I think the worst part about the room was how hot it was. The palace guards had led me down hallways even I wasn't familiar with, and into a lonely dark room. The room was quite small, but it led out into a large chamber that seemed pointless for it's massive size.
As soon as I had entered the room, I began to pant. It was like an oven. Sweat beads had formed on my hairline and rolled down my face in a matter of seconds.
Then they told me the protocol. One week: no sleep. Meals once every two days and water once a day.
I struggled to get used to the room after a while. It was too damn hot. My shirt was soaked within the hour. I paced in any attempt to get a breeze.
What felt like hours later, they brought me a cup of water. The door opened for the briefest of seconds before some hidden figure passed off a tray to the guard standing in the cell.
The guard stared at me and I stared at the tray. On it was a small cup of water. My mouth was dry from the heat.
The guard handed the cup to me after a minute and I downed it in a matter of seconds until I realized my mistake. Water once a day. That was all I would get until tomorrow.
I threw the cup and watched it smash against the far wall.
The guard flinched, and I could see the youth in his eyes and the flush to his cheeks. So he too was hot. He wasn't quite as miserable as I, but pretty close.
The guard moved to pick up the broken object. I let out a huff and began to pace the small cell, feeling hot and anxious. After a while, I was so hot that I had to lay down and catch my breath. I saw the guard approach.
"You can not fall asleep," he said gruffly.
"I'm just..." I placed my hand on my forehead. I was soaked from head to toe. It felt like the time when Thor had made me jump into the water below the Bifrost as a dare. The water had been icy cold, but that didn't bother me so much as how wet I was after. "Catching my breath," I finished.
The guard nodded. He was gone within the hour. The heat had gotten to him. Another guard came in and she retreated to the corner. I was still laying on the floor. My body felt exhausted from the heat.
That's when I realized that getting through this week of no sleep would be a lot harder than I initially thought.
Two days passed. Not much happened, though it was my first time getting food. The food arrived on a small tray and was passed off to the guard. The guard, I realized, was there only to keep me awake, as part of this punishment.
Each guard was only there for about an hour. The heat inside of the room was too much for everyone.
Screw Odin. I knew he did this on purpose.
The food was dry and bland. Rice and bread and olive oil. This was normal for Asgard, as most of the food is meat and carbohydrates. I couldn't believe how much I missed Midgardian food. The pancakes were so good.
I ate slowly to savor the small amount of flavor. My water came a few minutes later. I couldn't resist the urge to chug the water down. I gasped when I finished and shattered the glass against the ground. I barely even felt the glass cutting into my hand. I collapsed back down and closed my eyes.
That's when I felt something slam against my face. I groaned. The guard stared at me from above.
"Get up," he ordered. I forced myself to stand. "You can not fall asleep. King's orders."
I nodded. I knew this.
"Clean this up," he indicated the shattered glass. "I'll be back."
Once the cell door slammed closed, I knelt tiredly to the ground and began to clean up the glass.
I dropped the shards a second later when the door opened again. A different guard returned, carrying a long metal rod. The end of the rod was bright orange color, as if it had been in a furnace for some time.
I stared at the guard in horror. "What are you doing?" I asked.
"You are not permitted to fall asleep. King's orders," his voice sounded almost robotic.
"Okay, okay," I said. "I'm not. I won't."
The guard grabbed me roughly by the wrist and pulled on the back of my collar, exposing the base of my neck. Quickly, he pressed the burning rod against my back. I let out a scream of pain. I attempted to twist away and after a second, the guard let me go.
My fingers clawed at my back, where a brand new burn had been scorched into my skin.
I groaned, fidgeting uncomfortably. The pain wasn't going away. The guard slapped me with the rod. "Clean that up," he indicated the shattered glass before he left. As soon as she door was shut, I let my eyes fall closed.
I don't know how long I was asleep, but I woke up by someone roughly shaking me. "Loki," an urgent voice filled my ears. "Loki, get up. What are you doing?"
I opened my eyes to see a strangely familiar face. "Sif?" I asked, confused. The brunette swung her head to look from me to the door.
"Get up, quickly. I brought you water, but you only have a few minutes before a guard comes. Quickly, quickly." The urgency in her voice made me sit up. She handed me a cup on water and when I began to chug it down, she tilted the cup so the liquid would move into my body faster.
"Why are you helping me?" I asked, staring helplessly at the empty cup.
"It's my job to protect the throne," she responded. "And as much as I hate to admit it, that throne includes you."
I gave her a small grin. "It also includes Odin. You would dare defy your king?"
"He's hardly our king anymore. He's gone mad since..." she trailed off and didn't decide to elaborate. I furrowed my eyebrows but didn't push the topic. "Thor is on his way," she added after a second.
I felt a burst of hope. But it faded after a second. How long would it be before Thor arrived? "Thank you, Sif," I said on her way out. "Really. Thank you."
She nodded at me as she left and the door slammed closed behind her. I heard the lock click, and I was again reminded how miserable I felt.
Oh gods, Thor. Please hurry.
Please hurry, Heimdall, was my thought the entire night. I didn't sleep. Thor, though, did. I could hear his rumbling snores coming from Loki's room down the hallway.
I sank into my covers, wishing Thor would shut up. Wishing Fury would help, or at least make an effort to care. Wishing things weren't so complicated between the only two men in my life that I might care about in that way.
Oh god, Natasha, I thought to myself. What have you gotten yourself into?
I covered my face with my hands, hoping I would just sink into the mattress, and maybe I would fall asleep.
Eventually, restlessly, I walked out of my room and out of my house, slamming the front door behind me.
I walked down the stairs and into the snow. I gasped, realizing I forgot my shoes. I ignored the horribly uncomfortable feeling of the cold snow against my feet.
I treaded over to where scorch marks on the ground from the bifrost were just barely visible. I sank into the snow inside of the circle.
"Heimdall, open the bifrost," I whispered. Nothing happened. "Open the bridge."
Nothing.
I stared at the starry sky, just waiting, hoping.
Still, nothing happened.
The cold didn't even bother me the longer I stared at the sky. It almost felt a warm blanket. Laying down, I stared up at the starry night with the tiniest hint of a smile on my face. My eyes closed, and I began to sink into sleep.
I dreamed of my front door opening, and Loki emerging from the warm golden light inside of my house.
"Oh, Natasha," he said, quietly. He picked me up like I was a baby, and I let my head fall against his strong chest. "What are you doing out here? You'll freeze."
But then he didn't look like Loki anymore. He looked like...Thor.
"Natasha?" Thor shook me.
He then carried me inside effortlessly, and put me in my covers. That's when I realized how cold I actually was.
My hair was soaked from the snow, and I kept shivering. Thor left my room, and I wanted to slap myself.
I climbed out of my bed and turned on the hot water in my shower. The water immediately soothed my freezing muscles. I washed my hair, still wet from the snow. I hated the cold.
I hated that I had put myself in danger like that. I hated that I would be so foolish and ignorant as to fall asleep in frigid temperatures. But I loved...missed...Loki's soothing voice, his strong arms, and his beautiful eyes...and at least my dream brought those back to me.
I let out a longing sigh before turning the water off and climbing out.
I pulled on a robe before moving into my room to change. I felt better climbing into my bed, warm and cozy.
And yet, I still felt sleep evading me. I shut my eyes tight.
Oh, Heimdall. Please hurry.
Sorry for this late update. I'm the worst.