When he entered the room, she was already on her knees, her head lowered, hands resting on her thighs. She was wearing a simple red dress that deeply contrasted with the colour of her skin. He hair was lose and reaching her lower back, it had grown during the time she was gone.

The door closed shut behind him and he walked towards the centre of the room. She was blindfolded, as they always were the first time they were to meet their master. He could have removed the fold with magic, but he enjoyed the symbolic of doing it by hand. He stood behind her for a while, looking down. He knew she could sense he was there. In fact, all her senses were on alert since they had brought her in the room. She shivered when his soft hands stroke the back of her neck and he relished it. He moved his fingers up slowly, detaching the fold that were covering her eyes. He let it fall on the ground as he walked away, reaching the end of the room where food was awaiting.

"Come sit with me" he ordered.

She thought she knew that voice but she had to wait until her eyes fully adapted to the brightness of the room to acknowledge him. A lump grew in her throat as it finally sunk in, whom it was and where she was. And also that she probably shouldn't be there.

"Do I have to repeat myself?" he asked as he began to remove his leather armour.

"Loki" she grumbled. "I don't have time for your games... Where is my master?"

He ignored her for a while, stripped of his clothes, his back turned to her as he was opening his closet. It was the first time she saw him fully naked and she felt a pang in her chest for he was truly handsome. How much she had wished, not that long ago, to feel his strong arms around her, to pass her fingers through his raven hair, to taste his cool lips once more. How much she would give now to go back in time, to give up on everything she thought mattered back then: fuck her virginity, fuck her reputation, she should have asked him to take her that night, no matter the gossips nor that he didn't love her. Because at last, at least, she would have had something to hold onto. Because when she was hit by Harald's hand in that barn, when she thought she could not tolerate more pain, she discovered that she had no memory to live for, now that the only thing that still truly belonged to her was her past.

She swallowed hard and looked away, willing for this mockery to end. She would wait until he's fully clothed and go ask the guards to escort her back to Harald's room, she thought. He looked at her and smirked when he saw her gaze on the ground, mistaking her anguish with coyness. He put some pants and a clean shirt on.

He walked in the direction of the girl before stopping right in front of her. He reached for her chin and lifted her face with one hand, forcing her gaze to meet his.

"I am your master now. Come sit with me"

He was already walking back to the table, pouring them wine as he sat down heavily on the green velvet chair.

"Where is King Harald?" she asked, more aggressively than she wished she would have.

"He's gone. He left for Svartálheim a while ago"

She frowned. What was Loki doing here? People couldn't possibly have let her in his company without it being for a reason, but she simply could not fathom which one. She bit her lip, awkwardly walking towards the chair in front of his.

He sighed.

"Sit" he indicated with a shake of his head in the direction of the furniture while serving food on her plate. He studied her as she sat down and he noticed her making sure that the dress was still covering her thighs.

"Eat" he commanded as he drank a sip from his glass, laying back on the chair once she finally allowed a piece of fruit to pass her lips.

She peeped at him and lowered her gaze immediately when she saw that he was watching her. That damn training... he thought. He did not fully know what it consisted of, but he often wondered whether they hit them, as they always left the academy more scared than they entered it.

"It's all right, you can look at me" he reassured her, his voice smooth and cool.

She looked up again, glancing back.

"Why am I here?"

She wondered if this was not one of his tricks. Maybe he kidnapped her and no one knew where she was. Maybe he had some kind of argument with King Harald - or Odin - and he wanted to upset them.

"I told you. You belong to me now" he echoed, bringing his glass to his lips, his gaze not leaving her.

"But what about… what about King Harald?"

"Are you missing him already?" asked Loki, slightly offended.

"No" she grimaced. "I just… I shouldn't be here"

"Why not? Did you enjoy what he did to you? I can for sure get you stripped and attached to that pillar over there if that's what suits your fancy. I can whip you until you forget how to talk, slave. Would you like that?" blurted the prince with bitterness.

She shook her head, her eyes welling up, looking down again. She was exhausted, still aching from the beating Harald had inflicted her, without mentioning that she had to kneel for what felt like hours. Nobody seemed to think her own fate was worthy of an explanation. She stared at her plate, holding back the tears she knew she wasn't allowed to shed. That was one of the first things she'd learned in the academy: have dignity and cry in your room. Tears are for wives and daughters, not concubines.

The prince felt sorry for having snapped at her once he noticed she was on the verge of tears. He hadn't want to scare her but he was hurt that she seemed rather displeased by his presence. He had risked a lot to get her there so she would not be sent to anyone else. He hadn't faced his father yet but he knew he was in for a good scolding. A bit of appreciation from her side would have been nice…

He sighed again, trying to keep his cool. Giver her time, the rational part of his mind said.

"Come" he asked, standing up, giving her his hand in a request for her to follow him. He led her to a mirror, where she could see that she was wearing a collar. On its left, a small shimmering golden plate wore the inscription "Property of Loki Odinson". She frowned, glanced at the prince in the mirror.

"I claimed you" he finally said, his voice softened.

She stroke the collar from the tips of her fingers. This, for sure, was not a trick. The plates were solely handed by the Asgardian administration and you needed the official approval of multiple officers, including the headmistress of the academy, for achieving to get one.

"I will have you made a prettier one" he promised as he sat back at the table, nodding in direction to the necklace.

Solweig stood a bit longer in front of the mirror, feeling dizzy. I am owned by Loki. She repeated those words multiple times in her head. She wondered if he had done it out of pity. She chased that thought because she could not tolerate it, not after what she had been through in the past few weeks. She had switched her brain to "survival" mode after she had left the palace, only doing what she was asked to, behaving as she was told. She was owned by Loki. So be it. She would accept that fact for she did not know how to handle this new twist of her destiny. She turned around to face him. He was still watching her, a gentle smile on his lips. She walked back to the chair, ignoring the myriad of contradicting emotions that was growing in her chest. To mask her trouble, she grabbed her drink and ate a bit of bread that she chew slowly.

"Now, tell me" he questioned. "What do they teach you at this "academy"?"

The girl was not thinking he would ask her anything and quickly swallowed the content of her mouth. She cleared her throat.

"It is… extremely varied" she started.

He gave her an inquisitive look as he picked a grape from his plate and pushed it through his lips.

"Go on" he added with a gesture that pretty much meant the same.

"Well, we all have to choose a specialty. It can be anything you can think of in terms of entertainment. We also receive basic teaching of politics and lore. They basically want you to know whom you are being sent to... A queen, an elf or…"

"…a God" whispered Loki.

"Right" she smiled. "A God"

"Then we are taught some basic medical instructions, how not to get pregnant, how to heal a wound if your master is… brutal" she hesitated with the choice of words.

She was nervously playing with the end of her dress as she went on. "This is for the rather… non-sexual side for which we received a rather thorough training..."

She could have died of embarrassment. She wished he wouldn't ask what that this training entailed, for she was not sure she wanted to share the details of how they learned to give heads on wooden phalluses.

"Oh, we also received the specifics for our masters..." she added, suddenly recalling how she had almost fainted when getting to know the practices the elven king was into.

"So you didn't receive any of my specifics" he presumed, throwing another of the round and plump purple fruits in his mouth.

She shook her head. "Everyone assumed I would be claimed by King Harald" she whispered.

He was silent for a minute, studying her face as she was awkwardly playing with a strand of hair. He wished he wouldn't have to be the one teaching her all of this, but considering the circumstances, his options were limited.

"All right" he sighed. "I will try to be brief. First, I require you to look at me in the eyes whenever I am talking to you. I also want you to state your answers distinctly, shaking or nodding is not enough. I like girls who are obedient and do as I say. You are not allowed to lie, nor to disguise the truth. You are to update me regularly on your physical and mental health. I want to be able to discuss with you whatever is on your mind and I need you to immediately report to me anything that is likely to threaten your own safety or mine"

He took a deep breath before pouring them another glass.

"I have absolutely no tolerance nor patience for self-harm. I'm mentioning it because it'd happened in the past. If you like scars because you're a freak, I'm the one inflicting them. I know where to hit you so you can still walk on the next day but you might not. Also, modesty has no place in this room. You're allowed to be embarrassed, but don't play the coy baby girl card. If you need reassurance, you may inform me, but remember that I am not your boyfriend. I won't tell you not to be shy each time I fuck you in the ass because I don't have to. Same goes for jealousy: I own twelve slaves and they're all dear to me. Don't expect me to be faithful, that will only bring you pain. If you're good, you will be rewarded, if you act naughty you will be punished."

She breathed in slowly again, fearing to forget anything. She knew Loki was a demanding master, she knew so even before she joined the ranks of the enslaved. She simply never gave it much thought, but hearing him stating so bluntly his most intimate preferences made her feel like he was a complete stranger.

"Regarding sexual practices, you are not allowed to give yourself pleasure without my explicit approbation nor are you allowed to climax without me granting it. You are not allowed to have sex with anyone else unless I ask you to. I expect you to always be ready for me, whenever and wherever it pleases me, without questioning my decisions. I also expect you to trust me for if I like to play rough, I would never do anything that'd hurt you".

Her face got redder and redder by the minute. She recalled what he had just mentioned about being coy but she couldn't help it.

"Finally, if you misbehave, I do not have to keep you. In fact I do not owe you anything and if you disrespect me or any of my people, you will have to leave. Any question?"

She shook her head vigorously, hoping for this conversation to end as fast as possible.

"I know this is a lot for a first day, but I would like you to answer me properly whenever I'm addressing you".

Her cheeks burned with shame as she realised she already broke the first rule he gave her. She opened her mouth, uttering: "I… I'm sorry"

He stood up and stroked her cheek gently as if to say it was all right.

"I will grant you two things: the first is that you may choose a name. The rules forbid me to call you by your previous one. Choose one you like and inform me. Also, you may call me as you wish but not by my name"

"How shall I address you then?"

"Some like to call me sir, others my lord. One calls me daddy. You pick"

He looked at the window where dusk was falling. He moved towards the door and she was afraid he would dismiss her. To her surprise, he simply locked the room and from a gesture of the hand, he dimmed the light.

"You did not tell me if they informed you on the process of the claiming".

Solweig was about to shake her head but remembered right in time to open her mouth.

"I don't think they did, my lord" she had picked randomly, unsure though whether she liked it.

He walked back to her, towering over her because he was so tall, and she was still sitting.

"The claiming is only sealed once the master and the slave physically reunited into one single alliance"

She gazed into his eyes, captivated by the complexity of their green, by the smoothness of his voice.

"Do you know what that means?"

She nodded, whispering "Yes… sir"

She was willing to tell him she was still a virgin, that King Harald had wanted her that way. She wondered whether it would disappoint him, as rumours in the palace indicated that Loki liked his slaves well-versed in the art of sex.

"It's" she began, trying to muster all the courage she could find as she recalled he'd asked her to share whatever was bothering her. He won't be displeased, she tried to convince herself. He won't be.

"It's just that it's... new… to me"

"Mmh, what is?" he asked, his voice like honey as he was caressing her neck and shoulders as he talked. He wanted to kiss her so badly.

He squatted in front of her, his face at the same level as hers.

"What is new, my sweet little slave?"

She blushed for she liked him calling her names.

"I've never… been intimate with anyone… before" she managed to articulate.

"I know" he interrupted her, shushing her with one finger against her lips. "That's all right" he whispered, kissing her collarbone, her cheek, her forehead. "I'll be gentle"

She felt safe. She felt warm. She wished she could have lived in that fragile, fleeting moment forever. He got closer to her now, and before she knew it, he tried to kiss her.

She startled, suddenly taken back to reality.

"I can't do that" she panicked, alarmed, moving backwards. "It is… forbidden my lord"

Loki looked at her, trying to hide his slight irritation. Give her time he repeated himself.

"Slave. I get to decide what is forbidden or not"

"But…"

"Are you discussing my orders already? Nobody needs to know about this. Now stop arguing and let me do what I do best"