Memory

Why Are You in My Cell?

My terror of the dark leaves as fast as it came, when the flame that winked out ten seconds ago blinks back to life, even though alll the other torches stay put out.

The guards find me in a ball on the floor, biting my lip hard and doing my best not to cry. I can't fight when they put me in chains and throw me into a cell. But they didn't notice the jar of eternal flame in my breast pocket, which is surprising.

If I happen to be dying slowly because I passed the time limit, I can use it to speed my death up.

I can't move at all. The time limit is up, but nothing is happening except for the part where I am not in control of my limbs anymore.

Hela must have known this would happen. She must have known there would be something, an enchantment, maybe, in the vaults to prevent me from getting out.

I was getting her what she wanted. I'm no use in a cell. So what is she playing at?

I can only think as I'm being dragged between two guards. Then the pain starts, shooting sharp flares up and down my limbs.

It burns. It all burns. Yet it's freezing somehow.

My vision goes from black to normal to black to normal. Every blink is an effort; I can't even raise my head without having to gasp out.

It hurts everywhere.

And it only increases as one of them throws me into a cell. I bite my lip harder and I taste blood. But I can't wipe it away. I can only look around, and facedown on the floor, there's not much I can see.

"Stark?" I guess Loki's here too.

I try to speak, but another sharp pain shoots through my throat, and I groan.

It's so frustrating. I was so close to getting this to her, and when I normally just appear in front of her, the time the place is warded is the time she decides not to get me out and to give me a short-ass deadline.

But am I dying? I'm not sure.

It doesn't feel completely like dying. I can still feel my limbs and I can still breathe--I just can't move.

No, wait--I can move a tiny bit. I can feel the tips of my fingers twitching.

I concentrate more, and soon I can move the hand that is trapped under my stomach to my breast pocket. I make sure the vial is there and make another attempt to teleport.

This time, it works.

I appear in Helheim again, in front of Hela again. I try to drag myself up, and it works, but my legs are shaky.

"Give that to me," she orders, a strange look on her face.

"No," I say quietly, filled with quiet rage. "If you want this, I want three things in return."

She raises her brow in amusement. "I could make sure your very soul does not leave this plane of existence alive, but do humor me."

"First, tell me where Rowan is. Second, I want more time to find the last thing, whatever it is. And third, when I go back, make me go back to near where Rowan is."

"How much time?" She looks interested.

"Three weeks, at least."

"I will give you three weeks, but you will not get the whereabouts of your Rowan or end up next to him. I am not generous, as you have well known since before you came to this universe." She plays with a knife that has magically appeared in her hand.

"How did you know about that?" I ask, surprised. I was so sure only Wade knew.

"I'm the goddess of death, child. I can identify someone of a different dimension," Hela scoffs. "Now, hand the jar over."

I throw it to her, and she catches it with a long-nailed hand. "Find the staff of Odin for me, and you can be fully alive again."

"The what? How am I supposed to--"

"An opportunity will present itself. Now, go. Three weeks." She flicks a wrist, and I'm back in the cell.

"Shit," I whisper, sitting up and looking around. "Shit!"

"What's going on?" Loki asks, making me jump.

I look up and see him sitting in the corner opposite the one I'm in. "First, why are you in my cell? And second, I'm screwed."

"Well, firstly, this is my cell, since I was here first, and secondly, why are you 'screwed?'"

"Long story short, I have to get your dad's staff, and I don't see how I can do that, considering he's fucking powerful. I managed to get three weeks this time, but I still have no idea where Rowan is and absolutely no fucking hopes of getting that stupid staff."

That's when I hear some commotion in the cells outside, and I look out. And I knw what's happening here. For of course Loki running around with the Tesseract wouldn't affect the plans of the Dark Elves.

The Kurse is here. He is walking toward us right now.

I see Loki open his mouth, walking up next to me and facing down the Kurse.

There was no fear in its eyes as it beheld me, but I see it's unnerved when it sees Loki. Unfair. Just because I'm tiny doesn't mean I can't be scary.

Before Loki can say anything about going left, I clap a hand over his mouth while maintaining eye contact with it. I know it's risky, but I raise my middle finger at it.

Then I stare it down until it decides to leave, because I am a fucking idiot.

As soon as it leaves, I pull my hand away and find him looking at me in surprise. "How did you know I was going to say something?" He asks.

"Listen, that something you were going to say was going to get someone very close to you killed. And don't ask me how I know anything. I'm not going to tell anyone."

"About going left--"

"Yes, I know. And I also have no idea what the hell you were thinking when you said that--" I start, but he cuts me off.

"When I said that? I never said it. I was only thinking of it," Loki says suspiciously. He has a confused yet angry look on his face. "Who are you really? And how do you know all this?"

"Listen up. I don't actually know who the fuck I am, and I've long given up trying to find out. So that question is fucking pointless. Don't ask me how I know this or that, because I will not say a word in answer to that, and frankly, the amount of times you've asked that is a little annoying. Okay?"

He gives a stunned nod.

I turn and walk into the corner of the room, where I decide to stay until an opportunity comes for us to get out. I'm not sure what happens here if Frigga is still alive, but hopefully Thor will come to Loki for help like in the movie, and then we can both get out.

But if this works out, three weeks is more than enough.

And I begin to feel hope--

Hope that I will  find Rowan again.