"Let go of me! Let go!"
Hela shrieked and flailed as the man dragged her down a long hallway. She wasn't sure where she was anymore, but what she did know was that this man's grip on her arms hurt and he smelled like he hadn't taken a bath in years.
The man growled a little. "Keep moving," he ordered and shoved her forward towards a closed door. Hela, of course, decided to do the exact opposite and began to try and run back down the hall. She didn't know what was behind that door, but she did know she didn't want any part of it.
"No! I don't want to go! Take me back to my brothers!" She began to kick and scream, much as she had done the first time she had been up close and personal with Loki.
"I am not fond of tantrum throwing little girls, Hela," the man hissed, "I suggest you keep moving." And to further his point, he roughly shoved her against the door and opened it, so that she fell inside the next room.
This room resembled a sitting room. It was dark, and even though there was a single window the curtain was drawn and it didn't seem to be very bright outside anyway.
Hela scrambled to stand and began to back away from the man who currently blocked the door. Then in one quick charge, she tried to rush past him. This led to her being grabbed and thrown back on the floor. "Enough," he hissed. She flinched.
The man took a few calming breaths and straightened his back, looking the girl over and regaining his confident smirk. "There's a good girl," he said slowly, shutting the door behind him.
Hela slowly climbed back to her feet and took a few steps back from him. "Who are you?" she snapped at him, her breathing labored.
The man gave a smile. "Forgive me, I'm being uncivil. My name is Zeph," he replied in a calmer tone.
Zeph straightened the dusty jacket that seemed centuries old he wore and tilted his head up, looking down at Hela. Hela swallowed thickly, taking a few steps away from him. "All right, what do you want?"
"Ah, that is the question, is it not? You see, I do not want something. I need something. A stone, in fact. And you know where it is." His tone was sweet, but beneath it there was venom.
Hela's eyebrows furrowed. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said slowly.
Zeph laughed. "Oh, yes you do. Don't toy with me, child." His eyes narrowed and he took a step closer to her. "You know where the stone is, and you'll tell me where it is."
"I don't know! I swear, I don't!" Hela's head turned left and right as she searched for an escape. "I don't know what you're talking about, now take me back to my brothers so we can get to our father!"
A sick smile spread over Zeph's face. "Yes," he whispered, "The bold rescue. But tell me, child, who do you think told you where to find those keys? Who kept you moving? Who pushed you on when you wanted to give up? Dear girl, the only reason you made it as far as you did was me!" His voice had raised considerably and he was shouting at her now. "If not for me, you would have never found that second key, nor the last."
"But why? Why would you help me?" Hela hadn't realized she had backed herself against the wall until she felt it pressing into her back. She stared at him, eyes widened.
Zeph only scoffed. He walked over to a bar of sorts, made in a Victorian way. He went behind it and produced a bottle from somewhere behind, and a glass. "Don't suppose you drink, do you?" he asked sarcastically.
Pouring the bottle's contents, he picked the glass up. Inside, a purplish red liquid swirled. He brought it to his lips and finished half the glass within moments.
"Now, back to your question," he said, moving at a quick and casual pace back to the center of the room. Hela did her best to hide her tense body and the fear in her eyes. "I needed A, a reason to get into that head of yours and B, a reason to interact with you. I was hoping if you heard my voice telling you where to find the keys then perhaps you wouldn't fear me when I came. Obviously, I was wrong."
Hela frowned at the eye roll and dramatic way he tipped his head back and finished the drink. Each move he made was a flourish and dip, dramatically done. Even simple hand gestures as he spoke.
"Anyway, I wanted to see into your mind to see if you had any idea where the stone is. And you do. I saw it." The accusation was a hiss, laced in venom and coldness. His silver eyes narrowed at her.
"I don't know about any stone," Hela insisted softly.
"Don't lie to me!" Zeph was back to shouting. He closed those abnormal eyes for a moment and turned, going back to his little bar and refilling his glass with a mutter that sounded like, "Blasted child. I'll be sprouting gray hairs and a kidney stone by the end of this."
He took another swig of the alcohol and moved away from the bar. "Don't lie to me," he repeated finally, in a quieter tone. "I saw it."
"I don't know about any stone," Hela repeated firmly. "I'm not even sure what kind of stone you mean!"
Zeph rolled his eyes. "About the size of a sand dollar, white glow, bright colors. Seen perfectly in your mind," he stated as he finished the drink again.
"Never seen it," Hela replied.
"Lies!" Zeph shouted. The girl winced and pushed herself against the wall. "I saw it clearly in your mind, you know where it is! And you will tell me!"
"I don't know!" she screamed, tears filling her eyes. Zeph growled and took a threatening step forward.
He gritted his teeth together and glared down at the girl angrily. "Child," he breathed, "I saw it in your mind. It was there! You know where it is, and you will tell me!"
Hela shrank back. She didn't know what this man was talking about! She didn't remember any stone!
"I don't know where it is," she said desperately, "Please, take me back to my father!"
Zeph's bright eyes darkened in a terrifying way and narrowed at her. "Oh, little one," he whispered, "You will tell me where that stone is. Because you see, I need it. Otherwise, I am afraid I'll never be able to live again."
Hela frowned, unsure what he meant. Was he not as alive as she? Zeph began to advance on her, and suddenly tears fell from her eyes. "Stay away from me," she pleaded softly. "Stay back!"
Ignoring her protests, Zeph snatched the child by her collar and dragged her over to the couch. He shoved her on her knees and pushed her against it. The position reminded Hela of Steve when he was praying.
Zeph yanked her arms forward to lie on the sofa and brought them together. He jerked her face towards his. "Do not move," he hissed in warning, before moving away from her.
Hela, for once, didn't seem to have the energy to move away from him. She peered over her shoulder to watch him.
The man walked over to the door and reached down to a can of sorts that was meant as a holder for canes. He picked one up and flourished it, looking it over and then settling his eyes back on Hela.
Walking back over, he clicked the cane against the wooden floors. "Tell me where it is, Hela," he said, raising an eyebrow as he reached her.
"I don't know," she whimpered, tears escaping her eyes. "Please."
"You should know, I didn't bring you hear to harm you. I brought you hear for information. And I will get that information, one way or another."
Hela screamed as the cane cracked against her back. It was unexpected, a sudden crackling pain against her skin. Hela had never felt anything like it. The second was not a surprise, but it was just as painful.
One after the other, Zeph brought the cane against her small back. Hela felt bruises appearing, she could feel her skin tearing and bleeding at the impact. Tears streamed down her face.
She wasn't sure how long it went on, but she did remember falling on her side after awhile. For a moment, Zeph froze. His silver eyes followed the girl and he scowled. "Get back up."
"Please, stop it. I don't know where it is! I swear!" Hela felt herself curl up slightly under the man's harsh glare.
"I said, stand back up," he hissed and reached down, roughly grabbing her arm. Hela screamed as she was brought back on her knees and the cane struck her back again. "You know where it is!" he shouted. "I saw it! You know where it is!"
It seemed an eternity before Zeph came to a halt. His breathing raggedly echoed throughout the room, mixing with the young girl's sobs. Suddenly he straightened. "I'll give you a few minutes to compose yourself, and then we will talk about the stone. I do hope you'll remember it, Hela. For your own health."
Hela flinched as Zeph knocked the cane against the floor, walking in step with the thing before walking out and slamming the door.
Silence filled the room as the man left. It rang in her ears. Her back seemed to throb, and she felt blood running down her shirt. Her fingers entwined with the couch leg as if it would somehow root her to the spot.
Suddenly there were footsteps in the room. Hela stiffened. "Please," she whimpered, "I swear, I don't know about any stone. I don't know where it is. Please, don't hurt me!"
The footsteps stopped behind her and Hela felt someone kneeling down beside her. A cold hand gently touched her shoulder. "Hela," a familiar voice whispered, "Calm down, love. No one is going to hurt you anymore."
Her terrified breaths slowed. "D-Daddy?" Slowly sitting up, Hela turned and met a pair of green eyes. Her own filled with tears once more. "You're here! They got you out!"
"Shh, shh," Loki put a finger to his lips and smoothed her hair down. "Yes, your brothers ran and found me the moment you were taken. They told me you'd been kidnapped." He looked around slowly and then met her eyes again.
Hela crawled up despite the pain and hurriedly hugged her father's neck. Loki gently rocked her, keeping his hands away from her back. "Come, we're leaving." He slowly and carefully picked her up, wincing at the quiet cry she made.
"Where are we going, Daddy?"
"Midgard, with your brothers."