A/N: Well, you're all going to hate me by the end of this. I literally had it written in three hours. Good luck and let me know what you all think!
Disclaimer: I own only Charlie and Islinde. And this plot of course
Cold Prison
I wake up in a serious amount of pain. Okay, it's really just a pounding headache, but it feels almost debilitating in its intensity. I roll from my fetal position onto my back and immediately become aware of the fact that I am lying on a metal floor. And I also must have chains attached to me if their rattling against the metallic floor is anything to go by.
The sound only makes my headache pulse uncomfortably against my temples.
I manage to wrestle my headache to the back of my mind and blink open my eyes. I'm staring at a ceiling that is white, light pouring out of it in a light fixture I can't see. I blink and turn my head towards the wall, trying to get away from the bright light. I am, in fact, laying on a silver metal floor that happens to match the wall that I am staring at. The wall and floor has grooves in them diagonally, giving the two surfaces I can see a grid like pattern. I close my eyes again and push myself up into a sitting position, legs still stretched out in front of me. My palms lightly protest my weight against them, but I shrug it off. I need to figure out what happened more than I need to relieve the pain in my hands.
I cradle my head in one of my hands, trying to think through the pain. I have absolutely no idea where I might be in the palace, considering I have never seen this room before. What was I doing, anyway? Oh, right. I was walking with Islinde to the dining hall. We were going to meet Loki there for lunch. We were talking about dragons when…
Oh my god. Islinde.
My eyes fly open again and I take in the rest of the room looking for my missing daughter. The room is small, stretching across maybe ten feet and twelve feet deep. Two of the other walls are pure glass. The environment outside looks no different from what I am in. Actually, it looks similar to the dungeons on Asgard. Across the hallway, more rooms looking exactly like mine line the wall. There aren't any people or beings in those containers though. The hallways stretches parallel to the cells and looks no more than metal pathway in between the two rows of cells. I don't see any creatures whatsoever in this place.
I stand up and move forward towards the glass only to be pulled short. I look down and finally take notice of the chains I had heard earlier. I have shackles chained around my wrists and ankles connecting to the wall behind me. I can only move five feet away from the wall before it pulls me to a stop. I growl in aggravation. My daughter is missing and in a place I have never been before and I am chained to a wall. This is not okay.
I stare at the last wall to my right. I can tell it's made of glass as well, which should show into the next cell like the wall on my left does. But the glass is covered on the other side by some cloth, like a curtain of some kind. There is nothing special about the curtain, other than it's black and I can't see into that cell. I sigh and turn my gaze forward again. It doesn't matter. I need to figure out where the hell I am, how to get free, and find out where my daughter is. I can pretty much guarantee that I'm not on Asgard anymore, especially given the atmospheric change I felt before getting sucked here.
I'll work on the how I got here after I get myself free.
I stare down at the shackles binding me to the wall and growl in frustration. They are emitting a familiar golden glow, indicating that they are magic dampeners. They completely suppress my magic and if I were to even so much as try to use it, I would receive a painful electric shock. In fact, these are Asgardian in design. I glance back up and to the outside. Whoever dragged me here must be Asgardian if they were able to get their hands on these. That is not a good sign for me.
Shaking my head, I look back down. I pick up the chains from the shackles on my hands and trace my hands over them, looking for a weak spot. I trace my fingers over them all the way to the hooks they are connected to on the wall. Nothing. I do the same to the ones on my ankles and come up with the same result. Shit. I stare at the hooks in the wall, trying to figure out how it's connected to the wall. I reach down to pull out a knife from my boot only to be met with nothing but skin. Damnit they took my weapons too. Okay, so I'm not dealing with an amateur. They made sure to take all of my weapons, lock away my magic, and chain me to a room with no obvious way out.
If it weren't for the fact that it's me, I would say I was defenseless.
"There's no point in trying to find your way out. You're stuck here."
My head shoots up to stare at the opposite wall. A woman is standing there, flanked by two Skarvi people, one woman and one man. The woman in the middle is pretty and obviously the Asgardian. She has slightly wavy red hair, flowing over one shoulder and down her back. She has a pretty face with a button nose, full lips, piercing blue eyes. She is as tall as I am, clothed in a sleeveless teal dress with golden shoulder armor. The only other adornment on her is the golden bracelet encircling her wrist and a golden necklace resting along her collarbone. Otherwise, she wears nothing else in way of armor or weapon.
The Skarvi woman stands next to her on her right, her long blue hair tied into an intricate braid rolled into a bun at the base of her neck. Her head is bowed, so I can only assume her black eyes are downcast on the ground. She is clothed in a matching teal shirt that is obviously too big for her, gaping quite a bit in the arms and shoulders. She is also wearing the tan slacks I saw her people wear on Alfheim. However, she doesn't have the same black markings marring her blush-toned skin as her male brethren. The male stands on the woman's left, his blue hair a shade darker than the female's and kept short. His black eyes stare straight at me, but he has a habit of looking at the woman as well. He wears the same outfit as his female counterpart only his shirt fits much better. I am betting the one on the woman is meant for a man. He does have the black markings along his body and they are intricate and lovely.
Too bad I'm too paranoid to bother taking a closer look at them.
My eyes zero in on the woman with red hair and narrow. "Where is my daughter?" I ask, cutting straight to the chase.
She grins. "Motherly love. How quaint."
A growl is vibrating in my throat. "Where is my daughter?" I ask again, voice lowering dangerously. If she doesn't think I won't rip these chains out of the wall…
She rolls her eyes. "Oh calm down. Your precious little girl is perfectly safe." She waves a hand and the curtain that was over the glass wall lifts. On the other side sleeps Islinde in a comfortable sized bed, tucked in beneath a black blanket. She doesn't appear to be hurt, but that doesn't mean anything. She is still on the other side of the glass and away from me.
I look back at the woman. "Who are you?"
She grins. "I see my reputation does not proceed me." She laughs slightly. "I have many names. But currently, I go by 'The Goddess.' Nice to meet you, Lady Charlotte."
I snort. "I expected more out a woman that claims to be a goddess." I look around the metal and glass cell. "This is hardly impressive."
Her blue eyes narrow into a glare. "My powers do not lay within the same realm as yours do. Or even your husband's." Her hand reaches out to pet the Skarvi man's hair in a loving gesture. "My powers are a little bit more… persuasive than that."
I watch as the man's eyes flutter shut in what can only be described as bliss. My eyebrows furrow in confusion. What the hell does that mean? The Skarvi woman beside her tenses and if it weren't for the fact that I'm keeping an eye on all of them, I wouldn't have noticed her slight flinch. Something is definitely up with this woman calling herself a goddess. She seems to have the male completely under her spell, but the woman seems to be unaffected. So… what is going on?
I mentally shake these thoughts away. They're not important right now. "What do you want with my daughter? Why did you attack us?"
She sighs and drops her hand back to her side. "It is not I who wants your daughter. Honestly, if I had my way she would be dead."
My blood runs cold at that. My head turns to stare at my daughter for any sign that she's not, in fact, alive. I see her chest rising and falling beneath the blanket covering her and my worry settles somewhat, but it can't go away now. I hear a chuckle from the woman and my eyes dart back to her. "Do not worry your pretty little mortal head. She will not die. She is perfectly safe."
"You did not answer my question. What do you want with her?"
She shrugs. "And like I said, it's not I who wants her. My employer does and I do not know what he wishes to do with her. Other than take down Asgard."
My eyes narrow. "How would my daughter take down Asgard?"
She shrugs again, but not in a way that she cares. "You should not be so concerned about her," she says, sounding so reasonable. "You should be more wary about what is going to happen to you." She grins and it is a very sadistic grin. "You were not meant to come with her, after all."
"What do you mean?" I ask, tugging slightly on the chains behind me, trying to make at least one of the chains break. It doesn't work.
"We never cared about you," she says, pure disdain in her voice. "Well, I should say my employer never cared about you. I care about you. He didn't want us to attack you in the field that day. Our orders were to get the girl and that it's it. However…" she trails off, her eyes darting to stare at the wall behind my shoulder. "I want you."
I scrunch my face in mild disgust at her. "Thanks for the offer, sweet cheeks. It's very flattering. But I don't swing that way."
Her blue eyes reconnect with mine and fury shines in them. "Do not think for one second I want you for such a baseless reason," she hisses. "I want you for a far more superior purpose."
"And that would be?" I ask, impatience entering my tone. I'm starting to get tired of this game of twenty questions.
She grins again. "Loki."
"What does Loki have to do with this?"
"Let's just say that Loki and I have a history that goes way back," she answers, a gleam entering her eyes that can only be described as pain. "He is the real reason for why I agreed to help with this stupid plan. And why I wanted you."
I roll my eyes. "Are you ever going to get on with why you want me or am I just going to have to listen to you repeat the same statement over and over?"
She doesn't answer. Instead, she turns to her companion, fully facing him. Her hand trails back into his hair and she leans in close. "Can you go back up the bridge? Make sure to tell him that we have the girl. And send someone down to watch her. Will you do that for me, love?"
Her voice… It took on a different quality when she spoke to him. Well, besides the undercurrent of pure lust in her tone that belies her seductress ways. It was like there was a minor echo to her voice, but there was no echo. I have no real way of describing it. My eyes dart to the woman still standing with her head bowed. If it is even possible, her head bows even lower, her chin almost touching her chest. This goddess lady just did something. Something of a magical nature and her female companion doesn't like it.
The man simply nods, his eyes at half-mast, before turning about and walking further down the hallway where I can't see him. She turns back to me and smirks. "Here's the deal," she finally says, resting her hands on her hips. "You are only here because you happened to be touching your daughter when we summoned her here. After our initial attempt at getting her failed, we needed to do something a little more foolproof." She reaches behind her back and pulls out a familiar hair clip. My eyes widen when I see it. "I found this in the field we attacked you both in. It's really pretty. I am assuming you got in the markets?"
I don't answer her question, too busy glaring at her. I get it now. She somehow found a way to magic that hair pin like one would a homing device. Once it was on Islinde, she could pull my daughter anywhere she wanted to if she had the power to do so. And I guess she does, considering that we are both here. Given that Loki can transport to different places, it shouldn't be so surprising that other people can as well.
She smirks, seeing the realization in my eyes. "Good. You are smart." She hands the pin to her silent companion and she takes it, tucking it into her own hair. "Now here's the fun part. I wanted you too, right? But I had to find a way to incapacitate you once my friends found out that you were actually a fighter. But how was I going to do that? After all, you're not just a mortal." She grins again. "That's when my associate gave me a wonderful little poison designed to incapacitate magical enemies far stronger than you."
She pauses, her full attention landing on the Skarvi beside her. "The Skarvi and Siditi were so accommodating. They simply applied this poison to their arrow heads and there you have it."
I stare down at the still bound scratch on my arm. "What did you do to me?" I ask, my voice dangerously low again. I can't let her know that I am officially freaked out.
"I made sure you can't use your fire for the time being." She shrugs. "The poison attacks your very nervous system, confusing your enzymes and leaving you defenseless against heat like the mortal that you are. It simply nullifies the goblin blood in you for a short time. So, if you summon your fire, your body will react like your mortal half normally would."
My jaw clenches uncomfortably tight. A poison that can do all of that? I didn't know such a thing existed. Her smile only grows. I guess my nervousness is peeking through anyway. I tug on the chains again, hoping for a small hint of give. Still nothing. Okay, keep her talking. I still need to figure out a way out of here. "Why go to all that trouble for me if you just wanted Islinde?"
"Again, because of Loki." She sighs, shaking her head. "He caused me so much pain," she mumbles, staring down at the ground. Her eyes dart to look at my daughter. "Taking his daughter away from him would certainly cause him pain. But taking you both away?" She hums in pleasure. "Oh, the thought of his mind spiraling to the depths of Helheim over his worry."
"So, what?" I ask, still having trouble following her. "You said your employer didn't want me, just my daughter. Are you planning on killing me?"
"Oh, no, Lady Charlotte," she says, looking back up to me. She turns her head and nods at the woman beside me. "You'll live. So will Islinde. In fact, she will be treated like the princess she is." She grins. "Her purpose here is for my employer to know and for me to just follow his orders. Your purpose, however, is to completely cripple Loki entirely."
The Skarvi woman walks to the side of the cell and places her hand against the wall there. I glare at the woman calling the shots. "I would never do anything to harm my husband."
She laughs. "Of that I am sure," she answers. It's as she is talking that I feel it: the cell that I am in cools at an alarming rate and it only takes a few moments before I can see my breath condensing in front of me. My glare intensifies on the woman in front of me. "You will never do anything to harm your husband. But, what will it do to him knowing he can never have you? To know that you are forever lost to him?"
Okay, it sounds like she just wants to kill me again. I breathe heavily in the cold environment that the room turned into. I can feel my magic pulsing against my belly uncomfortably. Cold and I don't get along in long exposures. It can make me incredibly weak if I am in an environment below zero degrees Fahrenheit for longer than a day. And that's if I don't summon my fire. With my flames, it expands to about three days. But even my magic can get tired and that's why I will eventually collapse. I know the shackles attached to me dampens my magic, but that doesn't mean I can't try to summon my fire to just under the surface of my skin.
I close my eyes and focus on it. I coax my flames out of my magic and do just that, bringing them up to the surface without them actually breaking out. I don't get a shock from the shackles, but I do hiss in pain and cut the power off. I didn't even unleash the fire, but it looks like I can't even do that much without causing myself massive pain. I glare down at my body for a moment before the full realization hits me. Without my fire, how am I going to survive this?
I stare up at the smirking woman with wide-eyes. "I thought you said you didn't want to kill me," I point out quietly.
"I don't," she answers. "But weaken you? That is necessary for what I want to do to you. And that poison will remain in your veins for a fortnight. So we have plenty of time to do what I want to do to you."
I shiver violently as the chill grows colder. I tug fully against the chains, using all of my force and strength. The chains hold and I growl in anger. She laughs. "If those chains could hold onto me for six hundred years, you are not about to break them."
"I won't let you do this," I growl at her, still pulling against the chains. "You will not hand over my daughter like she is some commodity and you will not use me to get to my husband."
She smirks. "You don't really have a choice." She laughs and looks over at my daughter again. "She really is a pretty little girl," she coos. "I can't wait to train her to be a sorceress." Her eyes dart to meet mine again. "Just like me."
She gives me one final smile before walking away, her hips swaying. The Skarvi woman remains behind, her hand still on the outside wall of the cell. I shiver and fall to my knees, bringing my arms to wrap around my middle to try and conserve warmth. The blanket that was covering my daughter's cell falls once again, cutting me off from seeing her. I stare at the Skarvi woman, barely suppressing my anger. "Why are you doing this?" I ask her.
Her black eyes dart down the hallway where the woman disappeared before finally meeting mine. "We have no choice," she mutters quietly, just loud enough for me to hear.
"What do you mean?" I ask through clattering teeth. The cold is really starting to get to me and I can't do a thing to help myself except huddle in a ball.
She swallows nervously. "She has our leaders under her spell. She has taken many of us hostage." Her eyes dart to the floor. "She has my children," she confesses quietly before finally looking up at me. "She promised that if I helped her with this, she would give them back to me."
"She lies," I mutter. People like that can promise until they are blue in the face that they will give you what you want, but they always end up being lies.
She clenches her jaw. I'm sure she has thought of that too. But what mother wouldn't do what they could to save their children? I release a breath of air shakily, bracing myself. I tug against the chains again, continuing to pull until they are taut. I hold onto the pressure for several long moments, trying to get them to rip free of the wall at least. I finally collapse to the floor when my strength gives out. I think the room has gotten colder. I rub my arms in an effort to warm up. I look back over to the Skarvi woman. "Do you know what she is planning to do with me?"
She stares at me, wide eyed. She does know. But will she tell me? After blinking once, she slowly nods. I sigh. "Will you tell me what it is?"
She swallows thickly. "I cannot," she mutters. "I am so sorry."
The pure remorse that laces her tone has me set completely on edge. "If you were truly sorry, you would tell me."
She shakes her head. "I cannot."
"Just a hint. Something. I promise I won't tell on you."
She continues to shake her head. "All I can tell you is that the process will hurt immensely but the result will have no lasting problems. As she said, it is meant to harm your husband, not you."
My shivering intensifies slightly. "Then I guess I will just have to fight to free myself and my daughter."
She grins sadly. "You will not be able to."
"Watch me."
OoO
Loki knew the exact moment when his wife was back on Asgard.
Over the years, Loki has spent a great deal of time researching and trying to understand why it is that he and Charlie can sense each other so well. Truthfully, his interest in the matter started way back when Charlie was taken by Tnumer during the Goblin attack on Asgard. While he was always made aware where she was due to his duty as her guard, he could not sense her like he can now. He was unaware she had been kidnapped until after the goblins retreated and she was nowhere to be found in the throne room. Then he was specifically given the challenge to find her by her own kidnapper. While the search was long and tedious, he was able to find the room she was held in. He knew the room had already been searched and it was Charlie's frantic message that interested him about that particular room and the many that he had already searched. Admittedly, Tnumer's challenge had him on edge. How was he supposed to find his charge without sight, sound, or even the aide of his magic? The barrier erected to block her prevented him from using all three of those senses from finding her. So, how?
When he entered the room, there was a strong sense of dread already twisting his stomach into a knot. The sun had officially set. His eyes roamed the darkened room only finding nothing out of the ordinary. It was the right dimensions based on Charlie's description but he had already explored many just like it that had also been searched by guards. There was nothing indicating she would be in that room either.
He turned away after a few paces, hoping Thor had better luck. Before he had fully cleared the doorway, however, something he couldn't identify at the time slammed into the very back of that psychic sense of his magic. He spun back around trying to find what it was that had attacked him but was met with the same scene as before. That feeling was fading fast and he knew it was coming from somewhere in the room. He moved back into it, taking longer strides and constantly scanning with his eyes. About halfway across the room, he encountered it: the barrier. And he was able to see everything it had been concealing. The other half of the room was completely submerged in water and his charge was almost directly in front of him, floating. Her eyes were shut already and she wasn't moving.
He was certain that she was dead. And that he had failed.
Luckily, Thor was close by and with Mjolnir was able to destroy the barrier so he could resuscitate her. However, since that day, he had noticed a sudden slight awareness of her. He always knew where she was in the palace when he wasn't with her and he couldn't quite figure out why that was. Then she died and he couldn't sense her anymore and he came to realize very swiftly just how much he had grown dependent on that sense of just knowing. The only thing worse than those two days has been the past two weeks. Even the three-and-a-half years he went without seeing her was better than his current torture. At least he knew she was on Earth with Heimdall keeping a vigilant eye on her then.
Sometime around that long stretch of absence he figured out what the connection was: his magic and her magic had completely attuned to each other. That something that slammed into him when he was searching for her was her magic lashing out and trying to get his attention when she was dying. She may not have known she had magic within her at the time, but subconsciously she sent out a pulse in desperation. And now his own magic is very much aware of the push and pull of her own.
He has a similar awareness with his mother. In fact, their connection used to be stronger than his current one with Charlie. However, he had never really noticed it when he was younger because it had always been there. It was a synchronization born from a constant and nurturing presence. It took Charlie's long absence from his life for him to realize just how close and connected they had become. He knew Charlie felt it to a lesser extent: when he returned from Maglubiyet and found her beaten and broken is one such example of this. She didn't tense or frighten when she realized she wasn't alone. She may not have consciously realized it was his presence, but her magic had recognized him and reassured her that he was no threat to her in her vulnerable state. After all, he had never actively sought to harm her, even if he once wished to.
Their awareness of each other has only grown in strength. He has a more acute understanding of it only because he is so attuned to how his magic reacts and Charlie is still learning just to harness and manipulate her own. But it is something she has noticed and accepted. He always knows when she is near or if she is upset based on the roil of her energy and she can sense the same in him. Their connection is a strong one built from years of closeness and trust. And he is even more dependent on feeling her, even if it is only something he is unconsciously aware of the majority of the time.
Hence why the past two weeks have driven him to the edge of madness.
Of course, all of this only addresses the absence of his wife. While her presence—or currently her lack thereof—has driven him to the edge, knowing that Islinde is also gone has pushed him over the brink. Knowing that both of his girls are gone and in enemy hands with absolutely no way for him to find either of them has made him consider taking actions he has not thought of doing in decades. The only reason he had not gone down to Alfheim and slaughtered every last Skarvi and Siditi is because of his mother's decree that the Bifrost be closed until further notice. And there has been a constant presence with him to prevent him from sneaking away to take one of his treasured pathways. Currently, it's the guards, his mother, and his brother in the throne room as he paces a tight circle in front of the dais leading to the throne.
"There is still no word from the archivists or Heimdall on where they might be?" he asks, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.
"Not since you asked ten minutes ago, Loki," Frigga answers, watching her son pace with worried eyes. "You must find a way to calm yourself—"
"Calm myself?" he repeats lowly, pausing in his constant pace. He turns on his heels to regard his mother with cool eyes. "It has been two weeks, Mother. Two whole weeks that those people have been in possession of my family. Tell me again why I should calm myself?"
"Do not take your anger out on Mother, Loki," Thor commands quietly, trying to keep his voice quiet and respectful. "Do not forget, Charlie and Islinde are our family as well. We are just as worried and scared as you are."
Loki's intense gaze travels from Thor's worried blue eyes to his mother's collected ones. His mother has always been amazing at hiding behind a mask, another skill he learned from her. It takes a practiced eye to see behind it and in that moment, he realizes his folly. Her worry and fear is etched in her shoulders and the tightness with which she holds her hands. As leader and matriarch of the family, she must show a calm and collected front even when she is falling apart. He closes his eyes, moving forward to hold her hands in his. "I am sorry, Mother," he mumbles just loudly enough for her to hear.
She squeezes his hands in understanding. "Just remember that everyone is doing all they can to find them. We are facing an enemy we know nothing about. Finding them is a difficult task. Have faith that Charlie will bring them both back home safe."
He nods, but can't bring himself to feel that way. He trusts Charlie to keep Islinde safe at any cost. However, it's the "at any cost" part that has him distinctly worried. Charlie would jump into the mouth of Hell itself if it would keep anyone she loves safe and that is doubled when it comes to their daughter. She's done it before and he has no doubt that she will do it again.
It was at that exact moment that he felt it. Felt her. His wife was back on Asgard.
And she was very close.
His eyes widen and he tears his grip from Frigga's hands, spinning around and bolting down the throne room. Thor shouts behind him, but he doesn't pay it any mind. It only takes him a few minutes to make it out of the throne room and into the perpetually golden halls. He turns left and heads to the very center of the palace, where he senses her. He can vaguely hear his brother's heavy footfalls chasing after him, but he only has one thought on his mind: Charlie and, hopefully, Islinde.
He reaches the central atrium and turns down a smaller hallway. This leads down the outer edge of the palace, only a raised stone railing and columns preventing the passerby from falling into the stone courtyard below. It is as he turns down this passage that he sees her.
She's laying on her side, curled into a tight ball. He rushes to her, sliding onto his knees once he reaches her. She is visibly shaking and he immediately notices the frost coating her hair and clothing. She is still wearing the same garments she was in the last time he saw her. He brushes a hand across her hair and winces at the low temperature of her skin. She's too cold and her magic must be too weak to respond if it isn't protecting her now. That means she was kept in a brutally cold environment for all this time. She was tortured.
Leaving a hand on her head and rubbing her arm to try and give her more warmth with the other, he looks around the deserted passage for any sign of his daughter, but finds nothing. Thor finally manages to catch up while Loki looks around. "Thor," he commands, pure authority in his tone. "Put together a group and search everywhere for Islinde. She could be here." He doesn't wait for a response. He manages to pick Charlie up, shivering ball that she is, and immediately heads for the healing wing. He hears his brother hurry off and knows that his order is going to be carried out.
As soon as she is warm again, he will help the search himself.
OoO
The search is proving to be fruitless and it's immensely frustrating.
Once he got Charlie to the healers, they promptly kicked him out only because he would only be in their way. As much as he wanted to kick a fuss, he also knew he would have been of more use looking for his daughter. There's still no way knowing how she got to Asgard in the first place. The only logical explanation is that she was dumped here using the same method that they were both taken from him in the first place. He can only hope they were both brought back too.
Only, after a three hour search with every man and woman under the Queen's command helping, they still have found no sign of Islinde. Even with Frigga and himself using all of their substantial magical knowledge to try and find her as well and still there is no sign of her. It's starting to look like Islinde is still in the enemy's hands.
Loki quietly walks the halls headed back to the healing wing, leaving the rest of the search to everyone else. He really needs to reassure himself that at least one of his girls is okay. Once Charlie is awake, she can tell them what happened and where Islinde is. They can then fetch her together.
He walks through the open doorways and makes his way to a back room where she was taken. Lifa is tucking a blanket around her relaxed form, checking over her pulse. Loki makes his way over, pulling a chair close to her bedside. "How is she?" he asks quietly.
Lifa turns to look at him. "Her temperature is returning to normal and her heart and body is strong," she responds. "She only needs rest."
He nods, sitting and placing a hand on her blanket-covered shoulder. "Thank you, Lifa," he says, his eyes not once leaving his wife's face. He hears Lifa quietly leave, closing the door behind her. His other hand rests on her head and he gently brushes his hand along her cheek. She's here and safe now. At least one worry is gone. Now he can bend all of it on his daughter.
Hours pass and Loki doesn't move an inch, his mind racing with the possibilities of what happened to them both and what might still be happening to Islinde. Lack of information is his crux right now and it's slowly spiraling him into a worried rage again. He knows that she needs her rest, but he can't help but wish she would wake so that he can at least start planning more accurately. While he has many plans rolling around his head, they are all based off assumptions and theories that he has come up with. He needs Charlie's input.
It's as he thinks this that Charlie groans softly, her face scrunching in discomfort. He brushes her hair off her forehead, watching her closely as she struggles to wake up. "Charlie," he calls softly. "You're safe now. You're with me. Wake up, love."
Her eyes flutter and she turns her head in his direction. He encourages her softly. After a few long minutes, she slowly blinks her eyes open to stare at him. She continues to blink her eyes, almost as if trying to clear them. "Welcome back, love," he says, grinning down at her.
Once she finally is able to focus, she stares at him. He watches her, his confusion growing when she doesn't give him a response. "What is it, love?" he finally asks, his concern mounting once again.
She blinks once at him. "Who are you?"
