Even without Loki's soothing parting words, Lìa knew she would not have slept well that night. She settled herself in the right hand corner of the cell, making sure she was directly facing the wall that was joining her to the bored and questionably sane prince on the other side. The floor was hard, the stone cold against her back and her seated, cross-legged position soon caused her legs to ache and her feet to tingle as they called out for the blood that was denied to them.

Lìa tried to focus on the discomfort, hoping it would stop her drifting off. She knew she had angered Loki; although his replies had all been smooth and collected, the just slightly too long length of some of his pauses betrayed that she had hit a nerve. Possibly several. It seemed inevitable that she would be subjected to some of his tricks tonight, but then again, maybe she wouldn't, the agonising torture of the anticipation probably proving just as effective. Either way, she was sure he would be watching her.

As hard as she tried, however, her eyes soon became heavy and weariness washed over her. In truth, she was exhausted. Her day had started like any other for a warrior in training and yet now she found herself imprisoned with some universe-destroying power festering beneath her skin, sapping her strength like a parasite. It seemed to thrive off all the stress and anger she had experienced that day for already it seemed stronger, the heat that surged in her blood noticeably more prominent, especially when she had been in the height of such emotions. It seemed obvious that would be the case; Lìa doubted something so monstrous would relish in sweet feelings such as love or compassion.

And so reluctantly she fell into a heavy sleep and soon found herself not in her cell, but in the warm, comforting embrace of a large bed. It was so soft, with plush pillows and smooth silk sheets that felt positively glorious against her bare skin. Part of her was tempted to open her eyes to see where she was, for this certainly wasn't like any bed she had ever known, but she was so relaxed that her curiosity soon gave way to the pure bliss that surrounded her.

That was, until something icy and wet started to lick at her skin, slowly seeping up her body as if she was somehow sinking. Her eyes flew open in shock and panic gripped her forcefully. The dimly lit room she found herself in must have been filling with water for some time, as the level had reached over the raised bed and now almost completely covered her legs. Lìa shot upwards, terror tightening in her chest. The water did not seem to be showing any signs of slowing or stopping as it continued its relentless consumption of the room.

She threw herself from the bed, gasping as the iciness of the water knocked the breath from her lungs. Forcing herself to regain her senses, she waded over to the single window in the otherwise bare room. It was grimy, letting in only grey light and impossible to see through. With a jolt of horror, Lìa realised there was no way to open it either. The water had reached the top of her waist now and it was bitterly cold, making it increasingly more difficult to think clearly.

She tried to gather her thoughts. There was no door; the window was her only way out. She needed to find something to break through it. But as she glanced desperately around the room, she realised with crippling despair that the only object in the room beside herself was the bed. What good were silk sheets and feather stuffed pillows for breaking through glass?

A sickening realisation suddenly shredded through her as she looked at the colour of the sheets properly for the first time.

Emerald green, with delicate gold seams.

Loki's colours.

Could this be his doing? Lìa could only ponder the prospect for a second as she soon felt the water's sinister, icy touch upon the skin of her neck and in her desperation she threw herself at the window, pounding the glass with her fists with all her might. A cry of frustration burst from her lips as it quickly became apparent that her efforts weren't even leaving so much as a mark on her only means of escape.

She stared at it in utter despondence and she began treading water as it lapped mockingly against her face. So that was it then. She couldn't escape and since the ceiling of the room was low, it wouldn't be long until it, and she, were entirely submerged. Kicking with all her might, she fought to stay afloat, managing to do so until her neck was crushed against the ceiling. She tried to suck in what would be her last breath, only for her lungs to fill with water. Coughing violently, she gasped involuntarily but that just forced more water down into her already burning chest. She kicked and struggled, delirious panic raging within her as she sank deeper and deeper into the depths...

Lìa woke with a jolt, deep, panicked breaths shuddering through her as she gasped for air. She sank back against the wall in giddy relief as she took in the sight of her cell, lit only by the gentle, golden light of the swirling, iridescent wall facing out into the corridor of the prison. The soft hum of power it emitted was like music to her ears and she focused solely on it for a few minutes, trying to slow the frantic pounding of her heart. She needed to calm down; she was trembling and feverish and she refused to feed the Aether more than the chaos of the dream already had.

That's all it had been. A dream.

It had been the most vivid dream she had possibly ever experienced but that didn't detract from the fact that it was still a dream. She was safe. Well, she wasn't drowning at least. And Loki's very subtle presence must have just been because he was the last person she had spoken to before drifting off. She knew he was powerful, but to be able to invade and influence someone's dreams? That seemed a little much.

Running her fingers through the curls of her hair, she swept them back off her face, closing her eyes in relief as her racing heart finally began to comply. However the peace that followed did not last very long at all.

Something dark caught her eye in the far corner of her cell and she narrowed her eyes as she tried to make out what it was. It was moving, almost sliding towards her. Lìa's breath hitched in her throat as the shadowed form moved into the soft light cast by the golden wall, illuminating it just enough so she could see what it was.

A snake was slithering slowly on the ground, its green, undulating scales almost black in the dim light, although it was impossible to miss the flashes of gold that framed each individual scale. Lìa stared at in a mixture of disbelief and abject horror.

How could a snake possibly be in here? She wasn't dreaming anymore, she was certain. Her skin crawled just staring at it; she had been utterly terrified of them ever since she was a child.

And then Loki's words echoed through her mind in the same mocking tone that he had used earlier in the night, almost as if he knew she would indeed replay them later and feel the gravity of them as she did now.

Never underestimate the danger of an illusion, my dear.

Sense tried to reason with her. Yes, there was a sickeningly sinister looking snake sliding its way towards her but it could only be nothing more than an illusion. And illusions couldn't hurt her, could they?

All sense immediately fled from her as the snake opened its mouth and hissed, golden light glinting off its large, death tipped fangs. They certainly didn't look like an illusion. She didn't dare blink as she stared at the serpent and icy unease dripped down her spine as its black eyes locked onto hers. Nothing could have prepared her for what happened next.

Out of the black chasm of its mouth came another snake, just as utterly horrifying as the first. A gasp of terror escaped from her lips and Lìa clamped her hand down hard on her mouth, desperate not to draw any attention to herself. The snakes seemed indifferent, however, as they both opened their mouths and two more snakes emerged. Lìa lost count of the amount of times this happened and soon the floor of her cell was a writhing mass of green scales. She had been paralysed in fear but it suddenly melted away as the eyes of every snake suddenly snapped to her, all malevolent and ravenous.

Shaking her head frantically, Lìa pressed herself back against the wall only for a scream to rip from her throat as her skin touched the slimy surface of yet more snakes. Twisting round in shock, she recoiled as she saw the walls were suddenly crawling with them. They even dripped from the ceiling, only adding to the already chaotic sea that very much seemed like it could drown her if it continued to grow.

"No, no, no..." she sobbed, shaking so violently now she could barely breathe.

She could feel them, sliding over her skin, tasting the terror in the sheen of sweat that now coated her skin with their flickering tongues.

One snake slid over her leg and then began an agonisingly slow ascent up her body. Lìa thought her pounding heart would give in as it glided over her heaving chest and raised its head so it was staring her straight in the eyes. Its fanged mouth twisted into the most unnatural, sinister smile before it launched itself viciously at her face. Lìa didn't get chance to hear the blood-curdling shriek that erupted from her as her mind finally granted her mercy and pulled her consciousness from her just enough so the world went black. She collapsed onto the ground, only aware of the cold stone against her face and the sobs that shuddered through her body which eventually slipped from her grasp too.


Loki was lay on his bed and placed both hands behind his head as he sighed in contentment. He had been cruel, possibly too cruel, but that had been what she wanted, was it not? He certainly had enjoyed himself and he was glad he remembered to hide any noise that sounded from within her cell from everyone but him. Her screams had been sensational but would have unquestionably caught the attention of the guards posted just outside the prison doors and they would only have come and ruined his fun.

Closing his eyes, he cast his hearing out once more into her cell and a smirk spread across his lips as he heard the quiet but definite sound of Lìa whimpering. It was like music to his ears and with the aid of his sadistic lullaby, he finally fell to sleep.