Frank Takes a Nap
Darcy’s hands went to her hair as Fenrir poised himself to make the bound to Odin’s helm. “Can you teleport them?”
Loki began to panic as well, his fingers wiggling in anticipation of Fenrir’s next move. “No. I don’t think I have quite enough energy yet. I can make them invisible, I think.”
“Do it!” she exclaimed in a whisper, pulling a small pastry from a nearby tray and taking a bite. “These are super good.”
“Darcy, focus!” he said, raising his hands and casting the spell. Both Jörmungandr and Fenrir glowed with gold light for just a moment before the pup leapt onto Odin’s helm. Loki held his breath, waiting for his father to react to the small bump he must have felt. But no such reaction came. The Allfather simply continued his steady gaze around the hall, his one blue eye flicking lazily about.
Loki frowned, “The spell does not prevent my father from sensing their presence. It only shields them from the rest of the party.” He explained.
Darcy nodded, finishing her treat. “Mm, alright. Well, how do we get them down? Can you make it so Odin can’t see them either?”
“No. My magic is drained. Now that I have reached my adolescence, it should manifest quicker over these next few months. But at the moment, I would be lucky to conjure a pebble.”
Darcy tapped her chin, watching as Fenrir positioned his sticky body between the wings and small horns of Odin’s helm. “Well, how do we get him down?”
Loki thought diligently. “Well, we cannot simply go to him, we must…Darcy, he is standing.”
She picked up another dessert. “Where is he going? I can’t see over your horns.”
“He’s leaving the hall! Darcy, anyone outside this room can see them! The Allfather will be disgraced. Or worse, furious.” He told her grimly.
Darcy forced down an especially large bite. “Maybe we just have to get him to bow. Then Fenrir will fall off.”
“I suppose. But, Darcy, he is the King. Why would he bow to anyone?” Loki asked anxiously, trying to come up with a better idea.
She brushed off her skirts, straightening her circlet. “I’m a noblewoman.” She said obviously, “He has to be polite to a lady.”
Loki watched amazed as Darcy giggled, strutting off to follow the King of Asgard through the grand golden doors of the hall. Dread clawed at Loki’s insides. Would Darcy’s disguise be able to fool the Allfather? What if he imprisoned her for being impolite? What if he struck her down with Gungnir?!
“Darcy, wait!” he protested, marching after her. But his friend was already at the Allfather’s heels, a nervous smile on her face. The king turned around at Loki’s call, Fenrir still sitting, quite proudly, atop his helm.
“Pardon me, Your Majesty.” Darcy said, and Loki saw her shrink in shyness from his father’s one-eyed stare. He knew it well. The scrutiny that one eye could enforce on an individual was unparalleled.
Loki strode over to them, hoping Darcy would remain whole before he got there. “Lady Darcy, there you are. I was afraid I had lost you for a moment…”
He trailed off as Odin looked down at them both knowingly, “I do not know how or why there is a small wolf pup on my head, but might I suggest that we keep him on the ground for now?” a hint of a smile crossed his bearded face and Darcy’s cheeks turned scarlet.
“Yes, Allfather.” Darcy murmured, holding out her hands to receive a sticky, wiggly Fenrir with a grinning Jörmungandr on his head. Both looked entirely too pleased with themselves.
“Yes, Father.” Loki said, cheeks heating as Jörmungandr slithered onto his hand.
Odin gave them another half smile before his kingly composure returned, “Good evening Lady Darcy, Prince Loki. Do not let me keep you from the festivities.”
Darcy waited till Odin had continued down the hall then turned to Loki, “How did he know?”
Loki shook his head, “I do not know.”
Fenrir whined in Darcy’s arms, craning his neck to attempt licking her chin. “Fenrir…bleh! You smell weird! Loki, what is he covered in?”
Loki was shaken from his ideas about the power it might take to elude the Allfather. He must research that at some point. He quizzically ran a finger over Fenrir’s fur, collecting a bit of the substance in his fingers. It was gooey and stuck his fingers together so tightly, he had to work to separate them. “It is sap from Northern Asgardian Pines.” He said, sniffing it. “It’s used in the palace for cosmetic purposes. The Ladies use it as a balm on their skin and rinse it off after a few minutes. I believe it is soluble in oil.”
“Great! Where do we get oil? Like, cooking oil? Or body oil? Or olive oil?” Darcy asked, relenting and letting Fenrir lick the strawberry filling off her face.
“I’m not sure. I think there should be some in the ladies bathing chambers.” He thought, pondering where exactly ladies would keep their oils.
“Okay! Let’s go! Lead the way!” Darcy cried, holding the puppy away from her dress so the sap wouldn’t damage the silk.
Loki paled, “Darcy, I cannot go into the ladies’ bathing chambers!” he exclaimed, “It would be most disrespectful!”
She groaned, “Then what do we do?”
***
Darcy gasped when she saw what Loki called ‘bathing chambers’.
The whole room was huge, the walls shining with intricate golden vines and floating balls of luminescent light. The main area was a giant pool, filled with rippling steaming water that smelled so sweet, Darcy considered drinking it. In the corner, gently stirring the water was a waterfall, spilling clean water into the pool.
“Cool.” Darcy said, heading for another archway. Loki had told her to search for a round green bottle that matched the color of the sap. But he had never been in the ladies’ bathing chamber, so Darcy had to find it herself.
In the next room were the fanciest set of toilets Darcy had ever seen. Well, at least she thought they were toilets. She couldn’t be quite sure.
She passed through several more plush looking rooms with sofas and chaise longues, set next to tables piled high with little glass bottles each with a different smell. She thought about the possibility of them being oil, but upon inspection she found they were only perfumes. She sneezed as they entered the next room, coughing a bit in the stuffy air. She cleared her throat to breathe easier.
Darcy finally felt like she hit the jackpot. All around her were mirrors, high backed chairs, and counters packed thick with vials of every shape, style, and color. Tubes of paste and jars of salts lay at small half filled basins full of rich liquids and gasses Darcy had never seen. “My mom would love this, Fenrir. She always says that she looks dead without her make-up. Daddy says she looks beautiful all the time. But that’s because he loooves her.”
Darcy began searching through the bottles, but there were just so many! There were blue bottles, and metal bottles, and gold bottles, tall bottles, skinny bottles, fat bottles, small bottles, and any other kind of bottle in between.
After five long hard minutes of looking, Darcy collapsed into a chair. “I’m never wearing make-up. This is too much work.” She sighed, letting her toes dip into the basin at her feet.
Suddenly, across the room, a little purple bottle caught her eye. It was pretty, round, and her favorite color. Distracted, Darcy bounded over to it, climbing onto the counter to reach the shelf it sat on. She lifted the cap to peer inside. It seemed to be a watery liquid, with a slightly milky color. Carefully, she sniffed it, her senses falling apart.
It smelled good enough to eat.
She was about to stick her finger in it when the tip of a blade pressed between her shoulders. “What are you doing here, wench? And what is that beast?”
Terrified, Darcy spun around, the purple bottle flying from her hand, and landing smack across her attacker’s blonde head.
An angry growl came from the girl with the sword as the substance seeped over her hair, steaming as it reached her scalp. She screamed and Darcy held out her hands to help, “Holy Fruit Loops!”
Fenrir yelped, scurrying out of the way as the girl fell to her knees. Darcy noticed she was wearing leather pants and armor rather than a dress like most ladies. “Sif?”
Darcy could tell she was trying not to yell again as a blonde chunk of hair fell from her head. “Uh oh.”
Sif raised her sword, “What. Are. You. Doing. Here?”
Darcy chuckled nervously, backing against the counter as Sif slowly rose to her feet, looking absolutely livid. Her face was scorching with fury and her body shook, strands of silky blonde hair falling out as she pointed her blade at Darcy’s neck. Sif’s gaze caught her reflection in the mirror behind them, eyes narrowing with rage. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? You insolent—“
Just as Darcy thought she was going to get shish-kabobed, Sif’s eyes rolled back in her head and she fell to the ground, unconscious. As her body fell, Darcy saw in the golden archway her favorite horned prince. “Loki! I thought you weren’t allowed in here!”
He grimaced, shifting himself uncomfortably. “I am not. But I heard screaming. What did you do to berate Sif?”
“I don’t know! I was just looking through bottles and stuff, then BAM! She’s poking me with a sword and calling me a wench.” Darcy explained, bending over Sif’s body, frowning as her hair continued to fall out. “Oh, and then I accidently dropped this on her head. Is there another thing that grows hair back?”
Loki’s eyebrows shot up into his helmet. “Darcy…you dropped hair-removing acid onto her head?”
“I guess. I dunno. She scared me.”
He shook his head, “Darcy there is no material in here that will grow her hair back! She will have to have a sorcerer do it! And there are few who would take such a small job as growing hair back!”
Darcy’ s hands went to her hair, knocking her circlet astray. “What do we do? Can you grow it back? Is she dead? Did I kill her? Oh my god! I killed her! I’m going to go to jail forever!”
Loki shook his head, “Darcy, calm down! Sif isn’t dead! I simply put her to sleep. My magic has come back, perhaps a bit stronger this time. I’m not sure. I have never tried to grow anyone’s hair back before.”
“C’mon Loki! Look! She’s bald!” Darcy panicked. “She’s going to kill me when she wakes up. She was going to kill me anyways. Why was she going to kill me?”
Loki racked his brain for words that would allow for him to re-grow her hair. “I do not know. You are a noblewoman’s daughter. It wouldn’t be unreasonable for you to be in here.”
Darcy poked around the shieldmaiden’s body, finding a small little vial and holding it up. “What is this?”
Loki received it, opening the top. “It is eye make-up.” He said, surprised at his own words. “Darcy, I believe the Lady Sif was simply embarrassed.”
Darcy looked confused. “Why? What did I do?”
Loki pressed his lips together, brushing the loose hair from her face and sure enough there was careful make up on her eyelids. “Nothing. Sif is just a very focused sheildmaiden. She fights every day to be the emblem of a good warrior rather than a lady. She would not be caught dead using make-up. You came in and could have seen, I suppose.”
Darcy frowned, “Why? It’s not like anyone is going to think she’s not a warrior because she uses make-up, right?”
“I do not know. They might. I fight with a sword as well as magic and I am scorned for being womanly. There is no doubt they would do the same for Sif.” He whispered and Darcy could tell he empathized with her.
“That isn’t fair.” She said, leaning on her palms as they crouched next to Sif.
Loki held up his hands, “I think I have the spell. But it may not work…”
“Try it.” Darcy urged as Sif began to stir.
Steadily, Loki brushed his fingertips over Sif’s head and Darcy gawked as hair began shooting out from her scalp. Long, silky strands of black hair grew down to her shoulders.
“Oh no.” Loki said, “She’s going to kill me.”
Darcy shrugged, “Why? She’s not bald anymore. I kinda think it looks cool black.”
Loki shook his head, “Darcy, black hair is not desirable on Asgard. Especially for a lady.”
“Can’t you just change it? You have black hair, so it can’t be too bad.” She said, petting one of the darkened locks.
He waved his hand over Sif’s hair, green light washing over her head. Nothing changed. Loki shook his horned head, “The magic is irreparable by my hand. Perhaps a more advanced sorcerer than I could—“
He was cut off by Sif’s blade flying up in the next instant. Loki dove out of the way, the now dark haired girl looming over him. “You beat me and see further reason to temper my misery with your magic?! You—“ her glare flicked to the mirror and her face morphed into the epitome of shock before retreating to a furious glower. “You turned my hair BLACK!? Why you –“
She raised her fists to attack, her sword lay forgotten between them. Loki stood, prepared to defend himself when a thin cloud of glittering gas surrounded Sif’s head and she fell, once again, to the ground. Darcy stood behind her holding a smoking silver bottle, a pleased little grin on her lips. “Coooool.”
“Darcy, what did you do?!” Loki asked, bending down to make sure Sif had not died.
“I put her to sleep!”
“With what?”
Darcy put a cap on the bottle, examining its outside. “Well, it doesn’t have a label. I’m guessing it’s just sleeping gas.”
Loki gingerly took the bottle from Darcy, fearing as to what it may be. Ever so carefully, he sniffed the container, weighing it in his hands. He sighed with relief, “It is only a simple sleeping brew. It is prescribed to those who suffer insomnia.”
Darcy lifted it, “Do they have anything like it on Midgard?”
He stood, brushing powder from the ladies’ cosmetics counter from his trousers and thinking about his biology and chemistry books. “I believe they have a few things similar to this. They come in the forms of your…medications? Drugs?” He trailed off thoughtfully. Midgardians were so in depth on everything they learned. How could this potion, concocted originally by magic, possibly be so complex as Midgardian chemicals they had gone through every molecular tunnel to find?
“Uh…wait..I don’t get it. What kinds? What do they do? How do they work?” Darcy asked curiously.
“I shall explain it to you later.” He said, searching for the oil Darcy had originally come in for. He found a large bulbous jar of it on the floor next to a basin. As he bent down to get it, a thought occurred to him, “Darcy?”
“Yeah?”
“How did you know that gas would put Sif to sleep?” Loki questioned, turning to see Darcy cradling two sleeping animals in her arms.
“Frank sniffed it first. Then Fenrir.” She grunted and coughed a couple times, failing to remove her stuck hand from Fenrir’s sappy back. “I wonder how he got into this anyhow.”
Loki was about to answer when a woman’s voice echoed through the chamber, “Who’s there?!”
They looked at each other in panic, Loki pushing Darcy forwards in earnest, the small dog still stuck to her hands. “Run!”
Leaving Sif’s unconscious black haired body behind, they sprinted through the rooms once more, dodging footstools and scattered bottles of perfumes and discarded hair combs. The smack of flat women’s shoes against marble floors followed them through their scurried trek. Darcy’s heart was pounding by the time they made it back to the bathing area.
Loki was surprised by his friend’s lack of endurance. Perhaps it was because she was Midgardian. “Come Darcy, we just need to return to my chambers so we can clean Fenrir.” He whispered hurriedly, tugging on her arm.
Collecting herself, Darcy nodded, short legs taking two steps to match one of Loki’s strides. He thought fast, pulling them down a separate hallway that diverged from the obvious escape route. They only needed to scale a staircase or three before they reached his room. Still cradling the bottle of oil, Loki made his way up the steps, occasionally casting a glance back at Darcy who was keeping pace while making sounds of exertion. He did not know what the stamina of a young Midgardian girl should be, but if she kept making those wheezing sounds, he would take her to a healer.
At long last, they made it to his room and he opened the tall golden door, allowing Darcy to walk in before him. She stumbled inside, her sticky green hand clutching her chest, other handprints coating the silky fabric of her dress. Jörmungandr lay across Fenrir’s head, his scales plastered with sap.
“Darcy, here, bring them into the washroom. I shall…Darcy?” he glanced over at his friend, only to find her lying on the ground, that obscene wheezing noise louder than ever. “Darcy!”
“Loki…I…have….I…” she struggled to get out the words as he sunk to his knees by her head.
“Darcy, hush! You will only make it worse! Is this what happens to Midgardians when they run?” he asked, feeling her head for any sign of fever.
She shook her head vigorously, “No…I…I…have,” she wheezed some more, a few painful coughs coming out with it, “Asthma…”
Loki shook his head, “What? Is this a disease? Why did you not tell me you were ill, Darcy! I could have fixed it!”
“No…it’s…no…need…inhaler!” she choked out.
Loki racked his brain. He had never heard of this ‘asthma’ on Asgard. Taking her to the healers would mean they would know she was Midgardian. It was a last resort. Loki thought quickly. What did he know of Midgardian anatomy? It was not all that different from Asgardian, only their bodies were weaker and susceptible to such things as asthma.
He thought to his book on physical diagnosis and examination. All he really needed to do was analyze the situation at hand. Darcy had been clutching her neck, so there must be a problem with her air passages. The wheezing would suggest she has limited breathing. There’s nothing that could have been lodged in her neck at this point, so something from the inside must have done that.
Swelling?
Was it swelling? Why did Loki not understand?
He smacked his head, hands trembling over his friend. “Darcy! What is asthma?!”
She wheezed out the next words, her breathing labored. Loki’s heart beat fast. Was he not supposed to have at least sixty more years with his friend? Was she truly going to die now? He was the one who brought her to Asgard! Would he be a murderer? “My…my chest…throat…”
“Chest…your lungs? What is wrong with them? Darcy, I cannot….” A thought occurred to him. Another that had to do with chemicals. Wasn’t there something in the chemistry book about…
Perhaps it was too risky…
“Loki…I need…” Darcy coughed and Loki pet her head.
“Shh, do not speak Darcy. I will fix it. Do not speak.” He repeated, trying to keep the increasing dread from his voice. Should he tell his mother? She would have his head for sure….
Darcy coughed again, her small body quaking with every painful churn. Her hand twitched to brush his knee and he noticed her fingernails were turning blue from lack of oxygen.
He made a decision.
Ever so cautiously, he cast a healing spell over Darcy’s mouth, the bright wisps of gold magic flowing down her throat. He prayed to the gods that she did not die. He could not be a murderer. Men killed in wars, but they did not kill their friends. He would not kill his friend. Come to think of it, he did not really want to kill anything. Especially not Darcy. Oh gods help him.
He waited by Darcy’s side, clutching her sappy hand until the terrifying wheezing eased away and her fingers turned pink once again. “Loki?”
“I am here. Darcy, I am so sorry. I did not know Midgardians could not endure such vigorous activity.” Loki babbled, helping her to sit up. “From now on we will walk.”
She shook her head, “I can run. I made it the whole half mile in gym! I just have asthma. I’m allergic to dust and pollen, but mostly just dust. It makes me breathe funny if I run when there’s dust.” She explained, rubbing her eyes. “Did you use my inhaler? I didn’t think I brought it with me. Or did you use magic? I thought you were bad at healing things? Or aren’t you? Am I dead? I don’t feel dead. Did we get caught?”
“No.” Loki sighed, relieved that Darcy was not dead and was alive enough to ask questions. “All this was from…dust?”
Darcy shrugged, “Yeah. I guess. I don’t really know how it works.”
She stood up, unsteadily walking around the room, Fenrir in her hands. “Can we read your books when I don’t have sap on me? Then you can explain what you were talking about earlier with the sleeping potion.”
Loki came back to his senses, standing up and taking the bottle of oil in his hands. “Of course. Darcy, are you well enough?”
“I’m fine! You did healing magic stuff! Now c’mon, Fenrir is drooling on me.”
***
After Loki had oiled Jörmungandr, Darcy and Fenrir, all of them smelling strongly of Asgardian pine, Darcy explored his room. He found it amusing how she compared it to hers.
The first section of his room was his study. Bookshelves full of his favorite books throughout the years lined the walls. A fireplace on the back wall was framed by two large green curtained windows. His desk faced the mantle, set a ways back so two plush chairs, a chaise longue and a sofa could adjourn around the fireplace. Loki figured them more of decorations than anything. He felt they were silly. Guests did not frequent his room, or anyone else’s.
Darcy seemed most impressed with his books and she joyously picked up different ones in several different languages, reading the covers aloud. She asked if she could borrow one titled, ‘A Guide to the Asgardian Government’.
“That one is almost completely satire. It is hardly partial to anything. It’s funny, but informative.” He commented, tapping the brown leather cover.
“I want to try it.” Darcy said, opening it to the first page.
He agreed and she went about seeing the rest of his chambers. She was awed by the bathroom and asked how the toilet worked. Loki did not actually know how the toilet worked and he wrote a reminder in his journal to find an answer to Darcy’s question.
When they got to his bed chamber, Darcy squealed with joy, running up to his bed and throwing herself onto it. “Loki! Your bed!”
“It is my bed. Why?” he asked from the archway as Darcy stood on the covers bouncing on the balls of her feet.
“Loki! Your bed is amazing!” she laughed, falling back into his pillows. “Jump with me!”
“Why would I jump on my bed?” Loki asked, glancing around. He was a prince and princes did not jump on beds.
She giggled, “Oh c’mon, Loki. I jump on my bed all the time! I triple doggie dare you to jump on the bed!”
He pressed his lips together contemplatively. Should he jump on the bed? Well, if no one was here to see him but Darcy…
Grinning he removed his helm, setting it on a table before running straight at his bed. Darcy giggled as he jumped higher, bouncing around the cushions and making her fall over in his gusto. “There.” He said happily, letting himself flop gracelessly into the pillows next to his friend. “Is that sufficient jumping, Lady Darcy?”
She laughed, flinging herself from the bed to approach the glass doors that led out to his balcony. “Can we go out on it?”
“Of course.” He smiled, opening the doors to a near perfect view of the city and the bifrost in the distance.
Darcy came up behind him, leaning her forearms on the banister. “Wow. That’s pretty.”
“Asgard?” Loki asked standing next to her, arms at his sides and gaze on the horizon.
“Space.” Darcy corrected, slouching so her cheek rested in her hand. “Is that Yggdrasil?”
“Yes.” He said, noticing the day had dimmed and the waters surrounding the palace. “It is quite magnificent.”
“I wish I had my glasses. Then I could see it for real.” She sighed, glancing around. “Wait! What time is it?! Loki, I have to go home! My mom is going to freak out if I’m not at home!”
Loki tore himself from his musings about healing spells. He would need to go visit Eir to learn more. Books could only teach so much and healing was a profession taught almost solely in person. It was a trade rather than a practice. He would need it if he was going to look after Darcy. Midgardian healers…no, doctors…must truly be terrible if they only lived seventy years.
“Of course. We must be cautious though. I will take you back on Hel. The palace should not be especially full because of the party.” He told her, straightening her circlet.
“Won’t everyone be confused? It’s your birthday party and you’re not even going to be there.” Darcy queried.
Loki shook his head, cheeks reddening as he remembered his conversation with Sigyn. “I do not usually attend Asgardian festivities.”
“Why?” Darcy asked, standing on her toes to put his helmet on his head.
He swallowed thickly. Would now really be the time to tell Darcy of his off-putting demeanor? She had similar problems, did she not? “I do not feel…well…comfortable, I suppose. I have never been thought of as…well, as important as my brother or others my age. Occasionally I feel as though I do not truly belong on Asgard.” He admitted.
Darcy smirked, her blue eyes looking up at him in disbelief. “Loki, you’re you! You’re the most important person I know! And my Dad says that you can belong anywhere you want to. I told him I didn’t belong at my ballet class last year because all the girls were really quiet and that’s what he told me. But I don’t really like ballet, so I quit.”
Loki’s lips twitched into a small smile. “Thank you, Darcy. You are the most important person I know as well.”
“Really?!” she asked, mouth breaking into a toothy grin when he nodded. The following force of her hug almost threw him to the ground. “I’ve always wanted to be really important to somebody! Well, there’s my mom and dad, but they’re not my friends, they’re my parents, so they only count a little bit. Okay, they count a lot, but you know what I mean.”
“Yes.” Loki assured, returning Darcy’s embrace, “I know what you mean.”
In the next second, she broke away, determination on her proud face, “We have to go! Come on! I think Fenrir and Frank are still asleep!” she cried, darting through his rooms to retrieve their pets.
“Darcy, do not run!” Loki called after her, already worried again for his friend.
***
Loki had been right about the palace being empty.
Whomever had almost found them in the ladies’ chambers was gone and everyone seemed to be enjoying the party, save for the guards who remained dutifully at their posts. Loki used his and Thor’s old routes to weave around them.
The ride back to the cave was peaceful. The mountain tops were visible, shining brightly and reflecting the colorful darkening sky above them. Darcy prattled on about how her school should be more like Asgard, her arms tightening around his middle when Hel leapt over different blockages that impeded their path.
“Loki?” Darcy asked as they approached the mountain side that held the portal back to Midgard.
“Yes?” he asked, pulling on Hel’s reins so she slowed to a trot.
“Can we go visit other realms?”
Loki smiled sadly. “I wish we could Darcy. But the only way between realms is the bifrost. And I don’t suppose Heimdall would be keen on letting us go wherever. He has sworn loyalty to the Allfather.”
Darcy loosened her grip, sitting up a little straighter to see the mountain. “But that cave isn’t the bifrost.”
He almost fell off Hel with the overwhelming truth and implications of her statement. “Darcy, have I ever told you that you are, in fact, a genius?”
“No. But awesome! Why am I a genius?”
His mind was skating with possibilities as they reached the portal. He slid off Hel, taking sleeping Fenrir and Jörmungandr with him. He offered Darcy his hand. She accepted it, hopping down as well. She turned to Hel, giving her a pat on the shoulder. “Darcy, there is this portal that goes to Midgard. Who knows the potential other passages exist? I wonder if anyone has ever bothered to search for them.”
“Can we look for them, Loki? Please oh please oh pleeeeeeease?” she pleaded, messy curls splaying out around her excited face.
“Of course! I will do research and perhaps study Asgardian geography. I can get you something as well. A proper map?” he suggested, leading the way to the cave.
Darcy practically jumped with excitement, “Right! And there aren’t trains on Asgard! Only griffins and bilgesnipe and infinite serpents and stuff!”
“Well…I wouldn’t say ‘only’…However, I do have more experience with those things than trains.” He said, holding her hand as the cave worked to bring them back to Midgard.
Darcy shuffled out from under her bed, “This is going to be great!” she shuffled around her room, putting her borrowed book in her bedside table, “And what do I do about this outfit?”
Loki sat on her bed, casting a spell to change Darcy’s dress into her purple pajamas. The only thing that remained from her noblewoman getup was the purple ribbon. She untied it from her hair, smoothing it out over her desk. Loki set a sleeping Fenrir on the foot of her bed where he usually slept and plucked Jörmungandr from his back, stowing his friend in his pocket. “I agree. This will be quite the expedition. Perhaps while on other realms, we can find the tesseract.”
Darcy nodded enthusiastically, walking to her bookshelf and pulling out several yellowing ‘chapter books’ she claimed were not very good. From behind them she tugged a colorful bag of sorts. “We can! You can bring maps and stuff. I don’t know if I can go back to Asgard. It was fun and I want to see Sigyn again, but…holy cow! It’s ten o’ clock! My parents won’t ever let me stay gone that long! I wonder where they are. Probably in bed. Anyways, here’s your birthday present!”
She plopped down next to him, holding out the bright green bag with little drawn depictions of frogs on them. The thin tissue inside was white and a thick piece of folded green paper. He took that out first since it seemed most peculiar.
Upon unfolding it, he found it was a note from Darcy. He looked to her skeptically but she gestured excitedly for him to read it.
Loki,
I got you this because I know you like to take apart my stuff and put it back together again. Then I got you the other thing because I know you like to write down a lot of stuff and your journal is reeeeelly full!
Happy Birthday
Love Darcy
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
It was signed with a little purple heart next to her name.
“The x’s are kisses and the o’s are hugs.” She informed him. “Now open the present! Open it!” she exclaimed, hardly giving him time to appreciate her note.
“Alright! I’m opening it.” He declared, taking the wrapped items from the bag.
The first was a set of strange metal tools with rubber ends. The metal on some was flattened at the end, while the tips of others were pointed with indentations.
“Those are screwdrivers. You always take apart stuff with your fingernails; I thought that you’d like these ones. You can open stuff easier and make things. I don’t think anything on Asgard has screws, but you still need to open things.” She explained, getting closer and closer to him as she spoke. “I got them from the cupboard downstairs. My mom used to use them to put batteries in my toys, but I don’t play with a lot of battery toys anymore.”
“I love them, Darcy! It was a most thoughtful gift.” He said, a grin taking over his face. “I shall use them regularly, I’m sure.”
“Yes! Now the next one.” She urged, kicking her legs animatedly off the edge of her bed.
Loki took out the next parcel, turning it over in his hand. It was a book, leather like his, but dyed green and with straps holding it shut. “Darcy…it is wonderful.” He said, opening the cover and running his fingers over the lined pages. How different…but also very useful.
“I knew you’d love it!” she said, standing on the bed, “I told my mom I needed it to write stuff in when we were at the bookstore and she bought it for me because Darius wanted a brownie from the café and if Darius had a brownie then I got to have something too. But I didn’t want a brownie, I wanted a birthday present for you. I was going to get you a physics book but my mom didn’t want me to get that because she said I wouldn’t understand it!”
She fell back down on her pillows, sighing. “What do you think you’re gonna write in it?”
Loki grinned, untying the elaborate knots that held the book shut. “Everything. This will be the book of our search. We will take notes of what we learn in here.”
Darcy yawned, “We should go tomorrow. It’ll be fun...” she sighed, curling up to Fenrir.
Loki pulled up the covers around them, sitting cross legged next to her. “We may have to do some exploring first.”
***
Frigga stood on the bifrost, gazing over Yggdrasil, Heimdall at her side.
“Have they returned to Midgard safely?” she asked kindly, her focus unyielding from the stars before her.
Heimdall chuckled, “Yes. They are safe…” he tone turned serious, “Though I doubt our prince will ever let harm come to her. Nor she to him for that matter.”
The Queen of Asgard smiled knowingly. On occasion when she caught a glimpse into the future through her scrying pool. It would only give her a vague idea of what could possibly happen. Some days she may see a flash of a face, or the entirety of a conversation. Some days she may only get whispered words and distant ideas. Yet out of all of those uncertainties, of this she was sure: “They will always be there for each other.”