Torture

Frightened

The bright yellow lights of the prison dimmed indicating the presence of night. I sighed laying onto my bed as I listened to the coughs and snorts that filled the air as fellow prisoners readied themselves for another long night. The turning pages of a book caught my attention and caused me to look over to Loki's cell. "What are you reading?" I asked politely, taking a seat on my bed. "Edifying continent" he answered placing the book down next to him. Confusion was obviously evident across my face. "Spells and spirituality" he stated answering my unspoken question. I nodded before looking down at my nails and bouncing my crossed leg. "What's on your mind Zeanna? If you don't stop fretting I'm going to go insane" Loki said with a slight chuckle. I paused before answering his question. "There are bad people here Loki" I replied in barely a whisper bringing my finger to my lips and biting my nail. Loki seemed slightly taken aback by my answer. "That's why they call it a dungeon dear" he replied flashing a grin towards me. I shook my head. "It's not the men in the cells that frighten me." As I responded Loki followed my worried gaze towards the guards that were walking towards my cell. Before the god could reply I rolled over onto my side bracing myself for the terror to come.

The routine was the same. The guards entered my cell and I enchanted the walls with yet another illusion. I was surprised that Cadoc wasn't with the men to entertain himself with the new attraction that I had become. However Dakarai was still present and he took much pleasure from hastily lifting my dress above my waist and running his filthy hands over my body. I was silent. The reminders of the punishment I would receive kept me quite. I was too fearful to make a sound let alone move. Without Loki's supportive gaze the intensity of the guards actions caused me to thrash my head around, trying to release the anger and sadness that was pent up inside of me. The men pulled me onto my back. The pillows behind my head acting more for their benefit than mine as it silenced the banging of my head against the wooden bed frame I laid upon. With no emotion I stared at the medically white ceiling. My arms hung from my tired body and swung back and forth against the side of the bed as Dakarai continued to thrust into me at an uneven rate. Tears were threatening to spill as a familiar voice entered my mind.

'I may not be a guard but that's a rather long consolation if you ask me' Loki's words brought me back to my senses. 'You don't have to answer me Zeanna, but trust me, I know when something doesn't seem right'. Loki left my thoughts leaving me alone with the monsters in my cell. Tears fell freely from my eyes as pain from more fists marked my body and the throbbing of my thighs kept my mind busy. The men continued deep into the night. Their hands found their way around my throat and they each took turns to corrupt my body. The men finally left and I looked down at myself. My porcelain skin was painted with bruises and I dreaded to think what mess the men had left of my womanhood. I whimpered as I inspected the clear handprints that sat on my hips and the pain around my neck indicated that here too were more marks. I stood shakily to my feet, my dress falling from my waist too my ankles. I limped weakly to the furthest corner of my cell before placing my hand against the wall and sliding down into a crumpled head. I waved my hand before me, commanding the illusion to fade only to be instantly met by Loki's ridged self. His hands were behind his back and he paced around his cell. "Four hours! Impressive!" Loki stated loudly and almost angrily. "Do you truly expect me to believe that you....." The man trailed off as his eyes finally met my form. It was only now that he was noticing the new marks that laid upon my body. His eyes flittered from my neck, to my arms and my leg that was slightly visible from the beneath the skirt of my dress.

Loki stopped pacing and stared at my face. His mouth hung slightly as I looked at him from beneath my lashes. "Zeanna..." He breathed, his anger fading as he walked forward and placed his hand against the force field. I looked down, my hair surrounding my face in messy knots. "No more illusions" Loki stated causing me to look at him with mock surprise. "I'm not stupid love" he continued shaking his head. "I'm just amazed as to how you keep concentration when...." He looked across my body, unable to finish his sentence. A single tear ran down my marked cheek and at the sight, Loki's eyes softened. "I'll sort this, I don't know how, I don't know when but I will" he finished. I nodded appreciating the change in his feeling from the last time he acknowledged my wounds. I still didn't know if he truly knew the severity of what happened behind my illusions.

Minutes passed before either of us spoke again. "Will you read to me?" I asked softly pushing my hair behind my ear and looking to Loki with sad eyes. He nodded removing his hand from the force field and hastily grabbing a book from a nearby pile. "This one was a present to me from Midgard" he began, holding the book in one of his large hands and leaning his spare one against the wall in order to slide down into a seated position. The book he held was bound in a burgundy leather and the gold font on the front of the volume read 'Hamlet'. "It's century's old" he informed me as he licked his fingers turning to the correct page. It was nice to see the mischief maker so passionate about something other than death and leadership. "He had hard dreams of her, and soft ones. He dreamed in prepositions: beside, with, on top of, under, in, out. The dreams were unbearable sometimes; they sent him crazy, but he could not stop them, nor did he want to."

Loki's voice effortlessly flew over the words of the book. He told me the story of a forbidden love and as he continued through the night I couldn't help but begin to feel my heavy eyes closing and his words lulling me to sleep. Once again, after all of the hurt and hatred I had been exposed to, I found myself looking for comfort in Loki's direction. He offered me the care I desperately craved and had been starved of week's maybe even months. It was only now that I realised how much I desperately wanted feel his arms wrapped around me, the love and protection I believed I would be gifted with caused a slight smile upon my lips. Even if Loki didn't adore me as much as I did him the slight care he showed me was enough to keep me going through my times of torment. Even if it really was just a little.