PLEASE READ FIRST!
This work does NOT belong to me, but I think it deserves a wider audience than it had up to now. Since the author wishes to stay anonymous she has given permission to publish it somewhere else other than on livejournal as she has no intention to. I will leave a link on livejournal to this post for the author, so make sure to review.
Original can be found here:
story: "http"":""/""/""norsekink"".""livejournal"".""com""/""10823"".""html""?""page""=""25""#""comments" (remove all " and scroll down a bit)
chapter: "http"":""/""/""norsekink"".""livejournal"".""com""/""10823"".""html""?""thread""=""23182151#t23182151" (remove all " and scroll down a bit)
WARNING this work contains mental und physical non-con, massive internal conflict, PTSD. You have been warned!
Chapter Three
Loki was woken by the sound of footsteps. He was pressed into Laufey's side. The Jotun King's arms were wrapped tightly around him. Laufey stirred sleepily and smiled down at him.
"Good morning." He said softly.
Loki wanted to bite him, he might have risked it, had Laufey's earlier attentions not involved a lighter form of exactly that. There was no telling how it would be interpreted.
The footsteps belonged to two Jotuns. They entered the room without knocking and began to lay food out on the small (comparatively speaking) table at the far side of the room.
Laufey sat up and pulled back the furs. With a tug to keep Loki with him he swung his feet onto the floor and made for a door in the corner of the room.
While most of the rooms in the King's chambers had either furniture or items placed throughout them, this small (again, relatively) room had nothing. Loki tried to pry himself from Laufey's side without success.
The Jotuns had finished laying out the food, through the doorway Loki saw them pick up a bundle of fur and approach them.
In addition to the fur they held large brushes. Without ceremony one of them began to brush Laufey's flanks. The other reached out and began to do the same to Loki.
The brush was course, but not painful. It was kind of like having a whole body scratch. With each stroke small flakes of dirt and ice fell from their bodies.
Loki held himself rigid as his hair was brushed, then his chest, arms and back. But when the Jotun reached toward his buttocks he yelped and tried to pull away. Laufey reached around without effort and held Loki in place, facing him. The Jotun brushed firmly over his buttocks and legs, even reaching his inner thighs. Loki squirmed and tried to stop him. Laufey just held him tighter and said nothing.
Finally it was over, the Jotuns put their brushes down and reached instead for the furs. They were loincloths. They wrapped one each around Laufey and Loki's waists and fastened them in place with decorative clasps. Under normal circumstances Loki would find the patterns beautiful. They were coiled, with delicate detailing, unlike the jewellery normally favoured in Asgard. Right now he'd do anything to see something familiar instead, even if it was ugly.
The last thing the Jotuns did was lay out two more furs on the ground. They looked up at Loki, clearly expecting him to do something.
"Step on them." Laufey said.
Loki jumped slightly at the sound of his voice, then carefully complied.
They reached forward and tied the furs to his feet, making a pair of rough slippers. Loki understood. So far all the Jotuns he'd seen went barefoot, but if he changed back to Asgard form without protection his warm pink feet would stick painfully to the icy floor. If he could pull them free it would only be by leaving behind several layers of skin.
They were done. The Jotuns bowed to Laufey then Loki, which startled him, before leaving them alone.
Laufey pulled him to the table and lifted Loki onto one of the chairs. The Jotun servants had laid a fur across it for him to sit on, which was needed as the second Laufey let go of him his skin flushed with pink.
Laufey sat in the other chair and began to eat.
Loki had debated on a hunger strike while still recovering from his injuries. He'd discarded the idea, especially as he was stuck here until the binding spell was broken, he needed to maintain his strength.
He picked up a piece of food and carefully put it in his mouth.
It was frozen, for a second it fused to his tongue before the heat of his mouth caused the outside frost to melt. The rest of it was still frozen solid though, and his first attempt to bite it nearly broke a tooth.
Then there was the other matter of the cold. It was seeping into him, he could feel it rising from his chair through the fur, and the air, while thankfully still was nevertheless slowly drawing the heat out of him.
He looked up at Laufey only to find the King was watching him intently. Laufey's eyes travelled over his skin, which had begun to pimple with cold. He muttered something in a tone that made it clear he was cursing (Loki thought he heard the name 'Odin' in there somewhere) before reaching across and pulling Loki into his lap. He moved Loki's plate closer and started eating again.
With the back of his legs resting against Laufey's thighs Loki found himself blue again very quickly. The cold receded and the piece of frozen food still in his mouth suddenly developed a flavour. He cautiously chewed again and found his Jotun teeth crunched through it easily. He tried another piece.
Laufey resisted the urge to stroke Loki's hair. The fact that he was sitting, unheld, in his lap was progress. Eating was another good sign and Laufey didn't want to wreck it. Instead he cast about for something to talk about.
"Why don't you like being brushed?" He asked. "It doesn't hurt."
Loki had stiffened when he'd spoken, for a second Laufey wondered if he should have said anything at all. Perhaps he should have waited a few mornings for Loki to adjust to simply being in his lap.
For a long moment Loki didn't say anything, then finally he murmured.
"I've never been brushed before.
Laufey stared at the back of his head, he knew the Asgard were dirty but he didn't think they were that bad.
"How do the Asgard keep clean?" He blurted, unable to keep the incredulous tone out of his voice. Loki glanced up at the sound. He looked startled, but not in a fearful way.
"We, uh, bathe. In water. With scented oils and cloths to wipe away the dirt."
"You immerse yourself in water?"
"Yes?"
"And this is pleasant?"
"Yes?"
Laufey stared at Loki with an unmistakable look of disbelief. Then his eyes narrowed.
"These immersion bowls, are they big, oval and lined with gold?"
"Big and oval yes, the palace ones are lined with gold." Loki said carefully.
Laufey grinned at him, causing Loki to lean back uncertainly.
"My men and I wondered what those things in Odin's palace were for, back before the war. For the life of us we couldn't work it out."
Loki's mouth twitched. Just a little, tiny involuntary twitch. Laufey deliberately ignored it. Small steps were what was needed, that was enough for today, and he had always wondered about the oval bowls.
###
After breakfast Laufey deposited Loki on the bed, causing him no small amount of fear. But Laufey just wrapped him firmly in furs before reaching out and stroking his cheek.
"I do the work of the realm in the mornings. I will be back later, in the meantime I will send someone with some books for you to look at."
Loki watched him leave. A tiny piece of tension uncurled in his chest. He was finally alone. He hadn't been sure if that would even happen. But if he only had the morning then there was no time to lose.
He took a deep, freezing breath and tried to calm himself.
Magic was all about focus. There were people who believed that magic was some kind of reservoir, that once emptied would need time to replenish. This was untrue. Magic was always there, it never needed recharging. Just as a warrior did not physically lose his muscles while fighting, a sorcerer's magic did not diminish through use. But, as with the warrior, fatigue, injury or illness could prevent a sorcerer from using what he had. This was the reason Loki had dismissed the idea of a hunger strike, he needed his strength to help him focus. He had spent the last few days recovering, now he was able to concentrate.
He reached out with his magic and tried to detect the binding spell around him. His body stilled, his breathing grew soft and his muscles relaxed slowly. He searched for a trace of something foreign, something on his skin, or in his heart. He searched every part of his body, trying to find something as delicate as a spider web.
The noise in the room jolted him back to awareness. A Jotun stood in the doorway, holding a book.
He bowed, and stepped forward.
"I am Thrym, Laufey's brother and General of his armies." He announced.
Loki watched him warily.
"I have fought the Asgard, Trolls and Great and Powerful Beasts from across the nine realms." He continued, walking slowly forwards. "Right now." He said, reaching the end of the bed. "I am here to give you a book."
Loki's forehead creased.
Thrym grinned at him.
"I've also been instructed to read it to you, unless by some miracle Odin saw fit to teach you Jotun writings?"
Loki shook his head. His silver tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth.
Thrym sat down on the edge of the bed and open the book.
"It's the history of Jotunheim, well, the children's version, which is much more exciting and has ice-breathing dragons in it. I thought it would make a better introduction to your home than the official version, which is frankly, a little dull."
Loki crept cautiously forward and peeked over Thrym's shoulder, his first glance had been right, the book had pictures.
Thrym cleared his throat and began to read.
###
Later...
Loki sat quietly beside Laufey in the throne room. Laufey had a hand resting on Loki's knee, keeping him in his Jotun form. Loki tried very hard not to draw attention to himself. His first plan had failed. He was stuck until he figured out how to remove the spell that kept him from leaving Laufey's side. Until then, he stayed quiet, obedient and careful. He had listened carefully to Thrym as he read to him and even chanced the occasional question. At lunch he had eaten well and tried not to flinch as Laufey stroked his back. It had frightened him, how little control he had over his own body. Laufey seemed to think that physical pleasure should translate into a willingness to mate. Loki's feelings meant nothing to him.
Now, after lunch, Laufey was holding a public audience. He had stated very firmly that he wanted Loki to be there although there was no obvious reason. If it weren't for the hand that didn't stray from Loki's knee he may as well not exist. It didn't take someone as smart as Loki to figure it out. His purpose was to exist. Laufey was showing him off to his people, to ensure that the rumours that had probably run through the realm were indeed correct and Laufey had his mate back. Odin had occasionally done things like this, showing things for the sake of showing them. He wished that Laufey would let him leave, maybe then he could continue to try and locate the spell that was upon him. It had to be sophisticated, the Asgard would talk about the Jotun as savages, but he knew from his school lessons that their kingdom were founded on a culture with it's own rules. And they had clearly mastered some very advanced spells.
Loki also discovered that it was possible to be bored while being felt up by an ice-monster, which was not something that he had ever wanted to know and certainly not firsthand.
Finally Laufey seemed to be finished with the day's business. He sat back, giving Loki's knee a squeeze that made him jump. Loki saw knowing smirks on the faces of many of Laufey's closest companions. He tried to keep his face neutral.
"Friends, allies, Jotuns all." Laufey stated grandly. "It is obvious that Odin's curse is still present on my mate."
He stood, removing his hand from Loki's knee which allowed the pink colouring to rush back over his skin. The cold suddenly seemed harsher, cutting deeply into him.
"I will grant a King's favour to the one who breaks the curse and allows my mate to remain in his true form." The sudden silence in the room told Loki just how important this announcement was. When Laufey sat down he chanced a question.
"What is a King's favour?"
"Any request within the King's power will be granted, whether it be land, a title, riches or the help of a sorcerer." Laufey said smiling as he slid his hand back onto Loki's knee, obviously believing that Loki's willingness to communicate was a good sign.
Loki filed that away as useful information.
His thoughts were interrupted when a familiar light shone down in the distance. Laufey sat straighter, his hand squeezing Loki's thigh. The Jotuns around them stilled in place, some of them almost seemed to become a part of the scenery. They waited in silence as their visitor made his way up to the palace.
It was Odin. He rode his favourite horse, which despite the rumours spread by a drunken Thor several hundred years ago, was not Loki's accidental child.
Odin rode right up into the hall until he was facing Laufey. His eyes did not waver from Laufey's face. Loki was torn between wanting his father's acknowledgement and avoiding his face completely. Odin had to know what had happened, maybe everyone knew by now. To his horror Loki realised he was embarrassed. What kind of a reaction was that? Would he be embarrassed to be beaten bloody by a Jotun? No. He'd been attacked… it wasn't his fault…everyone probably knew by now that he'd had sex with Laufey…
Loki blinked hard to force the thought away. Not his fault, not his fault, Thor would know, would he ever look at his brother the same way again? Not. His. Fault. Maybe once he got out of here he could run away to Midgard, that way he wouldn't have to face everyone. But he had no reason to hide, it wasn't his fault.
"King Laufey." Odin said calmly.
"Odin Allfather." Laufey replied coolly.
"I would like to discuss my son." Odin said flatly.
Laufey's grip on Loki tightened. "And what would you like to discuss? He's not your son, he's my mate." The grip slid up Loki's leg, rising high enough to make a blue blush wash across his cheeks. Odin's calm exterior didn't crack.
"He is my son. I brought him into my family, he was raised in my home, he is mine."
"He was promised to me, you have no right to take him." Laufey snapped. Odin's calm exterior was clearly getting to him.
Odin nodded. "And at the end of the war, with Jotunheim in ruins, I did not think a small child left to lie on the floor would be found before it was too late. I did what I thought was right for him."
"And now you have to let him go. He's mine." Laufey said. Loki sat unhappily beside him. He wanted nothing more than to run to his father's side, then hide for eternity.
Odin nodded slowly. "Will you consider a trade?" He asked.
Laufey smiled, it was not a nice smile. "You have nothing more important than this." He said, squeezing Loki's thigh again.
"What about the Casket of Ancient Winters?" Odin asked quietly.
Loki felt the concentration of the room sharpen. He was shocked, Odin had just offered to give back the Jotun power source, for him?
Maybe he could face some of them.
Laufey laughed. "You would never." He said dismissively.
Odin did not answer, merely reached into thin air and pulled out the Casket. Laufey stared at it, stunned. The Jotun in the room began to inch closer to Odin.
Loki glanced at Laufey, he could see the wheels turning in the Jotun King's head.
"Agreed." He said and released Loki.
The spell, the binding, he was relying on the binding.
"No father." Loki said. "There's a spell that will pull me back to him, he's tricking-"
Laufey whirled around and snarled at him, shocking him into silence. Odin twitched, just slightly as Loki jerked backwards.
"If this is a true trade then you will release my son from any spell that is upon him." Odin said calmly. Laufey sneered.
"Then we have no agreement." He said. "I will take back the Casket one day, with my heirs beside me." He reached out again and stroked Loki's leg. "And I will have many heirs." He said with a smirk.
Laufey waved a hand and the assembled Jotun leaped forward to attack Odin. Loki cried out in fear for his father, but Odin blasted them all back and mounted his horse with easy grace. A moment later he was gone from the castle, and a minute after that the Bifrost light shone and Loki was once again alone.
Author here.
You may have noticed Thrym getting an upgrade to royalty. In my own private Jotun realm, most (if not all) of the ruling class are younger siblings of the King. There is no point in marrying the most fertile type of Jotun if you are only planning to have one child.
