Since I took so long to update the last chapter, I felt I should get this one out as soon as I could. Enjoy!

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Chapter Twenty

Ellie had been a captive for what she thought was about three weeks. Loki appeared every night in her dreams, but it was never the same as that first night. He had wanted her to live, to survive and endure the pain. He wanted her to escape and become the queen she was supposed to be. He wanted her to live without him. At first Ellie believed that she could do it. However, as time went on she became less convinced that she could do anything at all. She fought Helbindi every chance she had, but she was no match for his size.

Every day Ellie was brought out of her cell and made to wait on Helbindi and his giants. They constantly kept her moving, getting them whatever they desired. She was subjected to inappropriate touching and the words they whispered in her ears would make her stomach churn. The consequences were brutal no matter what Ellie did. If she fought back, Helbindi would use the back of his hand. If she allowed the other giants to touch her, he would beat her. Ellie knew she must bide her time until she could figure a way out. However, she was never alone and he knew about her magic.

The time came in the second week when she felt the time was now or never. She had just finished clearing his dishes from the evening meal and went to refill his wine goblet. Ellie could feel Helbindi's eyes on her the whole time. He had drunk quite a bit and she knew all too well what some men could be like. Angering him right off the bat would not help her cause, so she kept her distance and her mouth shut.

Helbindi's hand reached out and grabbed her so fast she didn't have a chance to jump out of the way. His hand encircled her waist. Ellie tried to wiggle her way out, but he was way too strong. He yanked her towards his chair and she was forced to be face to face with the monster. Ellie wanted to gag from the smell of alcohol on his breath. Trying to turn away he forced her to look at him again.

"You will be my queen whether you like it or not. You will do as I say whenever I tell you and you will have no say in the matter." Helbindi slurred.

Ellie was prepared for what came next. She knew this would be the most opportune time. As he pulled her in for a kiss, Ellie let go a burst of magic. It started out strong and quickly fizzled into nothing. Before Ellie even realized what was happening she found herself flat on her back on the table. The goblet went flying to the floor and Helbindi stood over her glaring down.

"I knew you would try something sooner or later." He wobbled slightly.

"Get off me!" Ellie screamed.

"I lost my concentration," he mumbled to himself and then looked at her with drunken determination. "Now I need to bind you a bit more permanently."

"Let go of me!" Ellie struggled underneath him, but he was just too large. No matter what she did, Ellie could not move the giant.

Helbindi started chanting dark words. A small tingle started to crawl across Ellie's skin and she knew something bad was going to happen. Helbindi continued and the words got darker while his voice grew deeper. The tingling turned into tiny pins pokes that evolved into burning across her flesh. Ellie screamed from the pain. Helbindi brought his hand up to her head and yelled out the final binding words. Ellie's power felt like it burst out from her body and she was left feeling utterly empty.

Helbindi released his stone grip and stood above her. "That will put an end to your power."

…..

Loki was finally moved back into his own chambers and struggled every day to get out of bed. He worried constantly because it had been three weeks since Ellie was taken. Frustration coursed through him not wanting to leave her in the hands of the giant king any longer than he had to. So he pushed himself everyday trying to get better, but it was going too slowly for his liking.

"Come!" Loki yelled out when there was a knock at the door.

"How are you doing today brother?" Thor asked as he entered.

"Not as well as I hoped," Loki said irritated. "The healing stones should be working faster."

"You were stabbed in the heart Loki," Thor said trying to calm him. "The healers said it would take longer for you to heal."

"I need to get her back Thor! She has been in the hands of those monsters for weeks!" Loki bellowed. "I cannot even comprehend the thought of what they may have done to her!" Loki growled.

"Calm yourself Loki. You died! I cannot believe that it would be easy to heal from that."

Loki hung his head letting out a long slow breath.

"We will get her back brother. You heard father. She belongs with you and the only way to get her back is with you at your best." Thor said grabbing Loki's shoulder. "We will do whatever it takes."

Loki looked up at his big brother and pulled him in for a hug. Patting Thor on the back he whispered, "Thank you brother. You never did give up on me."

"You have always been my little brother," Thor replied with a gentle pat of his own. "I may not have always thought about your feelings as we grew, but I never stopped caring about you."

Once Loki was alone, he managed to make his way into the wash room. He hoped that cleaning himself up would make him feel better. With a wave of his hand he filled the tub with warm water. A small smile played across his face as he remembered the look on Ellie's when she first saw him do it. Walking over to the mirror he glanced at his reflection. The scar on his chest had closed, but was still tinged red and angry looking. His heart ached as he remembered Ellie screaming and reaching for him as the giant pierced him.

Climbing into the warm water he let the water relax his stiff muscles. Holding his breath, Loki dunked his head underneath. The lack of sensation enveloped him as he stayed submerged. Loki thought about Ellie. About the time they spent together and fantasized about the time yet to come. Ellie was betrothed to him. He imagined their wedding. Ellie dressed in a beautiful gown. Then he had a flash of children running around him.

Loki flew out of the water and gasped for breath. He ran his hands through his hair and wiped the water from his face. Where did that come from? Children had never crossed his mind, but little ones that were a perfect blend of him and Ellie were easy for him to imagine. Ellie held an infant as he played with the older ones. Shaking his head, Loki tried to clear it. He bathed and dried himself off as quickly as his exhausted body would allow.

Crawling back into bed the picture of Ellie with the baby slipped right back to his mind. She looked so beautiful with a baby wrapped in a pink blanket. Two boys ran around his feet. The older was black haired like him and the younger was blonde like Ellie. Could he be a good father? After all the things he had done, could he teach his children the right way?

First he had to get back the woman he loved before he ever needed to worry about children. Loki rolled onto his side and looked at Ellie's side of the bed. He needed her there to help him heal. Reaching over to her side, he pulled her pillow to his face. As he stretched out on the bed his hand brushed something cold. He felt the thrumming of magic course through him. Searching for the object, he finally pulled out Ellie's pendant. He stared at it in disbelief for a moment. It must have fallen between the pillows while she slept.

As Loki held the pendant in his hand, he could feel Ellie's power coursing through the stone. It was so strong. Never before had it felt so intense. He pulled the chain over his head and the pendant rest on his chest. It touched right where Loki bore the scar. Instantly the stone started to get hot. So hot it began to burn. Loki reached to pull the pendant away, but his head and arms were thrown back. His body slowly rose off the bed as he cried out in pain.

Loki hung suspended as the power coursed through him. A purple glow filled the room. As quickly as the light appeared, it vanished and Loki's body fell back to the bed. He lay there confused for a moment and then slowly sat up in bed. Looking down at his chest, he was surprised to see the scar was healed and looked old as though he had it for years.

Thor and Odin discussed plans for rescuing Ellie once Loki was healed. It would be risky and they would most likely require assistance from their allies. Helbindi had already shown how powerful he had become; further proving their attempt may be futile. Suddenly the doors to the throne room burst open and Loki strode straight to Odin.

"We will leave immediately for the Jotunheim."

Both Odin and Thor stood with a look of shock on their face. Loki stood tall before them completely healthy and ready to kill.

Thor grabbed his brother by the shoulders. "What happened? You look like yourself again."

"I found Ellie's pendant in the bed. When I touched it I could feel her. I returned it to its rightful place and when it touched my chest, magic flowed through me and healed my wound." Loki pulled down his shirt.

Odin stepped over and touched the scar. "It is completely healed. How amazing." Odin grabbed the pendant and looked at it quizzically. "I can feel Ellie's power in the stone."

"I have never felt it like this before. How is this possible?" Loki asked almost panicked.

"If I am correct, I believe Helbindi has bound her powers with dark magic," Odin replied. "It seems the magic has bound itself to the pendant till it is released back to her."

"He has bound her magic!" Loki roared. "How can she protect herself? We need to leave now!"

"Patience my son," Odin began.

"I cannot be patient anymore!" Loki burst. "I am healed and ready to go. Ellie has been there for far too long. I cannot leave her there for one more second!"

"I understand Loki, but we need to organize and you need to calm down. Ellie will need you. She will need you to be focused. Helbindi has become extremely powerful and you will need to have your wits about you. You must focus your strength and power to defeat him." Odin said grabbing Loki's arm. "All your strength, all your power and all your love will bring Ellie back to you."

Loki nodded in acknowledgement. The last time he faced off with Helbindi he had been full of anger. When he saw Ellie in Helbindi's arms he had attacked with all his rage and had not focused on the situation. He understood what his father meant. Loki needed to maintain both control and focus. It would be the only way he could get Ellie back.

"Anson!" Odin yelled.

Anson stepped into the throne room. "Yes my lord?"

"Loki is ready. Gather our soldiers. We will be preparing to save the queen." Odin looked to Loki squeezing his arm with pride.

Anson bowed to Loki. "We are ready my lord. The warriors have been patiently waiting for this moment."

Loki nodded back. He realized how much the men really did care for Ellie. Within a short time all of the soldiers began to assemble outside the palace once again. Every available man showed up to help in the rescue mission. Frigga ran out of the palace followed by Jane and threw herself into Loki's arms.

"Loki! Thanks the heavens you are well again!" Frigga gushed. "I am so happy. How did it happen?"

Loki explained to his mother what transpired and she hugged him close.

"Now we can finally get Ellie back. Jane and I will be patiently waiting to take care of her with whatever she may need." Frigga rushed on.

"Mother," Loki said holding her at arm's length. "I have to fight to get her back first. I only hope that I am strong enough to do so."

"I know you will succeed. Have faith in the love you share," Frigga held her hand to Loki's cheek. "Love can defeat many adversities."

Loki smiled down at his mother. He knew he had so much love for Ellie, but he hoped she still felt the same for him. He could not imagine what Ellie may have had to deal with while a prisoner of the giants. Loki could only hope that they had not broken the woman he loved. Frigga kissed his cheek and went to Thor to say her goodbyes. Jane stood close unsure if she should approach so Loki walked over to her.

"I'm so happy to see you are better," Jane said.

Loki took her hand. "Thor told me what happened when I died. It seems I have you to thank for bringing me back."

"I don't think I did anything. We were all with you and then you were gone. All I could think of was Ellie and how you would never be together again and I….." Jane trailed off.

"What did you whisper into my ear Jane?" Loki looked Jane in the eye.

Jane stammered for a moment, but finally said, "That Ellie needed you. How much she loved you and that she needed you."

"Thank you, Jane," Loki said giving her hand a kiss. "You brought me back from the dead."

Jane threw her arms around Loki. "Get her back Loki. No matter what, please bring her back."

"I will," he said squeezing her back.

The men had finally organized themselves and prepared to transport to the Jotunheim. Everyone had the same goal in mind, to destroy the giants and bring back the queen.

….

Ellie lay on the cot in her cell with dried blood and tears on her face. One eye was swollen shut and she could barely see out of the other one. She wasn't sure, but she thought her left arm was broken. Never in her life had she felt so lost and alone. Even when Bill had beaten her it was never this bad. Bill may have bruised her face and her pride, but he never bruised her soul.

Ellie had lost all track of time. She waited on the giants day and night. They took away her nice clothes and forced her to wear rags. They verbally degraded her half the time and the other half they grabbed her inappropriately. Even though she had promised Loki in her dream that she would survive, Ellie started to lose all hope. It was obvious that Helbindi would end up killing her before she ever found a means of escape.

The worst came the night that Helbindi was up drinking with a few of the other giants. She stood in the corner as far away from them as possible only coming near when they motioned for her to refill their goblets. Ellie sensed that something bad was going to happen. Helbindi would not take his eyes off her and the tiny hairs stood up on the back of her neck.

Normally one of the other giants would throw her back into her cell when they were done, but when Helbindi grabbed her she knew. He pulled her back to his chamber with him and locked the door behind them. He let go of her arm and Ellie backed herself into a corner. She hoped he would just forget about her and pass out on the bed.

"It seems that the elves do not believe you are who I say you are." He grumbled as he turned back to her. "They seem to think that I am making this up. They will not even come here to check. No matter. I will make you mine."

Ellie tensed as he stalked towards her. All Ellie could do was scream. Helbindi hit her to shut her up. Finally she came to the realization that no one would help her. All Ellie could do was draw in on herself and pretend she was a million miles away. Now all she wanted was to join Loki in the afterlife.

….

"We are ready, Father." Thor moved to stand next to Odin.

"Excellent."

Odin wanted to move the army just outside the city before he transported them to the Jotunheim. The men moved quickly and seemed anxious to fight. They talked amongst themselves and Loki noticed how positive they all acted. This gave Loki hope. His father moved beside him and for a moment they were silent.

Finally Odin broke the silence. "You may not like what I have to say."

Loki sighed. "Yes, Father?"

"At first I would like you to stay out of the battle."

Loki turned quickly. "What!?"

"I know this will be hard for you, but I want you to stay in the background. We need to take down as many of them as possible because we have so few numbers."

"You know I cannot do that! The sooner I can reach Helbindi, the sooner I can kill him and get Ellie back." Loki growled.

"Our one advantage is they believe you are dead. The longer he is in the dark the more we are likely to succeed."

As Ellie lay facing the wall crying, trying to forget that night, her cell door flew open. She didn't even roll over to see who came in. Her only hope was it would be the time he finally killed her. Ellie was ripped up off her cot and dragged out of the cell. Before she knew it she was thrown to the ground at Helbindi's feet.

"Well it seems they have finally built up the nerve to come rescue you, little queen," Helbindi boomed over her.

Ellie flinched at the sound of his voice.

"They must have moved on from grieving over that little giant." Helbindi and the other giants laughed.

Ellie's chest constricted. She could not decide if she was happy that Odin had come to try and save her. If they succeeded and took her back, Loki would not be there.

"Gather the warriors! We will defeat this small army easily. Like stepping on bugs." Helbindi laughed.

Ellie curled up into herself and prayed the Asgardians would not be defeated. She hoped they would survive. Helbindi picked her up and held her up to his face. She could barely see him through her swollen face.

"You, my little elf, will come and watch the destruction of your beloved friends," Helbindi sneered at her.

Ellie did not know where it came from, but she took a deep breath and with all her hatred said, "I hope they kill you."

The back of Helbindi's hand came so fast. Blood ran down her cheek from the gash below her eye and she tasted blood from the cut in her mouth.

"You want to go back to your people. They will not take you back now. You are but a defiled little queen. So you are mine for me to do with as I please."

Ellie wanted to cry, but she turned it into a laugh. "I would rather die." Then Ellie spit in his face.

"That will be arranged once I am through with you!" Helbindi roared. "Now let us go and watch them die, shall we."