Solweig arrived in the prince's apartment but he was not there yet. She kneeled next to the sofa, on the carpet this time, and congratulated herself for that wise decision as she could still feel her knees aching from the previous night.

The God of mischief arrived shortly after, carrying a pile of books and various papers, as well as a squared flat velvet box. He was followed by the palace's secretary, a short and chunky man who's hair was thinning on his head. They were discussing something that included the words "military intervention" and "uprising" and when Solweig heard the name of her brother, she raised her head. Loki glimpsed at her and quickly turned to the man.

"We will continue this conversation tomorrow" he ordered and pushed him out of the door.

He stopped in the middle of the room, sorting the documents he had in hands without paying her further attention. He was dressed in his ceremony outfit, the one he would wear when he had to stand in Odin's hall near his father. It was the one she liked the best, for it made him look important and dignified. He read one paper silently, still standing, squinting while his eyes moved left and right. Solweig balanced her weight ever so slightly from one side to the next as she started to feel some tingling in her toes. He reached for another document, read it thoroughly as well and discarded it under the pile of papers.

He threw the books on the living room table in a loud thud and opened the velvet box.

"I must confess, I thought they were joking when they gave me your collar earlier, Sólveig"

He watched her repressing a smile, struggling to conceal her cheekiness.

"I am not so sure what Kleve thought about that" he whispered before walking in her direction. "But I wish I would have been there to see it"

He stopped behind her.

"Hold your hair back" he commanded. She shivered when she felt his cool hands on her neck unbuckling the collar. He dropped the old choker on the couch before reaching for the new one. It seemed different, lighter, cold also. She felt him attaching it and he moved before her, reaching for her chin like he did the night before, forcing their eyes to meet. He smiled satisfied and said it was beautiful.

He took off the green cape that was attached to the shoulder pads of his uniform and began to remove his metal armour before disappearing inside the bathroom.

After a while, Solweig heard the splash of water and she wondered if he actually went to wash himself. She did not know whether she was expected to remain on her knees but her curiosity was too strong and she stood up to look at herself in the mirror. The new collar was made of a thin strip of gold and her new name was engraved on the side. A ring was attached on the front like on the former collar, making it impossible to mistake it for a non-slave necklace. Yet it was beautiful and much more pleasant to wear.

She cautiously walked towards the door behind which Loki had disappeared. He was lying in a tub three times the size of a normal one. Truly it resembled more of a pool.

"Come bathe with me" he asked when he saw her standing there.

She felt uncomfortable stripping before him still and kept her gaze on the ground as she took off her dress. He, on the other hand, smiled at her gorgeous body and he felt a tingling in his crotch for he knew he would take her again that night.

She probably guessed what he was thinking about because her face was red when she entered the water. He grabbed her hand to help her get inside and he brought her close to him. He reached for her hips and sat her between his thighs in a decisive movement.

"How do you like it?" he cooed in her ear, sliding a finger on the necklace.

"It's beautiful… my lord" she added quickly, almost forgetting she was meant to address him in a specific way.

A smile parted his lips as he noticed her forgetting, but he decided that he would let it slide for he wanted to chat with her.

"So…" he asked, wrapping his muscular arms around her waist, holding her close to his chest "how have you been adapting to the novelties in your life?"

"Frankly it is a relief to be here in Asgard"

He smiled appreciatively. She explained how truly surprised she was by the magnificence of the slaves' quarters, which almost made her forget she had lost everything.

"I will send you books" he promised.

She beamed, grateful.

The both of them always read a lot and they used to engage in fierce debates about what author they thought was the greatest, arguing through a great deal of metaphors and poetic sentences. She remembered how she used to visit the palace's library as a child, how Frigga would read them stories while Loki and her would snuggle up against the queen's chest, disputing her laps while Thor would run around, fighting imaginary monsters. How could she now be sitting in a tub, naked, between her childhood friend's legs? She chased the thought out of her mind because she did not want to overthink any of this. She went on explaining how her day had been, that she had met all her co-concubines.

"Erik, especially, has been very kind"

"He always is" he said softly and she felt him kissing her shoulder tenderly.

"He spoke very fondly of you, my lord"

"Did he?" he smiled against the skin that he was still cherishing with his lips, moving her hair to the side, kissing the back of her neck.

"I heard the Allfather doesn't know I am here"

Loki remained quiet and she wondered if she had angered him. She tried to turn around to glimpse at his face but he was holding her too strongly. He tried not to pay attention to what she had said, for he was not looking forward to Odin discovering he had gone against his orders. They stayed in the tub until the water got cold. He then pushed her gently, freeing her from his embrace and he stood up, reaching for a fluffy towel for the both of them. She wrapped herself in the soft fabric. Loki slipped into clean clothes and when she was about to reach for her dress, he grabbed it before she could.

He threw it in the laundry basket and she turned to him, dumbfounded, still holding the towel around her.

"Don't make such a face" he chuckled, his tone falsely compassionate.

"You won't need it when I make love to you. But first, let's eat. I am starving"

She looked around, trying not to pay attention to her folds already greasing at his words. She often wondered how he managed to be so overly confident and she always assumed it was his royal upbringing, in the luxury and security of Asgard, that had made him so cocky. Whatever the explanation could be, she fell for it every single time and she now felt like her sixteen years old self again.

She searched for another dress he might have prepared for her but there was none to be seen. "You might want to drop that towel" he stated. "It will be inconvenient while you serve your prince". The moment he finished his sentence, someone knocked on the door and pushed a floor trolley within the room. Solweig's cheeks reddened because even though she was still covered by the fabric, it was short and barely hid her butt.

She glanced a few times at Loki and at the serving table, finally understanding what she was expected to do. He grabbed his glass and drank a sip, patiently waiting for her to push the trolley towards the table. Of course she struggled while holding the towel in place, yet she succeeded. She grabbed for his plate and squeezed the corner of the fabric under her armpits, granting her more mobility. He laughed, obviously enjoying himself and she gave him a murderous look. She took forever to put food on his plate and hand it him over. She winced when she realised she had to repeat all of it again for herself. Jokingly, he handed her his wineglass, asking for more. She looked at him desperately, her arms pressing the fabric against her skin while she was holding her plate in one hand and the serving spoon in the other.

"Come on now… drop that towel"

She shook her head from left to right. He breathed in slowly and she realised he was getting impatient.

"Don't make me ask you again" he threatened her, his voice a dangerous whisper. She was angry with him driving her into a corner, especially since he did not even try to hide how much he relished it. He lied back in his chair while she unsqueezed her arms, the towel falling at her feet, revealing her naked body for the third time that day.

"Better, my lord?" she asked him with an insolent tone, her head tilting to the side in a provocative gesture.

"Very much so" he smiled back. "However, you shook your head again. I will have to punish you for that"

She opened her mouth, realising he was right. She mumbled in her head against her own silliness while she picked some food for herself.

She ate, for she was hungry too and afraid he would soon enough want to move to their next activity. The others had warned her that she should eat and sleep whenever she was granted to, because who knew when the next opportunity would present itself. Even though she assumed that Loki would not let her starve, she wasn't sure she wanted to test her hypothesis.

She did not like the silence in the room so she asked about his day. They talked for a while, or rather she listened to him talking about his schedule. She was thankful that he was being chatty so she was not the centre of his attention for a while.

Once they were done eating, he looked at her intensely, as if picking his words with care. He began with something about being a merciful master but then insisted on the importance of discipline. In the end, he told her he would punish her now. She glanced at him in shock since she had completely forgotten about that already. He read the distress in her eyes but decided to pursue nonetheless.

"What kind of punishment?" she whispered in a barely audible voice. She realised she forgot to show politeness again and added hastily: "… My lord! I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Please I won't forget again".

He smirked, for he couldn't help but find her begging very sweet.

"Can we please skip the punishment sir?" she asked in a childish voice as she tried to awaken compassion within him.

"No Sólveig, I'm afraid we cannot… Be a good girl and bend over the table"

She glanced at him, a mix of confusion and fear in her eyes. With a gesture of the hand, he made their plates and the rest of the food disappear. She stood up awkwardly and took a step in his direction before turning to the right, resting her palms on the table.

"Come on Sólveig, we both know you can do better than that"

He stood up and bent her further, pushing between her shoulder blades with the flat of his hand. His other fingers grabbed her hips, pulling her bare butt towards him. He walked around her slowly and she heard him pouring himself another glass of wine.

"I will spank you three times" he declared, putting his glass back on the table. "Because it is your first time, I will not hit you hard. However I will not tolerate any protestation. Did I make myself clear?"

"Yes my lord" she acquiesced.

The first slap brought her to the verge of tears. He had said he would not hit her hard, then why was her ass already stinging? She repressed a sob when she heard him lowering his hand again. The second slap landed on the other butt cheek, which she was silently grateful for, as the pain was being more diffused, more bearable. He paused for a second before striking her once more, the last smack, she thought, tears silently rolling down her face.

He breathed in, slowly. He heard her sniffling and he hoped for a moment that he had not gone too far. Inside him though, he knew that the reason for her tears was embarrassment rather than pain.

Loki gently lowered his hand on her butt, striking the reddened skin. She suddenly understood what he meant about knowing where and how to hit her, for the ache was gone as quickly as it came. She simply felt a slight bite on her skin, not more unpleasant than a light sunburn.

"How do you feel Sólveig?"

She was truly surprised to hear him enquire about her feelings.

She took a while to answer, trying to sort her emotions.

"I am… all right" she managed to articulate "But I feel like a scolded child my lord"

"A scolded child?"

"Yes, sir"

"Do you enjoy feeling this way?"

"I am not sure, my lord. It was very… humiliating"

He breathed in, caressing her back with the tips of his fingers.

"Shame is a powerful emotion. Do you know why?"

He continued without waiting for her to reply.

"It is powerful because you cannot hide, you cannot escape. You're ashamed because you're not in control…" he walked around the table, reaching for his glass of wine again.

"I've done some thinking, for a few days. I thought a lot about you, to tell you the truth"

She moved ever so slightly. He noticed he piqued her interest and he asked, genuine.

"Does it please you to hear that I've been thinking about you?"

"I am intrigued, sir" she replied politely.

He breathed in. "I remembered that night when you asked me to kiss you. You were… different than you usually were.For the first time I got to see an aspect of you that I was entirely ignorant of..."

She was flushed to hear him referring to that event. She remembered how she had had way too much to drink and asked him if he would kiss her, just to see what it felt like. She was standing awkwardly near the door and he had watched her for a while, stone-faced, while she wanted to go back in time and never ask again. He finally had stood up and pinned her against the cold marble wall as he pressed his lips on hers.

"Because you were always so... proper Sólveig. You never raised your voice, you never made a scene. So… restrained. I genuinely wondered what you were so determined to protect…"

She stared into space, still, focusing on his words. She was unsure whether she wanted to pursue this conversation but what choice did she have if not listen?

"Then it struck me, Sólveig. You always keep everyone at bay because you are afraid to be hurt. Why?" he asked.

She bit her lip.

"I don't know... my lord"

"What is it you need?"

Your love, your love is what I need she wanted to shout, but she could not bring herself to say it. She knew she should but she was too scared he would reject her, because if he did, she could not be his anymore. She would not bear to be owned by him, to sexually please him if it was for her love to be one-sided. She wanted to keep the illusion a bit longer, delude herself that maybe he loved her back.

He asked again, getting impatient.

"What is it you need, Solweig?"

"You cannot grant it to me Loki"

He frowned as she hid her face between her arms resting on the furniture before her. She was overwhelmed. She wanted to leave, she wanted to curl up on her bed and cry to her heart's content. She wanted to be clothed, she wanted to be warm and loved.

"Leave" he said, walking away from her.