Believe in Magic [a Loki fanfic]

Niflheim

Loki descended his horse and cautiously approached what looked like a heap of rags on the ground. Daylight was waning. Wafts of mist hung in the grey air, turning the forest into a cold and gloomy place. If the God's eyes had not been as sharp, he would have mistaken the shape on the forest floor for a rock. Now that he came closer he could clearly make out the figure of a woman, lying on her side, curled up into a ball. The long dark hair knotted and disheveled. Pale skin shimmered through a crust of dirt, and what looked liked it could have been a dress barely covered her naked form. Loki considered leaving. Judging by the way she looked she would hardly be alive and he had no time to spend with the dead. The dark prince was on a tight schedule if he wanted to make it to the meeting point before nightfall and he had no desire of an encounter with the hounds that haunted this forest, which meant that he could not afford any delays. Apart from that, Loki looked forward to relaxing in his bed in Asgard and was not willing to spend another night in Niflheim. If the cold had not killed this woman by now, thehounds would grant her the mercy of death in a couple of hours. 

This was none of his business.

The dark prince was about to turn to his horse, when something compelled him to extend his magic out to her and feel for her life-force. He could sense it. It was faint but she was alive and - she was human. How did a human end up inNiflheim? The cold would certainly kill her before the hounds could get to her. She was too weak to last for much longer. Despite the urge to leave, he knelt down and reached forher face turning it towards him to have a look. A bloody bruise and swollen eye distorted what must have been the face of a beautiful girl. The God sighed. What a waste to leave her to the hounds.But then, again, this was none of his business. Why would he care? He was wasting precious time here. Loki straightened up and walked back tohis horse that grew more nervous by the minute sensing the approaching danger of night fall. He was about to mount and halted, his foot in the stirrup. "Damn it!" Loki turned back around. "I should know better than to waste my time with this", he growled at himself as he took off his coat and wrapped it around the girls body before he gathered her up into his arms "You better not make me loose any more time." The God put her on the horse's back and mounted, then he pulled her body up so that she was leaning against his chest and he could hold her securely with one hand while stirring the horse with his other. Fortunately her body was small and light so it would not slow them down. "I should just leave you here, the hounds would grant you a quick death, so do not make me regret this." He urged the horse into a trot, silently cursing himself. 

The God glanced down at her. The girl was malnourished and in a bad way. It was likely that she been abducted from Midgard and brought to Niflheim as a slave, which would explain the bruises on her wrists and ankles that indicated she had been tied up. The cold had already turned her sensitive skin a light shade of purple so he wrapped his magic around her to keep her warm. He did not want to care any more than he already did.Once they reached Asgard, he would leave her to the healers. From there on it was Odin's decision what would happen with her.

The girl suddenly stirred in his arms and Loki tightened his hold on her. "You are safe", he heard himself say and immediately snorted at his own words. Had he really just said that? You are safe in the arms of a frost giant, my dear. Don't worry and enjoy the ride. If she had any idea who had found her, she would have wished that he had left her to the hounds. Her body shivered and she nestled up closer against him. "Thank you, whoever you are", the girl breathed weakly before she lost consciousness again and herhead sank against his chest. Much to Loki's dismay, the sincerity in her voice touched something inside him that he had not wanted to awaken. Yet, the way she nestled up against him as if she felt safe in his arms let him remember the bitter reality of truth. He was no hero. Hewas a monster.