Chapter 4.
Loki stalked through the doors of his Chambers, his irritation with the day on him and he wanted to do some damage. His eyes scanned the room, the girl nowhere to be found and he walked into the Bathing Chamber, finding it vacant as well. He clenched his fists, wondering how she had run away again and he looked back at the bed. The draperies were closed around it, and he walked toward it and swept them aside to see her laying on it in a gown of Emerald and gold.
He stared at her, her pale hand curled next to her head on the pillow and the other one on her stomach as she slept. His eyes drinking in the vision and he was tempted to lay next to her, his fingers reaching for the hand on her belly and he touched the warm skin. He turned away from her, looking to see if she finished all the tasks he had given her and he saw the state of his rooms. He walked over to the door again, opening it and closing it loudly and she jerked awake. She blinked at him, climbing off the bed and she nearly tripped as her foot caught in her skirts. She folded her hands, looking at the floor and she stepped back as he walked toward her.
"I see you found my bed to you liking, perhaps you will lay in it tonight. Not be so stubborn, and acting as if I am a monster that stalks you in the night." He said and she shivered at the thought of being so close to him and so vulnerable. He walked to the bookshelves, seeing the books he wanted her to sort neatly organized and put away. His fingers running over the wood and checking for dust, he rubbed the fingertips together. And he folded his hands behind his back, turning to see her slip her feet into her shoes as quietly as she could.
"You did as I asked, very good Lorien. I also like your dress, the color suits you very much." He said, sitting down in a chair and she stood quietly against a wall. He watched her as she remained as still as a statue, her shaking becoming steadier and he stood and walked over to her. She stumbled backwards and she tried to duck away, his hands catching her and she did her best to not make eye contact with him.
"I am not an Ogre, nor do I like being treated as if I am one. I will not harm you, but I need you to understand your place. You belong to me, and will do so until I either marry, or grow weary of you." He said and she nodded.
"My place is as your whore Sir." She said, and he blinked at her and fought the urge to vomit at her words. "My duty to spread my legs for you and pray that I will not be given to other men when you tire of me Sir. I am to be a furniture until you have need of me."
"I should have that Maid dismissed for saying that. And I know you got those words from her, she should know quite well about warming a bed or two. She has three men she allows to rut with her." Loki said, walking away to the desk and she saw his hand rest on the desk near the Shock Stick. She took a sharp breath, he turning and seeing her eyes focused on the device and he pushed it into a drawer and he shut it hard. He sat at the table, folding a hand under his nose and she sank to the ground.
"Get off the floor, you are not an animal." He snapped and she stood, quickly to show obedience. He pointed at the other chair, and she sank into it. She felt that she could do nothing correct, and was now in terror that he would actually let the other men use her.
"Sir?" She asked, feeling bold and he looked at her. He gestured for her to speak, and she fidgeted with her hands. "What is my purpose here then, if I am not just a whore?"
"A whore is paid for the use of her body. And since I do not pay you, but own you, you are here to care for my chambers and break up the monotony that seeks to drive me to death by ennui." He said, her eyes falling on the table and he leaned forward. "You are meant to be a companion to me, not a place to use for my sexual needs."
"I understand, Sir." She said and he sat back in the chair, relief washing over her as he stared at her and he laughed to himself.
"You truly thought I wanted you for a bed warmer?" He said, his hand slapping the table as he laughed. She did not want to say any more, her fingers picking at eachother and he let out a breath.
"I am sorry Sir." She said and he regarded her. "I should never have thought so poorly of you."
"Forgiven." He said and she looked at him in shock. "But only because you admitted to your mistake openly. I did promise to show you the Gardens, if you finished all your tasks and did not attempt to run away."
"You did Sir. But the man from last night came looking for me." She said and he frowned, folding his hands and his face darkened. She worried at her fingers worse, he letting out a breath.
"It seems I will have to have further words with him. I will not have him skulking about out there, waiting to do something to my property when he has three girls of his own." He said, and Lorien stared at her lap. He rose from his seat and gestured for her to follow him, she falling in step behind and he turned before they left the room.
"Yes Sir?" She asked him, her eyes going wide and he grinned at her.
"Stay close, do not get lost or try to wander off. I assume that I do not have to explain to you how much better your situation is, compared to the other two that were brought here with you?" He asked and she nodded, he opening the door and allowing her to follow him as they went for a walk outside.
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They walked back to his chambers after she saw the Garden. It was so beautiful, with so many flowers and colors in bloom. The fresh air doing wonders for her, and the remnants of warm sun on her skin reminding her that she was still alive. It almost made her sad to think about how her sister would have loved to walk with her, and she hid her tears from Loki.
She stayed close to him, not wanting him to think she was planning to attempt an escape. The fear he and others gave her driving her to be obedient, and the promise of being allowed to go with him as he visited the Library and went for a ride a tempting reward for being well behaved.
She saw the other ladies of the Castle, their fine gowns on them and they turned ther eyes away from her as they walked past. She remembered the Maid's words that day, her place being lower than a frog in their eyes and Loki saw her lower her eyes. They spent most of the evening there, walking among the flowers in silence under their scornful gaze and they soon returned to his Chambers for the evening. Her stomach churned as she passed from the hall back into the rooms, her eyes falling on the white, silk shift on the bed and she knotted her fingers together in nervousness. He handed her the garment, and pointed to the Bathing Chamber and she went in to put it on.
When she emerged, she saw him standing before the fire and he walked toward her. She covered herself, finding the garment too revealing even if it went from her neck to her feet and he stood over her.
"It seems that you are still shy about me, that will fade in time." He said with a soft chuckle, her body trembling and she holding her arms through the long sleeves. "What do you think that I am going to do to you?"
"What... what the men were doing to that other girl Sir." She said and he took a step back from her, his eyes narrowing and she flinched in fear. He walked back to the bed, picking up the fur and giving to to her.
"You expect me to rape you like an unrefined animal, you are sorely mistaken about me. I would have thought that your opinion was greatly different, seeing as how I have given you clothes and been nothing but magnanimous toward you." He said and she took the covering from him. "Sleep where you feel comfortable, but do not leave these chambers."
"Yes Sir." She said, laying on the Chaise again, the hearth cold and she shivered from the lack of warmth. The angle her body rested at hurt her back, and she curled into a small ball on the settee. Her mind drifted to how soft the bed was, the warm blankets and sheets looking so very inviting and she remembered his words to her. She looked up at him, he on his side asleep and she licked her lips in deliberation. She slipped from under the furs, being slow and silent as she walked to the bed and she crawled up onto the mattress. Her fear growing as she lay down and slipped the blankets over her shoulders, feeling much warmer and comfortable instantly. Her eyes, growing heavy slipped closed and she slowly drifted to sleep.
Behind her, Loki felt the barely perceptible shift of the mattress and woke. He looked at the lounge, finding it empty and he sensed how cold it was without a fire on the hearth. He sat up, looking around the room for Lorien and cursed himself for trusting her to not run away. He stepped out of the bed in a rage, looking through the rooms and he growled to himself. He was going to let those men have at her for this, it would teach her a lesson in respect and he concentrated to change his clothes. His attire changed, his long coat and leather trousers making him look fearsome and he walked toward the door to fetch his property. A soft sigh and a whimper from the bed stopped him, and he turned to see a small lump on the other side of his bed. It shifted and he looked down as he walked to see her laying on her side under the covers.
His face fell, and he looked down at himself in embarassment that he did not look directly next to him for the girl. He concentrated again, returning his clothes to what they were and relaxed himself. He leaned against the bedpost, closing the heavy drapes on her side and letting her sleep on before laying down again to return to his rest.