A servant burst into the room, shocking you and Loki both back awake. You jolted up, reaching automatically for a dagger that wasn't there. You cursed Balder silently for taking your dagger sheath from you, though you knew it had to be nearby. Loki had spelled it to teleport to you if it got too far away.

At least Balder hadn't been able to take your engagement ring, which gave you an idea for later. For now, you had to find out what this servant wanted.

"Apologies for the intrusion, my lady. King Balder wishes for you to join him for dinner," she explained. You nodded, not surprised. Of course that asshole wanted you to join him for dinner. She laid out a dress on the end of the bed. "Dinner is in an hour and King Balder has insisted on this dress for the evening. Do you require assistance to get ready?" she asked.

You shook your head. Even if you did need help, Loki would help you, not some random servant who worked for Balder. "No. Thank you," you told her regally.

She gave a small curtsy. "I will return to escort you to dinner. Your...consort...is to remain here. One of the servants will bring him something to eat," she added before you could make the demand.

You nodded regally again and dismissed her as if you owned the place.

"You learned some things while we were in Asgard," Loki commented once she had left.

"What do you mean?" You asked, mostly to keep him engaged and talking, to reassure you that he was alright. You both knew it was a ruse.

"You did not learn how to talk to servants and the regal act here on Midgard," he commented dryly. He knew it was a ruse, but entertained you nonetheless.

You laughed at him and his dry tone. Things felt so normal, despite everything. "I guess some things rubbed off by spending time with your family," you replied as you climbed out of the bed so you could look at the dress the servant had left for you. You groaned when you looked at it. "Can I kill your brother yet?" you asked, growling at the dress.

Loki crawled across the bed over to where you were standing so he could see without leaving the bed. "I see no issue with killing him at this juncture," Loki said dryly, before he had even seen the dress. He glared at it when he saw it. "In fact, I highly recommend that course of action and will gladly assist you in this endeavor,"

You couldn't help laughing at that.

The dress wasn't really a dress at all. It was two pieces. The top was a piece of silk that pretended to be a halter top. It barely covered your breasts and you weren't entirely convinced it was completely opaque. The skirt landed at your hips and fell to the floor, made of layers of the same silk. "I can't go out there like this!" you whined at Loki, going over to hug him for reassurance.

Loki's arms wrapped around you reassuringly and he kissed your hair. "You will be fine, darling. I know this is hard, but you have said it yourself, we must play the charade until we can find a way out of here. I assume, since you have not done it already, that you cannot teleport us out of here." You nodded in reply. Of course you had tried to see if you could teleport out of there. You couldn't, there were too many shields. "Then we must bide our time until there is an opportunity. He will not hurt you. You are too vital for his plans. I know you can survive a little embarrassment, darling,"

"I know," you replied, your voice turning to a whine. You could survive, you just really didn't want to have to.

"I will be waiting here for you. Once dinner is over, you can come back here and cry on my shoulder and tell me all about how horrible my brother is." That was all he could offer you at the moment.

You knew that he hated that you were going into danger without him. "Promise?" you asked instead of whining more, taking the comfort he was able to give.

"I promise," he replied. You could hear the relief in his voice that you was taking the comfort he could offer instead of trying to fight for more, which he wouldn't be able to give.

"Will you do my hair?" you asked him softly. "It always looks better when you do it,"

"Of course, darling," he answered just as softly. You turned and let him get to work, carefully braiding your hair. His fingers were gentle and soothing as he worked, which helped you relax. When he was done, your hair was carefully done in such a way that the raven streak in it was prominently displayed. You grinned at him when you realized what he had done. He was making sure his claim was well-staked.

After your hair was done, you searched throughout the suite for shoes to go with the 'dress'. There was not a single shoe to be found in the entire suite. You snarled in anger over that fact. Lack of shoes was often a symbol of slavery around the world. You had a feeling it was in Asgard as well, though you weren't going to ask Loki that question. He didn't seem surprised there were no shoes to be found. You may have supposedly been a queen, but you were also a captive and Balder wasn't letting you forget that.

You straightened your spine when your hour was up and the servant returned to lead you to dinner. "This way, my lady," you followed the servant, knowing Loki was watching and listening to everything through the power of the soulbond. You were grateful for his presence, even if he wouldn't be able to do more than observe.

/I am here, darling/ his voice spoke in your mind. He couldn't use any of his own powers, but he could still talk to you through the soulbond.

/I love you and you know not to believe anything you say to Balder, right?/

/Obviously, darling. Lying to save our lives is always acceptable/

"King Balder, your Lady has arrived," the servant announced as the dining room door was opened. You dipped into a curtsy when you were announced. You knew how to play this game. You just had to play it well. Balder stood from his chair and came over to you. He took your hand and lifted you from your curtsy.

"Come, kitten," he bid. It took all of your resolve not to cringe or snarl, or react to him using that pet name. It was not his to use. It had been your father's nickname for you. He led you to your seat and pulled your chair out for you. His moves felt stilted, like he wasn't used to romancing anyone, or being a gentleman at all. That seemed strange, knowing the rest of his family.

/He was taught manners just like the rest of us/ Loki commented in your mind.

/You could have fooled me/

"How are you faring, pet?" Balder asked when the first course was served. You focused mostly on the food, making sure to get as many calories into your body as possible. You needed to get your strength back as quickly as possible.

You decided to play stupid in regards to his question. "This is all so overwhelming," you finally said, looking around like a child in awe of all of the splendor. In reality, you'd seen better and prettier on Asgard.

He chuckled at your answer, accepting your dumb act. "I told you that you would be well taken care of, pet. Oh, and kindly do not think of setting any fires to get outside of the shielding. The shields extend past the mansion and my brother would not like the results of your escape attempt," he commented conversationally. Loki was weak against fire and Balder would torture him if you tried to escape so obviously.

"Of course not," you replied easily. You hadn't thought that trick would work twice. Unlike Balder, you weren't a complete dumbass.

Dinner would have almost been pleasant, had you not had to share it with Balder. He talked about himself the entire time, while you devoured every ounce of food on your plate while trying to look like you wasn't being an uncouth pig. It was a careful balance.

"Rest well tonight, kitten. Our work begins tomorrow," he bid you when the meal was over.

That sounded ominous.

You needed to get out of there.

Now.