Loki woke again, this time in a far more familiar setting: His personal chambers. The light of the rising morning star illuminated the room from the open balcony. His eyes scanned his surroundings as he lay in his luxurious bed. Nothing seems out of the ordinary. No sign of Hela hovering over him like before. Sure he was alone, he immediately checked his wrists and was relieved to find them unrestrained.

When he began to sit up, his leg no longer burned with a sun's intensity. He quickly pulled the light blanket that covered him only from the waist down. Unfazed by his apparent nakedness, he studied his leg with the clear daylight beaming down on it. There was nothing but his own familiar pale skin. No bruises or scars to be seen. Intrigued, or possibly in denial of being able to recover from such a wound, he rested his hand on his thigh, pressing with the faintest pressure. It was apparently no trick of the eye. He was healed. He couldn't help but let out a breath of astonishment. To that, he got a startling response.

"Awake already, love?" A soft feminine voice asked. Loki may nearly have jumped out of his own skin at the sound of it. His eyes darted down to a body laying at his side. He saw only her dark hair and the fair skin of her shoulders as she faces away from him. With haste, he vacated the bed, and stood to his feet.

"Oi, Loki!" The woman shouts as she turns over to reveal herself. "What the hell are you doing?" She asks with a confused and bothered tone. He didn't answer. Instead, he analyzed the woman who stared back up at him waiting for a response.

"Sif?" Loki finally spoke, bewildered to find his friend laying in his bed. Quickly realizing his bareness, he reached for a pillow to cover himself. Plenty of questions came to mind, considering the state of affairs in Asgard while she lay there, but he settled on the most basic. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked loudly, backing away from the bed.

"Well, I'm trying to have a proper sleep," Sif casually explains, pausing to yawn and stretch her arms. "And you look as if you've seen a rogue Kree," She then proped her head up by her elbow, looking back at him to explain himself.

Still confused, Loki continued on. "Yes, I can see that you're trying to sleep, but why are you doing it in my chambers?" He asked, taking a second too long to register her own nudity. He averted his gaze. "And for Odin's sake, would you hide your shame?" He requested quietly, as not to attract any more sensitive eavesdroppers than he may already have.

"What wrong?" She chuckled, pulling the blanket over her breasts. "Afraid to see what you had your hands full of last night?"

"What are you on about?" Loki fiercely inquired, looking back to her again. Her expression changed from one of amused confusion to one of concern.

"Loki, are you alright?" She asked as she sat up more properly.

Loki opened his mouth to respond, but hadn't anything to say. He simply stood there, puzzled. He had no idea how long it's been. He knew his leg didn't heal over the course of a few more hours or days. What chaos must have ensued this entire time he had been comatose in recovery? Had Hela been defeated in his time asleep? In just the days since he was wounded and woke up in the infirmary, Hela must have slaughtered any Asgardian that stood in her way when she seized power. Sif surely couldn't have done it on her own, gifted a warrior as she may be. So many questions filled Loki's mind, but he had to get ahold of himself instead of standing there silent and dumbfounded.

"How long was I asleep?" He finally asked, looking to the ground to find his trousers lazily discarded among a pile of our clothes.

"A few hours, I suppose," She answered while he retrieved them. As he began to lift his leg to put them on, he looked back to her again. He nodded his head, indicating her to look away.

"Honey, what's wrong?" She asked as she turned her worried eyes to the morning sky outside as he pulled them up and fastened them around his waist.

"Where's Hela?" He asked, "Do you know if Thor is alive?" She looked back to Loki again, confused even further.

"Wha..? Of course Thor is alive," She assured him, much to his relief. "Who's Hela?"

"Are you serious?" He sneered, growing frustrated. "Hela: The cruel goddess who slaughtered our friends and colleagues," He pointed to the spot of his former wound, "Hela: The woman who impaled my leg and tortured me in the hospital!"

"What friends?" Sif kept trying to ask, "Loki, your leg is fine! What is going on with you?" Her concerned look was growing more convincingly genuine. She tapped her palm on the bed, suggesting he take a seat next to her. Again, Loki didn't know what to say. There was no logic to her presence or her confusion. No logic to his healed leg. None other than...

No. Hela wasn't some figment of his imagination. He remembered every detail of her arrival so clearly. He could see it in his head now: Thor knocked from the space bridge, the bodies of two of Asgard's greatest warriors lifeless on the ground, Skurge holding his bleeding neck, Hela crushing his badly hurt thigh. It was all real, but it was all clearly unbeknownst to Sif, who sat shaking her head. Something was wrong with her, but even this didn't explain why she was bare breasted (and likely more bare beyond the rest of the blanket) in his bed.

Loki looked to the floor, retrieving his undershirt from the pile, and taking a breath to himself. He compiled his thoughts, readying himself to calmly explain all that he knew happened and hoping she would be able to fill in some gaps. He finally sat next to her, buttoning the middle of the shirt closed. In the corner of his eye, He saw her push her luscious golden blonde hair behind her… her golden- His eyes shot back to her and much to his horror, there still layed a naked person in his bed.

"Brother!?" Loki shouted while jumping from the bed, this time losing his footing and landing on his ass. Thor let out a hearty laugh. Loki climbed up to his knees. He looked to Thor, baffled at his smiling face. What sorcery was this? Was this a trick? No, of course not. He knew neither Thor or Sif were trained in magic enough to change their form.

"Something wrong, Brother?" Thor asked. Adding to Loki's mystified state, his face was now lit only by the burning candles atop his night table and the morning star's place outside was taken by the second moon of Asgard.

"Brother?"

A cool breeze flooded the room from the balcony. Loki shuddered, attempting to move his arms to his sides to warm himself.

"Brother?"

Only one came to aid while the other didn't move and now he realized he was back to wearing only my undershorts from the infirmary.

"Oh, Brother ?" Her haunting voice emerged as his eyes opened. There he still was, restrained in the hospital bed. Of course, he'd been fooled by his own dream. In his weak, waking fluster, he looked around the room. It wasn't dark like before. Now he could see everything clearly with the light of day shining on the walls. He caught sight of his leg, which now was free of any bandage, but still badly bruised.

"Loki!" Hela shouted, causing him to jerk his head in the direction of her call. She stood at his side again, wearing a smile on her face. He was nearly blinded by the reflection of the sun on her polished crown. As reality set in for him, she raised her hand over his leg. He squirmed, bracing for another torture session. She drew her hand back ever so slightly at his reaction.

"I told you I'd have you healed," She pointed to the bruise. "Nearly good as new."

"And I suppose you want me to thank you again?" Loki muttered, pulling himself up to sit. He strained, finding his muscles weak. She put hand at the back of his shoulder to help him position himself. He swatted her away.

"Oh, you're quite the joker, aren't you?" She cackled, before turning half serious again. "How does it feel?"

He began to move the leg as well as he could. Aside from being a bit weak, it burned no more. Still, he wasn't going to give her any satisfaction. Not that she deserved any in the first place.

"It felt better before you stabbed it."

"In my defense, you were attempting to kill me," she said with a laugh. Her audacity knew no bounds. He rotated his lower half to face her, letting his legs fall over the edge of the bed below the knees. She still smiled confidently. Infuriatingly so.

"And you had just killed several people yourself and were ready to kill me and Thor," He looked up to her eyes, reminding her of what she already knew. Her smile dropped and she raised a brow.

"Kill you?" She shook her head. "No, Brother. I thought I made it clear that I didn't want to kill you back at the bridge. I believe the quote was 'What type of older Sister would that make me?' "

Again with those words. "Stop that!" Loki barked at her, "You're not my sister." She rolled her eyes.

"If only saying it would make it so. Deny it all you want, but the only reason you're alive and well is because I take care of my own."

She was unbearable. Loki dropped his head into his hands, tired of her talk. Tired of her completely. Again it occurred to him that this was probably his own fault. But what could he do now? There is no way he could fight her on his own, especially now in his weakened shape. He looked to the door. It only teased escape that he knew was impossible. He thought of Thor, likely dead in space. Maybe he would have preferred that fate, if only to relieve himself the blood on his hands.

Loki thought of anything, anyone that could help. Perhaps if those Avengers knew what had happened to their teammate's home world, they could offer assistance. A fool's dream, though. Earth's technology hadn't advanced nearly enough to get them here in time.

'Time' the word sparked an idea. ' Time… Stone. Infinity stones! The Space Stone!'

Surely that could be a means of escape. Not any moment soon, but there it sat in Odin's treasure room if Hela hadn't yet seized it. If she was truly so serious about her 'brother' and his well-being, then perhaps playing her heart could mean getting out of here. This is what he would do once he regained his strength. Gods willing, of course.

"Chin up, brother," Hela cut into his contemplation, touching her fingers to the bottom of his face to make him look her in the eyes again. She quickly withdrew them and her face turned to disgust. "Oh, you're filthy," she said as she wiped his sweat on the bed. "Poor thing, you've been laying here for days without a proper cleaning."

He looked at her, unsure of what would come next. To his surprise, it would be her untying the strap that held him to the bed.

"What is this?" Loki asked.

"Come with me. You're getting a shower."

Under more dire circumstances, he would not comply. He would just lay there in the bed, but he would need to follow her orders for long enough to get his power back and escape. Plus, there is probably no harm in a shower. He could feel the grime all around his body.

She didn't hesitate to put an arm around his back again and practically force him to his feet. His legs felt like jelly. If not for her, Loki would have fallen straight to the hard floor under his own weak power.

"Can you stand?" She inquired.

He started to move his legs, letting blood start to flow properly. Once he could stand by himself, a sense of indignity rushed over him. He was a weak man in a single article of underclothes being escorted to a shower by the most powerful woman in all the land. On top of that, there sat in the back of his mind, the truth that she was his sister as much as he was Thor's brother. He was hardly ever comfortable to be even partially disrobed in front of Thor, but this seemed a tad bit more shameful. She must have seen the embarrassment in his eyes. She shook her head and smirked in amusement.

"Follow me," she said and grabbed his wrist and starting toward the door.

With his legs barely working, he kept close behind her as she marched through the infirmary halls. The building was so barren, empty of any staff. Not even a sign of the nurse who injected him or- The red eyes! Loki still hadn't a clue what to make of that. In any case, at least they weren't seeing him in this fashion. Perhaps casting glamour would be an idea, but it would be better not to agitate Hela by using magic. They continued on down several hallways, eventually ending up at a pair of double doors that led outside. He stopped in his tracks. She didn't and nearly pulled him over. Before he would stumble forward, she stopped and turned to him.

"Problem?"

"It's… a little public outside, isn't it?" He responded, gesturing down his body.

"Are you so afraid?" She started to mock. "I thought you were meant to be brave. A little public indecency won't do you any harm."

She smiled sadistically.

"Well, I-"

"Oh, stop. You'll hardly be openly harassed when you're being escorted by the Queen of Asgard herself. Besides, you're such an incredibly handsome man. They should be thrilled to see you." She tried to assure him, tugging at his wrist and pushing the door open with her other hand and beckoning him through.

Loki decided, or was forced into thinking, a little humiliation is a small price to pay for eventual escape. He nodded and stepped past her to the outside air.

She held his arm behind him, pushing him forward down the golden paved path. He looked around the land. There was something seemingly unusual about it. Though the sun shone on it brilliantly, it was absent of it's normal beauty. There was just something missing, but he couldn't place his finger on it. Perhaps it was the lack of common population. He supposed e don't blame anyone for staying indoors during a tyrannical reign. It wasn't yet clear to him where he was being led. His heart began to race as he started to wonder whether she had tricked him in some way.

"Where are we going?" He asked. "You know the infirmary has showers."

"Sure it does, but I would never make a family member use such filth. The palace facilities are far more up to what you deserve."

They kept walking and before long, Loki spotted a pair of soldiers up ahead the path in front of the palace entrance. They were removing bodies from the main walkways. Bodies that wouldn't need relocation if he hadn't led Hela here, he told himself. As they got closer he could see them stare. Loki looked to the ground, avoiding their looks of judgement.

From behind, he heard Hela shout out to them. "Eyes on the job or your families will be removing your lifeless corpses from where you stand!"

They complied immediately.

Once we finally got to the main gate of the castle, the enormous doors opened themselves and inside stood several guards clad in black armour. In unison, they took a knee and saluted to their queen. Years ago Loki would have called them cowards for kneeling to an invading evil, but he knew that they had no chance to fight. No choice but to do as she commands so that they may live. She marched them past them and to the lift.

They stood close together inside the tube as they were raised to the higher levels. The sound of silence was the only other occupant. Hela kept glancing over to him, smiling, and running her thumb across the top of his wrist. She didn't let that wrist go the whole time. Loki had no idea what to make of it, but she couldn't see the smile he hid inside, knowing that he had an eventual plan of escape ready in motion. He continued to feign ignorance. Soon, the lift stopped and the door opened to reveal that they'd reached the ruler's chambers.

"Come, brother," she pulled him along behind her again. They crossed the spacious living quarters, decorated with the finest minerals and jewels of the cosmos. From the balcony, one could see all of Asgard at this height. Rarely did Loki find himself up here during his parents' rule.

Hela opened the door to the refreshing room and to the massive shower area. It was wide enough for scores of occupants, about five meters in any direction. Each wall shined with a mirror finish, reflecting one another, making several apparitions of Hela and Loki as they stood there.

She pulled his wrist a final time, letting her grip go and ejecting him into the dry shower floor. He looked around, not sure what to do next. Hela didn't move. She just stared at him for a moment.

"Well, go on," she said, pointing to the faucet controller. "Left is hot, right is cold. Nothing new."

He still didn't move.

"Are you going to stand there the whole time?" He asked, genuinely not sure.

"I'm afraid we don't have all day here, brother," she responded.

He nodded. This was strange and humiliating, but Loki knew he had to power through. He reached forward slowly and started to turn each knob that controlled the flow of water. Instantaneously, there was a heavy mist of hot water pumped from the ceiling above him, spreading itself about a meter wide around him. It was incredibly refreshing, but hardly enjoyable with her standing and staring. At least it couldn't get any worse than this.

"Loki? Do you always bathe in your undershorts?"

It got worse. Loki turned to her again, not sure if she was joking.

"Oh, don't be shy," she gave a deviant smile. "There's no one here watching you."

"You're watching me," He reminded her. Humiliation is one thing, but this was going to be too far.

She shook her head. "Right, I guess you were quick to cover yourself in front of your lady friend."

Loki looked at her quizzically, feeling his undershorts begin to soak up the heavy amount of water. He hadn't any idea what she was talking about. She tilted her head. "Sif, was it?" She continued.

No, she couldn't be referring to-

"I know it was hardly your first time waking up with a woman in your bed," She said, much to his shock. She must have invaded his mind in his sleep. What else did she know? Could she have been reading his thoughts this entire time? Were his plans of escape for nothing? He felt a weakness in his legs, sure he had been figured out. He looked to the floor as his eyes widened, hoping she hadn't seen anything else in his head. Hela's mouth fell to a frown when she saw his clear dismay.

"How did you-?" He started to ask before she cut him off.

"I'm sorry, I know it's unkind to intrude," She dishonestly apologized. "I just have an affinity for dreams and it's been so long since I've gotten to see anyone's but my own."

Loki was relieved she'd only looked into his dreams. He was still safe, for the moment.

"Especially a sexy dream like that," she continued. "From the moment I saw you, I figured a ravishing young man as yourself would have no problem with a bit of flesh."

His head jumped back up, hearing the awkward compliment. A century ago, she may be right, but he's hardly the womanizer he was then. If all she was going to do was stand here and mock him, he would much rather go back down to the infirmary. Hela had stepped closer to him. She looked into his eyes and raised one edge of her lip.

"Would it make you feel more comfortable if I stripped down, as well?" She said teasingly. She raised her hands to her head and pushed them back. Behind them the black crown disappeared, giving way to her natural black hair. She drew the dark locks over her shoulders and let them rest behind her back. Loki didn't care to humour her apparent joke. He just stood in the mist waiting for her to leave him be. She would make clear that leaving him alone wasn't her plan at all.

She started to walk toward him, her stride slow and devilishly provocative. Once she entered the shower floor, a separate mist of water engulfed her. She continued toward him, not breaking eye-contact or her freakish smile. Loki stepped backward, not letting her get close. He felt his back hit the wall. There was nowhere to go from here. His breathing began to hasten. She got closer and closer, approaching so slowly.

Within just a few seconds, she was standing just inches away and he was pressed firmly against the wall. She stepped even closer, pressing her body, still clad in her black attire, against his chest. He could feel his violently fast heartbeat reverberate against her now. He wanted to tell her to stop this madness. To push her away and rid himself of this disgusting encounter. No words found their way out. She would overpower him if he made any move.

Her hand landed on his side and she slowly rode it up the length of his body and to his neck. He nearly choked on the quick gasps of air before he felt her move her face forward.

The freezing touch of her lips on his burned with the incestuous depravity of the situation. Every second felt like an hour as she kissed kissed lips so forcefully. He knew she was staring at him as he tried to look away, but her face - their faces - reflected across every wall he could look to. He silently cursed Odin's pretentious decor.

Her hand fell from his neck and found its way back down his body. Now He felt each of her hands around his waist. He cringed as her thumbs breached the waistband of his undershorts. Instinctively, he grabbed hands as she started to pull them down. She quickly turned it around, strongly crushing his hands in hers.

"You have nothing to hide from me, brother, "sse spoke soft, but earnestly to her own regard. The way she drew out the sibling title was horrid in its own right. "You don't want to fight this," she continued. She released his hands and returned to his now completely drenched shorts. She finally pulled them down, releasing the rest of his flesh to the open air and hot water. He could hear her emit disgustingly impressed sound. She bit her lip as she stared at his exposure and began to nod, before continuing her dreadful dialogue.

"And your sister, " she grabbed his chin again, forcing him to face her directly, "has nothing to hide from you."

She temporarily released him and stepped back, just a pace. Loki watched as she raised her index finger to the middle of her collar and begin to trail it down the front of her body. Above it, her tight clothing disintegrated into a black mist which dissolved in the air. She continued all the way down to the bottom of her waist and was soon standing completely naked in front of him.

Her skin, from head to toe, was as pale as her face. The water made her shine from the lights above. She looked toward the mirror for a moment, admiring her own fit and curved form before looking back to me. He still stood frozen in the hot water. She stepped back into a tight vicinity. Her bare breasts now pressed firmly into him. She brought her close once more, pushing her lips onto the side of his neck.. Her hands began to glide over his body, up to his shoulders, then down his arms.

She took his hands in hers, softly this time, and started to guide him around the shower floor to the soap dispensary. Loki stood in the middle of the floor, not even a wall now to brace him.

"Stand here. Don't move. Let your sister take care of you."

Loki did as she demanded. She stepped away behind him and returned within just a few seconds with her hands around either side of his chest. Loki felt as she started soaping his body with her hands, slow and gently. She continued on his chest, working around to his back. Then his shoulders and down the length of his arms. He could feel her lower herself down to the floor as she lathered his legs and standing back to her feet when she was done.

She brought herself back around to stand in front of him as she ran her fingers through every inch of his hair. With her hands at the back of his head, she took the opportunity to force her lips against his again, if only for a second. They lowered back down again so she could finish cleaning the last part of his body. Her slippery soapy hands rubbed against his hips, moving inward together, closer and closer until she closed them over his soft dick. At her touch there, Loki felt a brutally shameful surge of blood rush down to it.

Nothing came further of it. She let his body free after she was done with her tender scrubbing. Now with the water rinsing away the rest of the soap, she wrapped her arms around his back, bringing her skin against his. She kissed his neck and cheek, before whispering into his ear.

"Say it again, Loki."

"...what?" His mouth spoke for him, automatically responding in fear of what consequence his ignorance would bring.

"What you said in the infirmary," She quietly told me, "After I saved your life."

There was a heavy lump in his throat now, almost disallowing him to speak another word.

" Thank… " Hela echoed the harrowing words, " you… "

"...sister."