Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel-characters!
AN: You may have noticed that I upped the rating. I just don't want to take any chances or risks. Let me know if you think this should have an M-rating or if a T-rating still suffices. Thank you so much for you reviews! I hope you'll enjoy chapter 3.
~ Fields of Blood ~
Chapter 3
"Thor?"
Loki didn't understand. He pushed himself into a sitting position as he tried to get a better view of his brother and ignored the excruciating pain flooding his body. Why had those damned men kicked him so? What had been the point of it? Had it been torture just for the sake of torture? Loki sucked in a deep breath. His body felt as if it was on fire. He needed a moment to recollect himself and he swore he would not throw up. He would not throw up!
He threw up.
His vision blurred and he screwed his eyes shut. He could feel tears sting them. Inhaling deeply, he swore he would get a grip on himself now. Very cautiously, he opened his eyes and moved his gaze up. Much to his relief he found Thor still standing in his cell.
"What are you doing here?" Loki asked with a raspy voice. A thousand thoughts invaded his mind, but none of them made sense. At this very moment, Loki wasn't even sure if Asgard still rotated around the sun. "Did they capture you as well?"
Thor remained absolutely quiet. His piercing blue eyes sharpened as his hand reached for something in his belt. Only then did Loki see the dagger that was attacked to his leather belt. Thor took it into his hand and stepped forward. Loki felt relieve flood his body. They could escape.
"We can get out of here," he breathed.
Yet Thor seemed to have something else planned. Loki wasn't sure why, but he was suddenly frightened. He was absolutely terrified of his brother. Was Thor angry with him? Had he done something? No, he thought, if anyone was to blame, it was Thor! Loki forced to calm down. Getting all worked up would only cause him more pain.
"Thor, what are you doing?" He asked calmly.
Thor scowled and with one smooth movement, he raised the dagger and brought it down on his little brother.
Loki screamed.
Pain exploded from his face where the blade had cut his skin. Loki fell back onto his bed and quickly pressed his hands against his cheeks and nose. He felt sick in his stomach when he felt his hands wet and warm with blood. All sound got stuck in his throat. What the hell was going on? What madness had gotten into his brother?
"Thor?" Loki shrieked, pressing his hands against his face again. He knew he needed to stop the bleeding. "Thor, please stop. Please."
Thor laughed hollowly and maniacally. Loki had never before heard something so disturbing. He knew he could never fight his brother so he curled up into a ball and held his breath for as long as he could. He knew he was being weak and deplorable.
The noise around him disappeared and for some reason Loki believed Thor was gone. Slowly he dared to look up. There was no one.
He was all alone.
He kept breathing hard and his heart was beating erratically. He dared to look at his hands and found them completely dry. There was no blood on them. No fresh blood anyway. With trembling fingers, he touched his face and found that he wasn't cut. He let out an empty, cracked laugh. His mind was playing tricks on him.
Thor was not there and he had not attacked him.
Loki was fine. He was absolutely fine. He blinked and exhaled slowly. He knew now was not the time to lose his mind. He had to keep his head together. Loki closed his eyes and pressed his face into the soft matrass while he was still curled up. He felt ridiculous, but he didn't care. He wished he was back home. He wished none of this was happening!
A soft, warm hand caressed his sore cheek.
Loki instinctively jumped away from the touch and found that his back was pressed against the wall. He had been in this position before and it hadn't proven to be any use back then. Loki felt trapped, he felt insecure and most of all, he felt crazy. Surely that was his mother sitting next to him. It couldn't be!
"Look at yourself," Frigga purred. She stretched out a hand as if to caress his cheek again, but Loki would have none of it. He slapped away her hand. "You look awful, sweetheart, and just repulsive." She dropped her hand and a scowl now filled her usually amiable face. There was nothing left of her kindness. "You disgust me. You dare to call yourself my son? You are not fit to be a prince. How easily broken you are."
Loki placed his hands against his ears and refused to listen to her words. He also refused to look at his mother so he closed his eyes.
She was not real. She was not real. She was not real. She was not real. She was not real!
When he dared to look again, Frigga was gone.
He didn't know when it had happened, but Loki felt tears stream down his face. Even though he knew his mother wasn't real, he couldn't help but believe her words. He was weak and pathetic. Why was he breaking down so easily? Because he was a worthless and useless son of Odin! He was sure Thor wouldn't be crying like a lost, little child right now.
Loki lay down, pulled his knees up to his chest and refused to open his eyes again. Not even when he heard his father's voice, because Odin was not real either.
Right?
~ 0 ~
Thor could not believe his father refused to hand over the Infinity Gauntlet. He understood that Odin had to think of Asgard first, but this was Loki they were talking about. Would Odin truly let his youngest son be tortured for the sake of Asgard? Thor refused to believe it.
Still, now that they knew it was Arta Sigdanson who had Loki, they could start their search. Arta was apparently a well-known man amongst elder lords. He was often spotted at local markets or in the outlying regions of Asgard. All that Thor needed to do was go to those lords - their allies - and ask them if they had recently spotted Arta.
It was a desperate manner to find Loki and it would consume a lot of time, but it was the only way. But how else could they organize their search? Asgard was a vast realm and Arta could be anywhere. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
No, Thor reprimanded himself, you sound like you've already given up hope!
Finally he reached the stables and he was pleased to find the Warriors Three and Lady Sif waiting for him. They were accompanied by another forty guards who would join him in his search for Arta and Loki. Thor didn't bother to greet everyone properly.
A servant rushed towards him and motioned to hand over weapons and food. Thor quickly snatched it from the young servant's hands. He knew he was being rude, but he simply could not care. He had more important things on his mind than remembering his manners.
He took the reins of his already saddled horse and mounted it.
"Ten guards will head east, another ten will go west," he ordered, surprised to find his voice authoritative and harsh. He sounded like his father. "Ten will go to interrogate the lords in the north and another ten will head south. There will be no resting. I want Arta Sigdanson and my brother found. Today."
"Yes, my Lord," a guard said.
Thor watched them all leave. The sound of so many horses galloping away was deafening.
"And what will we do?" Sif asked. She wore her battle outfit, but this time she appeared to be carrying far more weapons than usual. A black eye made her appear even tougher. Clearly she wasn't taking any risks this time.
"We will return to place where Loki was taken," Thor explained, "and hopefully we can pick up a trail from there."
"Sounds like a plan," Fandral said.
~ 0 ~
Loki didn't know how or when it had happened, but somewhere during the night he fell asleep. When he woke, he felt relief flood his body. He was all alone. There was no angry Thor, no cruel Frigga or disappointed Odin. The Warriors Three weren't shouting at him and Sif wasn't trying to kill him anymore.
He was completely and utterly alone.
He let out a heavy breath he didn't know he'd been keeping inside.
The pain of being kicked was still very much present, but Loki felt he could handle it better. He didn't feel like throwing up anymore so he supposed that was positive. He was hungry and thirsty though. He couldn't remember the last time he had properly eaten.
His eyes fell on the waterskin lying near the door. It finally dawned on him. How could he have been so stupid? Loki wanted to smack himself on the head, though that would be a bad decision since he was already in enough pain. The hallucinations had started right after he had emptied that waterskin! He should never have touched that water!
It made him wonder what the endgame was. Why would they first kick him so severely first only to make him hallucinate afterwards? The answer was very obvious, but since Loki's head had taken a few blows, he was taking longer on figuring things out. Clearly his attackers were trying to break him physically and mentally.
Loki feared for what else they had in store for him.
He prayed for someone to find him. Was his family even looking for him? Loki dared not to think about it too much.
His cell-door opened and Loki sat up on his bed. His whole world began to spin around, but he constrained himself from groaning. Three men entered and Loki instantly recognized them. He hated them and he wanted to slit their throats!
The three men eyed him evenly and Loki stubbornly stared back.
"Did you enjoy the water?" the brawny man asked before smirking sadistically.
"It was wonderful, thank you," Loki replied coldly.
"Then I hope you're ready for the next part," the tallest of the men said. He stepped forward, together with the brawny man, and grabbed Loki's arms once again.
Loki couldn't help but think about yesterday. When they had grabbed his arms then, they had kicked him until he had been almost unconscious. He desperately struggled against their grip, but it was difficult since his wrists were still tied together.
His heart skipped a beat when the third man removed his shirt. Loki dreaded to think what they would do to him now. When he saw his own bruised torso, he felt sick in his stomach.
"What are you doing," he asked with a weak voice, "let me go. Please, just let me go."
"We have received orders," the tallest man said, "and we never disobey."
Two men were still holding his arms tightly and now forced him to kneel down. Loki struggled with every fiber of his being, but he knew it was pointless. Then he realized he had no longer a visual of the third man. He was standing behind him and Loki turned his head as far as he could.
His eyes widened with terror and he no longer remembered to breathe.
"No," he whispered weakly, "no, please."
The third man held a long, black whip.
"Hold him tight," the third man ordered, "make sure he cannot move."
Loki felt every muscle in his body tense. He tried once again to break free of the other two men's grasp, but he failed. Knowing he could do nothing to stop it, he let his head fall forward and he closed his eyes. He prepared himself for the worst.
The first time the whip sliced his back, he bit down on his lip and refused to make any sound. He managed to remain silent for the first three lashes. The fourth time, however, he whimpered and the seventh time he let out a smothered sob.
By the tenth time, he screamed his lungs out.
He didn't know how many more followed.
AN: Please let me know what you think! Too much torture (it serves a purpose though)? Too much Loki angst?