Lust of Mischief

No, I don't want this!

That same creature kept on haunting Zenia in her sleep. She has been trying to stay awake at night so that the creature wouldn't see her. It spoke a foreign language that she has never heard of but understood. Strange indeed.  Due to the lack of sleep she has been getting, dark circles began to form underneath her eyes. She covered it with a lot of powder but only her unusual weariness coudn't be concealed towards anybody. Loki noticed quicker much earlier than everybody did. At first, it was just lack of sleep by a few hours then it turned to no sleep at all for a whole night. He decided to take this matter into his own hands and asked her, "Zenia, why haven't you been sleeping at night?"

She looked up at him with bloodshot eyes. Her lips quivered to answer and said, "I'm afraid."

"Of what?" he asked her again.

"I don't really know what it is but it kept on haunting me in my dreams. That thing kept calling me and saying that I'm his. I'm afraid that if I sleep, I'll give into him and I won't wake up."

"Do you know what he is?"

"No, I don't know but he looked pale with dark eyes and hair with the same colour of his skin."

"I'll make sure that he won't come near you if he ever wants to."

"Loki, he told me that there's no point of you trying to protect me. He's an old enemy of Asgard and I posses a weapon that could destroy anything in it's path."

"An old enemy of Asgard? Laufey?"

"No, I don't think it was a Frost Giant or Fire Giant. The language he spoke sounded old and foreign but I understood what he said."

Loki went into deep thoughts and remembered all of Asgard's enemy during Odin's time of ruling. It's not Laufey. Could it be... Malekith of the Dark Elves? His eyes widened of the thought and averted his gaze towards Zenia. She looked nothing like a Dark Elf. The only thing that he had just noticed was that her ears were slightly pointed upwards. He moved his hand to touch it out of curiousity. She felt the contact of his fingertips and looked to him. "You have pointed ears," he commented. She touched her ear and replied, "Yes, my mother said that I was born with it but her ears weren't pointed."

"Did you ever asked how your ears were pointed?" he asked her.

"I did but she never gave me an answer." she said.

"Well, if it isn't the happy about-to-be-wed couple!" boomed Thor. Loki's expression quickly changed and he glared at Thor. "Don't you have other polite way to interrupt my peace?" said Loki. Thor only smiled at Loki's words as if it was a joke. Zenia placed a hand on Loki's shoulder to calm him from his rage. He let out a sigh and asked Thor, "Where's Jane?".

"With Mother. She's with a child. My child." he answered proudly.

"Congratulations!" Zenia praised.

"Very well done, Thor. Hopefully your child wouldn't be a big oaf like you." said Loki. 

"Oh Loki, you're always full of tricks!" replied Thor. 

Loki rolled his eyes in annoyance. Thor noticed his gesture and smiled back. Annoying Loki probably wasn't the best thing that could ever happen. He did the same trick that made Thor trip but Thor had learned his lesson and skipped away from where he was standing. "Haha! You can't trick me twice, brother!" he bragged. As he was bragging about how good he is at avoiding the same trick to placed on him, Zenia made the soil under his feet turned to quicksand. Without realising, he felt himself getting lower and lower into the ground. He looked down and saw a quicksand. He quickly struggled and made it out of the trap. He looked at Loki and Loki made the same grin. Thor laughed and said, "You're always full of tricks, brother."

***

"Zenia, just sleep. It'll be fine. I'm here." said Loki

"No, I can't sleep. He'll come for me and ask me to come with him. I'm scared, Loki." Zenia replied.

"It's fine. I'll wake you up if anything happens."

"But, -"

"Zenia." he said as he took her face in his hands. "I'm here with you for a reason and that is to protect you. You have to trust me on this. Get some sleep. I promise I'll wake you up if anything happens."

She nodded and closed her eyes. Then, her breathing got steady and she got calmer. Loki decided to stay awake and observe her for the night. After looking at her for so long, he started to feel sleepy and calm. His eyelids slowly lowered and raise, lowered, raise and it continued until Zenia started to toss and turn. Her eyebrows were arched and her eyelids were scrunched. Loki quickly shook her and asked her to wake up. Her eyes wouldn't open so he cupped her face with his hands and asked her to wake up. Suddenly, her eyes shot open and she lunged onto Loki with her hands latched around his neck. "Wait, Zenia! It's me!" he called. She let go of her grip and fell on the bed. "What have I done?" she gulped. Loki massaged his neck and caught his breath before answering, "It's all right, you just had a nightmare."

"I told you, I shouldn't be sleeping! I saw him again and this time his face is right in front of mine. I don't want this anymore!" Zenia quivered. Loki took her in his arms and cradled her from side to side. "It'll be alright. Nobody will ever dare to take you away from me. They will have to face my rage if they do." he comforted her. 

"Is there any way I could do to help lessen the fear?" he asked.

"I just remembered that my mother taught me a spell of nightmares and applied it to me once. It must've worn off of me." she answered.

"Do you know how the spell went?"

"I do but I can't apply it on myself. You'll have to apply it on me."

She leant in and whispered the spell in his ear. He repeated the exact same words that she whispered and applied the spell onto her by placing his palms on her head. After applying the spell, her eyelids felt heavy and she lied down on the bed. "How do are you feeling?" he quaked. "I'm fine. It's normal for me to feel sleepy or tired after the application." she mumbled sleepily. Her eyes closed and her chest moved up and down at a constant rate. She fell asleep. Loki covered her with sheets and lied down beside her. After looking at her calm and beautiful sleeping form, he drifted off to sleep and dreamt of her smile. 

**** 

The sun's rays seeped between the curtains and lightly touched their faces with warmth. Loki blinked a few times before his vision refocused to his surroundings. Zenia was still asleep in front of him with her lips slightly parted and both arms under her pillow. He stretched his limbs and sat up on his bed. "Loki?" muttered Zenia. He turned around and saw her in the same position she was with half-closed eyes. "Yes, love?" he responded. She popped up on her elbows and inquired, "Are you going to do your duties today?". He shook his head and smiled at her. She smiled back and lied back down on the bed. "I'm sleeping in for the day. I haven't had such a good sleep for such a long time." she stated. He lied down beside her and embraced her in his arms. He planted a soft and kind kiss on her forehead and said, "I'll stay with you."

*****

Heyyyyyy!!! I'm so so sososososososososososososososososososososo sorry for the reaaalllyy late update. It's a bit hard for me to get ideas lately for this fanfic because I'm having a hard time in my life now so, yeah. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as how you have enjoyed other chapters. Any ideas, comments please leave it in the comments section or message me directly. Thank you!