. “I am glad he’s alright.” Loki sighed in relief, picking the last of the garbage off him.
Jörmungandr quickly moved to slither over the pup’s body, exploring curiously. Darcy set the two down, letting the dog chase its tail where Jörmungandr now sat, their small pink tongues both lolling out. Darcy laughed, “Look, Loki, they’re friends!”
Loki smiled as well, slowly relaxing in Darcy’s presence. “A snake and a wolf…”
“He’s not a wolf, Loki. He’s a husky. It’s a type of Earth-Dog that looks like a wolf.” She explained eyeing the large metal bin. “Why would someone put a poor puppy in a dumpster?”
Loki frowned, hesitantly taking her hand in comfort. “Well, perhaps they did not care.”
He watched as her pouty lips went from anger to determination. “Well, I care. He needs a home Loki. I’m going to take him home.”
Loki, having no objection to her desires, led them all out of the alley and back towards the wood, where they were left to his memory to get back. Unfortunately, the weather took an unexpected turn as it began to rain. Violent droplets drenched them as they plowed through dense forests filled with trees that had nearly lost their leaves and wet yellowing fields.
Loki considered using magic to get them back to Darcy’s house, but he was so drained from healing their new friend that he did not know how stable his magic would be. As they walked through the rain, Loki fell into a sort of sense of tranquility, his mind wandering to books and Midgardian entertainment literature, and his latest thoughts on where the tesseract might be. Religion seemed popular on Midgard, perhaps it was somewhere religious.
After a few minutes of his musings, Loki realized that Darcy’s constant chatter had ceased and the happy scurry of the dog had gone. Anxiously, Loki whipped around, heart thudding to a halt when he came upon nothing but dry sticks and stones.
He was further perturbed when a shrill scream of his favorite voice called out to him. “LOKI!”
***
Honestly, Darcy didn’t mean to get lost from Loki. They were walking together, and then out of no where, she was distracted by a clearing and had gone off to explore, the dog and Jörmungandr following in her wake.
That’s when she noticed the train track.
Hadn’t they just talked about trains yesterday? This would be the perfect opportunity to show Loki what a train was! If she just got closer and found a good place to wait…
Excited, Darcy ran over to the tracks, inspecting their gravelly undertones and metal bars. She had never stood on train tracks before. The Husky puppy was bobbing along beside the track, Jörmungandr sitting on his head, tongue dangling out. She didn’t know why the snake had his tongue out, it seemed strange.
Shrugging, Darcy moved to get off the train tracks and go find Loki. That’s when her foot dipped into a puddle between the metal frame of the track and the ground. The rain had subsided, but it was still damp and cold, and the pools of water were still all stirred up. She jerked her foot, attempting to move it.
It didn’t budge.
She tried again, harder this time.
“Ow!” she whined as her toe twisted uncomfortably in her shoe. The dog tilted his head inquisitively at her.
“Hey boys, can you go find Loki? My foot is stuck pretty good here.” Darcy sighed, giving another useless tug.
Jörmungandr’s tongue flicked in response and the dog seemed to receive some kind of message as they purposefully bounded back into the forest.
Darcy was working on removing her foot, trying to shift around the dirt when she heard something…something she sometimes heard from her bedroom late at night and on kids TV shows.
Chugga Chugga! Choo Choo!
Darcy peered over her shoulder, eyes widening at the massive train coming straight at where she was situated on the track. Desperately, she tugged at her foot again, to no avail. That left her with one option, her only chance….
“LOKI!”
***
Loki checked this way and that, running back to where he last remembered hearing something from Darcy, gazing around frantically. Was she hurt? Was she in trouble? Were there more wounded animals? Was she lost?
There was a rustle of leaves and a small high pitched bark as his and Darcy’s pets ran in from a break in the trees. The puppy tugged at his pant leg while Jörmungandr slithered up his arm, curling around his knuckles in anticipation.
“Where is she?” Loki asked, hurrying in the direction the animals led him.
The healing must have worked better than Loki had hoped for the pup, because he ran like there was no tomorrow, guiding him through a familiar clearing and to some strange metal tracks.
“Loki!”
His gaze shot down a ways to Darcy. She was bent down over her foot and tugging with shaking arms at her foot. Approaching her rather quickly was what looked like a large metal beast… It was a…a…
“A train.” Loki breathed, doing quick calculations on how much time before it collided with Darcy.
About thirty seconds.
“Darcy!” he ran over to her, noticing almost half her leg was lost in a murky pool of water.
“Loki, help! I was just trying to show you a train track and then—“
“It is okay, just..just…let’s pull it out, alright?” he reasoned, forcing himself to keep a well mannered tone. He was a prince and wouldn’t break composure when he needed it most. He inhaled deeply as the three of them, Darcy, the dog, and Loki, yanked at Darcy’s leg and she groaned in protest.
“It won’t budge!”
Ten
What to do?!
Nine
“Loki, run!”
Eight
“I hate trains!”
Seven
Jörmungandr squirmed onto Darcy’s knee, mouthing her jeans.
Six
The dog whined at her leg, bumping his nose to Loki’s hand as he pulled at her ankle.
Five
Perhaps he should try the spell…
Four
If they did not move now....
Three
“Loki!”
Two
Throwing his arms around his friends, he cast the spell over the four of them, picturing Darcy’s house very clearly in his mind, the memory of her bedroom pulsating in his mind like it was the most important thing in all of Yggdrasil.
He gripped onto them harder, waiting for the impact of that dreaded train.
“Loki?” Darcy’s soft voice dipped into the silent air.
Slowly, he looked up, scared that the walls may be that of the golden Valhala or bleak Helheim rather than the comforting purple of Darcy’s room. “Darcy….”
A smile broke out across her face, cheeks splitting with glee. Her laugh sounded through the room. “We’re alive!”
The dog bounded around the room, yipping in delight and sniffing the floors of Darcy’s room, his little paws making muddy prints across their blanket fort. Loki’s head spun as he struggled to maintain consciousness. He had never exerted so much magic at one time before or spread himself so thin as to transport four sentient creatures.
He collapsed onto the ground, relaxing into the stuffed animals Darcy had slept with last night.
“Loki? Are you okay?” Darcy’s concerned voice asked.
A wet nose dabbed his cheek and the cool coil of a snake slinked onto his forehead. “I am fine, Darcy. I just…need…to rest.” He looked up at her worried expression. “I’ve used too much magic.”
Darcy’s small wet hands felt his face and neck, “Does it just make you tired? Or are you sick? Do you need medicine? I have chewable Tylenol, but that’s it. Loki…?”
He grumbled something about sleep before his body refused to move another inch and his mind brought him to a much needed sleep.
***
Darcy figured Loki just needed rest, and if he didn’t wake up, then she would try something else.
She covered Loki in a few blankets and shoved a pillow under his head. The dog was still whining next to him.
“I’m sure he’ll be okay, little dude.” Darcy assured the puppy, “You need a name. But I gave Frank his name, I guess Loki can name you.”
The puppy wagged its tail a little, sitting determinedly in front of his new friends.
Darcy sat down near Loki’s head, gently smoothing his hair back like her daddy did when she was sick. Her daddy always stayed home with her when she was sick and she liked it because she only got to see her Daddy on the weekends. He always read her new books, and poems….
“Do you like poetry, Loki?” Darcy whispered to her sleeping friend. She checked his pulse like she did in gym class after doing exercises. Two of her fingers wiggled over his neck till she found the expected steady throb.
“Okay, you’re alive. I think you’ll like poetry.” She told him, standing up and going to her bookshelf, searching for the right book. “My Daddy always reads this one poem to me when I’m sick. I don’t know if you have poems on Asgard, but they’re probably different than the ones on Midgard.” She said taking the poetry book and sitting at his side again. Jörmungandr’s tongue flicked her knuckle.
She opened to the page that her Daddy always went to and found the poem he liked. The puppy set his chin on Loki’s chest, staring at her with expectant blue eyes. “So, I guess you can just listen and we can talk about it later.”
She cleared her throat, reading aloud:
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening By Robert Lee Frost…
“Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
“My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
“He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
“The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep”
Darcy finished, setting down the book and looking down at Loki. He hadn’t changed. What if he was in a coma? What if he was dead? Hesitantly, she lifted his eyelid, revealing his green iris.
“Darcy!” called a deep masculine voice from down the stairs. Heavy footsteps began to clump up the stairs.
“Daddy!” she squeaked, leaping up to greet him, but then she remembered the unknown guests in her room. Quickly she covered all three of them with the blankets from their fort, shoving stuffed animals onto them.
Her doorknob twisted as she sat down next to the pile with her Robert Frost Poetry book. “Hi Daddy!” she ran over to him, giggling as he lifted her into the air for a sweeping hug.
“Oh, here she is! The marvelous Darcy Lewis, getting bigger every day!” he ruffled her hair, kissing her face, his scratchy chin ticking her cheek. “How’s it going Baby Doll?”
“I’m good! I went outside today and, Daddy, I have to ask you something—“
Suddenly, the pile of blankets in the floor wiggled and the husky puppy leapt out, shaking out his fur.
Darcy let out a nervous laugh, reddening at the sideways glance her father. “Can I keep him Daddy? Please?”
He sighed setting her down and kneeling next to her. The puppy immediately ran to him, jumping onto his lap and licking his face. “Darce…”
“Please, Daddy! He was all alone in a dumpster and Darius has a cat…” she begged, sitting on the floor across from her Dad, the puppy bounding over to sit in her lap, affectionately snuggling her hands. “He doesn’t have anyone else and he’s really friendly and I promise to feed him and give him baths and walk him and pick up poop and…and…pleeeeease?” she begged, sticking out her bottom lip.
She could see her father starting to cave, his eyes avoiding hers. He sighed, “Did you ask your mother?”
She shook her head. “Can you talk to her?”
“Darce….”
“Pleeeeeease?”
The man sighed, looking from the wide blue eyes of his daughter to the adorable little pup in her arms that seemed to beg with the same bright eyes. “Alright. Fine...”
“YES!”
“…But you have to talk to your mother and this guy needs a bath.” He rubbed the puppy’s head, “Sweet though, ain’t he? What are you going to name him?”
Darcy tapped her chin, “I don’t know yet.”
Her father stood up, a smile on his kind face. “Well, I’ll let you decide that. I think I am in dire need of a shower and a nice strong cup of coffee. Did you eat lunch?”
She shook her head, “Well, I did have a snack bar.”
“I’ll make you some soup in a bit, alright?”
“Thanks Daddy.” She said, standing up to wrap her arms around his neck and receive another kiss on the cheek.
“No problem, kid.” He chuckled, rubbing her back.
After he left, Darcy immediately ran to Loki’s side, pushing the blankets and bedding from his body. This time, when she glanced down at him worriedly, his eyes cracked open. “All clear?”
“You’re alive!” she praised, nearly leaping onto his body. Jörmungandr flicked his tongue, happily lapping at his friend’s forehead.
The puppy did the same.
Loki carefully sat up, “I’m fine, as I said, I simply exerted more magic than my body could cope with.”
Her eyebrows knit together in agitation. “Is that dangerous?”
Loki thought about that for a moment. In truth, it was very dangerous. If he did it too often, it could kill him. “I would not recommend that we travel so quickly again.”
Darcy nodded, “Maybe next time, I’ll just get my mom to drive us and you can turn invisible or something.”
Loki nodded, “And no trains next time. I do not think I like trains very much.”
“Me either.” Darcy shuddered. “Thank you, Loki. For getting us out of there.”
He smiled weakly, warmed by her gratitude. Her life was so short, how could he deny her the rest of the time they had together. “I was happy to.”
Gently, Darcy hugged him, her damp arms encircling him. He hugged her back without hesitation, her messy hair tickling his nose. They stayed like that all of two seconds before Darcy shot up, remembering something. “My Daddy said we could keep him!”
She hastily picked up the small husky puppy, rubbing his ears in joy. “And I was thinking that since I got to name Frank, even though you call him by the wrong name, I think you should name this one.”
Grinning, enthusiasm nipped at Loki’s heart. He would get to name their new friend….
“Fenrir.”
Darcy tapped her chin thoughtfully and he waited for her to tell him it was a silly name. Finally she responded, “I like it.”
Fenrir barked at his new name, licking Jörmungandr in happiness. The snake responded in turn, licking the nose of his friend.
“Truly?”
“Yeah! It’s got a nice ring to it. Fenrir and Frank. They sound good together.” Darcy assured, picking at something on her hand. “I think Fenrir needs a bath though. He’s getting dirt all over my room.”
“I agree.”
Over the next hour, Loki regained some of his strength, changing back into his armor. Darcy said she could say the suit was Darius’. Darcy’s father came out of his shower and made Darcy something called a ‘grilled cheese sandwich’. Darcy took it up to her room to eat and gave it to Loki, saying she wasn’t hungry.
“My Dad’s probably going to sleep now. He works really hard and he sits in the chair and sleeps a lot.” Darcy whispered as he finished the melted cheese sandwich. It was different than any he had eaten before, but he liked it. Yet, he noticed Midgardians ate such small portions. Darcy did not eat as much in one day as he could eat for breakfast. She retrieved the last snack bar from her backpack along with two remaining slices of pizza, all of which he ate ravenously.
“Woah, you eat a lot.” Darcy said, standing up, “Are you just really hungry, or what?”
Loki considered his reading of the Midgardian biology book he read. “Well, I suppose Asgardians use more energy to survive than Midgardians. My body simply uses it faster to maintain my magic and strength.” He explained.
Darcy nodded in understanding. “Okay, I guess that makes sense.” She crawled over to her door, cracking it open and pressing her ear to the space between the frame. “I think my Dad is asleep so we can give Fenrir a bath.”
Loki stood, eager to do so, but he remembered Asgard and his promise to be home before evening. “Darcy, I’m afraid you must continue on without me. My mother shall worry for me if I am not home soon.”
“Oh, okay.’ She looked fairly disappointed, but soon smiled. “The next time you come I’ll ask my mom if she can drive us to the Library.”
Loki nodded, a shy smile on his lips. “Or…perhaps, if you like, of course, you could visit the library at the palace on Asgard….?”
Her eyes widened to the size of platters, threatening to overtake her entire face. Loki quickly tried to defend his offer.
“If you like. I could show you my research and there are different languages of the nine realms and, well, I suppose there is quite a bit to learn. You have showed me so much of Midgard, I simply thought—“
“Are you kidding me!? I would love to go to Asgard! I didn’t know I could!” Darcy giggled, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
“Truly? You would like to see it?” he asked, stepping forwards to take her hands.
“Duh! Silly goose!” she said, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly. “This is going to be great!”
Excited, Loki scooped up Jörmungandr from the top of Fenrir’s head, “Absolutely, Darcy! I shall try to visit you tomorrow, but I’m afraid the day of my turning to Adolescence soon approaches.”
“Right, your special birthday. I get it. I’m turning ten soon, on October 3rd.” she stated, gasping in realization. “I have to get you a birthday present!”
“What?”
“A birthday present! You don’t get those on Asgard? When you get older, people give you gifts on your birthday!” She explained, picking up Fenrir.
They did receive presents on Asgard, but not every Midgardian year. Asgardian years lasted the length of four Midgard ones. “You do not have to get me anything Darcy.”
“Yeah I do! It’s your BIRTHDAY! Everybody gets things on their birthday.” She said obviously, giving Fenrir a sniff. “Pee yew.”
Loki rubbed the puppy behind his ears. “Then I should also get you something for yours in a few weeks. Yes?”
“Well, if you want to.” Darcy said, her cheeks turning pink with excitement, her messy hair framing her face.
“I do.” Loki promised, kneeling down beside her bed. “I will see you later, Darcy.”
“Bye Loki.” She waved, picking up Fenrir’s paw to make him wave as well.
He slipped under her bed, thinking of Asgard and his bed where he could sleep.
When he opened his eyes, he and Jörmungandr were in the cave, hunched against the wall. Stretching, Loki walked from the cage, searching around the area for Hel. His horse stood in the clearing, drinking from the stream. He was about to call to her when he heard for the second time that day, an ear splitting scream calling his name, laced with fear and urgency.
“LOKI!”
“Thor.” Loki gasped, running over to Hel and lifting himself onto her back, Jörmungandr’s jaw slack in anticipation of what they might face next.