Loki X Reader : Forged Anew - CH 15

    Thor was on a mission.  The past few days since he’d spoken with his mother had turned up nothing but dead ends, but today he swore he’d find someone willing to tell him the truth about Danethar.  Someone had to know what really lie behind the arrogant smile and over-confident attitude; Thor suspected something truly ugly lurked in the shadows.
    And speaking of people with dark secrets to hide…he almost forgot about his task to keep an eye on Loki.  Ever since this trouble with Danethar started, he’d given up discovering what his brother was up to.  Mostly because it didn’t appear he was up to anything.  Hel, at this point Thor almost believed that he had nothing to do with the rumor about the warriors.  Loki specialized in lies- what would he want with spreading the truth?  And since Heimdall hadn’t reported anything unusual on his watch, Thor found he had better things to do than play babysitter.
    “You okay, Thor?”  The sound of Timar’s voice brought him back to the present.  “You look geared up for a fight.  Not sure if I want it to be against me.”
    “No, Timar, I was just…” he saw Danethar with his two cronies strut by and his scowl deepened.  Timar must have noticed.
    “I see.  Well, I don’t say I blame you there.  Those three are turning into a real menace- giving the rest of us a bad name.”
    Thor turned to his friend, somewhat taken aback to hear the man speak so forcibly against the other warriors.  What cause would Timar have to form that opinion?  He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow in question.
    “In what way?”
    “A few days ago, I invited them to my home,” Timar began in a strained tone.  “I noticed that Eckert was gone for a while, and went to look for him.  Thor, I found the bastard cornering my maid, Marie, in the upstairs hall.  He claims she invited him up there, but I know Marie…she never would do such a thing.”
    Thor said nothing, letting the man continue before asking any questions of his own about the situation.
    “What’s worse- Danethar and Eckert just laughed when I told them we’re not supposed to take lovers with our servants.  Laughed when I accused Eckert of pressuring Marie.  Like they didn’t even care.  After they left, the poor girl nearly quit, and my wife forbade me from ever inviting those three to our home again.  She said she’s heard enough about them from a few of her friends.”
    So he’d wasted all this time looking for information about Danethar when it was all so very close to him.  Thor cursed himself for not having asked Timar his thoughts on Danethar sooner.  He might have had all the proof he needed by now if he had.  But dwelling on it wouldn’t get him anywhere.
    “Why didn’t you inform me of this, Timar?”
    Now the other warrior was surprised- and a little worried- at the stern edge in Thor’s tone.  Timar’s brow creased with worry as he answered the question.
    “I thought the matter settled if I did as Birgitta asked and denied them entry to my home going forward.”
    “Aye, that solved the matter for you and your household.  But what of others?  Perhaps the women working for other warriors haven’t been as fortunate as your Marie.  Did you know Danethar has a maid in his house?  If these men are preying on women, that’s something I want to stop, but I can’t if no one tells me it’s happening.”
    As Thor delivered his speech, Timar looked increasingly chagrined.  By the time he’d finished, the warrior was downright ashamed.  He cleared his throat several times before speaking.
    “I should have said something. That was my error, Thor, and I regret not having thought of that myself.”
    “So long as you recognize where you made a mistake and can learn from it.  I’ll admit to my own failure, since I’ve suspected Danethar for a few weeks now and haven’t said anything.”
    “Why not?”
    “I didn’t want to sow discord in our company without solid proof.  It’s not good for morale.  But perhaps I was too worried about injuring their pride to do what was right.”
    “I don’t think you should be so harsh.  The approach has sense to it.”
    “Sense or not, it may have lost us both precious time- and not just us.  Would you think Birgitta and Marie would speak with me about those three- especially Danethar?”
    “Why him in particular?  All three of them are a problem.”
    “Eckert and Willem are unmarried; Danethar, however…”
    “Is not just married, but to your cousin, no less,” Timar finished for him.  
    To Thor, it sounded almost like an accusation.  He was letting a personal connection drive his attention to where it suited him, possibly giving the impression that he didn’t care that Eckert had nearly raped Timar’s maid.  Or whatever else he and Willem may have done.
    “I do not mean to let a personal interest dictate the course of my action against any of them.  I will of course deal with Eckert and Willem just as thoroughly as with Danethar.  But I just feel that I need to uncover the truth about him as soon as possible.”
    “Thor, no one would fault you for wanting to protect your cousin.”
    The words stung, even if his friend hadn’t meant them to.  To him, they rang hollow- he hadn’t given much thought at all to [Y/n] until the rumors started.  He hadn’t thought to protect her before she was given to Danethar, or even to wonder why she never visited the palace after the wedding.  He should have.  After all, she may have moved into her own house, but she was still family.
    But never treated like family, was she?  Even Loki saw more attention from Frigga and Odin than [Y/n] ever did.  She was always the afterthought at every gathering and every function…if she was even a thought at all.  Maybe if someone had thought of her as family, they would have seen this months ago.  And again, the only thing he could do was push past the guilt of the past to start changing the present.
    “I’m glad to hear you say it,” he admitted finally.
    “Not at all.  Let’s see about making a quick visit to the house.  I’m sure that Birgitta and Marie would be happy to talk to you about Danethar.”
    They discussed other things on the walk to Timar’s home.  Training, some of the recent developments and projects in the city, and the like.  But Thor suspected that in the back of their minds, thoughts of Danethar were still nagging at them.  He was relieved when they finally came to the house so he could get this over with.  Marie greeted them at the door, her eyes widening when she saw him.
    “Welcome home, my Lord.  Prince.  Please, do come in.  Can I get anything for either of you?”
    “Marie, would you find Birgitta for me and tell her to meet us in the front salon?  When you do, be sure to come along with her.”
    “Yes, my Lord.”
    She hurried away, leaving them to find the salon for themselves.  Despite the bleak reason behind the visit today, Thor always enjoyed coming to Timar’s home.  Even more so after his experience at Danethar’s.  The furnishings and size might not be as large, but the feel of the place was always warm and welcoming.  Lady Birgitta was a good match for the warrior and it showed.
    “Timar, what’s behind the sudden visit,” asked the woman in question as she entered the room.  Behind her, Marie slipped in and closed the door.  “Hello to you, Thor.”
    “Good day to you, Lady Birgitta.”
    “My love, I was talking with Thor about what happened the other day…”
    “You mean when those animals made their last appearance in this house,” she spat venomously as Marie paled.  “What of it?”
    “Calm down, love.  Thor was concerned about it and wanted to know if you both would tell him what happened, and anything else you may have heard about Lord Danethar.”
    Both women shared a glance before Birgitta stepped further in to the salon.  She stood behind a high-backed sofa and gripped its frame with both hands.  Marie fussed with the skirts of her gown and looked away from Timar and Thor.  Strange behavior to his eyes, but to be fair, females were strange most of the time.  At length, Birgitta spoke.
    “Will it do any good if we do?”
    “I’m not sure what you mean.”
    “I mean I’ve already told you what I’ve heard of those three.  You saw what Eckert did here.  Nothing has changed.  They’re still out there, getting away with whatever they want.  So what’s the use in repeating ourselves?”
    Bitter words, and ones Thor had never expected to hear the kindhearted woman say.  But he wasn’t entirely surprised at her rancor.  How long had those three been a problem known only to the women of Asgard because men like him and Timar hadn’t been paying attention?  Likely longer than Thor wanted to admit.  He sought to ease her well-placed frustration.
    “Lady Birgitta we’ve been remiss and failed to understand the seriousness of the problem.  I assure you, we will not make that mistake again.”
    She eyed him dubiously, but skirted around the sofa to sit down.  With a wave, she invited Marie to join her.  Two pair of brown eyes bored into him.
    “They’re monsters.  All three of them.  Soulless, lecherous monsters who care only about what pleases them- no matter what harm it does to anyone else.”
    “For example….” He prompted as soon as he could speak.  
    “Go on,” Birgitta nudged the maid encouragingly.
    “Eckert tried to bed me,” Marie whispered timidly as tears filled her eyes.  “I didn’t want to…a-and I don’t think he would have stopped if my Lord Timar hadn’t come upstairs.”
    “It’s okay, Marie.”  Birgitta wrapped a comforting arm around the maid, her eyes never leaving Thor’s.  “He won’t be back and can’t hurt you again.”
    “He could get me like he got Sofia.  She was out running errands when he got her.  Had his way with her in an alley where no one saw or heard anything.”
    “Is Sofia a friend of yours?”
    “Was,” Marie corrected him, her voice muffled by the fabric of Birgitta’s gown.  “She’s dead.  Poisoned herself because she couldn’t live with the shame or the fear that he’d come back for her again.”
    It was worse than he thought.  Worse than Timar thought, too.  Thor had been expecting accounts of young women lured by experienced men into becoming lovers.  Maybe a few times when they were struck or hurt in some way.  But what he’d just heard was outright rape.  Gods of the Allfather, the woman had killed herself.  He could not let these men get away with it.
    “Eckert will be dealt with,” Thor told them.  “He will be made to account for his crimes and I’ll see he’s not allowed to commit another.”
    Marie raised her head slowly and wiped away tears.  Even the hard look in Birgitta’s eyes had softened, and she nodded.
    “I hope so, Prince.  I truly do.”
    After a pause, he dared ask his next question, “And what can you tell me of Danethar?”
    Steel crept in again and her whole expression filled with loathing.
    “I haven’t seen anything about that one.  Not in person.  But I have friends, and they’ve told me much about him.”
    “Such as?”
    “He’s smarter than the others, for one.  Doesn’t force himself on a woman outright from what I hear.  But he’s quick to find one who is insecure or weak-willed.  That’s when he goes to work.  Smooth talker, he is.  Will tell her anything to get her into bed.”
    Almost sounds like Loki, except my brother would never waste his talents on physical conquests, Thor thought to himself.
    “Is that all?”
    “Far from it,” Birgitta replied bitingly.  “Once he’s got her, then he becomes the true monster.  Ruthless in bed, is what I hear.  But he’s got them trapped- too afraid to tell anyone the trouble they’re in, so they can’t stop him from coming back.  Again and again.  Until he’s bored and moves on to another victim.”
    A pit formed in his stomach.  The monster Birgitta just described was married to his cousin.  The Allfather had actually wed her to him.  How had he not seen the horror beneath that grinning façade?  How had none of them seen it?  Thor wanted to hope that Danethar’s cruelty extended only to his mistresses, venting on them things he wouldn’t dare do with his own wife.  Deep down, though, he knew a man like that would dare anything.
    Oh Cousin, what have we allowed Danethar to do to you?  Why haven’t you said anything?
    “Prince?  Are you okay?”
    “No,” he replied hoarsely.  “No, I’m not.”
    “You don’t think…not with Lady [Y/n],” Timar began.  Birgitta and Marie said nothing aloud, but their eyes confirmed what he already suspected.
    “That’s exactly what I think, Timar.  I have to find a way to get her and the maid, Ilsa, out of that house.”

---

    Despite his better judgment, Loki went to the infirmary this afternoon, disguised as ‘Ilsa’.  He needed to know what they could tell him about this [Y/n]’s healer, Maddie, and what they may have told his mother about her.  So he’d accepted the almost certainty that they’d alert Frigga of ‘Ilsa’s’ return, and planned for that outcome.
    “Ilsa!” cried Julia the moment he entered the ward.  “You’ve been gone so long we were beginning to worry.  Are you well?”
    “I’m fine,” he said quickly.  “I’ve been kept busy lately at work, so I couldn’t find time to come back.”
    “How is your friend, Renate?”
    “She’s…better.”
    Julie weighed his answer carefully before turning to another female healer.  Loki hadn’t seen that one before, and assumed she must be a new apprentice.
    “Lauren, would you see this delivered to Lord Holger while Ilsa and I talk?  He’s expecting word about one of his medicines.”
    He tried not to smile knowingly as the healer blatantly lied.  He knew exactly what she’d written on the note she pressed into the other woman’s hand.  No doubt he had very little time before Frigga would arrive in the infirmary.  At best, fifteen minutes if she wasn’t in the palace.  Loki had to be quick, then, to do what he came here to do.  And so once they were alone, he decided to be blunt with Julia.  Not usually his style, but it served his purpose.
    “Something has changed since I was here last.  What is it?”
    “I want to start out saying that you’ve done nothing wrong, Ilsa.”
    Immediate red flag.  And if Loki was truly the maid he was pretending to be, he’d be scared witless at hearing such a thing.  If the healer thought she was offering comfort, she’d missed her mark.  As it were, though, Loki had nothing serious to fear from this woman.  He already knew what she was going to tell him, after all.  Might as well get on with it so he could find out what he wanted to know.
    “But?”
    “But we know you don’t work in the palace.”
    “I thought,” he stopped short.  “I thought you wouldn’t see me if I didn’t say that.”
    “We would see anyone who came to us for help.”
    “Oh…so is that all?”
    “I’m afraid not,” Julia replied.  “Come and sit.  You and I need to talk about your friend.”
    “You didn’t tell the others about her, did you,” he answered, feigning panic.  “You promised you wouldn’t!”
    “I know I did.  But you must believe me, Ilsa, I only did what I thought was necessary.  Your friend sounds like she’s truly in danger with this lover she’s seeing.  Do you understand?”
    “Of course she’s in danger.  Why do you think I didn’t want anyone to know about it!?”
    “Calm yourself.  We’re going to help Renate.  I promise.”
    “You’re going to get her killed,” he insisted, letting the tone in ‘Ilsa’s voice notch a bit higher- a bit louder.  “Please, just leave her alone.”
    “How bad is it, Ilsa?” Julia continued patiently.  Loki was impressed that she could be so calm when faced with an almost hysterical woman screaming at her.  “A friend of mine says she’s helped a woman named Renate for a while now.  Giving her healing supplies, she says.  Do you know if Renate has gone to her for healing like you’ve seen us do here?”
    “Maybe,” he offered grudgingly in a more subdued tone.  “She said she’d gone to a woman named Maddie a week or so ago.  Said she was feeling pretty bad and needed her help.”
    “And you’re sure you can’t tell me who this lover might be, or who Renate works for?”
    “No, I can’t.”
    “I suppose I can’t make you tell me,” Julia conceded.
    “Perhaps not,” said a familiar voice from behind them.  “But I can.”
    Loki turned on his heel to see his mother in the entrance, flanked by Lauren and Berath.  He reminded himself not to greet her as he was accustomed to doing; she’d see right through the disguise if he did.  Dangerous enough for her just to see him, given that ‘Ilsa’ shared so many of his own coloring and features.  No need to give her any more reason to suspect him.  So instead, Loki bowed his head and curtsied.
    “My Queen.”
    Frigga strode over to him, hardly acknowledging that he’d spoken.  If he didn’t know better, he’d think she was annoyed by having been summoned here.  But he did know better.  Knew enough to see that she was trying to mask her apprehension and fear for the outcome of this meeting.  As well she should be nervous, given what she’d told him the other day.
    “You will tell me the truth about this friend of yours, Renate.  Is her lover one of the palace warriors?”
    Fortunate for her, that was a question he was already planning to answer honestly.  She would not be so lucky with future ones, he wagered.
    “Yes, my Queen.  I believe he is.”
    “Do you know his name?”
    “She has never told it to me.”  A lie within the truth.  True because [Y/n] had never needed to tell him who was abusing her; a lie because that wasn’t really an answer to his mother’s question.  But she would- and did- see it as if he had.
    “Very well,” she replied stiffly.  “We’ll get back to Renate in a minute, but right now I want to hear more about you, Ilsa.  Are you or are you not the same woman who works in the house of Lord Danethar?”
    Loki knew he couldn’t risk a lie to this question.  Frigga would only need bring him to Thor and he’d confirm that he was.  The trouble would be more than it was worth.  Besides, he already had a plan to deal with Frigga.  Though he was loathe to give a repeat performance of the one he’d given his brother, it would be the most effective to guide her suspicions on a path of his choosing.
    “Yes, my Queen.”
    “I thought as much.  My son tells me that you may think yourself in love with your employer.  Is that true?”
    The question came up much more quickly than Loki had anticipated, as he’d thought she would want to know more of the details of how he came to work for Danethar and [Y/n].  Less lies for him to feed her- not to mention to keep track of- so it was just as well she didn’t.  It was time to put on his act for her.  He pretended to be shocked that Thor had betrayed ‘Ilsa’s’ trust.
    “I only said that he’s an attractive man- the kind I might want to find for myself one day.  I don’t want to take my mistress’s husband away from her.  It wouldn’t be right.”
    “I didn’t say you did, or would.  I only asked if you harbored some feelings for the man.”
    “I-I…”
    “I’m not condemning you for it if you do,” Frigga assured him quickly.  “We can’t always control our feelings.  I am just trying to sort out the truth.”
    Are you, Mother?  Are you really?  Or are you hoping for a lie that will keep the truth- and your guilty conscience- at bay?  I know where I’d lay my bets on that score.  Not that it mattered to him why she was asking, since it didn’t affect how he would answer.
    “Maybe a little,” Loki allowed, sounding reluctant and a bit nervous.  “But I’d never tell him or do anything about it.  Please don’t make me go to another employer.  I really do like working for Lady [Y/n].”
    “Of course not.  That’s something only you can decide, and I urge you to think about it, Ilsa.  You may enjoy your position with the Lady, but is it really fair to any of you to stay when you have an attraction for your master?”
    “I…don’t know.”
    “Think on it.  That’s all I ask.  But, speaking of [Y/n]…”
    Here it comes.  The question Mother’s been dreading to ask since she walked into the room.
    “Yes, my Queen?”
    “Is she the woman you’ve been helping when you come to Lady Julia with questions about healing?  Is she Renate?”
    Now it was time to be what he was: the God of Lies, blessed with the silver tongue.  He’d given her just enough of the truth over the course of their conversation that he knew she would be convinced by whatever he said now.  Or at least enough to stop any further questions.  Loki kept his expression blankly confused for a few minutes before pretending to grasp what Frigga was asking, and then shook his head vigorously in denial.
    “Oh no, my Queen.  How could she be?  She’s married to Lord Danethar and he would never hurt anyone.  I just know it.  Trust me- Renate is just a friend of mine.  She and I grew up together.”
    A fair exchange.  One truth for one lie.  Loki watched his mother accept both, although somewhat unwillingly.  Deep down, she likely knew ‘Ilsa’ was lying to her, but couldn’t provide a reason enough to press her suspicions.  As she dealt with her own thoughts on his answer, Loki marked the surprise on the healer’s faces when she’d asked about Renate and [Y/n].  Obviously, Frigga hadn’t shared that particular revelation with them the last time she was here, or since.  Loki was far more concerned about the thoughtful look on Julia’s face.
    She’s going to ask Maddie what Renate looks like, he realized in alarm.  [Y/n]’s features aren’t so common that she won’t know immediately that ‘Renate’ and [Y/n] are indeed the same person.
    He’d have to find some way to keep Julia away from Maddie until he was ready to end the game.  But right now, his mother still held his attention.  She studied him closely for several minutes, and Loki wondered if she could somehow see through the disguise.  He waited nervously for her to give some indication either way, and was relieved when the sharp look faded.
    “Very well, Ilsa.  I believe we’re finished for the day, but I may summon you back to the palace in the future regarding your friend, Renate.  Or your mistress, [Y/n].”
    “As you wish, my Queen.”
    With that, Loki escaped the infirmary and breathed a sigh of relief that it hadn’t been any worse.  That relief was short-lived, however.  No sooner had he rounded the corner, Loki nearly ran into Thor, who looked equally surprised to find Ilsa in the palace.  They stared at one another mutely until his brother found his voice.
    “Ilsa what are you doing here in the palace?”
    Again, Loki was trapped into telling the truth.  Beyond aggravating just how often he’d had to do so in the past few weeks.  Never would he have thought that one of his schemes would involve so just as much truth as lies.  Like now, as Frigga could easily unravel any lie he tried to use to cover up his true purpose for being here.  He resented that he was constantly thwarted by both of them lately, even without Heimdall’s interference.
    I should have used a different disguise in the infirmary, he admitted.  A different shell with a different name wouldn’t have made a difference in them believing the story about Renate, but would have made it much less likely that Thor and Frigga would have connected the woman with [Y/n]’s maid this early in the game.  What was done was done, though, and Loki had no choice but to move onward with the hand he’d dealt to himself.  Flaws included.
    “I, um, came to the infirmary to ask for some advice for a friend of mine,” he answered with a slight stutter.
    “Who,” Thor demanded sharply.  “What friend- [Y/n]?  Please tell me it’s not for [Y/n].”
    “No- her name’s Renate.”
    Thor ran a hand roughly through his hair and sighed heavily.  He looked…very distressed.
    “Another name to add to my list,” he muttered grimly.  In a louder voice, his brother pinned Loki with another question.  “Who is responsible- Eckert?  Willem?  Danethar?  How bad is it?”
    Loki was thrown completely off-guard by the edge in his brother’s voice.  And by the names he’d just thrown at him.  He’d expected to hear Danethar’s, but not Eckert and Willem.  They were- he tried to recall where he’d heard those names before- cohorts of his?  Why was Thor asking about them?
    “W-what?”
    “Or is it someone I’ve not heard about yet?  Ilsa- I need to know who’s behind this.  I’ve already heard about one woman who’s lost her life on account of these men- I won’t see it happen again.”
    Thor was deadly serious, and that gave Loki pause to think.  To see him in a slightly different light than usual.  Perhaps his brother wasn’t quite as dim-witted as he appeared to be.  Somehow, the truth about his precious warriors had penetrated into his brain, and he was actually investigating what was going on.  Miraculous as it may be to see hope for the man’s intellect, it couldn’t have come at a worse time for Loki.  The last thing he needed was a shining spotlight on what he’d hope to reveal by degrees.
    I may be forced to rethink the timing of my game.  The pawns have stopped playing by my rules, though I don’t quite recall giving them permission.
    “I…I don’t know his name,” he replied, sticking to his earlier lie.  “Renate doesn’t tell me who it is.”
    “Damn,” Thor swore virulently.  “Look, Ilsa, I know what you think you know about Danethar, but you have to get away from that house.  After what I heard today…” he paused significantly.  “…if you can convince my cousin to go with you, take her somewhere Danethar can’t find you.”
    Now Loki was well and truly alarmed.  Just what had Thor discovered, and from whom?  From the seriousness of his tone, it sounded to him as though he’d heard everything.  Not good.  Loki was almost certain that his game was over.  He scrambled to take back control before it was too late.
    “But why?  My Prince, I don’t know what you’ve heard, but I’ve never seen…”
    “I know.  You’re going to say he’s been only kind and pleasant to you.  But I’m telling you that’s not the man Danethar truly is.  You need to get away before you become another of his victims.  Now look, I need to speak with my mother.  Can I trust you to do as I ask?”
    “I can’t tell Lady [Y/n] that I’m leaving- and especially not if I’m to say her husband is some kind of monster.”
    “Yes you can.  And please, if you care about your mistress at all, get her back to the palace.”
    “I can’t believe that my Master is what you say.”
    Loki thought his brother was going to explode in frustration, and with good reason.  No doubt ‘Ilsa’ was truly trying the last of his patience with her naïve stubbornness.
    “I really don’t have time to argue this.  If you won’t believe me, then at least go back to the house and do what you can to keep Danethar away from my cousin- and yourself- until I can get things sorted out here.  Now go.”
    With that, Thor gave ‘Ilsa’ a gentle shove in the direction of the palace doors.  Loki half-turned to see him vanish around the corner.  Presumably in search of Frigga to relate his news about Danethar.  He had to do something before Thor ruined everything.  No help for it, he quickly scanned the hallway for any potential witnesses.  None.  Loki dropped the disguise and turned to follow the way his brother had gone.  If he didn’t arrive too late, maybe he could stop this.

---

    Ilsa hadn’t been back today, but I hadn’t expected her to be.  She’d said she needed to take care of some business with family and it would likely take the whole day.  I really didn’t care if it was true or not, though it well could be.  Ilsa wasn’t telling me the whole reason she was determined to be my constant shadow, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have family.  Besides, it gave me a break after the excitement from yesterday.  I doubted I’d be up to creating any portals for another day yet, and wasn’t sure I was ready to make good on the promise I’d made.  
    The three of them had convinced me to try to cross the gateway into Micharea.  I still wasn’t entirely sure it was a good idea- or even safe, but they’d worn me down.  Once again, I grumbled to myself that Ilsa didn’t need help winning arguments.  In any case, today I’d spent my time seeing to things that hadn’t been attended to in weeks.  Cleaning that Ilsa should be doing as part of her ‘job’, I supposed.  With all that done, I’d come out to the garden to enjoy the last of the evening sun.
    Heavy boots crunched against the gravel; I didn’t need to turn my head to know who they belonged to, but I did anyway.  Danethar, and he looked to be in a vile temper.  Swallowing the knot of fear that had climbed into my throat, I stood and faced him.
    “Where is she,” he demanded.  “Where is that simpering little slut, Ilsa?”
    “She’s with her family.”
    “She’s supposed to be here.  We made a bargain and I’ve kept mine.  It’s damn well time she’s kept hers.”
    Oh no…no, Ilsa.  What have you done?  What did you promise him?  Oh but I knew what she must have promised him.
    “I don’t understand,” I lied.  “I wasn’t aware…”
    “No you wouldn’t, would you?  Too stupid, just as usual.”
    “I…”
    “I’ll explain it to you, then.  Your pretty little maid is a damned liar.  She promised to give me her body- in trade for yours.  You really didn’t wonder why your nights have been so free lately?  How stupid are you?”
    I had wondered.  Had wondered but didn’t want to guess at the reason why.  He eyed me as I stood, silent.
    “Maybe not so stupid after all.  Did you put her put to it, bitch?  Thought you could have her string me along this whole time?”
    The tone of his voice was dangerous.  Whatever Ilsa had been trying to do, I hoped this wasn’t what she’d had in mind.  Because I knew how the rest of tonight would play out.  I shivered involuntarily as I tried not to imagine what Danethar would do to me.  He saw it and smiled.
    “I thought so.  I hope it was worth it, [Y/n], because now you’ll pay all the more dearly for cheating me out of what was rightfully mine.”
    I didn’t try to deny it, knowing that it would only fuel the rage.  The only way I’d survive this was to submit and not resist.
    “Nothing to say in your defense?  Not even an admission of guilt?  Don’t worry, I know how to make you confess.”
    Closing my eyes, I prepared myself for a blow, but it didn’t come.  I heard the sound of splintering wood instead and snapped them open again to see him ripping apart the garden trellis.  Without a thought to myself or what it might cost me later, I tried to pry him away from his destructive intent.  Danethar merely laughed as he shook me off him.  In minutes, the whole trellis with its delicate vines had been ripped out of the ground.  After that, he turned to the other beds, using a sharp hoe to dredge up the blooming flowers and grinding the bulbs underfoot.
    “No- Danethar, please don’t!”
    “This is my land, [Y/n].  I own it.  I’ll do what I please with it- just like I’ll do what I please with you.  A lesson you need to be taught- yet again.”
    He continued with his work, leaving no plant unmolested.  Not a single inch of the garden was spared.  I watched him- helpless- as tears brimmed and fell.  Everything and anything I cared about- all destroyed.  The garden had been the one thing I’d had left.  I stared at the mangled remains, grief so deep it numbed me into a kind of stupor.  I didn’t even notice when Danethar had come up behind me, finished with his gruesome handiwork.
    “Now it’s your turn, bitch,” he snarled in my ear.  “And I better not hear any of your whining while I’m at it.  I’m going to get those nights back- the ones you and that little slut stole from me.  I’ll get them back in full from you and her both.”
    Danethar clamped a hand over my arm and hauled me out of the garden.  I was so numb inside that I hardly felt it.  Not even when we’d reached his room.  Or when he ripped my dress and discarded it on the floor.  Not even when he shoved me roughly onto the bed before dealing with his own clothes.  The emotional pain was so deep that I thought no physical pain could touch me.
    I was very, very wrong.