The Man in the Iron Mask
Chapter Eleven
“You really should come with me to dine.” Loki’s voice was soft in my ear as I sat in a ball on his couch, but still, I ignored him. “There’s only so long my patience will last before I will simply order you to go with me,” he threatened.
“Oh? Then order me, and we’ll see how you manage to get me to sit down out there and play along,” I snapped, and regretted it as I heard Loki snarl. He grabbed my hair in his fist and pulled my face up to meet his. I cried out in pain, but he ignored me and kept a stern look on his face.
“Come with me, play your part, and I won’t hurt you.”
“You already hurt me!” I pulled at his hand and he let go of my hair. Since arriving in Asgard, Loki had… changed. I could see his true colours; beneath all that green and gold he dressed himself in there was a deep blackness to his soul.
“Dress. Now.” He walked over to his bed where he’d laid out clothes for me to wear after I’d showered, but I’d got changed back into my old ones. I’d felt uncomfortable walking about in a towel when he might have been walking about, too. I didn’t want to be seen like that by him. He picked them up and threw them in my direction where they scattered about the floor at my feet. He turned around then, arms crossed and foot tapping as I rushed to change faster than I had before. I sometimes found it hard to remember what he’d done. I sometimes had to forcefully remind myself that this was a killer. This was a mass murderer. This was a war criminal. I kept thinking I was safe from harm as I had been the one to free him on Earth, but I had to wonder at times such as these where he looked but one smartass comment away from strangling me to death with his bare hands.
I followed beside Loki as he showed me down the hallway and to a large room with the longest table I’d ever seen in the centre, covered in what seemed like far too much food for only those 50 or so that were present.
“How can all this food possibly be eaten?” I asked Loki as we continued to walk, finding seats up the far end.
“The servants will get what is left. I assure you, it will not go to waste.” From the corner of my eye I saw a few girls waiting by the doorway in rags and suddenly felt very overdressed. Loki had me dress in a dark green gown with what felt like 10 separate layers of fabric just in the skirt part alone. The fabric stretching across my chest and waist was beautifully embroidered with flowers. I wondered where Loki got such clothes from so last minute. I reminded myself that he was a prince, of sorts, though probably a lot lower in ranking after his little Earth incident. I wondered how he was still eating at the same table as the All-Father. I’d gathered since being here that they didn’t exactly get along… but they were family, I guess. There was always that.
We left before anyone else as singing began and Loki didn’t appear interested in the slightest. He snaked his arm around my waist as we got up and I let him keep it there until we were back in his chambers, the door safely shut behind us. I wasn’t sure if I could keep up appearances. I was already exhausted just thinking about it.
“Now don’t you feel better having gone out of this room?” Loki said, closing the curtains at the window as the sun began to set. “You cannot simply sleep all day. I have a job for you, you know, which you’ll be starting tomorrow.”
“What job?”
“It’s simple. You’ll get a lot of fresh air outside and… and I thought you might appreciate that,” Loki muttered, wandering off. “You will of course have to be careful and to learn the creatures of this realm. Some of them aren’t so nice. They won’t like you if you venture into their territory.” I decided not to worry too much about that until I absolutely had to. I hadn’t seen any animals on Asgard yet but I was sure they would differ from those I was used to.
“I don’t mean to be a bore, Loki, but I… I just want to go to sleep.” I had slept all day, I realised, but it had been a poor sleep. Most of my dreams had turned to nightmares and of those that hadn’t, they were filled with the faces I already missed. I tried to place it at the back of my mind before I was to cry again. Loki seemed to sense how I was feeling and nodded, understanding, in a way.
“You can’t be sleeping on that couch. I insist we share my bed as we did back on Earth. It wasn’t so bad. You don’t move much when you sleep and I’ve grown used to your hair getting in my face,” he said. I smiled, just a little, at the little things one could say to make someone feel slightly better. He smiled in return and walked over to his dresser, throwing me a pair of black pants and a long sleeve white cotton shirt. These were his clothes. “I… forgot to ask for something for you to sleep in,” Loki said sheepishly.
“I’ll make do.” Loki busied himself by his bookcase as I changed, annoyed that the pants were too loose and the shirt was sliding down one arm. I quickly hopped into Loki’s large bed, snuggling deep into the pillows that smelt so much like him they had me blushing beneath the covers. He was an attractive man, and I wouldn’t deny it. It was simply everything else that screamed for me to stay away from him.
I didn’t open my eyes as I heard the bedroom door open then close softly. Loki tried not to wake me as he got himself ready for bed, but I’d been unable to sleep for the hours I’d already been laying there. I tensed up as he leaned over me to blow out the candle by my side, which part of me wished he hadn’t done. It wasn’t that I was afraid of the dark, just, I didn’t know what might be hiding in this darkness. Everything was unfamiliar and I didn’t feel I’d ever get used to that. I wondered how he got used to Earth. Did he ever fear the darkness when he didn’t know what might be hiding in it?
“Can’t we have the candle lit? Just for tonight? Until I get used to it…”
“The flickering of the flame wakes me,” he said simply, sounding tired as he got beneath the covers and rolled onto his back. I felt tears streaking my cheeks and couldn’t help myself as I let out a stifled cry, having tried to hide it in the covers and failed. I heard as Loki sighed, and felt as he moved his arm to rest behind my neck. I found myself snuggling up to him as he pulled me close to his side and slept right there against his chest listening to him breathe.
“Oh? Then order me, and we’ll see how you manage to get me to sit down out there and play along,” I snapped, and regretted it as I heard Loki snarl. He grabbed my hair in his fist and pulled my face up to meet his. I cried out in pain, but he ignored me and kept a stern look on his face.
“Come with me, play your part, and I won’t hurt you.”
“You already hurt me!” I pulled at his hand and he let go of my hair. Since arriving in Asgard, Loki had… changed. I could see his true colours; beneath all that green and gold he dressed himself in there was a deep blackness to his soul.
“Dress. Now.” He walked over to his bed where he’d laid out clothes for me to wear after I’d showered, but I’d got changed back into my old ones. I’d felt uncomfortable walking about in a towel when he might have been walking about, too. I didn’t want to be seen like that by him. He picked them up and threw them in my direction where they scattered about the floor at my feet. He turned around then, arms crossed and foot tapping as I rushed to change faster than I had before. I sometimes found it hard to remember what he’d done. I sometimes had to forcefully remind myself that this was a killer. This was a mass murderer. This was a war criminal. I kept thinking I was safe from harm as I had been the one to free him on Earth, but I had to wonder at times such as these where he looked but one smartass comment away from strangling me to death with his bare hands.
I followed beside Loki as he showed me down the hallway and to a large room with the longest table I’d ever seen in the centre, covered in what seemed like far too much food for only those 50 or so that were present.
“How can all this food possibly be eaten?” I asked Loki as we continued to walk, finding seats up the far end.
“The servants will get what is left. I assure you, it will not go to waste.” From the corner of my eye I saw a few girls waiting by the doorway in rags and suddenly felt very overdressed. Loki had me dress in a dark green gown with what felt like 10 separate layers of fabric just in the skirt part alone. The fabric stretching across my chest and waist was beautifully embroidered with flowers. I wondered where Loki got such clothes from so last minute. I reminded myself that he was a prince, of sorts, though probably a lot lower in ranking after his little Earth incident. I wondered how he was still eating at the same table as the All-Father. I’d gathered since being here that they didn’t exactly get along… but they were family, I guess. There was always that.
We left before anyone else as singing began and Loki didn’t appear interested in the slightest. He snaked his arm around my waist as we got up and I let him keep it there until we were back in his chambers, the door safely shut behind us. I wasn’t sure if I could keep up appearances. I was already exhausted just thinking about it.
“Now don’t you feel better having gone out of this room?” Loki said, closing the curtains at the window as the sun began to set. “You cannot simply sleep all day. I have a job for you, you know, which you’ll be starting tomorrow.”
“What job?”
“It’s simple. You’ll get a lot of fresh air outside and… and I thought you might appreciate that,” Loki muttered, wandering off. “You will of course have to be careful and to learn the creatures of this realm. Some of them aren’t so nice. They won’t like you if you venture into their territory.” I decided not to worry too much about that until I absolutely had to. I hadn’t seen any animals on Asgard yet but I was sure they would differ from those I was used to.
“I don’t mean to be a bore, Loki, but I… I just want to go to sleep.” I had slept all day, I realised, but it had been a poor sleep. Most of my dreams had turned to nightmares and of those that hadn’t, they were filled with the faces I already missed. I tried to place it at the back of my mind before I was to cry again. Loki seemed to sense how I was feeling and nodded, understanding, in a way.
“You can’t be sleeping on that couch. I insist we share my bed as we did back on Earth. It wasn’t so bad. You don’t move much when you sleep and I’ve grown used to your hair getting in my face,” he said. I smiled, just a little, at the little things one could say to make someone feel slightly better. He smiled in return and walked over to his dresser, throwing me a pair of black pants and a long sleeve white cotton shirt. These were his clothes. “I… forgot to ask for something for you to sleep in,” Loki said sheepishly.
“I’ll make do.” Loki busied himself by his bookcase as I changed, annoyed that the pants were too loose and the shirt was sliding down one arm. I quickly hopped into Loki’s large bed, snuggling deep into the pillows that smelt so much like him they had me blushing beneath the covers. He was an attractive man, and I wouldn’t deny it. It was simply everything else that screamed for me to stay away from him.
I didn’t open my eyes as I heard the bedroom door open then close softly. Loki tried not to wake me as he got himself ready for bed, but I’d been unable to sleep for the hours I’d already been laying there. I tensed up as he leaned over me to blow out the candle by my side, which part of me wished he hadn’t done. It wasn’t that I was afraid of the dark, just, I didn’t know what might be hiding in this darkness. Everything was unfamiliar and I didn’t feel I’d ever get used to that. I wondered how he got used to Earth. Did he ever fear the darkness when he didn’t know what might be hiding in it?
“Can’t we have the candle lit? Just for tonight? Until I get used to it…”
“The flickering of the flame wakes me,” he said simply, sounding tired as he got beneath the covers and rolled onto his back. I felt tears streaking my cheeks and couldn’t help myself as I let out a stifled cry, having tried to hide it in the covers and failed. I heard as Loki sighed, and felt as he moved his arm to rest behind my neck. I found myself snuggling up to him as he pulled me close to his side and slept right there against his chest listening to him breathe.
♠ ♠ ♠
Listen to an audio recording of this chapter here by meguinpenguin.