Dahlia gasps as she and Thor are transported inside the building after he knocks. She tightens her grip on him as he looks around.
"Thor Odinson. Dahlia Heimdalldottir." A man says. He flies towards them, and the Asgardians raise their umbrellas. "You can put down the umbrellas." He tells them, knowing they really carry weapons.
Thor takes Dahlia's umbrella and sets them in the stand. They're teleported to another part of the building, finding the man staring at them.
"So, Earth has, uh, wizards now?" He asks as he plays with the artifact in front of him. He tries to put the piece back, knocking down all the others instead.
"The preferred term is 'Master of the Mystic Arts'. You can leave that now." The man replies. Dahlia rolls her eyes and waves her hand. Her magic swirls around the pieces and fits them back into place.
"All right, wizard. Who are you? Why should I care?" He asks.
"My name is Doctor Stephen Strange, and I have some questions for you. Take a seat." He answers. They find themselves seated across from him, again in a different place. "Tea?" He offers. Cups of tea appear in their hands and Dahlia sets hers down, not trusting the man yet.
"I don't drink tea." Thor tells him.
"What do you drink?" He asks, replacing his drink with a mug of beer. "So, I keep a watch list of individuals and beings from other realms that may be a threat to this world. Your adopted brother, Loki, is one of those beings."
"He's a worthy inclusion." He replies, watching as the mug refills itself.
"He shouldn't be on it. He's not a threat." Dahlia says, glaring at the wizard.
"Why did you bring him here?" He asks.
"We're looking for my father." Thor answers.
"So, if I were to tell you where Odin was, all parties concerned would promptly return to Asgard?" He asks.
"Promptly." He replies.
"Great! Then I'll help you." Strange says.
"If you knew where he was, why didn't you call me?" He asks.
"I have to tell you, he was adamant that he not be disturbed. Your father said he had chosen to remain in exile." He explains. Dahlia scoffs and rolls her eyes. "And you don't have a phone."
"No, I don't have a phone, but you could have sent an electronic letter. It's called an email." Thor tells him.
"Yeah, do you have a computer?" He asks.
"No. What for?" He replies, making Dahlia laugh. Her laugh quickly fades when she remembers when Tony taught her all about Earth's technology. "Anyway, my father is no longer in exile. So if you could tell me where he is, I can take him home."
"Gladly. He's in Norway." Strange says. He stands, teleporting them again. Thor stumbles, spilling his beer and almost knocking Dahlia over. She glares at him as Strange talks to himself about the spell.
He slams the book shut and teleports them again, making Thor stumble into the bookshelf. He does it again, and Thor knocks one of the shelves down, spilling his beer on Dahlia's dress.
"Stop doing that!" She tells the wizard, waving her hand to clean the beer off her clothes with her magic.
"Can I...I need just one strand of your hair." Strange says.
"Let me explain something. My hair is not to be meddled with." Thor scoffs. He winces as Strange plucks a strand of hair, performing some kind of spell. He teleports them to the front door and Thor rolls down the steps.
"Get up!" Dahlia hisses, pulling him to his feet.
"We could have just walked." He says, brushing himself off as the wizard opens a portal.
"He's waiting for you." Strange announces.
"All right." Thor replies with a nod.
"Don't forget your umbrellas." He tells him. Thor holds his hand out, summoning his umbrella, as Dahlia magics hers into her hand.
"Sorry." He says as they hear crashing throughout the building. He knocks some glass off the umbrella as Dahlia glares at the wizard.
"Forgetting something?" She asks.
"Oh, yeah. Right." He replies. He opens another portal above them, and they hear Loki screaming. He lands on the ground and tosses his hair back.
"I have been falling for 30 minutes!" He yells.
"You can handle him from here." Strange says as Dahlia helps Loki to his feet.
"Yes, of course. Thank you very much for your help." Thor tells him, holding his hand out to shake.
"Handle me? Who are you?" Loki asks, summoning daggers in his hands.
"Loki." He warns as Dahlia sighs.
"You think you're some kind of sorcerer? Don't think for one minute, you second-rate-" He says.
"Bye-bye." Strange interrupts, waving his hand. The portal moves, sending them through before Loki can attack him.
"I bet you feel silly, don't you?" Dahlia asks as she helps him up again.
The brothers spot Odin at the same time, Thor leading the way towards him. Dahlia begins to let go of Loki's hand to give them privacy, but he pulls her closer.
"I need you with me." He tells her.
"Of course." She says, kissing his cheek before she tightens her grip on his hand. They join Thor, standing on Odin's other side.
"Father, it's us." Thor says as they reach him.
"My sons." Odin replies. Loki looks at him, slightly shocked. "I've been waiting for you."
"I know. We've come to take you home." He tells him.
"Home, yes. Your mother, she calls me. Do you hear it?" He asks.
"Loki, lift your magic." Thor demands. He shakes his head, telling him this isn't his magic. Odin chuckles.
"Took me quite a while to break free from your spell. Frigga would have been proud." He tells him. "Come and sit with me. I don't have much time. Dahlia, you too." He says, noticing her standing as the rest of them sit. Dahlia forces herself not to roll her eyes or say something rude, knowing something is very clearly wrong with Odin.
"I know that we failed you. But we can make this right." He says. Dahlia does roll her eyes at that, but neither Thor nor Odin notice. Loki squeezes her hand and pulls her closer, knowing how she feels about his father.
"I failed you." Odin corrects. "It is upon us. Ragnarok."
"No, I've stopped Ragnarok. I put an end to Surtur." He replies.
"No. It has already begun. She's coming. My life was all that held her back. But my time has come." He explains. The brother's glance at each other, and Dahlia wraps her other arm around Loki's. "I cannot keep her away any longer."
"Father, who are you talking about?" Thor asks.
"Goddess of Death. Hela. My firstborn. Your sister." He answers.
"Your what?" He asks.
"Her violent appetites grew beyond my control. I couldn't stop her, so I imprisoned her. Locked her away. She draws her strength from Asgard, and once she gets there, her powers will be limitless." Odin explains.
"Whatever she is, we can stop her together. We can face her together." He says.
"No, we won't. I'm on a different path now. This you must face alone." He tells them.
Dahlia rolls her eyes again, knowing he'd always made them face their problems without help.
"I love you, my sons." He says. Dahlia wraps her arm around Loki, knowing he'd been waiting a long time to hear those words. "Look at that. Remember this place. Home." He vanishes, his essence floating away.
Loki holds Dahlia closer as they stand, thankful to have her back in his arms, thankful that he'll always have her support.
YOU ARE READING
Lady Dahlia | Loki Odinson
FanfictionDahlia was adopted by Heimdall after being abandoned by her parents for being born blind. Growing up with Heimdall meant she grew up with the Odinson brothers. It was mostly fun, but also came with some challenges. Now that she's grown up, she must...
