Unbroken

Chapter 14

Chapter 14.
Loki didn't get any sleep that night, and not because he was happy about getting a name. He did not like sleeping in a bed. He wasn't used to it and he didn't find it comfortable at all, he felt like he was sinking because it was too soft, and he didn't like being up off the ground because anything could sneak into the room and he wouldn't be able to see it. It was too many new things to happen to him at once, he was still confused about what he was supposed to do with this new life and he wasn't able to rest or relax because he was so busy wondering what would happen to him. He also just couldn't get comfortable, he was still not used to having so much clothing, Frigga had put another shirt on him after taking off that last one and every time he turned and stirred it would get twisted around him and it made him feel like he was being suffocated.
When Frigga came into the room early in the morning she was surprised at how terrible he looked. Aside from all the injuries that covered his body he looked extremely tired and worn out. He could barely be hold his eyes open and they were baggy and dark. He was sweating again because he was still not used to the heat on Asgard, and he just looked wiped out and exhausted. When Frigga came into the room Loki tried to sit up, it was still a challenge because of all the bandages.
"How are you feeling?" She asked as she sat down next to him and put a hand on his forehead. He always got nervous when anyone got that close to him and when she touched him he felt a split second of panic before realizing she wasn't going to hurt him.
"Fine" he said in answer to her question. She gave him a sympathetic look.
"You don't have to be afraid to say you're uncomfortable. I'm asking because I want to know" she told him as she helped him to sit up fully and moved the blankets out of his way. She still didn't  understand why he didn't just move them when he got hot.
Loki said nothing else, he just kept himself alert.
"So, Thor says your name is Loki" she said "it's a nice name, why didn't you want to tell me?" She asked. Loki felt very nervous but hid it well.
"I didn't know what you'd think of it" he lied.
You might be surprised to hear that Loki was actually a very talented liar. When he was owned by Laufey he was constantly in trouble, Laufey was always demanding explanations from him About random things, and if he didn't give a satisfactory answer he was beaten. It didn't take Loki long to find himself stuck between a rock and a hard place; if the truth wasn't a good enough answer he'd be beaten, but he would also be beaten if he told a lie. So he decided that he had to become so good at lying that Laufey wouldn't know the difference. He had escaped many beatings by telling a very convincing fib.
Frigga shook her head a bit. She believed him and she wished he wasn't so afraid of her and everyone else. She understood him but it was still hard to have a conversation with him.
"Well the healers are going to come in to check on you, then I'll take you to breakfast alright?" She said as she arranged his pillows so he could sit comfortably. he looked very concerned at her words.
"Take- take me?" He asked. She nodded.
"Yes, I'll take you to breakfast. You should get out of bed for a little while" she told him. A new wave of terror washes over him, the king would be there, the king and the prince and then queen were all going to be in the same room as him, what if he does something wrong? He doesn't know he rules here yet, she hasn't even told him what his jobs would be, how is he going to know how to act?
"I'm- with- and- and the king will be there?" He asked, clearly very afraid and nervous.
"Yes.. don't worry, it's okay" she said with a small smile "I'll be there too, and so will Thor, no one will hurt you" she assured him, but she doubted he was any less afraid. Just then the healers came in and went over to Loki. Frigga moved out of their way and they began to check on Loki's injuries.
They started by removing all the bandages, leaving only the ones that were holding broken bones in place. Frigga was surprised at how little he moved, they were cleaning open wounds and touching raw skin and he barely flinched. She almost wish he would wince or something, she could see how tense he was and knew he was in a lot of pain, but he kept it hidden.
Thankfully by now his one eye was starting to shrink in the swelling and he could see a little bit from it. The healers checked his legs and made sure that it was safe for him to walk on them.
"How is he? Any better?" Frigga asked then as they checked on him.
"Well he's still in pretty bad shape, he should really stay in bed for a few more days" she told her "but it might be good for him to get up for a little while, just stay with him at all times and help him walk" Frigga nodded a bit. She knew he should stay resting but she wanted him to be able to get out of bed, she wanted him to see people that didn't want to hurt him, she wanted him to eat a hot meal at the table, she wanted him to go outside and breath air that wasn't freezing. She wanted to show him that his life was getting better, which was something he didn't seem to understand.
"Thank you. I'll have you check on him again when I bring him back" Frigga told the healers. The healers all nodded and left the room as soon as they re-bandaged  all of Loki's injuries that need it.
"Alright, let's go, you're probably hungry by now" Frigga said as she went to help Loki out of bed. He looked like he was going to be sick. "Don't worry sweetie, I promise you're safe" she said as she helped him to his feet. He hadn't ever had so much rest before and he now felt very stiff. He was always worked non stop so his muscles never had time to become sore, but after laying still in bed for a few days his muscles refused to cooperate, making it difficult to stand.
Frigga could tell he was struggling and supported his weight as much as she could until he got his footing.
She brought him out to the dinning room where Odin and Thor were already sitting. Loki had his eyes locked on the floor and didn't want to look up at either of them, he didn't know if he was supposed to and he didn't want to risk it.
"I didn't think he'd be up already" Thor commented as he came over and took over for Frigga in helping Loki get to a chair.
"Well I wanted him to have a chance  to leave the room" she told him. Thor brought Loki to a chair at the table and had him sit down.
"Relax Loki, you have nothing to worry about" Thor told him as he lightly clapped him on the shoulder. He meant it to be a sign that there wasn't any tension, but it just seemed to startle Loki and send him further into panic. He was a pretty fair skinned young man, but he suddenly got even paler. Frigga knew she probably shouldn't have made him do this. He's still so uncertain about his whole situation, she should have given him more time. Before she could suggest that she take him back to his room Thor spoke up, surprisingly he was able to keep a positive tone, he just acted like everything was normal. No need to make everyone uncomfortable right? Loki will get used to it.
"Hey, how about I take Loki out and show him around the palace grounds a little bit. He could get familiar with things and he could obviously use some sun" he said, noticing how pale he was. At first Frigga was ready to smack him, he shouldn't be picking on Loki with comments like that. But Loki actually seamed to relax a little bit. Maybe the casual tone in Thor's voice made him realize that he wasn't on trial. Frigga shrugged and then Odin jumped in.
"It's up to him, not either of us" he said. He was right, Frigga had forgotten that, even though Loki is as weak and broken and scared, he's not a child, he can decide for himself.  Loki still had his eyes locked on the table as if he might implode if he looked away, Thor was sitting next  to him so he just bumped his arm with his elbow to get his attention, as if they were old friends.
"What do you say? Want a tour?" He asked. Loki was quiet and he was still staring at the table, and Thor could see him tense up.
"You're allowed to look at things other than the table. And you can answer the question, that's why I asked it" he said. Loki slowly pulled his eyes from the table and looked over to Thor.
"So? What'll it be? You want me to show you around or no?" Thor asked again. Loki was sure he was only offering to show him around so he would know what his jobs would be, which meant there was really only one right answer. He didn't want to talk and risk a beating so he just nodded. Thankfully Thor was satisfied.
"Perfect. I'll take you around after breakfast" he said as everyone was served a plate of food.