"You should know that I don't like being bothered while I'm reading," Natalia noted as she followed Loki down a narrow hall.

"I will respect that wish," he answered. "Just know that before any reading is done, we need to run errands," he added, running a hand through his damp hair. Loki paused before a mahogany door before carefully opening it. "Ta-daa," he mused, glancing down at Natalia to see her face light up like a child on Christmas.

By a collection of books, Natalia assumed that he had about five bookcases at most. She was never in such a state of shock as she was the moment she stepped foot into the room. The ceiling was at least fifty feet high and nearly every inch of the room was lined with all kinds of books. The collection was so vast that there were two grand staircases on opposite ends of the room that each led to the second floor. Ladders were conveniently placed to aid in obtaining books that were out of reach. As promised, there was a fireplace and some couches in between two windows that stretched to meet the high ceiling. "Incredible!" she gasped, making her way across the polished floor. Natalia had no clue where to start-she was overwhelmed to say the least. "How did you get this many?" She ran to the nearest shelf and began running her fingers against a row of spines, scanning the titles in the process.

Loki trailed behind her, bursting with pride. "This has been a collection within my family for longer than I know."

"How many of these have you even read?" she wondered, grabbing a tome with a weathered spine.

"Barely a quarter!" he snorted.

Natalia carefully placed the book back in its place. "What would you recommend?" She offered him a small smile.

Loki waved his hand, summoning her towards a bookcase to the far left resting below a staircase. "I've always been fond of Shakespeare's works."

The girl nodded in agreement. "His writing's wonderful."

Loki felt relieved to know that they had something in common. His mind thought up a perfect plan to woo her that first involved a romantic dinner. "We can discuss literature later," he promised. "There is shopping that needs to be done," he reminded her. "Come, Natalia. I will find you a cloak."

"I'm not done here," she warned him, following him out of the room. When Ivan did come for her, she was going to make him wait until she had a better chance to look around at Loki's personal library.


Walking alongside the king past thickets of trees, Natalia curiously eyed him, fighting back urges to ask how he came to be the way he was. With his cloak pulled well over his face and leather gloves, Natalia could no longer see any traces of his unnaturally coloured skin. She guessed it to be a disease of some kind-the way he covered up showed that he was ashamed of it. Natalia chose to use good judgment and not pester him with questions. As they walked further through the woods, the chilly breeze helped clear Natalia's mind. There was no way she could stay in the stranger's home. In the end, Ivan meant more to her than some silly books… even if there were thousands… She needed to escape, and she had just the plan.

"Stay close," Loki urged her. He untied a silk pouch from his belt and handed it to his companion.

Natalia could hear the clinking of coins within the bag and felt their weight as it rested in her palm. "You aren't going to help buy things? We'll take less time," she noted.

"I haven't a clue what to buy," Loki muttered as they entered a bustling town.

"Useless," she swore under her breath. Her first purchase was some fresh meat, which she made Loki carry. If she was stuck doing his shopping, then the least he could do was carry her things. Natalia felt Loki standing closely behind her as she finished paying for a bag of vegetables. There were people all around them all going about their shopping within the market place. Natalia took a deep breath, confident that her plan would work. It was now or never-she knew that shopping could only keep Loki busy for so long. She abruptly pretended to lose her balance before falling against his chest.

"Are you alright?" he whispered

Natalia turned and dropped her bag. "Don't touch me, you beast!" she screamed, grabbing his hood and jerking it away from his face for all to see. A woman beside her began to shriek upon seeing Loki's face and Natalia used that as her cue to slip past her captor and make a mad dash through the streets. There were more screams, followed by angry curses. Natalia didn't dare look back to see what had become of Loki. The only thing on her mind was escaping. When she reached the woods, she hid behind a thick tree trunk to catch her breath. Her throat felt raw from inhaling the cold, dry air. After allowing herself a minute to catch her breath, she stared in the direction she had come from and was grateful to know that she hadn't been followed. For all she knew, Loki could've been burned at the stake by now. Natalia began taking it slowly, her boots crunching on leaves as she trailed through the paths of dirt. Several yards ahead of her, she spotted Loki's castle and she hoped to be back in her own home by sunset. Natalia absently began humming to herself as she carried on, only to pause when she heard a branch crack. She looked down and saw nothing but mud beneath her feet. "Loki…" she groaned. Her freedom was too good to be true. She turned around, the world eerily silent. "Loki?" she repeated a little louder. She held her breath, wondering if it had been the wind. Suddenly, a deep growl resounded and Natalia's body stiffened. She hoped it had been her stomach, but a pair of golden glowing eyes peering past a bush begged to differ. Natalia stood completely still, hoping that the wild animal would see her as harmless. A large paw stepped forward and Natalia felt her breath catch in her throat. Farther off, she could hear leaves rustling, but that noise was dismissed when she heard another growl off to the left. The red-head found herself being surrounded and suddenly, being a prisoner in Loki's home was seeming far more pleasant. She could feel her heartbeat pounding in her ears as two dogs drew closer. Natalia slowly began crouching to the ground to reach for a stick. There was no way in getting around the wild animals attacking her, so she threw it ahead of her, praying it would scare at least one off. The wolf to the left snarled and lunged forward. Natalia shrieked and grabbed a stone to throw at it. The dog backed away for a second before jumping at its prey a second time. It snagged the edge of Natalia's dress in between its jaws and tore a good portion of the gown off as easily as ripping paper. Natalia threw another rock at it and she soon found herself back against a tree with three wolves now closing in. She braced herself, tightly squeezing her eyes shut as she heard a loud bark. Natalia heard a dog leap towards her, but she refused to open her eyes. A weight shoved her further into the tree and a high-pitched yelp filled the air. She cracked an eye open and gasped when she saw that it was Loki who had his back pressing against her chest. "Loki!"

"Damned animals!" he hissed, flinging a chunk of meat far away. One wolf chose to go after it while another leapt at him, sinking its fangs beneath the layers of clothing. Loki screamed, his head falling back against the crook of Natalia's neck.

"Loki!" she cried out. Natalia grabbed what remained in the bag of meat and beat the wolf over the head with it before it could attack Loki again. It bared its fangs, but once Natalia chucked the food as far as she could, it scampered off, leaving its prey alone. "Loki!" A hand reached out to touch his injured left arm. Dark red splotches began forming around the set of bite marks. "We need to get past the gate!" she urged him. Thankfully, Loki's home was nearby, but Natalia feared they wouldn't get very far if the wolves returned. "Please, Loki!"

"N…Natalia," he whispered as if in a daze. His vision blurred around him as the girl attempted to move him.

"Can you run?" she asked, desperate.

"Leg," he breathed, draping an arm across her shoulders so he could stand upright without falling.

Natalia glanced down and found more bite marks around his right shin, along with more blood. "You need to try!" she urged him. "Come on, Loki, your home's just up ahead!" Natalia let the man lean against her for support. "This never would've happened if I hadn't abandoned you…" Her eyes began to sting and she realized that they were tears. "This…it's all my fault…" Loki saved her life. Natalia knew she should be dog food by now, but the man she called a beast just saved her life. "Loki…I'm so sorry…" Heart racing and tears running down her cheeks, Natalia continued dragging her savior closer and closer towards safety.

They were nearing the gate when Loki's body collapsed, bringing Natalia down with him. "Loki!" The man's breathing was shallow and Natalia feared that the blood loss was taking its toll on him. "Come on," she begged. "Loki, we're almost home!" She grabbed his good arm and resorted to dragging his unconscious form past the gate. Panting and sweating, Natalia managed to haul Loki's body into his home all on her own. The two of them were covered in grime and the pristine floors were now dirtied, as well. "Look, Loki," Natalia said with a forced smile. "You're home, safe and sound." Loki whimpered as he was dragged further into the castle. "Wait here! I'll be right back!" Natalia ran for the bathroom and fetched a bucket of water and a rag. The water had cooled down from his earlier bath, but Natalia didn't want to waste any time in tending to Loki's injuries. "You'll be okay," she repeatedly murmured as she tore off his shirt.