AN: I'm so sorry for taking so long to get this up! School has been keeping me pretty busy! I thank all of you who read this, by the way!
Third Person POV
Karissa no longer puts up a fight as Loki pushes her through the halls, her wrists still bound by shackles to restrain her. Guilt eats away at her heart for betraying the Avengers, the people she had come to know as her family. Silent tears form rivers on her cheeks as she stumbles along, her soul crushed from Loki's cold words and actions. Even though she knows it's not really him, she can't help but to hate him anyways.
Loki walks quietly behind her, and she vaguely notices that they have left the chill of the dungeons behind, walking up cobblestone steps that lead to an ominous looking wooden door. With a wave of Loki's hand, the door magically swings open, the hinges squeaking loudly.
As they walk through the throne room, Karissa notices that the overall theme of the palace is a calming blue, reminding her of Elsa's castle from Frozen. At the end of the room sits two large thrones, both seeming to be made of glass, or ice. Loki smirks at the female's wandering eyes.
"They're made of diamond, as are the palace walls. Rather charming, yes? If I must say for myself, the blue makes the environment rather relaxing." But Karissa does not respond, shifting her eyes to the floor. They too seem to be made of diamond, and what shocks her even more is the deep blue liquid gleaming beautifully below it. Her eyes widen in surprise, but she soon replaces it with a look of indifference.
They move into the halls, which are wide enough for the two of them to walk side-by-side. It's here that Loki finally removes Karissa's shackles. She looks up at him, unable to mask the shock in her golden-brown eyes as she rubs at her sore wrists. Loki looks down at her, the same twisted smirk on his lips.
"I don't need those on you to control you anymore." He turns, motioning to a large, beautiful icy blue door. Silver embroiders the outer edges and swoops into intricate designs in the middle, making Karissa want to trace it with her fingers. But she doesn't, instead she forces herself to grasp the handle and push, letting the door swing all the way open. Loki pushes her inside and stands in the doorway, expecting her to try to run.
But Karissa does no such thing. She simply stands there, refusing to speak as his eyes narrow down at her. "A servant will come shortly. In the meantime, clean yourself up. You're as filthy as one of Asgard's peasants." He sneers, before shutting the door in her face with a resounding bang.
Karissa closes her eyes, willing herself not to cry by biting her already injured lower lip and digging her nails into her palm. It's not until she tastes the copper on her tongue that she opens her eyes again, taking a deep breath. Without a sound, she slowly moves towards the bathroom, which is directly across from the queen-sized bed resting against the wall. If it weren't for certain circumstances, she would normally be amazed by the elegant oak bed frame and light blue silk fabric that seems to flow from it.
The bathroom is by far larger than the one that she has in her room at Avenger's Tower. An old fashioned, large silver bathtub takes up only half of the room, with the sink and mirror being opposite from it. Karissa closes the bathroom door behind her and locks it, imagining that she wasn't, in fact, kidnapped by Loki. The thought cheers her only slightly, but her spirits soon plummet as soon as she strips.
Her fingers fly to her mouth when she sees the messily, disturbing words scrawled into her flesh.
Little Bird.
Anger bubbles beneath her chest, and if she had control of her flames, she would be letting them loose right now. Her eyes glow an unnatural crimson as she fights back the rage and sorrow threatening to consume her. Turning around, Karissa turns the knob to the hot water on, watching it as it pours quickly and loudly into the tub.
How long will she be stuck here, she wonders. I'll never get Calder out of here. She shakes her head, a cold, dry chuckle leaving her lips as she steps into the rapidly filling tub. She didn't care if the heat was practically scalding. Most people would flinch away from the high temperature, but then again, Karissa isn't like most people.
It doesn't take long for Karissa to get washed up and wrap herself in a warm, white fluffy towel. She wonders who the last person was to occupy this room. Are they even still alive? She thinks, stepping out of the bathroom to find clothes neatly folded atop the deep blue covers of her bed. She slips on the black leggings first, taking a moment to get used to the tight fabric clinging to her legs. Next, she grabs the white fluffy shirt and pulls it over her head, feeling a little bit like a pirate. The last things she pulls on are brown, leather boots that reach to her knees.
Karissa flinches when she hears a knock at the door, but relaxes only slightly when she hears a muffled, female sounding voice, "Lady Karissa, his Highness has requested me to escort you to dinner. May I come in?"
Slowly, Karissa opens the door, surprised when she finds a woman with cornflower blue skin and deep blue eyes. Her silky black hair is pulled back into a neat bun, showing off pointed ears that remind Karissal of an elf.
"Who are you?" Karissa questions warily, not letting herself stare too long in fear of offending the strange-looking woman in front of her.
"I am but a humble maid of Vaz's Palace, you may call me Unda," the woman replies softly, a polite smile on her blue lips. Her hands are clasped in front of her navy blue colored skirt as she tilts her head. "Are you ready for dinner? It is best not to keep King Loki waiting."
King? Karissa thinks bitterly, is that what Loki calls himself here?
She knows who the throne truly belongs to, but will not voice her opinion aloud. Instead, she gives a curt nod and lets the maid lead her out of her temporary room and down the hall. Karissa does her best to keep up, but she's surprised by just how swiftly the maid moves. It's obvious that she isn't human. Just what kind of people inhabited this planet before Loki's arrival? Just how long has he made them suffer?
Her thoughts are cut off when she enters the dining hall and sees Loki already perched at the very end of a long, oak table. There are only two chairs, the one he's sitting in, and the one tucked into the table just beside him. Karissa silently sits herself in the empty one, once again refusing to meet his eyes. She can't bear the thought of looking at him.
Only when a plate of food is set in front of her by one of Loki's other servants does she become interested. The sight of what looks to be ham, mashed potatoes, and some sort of fruit on her plate causes her stomach to grumble hungrily. Despite herself, she picks up the silver fork beside her plate and takes a bite of the steamy mashed potatoes, which practically melts on her tongue.
"Is it to your liking?" Loki questions after she's swallowed the first bite, causing her to finally look up at him. Karissa gives him a small nod, not having the energy to actually speak to him.
The god finally explains his plan in full detail, and Karissa is forced to listen. "I will disguise myself as Odin and announce you as Loki's long lost 'daughter' and therefore the next in line for the throne. You will do and say exactly what I tell you to. If you fail to comply, I'll kill everyone you love. You will even kill, if I order it. Do I make myself clear?
By now, Karissa has stopped eating. Her stomach lurches at the horrible thought of being forced to kill someone. When she realizes that Loki is still waiting for her answer, she forces out a meek, "Yes."
Although why she would want him to act as his daughter, she has no clue. The very idea of having to do so repulses her. Karissa wonders if Loki would be bringing Calder with, or if the poor prince would be forced to stay in the dungeon. Should she ask?
"Loki . . . may I make a request?" She questions softly, her eyes flickering up to meet his purple ones. After a moment, he nods. "I was wondering . . . if we could bring Calder along. He's no use to you here. And . . . what if he somehow manages to escape?"
Karissa watches him, trying to hide the hope that was no doubt in her expression. She's surprised to find that Loki is actually contemplating her words for once. Maybe he was just humoring her. But, when Loki answers, she can't help but to feel just a little excited.
"Fine, the boy may come with us. I will have the guards retrieve him from the dungeon before our departure after we have finished our meal." Karissa nods, almost opening her mouth to thank him, but then reminds herself that there is no way that Loki is doing this only for her.
A couple hours later, Calder is freed from the dungeon. Loki was kind enough to allow him to bathe and change into fresh, clean clothing. Karissa is shocked to see him, though. Because the first thing she notices are his eyes, unnaturally pale with scar tissue all around his eyelids and pale eyebrows.
"You're-"
"Blind, yes, I had that figured out for myself." Calder smirks in Karissa's direction, swiping his white-blond hair from his face with his hand.
"I wasn't going to say that," Karissa says, half-tempted to roll her eyes. "But it's nice to actually see what you look like."
"I am pretty handsome, aren't I? But unfortunately for you, I'm not interested in women." He slides his hands into the pockets of his black leather pockets, not giving Karissa the chance to react when he asks, "so why did his majesty let me free?"
Before Karissa has the chance to answer, Loki's voice distracts the two, reminding them both of their situation.
"Enough talking. It is time for us to go." The god snaps, causing Karissa to flinch slightly. Calder looks in Loki's general direction, his lips twisted into an unpleasant expression. Before he can open his mouth, Karissa elbows his side to keep him quiet.
"I'll explain once we get to Asgard." She murmurs after the two begin following behind Loki to the throne room. How they are going
to get to Asgard, Karissa doesn't have a clue. Before she can muster up the courage to ask, Loki stops abruptly in front of her. Before Calder can do the same, she grabs his wrist and tugs him next to her.
"Thanks." He mutters once Karissa removes her hand from him.
"How are we getting to Asgard?" Karissa finally asks, forcing herself to look at Loki as he turns to face the two. That cocky smirk is back on his lips, and Karissa has to do her best not to smack it off of him.
"That's simple. I am using Lady Nanna's power to open a portal there," The God of Mischief's famous golden scepter materializes in the palm of his hand, shining brilliantly in the throne room as Loki points it directly in front of him. Karissa can't help but to widen her eyes when she sees Asgard directly across from her, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. How is that possible? She wonders.
Before she has anymore time to think it over, Loki is forcing her and Calder in front of him, practically pushing the two into the portal. Karissa stumbles slightly, while Calder doesn't even seem to be fazed by it. When Loki steps into Asgard, he carefully closes the portal behind him. Karissa turns away from the god and looks around in amazement, her breath nearly stolen from her.
Never in her life has she seen anything so amazing. When she looks up at the sky, a gasp leaves her at seeing just how many stars there are, the little white specks dotting the night sky as if it were a canvas. The blues and purples above her calm her slightly, as if telling her that she would be okay. But, upon seeing the shiny golden towers of the palace in front of her, her stomach seems to plummet down to her toes.
Loki lightly prods her back with his scepter, urging her forward. As if attempting to comfort her, Calder brushes his fingertips against Karissa's, and though it doesn't calm her completely, she's reminded that she isn't alone.
The large gates of the palace swing open for the three, the soldiers on either side staring straight ahead as if in some sort of strange trance. She doesn't have time to look them over, but she does notice that like Loki, their eyes are an eerie violet color as well.
Once they are safely inside the castle walls, Loki pushes in front of Calder and Karissa, gesturing for them to continue following him. Even though Calder can't see, he understands just as well as Karissa does. The two obey him, and once again Karissa has to keep her new acquaintance from bumping into Loki when he stops abruptly in front of them. The God of Mischief turns finally.
"Your room," He directs his voice to Calder, moving to grip the pale blond's elbow, "is right here." And although the young prince clearly wants to brush away Loki's touch, he doesn't. To their right is a plain looking, small oak door. Loki waves his free hand and it opens wide. Immediately, he pushes Calder inside the room and slams it shut. Karissa clenches her fists at hearing a soft 'click'.
Loki swiftly turns to her, wearing a soft grin as he grabs her elbow and leads her beside him. "Do not fear, my little bird. You will be free to roam the halls of the palace. As long as you do not attempt to escape, which would be quite foolish of you, and as long as you do as I say, you will live a happy life here."
Karissa bites down on her bottom lip to keep herself from mumbling profanities at him. Is this his way of trying to make me feel better? Because if so, it really isn't working.
When she doesn't reply to him, Loki only chuckles and directs her to another door, this one much bigger than Calder's, and much more elegant looking as well. Karissa forces herself to look up at Loki, finally bringing herself to speak to him.
"I assume this is my room?" She questions softly, not having enough energy to be loud. Loki nods at her, and like with Calder's, waves his hand to open the door. But instead of pushing her in, he lets Karissa enter the room at her own pace.
"Like any princess, you will have lessons on the acting like a lady. These lessons will take place in the morning, and I will have an escort take you to each one. I expect you to listen to your instructors. If not, you can say goodbye to your little friend." He tilts his head, as if pondering over his next words very carefully. "There will also be a banquet held in two days time, to which you will be introduced as Asgard's newest princess."
Karissa only nods her head at this, not wanting Loki to see her true emotions. She turns her back on him and enters her new, permanent room. Loki shuts the door behind her, although she doesn't hear any clicking to signify that he has locked it behind her. I really am trapped here, if he trusts himself enough let me walk around the castle.
The young woman plops herself onto the queen sized bed. She can no longer hold herself back, and finally lets her tears flow freely down her cheeks and cradles her head into her hands to muffle her sobs.
Karissa no longer has any hope that she would be rescued. Even if she did try to escape, there was always Loki's threat looming over her like a storm cloud.
