It was morning, or so he assumed. He sighed as a guard passed by and kept his eyes fixed directly on him until he was out of sight. There wasn't much for him to do; being trapped in a cell wasn't exactly what he had planned. Bringing his gaze up to the ceiling he rolled his eyes and fell backward onto a hard seat, his back thumping against the thick white wall behind him. The few books placed within reach he had read too many times to count, and the days were growing longer and duller.
Running his fingers through his black hair he did his best to push it out of his face; it had grown long and unruly. His figure was in even worse shape, he was a lot thinner and paler than he had been previously. He leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees and got lost in thought.
"How long are they planning on keeping me here? Until I've wasted to nothing?"
He decided that if hunger didn't take him first, boredom would win second place.
Rosamond had woken to the ringing of the massive bells throughout the city of Asgard. Time for most folks to be up. She yawned with a smile, remembering she was no longer in Gareth. This was the start of her new life and it was going to be what she made of it. She got out of bed and picked an airy green dress from the wardrobe. One of the dresses that had been given her so she could fit in with the fashion on Asgard. Green was her favorite color, it matched her eyes. She pinned the drapes and folds of fabric in strategically placed spots to give the dress the elegance of this realm.
She brushed her hair and decided to pin the sides and let the rest fall where it may. The strands of hair reached to mid-calf when not braided. As she stared into the mirror, she thought, 'Well, that's that. Nothing else can make me appear any more ready for duty.' She wasn't much for makeup and never had been. She only took up about half the mirror, she was approximately 5 feet 3 inches tall, and had a round figure, not a nice slim one, as all the other ladies and men seemed to enjoy.
She had forgotten to ask if she could wear her sword while she was doing her duties. She bit her lower lip in a nervous tic, wondering if she should fetch a maid and trouble their Highnesses for an answer. After a moment she put the thought out of her mind. She'd leave the sword until she figured it out, the prisoner was well guarded and in a cell anyway.
Slipping into golden sandals she made her way through the door and eventually found her way to the kichens after having to bother many maids. She balanced the tray of food she was to take to the Crown Prince and asked more maids and then in smaller hallways further and further away, guards, for directions. Finally she was close. There was a large space, a cell, surrounded on all sides by hallways with patrolling guards. They had all been informed that she would be starting work today and none of them tried to stop her.
She inched around the edge and took a few steps, facing the cell head on. Seeing the Prince for the first time, she moved even closer. She set the tray on a table outside the cell's glass wall and dropped into a deep curtsy once she knew she'd been seen.
"Greetings, my Prince Loki. My name is Rosamond of Gareth. I have been assigned to keep you company."
She said all this with her head still bowed, before standing up and looking back to him through the glass, her rosy complexion turned even ruddier as she contemplated the fact that she may just be about to get thrown out of the palace for angering the Prince if he hated her.
Loki was surprised as a soft voice filled the room. He hadn't heard anyone speak in weeks, maybe months. While being locked up and secluded from everyone, the days had started to blur together. He slowly lifted his gaze to Rosamond's and raised a brow.
"They sent a stranger to keep me company? Seems fitting considering no one cares to see me."
He spat and rested his head again against the wall.
"Well, Rosamond of Gareth, it's nice to meet you," he said in acerbic tones.
He forced a thin smile across his face.
"It seems pointless to introduce myself since you already know my name."
When the Prince spoke she had been taken aback. It was low and smooth, and sounded to her almost melodic in some respects. Made her think of singing. She shook her head slightly, she hadn't thought about singing since her parents had died. She realized she'd been biting her lip and ceased immediately. She noticed the fact that he was bitter about his situation. She swept into another brief curtsy and called a guard into the room so she could deliver his breakfast.
After she had the guard set it inside the cell for her, the guard then locked the seemingly invisible door and went back to his post. Rosamond looked around momentarily before dragging a large chair to the side of the cell wall near him, and sat in it.
"Prince Loki, are you not feeling well? It looks like you may be getting sick." She said, her soft voice chime-like.
He didn't move, he watched her. The way she bit her bottom lip bothered him but he wanted to stay on her good side so kept it to himself.
"How do you think you would look if they locked you up for a long time?"
He didn't move to get the food, only sat still at the stone bench.
She held back a sigh as she leaned forward in the chair she had dragged over near him, some of her hair falling over her shoulder. She had already decided that his attitude needed the blunt approach.
"Well I am pretty sure the other prisoners look more healthy than you do, and they don't have the luxury of having a bedroom fit for a Prince as a call."
He scoffed and took his gaze away from her.
"It's really none of your concern if I am taking care of my health. Aren't you just getting paid to keep me company? I don't think I sent for a Doctor."
He said the last with contempt.
"As you wish, but you should eat." She sat back in the chair silently, wondering if he would break and talk first.
He fixed his emerald eyes on a chair across the room and grew silent. Even if he wanted to stay on this woman's good side, he wasn't really one for starting conversations anymore. At some point she seemed to grow bored and she got up to pick a book from the small library outside the cell before sitting back in the big chair to read. It felt like an hour had passed, but he wasn't really sure how to start talking to this stranger. If he was going to be forced to stay with her every day, then perhaps he could learn to get along? He grinned at the thought. At least with her, she might be his ticket out of this place. Pressing his lips together, he glanced in her direction, then back to the chair.
"What are you reading?"
The sound of his voice startled her. She had been reading in silence for so long she had actually forgotten where she was. She looked to him and then back to the book, keeping her place with a finger but looking at the title.
"A History of Yggdrasil." She said simply, wondering if that was the only sentence he planned on uttering for the rest of the day.
He cleared his throat and reached out to grab the small glass of water that was sitting on the tray and took a sip.
"I've read all the books on this Realm, but that one was always the most interesting and best written."
"So you've decided to talk to me, have you?"
"I never said I wouldn't talk, I'm just not great at starting conversations." He said, trying not to grow annoyed. His patience had grown even smaller since he had been locked up.
"Touchy." She said softly.
He was certainly prickly, but she didn't know what else she had expected of a so called murderer.
"What would you like to talk about?"
He finally looked back at her and grinned.
"How has Asgard been? I haven't been able to see it in quite some time."
She wondered if he had a hidden agenda. He had figured out already that she didn't hail from Asgard, considering the color of her hair and the name of her realm and kingdom already being proffered.
"I wouldn't know, Prince Loki," she said carefully, "I only just arrived yesterday."
"I'm sure it's just as bright and beautiful."
A bit of sadness caught at those words but he quickly cleared his throat once more.
"How about you tell me a little more about yourself. I should know who I'm talking to, if they're going to be keeping me company every day."
She didn't know how much she should reveal about herself, but she figured he could gain access to any information about her that he wanted. She set the book aside and turned completely to face him.
"I shall tell you about myself, if you'll eat."
He glared down at the tray full of a variety of foods and groaned.
"You'd really want to make me eat that?"
How ungrateful could this spoiled Prince be?
"I know for a fact that this is the same food served to your family. Surely it is up to your standards."
"It's not that I do not enjoy this food when I am able, but the meats and sweets will hurt my body more than help it right now. To be honest with you, I haven't really eaten in a month or so."