First off, thank you to anyone who has followed, favorited, or left a review. I enjoy hearing from you and it helps support my motivation. Secondly, I tried uploading this chapter yesterday, but my phone was being stupid. It wouldn't work, so I borrowed my parents' computer instead. I'll try updating this story more during Christmas break since I have more free time. So, enjoy!
Chapter 13: Sneaking Out
The stars were shining brightly when Loki set out to the stables. He didn't carry a light, otherwise someone might notice him. Loki was used to hiding in the shadows and sneaking around the castle, so this was no different. He hurried down to the stables and slowly pushed the side door open. It creaked a little with the movement, causing a small commotion from the horses inside. Loki closed the door as quietly as he could and grabbed a horse brush from off the hooks.
"Sleipnir?" Loki whispered. The moonlight shown through the windows and cracks in the walls. Loki saw a silhouette of an eight-legged horse in the furthest stall. Loki smiled and crept closer to his son. "Sleipnir?" Loki said again. This time Sleipnir gave a quiet neigh and stamped his feet. Loki unlatched the stall door and let himself in. Sleipnir attempted to move forward, but was prevented since he was tied to a hook on the back wall.
Loki glanced over at the rest of the horses. They were all tethered, but Loki felt his anger rising. Odin had let this happen. Sleipnir was being treated like regular horse, but he was far from regular.
Loki untied the rope and patted Sleipnir's head. He had grown a bit since he last saw him. Loki started to brush Sleipnir's mane. It was tangled and obviously not taken care of. "Sleipnir, have you been behaving?" Loki questioned, untangling the brush from Sleipnir's mane.
Sleipnir neighed in response. "You kicked the stable boy?!" Loki exclaimed.
Sleipnir nodded and gave a small, horsey smile. Loki was suddenly irritated. "How could father do this?! Letting you suffer like this!" Loki threw the brush down in frustration and plopped down on the hay. He sat crossed legged and folded his arms across his chest. Sleipnir lay down next to him and laid his head in Loki's lap. Loki rested a hand on his head and twirled Sleipnir's mane through his fingers. Green mist flowed from his fingers, untangling Sleipnir's mane.
Suddenly a shout broke the silence of the night. Loki jumped to his feet and rushed to look out the window. A small group of guards were running toward the stable.
"Dammit," Loki cursed. He hugged Sleipnir and made to run out of the side door. The main stable door was opened and guards rushed through. Loki dived into a pile of hay, hoping that he wasn't seen.
"Check the horse," a guard ordered. Two guards filed toward Sleipnir's stall.
"Nobody's here except the horse," one guard called.
"Search the stable. Odin said he sensed magic. It must be the younger prince," the first guard commanded.
The guards spread out, searching for Loki.
"The concealment spell must have broken," Loki thought and looked for an escape path. He glanced through a hole in the hay pile. One guard was getting uncomfortably close to where he was hiding. The guard was moving hay bales a few feet away from where Loki sat. Loki held his breath as the guard turned and moved closer to Loki's hay pile. The guard was about to look behind the pile when a small portal opened up beside Loki. Not thinking clearly, Loki crawled through the portal in hopes to get away from the guard. The portal closed with Loki inside seconds before the guard glanced behind the hay pile.
Loki felt like throwing up. The world was spinning. Loki was on the verge of passing out when he landed with a 'thud' on his bedroom floor. "OOF!" The shock rushed through his body as his head hit the floor, knocking him unconscious.
Thor sensed something was wrong. Loki had not come to eat the morning-meal yet. Usually Loki was awake before Thor was. It was unusual that Thor made to the dining room before Loki did.
Thor gulped down his food and dashed over to Loki's room. It was unnaturally silent. Thor stepped closer to press his ear against the wooden door, but he stepped in something wet, causing Thor to look down. Thor gasped. Blood was seeping out from underneath the door. Thor pushed the door open slowly. He was shaking slightly, so he felt his felt where he usually kept a small dagger for protection.
"Dammit," Thor whispered. He was unarmed. He cautiously glanced around the room for Loki's attacker. There was nothing. It was quiet. Too quiet.
Thor crept into the room and almost tripped. He stared down and exclaimed in fright. Loki was lying unconscious, blood pouring from his head. Although Loki was usually pale, his face seemed to be drained of even more color. Thor knelt down to feel for a heartbeat. It was faint, but still there.
"Guards! Guards, please help!" Thor shouted. He didn't know what to do.
The guards joined Thor in Loki's room. "What happened?" one asked.
"I don't know. I found him here," Thor choked out.
"He's still alive," another guard said as he felt Loki's wrist for a pulse. "But he won't make it if we don't take him to the healers soon."
The guards nodded. Two bent down and picked Loki up. Thor grabbed a rag from the bathroom and pressed it against Loki's head. It quickly turned red.
"He's losing too much blood!" Thor exclaimed.
"He will lose more if we don't hurry," one guard stated and directed the guards carrying Loki to the healers. Thor jogged to keep up with their long strides. The rag was losing its ability to absorb liquids; blood was dripping onto the polished floor, leaving little red stains.
Soon enough they reached the healing rooms. The guards set Loki down gently on the nearest bed. Several healers rushed over and started to clean Loki up.
The lead guard placed his hand on Thor's shoulder. "It would be better if you gave them more room and waited outside. There is nothing else you can do. You played your part."
The guards turned and filed out of the healing chambers. Thor stood staring at his little brother, the rag still in his hand. He wanted to help, but he didn't know what to do. He just felt numb with grief as he watched his brother lie motionless on the bed.
Loki's world was black. The room swam before his eyes. It was too bright to see. Loki groaned and tried to sit up.
"No. No. Stay down," a calm voice said and warm gently pushed him back to a lying position.
"What? Hello?" Loki murmured. He head hurt a lot. "Mother?"
"I'm here, sweetheart," Frigga said and held his hand.
Frigga's face swam into focus. "What...what happened?" Loki asked and took in his surroundings. He was alone with his mother in a healing room.
"You fractured your skull. Thor found you unconscious in your room. The healers say you have a concussion," Frigga explained.
Loki touched the back of his head and winced. The bandages were a little wet with blood. He closed his eyes and sighed.
"I know now might be the best time to ask, but where were you last night? Heimdall sensed that someone was using magic in the stables. Guards were sent to look, but nobody was found. Do you know anything about this?" Frigga questioned.
"I...I'm sorry. I wanted to see Sleipnir. Thor and I had been planning this for weeks. I didn't think that this was going to happen," Loki replied, tears welling up in his eyes.
Frigga placed a cool rag on his forehead. "How did you fracture your skull?"
"I was hiding from the guards. A portal opened next to me. I wasn't thinking. I just wanted to get out of there, so I dove through. Then everything went black."
Frigga sighed. "How many times have I told you not to jump through random portals before knowing whether or not they're safe?"
Loki stared at the opposite wall. He couldn't bear to meet his mother's face and see the disappointment. Yes he knew that jumping into random portals was dangerous. Yes he knew he could be dead or stuck on an entirely different realm. Yes he knew he should've thought it through. Rushing into situations without thinking first was Thor's forte, not his. He seemed to be getting reckless in order to visit Sleipnir.
"Mother, I'm sorry," Loki made eye contact with Frigga. Her blue eyes were shiny with tears.
"It's alright, Loki. Don't do that again. Things turned out fine, but next time talk to me beforehand," Frigga said.
Loki gave a small nod and winced again. Even the slightest movement made his head hurt.
"Mother?"
"Yes dear?"
"How long will I have to stay here?"
"They said that you are not allowed to leave until your head is healed and your concussion is gone. No long visits, no loud noises, and no reading."
Loki groaned. No books?! This was border lining torture.
Thanks for reading. If you have any questions, comments, and/or concerns, leave a review! :)