Elizabeth woke to the morning sunlight streaming through the window. Her eyes were still red and sore from crying. She uncurled her sore body with a groan. She regretted sleeping on the hard stone floor. Her back would hurt for the rest of the day. She had a plan now. It had come to her last night when she was half asleep in the dark.
/
Loki was in a very good mood. He had slept well for the first time in a long time. Now he was on his way to Elizabeth's room. He knew she was awake. Her energy was vibrant and moving. He knocked on her door and was pleased to see she had cleaned her face and combed her hair after her messy breakdown last night."Shall we break our fast together?"
/
She shuddered a bit at his cold touch but placed her hand in his anyway. In order for her plan to work, he had to believe that she had given in to him. With a false sense of comfort, he might let her have a bit more freedom. Possibly even enough to give her the chance to escape.
The table was set for two again. On her plate, sat the black box. When they were both seated, she carefully removed the lid and withdrew the necklace. Loki watched her with anticipation. She rubbed the green gem in the center.
/
Loki watched her inspect the necklace. Her face seemed curious but her eyes betrayed her. She was stalling for time. For a moment, he was afraid that she could sense the magic within the stone. He dismissed this thought immediately as absurd. She was only a mortal.
/
I placed the necklace back into the box. I didn't want to surrender yet. I wanted a shred of my dignity to take with me on my escape. Loki looked at me confused and just a little angry. "I'm afraid that I do not do it justice. I am so plain for such an ornament."
"All mortals are plain." Loki said. "If you want something simpler I can change it. But even mortals deserve ornamentation fit for the king they serve. I am only trying to reward you." To Loki's further frustration, I placed the top back onto the box and turned to the food on the table. He was angry. I wondered if I had made the best choice. I couldn't go back on it now. I had decided.
/
They began their meal without a further word. When they were finished, she rose to leave. Loki rose as well, he grabbed her hand. "You will accept me as your master." The anger and impatience burned in his eyes. "Of course, I do." She said. Her voiced wavered and Loki knew she was lying. Her eyes met his. She was hoping desperately that he had believed her.
"You do not." He roared. She shrank back from him. "You were hoping to deceive me. You have forgotten who I am."
/
I was terrified of his wrath. I yanked my fingers from his grasp and ran. I ran through the palace and out of the door. I kept running farther into the forest. My adrenaline and fear fueled my legs.
/
Loki stood where she had left him. A small grin crossed his lips. She did not know that she was nowhere near her realm. He would let her run till she was tired. Then he would go and collect her. He still needed her to complete his plan to exact revenge. He turned and cleared the food from the table. He placed the necklace in his pocket once more. Then he strolled calmly to his library. He could still sense her energy and would keep track of her while he studied a few spells.
/
I was tired and my side had a stitch in it but I didn't want to stop. My feet were cut and bloody but the remaining adrenaline in my system helped dull the pain. I slowed to a fast jog. I had no idea where I was. The trees looming over me seemed to go on forever.
I was lost. I sat for a moment to catch my breath and get my bearings. I knew that moss grew on the north side of trees, but I didn't know where I was anyway. "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." I smiled weakly at my own joke.
I got up and started walking again. I didn't know how far I had gone before I broke down completely. I sat myself in the middle of the ground and let everything I had kept hidden flow out. I cried silently. I missed my family and my friends. At least when I was with the Avengers, I knew where they were and that they knew I was safe. I was tired and scared and lost now. And my damn feet hurt like hell! I let out a guttural bellow and threw a rock in my frustration.
/
Loki stood behind her as she cried. The small sounds that she made echoed somewhere within the part of him he kept hidden. She was homesick and lonely. Suddenly she flung a pebble off into the distance. He understood. She was angry at the world around her. At how unfamiliar it was. He understood. But he didn't want to. Pushing these unwelcome feelings back into the corner of his mind, he stepped forward and took hold of her arm.
/
I let him take me back without any resistance. I felt too tired from running and crying to fight him. He was gentler than he had been before when we reappeared in the stone palace. He left me in my room and locked the door again. I flung myself on the bed. I was ready to give up. To give into the hopelessness that tore at my heart. I lay there for hours before I finally fell into a sleep filled with shadowy monsters and twisted black trees.