The strange humming echoed throughout the hall as Darcy smoothed out the length of her dress one last time. It was...different... seeing herself in this Asgardian Dress, but also necessary for the occasion at hand.

Darcy stood directly in front of the man wearing the black and gold Asgardian gown. The pure white and silver flowing fabric of Darcy's own dress seemed to clash with his, opposing like night and day. Jane and Thor stood just an arm's length away from Darcy, standing tall and silent. They, too, looked up at the man.

Jane turned her head to glance at Darcy and gave her a comforting smile. Darcy smiled back and extended her arm, as did Jane. They linked fingers for only a second, and then dropped their arms back to their sides.

Frigga and Odin sat along the side of the hall, dressed in their finest. A strained atmosphere surrounded them. They both waited silently for the moments to come.

The golden pillars of the great hall shone impeccably, signalling wealth and perfection. The emotions weaving through the air from those in favour, and those in opposition to the union, countered the aesthetic perfectness of the hall.

A soft hiss of air mingled with the vocal hum as the enormous doors opened behind them. Nobody dared to look behind for they all knew what...or rather, who was leading the sharp grating sounds of chains against the stone floor.

Darcy sharply breathed in as the heinous clashes of metal challenged the sanity of her heart and mind. She couldn't resist as she turned around to look into Loki's eyes.

His pale skin seemed almost translucent, ghostly pale as if it were competing with his stark white tunic. A freshly cleaned gash across his forehead interrupted his skin and the charcoal-stained manacles that clasped around his neck, hands, and feet looked entirely out of place for such a moment. His chest heaved up and down, his strength weary from the punishments. It was the bold Norse etchings on the clasps that reminded all the people of his crimes.

The chains dragged on, held in line by two Asgardian guards. Darcy stared into his eyes, those bright green eyes that never lost their vividness...not when they looked at her. For Darcy, they always remained clear, loving...alive.

Loki neared Darcy and she gave a small smile. They would be together, no matter what the price may be. Loki met Darcy in line and straightened his spine as far as he could, for he would always maintain his pride. The guards pulled their chains and Loki fell to the ground on his knees, his chest rising and falling with each breath.

"On this day, we have joined to witness the union between Darcy Lewis of Midgard, and Loki Laufeyson of Asgard, heretofore Jotunheim."

Darcy cringed at the man's words and looked down at Loki. The chain around his neck prevented him from raising his head all the way so he strained his neck to look upwards, but unhappily settled for the downward angle he was forced upon.

Darcy dropped to her knees beside him and lay both of her hands between his cold, chained hands.

"Take away the chains on him. They're not necessary at this moment," Darcy requested. The man in front of her stopped his speech and looked warily to the All-Father.

Odin sat silent for a moment. A grieving Frigga nodded her head to him ever so slightly, causing Odin to speak.

"Release the prisoner of his fugl restraint. The rest will remain."

The guards immediately pulled on the manacle around Loki's neck, releasing the contraption. They removed it and stood once again to the side.

Darcy placed a light touch on the raw skin on his neck, marred by angry wounds from recent injuries. She tried to soothe the redness with her thumb. Then she placed her hand back with Loki's and looked up at the man in black.

The man continued.

"In the presence of the All-Father of the Realm Eternal, and in the presence of the All-Mother of the Realm Eternal, the ceremony of union between Loki Laufeyson, P-prince of Asgard-" the man stumbled. "-and Darcy Lewis, Lady of Midgard shall commence.

The following words were a blur to Darcy as she looked at Loki. They stared into each other's eyes, neither daring to glance away. How is it that they ended in this situation. They had been together for over one Earth year when the All-Father finally caught up to them. They took Loki away and imprisoned him, sentencing him to punishments within the dungeons. Darcy had pleaded with Jane to help, desperate for any loopholes possible.

"Darcy, you can't, you'll die!" Jane screamed.

"They're meant to punish, not to kill, Jane. There's nothing else I can do but this. I can't just sit around and wait for his punishment to end. This is-"

"Darcy, you're still a mortal. The punishments are cruel. While they may not kill an Asgardian, only God knows what it will do to a human."

Darcy remained silent for a moment. "We don't all have the fortune of becoming immortal, Jane. I don't need to be immortal to do something...anything to ease the pain of the one I love."

Jane's eyes closed as she took an uneasy breath in. "Darcy, I love you and I can't bear...I can't imagine..."

"You would do the same for Thor."

Tears rolled down Jane's cheeks as they both wrapped their arms around each other, holding on for dear life.

The ancient text lay open on the table, forgotten.

"Be it a man or woman sentenced to corporal punishment by the power of the All-Father,

The binding laws of eternal Asgard permit a man or woman's husband or wife

To take upon no more than one half of the man or woman's sentencing.

Thus, this husband or wife will be subject to equivalent physical and mental

Actions of the original punishment which

May not be revoked once initiated."

Loki brought Darcy's hands up to his lips and gave one soft kiss on the of each of Darcy's hands.

"I swear to you, Darcy," Loki swore with a confident truth.

The man spoke to Darcy.

"And do you, Darcy Lewis, swear upon the Realm Eternal to Loki Laufeyson, by health or by sickness, by wealth or by misfortune, to cherish, love and protect, and to stay by your husband's side for as long as you both shall live?"

"I swear to you, Loki," Darcy proclaimed, gripping Loki's hands tighter.

It seemed as if a second passed by when a small golden bowl, filled to the brim with a silver translucent liquid, was placed in front of her. Having attended Jane's union, Darcy knew what to do.

Darcy took the small bowl between her two hands and brought the strange liquid up to her lips. She parted her red lips and the silver liquid tricked through, down her throat. It tasted sweet but left a tart aftertaste upon her tongue, and flowed easily as if it were thinner than water. A slight shiver ran from her throat down to her stomach, chasing the fluid down. Darcy drank half of the liquid and looked over to Loki. The chains were too short, as they were meant to keep his hands from reaching too far. With him kneeling on the ground, the length of the chain was even shorter.

Darcy gently raised the bowl and Loki relaxed his hands. He could trust her completely.

Loki drank the remainder of the liquid and Darcy lay the bowl back down onto the floor. Not a drop was wasted.

"Let these binding rings of Asgard bring forth the elements of strength, stability, courage and vitality within these two beings as they unite together as one."

Thor moved to Loki's side and bent down on one knee. With a gentle hand, Thor handed Loki what looked to be a long braid of metal, reflecting in the light with fluttering green and silver colours. He quickly placed a strong, comforting hand on Loki's back, showing support for his brother. Jane did the same on Darcy's other side, handing her the same green and silver braid. Darcy and Jane held hands for a moment, feeling the warmth from each other's skin. Their chances to do so again in the future were severely limited.

Loki took Darcy's left hand in his and wrapped the braid around her fourth finger, securing it around the base of her finger. The metal immediately melted to adapt to Darcy's thin finger, producing a warm sensation. It shifted and transformed, and finally it cooled. The rope-like metal braid was now a snug ring, radiating in the light around Darcy's finger.

Darcy wrapped her own braid around Loki's finger, and it once again transformed into a solid ring. Darcy looked into Loki's eyes and couldn't help but smile. She and Loki were finally married.

Loki raised his arms as high as he could and Darcy shifted underneath, avoiding the thick chains. She wrapped her arms as tight as she could around Loki's torso and passionately kissed his lips. Loki leaned into her touch and kissed her back, tightening his arms around her, pressing her close to his body.

Darcy pulled back and kissed him over and over again, revelling in her new status. She dropped her head onto his shoulder and breathed in his scent, holding him close.

"Darcy, you don't have to do this," Loki whispered into her ear. Darcy brought her head up from his shoulder and lightly placed her left hand on his cheek, allowing her ring to dance with the light.

"We can still remain married, you don't have to put yourself through this for me. I may not be able to see you for a while, but I promise that I will find my way to you again," Loki pleaded.

Loki kissed her tenderly.

"I promise."

Darcy placed both her hands onto his chest.

"You won't have to find your way because I'll be with you. I love you, Loki," Darcy whispered back.

Loki gave a sorry smile. "I love you too, my eternal wife."

Darcy took a deep breath in and blinked away the tears in her eyes. She turned to Odin within Loki's embrace.

"I ask for permission to speak with the All-Father of The Realm Eternal in reference to my newlywed husband, Loki," Darcy requested. Her insides felt as if they were churning inside of her and her hands shook in their place upon Loki's chest.

Odin looked at Darcy with a worn expression, the lines and wrinkles upon his face marking the stresses in time. He contemplated whether or not to refuse the girl, for he knew long ago of what she was bound to ask.

Frigga placed a hand upon Odin's forearm that lay across the lavish armrest just as he replied.

"Speak, my child."

Darcy's heart pumped in her chest, threatening to break free from her body.

"As the wife of Loki, I submit myself to the Justice of Asgard-" Darcy took a breath, unable to breathe properly from her palpitating heart. "-to...to take Loki's place and receive exactly half of his remaining punishment to spare the pain and suffering set upon Loki Laufeyson."

Tears now started to fall from Jane's eyes. She had hoped in vain that Darcy would change her decision, but that hope was now dissolved.

Odin leaned in from his seat, asking Darcy just one final question.

"And you are aware, Lady Darcy, that while your request to receive half of Loki's physical punishment may save him from the nightmares that only Asgardians dream of... the images of your punishment that he watches you receive may in fact cause an equal or greater amount of pain to your husband?"

Darcy looked back to Loki and took in the cuts, bruises, and welts, only a fraction of which were visible to her at the moment.

"Yes."

Odin breathed out the breath he was holding and lifted his chin. His golden eye patch gleamed dangerously by the light.

"Your request is granted, wife of Loki. Take them away, guards."

Jane cried out as Thor moved to hold her shoulders. Frigga looked into her lost son's eyes with determination, desperate for a different outcome.

The guards did as they were told and pulled Loki and Darcy apart, placing the chains back around Loki's neck. The guards then quickly positioned a set of manacles around Darcy's ankles, wrists and neck, just as they did Loki. The heavy chains started to lead both Darcy and Loki out of the grand hall.

Though the chains clashed together with deafening sounds, all Darcy could hear was a faint whispering.

"I'll always love you Darcy...forever."

A/N: Thanks for reading! This feels darker than the stories I usually write, but I hope you were intrigued anyhow.