All The Little Pieces

Friendship

Elizabeth's chest rose and fell gently under the light blanket. She had been sleeping all day, thanks to the medicines Elora had given her earlier.

Loki sat in a chair beside the bed, watching her face as she slept. Her fair skin made the fresh bruises stand out jarringly against her lips and cheekbone.

After the dungeon, he had bathed and changed his ripped, bloodstained clothes and come straight to Elizabeth's room. She was already sleeping, but Elora told him she should wake sometime midafternoon. He was torn between knowing she needed rest and wanting the reassurance of seeing her eyes open.

As if she had heard his thoughts, Elizabeth sighed and shifted under the blanket. When her eyes fluttered open, Loki slipped out of the chair to sit by her on the edge of the bed. She looked momentarily confused, then her eyes widened as she remembered the morning.

"Loki!" She started to sit up and winced.

"Shhhh, don't move. Lie back and relax for a minute. You can sit up, but go slowly." Loki reached for more pillows and helped prop her into a more upright position. "How is that?"

She settled back against the pillows. "What happened? I mean, I know what happened, but...why? Who were they?"

"Apparently the Advisor we were looking for was running a side business of rare resources from Asgard. He told several guards who worked for him some ridiculous stories to keep them loyal. In short, one was that the Bifrost broke because you are a dangerous sorceress."

"What?" Elizabeth shook her head in bewilderment. "That's just...I don't even know...Although, some of what they said to me makes more sense, 'witch' and...and..." She trailed into silence and looked down at her hands, her face suddenly red.

Loki pushed back a wave of rage at Belan and the guards at her embarrassed expression. He reached for her hand. "How are you feeling?" he asked. "Elora did an excellent job of taking care of you, but you're going to be sore for a few days."

Elizabeth stretched tentatively. "I mean, everything hurts, but not as badly as I thought it would." She held up her left arm and examined the bandage. "I think this is the worst."

Loki frowned and inspected the bandage himself. "You lost a good bit of blood from that cut. Elora said it wasn't as deep as it appeared. You have quite a few stitches, but the scar should be small and thin."

"It hurt the worst, that's for sure. I've never had more than a scratch from a blade of any kind, and I hope I never do again." She shuddered and looked up at Loki. "I think this was the only cut, everything else is only a bruise." Carefully, she felt her lip and cheek, moving up to the bandage at her hairline. "Hmm, I didn't even feel a cut here."

"That one scared me," Loki said, "but Elora said it was a little nick. The scalp always bleeds horribly and looks much worse than it is." He pointed to a light scar on his forehead. "I did this as a child. My mother was terrified at all the blood until she realized how minor it actually was." He smiled down at her. "I was a bit of a disaster when I was small."

Elizabeth let out a soft laugh. "Your poor mother. Thor seems like he would have been even worse."

Loki smiled back, enjoying seeing the top of her nose crinkle when she laughed. He realized just how afraid he had been until she opened her eyes. He gazed at her silently for a long minute, surprised at the intensity of the relief he felt flooding through him.

"I always thought Midgardian bodies were so fragile, but you are much stronger than I expected. You had almost as much of their blood on you as your own. I'm impressed at how well you fought back."