Author's Note: Sorry, I've been really busy and I've had terrible writer's block with regards to how the rest of the story is going to play out, but I've a little more planned now and I'm going to post a fairly lengthy chapter here to tide over for a little bit. As always, I appreciate the support you've given me and I thank you very much for it. Please make sure to vote and comment! 

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Shit. Shit.

I forgot all about the cuffs Odin gave to me. It hasn't even been a minute and I've already lost the mischief maker, trickster god and war criminal that only got out of jail at my behest. I have royally fucked up. I set into a run and dart up the stairs before I'm back into the main section of the palace. I stop to take a breath and look around for anybody that could potentially get me into more trouble. Seeing nobody I dart down the hall, racing for Loki's room, hoping I may find him there. I fling the door open and look around the lifeless room, abandoned for such a long time. Nothing.

I run my hands through my hair and tug at the ends in distress. Okay, okay. If I was Loki, where would I be? Murdering innocents. No, sorry. That's judgmental. I promised myself I wouldn't judge. It doesn't help anyone. Thank goodness Loki can't hear me now. My internal monologue rambles just as much as I do out loud. Swell.

"Loki?" I call softly, hoping for some sort of magical response. "Loki!"

"Looking for someone?" A voice calls from behind me and I nearly jump out of my skin. I turn slowly and surely, forcing a smile to my face.

"Nope, I just misplaced something. I'll be sure to find it soon enough. Thank you...?"

"Forseti, my lady," he grins through very straight white teeth. His yellow blonde hair is slicked back and shining in the morning light.

I flex my fingers anxiously, which draws his attention. "Ooh, don't tell me...god of...god of justice!"

"Very good, my lady," he nods and I curl my hands into fists at my side.

I curtsy slightly, "It was nice meeting you, now I really must be off!" I throw in a breathy laugh for good measure, so as not to seem more distressed than I am. The corner of his mouth quirks up in a peculiar smile and I try to ignore it and I turn to go down the hall. I keep a steady pace until I hear his footsteps echoing in the next hall. I break into a run, my shoes slipping on the marble floors and I nearly run head first into a column. I race past the library, but then stop and backtrack. The door is open just slightly and I catch a glimpse of worn and dirty Loki in the middle of the room. I push the door open slowly and stand in the entrance, watching him carefully. I lean against the door and keep any scathing comments to myself as I watch him simply stroke the spine of some ancient volume. He removes it from the shelf with such care and he merely gazes at it before returning it to its spot. He runs his hand across a row of spines on a high shelf with mesmerizing delicacy. He is tender with them, attentive and gentle. He stands with his back to me and crosses towards the wide windows, much like the ones in my own room. He pulls the curtains aside and light streams into the room and he shies back.

"I suppose not many have ventured into this room since my departure," Loki says quietly, making it known that he is very much aware of my presence. I take this as permission to enter the room and so I do, crossing the threshold towards him, crossing my arms over my chest.

I glare up at him and he doesn't look at me, "I've been in here a few times. Though, most of it I can't actually read. I miss books. Good books, anyway." I uncross my arms, as the defensive position isn't doing me any good. "I don't appreciate you running away on me like that, Loki."

He straightens a bit and casts a glance at me out of the corner of his eyes. He makes no moves to apologize or say anything really. His lips part and a sigh escapes them before his twists his body to face me.

"Just testing my...freedom," he responds with heavy emphasis on sarcasm. At least that is a language I can speak.

"Loki, I understand, I do..." I attempt to coax him and I reach for his hand to slip the cuff onto his thin wrist. He looks away from me and I take the opportunity to wrap the cool metal brace on him. He yanks his arm away but it is too late. Somehow I've managed to accomplish it. I blow out a breath of relief.

"What is this?" Loki hisses, stumbling back a step before he rebounds and lurches towards me.

I shake my head, my eyes locked on his. In them I see anger and desperation and I look away before I allow myself to sympathize. "I'm sorry. It is a condition of my agreement with Odin."

He scratches at the metal and tries to pull it away, his fingers straining against the contraption and I wince. "That's not going to work. Only Odin or I can remove it. It responds to my touch."

Loki lunges at me and I try to dart out of the way but his hand wraps around my neck before I can try to fight back. I gasp for air and his eyes narrow at me as he squeezes tightly, his fingers cold against my skin. "I have no qualms against killing you right now, child. However, it seems as though you are responsible for my release and keeping you alive will see to keeping me out of that miserable cage."

"Let me go!" I gasp.

"Take this contraption off of me. Now." He bites. I shake my head what I can with my limited mobility. He squeezes tighter, teeth gritted. I look into his eyes and I can see the tears forming at the corners, "Please."

"I cannot, Loki. I am truly sorry," I manage to croak out. He lets out a sound of quiet anger and finally lets me go.

"You are a worthless fool," he mutters, half to himself.

"Loki..." I start but I don't know where it is going. I can't leave him alone and he looks dreadful. "How about I take you to your room and we get your into a bath and nice and cleaned up? I can't grant you solitude, but I promise to be as quiet as possible."

He turns his gaze to me once more, "That would require removing your tongue, as I am sure you are incapable of complete silence. However I believe that Thor would not take kindly to that action."

"No, no, probably not," I rub my neck absently. His eyes flicker down to my neck and back up again, but he does not remark on the bruises that are undoubtedly forming across my skin.

"A bargain is struck, insufferable one."

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Getting Loki into a bloody bath was its own challenge. He refused to do anything himself, insisting that though he was a prisoner, he was still the prince of Asgard...blah blah blah.

"I am not some sort of serving wench!" I argued more than once, which gave him a particularly dirty thought as his mischievous smile crept into both his eyes and his mouth. His eyes darted over my body quickly.

"No," he had shaken his head solemnly. "No, if you were truly my serving wench, you would be offering me much more pleasurable services than running a bath."

Now, however, I have gotten to him to shut the hell up and he is laying back in his green marble bathtub, fitted with golden fixtures and golden clawed feet. I shift in my seat, my legs falling asleep beneath me, as I keep my gaze on the book I pulled from Loki's shelf and away from his naked body. So not my thing, though he insisted I was plenty welcome to look. I look up to assure he is still in fact there and has not managed to slip the bracelet off. His green eyes meet mine and I wonder if he has been watching me or if he merely sensed my shift in focus. The bottom half of his face has disappeared beneath the water line and his eyes stay unchanging, locked in on my face. I groan and return to my book, no time for any of his shit right now.  I finally throw my numb legs to the ground, ignoring the painful pins and needles as the blood rushes back into the oxygen starved limbs. I shift uncomfortably in my seat again, legs tingling and itching.

"Something bothers you?" Loki asks, the water lapping against his body audibly as he shifts his weight in the water. I realize I have read the same sentence over and over again.

"The Dark Elves of Svartalfheim are a race of...what am I even reading? This sounds like a fairy tale," I shake my head, turning the book over in my hands. Loki sits up in the bathtub, garnering my attention.

"They are not quite the stuff of children's dreams. I should think they are rather more like nightmares," Loki cautions and I arch an eyebrow, looking at him skeptically.

"They're elves! Everyone knows elves are good. Like...like Legolas, or Keebler Elves, or Santa's elves...who am I kidding, you have no idea what I'm prattling on about," I sigh, leaning back into my chair once more. He smiles but gives no indication for me to believe otherwise. I put the book aside and sit there silently, as I promised I would try my best to do. He looks amused but then, I seem to not be all too adept at reading his facial expressions. Not all too long ago he was trying to strangle me and yet here I am catering to his every whim.

Loki sighs, "Can you come here a moment?"

"What?" I laugh, sitting upright. He rolls his eyes.

"I need your...come here, damn it!" He exclaims and I get up begrudgingly.

I offer a fake curtsy. "What is it you so desire, my lord and prince, my everything?" The words drip with sarcasm and to this he offers a slight and unamused smile. As long as he isn't attempting to throttle me again.

"Wash my back," he orders.

"It doesn't work like..."

"Be a pet, and please wash my back?" He bats his eyelashes at me.

"Glad to see your imprisonment hasn't damaged your sarcastic talents."

"Many talents of mine go undamaged," I start to protest but I realize this isn't one of his strange innuendos. He rubs the metal bracelet clamped against his skin. "But they are yet restrained by forces out of my control."

"In fairness, if you hadn't murdered thousands of innocent humans then maybe you wouldn't have to be restrained," I shrug and he looks extremely displeased with me. But he doesn't offer any sort of bitter response. I can't see any response of his being justified and he likely sees that. It cannot be said that Loki doesn't realize what he did was wrong. He is fully aware of his actions.

"Okay, lean forward," I sigh, pushing against his shoulder blade. He complies with a slight grunt and I grab the damp washcloth hanging over the edge of the tub. "This is a one-time deal, Loki."

I run the cloth over his long torso, stretching endlessly into the tub. His skin is taut over his lean muscle and I force him to turn his back more towards me so I can actually reach. When I actually look at his milky white skin I note the faded red marks marring his skin. I touch one of them, about three inches in length, and he winces, twisting to push my hands away.

"Are you quite done?"

I squint at him, trying to read his expression. His eyes are empty and cold again, offering me nothing. "What are all these?"'

"Stop," he whispers, closing his eyes. I am taken aback, my hands still laying against his cold skin. "I said, stop."

"Loki...maybe we should talk about this."

"Get your hands off of me," he hisses.

I yank my hands away, dropping the cloth into the bathtub. I look at him in surprise and he pries his eyes open. They are bloody red for a moment before they fade back to blinding green. He gets up without a word and I continue to stare at him. All I wish for is an explanation. Something wounded him...burned him. What could manage to scathe a god so permanently?

"Oh, sorry, sorry. Naked!" I squeak, spinning around once I recognize he is quite naked before me.

He scoffs, "Nudity offends you?"

I can feel my face getting hot and I shake my head, looking back over my shoulder now that he has wrapped himself in a blanket. "No, no. Of course not."

"You do not have to attempt to fool me," he replies breezily, brushing past me as he heads into his bedroom. I groan in frustration—mostly with myself, honestly—and follow after him like a helpless puppy into his room.

I look around in the dark room, "Loki?"

I hear a faint sound of exasperation and realize I am maybe following my job too closely. I had to watch him take a bath. Well, I didn't watch him exactly, but...

"Are you going to sleep?" I ask quietly now that I see him shift on his bed. I can see his bare chest above the fold of his blankets and I turn my eyes elsewhere.

"Yes. Do I have your permission?" He snips and I roll my eyes.

"Don't be an ass, Loki."

"I was not aware I was embodying a pack animal..."

"Oh my god, just shut up and go to sleep!" I plead, settling into a gilded chair, swinging my legs over the armrest and contorting my body to some level of comfort. Okay, comfort is a stretch. 

"Surely you are not going to sleep like that every night?" He asks curiously. I roll my head to the side to glare at him through the dark. 

"Well," I say, "if someone behaves then maybe I won't have to. But this is your first night out."

He chuckles, "Your faith in me is overwhelming."

"You're infuriating."

He doesn't say anything else and I drop my head back, mouth hanging agape as I ponder just how I am ever going to get some sleep in this god damn chair. I sigh audibly and fix my gaze on the gilded ceiling, studying the pattern. Soon enough I hear Loki's breathing change—slow and heavy. Asleep, thank the gods.

I squirm in my chair and attempt to put myself into some sort of position suitable for sleep. My eyes are heavy and I rest assured that Loki will keep himself out of trouble, for now, anyway. I close my eyes, ear pressed to my shoulder, shoulders slumped and I fall into a dreamless sleep.