Warning: the rest of this story will have triggers for suicide, self-harm, and possible mentions of rape. Please don't continue to read if this is something you're uncomfortable with. Its been rated M for a reason. You've been warned.

Breakfast was eerily silent.

Takumi slowly put a spoonful of broth into her mouth, keeping her eyes downcast on the table. Although the broth smelled delicious and looked soothing, it tasted bland and watery to her. She wasn't hungry, but she forced herself to eat anyways. Every muscle of her body was aching, and she really didn't to move for the rest of the day. Resting in bed and sleeping sounded much better. She wanted nothing more in the realms for the moment, but Loki had insisted on breakfast.

Getting dressed had been horrible. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she barely recognized herself. Her wrists were entirely bruised from the chains, she could see the imprint from the metal and the small cuts that came with it. There were dark circles under her eyes from not being able to sleep all night. Her head was heavy and she could barely keep her eyes open.

And now, it was awkward. Kaisa was sitting across from her, eating just as silently. Neither sister made eye contact, nor did they speak. It was as though they were on different realms. Takumi forced another spoonful into her mouth, dully swallowing the hot broth.

Even Loki and Thor remained silent. They made eye contact, but no words were exchanged between them. It was as though everyone was mute.

Thor coughed and put his mug of mead onto the table rather loudly, as if to add some sound to the empty hall. "Well, tis a good morn. We are all well in health and spirits."

Loki snorted and muttered something unintelligible under his breath. Takumi glared at him, holding her soup spoon in mid-air.

"Brother, did you say something?" Thor asked, his voice sounding rather cheerful despite the gloomy atmosphere.

"I did not." Loki said, continuing to eat fruit from his plate. He didn't even look up.

Thor leaned back in his chair and took a sip of mead. "I could have sworn you spoke. I suppose I am going mad."

"Mad is putting it lightly, brother." Loki mused, smiling a bit. "You are talking to the lot of ghosts. Neither Lady has spoken a word this entire meal."

Takumi glared at Loki some more before turning back to her broth, suddenly feeling as though she was going to vomit. Speaking was the last thing she wanted to do right now. She caught Thor looking at her with his soft grey eyes and she couldn't help but stare back, unsure whether to test her bruised throat or not. Luckily, he was the first one to say something.

"Are you faring well, Lady Takumi?" he asked her softly. "You have had a difficult couple of days."

"I am doing well, Thor." Takumi croaked out, trying to sound normal as possible. Out of the corner of her eye saw Kaisa flinch when she spoke.

Her sister avoided eye contact, simply poking at her meal as though it had grown legs in the last five seconds.

A tiny twist of her stomach, and she found herself suddenly irritated. Why was Kaisa so quiet and flinchy? That was so unlike her, unless she was anxious. Of course, she hadn't forgotten that Kaisa had been the one who ordered her torture, and she hadn't forgiven her for it in the slightest. Kaisa hadn't apologized for her behavior, and Takumi knew she never would. What she had done was all in order, to prevent chaos. Takumi narrowed her eyes, clenching her spoon. No doubt Kaisa was waiting for her to apologize.

Well that wasn't happening. She wanted to curl her fingernails into Kaisa's neck until blood ran from the wells. Takumi slowly put down her spoon and looked at her sister, temporarily forgetting her body's aches. "How are you this fine morn, sister? You seem pale."

"I feel unwell." Kaisa said coldly, poking at her food.

Takumi rested her chin in her hands, feigning concern. "Oh, poor you! Shall we go to the healing room to check on you, sister? What ails you? Chills? Vomiting? Does your throat ache? Perhaps you and Thor got a bit too rough in your bout of lusty desire."

Thor spluttered on his drink, spitting it clear into Loki's face.

Kaisa set down her fork, a harsh blush spreading on her face. "Keep your thoughts to yourself, sister. I am in no mood for your games. Leave me be, will you?"

"No, no sister, I insist. We must have you checked upon." Takumi babbled on, waving her hand absentmindedly. "Or perhaps you are pale from guilt. Is that what it is? What are you guilty of Kaisa?"

"Enough, Takumi!" Kaisa said sharply, staring at her indignantly. "You shall hold your tongue! I co-"

"You command me to?" Takumi hissed, narrowing her eyes. She watched as Kaisa paled further, leaning back in her seat in disbelief. Yeah, she called out her out. It was something that she had never done before in her life, and she was even stunned with her own mouth. But she continued, now unable to stop. "I am tired of commands, sister. I am tired of your commands."

Kaisa stood up, slamming her hands on the table in frustration. "Takumi, that is not what I meant! There is a time and a place for arguments-"

"And now is the perfect time for it! I agree!" Takumi stood up as well, mimicking her sister by slamming the table. A sick grin stretched across her face, she was relieved at getting this all out. "Are you ashamed of me, my sibling? Are you ashamed of your sorceress sister? The witch? The mutant?"

"Takumi! Stop!" Kaisa hissed, her ears now a hot red. Her teeth were bared, and Takumi couldn't help but think that she never looked more feral and repugnant.

Served her right.

Takumi threw her hands up in the air. "Oh, woe is you, Kaisa! Having a magic-weaver as a sibling! How terrible it must be for you. Your reputation as a Queen must be on the line because of me. I have soiled it! Soiled it! Soiled it! Soiled it!"

Thor held his hands up, trying to get in between the two woman. "Ladies.. please let us not argue." He looked at Loki helplessly, who was staring at them with his hands clasped up on the table.

"Shut your mouth, Takumi!" Kaisa yelled, her voice finally losing control. "I will have you sent back to the chambers gagged and chained if you do not stop with this incessant babble!"

"See! You just did it again!" Takumi cried out, slamming her hand into her soup bowl and sending it scattering across the room. Broth spilled onto the marble floor. "You are always so willing to jump to silence me!"

"You do not know when to be quiet! You never know what is best for you, and you never care what your words have on someone." Kaisa flung her hands onto the table too, and fruit rained down on Takumi and got stuck in her hair and dribbled onto her dress. "You are an idiot who does not deserve a throne!"

Takumi picked up a bowl of sauce and flung it at her sister, watching as it poured into her brown silky hair. Kaisa's face looked enraged beyond belief, but it only bought a little bit of satisfaction. The rest of her was hurting, aching at the hurtful comments. "I never wanted the throne, sister! All I wish is to be accepted for who I am, just like you have. I just wish to be YOUR EQUAL!"

"Well YOU'RE NOT!" Kaisa screamed, sauce running down the sides of her face and plopping onto the floor. "You are nothing but a immature, stubborn little girl! You and I will never be equals, sister! Do you not understand that concept? Why do you think the Gift skipped over you?"

"Lady Kaisa!" Thor snapped, his voice louder than Takumi had ever heard him speak. "Quit this meaningless argument!" He looked at Loki again, with another helpless expression. "Brother, please intervene!"

Loki shrugged, wiping the remnants of his beer shower off his face. "Why? Let them spar."

"You are useless!" Kaisa snarled, turning her attention back to Takumi. "No words, sister? Have my sayings finally sunk in?"

Takumi blinked, stunned that Kaisa would cross an already sensitive line. That wasn't fair. It wasn't like she had wanted to be the freak of the family, the only one who hadn't acquired the Gift. She spoke again, but all the fire and anger had drained from her body. Fighting was suddenly unsatisfying. "That is not my fault, and you know it Kaisa. To bring that up is cruel."

"You mistake cruelty for truth!" Kaisa snapped, crossing her arms. "You mistake magic for power, and you mistake instinct on intelligence! You mistake everything for something it should not. And that is where you fall, Takumi."

"Enough of this." Loki said sharply, standing up and grabbing Takumi by the arm. He pulled her to the side of him, so that he stood in between the two women. Disgusted, he wiped off the front of his tunic and glared at Kaisa, daring her to speak over him. When she remained silent, he continued. "We shall make our leave now, and clean up. Contain your wild dog, Thor."

Kaisa watched them with a bewildered expression. "What did you just call me!?" she screamed after him, throwing a pot of porridge at them in a fit of anger.

Thor watched the two of them leave, and he felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach. He felt like hurling the contents of his food onto the ruined table. Loki's cape was now covered in brown porridge, but he didn't stop walking and he didn't look back. He kept a grip on Takumi's arm, and their footsteps faded from the hallway. Thor turned his attention to Kaisa, who was panting heavily.

He was speechless. No words could describe the disgust he was feeling right now. What kind of a monster was he set to be married to? As he racked his brain for something to say, Kaisa turned to him and stuck a finger in his face.

"Do not give me such an expression. You know I am correct." she scowled. Then her face softened, and she took a deep breath to regain herself. "I have had enough of this. I am leaving for the chambers now, to rest my aching body. Do not disturb me."

She turned on her heel and left the room, leaving Thor by himself in the hall.

Thor sighed heavily, dropping back into his chair. All this time he had thought Kaisa was soft, gentle, a perfect example for the future Queen of Asgard.

Apparently more like a demon from Thanos himself.

"Sire." a deeper voice said to his side. Thor looked up to see a small band of guards staring intently at him. They glanced at the floor in mild interest, and then returned their attention to him. "We have a situation, your highness."

"What now?" Thor straightened his shoulders, trying to hide his defeated stature.

"An old enemy has returned to Asgard. The All-Father needs to see you immediately."

Loki walked her back to the chambers as she had wanted, muttering under his breath in old Asgardian language. Takumi recognized some of the words from her Father's lectures, but there were some that was still foreign to her. Anyway, none of the words were really nice to begin with. She walked in silence, letting Loki walk her to the rooms. She didn't struggle; she was too afraid to.

Strangely, though, she felt a bit better. Even though her heart felt sliced in half, there was still a lot of truth in what she had told Kaisa. And of course, her sister hadn't taken it well.

Kaisa had never been able to take truths well. Especially after their mother had died..

"Let's clean you off." Loki's voice broke her thoughts. Takumi bit her lip and entered the room, half afraid of what Loki was about to do. His voice was unusually soft, and she was automatically suspicious of that. She clasped the amulet around her neck for protection, feeling a little better as she touched it.

But to her surprise, Loki just waved his hand and all the crusty food that Kaisa had thrown onto her dissipated into mid-air. Takumi watched as she was cleaned up right before her eyes, without even having taking off her dress. Even the chunks of fruit in her hair melted and turned into a fragrant perfume. She had never felt so stupidly grateful. She looked at him in astonishment.

"Thank you, Loki.." she stuttered, the words sounding foreign to her. This was the first time he had showed any sort of kindness towards her. And after all that violence and pain she had in the last couple of weeks, this was certainly refreshing.

Loki shrugged and cleaned himself off, wiping his hair free from the mead Thor had showered him with. "You did not deserve any of that."

Takumi raised an eyebrow, wondering if she had heard him right. Did he just... defend her? "I.. I didn't?"

"Certainly not." Loki turned away from her and continued to straighten his clothing, as though he was embarrassed to admit anything. "All you wish is to be an equal to your sister, to understand what it means to be accepted."

She swallowed, a lump forming in her throat. Was it that obvious how she felt about things? Had she been so angry at Kaisa that she let precious secrets slip from her lips? Closing her eyes, she tried to regain what little of her dignity was left. "It does not matter. Nothing can change it."

Loki turned towards her, his green eyes flashing. But it wasn't with anger, or with malice. It was a look that was much softer, and Takumi nearly didn't recognize him as the same man. He reached out towards her, gently touching the amulet on her neck. "You can change that."

Takumi just nodded, at a loss for words. She was frightened, and she couldn't help but watch Loki intensely, waiting for the second he would push her and slice a dagger through her throat. She was going to swing if he tried to do anything funny, even if that meant going back to the chains and muzzle. Hell, even if that meant going to the prison. But Loki didn't do anything like that, he just dropped his hand and turned away from her again, seemingly lost in thought.

Takumi felt her face flush in confusion. There was something off about this man, she realized. One minute, he was threatening to kill her and dump her body into the Bifrost, and now he was defending her as though he could understand anything about what just happened between her and Kaisa. Perhaps there was a connection, but she was too tired and confused to make it.

And now that the fight was over, she could feel pain again. It came creeping back into her, seeping into her bones and making every fiber in her body start to throb dully. She looked at her wrists, the dark blue and purple were still circled around her wrists as though the chains were still there. Sighing, she sat down on the bed and felt her body weigh down.

There was a sharp knock at the door. Loki went to go answer it, and as the door opened, she could see a heavily dressed guard standing at the door, looking as stern as ever.

She shrunk into the bed, wondering if they were there for her.

Fortunately, as the guard spoke to Loki, she saw that they weren't. But it was obvious that Loki didn't want her to hear their conversation, he gave her a look before he stepped out in the hall and closed the door behind him. After a few seconds of fighting with herself, she slowly got up from the bed and crept over to the wall, pressing her ear up against it. And with a small wave of her hand, a little yellow spiral of magic flew into the wall, making it so that she could hear.

Suck that Kaisa. I do what I want.

She smiled to herself at her cleverness, but her smile disappeared as she heard the guards' conversation with Loki.

"What attack? What do you mean?" Loki sounded irritated. "The Jotun attack is old news, you buffoon."

"The Jotuns aren't what we should be worried about, Sire. The entire realm of Jotunehiem has closed their borders with an icy bubble, preventing any travels." the guard explained tersely.

"What are you babbling on about, you idiot? Get with the point." Loki sounded more agitated than ever.

Takumi scowled as she listened. Shut the hell up for a second, Loki. Let him get to the point.

"If the Jotuns are closing their realm out of fear, than what you do think is coming for us?" the guard hissed. "The All-Father has been told by Heimdall that fires have been sprouting in the southern realms, more of them spreading up to Asgard. The All-Father believes that an ancient enemy as awoken: the Muspelheim realm."

Takumi heard Loki scoff. "Do not get too excited. The Fire Realm people have been extinct for centuries, ever since the Great War with our grandfather. He has made sure those barbaric people have been eliminated. A couple of fires has started, and suddenly there is the sudden fear of Flammies?"

He had said the last word in a sneer. Takumi raised an eyebrow, slightly lost. She knew nothing about Muspelhiem, except that it was gone.

"I am only telling you what the All-Father has said to me. You are needed in the throne room, immediately. This is no laughing matter." the guard sounded tense.

Takumi took her ear away from the window, settling back onto the bed lightly so that neither men would hear her scurrying around. She stared out the window as though she was lost in thought, in case Loki came back through the door. When he didn't, she crept back to the wall and heard footsteps starting to fade away.

She jumped up from the bed and grabbed a cloak from Loki's closet, tying it around her neck. It hid the bruises on her wrist pretty well. She left the chambers and crept down the hall after Loki and the guard, her footsteps invisible against the tile. She could see the two figures in the distance, and she knew that they wouldn't see her unless she tried to run.

Muspelheim. She mused as she walked. This was a realm that she was never allowed to research about, because Father had forbidden it. It was a dead realm, her Father had said. Nothing could live there anymore, and nothing grew there. It was like a dead zone.

But other than that, she was clueless.

She grinned and followed them down to the throne room. She was going to find out about this mysterious realm: one way or another.

Please review