It had become routine. Every night before bed, Astraea would place her teacup next to the wall, and by morning — before she'd wake, the teacup would be filled with steaming hot, favorable tea. Astraea fought hard against her own mind; it had become a rambled mess with not only her feelings but his as well. As the days passed and turned into weeks, she was having trouble knowing which were her feelings or his feelings. And as she sat in her chair as she done every morning drinking her tea, she wondered on the thoughts; far too long and way too hard.
"You look troubled, little dove. What's weighing on your mind?" Loki asked, filling his own cup with tea.
Astraea hated how he acted as if nothing had happened. He carried on with his casualities and tried to spark conversation wherever he could; but Astraea did not give in. She always stayed silent, maybe she would throw in a sentence here and there if she felt it relevant, but she didn't know if it was her speaking back to him or him speaking back to him.
Loki had told her one night a week ago what Odin had told him about soul bonds and how, for some, they go mad. She was starting to think that maybe her own mind was slipping. She no longer only felt Loki, but now she swears she could almost hear his thoughts right next to hers — in the form of a devil on her shoulder, whispering sin in her ear.
"I think I'm losing my mind," she said, her voice trembling.
Loki lifted his brow, eyeing the young girl. "Do tell."
Astraea rolls her eyes, her hands sliding over her face. "Maybe Odin threw us down here and hasn't came to see us in almost seven weeks is cause he's hoping we do lose our minds. If we loose our minds together neither one of us are fit to rule."
Loki nods while stalking closer to the wall separating them. "Very good, it took you only a little over a month to figure it out. I knew my father would try everything in his power to find a solution before giving us a trail. The percentage of deities that loose their minds after a soul bond are higher than the ones who don't. I had my suspicions that would be his first attempt."
"And you didn't think to tell me? I've been loosing my mind." Astraea huffed.
"You where in a bit of tantrum, silent treatment if I recall." Loki smirks, "Don't burden yourself with thoughts you cannot control. If we lose our minds we'll both be stuck down here."
"I don't want to be stuck down here forever."
"Neither do I."
"But I also don't want to be your queen," she retorted back. "Maybe I should lose my mind. The delusional lady in my dreams tells me this wasn't even meant to happen."
"You've been seeing a woman in your dreams?" Loki asked, and when Astraea didn't respond, he rolled his eyes. Silent treatment, again.
Loki sighed, then walked a few steps forward to check the clock just down the hall in the guard's room. It was falling into evening.
I wish I could see the sunset.
A thought crossed his mind. A thought simple and sweet, sweep through his mind in a blissful song of beautiful color and pure intentions.
That wasn't his thought.
"What time is it?" Loki spoke to Astraea, his voice booming loud, breaking the silence, causing her to jump only slightly.
"8:30, why?"
Loki smiled, his stride swift as he closed in to the golden beam separating them. "How did you know that?"
Astraea was taken aback. She crossed her arms over her chest and moved towards him. "I don't know."
Loki's eyes gleam as Astraea furrows her brows, questioning, "What?"
"I do believe our bond is getting stronger, love," he says with a hint of excitement. "From where you were standing, you couldn't possibly have read the clock's time in the guard's room. The wall from that angle prevents you from doing so."
Astraea nods, still confused. "Okay?"
"I read the clock's time, but you didn't. Yet, you still knew the time."
Astraea feels a sudden unease as she realizes the implications of their bond. The thought of being connected to Loki in such an intimate way both thrills and terrifies her. She can't help but wonder what other aspects of their lives they might share as their bond grows even stronger.