A/N: Okay, I couldn't do it. I couldn't make you guys wait a whole week for the next chapter. I thought I'd be able to, but I couldn't leave Nancy like that. Without further ado, please have chapter 44...
At dawn, two newly recruited guards sulked down to the dungeons. How boring. Watching inmates was the equivalent of watching fish in one of the Midgardian fish bowls. They never did anything.
But on this particular morning, the guards entered to find the dungeon ravaged, the halls covered in blood. One of the inmates closest to the door hooted with laughter.
"Ye should've seen it. Oh, I'd pay a pretty gold coin to see that again. And how she did scream."
"What happened here?!" the larger guard demanded, standing tall.
"Go over and have a look-see for yourself. King won't want her now."
The second guard rushed over to Nancy's cell, only to step back in horror. "I'll go wake the king!" In an instant, he was out the dungeon doors, sprinting for Loki's chamber.
"Sire!" the small guard pounded on Loki's door with all his strength. "Sire! Your mortal!"
/
It was the early hours of the morning when Loki finally decided how to proceed. What needed to be done to make things right. He would usually wait, but he couldn't bear the thought of her in that cell for one more minute than he needed to think. She would be so pleasantly surprised when he returned earlier rather than later. With a smile, he donned a cloak, quite ready to head out to the early morning garden for a brisk walk before telling his pet his final decision. She would quite enjoy it.
It was then that he heard the beating on his door. His smile fell. He couldn't make out what the guard said, but something flipped in the pit of his stomach. His exuberant mood sank. He flung the doors wide to stare at the man. "What in Odin's name...?"
"Your mortal, sire." the young guard panted, "You must come quickly. She was attacked."
Loki's eyes narrowed as the anger began to build. He had given specific instructions that she was not to be touched. No one was supposed to come near her. Had the orders not been passed on? Who would dare to disrespect them? He stormed past the guard at his door and quickened his steps as he raced for the dungeons, shouting only one order over his shoulder. "Come along!"
Loki began to survey the damage the instant he could see her cell. This was not how he had imagined this morning. She should have been fine. Instead, she lay on the floor, utterly exposed. Bruises had formed along most of her body, and her eyes remained closed. Someone had retrieved the muzzle in the cell and tightened it around her head, just one more fact that fueled his ire. As he neared, his gaze swept to the long streams of blood crusting on her inner legs. He set his jaw. Whoever had done this would indeed pay.
He didn't bother to turn off the barrier, opting instead to step through it as he swung his cloak from his shoulders. She wouldn't want all these people to see her naked form. She hadn't even wanted him to see it. "Send for the healers."
At the feeling of a soft cloth covering her body, Nancy barely opened her eyes. She could almost make out a familiar shadow. His voice was distant, muffled. She whimpered, a soft – barely audible – sound. She had to let him know she was still alive.
As he tucked the cloak around her, for warmth and for coverage, Loki assessed where the bruises were. The pain must be excruciating. She lay at an odd angle, perhaps in too much pain to realize it. Surely she had broken bones. And was that a handprint on her throat? He would slice the man in half. Quietly, he prodded her with his words. "Keep still, love."
She couldn't stop the tears. They fell of their own accord. Nancy whimpered again, this time a bit louder. When she did, her lungs shuddered within her, her ribs shattered. A gurgling noise rose out of her throat and she tasted blood in her mouth.
Loki reached for the muzzle only after he had covered her. Whoever had fastened it had pulled it too tight, causing it to bruise the skin around her mouth. Blue and purple lines marred her creamy skin, standing out garishly against her pale complexion. He pulled the muzzle off slowly so the pain would be less than what it could be. Then he reached with a single dagger to the bindings on her wrists.
Nancy cried out as her hands were freed, blood splattering out onto the blinding white floor. Her head dropped down, lacking all strength to move. "Let me sleep…." The words came out in a wheeze, barely making it to the surface at all. Her whole body burned and ached. All she wanted was to slip under and fade away.
Loki closed his eyes for a brief moment. Of course. She was in pain, and he hadn't done anything to lift the spell. "I meant to lift that." He propped her into his lap and leaned his forehead to her temple, on the verge of either crying or killing someone. "I release you to sleep. Please, pet, feel no pain."
Nancy immediately fell unconscious, submitting herself to her wounds.
Within minutes, the lead healer rushed in, her gold robe sweeping the ground behind her. Red blood painted the white floor as she dropped down beside Nancy. "Who would do such a thing?" she whispered to herself, beginning to check Nancy's wounds.
Loki moved aside for the healer, allowing her to do her job. But, there were still too many people here. Guards looked on and other prisoners snickered at the misfortune of this single female detainee. His pet would want privacy. "Can she be moved?" he addressed the healer without taking his eyes from the unconscious girl beside her.
"It will have to be very carefully." The old woman looked up at her king with sorrow in her eyes. "Her ribs are broken and one of her lungs has collapsed. One wrong move could be fatal, if her injuries aren't already. Would you like the guards to carry her?"
Finally, something he could control. Though this attack had been beyond his grasp, he could give orders with the best of them. Loki stood and straightened in all his regality. He pointed to two guards who had not been on duty for Nancy's cell. Two he was certain could be trusted. "Assist the healer." He moved his finger to point menacingly at the other two. He had plans for them. "Do not move."
Slowly, carefully, the two guards lifted Nancy into their arms. The healer immediately shielded the whole bunch in a golden bubble – a healing shield. It would protect from future injuries and hopefully keep Nancy alive long enough to reach the healing rooms. "Quickly, boys. And gently."
Loki watched until she was out of sight. She would be safe with them, and much as he wished he could tag along they would work better without his constant hovering. He turned back to the guards, hands folded behind his back and chin held high. They would answer, in reasonable time. He would know who violated his most precious prize. "Who were the guards on duty last night?"
"Galt and Per, sir." the larger guard answered, "But they've gone missing. Blood spilled, signs of a fight, but no guards."
So irate was Loki that his words came out all too calm. All too sure and demanding. "Find them. And when you do, bring them to me."
