Your head snapped up to see who was intruding, to see if it was a threat. Not that you were in any shape to deal with a threat...

A woman in a long elegant dress entered the room. She held a regal air about her and you had a suspicion this was the queen. "Explain yourselves," she ordered, but her voice was still gentle and kind. It was the same voice you'd heard in the healing room. Definitely the queen, since Loki had called her 'Mother' in the healing room.

Loki stood and pulled you to your feet with him. You noticed again that his cat-ears were gone, though again your brain picked an inopportune time to notice that detail. You would have to ask him about it at a better time. "Mother," he and Thor greeted the woman at the same time. Yep, definitely the queen. You were meeting the queen, in your pajamas, holding a probably illegal egg. Granted, she'd seen you unconscious and whimpering in pain, so this was at least an improvement.

Still, it wasn't the best way to meet your boyfriend's mom... You didn't think you were making a good impression... at all...

You sank into a graceful curtsy. Loki looked surprised, but didn't question it. You had grown up with curtsies as a polite greeting. "Your majesty," you murmured politely, still holding the egg. Loki wrapped an arm around you when you rose again at the queen's nod. He didn't trust you to stay on your feet without help. Wise man.

"Your majesty, your sons and this lady barged in my workshop this morning to abscond with my project," he gestured to the egg in your arms. You tightened your grip on it and took a step back. Loki's arm tightened around you, holding you safely against his side.

"I believe I have informed you already, Ingris, that experimentation on creatures is not tolerated here," she told the magician with the same icy tone that Loki had when he was upset. She questioned him further on the nature of his experiments, glowering at his answers which would have harmed your Seraphina the moment she hatched. "You are dismissed from apprenticeship here and are to leave the palace immediately. The guards will escort you. Thor, kindly see that it is done," she added warmly to Thor.

"Yes, Mother," he replied and glared at the magician.

You held the egg more closely to your chest when the queen turned her attention to you and Loki, afraid she was going to try to take it from you. "Don't be afraid, dear. I shall not harm the creature," you relaxed a little, though you were still afraid she was going to try to take it away. "Your lady should be resting, darling," she scolded Loki gently.

He inclined his head. "I am aware, Mother. However, the creature called to her to be rescued and become her companion. The need was pressing as you saw. I believe I told you that Midgardian magicians require the companionship of a magical creature for their health and well being?" he asked politely, though you knew that if he was saying he told her, then he had. There was no questions about it. She inclined her head. "It appears that this creature, whatever it is, has chosen my lady,"

She looked you over. "Then I shall leave the creature in your care. I must warn you both, that it is a creature of experimentation. If it becomes a danger..."

"Then it will be my duty as its caretaker to remove the danger," you told her softly, but firmly. You knew your duty and had a corrupted familiar once before... it was not an experience you wanted to repeat, but you would do your duty.

She inclined her head again. "Very well. Darling, get your lady back to bed. She is in no shape to be up and about after what those...men... did to her," she told Loki firmly. He grinned at you and swept you into his arms before you could protest. The queen laughed, smiling when you settled more comfortably in Loki's strong arms, your head on his shoulder, the egg held safely in your arms.

"Gladly. Thank you for your assistance, Mother," he leaned down to kiss her cheek without his grip on you changing at all. She touched his cheek fondly.

"Of course, darling,"

Loki stepped through the doorway of the workshop and a moment later you were back in the bedchamber. "Don't scare me like that again, love," he told you softly as he tucked you back into the plush bed.

"Didn't mean to...didn't know," you told him softly. You hadn't expected to find a familiar here, much less be called like that. It usually happened far less dramatically.

He kissed you lightly. "I'm just glad you're alright. Rest, love. You still have quite a bit of recovering to do." That was an understatement. Whatever the witch hunters had drugged you with had been designed to incapacitate you quickly and brutally.

"You'll stay?" you asked, your voice soft. You didn't want to be alone in this unknown world.

"I will be here when you wake," he promised.

You reached up to stroke his hair, starting in the place where his cat-ears had been. "You kept them around longer for me, didn't you?" you asked him. It was illogical to miss the silly cat-ears. They weren't part of his natural form and you knew it, but...

"I did," he admitted softly, looking embarrassed. "You liked them..."

"I love you," you replied. "No matter your form, silly Lokitty," you added warmly. "Why lose the ears now, though?"

He smiled. "Because my family would not understand. Also...I am a master magician here... It wouldn't do for the people to think less of my abilities, which they would if they thought I had lost control of a spell in that manner..." he tried to explain. You smiled warmly at him.

"You're a prince. You have to keep up appearances for the sake of the royal family," you summarized for him and bit back a yawn.

"Yes, darling. Now go back to sleep. Those drugs wreaked havoc on you," he snarled softly that you'd been harmed. "And this morning's adventure didn't help anything." You tiredly grabbed his arm and tried to pull him onto the bed with you. He sighed, looked put-upon, and reclined against the pillows next to you, letting you curl yourself into his arms and pillow your head on his chest. "Your mom's gonna hate me," you murmured once you were comfortable.

He kissed your forehead. "Why do you say that, dearest?"

"I'm weak...not worthy of you," your murmurs were becoming softer.

You felt rather than hurt Loki's sigh. "Darling, if you only understood how very wrong you are. Mother will love you when you can meet her properly. She is very much aware that you were attacked and will not judge you on your current state. I promise, my love. It means the world that you wish for my family to like you," he kissed your forehead again and you heard and felt the purrs rumbling through his chest, a relaxing soothing sound. "It is I who am unworthy of you, dearest. Now go back to sleep. You need rest,"

*

"Darling? Y/N, wake up," Loki told you urgently. His urgent tone had your eyes snapping open.

"Whas-goin-on?" you asked stupidly as you tried to wake the rest of the way. Your brain hadn't woken as fast as your eyes. Your depleted magic wasn't helping anything either. You felt something move in your lap and looked down at the egg you still had cradled in your arms. The creature inside was moving, there were cracks already forming in the shell. You sat up quickly. "Come on, Seraphina," you encouraged the creature in the egg.

The cracks spread and the egg began to crumble as the creature pushed its way out. You cooed and encouraged and finally the creature escaped from the shell. It was a tiny, scaly black dragon with bright green eyes. "Good job, Sera," you told her and managed to summon a towel to clean her off. That took more power than you wanted to admit. The little dragon made a happy trilling noise when she was clean.

"Tony is going to blow a gasket," Loki commented with a hint of glee in his voice. The little dragon hissed at Loki. You bopped it on the nose.

"Play nice with Loki," you told her firmly when she whined. You touched her head, reached for your magic, but it just... wasn't there. You cursed softly.

"What is it, love?" Loki asked and kissed the top of your head.

"Those bastards burned away all of my magic and I need it for this," you growled softly. The little dragon tilted its head and trilled. You petted it softly. "Shh, I'm not mad at you,"

"What exactly is this?" Loki asked softly, pondering.

"Making the telepathic link to bind the familiar," you answered, pondering how to do that without you powers. It needed done now. Loki's lips were against your temple, his power suddenly there for you to use. You hadn't appreciated just how strong his magic was. You felt it now. "Lokitty! I didn't mean- I wasn't asking-" you protested.

"I'm aware," he whispered, his tone dry. He was offering because he wanted to, not because you'd asked or begged. "Do what you need. I'll spot you the power,"

"But-" you protested again. The dragon made another trilling noise. "I know, Sera, I know." You stroked its head and turned to Loki, kissing him lightly. "Thank you." It only took a drop of power to make the telepathic link with the dragon.

/Mine!/ she told you and you couldn't help laughing.

"Yes, hush now, Sera," you replied. The telepathic link still open you gave her all your memories, everything. It was vital, especially with this strong of a familiar, that she know everything about you. "Do you still want me as a companion?" you asked the little dragon when you had finished. It had to be her choice.

/Mine/ she repeated firmly.

You smiled, kissed the top of her head and made the bindings. The little dragon sneezed at your use of Loki's magic. He sighed at the small flame and used ice to extinguish it. You looked more closely at the dragon. It had already doubled in size since it hatched, now roughly the size of a house cat.

The dragon glared at Loki. "Mine," it said firmly and hissed softly. Shit. It could talk. You let go of Loki's power and found the dragon was holding the telepathic link for you. It was so strong already.

"You have to share, little one," Loki told the dragon firmly, but kindly. "I'm not going to hurt her any more than you are, but I am also not giving up the lady I am courting,"

The dragon thought about that, tilted her head. "Mate? Mate can stay. If he behaves," she finally agreed, with only a smaller glare at Loki. Damn little dragon was already overprotective of you. She thought a little harder. "Is there food?" Loki summoned something for the dragon to devour and cajoled you into eating too. You just wanted to sleep forever.

You sighed in relief when the dragon and Loki were getting along. You worried about both of them. Loki was so...unsure and scared of losing you most of the time. "Now that that's settled..." you curled yourself more comfortably in Loki's arms, the dragon curled in yours like a plushie. It had nearly doubled in size again. It looked displeased about that fact.

"The humans will be scared of a dragon," she informed you a bit sadly.

"I'll protect you," you reassured her sleepily. She nuzzled your cheek and trilled happily.

With a shimmer of magic, the puppy-sized dragon was suddenly a little black cat with wings. "This form is better," she announced and curled sleepily and contentedly in your arms. She was purring in moments, but there was a slight musical trilling note to her purrs that made you smile.

"Thank you, Loki," you told him sleepily. He kissed your forehead.

"It was no trouble at all, love. Especially to see you so happy again. It is also going to be highly entertaining when the team realizes that your new cat is really a dragon,"

"That they are," you agreed, laughing. You bit back another yawn.

"Rest, darling. Odin has requested our presence for dinner. You need to be up and properly mobile by then," Loki told you softly.

"My magic?" you asked softly, already half asleep, most likely because of the lack of said magic.

"Soon, love. That shit should be out of your system soon. Then I can show you all the wonders of Asgard," he told you warmly.

"I hate feeling like this," you whined softly. The cat perked her ears up and you stroked her head, soothing her back to sleep. Overprotective familiar.

"I hated seeing you like that more, my love. They-" he snarled, shaking with anger at the memory of your state and what they'd done to you. "I am going to kill those men for doing this to you," he told you casually, too casually.

You weren't quite sure it was an idle threat.