Sorry guys, this is a short chapter. But I hope you enjoy :) please keep commenting and voting. I practically scream with joy when I see that you commented on my story. Thanks Xx :)
- Aislin's P.O.V-
I waited until my wall clock flicked to the number nine, and that's when I knew Fay would burst through the doors. Forcing me to get dressed and ready for breakfast. Forcing me to keep surviving. Notice, how I did not say living. Because there is a grand difference between surviving and living. The doors swung open.
Right on time, Fay. I thought and raised my arms, ready for her to help me from the bed. It had become our routine now.
"Good morning Aislin, did you sleep?" She cooed and began ripping the brush through my tangled hair. I shook my head. She made a disappointed face. "Why didn't you sleep?" I didn't respond. "Are you frightened?" I shrugged and nodded, as if saying "kind of." Fay had grown very good at guessing my thoughts. After she tied my hair into an elegant, loose bun and smeared some makeup on my face, she layed out my dress. It was a short, about knee length, silvery white dress. I guess these were the 'sun dresses' that the people of Asgard wore. "It's warming up outside, so I figured I would let you wear something not as tight, and not as hot." I nodded thanks, and with her help, managed to get dressed in under twenty minutes. She handed me a pair of yellow heels that looked like they could have belonged to Snow White herself. I slipped them on and wobbled down the hall, with Fay helping me. I entered the dining hall and took my usual seat next to in between Loki and Frigga. I kept my eyes locked on my lap. Not wishing to see him.
"You look ravishing, Aislin." Fandral grinned. I nodded and Loki shot daggers at him. Fandral snarled. "What? Am I not allowed to compliment the beautiful lady?" I fiddled with my fingers.
"Fandral. Shut it." Loki growled in a warning tone.
"Why should I!? You're the one who broke it off with her!" Fandral shot back. Loki suddenly slammed it hands down on the table, causing the silverware, plates, and cups to rattle. I let out a little shriek.
"Must we do this everyday Fandral?! I said enough!" Fandral knew to stop talking at this point, or Loki may just end his life with the wave of his hand. I buried my head in my hands, why can't Fandral just shut his mouth? I glanced towards Frigga, begging her to let me leave. She nodded and I bolted from the dining hall, wobbling in my heels.
I didn't know where I was going but I soon found myself in the Palace Garden. I've only ever been here one other time. The cherry blossom trees were just beginning to blossom. I sighed and sat down indian style in the warm grass. I kicked off Snow White's shoes, feeling the green earth beneath my toes. The breeze tossed my hair around as I laid down on the ground. The sky was a baby blue, little, puffy, white clouds dancing around each other. I watched the clouds move around. My eyes losing focus. My eyelids fluttered from many nights without sleep.
I was humming. And spinning in a circle. Something warm and heavy in my arms. Something alive. It was a child. With raven black hair and sea green eyes. It was a girl. She was breathing softly as I rocked her in my arms. The tune that left my lips was a lullaby my mother used to sing to me. I sighed and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Goodnight, Evelyn." I whispered and settled her down in the golden crib. She clutched a golden blanket in her tiny fingers. I shut my eyes gently, listening to her breathing. Everything is just so.. Perfect.
Suddenly the room grew quiet. Too quiet. My eyes shot open and I screamed. The crib was empty. I whirled around, looking for Loki. Maybe he had taken her out of the crib? No. Why would he do that? She was already sleeping. I sprinted into the bedchambers. It was like a room out of a haunted house. Spiderwebs dangling from the chandelier, eerie shadows cast up and down the walls. The whole room seemed very Victorian, as if I might run into Queen Victoria's ghost at any moment.
Something shattered in the distance. I screamed and whirled around. The mirror in our bathroom had been shattered all over the floor. A bloody handprint on one of the pieces that remained intact. I cautiously entered the bathroom. My heart racing.
"I'm ba-ack!" The voice called in a sing-song voice.
"Who's there?!" I cried, my head snapping back and forth, trying to find the source of the voice.
"I think you would recognize my voice! I mean, we shared a body for a month after all." She sounded offended. I felt my throat tighten and tears well up in my eyes.
"Belle! Show yourself!" I shrieked. The candle in the far corner of the bathroom blew out. Submitting me into total darkness. I stumbled around. I could hear movement. I felt tiny pieces of glass beneath my bare feet. Suddenly the candle's re-lit themselves casting barely enough light for me to see. Belle's new face was inches from mine. I shrieked and stumbled backwards, landing on the broken shards of glass. I felt them dig into my skin. Tearing away the layers of flesh until blood seeped out onto the tile floors. Belle held something in her arms.
"Hello." She chuckled and cradled the figure in her arms.
"Evelyn!" I sobbed and lunged forward. She held her hand out as if she was holding an imaginary cup and I felt my throat close up.
"I wouldn't take another step if I were you. Naddr and I have been practicing." She warned. My eyes watered as my lungs heaved for air. I clawed at my throat, but the force strangling me was invisible, imaginary. "Hmmm..." She pondered. I felt my throat beginning to lose the tension constricting it. "I think this child will suit Naddr." There was a flash of bright light as I lunged forward.
"No!" I sobbed as I wrapped my arms around thin air. They were gone. I landed hard on more shards of glass. The sliced my skin apart. "Belle! Stop!" I cried but she was long gone. Maybe back in Jotunheim, who knows where she could be.
I woke up, shaking and sobbing. My hands were dripping blood. It was smeared all over my dress and face, I could smell it. The stench stuck to my nostrils. Making my stomach heave. I sobbed and looked around. My nose was bleeding and my throat ached. I heard grass crunching behind me. I whirled around saw Fay, Loki, Thor, Frigga, Fandral, and Sif sprinting towards me. Practically the entire breakfast party.
"Oh my god! Aislin! What happened!" Fay cried and dropped to her knees next to me. She held my face in her hands but I just shook my head and sobbed. Fandral and Thor were on their knees next.
"What happened? Were you attacked?" I tasted metallic in my mouth. I turned to the side and spit blood into the grass.
"Aislin, please tell us what happened!" Sif begged. Frigga began dabbing her dress against my cheek. The scratches that were almost completely healed had managed to split back open. They kept asking what happened, but honestly, I didn't even know. Was it the dream? Was it really that powerful?
"Aislin! Answer us dammit!" Fandral snapped and gripped my jaw roughly. I shrieked and then someone's hand shot out and yanked Fandral's arm away by his wrist. Loki bent Fandral's hand backwards with so much force and so quickly, I swear I heard Fandral's wrist snap.
I had stopped crying but I was still in shock. I couldn't take my eyes off of my blood covered hands. They were trembling so hard I could barely make out where my fingers started and my palm stopped. Thor scooped me up in his warm arms, I buried my face in his chest, the cool metal armor stinging my wounds.
I soon felt something soft against my shoulder blades. I was in the infirmary. I felt my heart lurch and my breathing speed up. Too many bad memories were associated with this room. I stared at the ceiling, someone was clutching my hand. There was talking in the background, a snapping sound by my ears.
"She won't answer you." Someone responded. A crunching sound filled the room. Then, a warm liquid was poured down my throat. I gagged, the liquid was thick and powdery. It was like sludge. My hands began to tingle, followed by my nose and cheeks. They felt felt warm and fuzzy. I pried my eyes open. It took many moments for my eyes to adjust, but once they did. I saw Fay standing over me with a rough, blue powder all over her hands.
"Healing stone." She chuckled and turned her hands around, showing off her powder-covered palms. She sighed when I didn't respond and sat on the edge of the bed. "Are you going to tell us what happened?" I stared at her blankly. I noticed Fandral, and Frigga had left. Loki was lounging on an unoccupied cot across the narrow room, a book in his hands.
"Well, Fandral's wrist is definitely broken." Sif explained. I guess she expected me to smile or laugh or something. Because her smile faltered when I didn't. Thor was absentmindedly stroking my tiny hand in his enormous one. Fay took my hand from his and helped me from the bed. She led me down the halls, until I realized we were heading back to the gardens.
"I want to talk to you..." She trailed off. I almost scoffed. Fat chance.
She patted the ground next to her, under the elegant cherry blossom tree. The scent of the blossoming flowers filling my nose. I sat down indian style, feeling the warm earth against my bare legs.
"Why don't you speak anymore? Do you refuse to? Or did something happen?" I stared at the cherry blossom tree blankly. I guess you could say something happened. Loki left me. I'm just a hollow shell of my former self now. There's no point in speaking to anyone anymore. She waved a hand in front of my face and my eyes snapped back to hers. She pointed to a small glass panel in my hands. She scooted closer to me and traced her finger in a circle on the glass. A silver line followed her finger. Leaving behind a small shimmering circle.
I picked it up in my hands and copied her circle on the other side of the panel. It just looked like an ordinary chunk of glass, except for a square button in the corner that matched the shade of silver ink. Fay pressed the button and the circles disappeared.
"Alright, why aren't you speaking to us?" I stared at my finger and my eyes traced the lines on my palm. A bunch of different thoughts ran through my head at once. It was hard to concentrate on one single thought. Maybe that's why I wasn't speaking? My mind was always too chaotic to fathom anything into coherent words. I curled and uncurled my fingers slowly. Focusing on the way my hands wrinkled and folded.
"Aislin! Please pay attention!" Fay stressed, growing impatient. I could finally answer the question everybody was dying to know. The technology was sitting in my lap. But I was just sitting here, watching my fingers curl into a fist.
I sighed and dragged my finger down the glass. The cool surface making my fingertip tingle.
This is the hardest thing I've ever done. It read. The silver ink glittering in the sunlight.
"What? What is? Aislin tell me!" She begged. Another few minutes passed, my movements slow. Fay drummed her fingers on her knee, anticipating my answer.
Continuing to breathe when all I want to do is die.
"Aislin, please. Let me help you. Tell me what you need?" I stared at the clear panel of glass in my hands. It was strange, my fingers didn't leave any fingerprints. I watched the sun bounce off the glass, casting circles on the cherry blossom tree. I sighed and handed the panel back to Fay.
"Aislin?" She called as I pushed myself off the ground and headed back towards the palace. I didn't hear footsteps behind me as I slowly made my way towards the bedchambers. Grasping the wall for assistance.
"Hello, Lady Aislin." Thor greeted. I nodded to him. "Do you need help?" He asked and gestured to my limping along the palace halls. I shook my head, no, and hurried ahead. The palace was almost entirely empty, except for a few maids bustling about. The trek to my bedchambers was growing harder and harder. Until I was crawling on the ground, my arms trembling from holding my own weight. I lost all of my physical strength. I didn't know if was because Loki left me, or if it was a side effect of the healing stone, or if it was because of my miscarriage, or maybe it was a side effect of Belle. My arms shook harder.
A scream escaped my lips as my arms gave out. I collapsed onto the floor, my face smacking the cool surface. The whole room spun, until it was all smeared into darkness.
- Loki's P.O.V -
There was a knock on my door. I snarled and slammed my book shut.
"Who is it?" I shouted. Annoyance swimming through my thoughts.
"Eir has instructed me to get you out of your room. She says its not good for you to be locked away all day." Thor answered as he opened the door. Not bothering to ask if he was allowed to enter.
"Well what does she expect me to do?" I hissed.
"Brother." Thor sighed and sat down in the armchair next to mine. He outstretched his tree trunk arm and clapped a hand on my shoulder. "I know you're hurting, but you must take care of yourself." I groaned. I've had enough of these forced sympathetic comments and reassuring smiles. "Just walk around the palace a few times." He suggested and exited the room. I rolled my eyes and then they flickered from the door to the book in my hands. Reading made it so easy to take my mind off of her, but maybe a walk would be nice.
I sighed and pushed myself from the chair. My joints popping and cracking from hours upon hours of sitting in that damned chair. My muscles breathed a sigh of relief as I walked about the palace. I pinched the bridge of my nose.
Suddenly a scream echoed around the palace halls. I knew that scream the second I heard it and my feet took off running before I could even process what had happened. I tore down the halls, towards the direction in which I heard the scream. I dug my heels into the ground when an idea popped into my head. With my fingers on my temples, I squeezed my eyes shut and a green mist swirled behind my eyelids.
When I opened my eyes I was standing beside Aislin's crumpled body. She looked frail and weak. I felt that if I touched her she might shatter, turn to dust, and blow away. Her skin was a sickly gray and she took small shaky breaths.
"Aislin..." I whispered and stroked the hair away from her face. It was so hard to stay away from her, it was eating me away from the inside out. I felt like my insides were rotted away, replaced by a dark sadness. I picked her up in my arms carefully, I didn't want to cause her anymore harm.
A bruise was already forming on her cheek. On top of the scratch wounds that kept managing to re-open themselves. I carried her towards her bedchambers, deciding against taking her to the infirmary. She was probably getting sick of that place. As I walked, I sometimes forgot I was even holding her she was so light. Her lips were cracked and bloody and her eyes were constantly red and swollen. Although she never showed emotion anymore. When she awoke from her nightmare, that was the first time I've seen her show anything for three days. She was just a blank wall that stared off into space much more than she used to. You'd be in the middle of a conversation with her, if you could even call it that, and she would start playing with her fingers or watch water drip down the sides of her glass. Like her mind was always too clouded to think straight. Sometimes I think it is.
I sighed and set her down gently on the bed. I pulled the covers up to her neck and then hesitantly pressed a kiss to her forehead. Her skin burned my lips and made my rotted heart feel warm again. But it didn't last long. I pulled away. I can't be with her, no matter how much I loved her. I can't love her anymore. I fear she is going insane. I fear I'm the one that is causing that. I fear that the miscarriage wasn't an accident and that she stabbed me on purpose. I fear that if I stay with her any longer something terrible may happen. It will be best if we just keep our distances.