Doing an experiment. I'm taking attendance ✍🏻 Comment here with your fav Marvel movie pls!
This is a completely new chapter!!! Lemme know what y'all think!
•••
It's been one month since they moved, and Summer still wasn't sure where she was, but she knew it was still on earth. Loki explained to her for a long while now that he's been having this new home built- even before he met her. It was very well hidden in a forest. Not only that, but he had some sort of force field around it. If someone was on the outside of it, everything on the inside was invisible. Step through it, the castle, along other smaller cottages for their people, would appear.
As far as their relationship went, Loki was very proud how far they've come. She was still fairly shy, but certainly wasn't as scared. Her attempts to escape had ceased for now.
She was still oblivious to the potion in the tea. She had moments still when she was not trusting or fearful, but the potion little by little was clouding over that little voice in her head everyday.
The little voice that was still hardly there told her that Loki was not safe and she had to play the part for survival. However, the potion told her to give in, that this was her life now. She had to make the most of it. Surely, Loki wasn't that bad. He gave her everything she wanted and more, besides her freedom. The two different voices were starting to merge into the same.
Today, Loki had taken the day off to spend time with her. He promised her a picnic in the gardens. She thanked their maid when she finished up buttoning up her dress, and turned to admire her beautiful emerald green gown, flowy and light for this summer day in the mirror.
Loki whistled lowly as he entered the room, drinking in her appearance. She turned to face him, light pink spreading across her cheeks.
"On second thought," he started, and prowled towards her until she was backed up against the wall. "How about we just stay here?"
She hummed as he planted kisses to her cheek, jaw, and then neck. It started off sweet and delicate before it turned into a hard bite.
She gasped and gawked up at him. "You bit me."
"I don't know how you don't get bitten more often," he told her, and continued the assault on her neck once again. "You're delectable."
She sighed in delight and her hands moved up to his hair. "You're trying to distract me. I would like to go outside." She panted, but internally began to question which she really wanted.
He had been more affectionate lately. Half of her felt dread overwhelm her because of it, but the stronger half let it happen. Why was she giving in? Wasn't this man evil? A murderer?
With a frown, he reluctantly agreed, but not before kissing her lips this time, his hands trailing up her ribcage. She laughed and tugged his hands before he could go up any farther. "Pleeease?"
He affectionately rolled his eyes but let her drag him out the door. "Anything for my queen."
They spent a couple hours in the garden, snacking on some fruit, and just spending time together. They were on a bench, Summer seated on his lap, where he had her most of the time anyway.
She bit into the strawberry he offered her, returning the grin he gave. Absentmindedly, she fiddled with the buttons on his shirt, deep in thought. She's been summoning up the courage to ask him something she's been wondering for a long time now. She was hoping this was her moment.
"What's on your mind, love?"
"Hmm?" She wondered, but she knew what he was asking.
"You seem distracted." He told her, gently moving a strand of hair out of her face. "Where's your pretty little mind at, hmm?"
Her chest rose up sharply as she inhaled deeply, her fingers dropping from his shirt. His fingers interlocked with hers, hoping to provide some sort of comfort. "You know you can ask me anything." He reminded her.
Her gaze fell to their intertwined fingers, her lower lip caught between her teeth. "I know, I just don't want to ruin anything." She explained, softly. "I don't want you to be mad at me."
His thumb ran over her knuckles as he asked, "did you try to run away?"
"No!" She tensed and grabbed both of his hands with hers. "I haven't, I promise."
"Have you defied anything I've asked of you?" He asked as equally as calm as the first question.
Her heart quickened and fear tortured her guts. This is exactly what she was scared of. They had been so good the past few weeks and she just had to open her mouth and ruin it.
"No, Loki, I don't think so." She sputtered and moved closer to him, trying to get on his good side. "I'm sorry if I did. Did I?"
At her frantic state, he released her hands and wrapped his arms around her instead, bringing her to lean against his chest. "Relax, Summer. I'm just asking you some questions."
She swallowed hard, stiff as a board. "Sorry," she whispered.
"Have you done anything at all that you're not supposed to?" He questioned.
"No," she shook her head.
He planted a kiss on top of her head. "Then what do I have to be mad at?"
She instantly relaxed at the statement, all the tension leaving from her body. She mistook his questions for accusations.
"Oh..." she drawled, playing this his buttons once again while his fingers dragged up and down her arms. "I don't think anything. I just know some things aren't my business and you have my best intensions at heart." She repeated the line he used on her many, many times.
He drew back so he could look at her, her legs crisscrossed in his lap. "You're right, but I don't mind questions. How would you know what's off the table for discussion if you don't ask?"
"Right," she nodded, summoning up the courage to speak once again. "May I ask my question then?"
"You may."
With an inhale, she asked, "why me? What... what did you see in me? Do you want me for forever?"
"Of course I want you forever!" He replied and squeezed her in a hug a little tighter. "Why wouldn't we be forever?"
She relaxed slightly as he played with the ends of her hair that rested on her back. "I'm not sure. I know you don't like me to speak of before everything, but I just didn't know you before. I didn't know your intensions or why you wanted it with me?"
Before, as in, before he took her hostage in her own home. He never allowed her to speak about her "previous" family, life, job, friends, memories, or anything at all that came before him. This was her life now. He wouldn't let her "live in the past."
"I saw something so special and unique about you, Summer. I just knew you and I could rule worlds and entire galaxies together." He explained in a quiet voice. "I knew this was what was best for us, even if you didn't see it originally."
Guilt prodded at her, making her mumble an, "I'm sorry."
He kissed the side of her head. "None of that, love. We're past that now, yes?"
"Yes," she agreed.
"Do you agree with me now?" He asked her, his voice just a tad louder now. More authority to his tone.
She looked up at him, unsure which part he was referring to.
"That we make sense?" He clarified. "That this is what's best?"
She nodded and leaned her head into the crook of his neck. "I see that now. I'm sorry I didn't before."
He dug through his pocket and pulled out two dark queen velvet boxes, the rim and hinges a stunning gold. He gave her one and she took it. He had a box of his own, slightly different from hers.
"I've been waiting for the right moment for this, but I can't wait any longer." He chuckled and nudged her to open her box the same time he opened his.
The engagement ring was unlike anything she had ever seen. It was delicate and simple to a degree with jewels placed into the gold band itself. It was understated and minimalist in a classy way. The diamond itself was a marquise cut and glistened in the sunlight. It appeared emerald green at some angles, shift the ring another way, it was a regular diamond. This told her this was not a regular diamond from earth. It had a sparkle to it in the light, yet the sparkle it brought to her eyes was prettier still.
He had a gold band to match, minus all the jewels and diamonds. It was then she realized this was not intended to be an engagement ring, but a wedding ring.
Her eyes met his expectedly, her heart hammering wildly in her chest. One part of her said, "play the part until you can get free, Summer." The other part told her, "Give in, this is your life now and it's not that bad. He loves you."
He cleared his throat and said, "the symbolism of a wedding ring is closely tied in with the symbolism of its shape—a circle. Throughout history, circles have been used as a metaphor for concepts of totality, wholeness, perfection, the self, infinity, eternity, and timelessness. Circles have no beginning and no end, and their symmetry has made them symbols for heaven and God's perfection. The eternal nature of a circle has also made wedding rings symbols not only of love, but eternal love." He explained to her with a gentle smile.
"I meant it when I said this is forever. By giving you this ring, we will be married. If you would like to get married the way Midgard does is, we can do that as well. However, here and now, I want to marry you. This ring means I am promising you my love and that I will remain devoted to you throughout all of time." He told her. "You giving me this ring would mean the same."
Her eyes widened, taken back by it all. "You don't need a wedding to be married here?"
He shook his head. "No, just vows between the two of us we can have here and now. I'm more than happy to give you that someday if that's what you wish. Just not today."
She nodded, processing it all. Gently, he picked her up off his lap and set her on the seat. He took the ring out of the box and got down on one knee. He smiled up at her and asked, "what do you say, darling? Will you marry me?"
She wanted to say no. She knew there would be consequences if she said no. There could even be consequences with her hesitating. She wondered what this meant for them. If he would expect more from her. If he would take advantage of her. Was it taking advantage of her if she agreed to marry him? Something inside of her was screaming at her not to say yes.
Unfortunately, the potion drowned the screams out.
"Yes."
He whispered her name in delight and closed the gap, gently pressing his lips to hers. His kisses started to trail down from her lips, to her jaw, to her neck, leaving a trial of sparks wherever his lips touched.
Her fingertips traveled down his neck and chest, enjoying the feeling of the way his muscles twitched and relaxed under her fingers. He tilted her face up, his hand caught somewhere behind her neck and base of her jaw, and the kiss grew heated. He pulled her firmer against him, making her gasp.
She managed to pull away just enough to ask, "don't we have to say our vows?"
He chuckled and pecked her lips a couple times more. "We do."
He took her by the hand and gently tugged her front against him. He placed his ring in her hands and held out his left hand for her. She put the ring on halfway and thought of the most generic vows she could think of.
"I, Summer, take you, Loki, to be my husband." She recited, the words slowly beginning to hit her. The weight of her words weighed on her mind as she gave herself away to him forever. "To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish... until parted by death." She whispered, her gaze dropping to his hand.
She sealed her words and slipped the ring onto his finger. Quickly, he took his hand away. She caught a glimmer of pain in his eyes, but didn't think too much of it.
Then, it was his turn. She held her left hand up and he slid the ring on half way. "I, Loki, take you, Summer, to be my wife. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until parted by death." He recited the same words and leaned over to give her a peck on the cheek.
"I love you, Summer." Loki said sweetly as he slid the ring onto her finger.
Summer's screams pierced the air as the gold fused with her skin. The hot, searing pain felt as if it was burning her finger right off.
She nearly collapsed from the pain, but Loki caught her in time. "Aren't you excited?" He exclaimed in pure glee, "We're bound together for life now, darling."
She clung to him, desperate for the pain to end. He kept this part a secret from her, but maybe that was intensional. Maybe it was for the best. Didn't he always know what was best for her?
•••
What did y'all think??
Please don't forget to comment, vote, and follow!