The Verdant Prince

Chapter 16: Hide and Seek

           **** Contains graphic violent/gruesome scenes later in the chapter. If you wish to skip over it, read until you see this: ++ and skip over the text until you see another ++**** 

Home. The smell of fresh bread. Blooma, her hair braided back beautifully. Beside her a man and a woman. They looked fresh, clean and as if they were really glowing. I began walking towards them, my body feeling like feathers as I seemed to glide. There were no smells, no sounds, only the bright light and my family waiting. They were waiting for me, I could not let them wait any longer.

Suddenly a force began to pull me back, preventing me from pushing on towards the happy scene. I fought, and it resulted in me screaming vulgarly and kicking. But nothing changed as I was dragged back to the darkness.

-

"Y/N." Hissed a familiar brute voice. I exhaled slowly, remembering what I had done. I was on a chilled stone floor, barely any light shone through stone pillared cage-like corridor.

"What?" I asked, sitting up slowly and feeling my brain beat thunderously against my head.

"Where is Loki? Have you seen him?" Thor asked, scooting closer to me. It was only then I realized we had both been chained by our hands and feet to a heavy bolder in the middle of the cage.

"He was with me, he was unharmed." I explained. "What happened? How did you get captured while making little to no sound?" I asked, angry and confused. We were trained for five years to prevent ourselves from getting captured. How did every one of us succeed in doing so so easily?

"Spell. We hadn't heard anything, there was all of the sudden dark Jotuns and they had attacked all at the same time. All they had to do was rest their filthy hands on our heads and then there was nothing. I only awoke when the door was opened and they threw you in here," Thor explained quickly.

"I wasn't able to see which way we had headed. They took the horses, too," I said. My heart yearned for the comfort of Bjorn. Thor sighed, resting his head in his calloused palms. "Where are the rest of warriors?"

"Our prison, which is what I assume we are in, is side by side with the rest. They separated Orgnar and I. It's probably for the same reason they separated Loki and you." Thor said, gesturing towards the large stone door.

"And why is that?" I asked, resting my head against the cool bolder behind me.

"Too powerful, too smart, too bold," Thor trailed off, smirking softly as he continued. "Or at least I would think so. Judging by the galaxy looking bruises on your face, you did not yield- which of course you technically are not allowed to. My gratitude is extended to you," Thor said, opening his hands slightly. I nod my head to him.

"I knelt to yield and sliced five of their ankles. Long story short by the time the rest of them reacted they had been killed," I explained. Thor furrowed his eyebrows, rubbing the small bit of stubble on his chin.

"Do you think that is their weakness?" He asked.

"Yes. They dropped like flies when I did it. It's their soft spot," I stated and Thor nodded again. We were silent, both anxious and fidgeting with our hands.

"Why do you think they did not kill us?" I asked. Thor shifted, the glint of his armor reflecting off in the room.

"I have thought of that. There would be only three reasons." Thor said grimly. "One, they will enter us in an arena fight. We fight like dogs for money. Much like the Spartans in Midgard ages ago. Two, we are sold or kept as slaves. Or three, we are turned in to the King and slaughtered."