In the few days after my meeting with Loki, I had still not been taken away in shackles. In fact, very little had happened at all. On the day after the festival, everyone had been too exhausted from the night before to do much of anything. Thor had practically given me the day off, rolling back over in bed and hugging Jane tighter when I arrived in the morning.
Feeling too terrified to go anywhere in the palace in case of running into Loki, I scurried back to the library to read, curling up in the darkened corner behind the staircase leading to the second story. Still on edge, I jumped at every small sound, frightened in case it was the guards coming to take me away.
At around noon, I glanced up from my book when I heard the door creak open. Luckily, the staircase blocked me from view but I still held my breath in fear and shuffled further into the shadows when the figure stepped into the room, closing the door quietly behind him. My view was slightly obstructed but I already knew who it was. I froze in my curled up position and didn't even dare to move as Loki glanced around the room, his eyes searching the area. He was looking for me.
To be honest, he looked dreadful. His face was paler than usual, he had dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep, and his black hair was messy and tangled, as if he had been anxiously running his hands through it. With his hands behind his back, he took slow steps around the room until finally stopping in the centre, his back facing me.
"I know you're in here," he said in a raised voice, yet not a threatening one.
I stayed silent, not even daring to breathe. When the room stayed still and silent, Loki bowed his head and sighed in defeat. For some reason, I felt on odd stab of pity at the sight of him. I had never seen him this way before; he was always so proud and well dressed, yet now he stood with slumped shoulders and dishevelled clothing. And his expression; he looked almost...remorseful. Before I could ponder this thought any more, Loki turned on his heel and swiftly retreated out of the room, plunging it into an empty silence again.
I only dared to breathe again when I knew for certain that he was gone and not lurking behind the door. Leaning my head back against the wall, I frowned, wondering why he looked so anxious. What was even more confusing was why he had told nobody of our encounter last night.
Loki did not return to the library that day.
That night I had gone to Thor and asked to be excused from attending dinner. When he asked if everything was all-right, I simply replied that I was feeling unwell and needed to rest, but secretly it was really that I was terrified of encountering Loki again. I took to sleeping in the library for the next few nights, knowing that it was often empty and that nobody in the knight's quarters would miss me.
There was something about the room that comforted me, perhaps it was being surrounded by so many of my favourite books, and I found sleeping easier when I was curled up in the large armchair by the fire.
On the third morning after the festival, I went to visit Kari again. We had not met for a few days and she was undoubtedly getting worried for me. I had found her in the laundry room, washing the mountains of bed sheets, and her face had immediately fallen when she spotted my disheartened expression.
Grabbing my hand, she had led me secretly out of the laundry room, out into a concealed corner of the back yards where we sat on a bench by the wall. When she had asked me what was wrong, I broke down in tears and told her everything; about Frigga finding out and about my encounter with Loki on the night of the festival. Kari had held me tightly to her chest as I wept, rocking me gently and whispering that everything would be fine. I wanted to believe her, I truly did, but there was still that huge part of me that knew everything would not be fine.
After a few minutes, my crying had stopped and Kari straightened, telling me regretfully that she had to return to work. Wiping my eyes and saying farewell, we went our separate ways; Kari back to the laundry room behind the kitchens, and I back across the dirt courtyard on my way to Thor's chambers.
When I was halfway across the courtyard, kicking my feet moodily, I heard a shout from the other end of the yard, close to the gates. Whipping my head up at the sound, I spotted at least three men crowding around a large black horse, who was rearing up and battling away from their advances - obviously a stallion that did not want to be caught. The men were trying to hold onto his reigns, but the beast thrashed his head around in an attempt to break free.
Forgetting about my troubles for a moment, I started off in a sprint towards them, knowing that the poor horse was only frightened at their harsh movements and voices. I called to them as I approached.
"Hey, leave him alone, you're scaring him!"
One of the men turned around at my shout and spat a curse at me, telling me to mind my own business. Angered at his response, I lunged forward and tried to pull his arm from his hold on the horse, but he was a wall of muscle and turned around in anger at my interference. Grabbing a hold of the front of my tunic, he threw me roughly on the ground, his face contorted in a scowl.
The wind rushed out of my lungs as my skull knocked sickeningly against the ground, my head spinning wildly at the impact. My eyes finally focused on the man again and was confused to see that all of the men had stopped their struggling and were now gazing down at me with astonished expressions. Even the horse had ceased it's movements for a moment.
In fact, when I glanced around, I saw that most of the people in the courtyard had much the same expression of shock. Propping myself up on my elbows, I shook my head lightly to clear the annoying ringing in my ears and felt a faint, yet familiar tickle on my spine. My head immediately cleared in that second and my hand flew to my scalp.
That's when I realised that my hat had been knocked off in the impact of hitting the floor, causing my hair to tumble messily around me as I lay sprawled out on the ground. My heart beat painfully against my ribs as my wide eyes scanned my surroundings again.
"Well, this is an interesting discovery," a surprised voice said behind me.
My head whipped around in fear to see Fiske standing with his arms crossed over his chest, a smirk on his lips. I had never properly seen him before, and I wished I didn't have to now. He was a surprisingly young man, with long dark hair and eyes that were harsh and unforgiving. My breath shuddered in my chest when he smiled darkly.
"In fact, it's so interesting that I think the King would want to know of it." He looked up to one of the men by the horse, "Go inform the guards that we have found a traitor."
The man nodded and sprinted off into the palace in the direction of the barracks.
At this threat, my protective instincts finally kicked in and I shot up from the ground, scrambling towards the open gates in an attempt to get away from him. Unfortunately, Fiske was too fast and he roughly grabbed my collar, almost choking me as he pulled me back against him. Pinning me against his chest, he leaned down to my ear.
"Where are you going to run to, darling? There's nowhere to go," he murmured and I flinched away from him, making him chuckle menacingly.
With a firm grip around the back of my neck, he spun around and began to lead me back to the palace. A pack of what seemed like fifty guards suddenly poured into the courtyard and I instantly panicked, letting my body take over as my common sense momentarily shut down. Breaking free of his grip and spinning around, I drove my knee up into Fiske's groin, forcing him to hunch over and groan in pain. When his head was finally at eye level with mine, I steeled my nerves and swiftly thrust my head onto the soft section between his eyes, causing him to fall instantly unconscious.
When the guards saw that I was not going to come quietly, they began to shout and race forward to catch me before I could escape. I knew that it was impossible to outrun them when they were so close, so I turned around in the direction of the open gate, but stopped when I saw that numerous guards were already coming from that direction. Glancing around in a panic and looking for an escape route, I rushed over to a nearby shed that was against the palace wall. Climbing up to the roof of the wooden shed, I jumped up to the top of the wall, only just reaching, and pulled myself up. Once on the top of the metre wide wall, I sprinted to the parapet at the gate, where there was a short ladder leading down to the outside of the wall. I ignored the shouting from the guards as they attempted to follow, but were weighted down by their heavy armour. When I reached the gate, I grabbed the ladder and slid down, causing the wood to splinter and cut my hands.
Wasting no time in worrying about the pain, I turned and began to run towards the city, away from the looming palace. If I ran, I would never see Kari again, or Frigga. I would never tease Fandral, I would never argue with Volstagg, I would never laugh with Thor. But it didn't matter now, if I stayed then I was dead, but if I left then I had a small chance of survival, even if I would be alone.
I ran relentlessly, my feet thudding against the cobbled ground and my hair loose and flowing behind me like a dark flag. I was so close to the city I could almost taste it.
Just as I was nearing the river that separated the palace and the city, I heard heavy hooves thundering behind me, getting closer and closer with every stride I took. My hopes of escape weakened, the breathe clawing out of my dry throat as I gasped for air.
When I was only a few feet away from the stone bridge, the horse was now directly behind me, but I did not stop my stride. The next thing I knew, I had been overtaken by the horse and it rounded in front of me, blocking my way and forcing me to dig my heels in the ground to not smash into it. Losing my balance, I tumbled backwards and fell on the hard ground as the rider dropped from his seat on the horse.
I could hear the trickling water of the river, I was so close. My heart fell in my chest, all hope of survival suddenly receding.
Dropping my head against the ground in exhaustion, I lay spread out, gasping for breath and my blood pumping through my brain as the guard approached.
He said nothing as he dragged me up from the ground and snapped my wrists into shackles. He remounted his horse and then pulled me up to sit in front of him as we rode back to the palace, leaving the city far behind me again. I bowed my head in defeat for the entirety of the short journey, only thinking about how close I had been to freedom, and the horrors that no doubt awaited me.
The courtyard was filled with guards and curious servants when we returned, all eyes turning to look at us as the guard dropped from the saddle behind me and then pulled me down after him. The guard grabbed my arm and led me over to Fiske, who stood scowling with a bloodied rag over his broken nose. I resisted the urge to grin.
He stepped forward and looked down at me with disgust before turning to the guard.
"Take her to the dungeons," he ordered menacingly and my fear spiked, my heart jumping into my throat. He turned away and another guard approached, holding my other arm as they led me out of the courtyard and into the palace.
The guards were silent as we strode through the halls of the palace and I kept my head down the entire time, my hair tangled and dirty as it hung over my face. Occasionally we passed by some members of the court and they watched with interest, none of them recognising the silent prisoner.
We had now arrived in the part of the palace I had never ventured before, and began to walk down a flight of dark, stone stairs that led deep underneath the palace. The air became colder and colder the further down we got, until finally we stepped into the main room of the dungeons.
The walls were lined with cells, some of them empty, but most full of curious prisoners who watched with interest as we walked down the centre of the room towards a small cell at the back. Once I was shoved inside, the front pane of glass reformed to create an impenetrable wall and the guards left without a word, leaving me to my solitude. The three other walls and ground of the cell were a pure white stone and I leant against the back wall, sliding down and curling into tight ball.
I wouldn't cry, I promised myself that.
After what felt like hours of trying to drone out the horrific sounds of the dungeons, I felt somebody's presence on the other side of the glass. Slowly, I lifted my head from my knees. Loki stood solemnly with his hands behind his back, gazing at me with a pitiful look in his eyes.
"Have you come to gloat?" I asked weakly after a few moments of silence, my voice low and monotone. I didn't care if he was a prince, if I was to die then what difference did it make if I addressed him properly?
Loki frowned at my question, surprised that his own words from all those years ago had been suddenly turned onto him.
"Of course not," he replied, a hint of hurt in his expression, "I came to see if you were all right."
I smirked despite my despair, "I'm doing fantastically, thanks for asking." I frowned at him, "How did you know I was here?"
Loki shrugged, "News travels fast in a place like this."
I nodded slowly, "Does Thor know yet?"
He sighed, "If he doesn't, he will know soon enough." He glanced over his shoulder suddenly, "The guards are coming. I have to go." Loki looked back to me, his eyes sad, "I'm sorry," was all he said before he disappeared in a green mist before my eyes.
When the guards arrived, I stood wearily and stayed silent as they placed shackles around my neck, wrists, and ankles. Leading me back upstairs and towards the throne room, I took a deep breath and thought of Thor, wondering if he had been told of my arrest yet. Or even if I would ever see him again.
Would they kill me on the spot? Or would they draw out the inevitable, just to make me suffer?
Odin was already sitting on his vast golden throne when the doors were opened and we entered, the rattling of my chains breaking the silence of the room.
I was forced to kneel at the foot of the dais, my head still bowed, and waited for the King of Asgard to speak. When he finally did, his voice was low and emotionless.
"This is not the first time someone this family trusted has been brought before me in chains," he commented and I closed my eyes in despair.
He continued, "I have been told that you are a traitor, is this true?"
I shook my head, "No, my Lord."
He was silent for a moment, "Even so, your crime is severe. Do you understand that?"
"Yes, my Lord."
"Not only have you lied to this family for months, but you resisted arrest and attempted to escape. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
I let out a shuddering breath, "Only that I am sorry for any pain my deception has caused, it was not my intention."
Before Odin could say another word, the doors behind me slammed open and the sound of multiple boots approaching echoed though the room. Keeping my head bowed, I did not look up to see who's arrival it was.
A pair of black boots stopped beside me, "What goes on here, Father?" Thor asked in an accusing voice. He sounded angry, a tone I had never heard in him.
Odin waved a hand in my direction, "Why not ask your squire?"
I could sense Thor's confusion as he glanced down at the girl beside him. I finally lifted my head and looked up at him, my face impassive. At first it seemed as though he did not recognise me, but then his confused frown disappeared.
"Fell?" He asked incredulously and I smiled lopsidedly.
Glancing to the other side of me, I saw that Hogun, Volstagg, Sif and Fandral had all entered with their Prince, the same look of pure astonishment on their faces. Odin spoke again, staring hard at me.
"Yes, it seems as though your squire has been keeping secrets from you all this time." He looked up at his son, "You know what this means, Thor?"
Thor's astonishment had passed and now determination took it's place, "I do, Father, but I will not let it happen." He stepped forward, "He - uh, she has been irreplaceable to me in recent months and I will not let her be executed."
Odin considered this, "So you will speak for the prisoner?"
Thor nodded, "I will, and so will my warriors," he gestured to his companions, who all nodded in agreement.
Frigga suddenly stepped out from the shadows and stood at my side, placing a protective hand on my shoulder, "As will I."
"Count me in," a familiar voice drawled from behind a pillar and all eyes turned as Loki appeared, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned lazily against the pillar. There was an amused look on his face and I was certain that he had winked at me when he caught my astonished gaze. He was the last person I expected to see here, speaking in my defence.
Odin sighed, "It seems that I am overruled." He shook his head disbelievingly at his eldest son,"What will you have me do with her?"
After a moments pause, Thor had made his decision, "Let her be returned to my care, as my squire."
"A female squire? It is unheard of," his father scoffed incredulously but Thor was not backing down.
"She was the best squire I had ever known, and it would be an honour to have her serve by my side," he stated with determination.
The room was silent for a few moments until Odin finally nodded in consent, "Very well. But I cannot simply release her." After a minute's thought, he spoke directly to me again, "You are to spend the night in the dungeons, as punishment for your attempted escape. Understood?"
"Yes, my Lord." I answered, my heart soaring with joy. I was going to live.
Ten minutes later, I was back in my cell, feeling more relaxed and light hearted than I had in months. Exhausted from the day's exploits, I curled up again and fell asleep, blocking out the noises of the dungeon around me. Despite my elation, Loki plagued my dreams that night; his mischievous smile, his sparkling green eyes, and that strange sensation I always felt when I was in his presence.