Chapter 2.1 A Test of Time Part 1

After making sure Loki was taken care of and properly fed, Thor helped him back onto his horse. He began to wonder if Loki's proposal was too good to be true, and frowned, silently climbing on behind Loki. He knew it was rash to accept Loki's proposal on the spot, but his gut told him to accept it, and his gut had never steered him wrong once in this life. His intuition was the reason he was even accepted into this guild in the first place, and it was the reason he, Freya, and Hogun were alive today. Although he didn't trust Loki, he understood that they would each benefit from this union.

It wasn't until later that night when they were setting up camp that he decided to question Loki further. His men were asleep and he was on first watch, so he sat up by the fire and tossed in a stick, looking over at the niouvi when he settled next to him. "Why are you awake?"

Loki wrapped his cloak around him a bit tighter, allowing the fire to warm him. "I've been kidnapped, assaulted, and have offered myself to a stranger, all in the same day. I won't be sleeping for some time."

Hearing this sent a pang of guilt through Thor and he frowned, hating that their world was so cut throat. "I… apologize, for my part in that."

The niouvi was surprised that Thor apologized, and relaxed a bit, knowing that he'd made the right decision by offering himself to Thor. "Thank you."

They sat in silence for some time before Thor finally spoke up, wanting to know more about why Loki made his decision. "Will you truly be alright living your life with someone who isn't a king or a noble? What do you have to gain from aligning yourself with me?"

"My freedom." Answered Loki, deciding that he would have to reveal a bit more of himself to Thor to gain more of his trust. "If I killed you in Jotunheim, the king would never let me leave his sight. I was forbidden to practice seidr, and if I went against the king's wishes, I would've been killed, just like the 10 wives that came before me."

He frowned bitterly then, relieved that he'd narrowly escaped being married off to the King of Muspelheim. "If I was to remain in Muspelheim, I would've met a worse fate. The kingdoms of Muspelheim and Jotunheim have never gotten along, and if I remained by the king's side, I would be nothing but a prized pet. That is a life I refuse to live; I'd rather die."

It troubled Thor to hear this - he already felt some form of attachment to the giant now that they'd agreed to get married - and he frowned, looking away from the fire. "And if I refused your proposal?"

"Then I would've determined a way to escape, and survived on my own for as long as possible." Answered Loki. In reality, if Thor had refused his offer, he just would've worked his charms and tried harder, completely confident that he would win over the Aesir before arriving in Muspelheim.

Loki's answer surprised Thor, and he admitted that he found the niouvi's tenacity admirable. "You should try and sleep, Loki. No one will touch you if you do so."

Although he didn't doubt this, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep. There'd been too many upheavals in his life today and although he was certain he'd be okay, that didn't mean his mind and body would suddenly relax. He was still on edge, and ready to defend himself if needed. "Sleep will find me another night, Aesir."

The pair sat in silence until it was time for one of Thor's men to take watch next, and after being relieved from his duties, Thor ended up staying up with Loki, hoping to make him feel more comfortable. He'd done enough to the man and the last thing he wanted was Loki being in fear that he would be harmed.

Loki was surprised that Thor stayed up with him, and it did make him feel more secure about the decision he made. Although he was a very calculating and seductive being that could get out of any situation with his skillful delivery of words, that didn't erase the minute fear that crept up in him when he made risky decisions.

He and Thor ended up staying up the entire night, and although they were both exhausted, Thor knew they needed to leave at sunrise. The king undoubtedly knew that Loki had been kidnapped now and they were still in the kingdom of Jotunheim, which meant that they could be captured at any time.

Waking up his men, Thor told them to begin to get ready, letting them know that they would ride until they were no longer in the kingdom of Jotunheim. It would most likely take all day, but it was something that they needed to do, as if they got caught, they would all be killed.

He and his men rode until sunset that same day, stopping only when their horses couldn't ride anymore. They set up camp near a river and killed a deer for dinner, roasting it over a fire and distributing it equally amongst them all. Loki was beginning to resent the fact that he was poorly dressed for this journey, and knew that he needed to bathe. He usually bathed every night, but since he was kidnapped two nights ago, he hadn't had the chance.

Bathing in front of Thor's men was something he didn't want to do, and he thought long and hard about how he would be able to cleanse himself. The young lad Leon had been shooting him daggers every chance he got, and Loki didn't doubt that the second they were out of Thor's sight, Leon would try to harm him. If he killed the young man, that would turn Thor's men against him, and they might demand that Thor not go through with marrying him, thus trapping him in Muspelheim.

And that couldn't happen.

Thor noticed that Loki's eyes kept flitting back and forth between the river and his meal, and he observed him for sometime, wondering what was wrong.

Finally, Loki shifted his eyes up to Thor's, still feeling a bit apprehensive about this situation he'd placed himself in. "I need to bathe and change my clothing."

"When you're finished eating, I'll take you down the river so that you can bathe in its shallows. Will this work?" Asked Thor, making sure to keep his voice low.

They stared off for a few seconds before Loki nodded in relief, resuming his meal. "...Thank you."

The pair sat in silence throughout the duration of their meal, and once they finished, Thor let his men know that he would be back shortly. They all shot him curious looks but otherwise gave him his privacy, so he walked with Loki until the camp was far in the distance. "You are free to bathe, now. I wish I could offer you some clothing, but I don't have any spare shirts or pants."

Loki tossed his hand, not bothered. "I can summon some clothing via seidr." He then removed the cloak and his nightshirt from his body, wading into the chilling water. He thought about summoning soap and lotions with perfume, but decided against it, knowing that he needed to look as haggard as possible before they arrived in front of King Surtr. If he looked too prim and proper, it would look suspicious and that would make it that much harder for Thor to take him away.

He also decided against washing the cloak and the nightshirt he'd been captured in, knowing that they needed to remain dirty and covered in sweat. He would dress himself in these before being presented in front of the king, to avoid rousing suspicion.

Inhaling deeply, Loki allowed himself to go under the water, and remained underneath the water for a few seconds, allowing it to wash over him and relax him. He finally emerged from the water and ran his hand through his wet hair, looking over at Thor. It did surprise him to see that Thor had his back turned to give him privacy, and he smiled softly, feeling a bit better about his decision. If nothing else, it seemed that Thor would take care of him and treasure him dearly, which was nice.