Safe and Sound

Loki sighed deeply through his nose, his lips had swelled from the stitching so that he couldn't open his mouth at all now, the pain was too great to try and force his lips apart. His hands, covered in black ink from how much he had been writing that day, were slowly being dragged through his long black hair, slightly displacing it. Parchment was scattered about the small stone dining table Loki had in his cell as he sat in front of it all with Eyfrida. She sat straight and still, her mannerisms showing through her experiences from living in the Palace, even if it was in a jail. She had been silent the whole day, along with most of the past few days, and Loki had no way of showing her that she had permission to speak her mind. The silence between them was slowly driving him mad.

She was silently staring at the parchment in front of her, unable to read anything Loki had written. He was trying to teach her how to read, but the only way he could figure out how to do the task was to write, even if she couldn't read it. Most of it was random scribbles, the alphabet and simple sentences, but Eyfrida didn't understand any of it. That proved to Loki that he severely overestimated Eyfrida's learning ability, or underestimated his teaching skills.

Eyfrida was at least trying, though she didn't even know what letters made what sounds. This showed Loki that he was much more impatient than her, if anything, and he wished he could remain as composed as she. Instead he was fighting his rage with the girl who didn't even know the difference between vowels and consonants. He had given up, only to realize there wasn't anything else he was willing or able to do. He didn't have any appetite, thankfully, and he didn't even have the will to sleep.

Loki looked over to where she sat, striving to figure out another way, something simpler. He watched as her eyes shifted from the parchment slightly over to Loki, without moving her head. Loki picked up the previously disregarded quill and handed it to Eyfrida, he needed to know which of her hands was dominant. Maybe teaching her to write would help, but she needed to know what she was writing first. Eyfrida grabbed it with her right hand, but didn't even attempt to hold it properly, her eyebrows slightly raising at Loki. He corrected her grip over the quill, moving her hand to dip it into the ink well before bringing it to a blank space on the parchment. With his right hand over her shoulder, his hand encasing hers, he helped her fluidly trace out one word.

After, he used his left hand to point at the word before pointing to her, remaining patient. He wasn't going to give up again.

“Is...” she began, before quickly looking to Loki, asking, “May I speak?” He nodded at her, finally earning a reaction other than quiet tears. “Is that my name?” she asked and Loki almost forgot he couldn't smile. She finally got something. He, instead, settled for calmly nodding at her before she looked back down at her written name.

“It's pretty,” she admitted quietly, looking back over to Loki. He shorty wanted to explain what her name meant, and why he had found it ironic when he had first met her, but she wouldn't understand any of it and he didn't want to risk confusing her. So he simply nodded once more.

She turned back to the parchment, and Loki watched as her cheeks grew rosy in color. He couldn't help but smile then, just barely, even if it pained him greatly. “Can...” She began, looking back at Loki for his silent permission to continue. He simply rose an eyebrow and waited for her to continue. “Can you write your name for me?” she asked, offering him back the quill. He didn't take it, instead moving the parchment closer to him before wrapping his right arm around her again, pulling her closer to him before taking her small hand in his, helping her write out his name right under hers.

“You write elegantly,” She complimented, the blush still present on her face, making her features stand out even more than normal. Loki couldn't reply to her in any other way than nodding. He didn't want to discourage her finally coming out of her shell by disagreeing with her, though Loki always thought that, for a supposed prince and even king, his handwriting was lazy and sloppy. “Can you show me more?” she asked, turning to him under his arm still.

He nodded again, shortly, before waiting for her to say anything. “Um...” she said, looking around the room they were in. She continued then with words that could double as commands, things that Loki would ask of her and he started helping her write them out on a fresh piece of parchment. He was slightly surprised that Eyfrida was suddenly taking this seriously, remembering how horribly sad she had acted when she thought she would be useless to him and have to return to the prison.



“My queen, Odin said that he is to have no visitors,” Sif said, following Frigga, who was dressed in her riding clothes and a large, plain cloak to cover her royal appearance. Sif, herself, was dressed in fine royal attire instead of her usual armor or training clothes, following the Queen of Asgard down a hall leading out to the stables.

“Then I will not go to see my son,” Frigga said, remaining purposeful in her posture and gait.

“Who will you see then, if not him?”

“I'm sure you've heard from Thor that the servant Loki had taken with him cannot read,” Frigga, quickly glanced to her follower before looking ahead again. “I'd like to know why Loki's insisting on keeping her and what this girl's view is on the matter.”

“So you will visit with Loki's servant?” Sif asked, refraining from grabbing the queen to stop her from walking. “Why not just order her removed and let Thor handle the situation? He's perfectly willing to lend Loki more distinguished, and literary inclined, servants that can aide him.”

“Because I will not see my youngest son become any more distressed than he already is,” Frigga said sternly, stopping on her own in front of Sif and turning to face her.

“I doubt he will become any more cheerful, your highness, during his imprisonment with that useless girl-” Sif began explaining.

“Thor thinks the same as you but he lets the girl remain because Loki's guards have not complained at all. They haven't complained about Loki, and if he isn't causing trouble for them that is as happy as he will be.” Frigga sighed deeply, wringing her hands, “If Thor loves Loki enough to leave his servant in his care, why can't you be happy with that? My Lady, you have loved him once as well.”

Sif drew in a thoughtful breath as her queen spoke wisdom to her, but Sif didn't expect what Frigga had said last. “That seems so far away now,” Sif admitted, remaining calm though the mention of what her and Loki used to be caused her insides to boil. “We are both completely different people now, I don't see that same Loki in your son anymore.”

“I believe he is still inside Loki somewhere, it will just take time for him to reappear after the betrayal he's felt from everyone who was supposed to love him,” Frigga said and Sif couldn't stop from shaking her head, wondering how the queen had forgotten Loki's evilness. She remained quiet, letting the queen turn and leave silently to go to her imprisoned son.

It was late when Frigga arrived, alone, at Loki's cell and was greeted by very astonished guards that had nearly settled in for the night. Though nobody was supposed to enter the cell embedded in the side of the mountain, none of the guards were going to dare and try to stop their queen from seeing her son. They all greeted her formally, watching as she passed them without a word before preparing for staying up much longer than they had planned to ensure her safety.

Frigga walked into the mountain, past the barracks, and into a long, skinny tunnel. It opened up into a small, dimly lit room and Frigga almost overlooked Loki's servant laying on the stone floor in the corner, atop some thin blankets and pillows. If she was asleep, Frigga figured Loki was asleep as well and there was no hope, though there was little to begin with, of her seeing her son tonight. Frigga still glanced down another small hallway that lead to the heavy, windowless door sealing off Loki's cell before moving closer to the sleeping girl.

Frigga knelt by the girl, turning the knob on a small oil lamp, that was still barely burning next to the servant, on the floor before seeing a single page laying clutched in her hand. Without waking the girl, Frigga removed the paper and scanned the contents, barely recognizing Loki's handwriting. It was only seemingly random words scribbled in no particular order but the parchment was enough to let Frigga know that her son had succeeded in teaching the girl something, or he was at least trying.

A sharp gasp suddenly came from the girl on the floor and Frigga looked away from the page to see wide honey colored eyes staring up at her in shock. “Shh,” Frigga immediately shushed her, disregarding the parchment back to the floor before placing a finger gently on her lips. “I don't want you waking my son, understood?” Frigga asked sternly, though her gentleness and overall majesty carried freely through her quiet voice.

The girl nodded slowly, her eyes still wide from the surprise of the queen waking her up. “What is this writing?” Frigga then asked her, motioning to the page on the floor.

“It's...” The girl began, also quiet but sounded quite nervous and wouldn't make eye contact again, “Loki- I mean your son... he's trying to teach me how to read so I can better serve him, my queen.”

“Don' be so nervous,” Frigga smiled at the girl before sitting herself on the floor in front of her, and gently lifting the girl's face up from staring at her own lap. “What's your name?”

“Eyfrida.”

“Pretty,” Frigga smiled, pitying the girl for such a contradicting name. “Tell me, has he been successful in teaching you to read?”

“I'm not sure, your highness. I've been trying to memorize those words,” Eyfrida looked down at the paper for a moment. “I think my sleep has caused me to forget most.”

“Did he write them for you?”

“Your son helped me write them,” Eyfrida said, looking ashamed of herself.

Frigga reached forward to remove some of the girls wild strawberry blonde hair from her face so they could better see each other, and noticed how horribly the girl flinched. Frigga felt a sudden pang in her very heart and hoped that Loki hadn't been abusing such a sweet little girl. “How old are you?” she then asked, quickly adding, “Surely not old enough to become a wife.”

“No...” Eyfrida answered almost instantly before thinking on the queen's odd question. “Some men might believe me to be old enough,” she added to her sudden reaction and Frigga' eyebrows left a small crease in her forehead as they came together.

“Certainty not old enough to become the wife of a prince, he would see that.”

“I-I don't understand...”

“I don't understand why Loki is so strong-hearted about keeping you around, my dear,” Frigga said with a slight sigh. “Would you rather go back to where you were before?”

“No, ma'am, I honestly wouldn't,” Eyfrida answered plainly.

“You would rather stay with Loki? Has he been treating you kindly?” Frigga asked.

“Yes, and he's been... patient,” Eyfrida replied hesitantly.

“If you wish to stay here with him you've got to learn to read. Properly,” the queen said sternly, staring directly into the girl's eyes.

“Yes, I want to learn. I need to for him,” Eyfrida spoke as confidently as she could and Frigga saw her eyes light up.

“I can arrange for you to be tutored, preferably by the same scholars and professors who taught my boys. Most have died or retired but I'm sure I can figure something out. But, Eyfrida my dear, you will have to keep this quiet. I don't want Loki finding out that you're leaving for the palace every now and then and I'm also afraid that Odin will disapprove. Most of the people dealing with Loki's imprisonment already want you gone and sent back to the jail, and this will give them every reason to take you away. Understand?”

“M-may I ask why?” Eyfrida responded slowly.

“Because a servant as yourself has no right to be tutored amongst royalty and the court. It was your parent's job. However you seem like a bright girl, I'm willing to give you this chance. For Loki's sake,” Frigga smiled and Eyfrida returned the gesture as her lips spread into a small grin.