Shadows and Lies

Chapter 7

"Stop giving up, you need to put effort into this" Thor told loki.
"I am putting effort in! This is difficult!"Loki shouted back.
Most of the healers were doing the absolute minimum to help Loki recover, they made sure he didn't die, but they didn't try to ensure his comfort, and honestly Thor couldn't blame them. He decided he'd have to add Loki to his schedule; he'd have to be the one to make sure Loki got his pain meds on time, he'd have to be the one to make sure he was moving his healing muscles, and he'd have to be the one to make sure he didn't die. 
Loki's injured shoulder had been in a sling for five days now. He had attempted to move it a few night ago, but one of the healers gave Thor a list of some basic and easy exercises to work on getting his strength and range of motion back up. It was early in the morning, the sun hadn't even come up yet, but Thor had woken loki up to make him do some exercises since it was the only free time Thor would have for this. Loki wasn't happy about it.
It was difficult, and Loki was of course in a terrible mood and took out his frustration on the one person who didn't literally want him to die.
"Calm down. Take a deep breath, go again" thor said back. He tried to stay patient through Loki's bad attitude, but Loki just huffed and dropped his arm.
"I'm not doing this anymore" he snapped. He'd been doing these exercises for an hour, and he was getting fed up with it.
"Once more and then you can be finished" thor told him.
"No. I'm done. There's no point to this anyway, once I'm able to move it again it'll just be cuffed to the bed like my other hand, so why bother?" He argued. He didn't see any point in putting himself through more pain when it would just end with him having both wrists shackled instead of one.
"I can't keep you here forever, even if i wanted to. It'd be better for you to get moving now so you don't have a longer rehabilitation period later on. Lift up your arm" him told him. Loki rolled his eyes but tried to lift up his arm to the side anyway.
"I might not be stuck here forever, but after this I'm going either to the dungeons, or the gallows, I won't be needing my arm for either destination" he responded, struggling to get his arm up all the way.
"I won't have you executed" Thor said.
"Why should I believe that?" Loki asked, his arm was shaking a bit, but he was able to hold it.
"If i wanted to kill you I would've done that already. Why would I waste my time?" He challenged. Loki dropped his arm.
"Whatever. If it's not death it's the dungeons, how is that any better?"
Thor Gave him a look and made him lift up his arm again.
"Seriously? You think death is the same as being in a cell?" He asked. Loki laughed bitterly.
"As someone who's been on the inside of one of our cells, yes. I'd rather be executed" he said.
Thor was hoping that he wouldn't have to put loki in prison again. He didn't know how he'd a hive that, but he was hoping somehow this would all end up with loki being neither dead nor imprisoned. He was still working out the details.
"Well that's a bummer for you then, cause it's not your decision to make" Thor said. "Come on, give some effort for five more minutes and I'll let you take a shower" he added. The previous day, Loki had requested (demanded) to be unchained and left alone long enough to take a shower. He thought it was a simple request, but Thor gave him a hard and fast 'no'. Thor assumed that Loki was planing something, he didn't like the idea of giving Loki any kind of real privacy, if Loki was truly left completely alone for any amount of time there was the possibility that he could escape.
But after thinking about it for a while Thor decided he could make sure loki didn't get away, he could have guards on the ready even if they weren't actually in the room with Loki, and he was starting to realize that no matter how much loki plotted and schemed, he's got a broken leg, how far can he really go?.
"I thought you said you didn't trust me" Loki said back.
"Well I don't, but I can have guards right outside waiting for you, and I'll keep you in those cuffs to block your magic, they just won't be attached to the the bed" Thor told him. He decided he needed to play the game of give-and-take. No matter how twisted and irrational Loki had become, his actions were- or at least used to be- rooted in feelings of being unloved. Thor can't exactly prove him wrong if he doesn't show him a bit of love and mercy.
"I'll be able to be alone? Just me, no guards watching, or healers trying to help me" Loki wanted to make sure she understood this deal before he agreed to anything.
"As much as I think it's a bad idea because almost every bone in your body is broken, yes, I'll let you be alone for half an hour to bathe" Thor told him. Loki looked at him suspiciously for a minute, but he really wanted out of this bed, he wanted out of this room, he wanted to be alone for even five minutes, he genuinely just wanted to shower, he was going crazy being stuck here all day everyday, and there wasn't really an end in sight.
"Okay fine. I just have to do this for five minutes?" He asked. Thor nodded.
"Yeah, that's it" he told him. Loki nodded, took a deep breath, and continued to work his arm.
The next five minute felt a lot longer, Loki put a bit of extra effort into it so that Thor would see that he was actually trying, but it was getting a bit more painful, so he was pleased when Thor told him the time was up.
"Alright, I'll be right back, I need to get the guards in place. Take your pills" Thor said as he unchained Loki's other hand and tossed him the bottle of pain meds the healers had him on. He then left to go get a team of guards who could stand watch outside the room while loki showered.
Loki choked down the pill and waited. He quickly realized that Thor had left him unattended and his hands were both free. His ankles were still shackled, but he had his hands free so he could probably get himself out.
He leaned forward to try and break off the ankle shackles, but it was a bit difficult to reach when he couldn't bend one leg and his ribs were busted. He kept trying though, this was a rare chance he'd get, if he was able to get those shackles off then he'd have his magic back, he could turn into something small and hide, then escape later on. His excitement started to rise as he tried to pick the locks, it was difficult, but after a minute he got one unlocked. He felt a rush of adrenaline, this could be his escape, he'd finally be out of here, he'd never have to see Thor again.
He started picking the second lock, he thought he'd almost gotten it when he heard the door opening again. He sat up quickly again and tried to seem innocent when Thor re-entered the room.
"You ready to go?" Thor asked. As quickly as Loki's excitement had come, it had evaporated. He was so close, why couldn't Thor have taken just a few seconds longer? There was nothing worse than coming so close to success and then having ripped out from under you.
"Yeah. Yeah I'm ready" loki said, trying to mask his disappointment.
"Good. Let's go" Thor came over and clicked another set of cuffs around Loki's wrists. They were just like the ones keeping him in bed, but they weren't attached to anything, they were just to block his magic.
When Thor went to unlock his ankles Loki felt a bit worried, if Thor saw that he'd gotten one of them unlocked he might call this off. Loki hoped that Thor would just be too stupid to notice, but he wasn't. Thor unlocked the one shackle, then sighed disappointedly and hung his head when he saw that the other was already undone.
"Seriously? I was gone for five minutes. I'm trying to trust you here" Thor said to Loki, looking back up at him. Loki could only think to tell him that that was a stupid life choice on Thor's part, but decided against saying it. He just bit his tongue to keep himself from speaking, he didn't want to dig himself any deeper.
Thor walked over grabbed Loki's good arm.
"Come on, I'll take you to your room. You can shower and then you'll be staying there" he said, pulling Loki up to take him to his room. Loki winced and groaned a bit when Thor dragged him to his feet, but Thor honestly didn't care. He held loki up and Loki held onto Thor's shoulder; he only had one 'good' leg, and even his good leg wasn't really all that good, it was just slightly less bad than the leg with the broken femur.
"I think there are easier and safer way of moving someone with my kinds of injuries" loki grumbled as Thor dragged him along down the hall. Thor was holding him under his arms and around his waist, so maybe his leg didn't hurt as bad because Thor was holding most of his weight, but the rubbing of his burned skin and Thor tight grip on his broken ribs were quite painful.
"Yeah probably" Thor agreed, then offered no alternative means of transport.
"Don't you think this is a bit overkill?" Loki asked when they got to his old room; there were twelve guards just outside the door.
"I don't know, I left you alone for five minutes and you almost got away, I'm not taking any more chances". Thor brought Loki inside. Loki hadn't been there in years, he'd grown up in this room, but he hadn't been here in forever. Thor was hoping loki might be hit with some old, more pleasant memories of his life, but he had no such luck, loki looked as though he didn't even recognize the room. Also, there were another twelve guards in front of the door to the adjoined bathroom.
"Seriously, this is a bit much" Loki commented as Thor set him down in a chair in the center of the room.
"And this isn't even it; there are also guards downstairs protecting every exit, there are guards on your balcony in case you try to escape that way. The bathroom window has been barred up, so don't even try to get out that way. You'll have exactly half an hour alone In there, someone will knock on the door ever five minute to confirm that you're still there, all you have to do is verbally respond, if you don't, the guards break in and drag you out. Are you clear on the rules?" Thor asked him. Loki rolled his eyes.
"This is bordering paranoia" he told Thor. Thor just crossed his arms.
"Are you clear?" He asked again.
"Crystal" Loki responded.
"Good" Thor said, then leaned down closer to Loki. "I'm giving you some privacy and a bit of freedom. Im giving you some leash when you don't deserve it, please don't choke me with it" he said quietly. Loki smiled smugly for someone who was being watched by thirty guards.
"Oh come now Thor, choking isn't my style. I'd much rather stab you in the back" he said sarcastically. Thor rolled his eyes and stood up again, then addressed the guards.
"Get him in there, he has half an hour of time to be alone, I'll be back in twenty-five minutes" he said, then left the room.
He was either being smart by giving loki some mercy, or incredibly stupid.

A/N:
hey I'm so sorry it's been so long since the last chapter, thanksgiving and finals coming up really brought my writing to a halt