Ever since she'd had a bite of Idunn's apple, Maisy's nightmares about lindworms and Muspelheim had been less and less frequent until she'd thought they were gone completely. Nothing bothered her sleep except for pleasant dreams of her favorite parts and people of Asgard and occasionally of Midgard. Sometimes she'd have weird dreams that were a conglomeration of various movies, books, and real life events with a few flying pigs thrown in, but nothing out of the ordinary as far as dreams went.

She'd thought she would never have to see the faces of her nightmares again. Until the night before they left for Midgard for Christmas celebrations.

Most of the night she had no dreams and then one struck. It was more of a memory than a dream and it felt like it was really happening all over again but Maisy couldn't change anything.

The nightmare took place in Egil's chambers in Muspelheim. She was sitting boredly by the fireplace, watching the flames dance and thinking how little she liked the color orange. She was in a decent mood considering her location, but that was because Egil had recently agreed to go to Asgard for the "wedding" and record it for her. That would mean lots of alone time while he was gone and possibly an escape plan.

She was humming lightly to herself, the tune unclear, and then Egil came home from whatever tasks Surtur had for him that day. As always, when he came home he went straight for her and this time ran his fingers through her blackened hair. If they'd still been dating or even friendly with each other it might have felt wonderful, but with their relationship being so hateful it was all Maisy could not to jerk away from him or gag.

"How was your day, love?" He whispered in her ear, lips brushing against her skin.

"Fine," she grunted, wishing it wasn't him that was so close. Longing for another.

"You know," his hands slipped down to her shoulders, "All of this talk of weddings has me thinking."

"Hmm," Maisy wasn't really paying attention. Forcing herself to focus on the fire and ignore the guy who was lightly stroking her skin.

"You, my darling, would make for a stunning bride. All the realms would be jealous of the man who got to marry you," he spoke into her ear.

"Egil stop."

"You know I wanted to propose when we were on earth," he said woefully, "I wanted to wait for the perfect time, though, and before it could come you said those horrid things and forced me away."

"You mean the truth?" Maisy scoffed, trying to get up out of the chair, but he held her down, "I told you the truth."

"You told me a version of it," he corrected, "Regardless, now we are together again and nothing can come between us, I swear."

"That's not comforting."

"Why must you fight me so?" His voice was pained, almost choking on emotion, "Maisy, I love you and you reject me at every turn! You push away the only one in all the realms who truly understands you, who wants to protect you, who loves you without hesitation or clause!"

"Egil, stop it."

"Marry me, Maisy," he demanded, moving his face closer to hers and kissing her cheek, working his way across her jaw and aiming for her lips, "Marry me before I go crazy from wanting you."

Maisy felt rage boil inside of her and shook him off, shooting forward and grabbing the fire poker from beside the fireplace. She turned and pointed it at him like a sword. Sif had taught her the basics of fencing, and she hoped it wouldn't be any different with a fire poker than with a sword.

"Marry you?!" She growled, taking a step closer, "Marry you?!"

"Put that down," Egil eyed the poker warily.

"I wouldn't marry you if, if, if," she swung the poker at him and he backed up quickly, "If I'd been attacked by a lindworm and the only way to save myself was to marry you! I'd rather die than marry you!"

"Maisy," Egil said sternly, hurt filling his eyes, "You don't mean that."

"I hate you, Egil Belison! I hate you and I want you out of my life!"

"Stop it," he had tears now, "Stop lying to yourself and to me."

She attacked ferociously, but he was far better trained and he easily disarmed her in a matter of moments. He shoved her back and she fell into the chair she'd been sitting in previously. Before she could jump back up and fight again, he threw a ball of magic her way and she found that she was bound to the chair by orange glowing ropes.

"Let me go!" She shrieked, fighting the bonds with all of her strength, "You disgusting creep! Let me go!"

"Calm down before you get hurt!" He roared back, "I won't have you hurting yourself, Maisy!"

"I'd rather burn alive than marry you!" She seethed, still fighting.

"Why?! Why do you hate me so?!"

"Because you sent a freaking dragon thing to kidnap me! And when that didn't work you tried to destroy the friendship I had with Loki, and now you've kidnapped me and you tied me to a chair! That's why I hate you, Egil! Because you're acting like you hate me!"

"I could never hate you. I am only doing what's best for you!"

"No, you aren't. You're hurting me. You are making me sick with anger and rage and hatred and, and - gaah!" She screamed.

They went back and forth, voices rising, until there was a knock on the door. Egil stomped over and threw the door open to reveal a fire-skeleton guy.

"What?!"

"Lord Surtur has told me to tell you to quiet down. You are upsetting the lindworms and making them antsy."

The fire-skeleton guy left and Maisy went quiet with horror. She looked around and then at Egil.

"The lindworms?"

"They are housed in the cave above us," Egil dismissed, pointing upward. Maisy stared at the ceiling and did not hear whatever he said next. She didn't hear him pleading gently with her and she couldn't think of anything but lindworms until he mentioned the wedding.

"I'm not going," he said, voice steely, "I won't leave you alone when I have so much work to do with you. You need to learn how our relationship is going to work and I can't show you that while in Asgard."

"You aren't going?!" She yelped in surprise.

"Of course not," Egil spat, "Not if you are going to attack people like that."

"Egil, no, wait, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" She struggled against the chair more, "Please! I'm sorry for attacking you! I'm not in my right mind without the fresh air or any windows! I'm sorry!"

"It is too late Maisy," he turned from her.

The memory dream shifted to the next day.

She was kissing him. Willingly this time. He'd not needed to force her since she'd been the one to initiate it. It wasn't just a peck on the lips either, once she'd started he'd pressed her against the wall without asking any questions and they'd been at it for five minutes. Moaning and mumbling against each others lips. Even if she was giving it her all, it made Maisy's stomach churn every time he touched her. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep this up, so she finally pulled away breathlessly.

He watched her carefully, with curiosity in his eyes, but waited for her to catch her breath enough to speak.

"I am really sorry about the fire poker," she murmured, lips sore, "I've been cooped up for so long, I don't know what's gotten into me. I would never want to hurt anyone."

"I know you wouldn't," his eyes filled with relief and he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, thumbs stroking her cheeks, "I am sorry too. I know you aren't ready to think of marriage."

"Maybe someday," she replied hesitantly, "But not now. Not while the wound is so fresh, you know?"

"Absolutely."

"But…" She paused, "In order for that day to ever come I need to feel that the thing with Loki is really, really over, you know?"

"You want me to go to the wedding."

"Yes," she nodded and then made herself kiss his cheek, "Please. I need the closure."

"Maisy… I don't know."

"Some time alone will give me more of a chance to think about the future," she said, hoping that at least would convince him.

"Very well," he agreed, "I will go to the wedding and record it for you. As long as you behave yourself here for the next while, understood?"

"Understood," she smiled as coyly as she was able and pulled him in for another kiss. It tasted like betrayal and sour milk.

The dream skipped ahead a few hours to Maisy sitting at the dining room table with Egil.

"You aren't going to like what I am about to say," Egill looked across the table at her and she winced, "And I will forgive your reaction to it because I already know how badly you will take to the idea."

"It must be bad if you have already forgiven me for a tantrum I haven't thrown yet."

"Just know that I am sorry and that this is for the best, alright?"

"What is?"

He got up and walked over to her, taking her hand in his and causing her to recoil in fear of what he might do to her. His free hand went into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out to identical bronze arm bracers that looked a little like cuffs.

"What are those?" She pulled backward, but he kept her firmly in place, "Egil, what the hell are those?!"

He didn't say a word as he slipped one on her wrist and then took her other hand and put the second cuff on as well. When they were both on, he looked at her nervously.

"This might pinch a bit."

"What might?! What are you doing?!"

"Hold still."

His finger lit up like ET and found the seam along the bottom of the first bracer. It was like the light from his finger was sewing the metal together around her wrist. Maisy struggled once she realized what he was doing, but it was in vain. When he moved on to the second one she kicked him and scratched at his eyes with her fingernails. She landed a solid punch in his gut and a kick to his knee cap, but he just continued, apologizing all the while.

"No! No, stop it!" She sobbed, "Please, Egil! What are these?! What are you doing?!"

"So I will always be able to find you," he said when he'd finished. Maisy slumped in her chair, looking at the cuffs in horror, "I'm sorry, Maisy, I'm so sorry. It's for the best."

"No it's not!" She wanted to scream it, but she was still afraid of the lindworms above them, "Take them off!"

"I won't," he replied and she hit him in the face, "I'm sorry, but you knew you had to be punished for what you did yesterday. I'm so sorry, love."

"I'll kill you!" She cried, reaching up to put her hands around his throat. Right before she could latch onto him, he snapped his fingers and bronze chains sprung from the back of the chair and latched onto the little loops on the bottoms of her cuffs. The chain was not thick, but it was stronger than she was and it held her wrists to the armrests most effectively.

"What is this?!" She growled, "What have you done?!"

"It's what you've done, Maisy," Egil replied, sternness entering his tone, "You brought this on yourself. After yesterday's violent behavior I knew I had to have a way to restrain you. What if you hurt yourself while trying to hurt me? I can't have that."

"So your answer is to chain me to a chair?!"

"Most of the furniture in the house will respond to my command. If you go against me you will be held down until I deem you calm enough."

"So this is my leash, is it?!" She seethed, struggling and causing the chains to pull her wrists down harder, "I'm your little pet for you to do with what you want?!"

"You aren't a pet, but you are mine, Maisy. Maybe this will finally help you understand that," his face softened a little, "I thought you'd like the design of the cuffs. They make you look like Wonder Woman. Remember when we watched her show?"

"I wish I was Wonder Woman," Maisy snarled, "Then it would be so much easier for me to kick your ass!"

Egil sighed and walked away. They were done with their meal anyway.

"When you come to accept that you belong to me, Maisy, things will be much easier for you. You are mine and I will protect you, even against yourself."

It felt like the chains tightened with every word and Maisy found herself crying until he came to get her for bed. The chains slithered back into the chair, but when they got to the bedroom another chain sprung from headboard and attached to her left wrist, yanking her across the room and onto the mattress. Then she really did scream, no matter how many times Egil assured her he wasn't going to touch her. She fought so hard that her wrist began to bleed from pulling against the headboard.

"No! No, unchain me! Let me go! Please, let me go! Nooooo!"

"Maisy, wake up! It's just a dream! Maisy!"

The cool, familiar voice called her out of her nightmare and she was back in Asgard, lying in bed, panting and sweating. Her eyes flew around the room in a panic and she realized her wrist was still held to the headboard by something. This caused her to scream some more and pull her wrist with such force that she was already hurting herself. But she had to break free. She had to. Nothing in Asgard was supposed to do this to her. She'd left her chains in Muspelheim! Thor had broken her cuffs! She couldn't be bound to the headboard again.

"Maisy, calm yourself!" Loki's voice ordered, but she couldn't. She couldn't stop fighting whatever was holding her. Loki was sitting up over her and he pinned her arms to stop her from moving so wildly. He held her still until she calmed down enough to realize that if he was there then she was fine. She was safe.

"I'm sorry," she squeaked, eyes still moving frantically, "My wrist…"

"Hold still," Loki told her and then turned his attention to her wrist and the headboard. He fiddled with it a moment before she could finally lower her wrist and massage the tender skin. She sat up and took deep breaths before looking at her husband and what he held in his hands. It was a long strip of orange fabric, perhaps a scarf or towel of some sort.

"What is that?" She whispered, shivering.

"Another message," he straightened it out and revealed that someone had written on it.

You should have stayed in Muspelheim.

"No," she jerked away though she hadn't even touched it.

"Someone tied your wrist to the bed with this," Loki got up, walked to the fireplace, and tossed it inside, throwing a green ball of fire in after it.

"It wasn't you?" Maisy asked, knowing it wasn't, but wanting to be certain.

"Of course not!" He exclaimed, hurrying back over to her and cupping her face in his cold hands, "I would never do such a thing."

"I know, I know," Maisy had real tears on her face, not just dream ones, "I'm sorry. But that means someone got in here while we were sleeping! Someone touched me and neither of us woke up!"

Loki stormed over to the door and flung it open, looking out into the hall. He grabbed the guard - not Bjorn - by the neck and pulled him part way into the room. He gave him a good shake and the guard's hand went to his sword hilt.

"Did you let someone in tonight?!" Loki demanded, "Or did you enter our room?"

"No sir!" The guard wheezed, "That's against protocol!"

"Damn right it is," Loki growled, "So explain to me how someone got into our room and tied my wife up!"

"There was an intruder?!" The guard gasped and Loki put him down, "I must sound the alarm! Maybe we can still catch the scoundrel!"

He dashed off to do his job and Loki returned to bed, where Maisy was shaking and looking at her wrists. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him. Kissing the top of her head, he was already thinking of ways to kill whoever had done this.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah…" she squeezed her eyes closed, "No. I don't know."

"What were you dreaming of?" When she gave him a skeptical look he shrugged, "It may help to dispel a nightmare to speak of it."

"It was… it was about Egil," she felt her stomach churn, remembering how she'd thrown herself at him to get him to go to the wedding. She could still taste it even though it had been nearly three months since she'd escaped.

"And?"

"It wasn't really a dream," she confessed, "It was a memory of Muspelheim. It was all real. It all really happened."

"But it's over now."

"Yes," she rubbed her wrist, "I hope so."

"What happened in this memory? I know you don't like to speak of your time there, but I do not want you to dream of it anymore."

"Why? So I don't wake you up at," she looked out the window, "At whatever time in the morning this is?"

"So you don't have to experience it anymore," he replied, "And yes, so you don't wake me up at three in the morning by kicking me."

"Sorry."

"Tell me the memory."

So she did. She told him nearly everything. Leaving out the part where she'd kissed Egil was probably not helpful in getting rid of the nightmare, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him. She didn't want to know how he'd react to her playing tonsil hockey with Egil to get what she wanted.

"He chained you to the bed?" Loki snarled, tensing up. She'd mentioned it briefly to him before, but now he was truly processing it.

"Yes, but he didn't do anything to me."

"Whoever broke in must have known about that. Why else would they have tied your wrist to the bed with a message about Muspelheim?"

"Well, that just narrows it down to pretty much everyone in Muspelheim. And any other realm's spies who might be in Muspelheim and Linn and Sif."

"You told them?"

"We had a girls' night when I got back. There were a lot of tears and hugs, you would have hated it."

"Probably," he pulled her closer and she shook a little with silent sobs, "Don't cry, please Maisy, it's all over now. Don't cry."

"Sorry," she wiped her eyes.

"It's alright, I just am useless when it comes to comforting people. Doesn't exactly go with the evil alien prince vibe, you know."

She chuckled and sniffled, getting tears and snot on his chest. He didn't mind, merely turning her face upwards for a kiss. He was about to touch his lips to hers when she jerked away from him so fast she nearly fell out of the bed.

"Are you well?" He asked in surprise.

"Yes," she winced and pressed her fingertips to her lips, "I'm sorry. I just can't. I don't want… I don't want your kisses anywhere near the memories of him. I don't want to taint you in my mind. Does that make sense?"

"Certainly. Let your mind clear of that bastard. I'm here whenever you are ready. In the meantime let's sleep, hmm?"

"I…"

"I shall take the couch if it will help," he started to get up, but she caught his hand.

"No. Stay," she pleaded, "I just don't know if I will be able to sleep again."

"Hmm," Loki waved his hand over her head. He didn't actually do anything, but her eyes brightened hopefully, "There. Should take care of any and all nightmares." He wished he knew a spell to rid her mind of her nightmares, but perhaps this would satiate her.

"Really?"

"Here's hoping," he smiled, "You are sure you don't want the bed to yourself?"

"No," she snuggled into his side and they laid down together, "Just hold me. Please."

"I swear I'll never let go," Loki wrapped his arms around her and held her smaller frame against his chest. She fell asleep not long after, and while she slept, Loki plotted horrible revenge.

A note from the author: Dun dun duuuuun! That is all I have to say on the matter. ;)

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you are enjoying it!

And a quick thank you to my reviewers for the last little short chapter:

CheetahLover: Don't worry, your wolves won't need to be called to action just yet...

ferbette: Mwahaha! The mystery mayhem returns!

You guys are cool as cucumbers!

TTFN!