When Kjell had finished what he came for, he made sure to caress the girl's pretty face once more before he stood. Her fear was almost intoxicating, and her obedience empowering. "No fight," he pointed out. "I like you." He blew her a kiss and leered for a moment, watching her tug on her dress to resituate it over her gorgeous little form. With a smirk, Kjell turned for the door to her cage.
Growling softly under her breath, Nancy bolted for the door of her cage. This man would pay for what he'd done, in every way she could possibly think of. It didn't take long for him to walk close enough. With a rage and fury not even she knew she possessed, Nancy spit right in Kjell's face. "You bastard."
Kjell jolted and sneered at the sudden projectile on his face. He brought his fingers to his cheek and slowly dragged them down the length. The girl spit on him. The insufferable woman not even Loki wanted in his bed spit on the son of an esteemed Asgardian guard. Kjell chuckled maniacally, unmoved by her show of hatred. "That is all you have for me? Pity." Kjell turned his attention to Maija and leered again just to anger Loki's pet. "I'll be back later."
"Come closer and I'll give you more." Nancy raved, tugging vainly at the bars of her cage, "You're afraid of me! You know I'll bash your skull in! That's why you won't come in here. Your father wasn't scared."
Kjell stopped in his tracks and spun to slam a hand against the bars of the cage. It rattled and rang out in the hollow space. "I would finish what he started..." he sneered in her direction, appalled by her persistence, "but I do not bed murderers."
"No. You just employ them." Nancy smirked wickedly, her hatred blazing in her eyes, "Tell me, do they bed you at night?"
A growling snarl slipped from his lips, and a fist tightened around the bars before he purposely unclenched it. Kjell took a step back. He couldn't afford to engage her right now. "Don't try my patience." He left before he could rage further.
"Coward!" Nancy called after him, "Afraid of the insults of a little girl? A mortal? Perhaps you're more woman yourself!"
A choked sound permeated the still air. Maija cowered near the bars still, tear tracks staining her face and red eyes peering out after the man who violated her. How would she explain this to her brother, her father? Who would want her now?
The sound of a stifled sob quickly calmed Nancy's rage. Her expression softened as she turned back toward her cell-mate. The poor girl looked absolutely distraught, with good reason.
Slowly, Nancy knelt down next to the bars separating them and slipped her hand into the adjoining cage, offering Maija the only form of comfort she could. "I'm sorry for not being able to stop him." The words came out in hardly more than a whisper. In truth, Nancy felt guilty. Guilty for getting Maija into this mess. Guilty for not being able to free her or stop the monster. Guilty for taking Loki from her. She was so sweet and innocent. Everything had been entirely Nancy's fault, whether directly or indirectly. It all led back to her.
Maija turned her head to listlessly study Nancy's hands. So soft and dainty, so clean. Unlike her. She was no longer clean, but rather sullied by this war she found herself in the middle of. "He was gentle, at least," she mused.
"Yes. Because you didn't fight him. You did well." Nancy lifted her chin to combat her pain and assumed the position of an agent once again. This woman needed her to be level-headed and a leader. So she would be. She pulled her hand back and gripped at the bars, still infuriated. "Otherwise, are you alright? He didn't hurt you anywhere else?"
There was no point if he had. Rightfully, she belonged to him now. Just as she had belonged to Loki before that. The sad thing was, she would have gone back to the king had he asked it of her, even for one evening. She let her head hit the bars with a soft thunk. "Maybe my arm where he held it, but..." she shrugged.
"Good. I'm glad he didn't hurt you any more than that." Nancy sighed, frustrated at the cage around her, and ran a hand back through her hair. "I hope he comes for me. I will fight him."
"I think he knows," Maija said softly as she drifted toward the blessed ignorance of unconsciousness. It was better to sleep and not think in times like these. "He would rather battle King Loki." King Loki, the man who used her and abandoned her. As much as she wanted to blame him for this mess, Maija found she couldn't. He had been far too kind.
Nancy frowned at the petite blonde. Of course she still thought of her former lover. Perhaps the man she loved herself. Nancy swallowed hard in an attempt to hold back her tears. Maija deserved better. She deserved to be with the king of Asgard. Who was Nancy McAllister to him? His loyal pet. Nothing more. "You should try to sleep." she whispered in the most comforting tone she could manage, "Conserve your strength."
She couldn't keep awake, anyhow. Not now. "Thank you," she muttered to her only friend as she fell into a tear-stained slumber.
Once Nancy heard Maija's calm, steady breathing, she finally allowed herself to cry. To feel the anguish and despair. The hurt and loneliness. She didn't deserve Loki. She was weak and mortal and… human. He deserved so much more. He deserved Maija.
So she would fight for her with every last ounce of her strength. Because the man she loved deserved better than she could give him. She would complete her mission and free them both, so Loki could finally be with the woman who rightfully deserved him. Even if it killed her, Nancy would free them.
/ /
Early in the morning, Kjell returned. He fully intended to keep watch until Loki came; the second woman was curious and cautious enough to find a way out if there was one. He no longer underestimated anyone's ingenuity. He trapped the curtain between the wall and his shoulder as he studied the women before him. One utterly exhausted and sleeping peacefully, the other just as exhausted but fully aware of her surroundings. Two kinds of pets.
Nancy glared up at Kjell through the fog of her tiredness. She remained awake all night, unable to sleep because of Loki's spell. "Just let her keep sleeping. Please." she whispered, her voice croaking, "Allow her that mercy."
Kjell scoffed and shook his head. As if he would think of waking the soft, gentle creature in that cage. He had broken her, but now he would put her back together piece by piece, until she was his alone, her heart turned from the false king to the man before her. "Look at her. A halo of golden hair. I wouldn't wake her. Not when I'll have her to my heart's content later."
"Why are you doing this?" Nancy spoke a bit louder. "I told you, I'm the one Loki wants. I'm the one he loves. She's nothing to him." Maybe he would believe the lie today.
"She was something to him." But not enough. He conceded that after days in the cage. She didn't draw the king like the pet did. Strange and sad, since Maija was twice the woman this mortal would ever be. Kjell scowled in Nancy's general direction. "And when I am king, she will be mine."
"Do you really think she'll love you?" Nancy growled, "After what you've done to her?"
"She doesn't have to love me." He didn't expect her love, but he did expect her faithfulness. Maija knew the ways of the Asgardians. The ways of the gods. She would do as he told her.
"Do you really think you'll be able to kill Loki? He nearly conquered earth. What's a band of rebels to him?"
"There are more of us than he knows." Kjell casually made his way closer to the pet's cage, allowing the curtain to fall closed behind himself. She held Loki on far too high a pedestal. "He's not the only one with tricks."
Nancy allowed her wicked smirk to return. "You don't have tricks like he does. Tell me, how do you like the idea of having your skin peeled from your flesh? He'll have it done if I ask him to."
"I could ask you the same. Come now, you just healed from my father's beating. Do you really want to suffer another?" If threats were how she wanted to play this, Kjell could play with the best of them. He did have the upper hand, after all.
"If you wanted to beat me, you would've already done it."
"Oh, I want to." Kjell's eyes lowered to the precious piece of jewelry around the woman's neck. The piece he made sure to keep on her. "I just fear that will amplify his connection to that collar of yours."
"If that was the case, don't you think he would've saved me the first time?" That was true. Her collar had done nothing to protect her. It was only a collar, no matter what these idiots thought.
"Mm. Good point. Say goodbye to excuses." He smirked.
"And yet you're still not in here."
"I'd be a fool to face anyone's rage alone." This woman had brought a king to his knees, he wouldn't underestimate whatever mystical power she held over men. Kjell shook his head to accentuate his next words. Words he meant with all his heart. "And I am no fool."
"You're afraid of a mortal?" Nancy finally stood and approached the door to the cage, her hands folded neatly behind her back. Her smirk never wavered. "You are a coward."
Kjell wrapped a hand around the bars and growled at her, his anger rising to a fever pitch. "I am no coward."
"Oh, really?" Her eyes flashed blue fire. "Show me."
That was it! The last straw. He'd had enough of her taunts and mocking behavior. Kjell shoved his way into her cage and locked the door behind himself, not fool enough to give her a way to escape. One hand sufficed to shove her backwards toward the bars, one step at a time.
With every shove, Nancy took a step back to balance herself. She didn't drop her hands or her smile. She simply let him push her.
Kjell pushed her again, this time harder, but not hard enough to break anything. No, he wanted the king angry, not homicidal. Each step brought them closer to the bars, each step made her smile widen, and he hated it. She didn't deserve to smile.
His chest heaved as he panted out his anger instead of attacking her. His annoyance flashed in his eyes as he pinned her up against the bars, staring at her, eyes connected. "Why are you smiling?"
This poor idiot. Did he really have no idea what she was capable of? Of course she would be smart enough to carry a weapon after her last attack. And she was Loki's pet for goodness sake. Didn't he know she would've picked up a trick or two from being around the god of mischief twenty-four hours a day?
In an instant, Nancy produced a small throwing-knife from behind her back – small enough to be concealed in the sole of her boot – and slashed Kjell's arm, making sure to cut him as deeply as the blade would allow.
"Because I'm no ordinary mortal." Nancy retorted, moving into a fighting position, "I'm an agent." While Kjell took a moment to recover from the sting of his wound, Nancy pounced on the opportunity and kicked him directly in the knee, making sure to give enough force to have a good shot at bringing him down. The blow landed true and at least gave her the opportunity to move away from her enemy.
Her mere mortal strength did little to incapacitate him, but more than enough to infuriate him further. Kjell followed her around the cage, stance after stance, just waiting for her to make the next move.
Turn after turn, he followed. And turn after turn, she stood ready. Finally, hoping for the best, Nancy slashed at him. The blow didn't land, but managed to cause him to grab for her. A half-spin was more than sufficient to slip from his grasp… until Nancy found herself staring at the barred corner.
It wasn't hard to find a corner and maneuver her until she was stuck there, a blade her only defense. Mere mortals should know better than to get into fights with mighty Asgardians. Kjell raised an eyebrow in challenge, daring her to come at him again.
Cornered and biding for time, Nancy did the only thing she could. She fought back. Perhaps, if she was lucky, she'd hit him again. In one swift movement, Nancy slashed at Kjell's neck and attempted to kick his leg out from under him.
Kjell wrenched the knife from her hand and side-stepped her petty attempt to kick him. She needed to learn a lesson, and he would be the one to calm her this time, not with gentleness but with force if necessary. His hand flew on its own, backwards across her cheek, leaving a red imprint.
Nancy gasped as the blow landed. She wasn't expecting that. Her cheek stung and her head rang, her sight blurry before her. After a moment to gather her senses, Nancy realized what he'd done. He'd struck her. Snarling, she thrashed against him, kicking and clawing and biting whatever she could. If he wanted to spar with an animal, he just got the chance.
It took so very little to grasp her arms and slam her backwards against the bars. A roar escaped him, containing a single word. "STOP!"
The blow to the back of her head was enough to calm her. Again, her sight darkened and she felt unconsciousness lap at the edges of her mind. She did calm, but only because she couldn't fight anymore.
Kjell dropped her to the ground and took a step back. He shook the knife in her direction, more as a warning than a threat. He had no intentions of killing her just yet. A kick to her ribs sufficed to expel most of his anger. "Next time, use a weapon you know how to use."
A sharp pain and the sliding of bones against one another was enough to signal Nancy's ribs were instantly broken again. She wheezed and glared after Kjell's retreating form. He wasn't getting off so easily. With what little strength she had left, Nancy turned slightly and landed a solid kick to the back of Kjell's right knee. "Oh?" she spat out, "Like that?"
Kjell spun back and brought his foot down on her ankle, hard enough he could hear the satisfying crunch of bones breaking. Her scream was icing on the cake. "Yes. Better. Thank you." He sneered once more before he turned to leave her, alone and in as much pain as she inflicted on him when she had his father killed.
/ /
Maija didn't expect Kjell to return so soon after the previous evening's ordeal. Nor did she expect him to do so with a knife in one hand. He carried it so carelessly, like it was another appendage and should have been there all along. Her eyes never left it as he flipped it and caught it by the handle. None of this could bode well for either of the women in the cages.
Nancy had hardly moved from her position on the floor. Her injured foot lay at an odd angle and blood crusted near the edges of her mouth. "I demand you return my knife." she croaked out, her eyes never leaving the shining silver in his hand.
Kjell only laughed at Nancy's demands. Maija didn't like his laugh, anything about it at all. "Are you really in a position to demand anything?" His steps turned toward Maija's cage instead of Nancy's.
"Wait. Where are you going?" With a cry of pain, Nancy propped herself up onto her elbows and crawled a few inches closer to Maija's cage. "No. No, please. Not her!"
Kjell entered Maija's cage despite Nancy's protests, and Maija could feel her heart speed. Her fear egged him on, that much she knew, but she could not control the extent of her desperation. Involuntarily, Maija whimpered as her knees curled to her chest in a vain attempt to protect herself.
"I'm going to teach you how to use a weapon." Kjell cooed as he squatted beside Maija. The girl stared up at him with wide eyes. Eyes that quickly flitted to the knife in his hands.
"No! Please! I'm sorry!" Nancy crawled closer and cried out in agony, "I shouldn't have pulled it on you. Please! Take me instead! I'll do anything!"
Kjell clucked his tongue in a way that made Maija's stomach plummet. To anger Loki, he would anger Nancy. To anger Nancy, he would harm her. The flat edge of the blade ran down her cheek, cold and lethal except for the belying gentleness with which he trailed it. Down her arm. Across her leg, slitting her gown.
Nancy's eyes skirted back and forth between the blade and the woman. "I'm sorry, Maija." she sobbed, knowing there was nothing she could do to stop this, "I'm so sorry."
The curtain parted and a man stepped inside, flicking his gaze between Kjell's two female prisoners before he took a breath and addressed his leader. "Kjell!"
With a growl, Kjell stopped the path of the knife and tossed a look over his shoulder. His soldiers would not interrupt him without a purpose. "What?"
The soldier winced, no doubt expecting dire consequences with the tone of voice Kjell used. The man was ruthless, and those who worked for him knew this full well. The wince turned into another face, one that expressed fear and anticipation.
Kjell grinned and placed a soft, teasing kiss to Maija's perfect, golden locks before he stood. "Pardon me. Seems the fight has found us."
Nancy gasped and glanced to the curtain. Loki had finally arrived. He'd come to save them. "Loki!" She winced in pain and gripped at her ribs, but nothing would stop her now. "We're in here! Loki!"
"You will shut up!" Kjell pointed the tip of the knife at Maija as he locked her cage door once more. His eyes bled black and a furious fire penetrated their inky depths. "Or her punishment will be much worse." Without a moment to spare, Kjell fled toward the fight.
Nancy growled through her teeth as she inched closer to the door. "Loki!" A cough brought the taste of blood to her mouth. "Loki!"
Beyond the curtain, metal clashed with metal and echoed through the vast chambers. Shouts and screams mingled with cries of pain and anger. Wet splashes of blood littered the walls and shook the curtains as they fell. Minutes passed like hours before the black curtains parted and hope arrived.
Loki pushed through the curtains with confident finesse, stopping only when he saw Nancy in her cell. A sigh of relief escaped him as he rushed forward and toyed with the lock until it fell open in his hands. Weapons firmly tucked away, Loki dropped to one knee beside her and clenched his jaw as his gaze worked over her. "He hurt you."
It was over. Finally. It was over.
Nancy sat up as much as she could and wrapped her arms around her beloved. She winced from the broken bones, but the joy of seeing him was too sweet to pay the pain any mind. But, after a moment, her senses returned. Maija was still in the cage next to her. Broken and defeated, her only hope rested in the man she once loved. Nancy sighed softly. She had to complete her mission.
"I'm fine." Nancy breathed, pulling away from Loki, "Go check on Maija. He did worse to her."
Oh, no, she wasn't getting out of his grip so fast. He spent days finding her; the specific stone of the walls in here and something else magical blocked his ability to find the collar on her pretty neck. He wasn't about to let go of her now, so he pulled her to him and raised his voice. "Sif! Fandral!"
Both warriors ran through the curtains and took in the sight before them, Sif with a stoic calm and Fandral with an outraged expression.
Loki turned to Sif first, knowing he must leave things in her hands if he was to remain by Nancy's side. "I am finished waiting for their leader. Bring all the dissenters to the palace." Next, he turned to Fandral. After all he had done to her, Loki knew he needed to do something for Maija. He did not know all that had transpired, but the girl was terribly frightened and he hated to see her so. His only instruction came in two soft words, "The girl."
As if the command released a gate, Fandral sprang forward and slashed his sword through the lock holding Maija's cage closed. His face bore nothing but sorrow and concern for the woman before him.
"No, you save her." Nancy gently tried to push out of Loki's grasp, her body weakening as the adrenaline wore off. "She's waited for you. Let Fandral take me."
"Absolutely not." Loki didn't bother to argue. This was how it was going to be, and Nancy could live with it. He wasn't leaving her side again, even for Maija.
Fandral's gentle hands slid underneath the frightened Asgardian woman and lifted her into his arms as if she weighed nothing. Maija looked up at the stranger who seemed so familiar, like she had seen him before. Her arms went around his neck, holding her steady as he smiled down at her.
"Please, Loki. She waited for you." Nancy's eyes slipped closed as she felt herself begin to submit to her exhaustion. For a moment, she remembered the last time she swooned into a man's arms. This was so much better.
Loki scooped Nancy into his arms, happy to have her near him again. Happy to feel her soft weight against his chest and know she was safe under his watch. "As have you."
Fandral tucked Maija closer to his chest and turned to head out of her cage, desperate to put this terrible place behind all of them.
Loki watched him as he readjusted Nancy and headed back the way they'd come. Whoever was behind this would pay dearly for all he had done. He only needed to know one thing first. "What did he do to her?"
Nancy winced a bit from the pain in her ribs and ankle. Moving hurt so much, but the pain was dulled by her half-asleep state. "Violated her." she mumbled, "Was going to cut her with my knife. The one you gave me."
Loki nodded in recognition of what she told him. He hated that Asgardians thought this was the way to get to him, to violate those he cared about and to harm them beyond recognition. He swallowed before he asked the next pressing question, "And you?"
"Fought him. Didn't turn out so well." Nancy let her head slump against his shoulder, nestled softly against the side of his neck. The silk of the collar of his armor felt cool and calm against her forehead, lulling her into a state of peace. "I'm so tired." Her words were barely audible now.
"Sleep, pet." Loki watched to ensure his soldiers and warriors made it out, as well as Maija and Fandral. He had to repay her somehow, show her that she would be cared for no matter what happened. That she wouldn't belong to Kjell, ever. So many things needed attending to, and he had so little idea how to attend them.
It didn't take long for Nancy to fall unconscious completely, now safe and secure in Loki's arms.
A/N: You guys know us by now, and so you know this isn't the end of the story :D We have more planned, like consequences and a final conclusion to who is really behind this whole plot to overthrow Loki. Plus some relational issues, a plot twist, and a couple cute fluffy scenes. Stay tuned for awesomeness! As always, my co-author and I would love it if you would read and review!