Super short update, but hey, the muse struck and this was all it gave me. Fluff galore headed your way though ;)
"Sometimes I'm a strong man
Sometimes cold and scared
And sometimes I cry
But that time I saw you
I knew with you to light my nights
Somehow I'd get by"
"Thank you, Marsi," Anja said to her nurse maid as the elderly woman puttered about her room, a few of Anja's gowns in hand as she worked frantically to situate Anja for the night. "I very much appreciate your help, but I can handle these." She waved a hand at the fabric in Marsi's hands, rearranging the molecules of the fabric so they could be stowed away neatly.
Marsi gave Anja a small smile. "My Little Anja has grown up on me, no doubt," she said quietly. "And I remember a time when you could barely get into bed on your own for you were so small." Marsi patted Anja's arm affectionately as she turned to leave. "Rest well, Dear One," the older woman said lovingly.
Anja smiled at Marsi, nodding to her before the older woman left her chambers. Quietly, Anja made to go to her vanity, running a brush through her wild curls that fell about her shoulders. Her sisters were asleep just down the hall, and she could make out Alanna's snores as she ran the silver brush through her hair.
Anja took her reflection in, smoothing her curls back in a more manageable style. The year she had been away from her home had changed her infinitesimally. There seemed to be a more mature look about her large eyes, her thin lips slightly fuller than they had been. Her skin was still an olive complexion, her curls dark brown as they cascaded over her shoulders and framed her face. But she was still Anja. That she was sure of.
She stiffened slightly when she felt strong hands wrap around her bare shoulders. The room was bathed in a dim glow from her fireplace, the white lace of her nightgown looking as though it were on fire. Almost instantly, she relaxed into Loki's touch.
"Well hello, My Lady," he whispered as her gaze met his in the mirror. "I daresay you have never looked more beautiful."
She smiled fully at that, standing up and turning in his embrace to face him full on. "And you never more handsome," she replied playfully as she smoothed his slightly ruffled hair back. It was just brushing his collar and she fought the urge to wrap her fingers in it.
She could see a large smile stretch his pale lips as he took her in. "I thought I might come visit you tonight," he said quietly, seductively as he took her chin in his hand and leaned in to place a kiss on her jaw. She seemed to slump a bit at that and he pulled away.
"My sisters are just down the hall," she said quietly. "Not tonight." She placed a hand to his face and he melted into it before taking it into his own, turning his head into her hand, and trailing his nose from the base of her palm to just where her pulse was.
"Then we shall keep quiet," he whispered into her skin, eyes closed as he planted a kiss there. The hand that had been holding hers to his lips trailed even further down her arm, coming to rest at her elbow before he pulled her against him with a gentle tug. "We seldom see each other as it is, My Lady," he said as he smiled down at her. The low neckline of her nightgown was rubbing a bit against the rough leather of his clothes, tugging down as it exposed the top part of her breasts. "Please take me into your bed tonight."
Anja's breath caught in her throat as she gazed up into his eyes. Her body was flush against his, and she could feel his heart beat where her free hand had come to rest on his chest. Her other hand was still where he had draped it over his shoulder when he had pulled her into him. She bit her lower lip, closing her eyes for the briefest moment… and snapping them wide open when his lips came down to meet hers, soft and gentle as he kissed her chastely.
Then, as quickly as he had pressed his lips to hers, she felt something coil deep within her belly. It was something she had grown far too familiar with since she had met this man, and she fought a groan as it built up in her chest. If only Loki knew how hard this was for her…
"Loki," she gasped as he pulled away. "I said not tonight."
He pressed his lips into a fine line, looking down his nose at her determined expression. "Then what would you like to do, My Lady?" he said quietly.
She gave him a wry smile, trailing her hand down his arm to rest in his hand that was not at her waist. "We could talk," she said quietly, her gaze never leaving his. "Like we used to do in the gardens, do you remember?" She brushed her lips across his knuckles chastely as she kept eye contact with him.
Loki's lips quirked up in a half-smile, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead. "Will that make you happy?" he said quietly against her forehead, his breath ghosting across where his lips touched her skin.
She closed her eyes, nodding as she pulled away to look back up at him. "Very much," she added. Something entirely new to Loki flooded through him as he looked down at Anja. Was it rejection? He couldn't be sure. She had rejected him only once since he had known her… Why did she not wish for him now? Did she not want him anymore? One look in his eyes told her what was going through his head. "Oh, Loki, I promise that it's not you. I do not wish to disturb my sisters… You know how… well, you know how we can be sometimes."
Loki's hand came up to cup her face as he laughed outright at that. She was as unpredictable as ever, yet her morals were so tender. He knew she loved him with the simple look in her big, silver eyes.
"Then I shall honor your wishes," he said quietly, resigned. She smiled softly as she took him by the hand and led him towards her bed. She slipped under the icy covers, waiting on him to discard his boots and over coat before he slipped into bed beside her. She furrowed her brow in the dark as she snuggled into his chest… which was cold as a stone beneath the thin linen of his undershirt.
"You are frigid, My Love," she said quietly as she snuggled against his chest, wrapping her arm around his waist to warm him with her body. The feel of her curves and breasts did not go unnoticed by Loki, but he contained himself as he wrapped an arm around her own form.
"I feel quite fine, to be truthful, Anja. Better than I have in a long time. This cool air does me good." She smiled at that, happy that he was happy.
"I have always preferred Vanaheim's weather to Asgard's as well," she said softly as she took in the soft glow of the embers in her fire place. They had nearly died down by now and they gave off a molten glow in her room. Loki's pale face was illuminated, his emerald eyes shining. "There is no reason for a fire save for the dead of winter in Asgard, yet somehow there is something wonderful about gathering about one with people you love." She waited quietly for his response to her last comment, a bit stunned at herself for letting it slip so easily. She had never been this open. With anyone.
"I concur with that," he replied as he held her closer. He had begun to relax now, and he realized how much simply being with her like this made him happy. She was such a special woman, one he knew he had been lucky to find… And one he knew he would marry the first chance he was presented with.
"You know," she said quietly as her cheek relaxed fully into his chest, now rising and falling with each slow breath he took. "Gathering around a fire as a family is the last true memory I have of my mother," she said. "Before she died, she used to tell me that there were fire faeries in the flickering of the flames and that if you looked hard enough, you just may be lucky enough to see one."
Loki's own cheek had come to rest on the top of her head by now. "That is truly a wonderful thing to contemplate. My own mother never even had the opportunity to tell me those kinds of stories. I was always skittish of the fire when I was younger. Even as a sorcerer, in my early years of course, I had a bit of trouble manipulating the fire."
Anja looked up at him from her place at his chest. "But not anymore?"
He smiled down at her, kissing her nose. "No, My Lady, not anymore. In fact…" His hand that had not been cradling her into him reached up towards the dying flames, summoning a bit of fire and twirling it into the shape of a small, winged creature. "I quite enjoy playing with it."
She let out a laugh of delight as she watched the product of his magic before her. "Then I am glad to hear that," she said after a moment. "Because you certainly were doing just that when you introduced yourself to my father today."
Loki tilted his head to the side, pursing his lips together in mock confusion. "I know not what you mean, My Lady," he said.
"Oh, of course you do," she said as she sat up to look down at him. She was smiling though. "And I do not think I could love you any more for it," she said after a moment. "You are honestly the most wonderful man I have ever known, Prince Loki. And I know you feel like you have been belittled since your brother was named heir to the throne, but you will always be a good, just man in my eyes. You own me, Loki, body, heart, and soul. And I love you. Never doubt that."
He smiled up at her from his place at her pillow, pulling her back down next to him as he placed a kiss on her lips. She returned it and he ignored the white lace strap of her nightgown as it fell over her shoulder and he tucked her back into his body. "And I love you," he replied. "No matter what happens, I will always love you. You are my everything."
She let out a happy sigh as she closed her eyes, snuggled up with him under the sheets of her own bed. He was warm now, and she along with him. She had let him into her bed for the night; It had merely just been in a much more intimate way.
Yeah... no lemon tonight! Sorry, guys, but they have to talk too ;) I've still got plans for this story though so you never know!
~Sirius
