A little warning before you read this chapter, there is death in this one. Nothing too explicit I don't think but you have been warned.
As Rai got home she felt dread spill all over her. When she reached the door handle to her 'home' she couldn't help but sigh. 'Well here we go' she thought as she finally worked up the courage to open the door and step inside. Everything was fairly normal. Jaridis and Salme were busy fixing their hair and her mother cooking. As Rai set down the ingredients, her mother noticed the little leather pouch Loki had snuck into her bag. She opened it and let out a gasp.
"What in all the nine realms is this Rien?!" Her mother was going through the pouch counting all the gold coins. "It was a gift from a friend." Rai knew her mother would never believe that. "All this money?! A gift?! What kind of friend would possibly give you all this money?!" Her mother furiously shook the pouch in Rai's face. "Loki prince of Asgard gave it to me." Rai knew there was no getting out of this beating. Her mother, or anyone for that matter, would never believe she was friends with a prince.
"You expect me to believe a prince of Asgard gave you a pouch filled with gold coins?! Do you think me stupid?!" Her mother screamed as she backhand slapped Rai. Rai fell to the floor with a loud 'Thud' and tried her hardest to hold back the tears. Her mother was still screaming out at her when she saw an oil lamp next to the fire-place. Rai grabbed the oil lamp and threw it at her mother. It hit her on the head and her mother hit the floor with an even louder 'Thud' passing out. Jaridis and Salme screamed and called her a murderer. They were screaming for help at the top of their lungs and Rai ran out.
'Shit shit shit!' was all she could think of as she ran. She didn't even know where she was running to. Where could she possibly go? There was nowhere to hide, no one she could trust…no one but Loki maybe? Wait no…he's a prince there's no way he would help her. Not with something like this…or would he? Rai stopped for a second to catch her breath and think of what to do. 'If they find me I will surely be killed…If I tell Loki of what happened and if worse comes to worse I will be killed…and If I'm lucky he will help me…' She started to make her way to the castle and find Loki. She figured either way she would die and she had nothing to lose by going to him.
She finally arrived at the castle. Catching her breath as much as she could, she begged the guards at the gate to please let her see Prince Loki. They refused and told her to go back home. She kept insisting but they wouldn't budge. She started to cry uncontrollably and the guards sighed in frustration and were going to bring her before the All-Father. As they were walking down the halls of the palace Rai didn't have time to admire the beauty of it all. She kept trying to think of what to say when she came face to face with the All-Father. Suddenly she saw Loki coming down the same hall. She gasped and tried to run to him failing miserably as one of the guards' grabbed hold of her arm and forcefully stopped her.
"Loki!" She desperately called out. He quickly turned to look and was shocked to see her standing there. He walked over to her and dismissed the guards. They didn't want to leave and said that she was trespassing but Loki glared at them and said it was fine, that he was expecting her. They nodded, gave a small bow and walked off leaving Rai alone with Loki.
"I didn't expect to see you so soon what's wrong?" he noticed her puffy red eyes, clearly a sign that she had cried not too long ago. "Loki…I….I….I think I killed my mother…" she managed to say as her tears spilled uncontrollably down her cheeks. Loki grabbed her shoulders and tried to calm her down. "Are you sure of this?" He whispered as he looked into her honey brown eyes. She explained what happened and he couldn't help but feel partially guilty. After all she kept refusing his gift and he put it into her bag without her noticing. If not for Loki's pouch of gold coins, this wouldn't have happened he thought.
"It doesn't sound like you killed her Rai. More like knocked her unconscious." He tried to reassure her that everything would be ok. She continued to cry uncontrollably until Loki gave her a small hug. She calmed down a bit and he whispered to her. "I'll go to your home. I will explain everything that happened ok? I tell her I gave you the money and everything will be ok." Rai nodded and Loki took hold of her hand. They started to make their way towards Rai's home when Loki's curiosity got him again.
"Now…before we get to your home…will you please tell me why your mother beats you?" She didn't want to and Loki knew it but he felt it was important to know. "I suppose if we are to be close friends you should know…" She quietly said. The walk to her home seemed to drag on forever. She told Loki all about her hateful step-sisters and how they mistreated her. Though Rai's sisters were only 3 years younger than her, she had to do everything for them. She told Loki about how her mother beat her, how she never knew her real father, about her step-father and how he abandoned them.
"I suppose mother and my sisters take out their anger and frustration on me…" she stared at the floor as they were nearing the house. "Well I'm going to fix that for you today." Loki stated angered by what Rai had told him. When they reached her home Loki and Rai gasped. Her house was on fire! The whole place was engulfed in flames with no way in or out. All they could hear were the screams coming from her sisters. Rai screamed out their names and tried to rush in to save them. The flames were too hot and overpowered her. She couldn't get too close. After a minute or two her sister's screams were not heard anymore.
They both stood there in silence. Loki had no idea of what to do but in the back of his mind he thought they deserved it. Rai stood in silence. She knew it was too late. As the fire started to die down and as she watched her home turn to ashes, she couldn't help but think of all the horrible things her 'family' had said and done to her over the years. Rai was only 12. Still very young and all those beatings, all those horrible things they said to her were so very fresh in her mind. She came to realize she honestly didn't care if they died. Perhaps Loki would hate her for saying this but all she could say when the fire had finally died off was "Good riddance."
Loki looked at her for a moment. She had no expression. She did not cry she did not even look sad. She showed no emotion at all. Finally she looked at him. "Loki…do you think me a horrible person for not feeling anything?...For letting them die?" "You didn't let them die Rai. There was nothing either of us could do." He tried to reassure her. "And no, I do not think of you as a horrible person. Perhaps you will think I am the horrible one for saying this but…I think they got what they deserved…for treating you that way." He looked back at the ashes that were left behind.
"Are you sure you want to be friends with a murderer Loki?..." was all she could say after a while of just staring at where her house should have been. "It was an accident." Loki firmly held onto Rai's hand. She gripped it tighter when she said, "I'm homeless now…what will I do? I have no family or friends I could stay with…and I cannot stay here much longer or the villagers will surely think I did this..."
"Then you shall live at the palace with me." Loki smiled at her. She just stared at him. "But Loki…what will your father say? I mean well I…I don't know about this…you are being too kind to me. You hardly know me and now after this…after I just killed three people…" she started to feel a knot in her throat. She could feel fresh tears threatening to fall. "I told you it was an accident. I don't want to hear you say you killed anyone every again ok?" She nodded. "And don't worry about my father. I will speak with him. You will live at the palace I promise you." Loki let go of Rai's hand and gave her a hug. She tightly hugged him back as her tears started to stain Loki's shirt.
"I will protect you Rai. I will make sure no one hurts you again." He whispered into her ear. Loki knew she was holding back all her anger, all her frustration and in that moment she let go of it all. Loki didn't know why he felt so attached to Rai. Perhaps it was because he found someone who needed him. Someone depended on him for once. Not his brother Thor, but him. He would protect her he promised her. He would teach her to fight to defend herself if it ever came down to it. But he swore to her he would ultimately be the one she could come to for anything.