Chapter 6.
"I have something for you." Loki said as she looked up from working on her sums. She was struggling with some of the addition, and she was worrying at her lower lip in her frustration. She understood the concept of them, she just had a hard time figuring out their solutions and she sighed at the page. Her leaf green dress shifted, and he admired her shilouette as her small shoes tapped out a rythm as she counted to herself.
"A gift Sir?" She asked and he laughed. Her eyes were so very curious, and they shone with a small delight.
"A reward As well for your efforts Floria, something positive." He said and she looked very confused.
"What is a reward Sir? I am not used to such things, but have heard that they are delightful." She blinked and shifted, her eyes went back to the page and he laughed.
"A reward, is something you earn through diligence and hard work. And by learning to read, you earned this." He said and he held his closed hand out. She flinched, seeing the fist and he turned his hand over quickly to open it to her. In his palm lay a small ring of a pink sapphire surrounded by marcasite, it was formed in the shape of a star and was set in silver. She picked up the ring, admiring it with tears in her eyes in gratitude toward the gift.
"It is very pretty Sir. Thank you." She said in a shaky voice. She held it close to her, and closed her hands over it. Protecting the small trinket, her face drawn as if someone would take it away from her.
"No need for tears Nightengale, you earned it fully." He said and she nodded silently. It pained him to see her eyes fill with tears everytime she felt joy or was given something, it reminded him how cruel someone was to her in the past. He sometimes even wished to know her former master's name, so that he could face the bastard and hated him with all he was. He cursed himself, angry at his ability to remind her accidentally of such things and she slipped the ring on her finger.
"I like this reward much better than previous ones I was given Sir." She said, keeping her eyes on her lap.
"I am glad Floria, did you finish that page?" He asked her, trying to seperate himself from her and keep her as a friend and nothing more.
"No, I will finish it." She said and went back to work, counting and making an effort to do well as she learned.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"I hear she is quite the student." Frigga said as they watched her Maids and Ladies learn a new court dance. They turned and laughed, their skirts flowing as they imitated the Dance Master. Floria was shyer than the other girls yet, and stayed to the back of them. She was graceful however, but still so quiet an reserved compared to the others. But the girls danced on, and the twins of one Noble Family giggling together. Pausing and whispering as Thor entered the room, with a bit of bravado. Floria did not know that he was chasing those girls skirts at that time, and stepped behind a pillar.
"She is, but still has far to go." Loki said and Frigga pressed her lips together at the girls, making them correct themselves. "She is quite clever, however and I do wish the best for her. I may actually miss her friendship, she is a good natured person."
"Loki, I will not deny you the company of your friend. But, she has become my Ward now, and is still so unused to this life she now finds herself in. She needs people about her that she can trust, and one of them is you. I am proud as your Mother to see how she has grown in a few very short months, and all you have taught her."
"Thank you." He said, closing his hands as the Dance Master showed Floria how to position her feet for a dance. "It seems Thor is chasing another two pretty dresses."
"I saw that, both of them are trouble on their own, and now I fear they may find themselves ruined. It does get him to leave Floria alone, and he is distracted from more troubling issues." She said, and smiled at Floria as she jumped on her toes to mimic the dance she was shown. The Tutor nodding and praising her as she did everything perfectly, and she smiled gently.
"The new Vanir Ambassador? I hear he is awful, crude, and unrefined." Loki said through gritted teeth. He had lost all respect for the realm after finding Floria, and started ranking Midgard above them for that reason. At least that realm had outlawed human bondage, and was more compassionate in that respect. He folded his hands together as the Dance Master arranged the girls to practice what they learned, lining them up and beginning.
"Beautiful! It must be graceful and beautiful!" He said and the girls moved to his instruction, skirts flaring out as they laughed and turned in a circle.
"I just hope the Ambassador is open to a trade alliance." She said and Thor joined them with a laugh. He watched the Ladies dance, his eyes finding Floria and lingering over her. Loki watched him and the Dance Master watched them all, he applauding as he walked between the girls.
"Graceful and beautiful. True Ladies for the Queen." He said as the practice ended, and dismissed them to rest before starting again. One girl ran to Frigga and whispered something into her ear, the Queen smiling and laughing. Frigga dismissed her, patting her cheek and the girl hurried off to gossip with her friend.
"Floria has a new ring?" Frigga asked, Loki hiding his embarassment at the observation.
"It was a reward, for learning how to read and becoming independent of me in her pursuit of the written word." He said, Thor drifting back among the Ladies and Floria hiding behind a pillar again from him.
"And here I thought you saw her as a little bit more." Frigga said and smiled at him.
"A friend." Loki confirmed and sighed as Thor stole a kiss from one twin and the other stole one from him. He laughed, hugging both girls to him, and he saw them giggle at his advances. A red haired girl coaxed Floria out of hiding, and the two danced about. Floria keeping shy eyes on Thor, and remaining wary of him.
"You both should go for a ride, take her out tomorrow. It may be the last day before the weather turns sour, and we are all trapped inside for days on end. The banquet for the new Ambassador is in three days as well, he is already being recalled to Vanenheim unfortunately, so we will celebrate the end of Summer." She said and Loki nodded, he stood and streched, all the girls giving him a curtsey as he went to leave.
"I assume you want me to escort Floria?" He said and she nodded.
"Only if you think she needs the guidance."
"She may, I will take her out in the morning. A ride will do me some good" He said and glanced at Thor. "If you will excuse me, the air is rather stale in here and I wish to walk."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
She ran through the field near the stables and played in the bright sun, her feet carrying her as she saw the other men working the fields. She laughed, giggling as much as a three year old Slave could laugh, her mother working nearby at the barn. Her hair was tied back under a cloth, and she wiped the sweat away from her brow as she stood to check her child. She waved to her daughter, beckoning the little girl to return and Floria obeyed.
A shadow fell over her then, and she did not understand why the owner of it was mad at her. She backed up, her eyes scared and the towering man pushed at her.
"Mama!" She cried out, scared and could not find her anywhere. There was only him, and the lash in his hand. She trembled, the hand raising over his head and she screamed at the first strike. Others followed, and the little girl screamed and cried for her mother to save her.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Loki rolled onto his side, hearing a keening sound behind the door that connected his suite to the Bathing Chamber. It continued again, and he rubbed his eyes as he sat up. He made sure he was decent enough, and pulled a tunic over his head before opening the door.
"Yes?" He said and found the door to Floria's chambers standing open. On the floor weeping in her shift she sat, her eyes puffy with her tears and he walked to her. Her shift of white silk pooled around her, and she trembled as she wiped her eyes on her hands.
"I am sorry Sir." She whimpered and he sat next to her. She sniffed and he took a small towel to mop at her face, he was worried that someone had come into her chambers while she slept and became angry.
"What happened? Why are you crying in here?" He asked her and she shied away. He reached out and he saw that something had her terrified, and he nearly growled with anger at the fear someone or something caused her to have.
"I... I had a terrible dream Sir. I... did not mean to disturb you." She whimpered and he took her hand gently. He smiled at her, and he laughed a bit.
"You did not in any way, make yourself a nuisance to me." He said and helped her stand. He saw that the shift left her shoulders exposed, and the lace collar was dotted with beads. His eyes lingered in her neck, and he glanced away to help her stand.
"I would invite you to sleep in with me, but gossip can be vicious. May I help you back to your bed?" He said, and helped her to stand. She had come to a healthy weight, and was very alluring in her shift and he fought the urge to desire so beautiful a woman.
"Gossip?" She asked him and he helped her back into her chambers. He arranged the bed, pulling back the blankets and motioned for her to lay down.
" Some of the Ladies of the Court, and a few of the men speak of things that may not be true. I don't want people saying hateful things about you." He said and she nodded as she lay down. He lay the blankets over her, and stirred the fire to put more wood in it to warm the room.
"Thank you Sir." She said and he smiled back at her. She lay against the pillows, and he walked back over to sit next to her. Her eyes filled with tears, and he frowned.
"Are you afraid to sleep?" He asked her and she nodded.
"I dreamed of my childhood, and the first time I was beaten." She said and he took her hand. His fingers brushed over the back of it, noticing that she was still wearing the ring he had given her.
"Sometimes, we dream of a horrible past so that we can look forward to a more pleasing and beautiful future." He said and she blinked at him. "Memory may haunt us, but in the end it is only ghosts."
"I hope that you are right Sir. I am so very scared that I will be found again, and that he will be very cruel." She said and he turned toward her. His fingers gave her hand a squeeze, trying to reassure her and he smiled.
"I promise you, I will do everything in my power to prevent that Floria. Rest now, we have our ride tomorrow." He said and she looked up at him and he began singing a soft song to her. The lullaby something he knew from his own past and she slowly drifted, falling eventually asleep.
He lay her hand on her stomach and stood to leave, looking at her as she slept sweetly. Her eyes closed, and her lashes laying on her cheeks. He wanted to lean ober her a kiss her soft cheek, and sighed to himself at the sad truth that he could not. He left the room, being careful not to disturb her and closed the door behind him. He wished that one day he would cross paths with her former Master silently, he had so many things he wanted to say to him.