Chapter 1

The snow fell heavily and unrelentingly, covering the ground in a suffocating white blanket and clinging to the needled branches of the fir trees. The sun shone harshly overhead, stinging Loki's eyes. The hunting party was chaotic and rowdy, too loud to truly have the element of surprise. Though that didn't seem to have stopped them. Two servants were toting a pole with a doe strung up by its skinny legs, blood dripping from the ugly gash in its throat.

Loki regarded the dead animal with distaste and glanced back at the thin trail of blood it had left behind. Would anyone really notice if he slipped away now? He doubted it; they'd be too absorbed in Thor's golden brilliance, his hunting prowess and utter idiocy. And, even if they did notice, he doubted they'd care. He cast one final glance at the slaughtered doe before turning his horse into the dense forest, digging his heels into its sides to urge it on. No one called after him; they were too drunk and loud to hear his horse's footfalls.

It wasn't long before he'd completely lost sight of them.


Rinna forced herself onwards, through the snow, ignoring the screams of protest from her leg and back and fighting cries of pain. No matter how overwhelming the pain was, it couldn't overpower the terror that tore at her with knife-like, icy claws and the irrepressible feeling of something following close behind her. The slightest pause would be fatal, she was sure of it, even if she couldn't see this danger.

Every breath burned and she trembled with cold and weakness. She didn't know why she was running or what she was running from. All she knew that was whenever she tried to grasp for an answer, her mind brushed against a slick, dark wall that sent a wave of excruciating pain ripping through her, worse, even, than the pain in her leg and back.

Her run had slowed to a stumbling walk, her leg a burning deadweight that felt like it could give way any second. Her entire body felt as though it could fall apart. She had to keep going, had to get away…

She fell against a tree, bracing her hands against it to keep herself upright. Fear pounded at her… run, run, run…

The sound of heavy footsteps crunching against the snow caught her ear and she froze. A rider on horseback came into her view, shadowed by the surrounding trees. She watched warily, unable to obey the insistent urge to run, run and never stop…

The rider stopped, staring down at her with piercing green eyes. Rinna hauled in a breath.

"P-please… help…" she pleaded, her voice a hoarse whisper. The man looked her over, taking in her full length, a look of horror crossing his face briefly before he swung from the saddle and crossed the distance between them in three strides. He took her gently by the arm, steadying her.

"Are you alright?" His eyes drifted down to her legs, taking in the injuries there. A wave of nausea washed over her and her vision blurred. The man said something but his voice sounded distant and far off and she couldn't make out the words. The world swam, disintegrated and went black.

Loki reached out and caught the girl before she could hit the ground. She felt as though she could fall apart at any moment, her ribs jutting harshly from her abdomen. She was gaunt and pale, her dark brown hair emphasising her sickly pallor. The back of her thin dress was stiff with dried blood, and her leg… the skin of the bony limb was thick with ugly, gnarled scars and twisted burn marks… he caught a glimpse of pale bone by her ankle and looked away. She was bleeding, she needed help.

He pulled her limp form to his chest and held her tightly as he remounted his horse, her blood sticky on his hands. Judging by the amount that had soaked into her dress and the wounds on her leg, she had lost a lot of blood. He needed to take her to Eir.

Her chest rose and fell too rapidly, too erratically, as if her grip on life was slipping. Loki tightened his grip on her, as if his hold could keep her tethered here. He looked down at her leg as the horse carried them through the snow. What could do that kind of damage to one limb and leave the rest of her unmarked? He gritted his teeth. It had to have been deliberate. The most likely explanation was that she was an escaped slave and these injuries had been some kind of punishment.

He looked at her face. She looked so young, so delicate…

They were nearing the edge of the forest when the girl stirred. Loki heard her breath hitch and felt the muscles in her abdomen tense.

Without warning, a pulse of energy ran through him, not quite strong enough to knock him from his horse but enough to wind him. The sensation was not quite pain, but it felt fundamentally wrong, as if every cell in his body was crying out in protest against its presence. It was not seidr, it was something else entirely.

The girl was breathing heavily, slumped forward over the horse's neck. Loki closed a hand around her arm.

"What was that?" He hissed, still uneasy from the impact. The girl stiffened at his touch but did not respond, perhaps too weak to. Loki persisted, repeating the question, hearing his voice grow harsher.

The girl shook her head, her breath wavering. She looked over her shoulder and her eyes were wild with fear. "I don't know," she whispered hoarsely, something pleading in her voice. "I-I don't..." Her voice faded and she closed her eyes, wincing.

Loki studied her carefully. He had a natural affinity for spotting lies; usually people were betrayed by a certain waver in their voice or a look in their eyes... He could see none of these signs in this girl... just fear and pain in her eyes. Perhaps she hadn't meant to hurt him, perhaps something he'd done had triggered a natural response. Whatever it was, it was a mystery to him and his only source of answers was about to bleed out in his arms.

He nudged his horse back into a walk and they made their descent from the forest covered mountains. The palace loomed ahead, its towers stretching up towards the sky like greedy, golden fingers.


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