Takumi found herself being dragged through the Asgardian palace once again, but this time she was kicking and screaming as loud as she could. Even with the muzzle on, she could still make noise, and she made sure to make as much noise as she could. Her feet lashed out, sometimes skinning the guard's shin or their feet. It didn't do anything but make them curse and hold onto her even tighter.
"Stop it!" one of the guards snapped, holding her arm against him tightly. "You are just making it worse for yourself."
Takumi shrieked and struggled harder, biting against the muzzle until she tasted metal. Tears were streaked down her face, dripping off black ash and Jotun blood. She didn't know where the guards were taking her, this was not where the chambers were located. There was a heavy scent in the air, the smell of humidity. She could also hear water, rushing water.
The baths. They were taking her to the Asgardian baths.
Takumi cried out, trying to talk with all her strength. The words weren't forming, and her tongue was pressed heavily against the roof of her mouth. She was pleading at this point. With the restraints on, she would drown in the hot water. Was that the plan? To drown the witch?
The guards pushed open one of the doors and headed in, and Takumi could see the large pool of water that was bubbling in front of them. She cried out as her shoulders were jerked further back, but then there was the sensation of chains being taken off her skin. The mask was still on her face, much to her distress.
Two large arms wrapped around her torso, picking her up off the ground. Takumi felt those arms throw her, and then she felt hot water hitting her skin and swallowing her up.
At first she saw nothing but darkness, and for one fleeting second, she found that she couldn't breathe. Then she remembered that her arms were now free, and with a grunt, she pushed herself up to the surface. Her face hit cold air, and she wheezed, hot water pouring from the muzzle. As her eyes opened, she could see that the guards were making their leave, shutting the door firmly behind them. She heard the distinct sound of a lock.
The room was silent except for the bubbling water and her breathes heaving from the soaked muzzle.
Takumi panted, her panic subsiding now that the guards had gone, leaving those horrid chains on the ground in front of the pool. She slowly swam to the other side and lifted herself out. Then she flopped onto the concrete, coughing and spitting out water. She was wet and freezing cold, but for once she didn't care. Her entire body felt as though she had just gone through an avalanche, her limbs mashed together and every muscle in her body burning.
After a few moments, she sat herself up in a sitting position and sighed heavily.
This was her sentence. This was the punishment for being a sorceress. Now she was a prisoner until the wedding, and then she was going to be a wife and a prisoner. There was no way out, no place she could hide. Not even her sister, who she had trusted, would keep her secret.
Her sister. Takumi scowled and balled her hands into fists. She had trusted Kaisa to protect her when she needed it, not be the one to enforce the punishment. To humiliate her in front of everyone like she had done.
Look at you. Just look at you! You smell of Jotun blood.. disgusting..
Takumi put her head in her hands, wiping away the droplets of water that were sliding down her cheeks. Her hair stuck to her face like plaster, cold.
She dipped her feet into the hot water, sighing in relief despite the horrible twisting in her stomach. Grimacing, she lifted up her dress and saw her legs covered in small, red welts. They had probably been from when she was fighting like a maniac, she mused. Well, no more of doing that. She slowly put them in too, hissing as the warm water burned at the wounds a little.
As she washed the welts on her legs, she couldn't help but dip her hands into the water as well, watching as the Jotun blood washed off and blend into the bubbling warmth. It was almost mesmerizing; the red among the blue.
"You have had quite a day, haven't you?"
Takumi jumped violently, nearly falling into the water. She looked towards the door and saw Loki standing there, as silent and brooding as ever. She blinked in surprise. How the hell did he get in without her hearing the door? A small garbled sound came from her throat.
Loki looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face. "Aren't you going to answer me, Takumi dearest?"
Takumi glared at him. This wasn't funny in the slightest. She silently pointed to the muzzle over her mouth, preventing her from talking. Loki saw and nodded, as though she had explained something complicated to him. He clasped his hands in front of him.
"Ah, the dreaded muzzle that prevents the sorcerer from speaking. I know that all too well. I remember when I was forced to wear the hideous garment as well." Loki walked alongside the edge of the pool, slowly coming closer to her with each step. "It adds humiliation atop everything else."
Takumi looked down at the water, wishing that he'd stop talking. Like she wasn't embarrassed enough already. She slipped into the water, clasping onto the edge so that she wouldn't have to swim. She had the sinking feeling that if she tried to escape, she'd pay dearly for it. The warm water calmed her down a fraction of a degree.
"So the All-Father has decided that I am in charge of you until the wedding ceremonies, hm? Because you decided to betray yourself to the enemy Jotuns, I must babysit you, after everything else?" Loki asked, his voice sounding like a hiss.
She nodded, unsure of what else to do.
Loki came to side of the pool, slowly glaring at her all the while. Takumi shrunk into the warm water, wishing that she could disappear in the depths of the water. He knelt down and stared at her with wide emerald eyes, filled with hatred and anger.. and something else she couldn't decipher.
"You listen.." he spat. "This will not be in vain, I will not allow you to take over my life like my 'father' wishes it to be-"
His words were cut off by Takumi suddenly lunging forwards and grabbing at his shoulders, her fingers digging into the green leather. With a loud grunt, she pulled him off the ledge and into the hot water. There was a loud splash and loud cursing as Loki flailed in the water beside her. Takumi held onto his shoulders tightly, wrapping one arm around his neck and the other clamped over his mouth.
She slowly swam to the middle of the bubbling pool, to the deepest part of the tub. Then she dunked Loki's head underneath the water.
After a few seconds, she pulled him back up and turned him around, so that they were face to face. Loki's large green eyes stared into hers. Water drizzled down his face, making him look like a wet, startled puppy. Takumi glared at him, narrowing her eyes and tightening her grip on the front of his leather tunic. She wanted to threaten him, to tell him that she wasn't going to allow herself to be a slave, but the words were trapped in her throat. The damned muzzle.
She let go of his mouth and slowly pointed to own.
Loki was panting heavily, his face an ashen white. He looked at the muzzle and then nodded slightly. One hand came up from the water and swiped at the air.
The muzzle fell from her mouth and into the hot water. Takumi breathed in heavily, feeling as though she could breathe again. She glared at him, her mouth bent in a scowl.
"Laufeyson." she growled, her voice raspy from unuse.
Loki didn't struggle, much to her surprise. He just stayed in her grasp, unmoving. But he smiled mischievously at her. "Oh, you got me. I had let my guard down, and you took advantage of that. I am impressed."
"I don't care." Takumi breathed, her cheeks blazing red with fury. Her fingers were clamped so tightly on the wet leather that they ached. "I don't care about what you have to say, you miserable Prince."
Loki lifted one hand from the water again like he was requesting to say something. "Ah- but you should."
"Here's the basis, Loki. I got attacked today by Frost Giants, got chained up by my sister, and now I'm being punished for the rest of the moon until the ceremonies are completed. But I don't want to marry you." Takumi let go of him and pushed him backwards, her anger bubbling up uncontrollably.
Loki moved back effortlessly, easily swimming in the water. Takumi felt her cheeks blush as she realized she wasn't really holding onto him at all, he was allowing her to believe it. He smiled at her again, like a predator to it's prey. "And you believe that I had wished for this wedding? Lady Takumi, you are flattering yourself."
"Then why are you allowing this to happen? Can't you tell your father to back the hell off?" Takumi found herself on the verge of yelling again, even though it was hurting her throat.
"My father?" Loki snarled, the smile dropping off his face. Takumi knew she had hit a soft spot and she froze, watching him with reserved silence. "My father is dead, for I have killed him. Do you mean Odin? That man is nothing to me."
Takumi balled her hands into fists. "You are a fool."
"I am? How about the one who unleashed sorcery in a realm that forbids it?" Loki's grin was back, and Takumi wished to slap it off.
Instead, she just swam to the other ledge and pulled herself out, wet dress and all. She felt a billion times heavier, but she just wanted to get away from the grinning man in the pool. As she tried to walk, she realized that she really did feel a billion times heavier. In fact- she couldn't move her legs. Takumi looked down and tried to move her legs, but they wouldn't move. Panic started to rise as she tried again, her face scrunched in confusion.
She turned towards Loki, angry words festering in her throat already. But the pool was empty.
And then, all of a sudden, there he was. In her face.
He grabbed her and pushed her against his chest, her face smashing into where his shoulders was. She let out a pained cry and tried to move against him, but she was pitifully weak and tired. Her legs were still glued to the ground, as though magic had planted them there. Loki was holding her tightly against him, and she felt her arms wrench behind her.
Cold metal locked into place, and she let out a loud cry of frustration as she felt it bite onto her skin. Not the chains, not fucking again. Her arms flailed uselessly against the chains, and even as Loki pushed her back into a standing position, she could feel tears start to spring up in her eyes. Loki smiled at her dryly, his eyes brightening just a little bit. She wondered how he could move so fast, when he had all that wet clothing dragging him down.
"Now, is this not simpler?" he asked quietly, his smile growing wider. "Is this not your natural state?"
Takumi felt her mouth quiver, but she pushed back the growing tears and muttered. "This is not. I am a Princess, not a servant."
Loki simply smiled and tugged on her arms. Together, the two of them made their way out of the Asgardian baths, the muzzle mysteriously missing from the pool.
Takumi was sitting on Loki's bed, silently staring out the window. The chambers, at least, was warm. She had gotten into dry clothing with her black hair piled up on her head, a hairstyle that Loki had insisted would look good on her. The damned man had even chosen the dress she was going to wear: a black dress with gold lace around the trim, exposing her entire chest and covering her arms in tight sleeves. She sat on the bed in disdain, staring out the window as though it was the most interesting thing in the world. Truth be told, it wasn't, but she had nothing else better to do.
Loki was rummaging through his drawers, looking for something. Takumi tried not to pay attention to his searching, mainly because she didn't want to even look at him. It was too humiliating to.
She wasn't chained up anymore, but she knew that they were still a threat. Everytime she acted out, she knew she was going to be chained as a punishment. She had no idea where the muzzle had gone, but she had a sneaking suspicion that she would be seeing it again. It was a terrible, anxious feeling that she had in the pit of her stomach, and she couldn't shake it.
Loki suddenly exclaimed aloud, cutting off her train of thought. "I have found it."
Takumi slowly looked at him, an absolute bored expression plastered on her face. She raised an eyebrow at what she saw clutched in his hands: an amulet.
Loki walked over to her and handed it to her, the large gem gently sliding into her palm. It was heavy and cold to the touch, but she closed her fingers around it anyway. Loki stared at her as she glanced it over, taking the time to talk to her.
"Mother had given that to me during my time in the prisons. She had bought it from the realm of Vanaheim, where you are from, Lady Takumi. It is a rare stone found in the mountains of the snowy realms, right along the border from Vanaheim to Jotunheim. It is a fascinating color, is it not?" Loki paused and put his hands behind his back, staring at her intently.
Takumi glanced at the amulet again. The stone didn't look familiar to her. It was a bright green with small black flecks in it, but it was almost transparent at the same time. It was attached to a thin silver chain, elegantly designed by Vanaheimian hands. She looked up at Loki, wary of how to tread her footsteps. She didn't want the gift. But she didn't want to piss him off either.
"Why are you giving this to me?" she asked finally, her voice dull and empty. Even she realized how terribly defeated she sounded. Oh well, that's how she felt.
Loki raised an eyebrow at her, as if surprised. "You are to be my wife. Should I not give my wife all the lovely jewelry she desires? You shall be showered with whatever riches you wish for, my dear. All you must do, is ask."
He walked over to her, and with a swift movement, he took the amulet from her hands and gently draped the gem over her neck. The necklace clicked softly in the back, and the amulet hung against her bare skin, cold. Takumi slowly put a hand up to feel it; it was heavier than she expected. She was suspicious of the beautiful gem. No man in his right mind would give her a gift after the argument they had.
There was a catch, and she knew it. But Loki didn't mention it further.
She sighed and got off the bed, allowing Loki to link his arms in hers and walk her out of the room. She just hoped that whatever the catch was, she wouldn't find out when it was too late.
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