Her body shook as something bumped against her, and she felt lips against hers amd a tounge forcing them open. Her eyes shot open to see a knife through a mass of blonde hair, the mouth on hers feeding her oxygen and she felt someone tear at her bonds. Something dragged her to a cave, holding her close as they towed her along and she wanted to fight them to swim to the surface. Her arms screamed in agony at being bound for so long and, giving her no option but to be hauled through the water by the beings with her.
Her face eventually breached the water in a grotto, and her head swam as she was laid on the dry sand and she coughed. She gasped in air, oxygen filling her chest and she closed her eyes and panted as two men and a woman leaned over her. She reached up to touch the face of the woman, her golden hair so pretty and she coughed again before the other woman could touch her.
The gag around her neck was pulled away, and she sat up slowly and collapsed back against one of the men. Her head swam and she shivered as they held her close to warm her up, her eyes watered and she looked at the Merfolk in gratitude. The female of their group looked at her dress and touched her legs, lifting her tail and she said something in their language. One of the men touched her hair, and she scooted away in fear. They backed away, but they thrilled in their language and motioned for her to remain calm and she laid back on the sand and coughed again. Her eyes felt heavy suddenly, and she saw one returning to the water. A series of low sounds filled her ears and she let herself drift, her eyes closing and she savored the air around her.
"Thank you." She whispered in a raspy voice, her eyes closing and she felt someone combing her hair gently as she drifted away.
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Loki arrived at the spot, his eyes widening in horror as he dove into the waves and he swam toward the post. He reached it, seeing a rope floating from it and a tear of blue cloth from the dress she wore the previous day.
His blood ran cold, realizing that he was too late and he breached the water and screamed in rage. He swam back to the shore, falling into the sand and he closed his fists in it, throwing some back toward the water and he screamed his grief to the tide.
She was gone, his heart with her and he hated Varka for what she did. He pressed his face to the grains, leaning back and he felt the wind tug at his hair as it whipped around him. Tears burned his eyes, and he glared at the sun as he rolled onto his back and screamed again.
"BITCH!" He raged, pulling a knife from his boot and regaining g his feet. He began walking back toward the Castle, his blood yearning for revenge on the one who caused all this. He was going to cut the throat of the woman who stole Lorien from him, and he began walking with purpose as his feet sank in the grit.
His rage guided him, and he would show everyone the monster they made.
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Frigga smiled at the Merman as he informed her of the rescue, she handed him the bracelet from her wrist in gratitude and he told her that the three that rescued their woman would be returning her to the shore soon. Inge watched the Queen, and she stared at the tail of the man in wonder. Her eyes glued on the blue-green scales of the appendage and she blinked at it. The Merman took his treasure, returning to the ocean and Frigga walked back to the child and picked her up.
"Your sister is saved!" She said, her voice happy and Inge cheered from under the borrowed cloak. They both mounted the horse, the little girl giggling and they started along the shore toward the spot where Loki said the post was.
"We did it Mother! We saved Lorien!" Inge said, Frigga's eyes going wide at what the child called her. She let it go, but smiled in joy at hearing another child call her by that word and she hugged the girl close. She kissed the top of Inge's head, urging the horse forward to tell Loki that his wife still lived and that all was well.
She knew that the Guard would want his horse back, and she hurried along as the horse began trotting through the sand and she hummed a tune to the little girl as they rode. Her eyes fixed down the shore, Inge holding onto her and she smiled at the little girl.
"Did we save Lorien's baby too?" Inge asked her amd Frigga froze in the saddle, her eyes staring at the child and she blinked in shock.
"What did you say?" Frigga asked the child and she watched Inge for a moment. The little girl looked worried, amd she bit her lip the same way Lorien did when she worried.
"I saw a letter from a Healer with Lorien's stuff. The letter said she was with child, and that she should be careful to not hurt it during the challenges." Inge confessed, her eyes wide. "I had to ask another lady what "with child" meant, and she told me that it meant that a Lady had a baby in her belly."
"Norns!" Frigga gasped, covering her mouth and she blinked back tears and a lump in her throat. Loki was to be a father, she had saved two lives that day with her quick thinking and she had to catch her breath. Inge patted her cheek, and she looked at the child.
"How did the baby get inside Lorien? How does it come out?" She asked and Frigga put a finger to her lips to silence her.
"You should not snoop through another person's things Dear, and those questions will be answered when you are older. For now, we have to hurry and make sure your sister is well, hold on tight Darling." Frigga said, kicking the horse and racing down the beach. She prayed that all would be well, using her own magic to protect the most precious jewel in all of Asgard as she rode on.
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Lorien woke, laying on warm sand and she sat up and looked at the Merwoman sitting near her. She blinked, her eyes feeling awful for a moment and she slowly let her head stop spinning before attempting much else, blinking at the water. She wrung out her sodden dress, sighing at the numerous tears and knowing that it was ruined. The woman stared at her legs, touching them suddenly and lifting her dress to see more of her.
"Please!" Loried said, covering her legs and blushing deep crimson before too much of her was exposed to the strange creature. Realizing she was only curious, she carefully stood up and lifted her skirts to just above her knees so her companion could see her legs. The woman touched one of them, her webbed fingers gliding over them and she smiled up at her. She gestured to her tail, the green scales shining in the sun and Lorien touched it gently.
"Beautiful." She whispered, her eyes falling on the blonde woman and she smiled. Her eyes fell on her wrist, and she saw a bracelet of shells and beads around it. Her hair was braided as well, a few more shells added into it and Lorien removed the comb from her hair and put it into her friend's. The woman smiled, kissing her cheek and tried to give it back but she refused. She put it back into the Merwoman's hair, her hands lingering over it and she nodded.
"Thank you. You saved my life, it is yours." Lorien said, and the Merwoman smiled and kissed her cheek. She laughed, her teeth pearly and white, and she gestured to her abdomen. Lorien blinked, not understanding for a moment and the woman gestured as if she were holding a baby. She understood then, her eyes smiling amd she covered her own belly and gestured back the same way to her new friend. They touched each other's stomachs, and both women smiled at sharing their news with one another.
A Merman splashed out of the water, pulling himself onto shore and the woman said something in their language to him. He smiled, moving close to her and he held her belly in his hands. Lorien understood that he was the father of her child, and she smiled at him as she shared their joy. She looked down at the skirt of her dress and sat up on her knees, they both regarded her with slight interest and Lorien saw something shiny in the sand.
She crawled toward it, picking it up and she pulled a skein to gold thread from the loose grit. She held it in her hands, blinking a moment and her eyes went wide in realization that Loki had been there to rescue her. She held the thread, her heart pounding and she held it to her chest and she stood up. If he had been there, and was now gone, he thought her dead. She looked at her new friends, they both curious as to what she was doing as she walked along the beach. She looked back at them, her eyes wide and she waved to them both.
"I have to go! He thinks I am dead!" She said and they nodded as if they understood her. The woman waved, touching her belly again and she kissed her fingers toward her in a blessing for her child. Lorien did the same back, and they waved for her to leave, the both of them moving back to the water and swimming away. She started walking, being careful for her feet and shedding her stockings as she walked to make it easier for her to move. She walked on, her direction the Castle and she soon found hard earth under her feet. Her eyes fixed ahead, and she moved to stop Loki from making the mistake of marrying the murderous Princess.
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Loki stormed through the Castle, his rage growing and he opened the doors to his chambers. He walked to a cabinet, opening it and he looked in at the array of swords and knives at his disposal, his glee showing as he selected an ornate dagger and a whetstone. He began to sharpen it, his anger bubbling over and he sat at the table as he worked. He was in no hurry, he knew where the murderess was, and he wanted to make sure that he had a knife sharp enough to make her scream before he finally cut her throat.
His hand worked the blade over the stone, his eyes on it as he sharpened it. His memories of the woman who had made him feel whole the only thing he had left, her soft voice echoing through his head. Her perfume on the pillow laying on the bed behind him, and he swore he heard her ghostly laugh echoing through the chambers.
He studied the blade, running his thumb over it and grinned as it opened the flesh. This was his tribute to her, and he would ensure there was no doubt that not a single person would never forget the wrong done to a kind natured woman that day. He stood up, walking toward the Great Hall and flipped the knife in his hand and grinned in demented zeal.
He was going to make them pay, all of them.