Carmen took the hand of the worried stable master and offered him a small, encouraging smile as he helped her slide down off of Sleipnir's back. The horse immediately stepped in between her and the palace guards, stamping his foot and giving a low warning snort. "It's okay, it's okay," she murmured as she rubbed his shoulder. The last thing she wanted was for him to get hurt on account of her, although she did appreciate him trying.

He gave her a wary look, but the calm acceptance in her face must have been enough to convince him to move away, though he still stayed right by her side.

"Yes?" she said to the guards with her head held high. It was obvious why they were here, of course, but she could still try to maintain some autonomy. She was more surprised that it had taken them so long to find her; after napping and riding around some more, it had been the afternoon by the time she and Sleipnir arrived back at the stable with guards waiting for them.

The man tried to keep his face impassive, but she'd had too much practice to be fooled by his mediocre attempt; the uneasiness he felt was practically written all over his face. It was reassuring that there were still some people out there who wouldn't feel quite right about dragging a pregnant girl back to her abuser, even if that abuser was the king. "You are Carmen of Midgard? The king's concubine?"

"I'm not his only one by far, but yes." Despite hearing it said ever since she'd come here, it still bothered her that, above all else, she was Loki's. "You're here to take me back, I suppose?"

He nodded. "We are to escort you back to the king's chambers. With, ah, force, if necessary."

"It won't be. Just…I need to say goodbye, first; then I'll go with you, no problems at all." The stallion turned his head towards hers when she said that, nuzzling her face gently. Carmen sighed and placed a kiss on his nose. "Thank you, Sleipnir, for helping me, and for taking me on that ride, and…" she bit her lip, trying to keep it together. "I don't know if I'll get a chance to see you again - the king will be, um, quite mad - but thank you. Thank you so much."

He snorted and shook his head, giving a clear impression of, Don't be silly. Before she left with the guards, the horse reared up on his hind legs and came down with a resounding force, glaring at them and practically daring them to lay a hand on her.

She laughed softly as she turned and walked away, giving him a small wave as they left. She didn't say anything while they walked back to the palace building; these men didn't deserve for her to make them feel any worse. Better to wait and let all of her emotion loose on Loki. That brought a smile to her face. For the first time in, well, forever, she wouldn't have to hide from him; she could let her words come as they may, without the fear and responsibility that had filtered them before. She was curious to see how he would react to his toy suddenly coming to life.

The guards took her directly to the throne room, in a bitter twist of fate; where she had first confirmed the life inside of her was where she would have to confront that life never coming to be. They walked her inside then, at a nod from their enthroned king, left the two of them alone together.

Carmen crossed her arms and raised her head, preparing for battle, but it was he who spoke first.

"What possibly made you think that climbing out of your window and running away was a good idea?" Each word was carefully controlled, and he looked at her as if she was a particularly stupid little girl.

She blinked and shrugged. "I was suffocating, I was depressed, I wasn't really thinking at all."

Loki shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Clearly not; that was an idiotic decision. You could have gotten lost, tripped and fallen, broken any number of bones tumbling out of that window…I am surprised that you are not injured right now."

"I'm not that clumsy!" she scoffed in indignation, until what he'd said truly hit her. "Wait. Were you…worried about me?" Now that would be a first, him actually showing concern for her.

His face hardened, but not quickly enough. "No. Of course not. I simply do not like my things to be damaged, and that was a real possibility with the state you are in. You are to be more careful; that is an order."

"If you say so," she said as a smile crept on to her face. He'd shown himself how little he cared about damaged goods; his ill-chosen excuse only made her more sure of her suspicion, that he really had been worried about her. That in itself was surprising. While she knew he liked having her around for her body, at least, this suggested something more. It was like he was actually feeling emotions other than anger or hatred. "You're getting a little soft, don't you think? I didn't know feelings were allowed."

"The only thing I am feeling now is annoyance." The smooth confidence had returned to his voice, sending a slight thread of worry through Carmen; she liked him much better when he was off his game, even if it was only slightly. "Return to your chambers."

She frowned at his words, but refrained from pressing the matter. This didn't reassure her, him sending her away; she would much rather deal with his inevitable retribution now than have to wait for it and be on edge, not knowing when it was coming. Or maybe he was so happy to have her back and out of harm's way that he wouldn't do a thing to punish her. The thought almost made her laugh.

xXx

He had messed up; he had shown a hint of concern for her, concern that he himself did not want to admit existed, and she had noticed it right away. Add to that the almost blase attitude she'd seemed to have acquired and it was like a whole new Carmen stood before him, one who was fearless enough to speak her mind- and one who no longer feared him. As much as he hated that, it was surprisingly refreshing; she had always been a little bolder than everyone else, it was true, but he had seen something in her dark green eyes that told him what shaky walls she'd built had been knocked down, leaving her free.

Telling himself that he did not care for her in the slightest would be a lie, but he was the Liesmith; saying that he did not care for the child in her womb, however, would be closer to the truth. Maybe. Given the choice he would take the beautiful woman over the squalling babe any day, but simply thinking about that child, his child, was a subject of clashing notions. In large part, the idea of being a father was abhorrent to him; he had no desire to waste his time raising a person who, in all likelihood, would grow to hate him. But oddly enough, he craved both being an example and proving himself better than either of his so-called fathers were, if only slightly, and his inclination towards parenthood was nowhere near that of Carmen's.

And that was yet another thing about her that puzzled him. She claimed to feel an all-encompassing, unbreakable love for her child, yet at the mention of murder all of that seemed to slip away. It was because she thought of herself as too good for that, he supposed, but noble sentiments like that could never help anyone.

Except…maybe it could help him. The thought that slipped into his mind wrapped up all of his problems in a neat bow; the girl would be suitably disciplined but not quite pushed over the edge and he would be able to decide what to do with the child later, after more thought. The execution itself would be interesting as well.

Without a word, Loki rose from his throne and strode out of the room, his destination clear in his mind. It was not a part of the palace he normally chose to enter, but the servant's wing was the only viable option. The time of day was also perfect too; with everyone busy preparing dinner or helping their masters get dressed for whatever courtly functions they were attending, there would be no one around to see him. Not that any mere servant would dare cross him, but he knew how people talked.

Luck was with him, it seemed, for no sooner than he stepped in the hallway did he hear laughter and the patter of little feet as a young boy ran past him, being chased by a toddler. A slight smile crept on to his face.

Next chapter should be up sooner; I've already got a start on it :)