Groaning, Rosamond pushed herself up. She had fallen asleep, and now bore the telltale creases on her face from the linens. She checked the light pouring through the window. Lucky she had woken up when she had, it was nearly time to get back to the Prince's cell with his dinner. She was sure if she had had enough time for a nap, he would be rested by now as well.
She rolled off the bed and stretched a moment before trying to straighten up her dress and hair. The time it took her to arrive in the kitchens once again was exponentially shorter now that she knew the route. She ordered a plain soup to be made and though the cook grumbled slightly she soon had the meal given to her on a carrying tray. Her stomach rumbled and she realized she hadn't yet eaten that day.
Deciding she'd join him in eating the soup, she gathered up two bowls, glasses, spoons, and filled a pitcher with water. She moved the crock of soup to one side and set the utensils in the middle, moving the pitcher to the other side to balance it out for easier handling. Picking it up carefully, she made her way down to the cell. By the time she reached the lower levels her arms were sore. As soon as she made it into the outer room she set tray and contents down on the table near the chair she had dragged close to the Prince's glass cage earlier.
"I am sorry to be slightly late your Highness. I hope you don't mind if I share some of the soup with you."
She moved her utensils off of the tray and ladled some soup into her own bowl before she replaced the lid, then poured some water into her own glass and looked over at him. Her eyes widened slightly. The Prince looked haggard and worn and something seemed to be amiss that she couldn't quite put her finger on.
"You may share the soup. It is of no matter to me." Loki said stiffly.
When Rosamond had entered the room he had thought it was Rufus, come back to torment him some more. He had been glad it was just the girl and had moved to sit up, hoping she couldn't tell what had happened in her absence. He could see perception in her eyes and narrowed his own, annoyed.
"Well, have you just come to stare at me then?" he asked.
"No, I apologize. It is just that..." she trailed off in thought. "Did that guard return after I left? I have not had a chance yet to speak to their Majesties about him."
Loki changed his opinion of her. She was more perceptive than he had given her credit for.
"No, he has not returned." he lied.
He wasn't about to tell a mere stranger his story of woe and torment. Not to mention it was extremely embarrassing and degrading what was being done to him.
She had a feeling he was lying to her.
"Fine then, my Prince. You do not have to reveal anything to me, even though I may be in a position to help you. I can see that you dread that guard's presence."
She gestured to one of the guards on duty to come and move the food tray into the cell. After the guard had left, she moved the table slightly closer to the big chair and sat in it. She kept her profile to the Prince. If he wasn't going to be forthright with her, she would leave him be. She brought a spoonful of soup to her lips and blew on it gently to cool it.
Loki could tell she was displeased, but there really was nothing she could do, and he wasn't about to tell her anything that intimate about himself. He looked hungrily at the tray. It was set near the glass wall Rosamond's chair was against. A couple of feet from the bed. He wondered if he could make it, as sore and hurt as he was. He decided it would be alright if he moved slowly, and she wasn't looking his direction anymore, so he could hide any signs of pain to get to the food. He stood up weakly and took first one agonizing step and then another toward the tray. He had almost reached it when his legs decided to give way beneath him. As he fell, he held in a whimper of pain as a wound tore open that had started to heal.
At the sound, Rosamond jumped up quickly, turning to see the Prince in a heap on the floor, and pressed a hand against the glass.
"Prince Loki! Something is wrong, I will send for a healer."
"No, I'm fine." He said as he grit his teeth and dragged himself up to a sitting position on the floor. "Please... don't."
He pushed himself up enough to heave his body into the chair at the table.
"Thank you for being concerned, but it's merely lack of nutrition, which you are seeing to." He gestured at the crock of soup.
There had never been many situations he could not lie himself out of. The last thing he needed right now was for anyone to inspect his body, to discover his shame. He pressed his thin lips together as he slumped forward slightly, too weak to keep his back straight. He could tell he was bleeding slightly again. He knew she was watching him and he feared he wasn't doing a very good job of hiding his emotions. Why did this girl make him feel so vulnerable? He was acting like such a fool.
"Either you can tell me what is going on, or I can go get a healer. Either way I feel like I should find someone to tend to you as I do not know how I can help."
"Please." He said quietly.
"Please what, Prince Loki? Tell me, how can I help you?" she said in her soft voice, wondering why he was so adamantly against a healer. She could see he needed one.
"Please refrain from doing anything. It is bad enough that you have to witness me in this state, I would be mortified if the entire realm knew of my condition in this cell and I don't need anyone moving me around, I just need to eat." Most of what he said was true.
"You are not understanding me. I need to help you, not only because it's in my job description but because I cannot stand to see another being in pain, and you clearly are. In pain, that is."
She didn't know why she was getting so worked up, she only knew that a helpless feeling had taken hold in her chest, and it was the feeling that she had vowed never to feel again. He wouldn't let her fetch a healer, but he desperately needed some sort of care. She curled the hand that was against the glass into a fist, wishing she knew what the right choice would be.
Unknown to her, a pale blue light formed around her hand and she gasped. It felt like energy was being pulled from her and she didn't know how to stop it's flow. She could feel what must be magic, as it sank into the Prince's body and reknit and healed everything that was amiss. She didn't know how to control it and she definitely didn't know how to stop it. She sank to her knees as the magic took more out of her and then it seemed to subside. The magic had fulfilled it's purpose of healing the Prince. Her red hair spilled forward around her shoulders as she bowed her head, unclenched her fist, and spread trembling fingers against the glass. She didn't know what would happen next and she took a moment to take a breath, not looking at the Prince.
Loki could feel the magic at once, having missed the security of his own, stripped of it in the cell that had charms and runes to guard against him accessing any of his ability while locked away. He watched as Rosamond fell to her knees, and then realized her magic was healing him. He stood up when she had finished, looking down at her bowed head on the other side of the barrier between them. He was puzzled and curious. She was indeed much more than she seemed.
"Interesting." His eyes lit up slightly as he appraised her.
Rosamond raised her face at his voice, her green eyes meeting his own. Strength was slowly beginning to return to her and she got off the ground enough to fall back into the chair, adjusting her dress then looking back to the Prince.
"I apologize for using magic your Highness, I hope you are not angry with me. I didn't mean to."
"I am not angry at all." he replied. "Did you know you could do that?" This girl was definitely something he could focus his attention on to pass the time down here. His mind, so long unused, was starting to whir back to life.
Rosamond brought one hand to her chest.
"No. I mean, the gift runs in our family but I have never shown any signs of possessing it. Only my brother did."
"Women usually discover that they have magic far later than men do. If you learn to control it completely you will have an advantage over others."
He thought about his magic, and how he wished he had it so he could break free from this prison and escape. They had put him here because he had strength of mind and gift.
Rosamond brought her hand down to rest with the other in her lap, wondering at his choice of words. He really thought that to have magic was to be better than others. She chose not to address that at the moment.
"Yes, well, it would be lovely to learn wouldn't it?" she mused. "However my Mother is long dead and the skills passed down for the female side of my family were lost with her I think."
Loki broke free from his thoughts and returned his attention to her. Such an interesting creature. Perhaps she would have use after all. If he could play the victim to such an extent that she thought she had no choice but to let him out, that would be most benificial.
"It is a new gift, it will take you time to master it. I am sorry to be locked in here. Otherwise I would happily teach you what I was able." He flashed a warm smile in her direction.
Rosamond couldn't quite tell, but she thought he may be up to something. Otherwise why the sudden change in attitude toward her? It surely could not be because she had healed him. Did he want to make her a pet project? She frowned and looked up at him intently.
"I am sure you would love to be free, but we shall both have to wait until your sentence ends." She thought she saw a flicker of anger in his eyes but she continued. "Whatever I just did wasn't very pleasant for me. It took it's toll on my energy and I could not stop it myself. I'm glad you were not in grave danger or I fear my body may have perished trying to lend energy to mend you." She paused. "I know all that it mended. I know what the guard must have done to you."
Loki frowned at her and his expression turned stony.
"All knowing? Then I will spare you the details. Say nothing of this to anyone or your life will be forfeit."
Rosamond tried not to shudder as a chill ran through her at his words. She had never seen this side of the Prince.
"I can't let him hurt you again. You are under my care and I am responsible for your well being. At least let me make up a story so that your parents will banish him from this realm. It is the least he deserves for preying upon you like that." She said the last heatedly.
His eyes narrowed into a glare and he shook his head.
"If you knew what this man has put me through, you would run; you would flee. Leave it alone."
"Then I shall just have to scare him into leaving myself if you won't give me permission to try and get him banished. Enjoy your meal."
Loki could only watch as she left the room as she spoke. She was going to get them both into a world of hurt and there was nothing he could do about it unless he was outside the cell in control of his magic.
"Foolish girl." he whispered, pressing his forehead against the glass.