Winterfrost

Chapter 16

Winter walked toward the dining room with Loki. She was starving. She hadn't eaten the previous day. Sleep was a distant memory.

"Winter?"Loki asked. She looked up into his worried face.

"Yes Loki?" She asked softly.

"If.. if there was something wrong. You would tell me right?" He asked earnestly.

"O.. of course" she said placing a stone on her heart. She couldn't let him get hurt by telling him. He smiled. She returned it. They walks into the dining room. Only Frigga and Seraine were there.

"Loki! Akeira! "Frigga exclaimed as Loki kissed her cheek.

"Good morning mother" both Loki and Winter greeted. Loki beamed when Winter called Frigga 'mother'. Frigga smiled back.

Winter sat at the table and eyed the food hungrily. They all started eating. She picked up  the piece of bread and was about to eat when she stopped. Something was... in the bread. As she watched, a maggot crawled out of the bread. She stared at it.

"Akeira is everything ok?" Loki asked softly. She looked at him. Couldn't he see the maggot? Then she realized. It was her imagination. This wasn't real. She looked at her plate which was now filled with worms. No one else could see it! She placed the bread back.

"I'm not very hungry" she told Loki. He looked confused.

"Are you sure?" He asked. She nodded with a tight smile.

"I'm.. I'm  sure" she looked back at the plate.

Frigga raised an eyebrow at Loki who looked exceedingly concerned.
They looked back at winter who was staring at her plate. She could now see the bread clearly. However if she thought of eating it the bread turned to  maggots. She rubbed her eyes.

"Having fun yet?" A voice came in her mind. She looked at loki. He wouldn't talk to her through her mind.

"Queen" she thought in her mind.

"Yes" the voice seemed pleased, "how is your appetite darling?"

"Fuck off" she thought angrily.

The voice chuckled,"had  nice Sleep last night? Oh wait.. you didn't sleep did you?"

"It won't work. I won't give in" she thought. Her head was throbbing. Her eyes were heavy. Her stomach was empty. She looked over at Frigga who was staring at her. She wanted to signal to her to show she was ok but.. she couldn't. She couldn't move.

"You're tired? Sleep" the voice came. "Just sleep" it was a whisper.

Winter tried to keep her eyes open. She could see Frigga's expression  change to one of concern. She couldn't keep her eyes open.

"Akeira?" Frigga  asked. Loki looked at her and then at winter. She was sitting as if in a trance. Her eyes kept shutting. She looked drowsy.

"Winter?" He asked and held her hand . This helped. She looked at him.

"I.. don't.. feel well" she muttered. She was extremely tired.

He got up  and began guiding her to his room. "Sleep Akeira" the voice came again. As Loki led her out of the dining room her eyes closed and she went limp on him. He gasped and held her.

"Winter! " he shouted.

She didn't hear him. Sleep was calling her. Everything was black for her. Suddenly a flurry of images passed through her. She saw herself as a child. Crying. She saw her father. She saw her sister. She saw Loki. Dying. This image stood longer. She saw him lying on his bed. He was covered in blood. His eyes were wide open. She began to breathe faster. She came closer. His mouth was open and his torso was slashed in various places.

She couldn't bear it. She screamed. That's when her eyes opened.

"Winter! "Loki held her. She was back in the bedroom. It was dark now. When she had gone unconscious Loki had teleported her to the room. He had stayed by her when all of a sudden she had started screaming. When she woke up She was crying.

"What happened?" He asked frantically. She looked at him and began to unbutton his shirt. He was confused. She touched his torso and sighed in relief. There were no wounds.

"You're ok. You're ok. " she mumbled to herself. He understood that she thought he was hurt.

"I'm fine. Darling. I'm right here princess. I'm right here" he said soothingly. She hugged him. Something was wrong with her and Loki needed to find out what.