Why Even Try (Book 1 of 4)

Chapter 38 - What Do We Do Now?

Trying to carry myself as I usually do, and remembering that I have an illusion, I greet and nod amicably at those who acknowledge me. Everything is fine until I turn a corner and see Loki chatting with Ylva. He turns to me and his face turns from indifference to wide-eyed horror.

Damn! He can see through the illusion, but she cannot. Walking passed them both I smile and bid them good evening. Loki's eyes and gaze follow me from the moment he saw me until I disappear around the corner. He is speechless at my appearance, and cannot even say 'good evening' to me. I wish that I could have teleported, but it's taking so much of my power to keep up the illusion that I am fine.

Ylva is upset because she has lost his attention, and she reaches up at touches his face to turn it back to her.

"How dare you touch me you vile creature! Get out of my sight and out of the palace! Throw her from court too" His yelling has brought guards, who immediately take her away for touching a Royal. Quickly he moves in the direction I went but he cannot find me.

In that condition she could not have run or gotten far...What could have happened to her? I need to help her before anyone else sees her.

Once I heard Loki yelling at Ylva, I was able to drop my illusion, teleport to my room and curl up on the floor in front of the fireplace and begin to cry while trying to catch my breath, but each inhale and exhale hurts which leads me to believe I have some broken ribs. Everything on my body hurts, and I manage to crawl into the bathroom to begin to remove my clothes, but I need help. My tears are tears of relief; I am home, and no matter how badly my condition is, I survived.

Mom! Help me, I need you... bring Eira NOW! I'm in my bathroom...something terrible has happened.

Loki has gotten to the residence door and begins to pound; which startles me.

"F/n, are you in there?" He asks as gently as he can. "You know I saw through your illusion...darling you need help." He continues to pound harder and harder until my mom appears with Eira.

"F/N!!!! OPEN THIS DOOR NOW!!" Loki shouts even louder. His shouting is terrifying to me after my ordeal and I put my hands to my ears to block him.

"Your Highness! Please, step away and get a hold of yourself!" Kathalia says and pulls him away.

She places her hand on his chest to keep him in the hallway and gives him a knowing look, she knows he is concerned, but she knows that he and I are not on the best terms, and the possible sight of him will upset me more. She motions for Eira to go in, unlocking the door with a spell.

"My Prince... Loki, look at me" she says, and pulls his face so his eyes are looking in hers. "I know you are worried, but let us figure out what happened and what is wrong first, and then I will update you. All I know is she called to me for help and requested I bring Eira."

"But you don't understand.... What I saw through the illusion, I..... I cannot get that image out of my mind, her bruises, and .... Blood, torn clothing...please let me help."

"I understand, my boy, please....wait here." She says and allows him to enter the sitting room and plays his words over in her mind.

She closes the door to my bedroom and casts a spell to keep him out. Loki sits on the couch and uses a spell to start a fire in the fireplace.

Mother! Something horrible has happened to F/n! Please come! I am in their apartment.

On my way darling, your father and Thor just left and are investigating something awful that happened in the village. They may need you to help them.

Frigga arrives quickly and tells Loki that Thor and Odin had been summoned by the Village guard to investigate an attack that happened earlier in the night. Two people were killed, and a female was badly injured but refused medical help.

"I know mother..... I think F/n was the female" Loki says and begins to cry.

Frigga puts her arms around her son and comforts him as best she can. Loki explains where he was and what he saw through the illusion and it makes him so sick he vomits. Sif, Fandral and Hogan come running down the hall to our residence and Loki lets them in. They just heard about an attack in the village and were going to help and they wanted to see if Loki and I wanted to go to. Before Loki can answer, Thor and Odin appear and enter the apartment too.

"Odin," Frigga says, "what information did you find?"

"Mother, ..." Thor says, and simply holds out his hand that holds my dagger.

It takes less than a moment for all of them to realize what happened, and that I was the female that was attacked. Loki reaches and takes the dagger from Thor and see the traces of blood on it. He knows that I wouldn't have left it, had I not had to use it. He rolls the handle around in his hands a bit, then vanishes it.

"Oh Loki" Sif says, and moves to sit by him on the couch and places an arm around his shoulders.

"Apparently she and a court gentleman named Marek were on a date, and as they were heading back to the palace they were dragged into an alcove and attacked." Odin begins, "F/n managed to stab and kill one of the assailants; the dagger was buried in his heart. Two got away but are badly injured, it will not take long to find them."

"What about Marek?" Fandral asks, "I would think that any gentleman would be concerned about a lady and he would be here to check on her...unless he is receiving medical attention."

"Marek's ... dead..." Thor states in a deadpan voice, and everyone looks to him. "His throat was slit, we figure that F/n just barely got away. How is she?"

At that moment, Kathalia walks out of my room with Eira, and says that she has placed me in an enchanted sleep for a bit to rest. Both women are slightly surprised to see all the people in the sitting room, helping themselves to drinks.

"Her injuries are substantial, and cannot be healed in one setting, it may take a few days or even weeks." she begins and her voice catches.

Eira moves over to put her arm around her, and Hogan does the same. She reaches over and puts a hand on Loki's shoulder and he turns to her, while reaching up and squeezing her hand.

"She has black eye, a broken nose, a broken right arm, numerous cracked ribs, bruising on her neck like she was choked, her lip is cut, a bump on her head and it appears as though she was...." She chokes on a sob, "ravaged..." she begins to cry in earnest and Loki drops his head to hands, and curls up onto his mother's lap. The rest of everyone in the group moves to comfort Kathalia.

"Ummm... Lady Kathalia," Thor begins, "this was also found at the scene..." and he holds open his hand that shows the silver bracelet I wear and she takes it from Thor. "It looks as though it was ripped from her wrist."

"Can I see her?" Sif asks and Kathalia nods.

Thor, and everyone else ask her to tell me that they are thinking of me and will visit soon. They are going to head back to their sitting room. Loki gets up from the couch, and Odin gives him a pat on the shoulder.

"Loki, my son," Odin begins, "you cannot do anything for her here, go and be with your friends. You know that Kathalia will let you know if anything changes." Loki nods absently, even though he has no intention of going with them.