Chapter Four; Together In Dreams
Angry and upset, Belle busied herself with attempting to make her new abode more homely.
She took a walk into the forest to find some suitable sticks, as she'd found a ball of twine in the storage chest.
Using these materials she made herself a broom, with which she could use to sweep out the cottage.
This didn't prove much of a distraction though, as her thoughts kept returning to Loki and his actions.
She felt the sting of humiliation; she should have known that he wouldn't actually really have any desire to kiss her, or seduce her.
He was a God after all, so what would he want with a mortal girl like herself.
He could have his pick of Goddesses or beautiful Asgardian ladies of noble breeding.
Still, his words had hurt.
He had no idea just how much she'd dreamed of the possibility of one day meeting him.
Since a child she'd been an avid reader, and had been fascinated by the stories of the Aesir and their legends.
She'd spent many hours in the library reading such tales to wile away the long winter evenings, all about the mighty Thor, the wise Allfather Odin and the trickster God Loki.
He had been the one who'd intrigued her the most.
She had believed in her heart, that all he needed was love. And that he wasn't truly wicked at all.
Having now met him in the flesh, his beauty had captivated her as much as the stories of him had.
Personally she knew very little about love...but she was now certain that what she'd felt when they first met, had to be love at first sight.
...much to her dismay.
There would be no cure for it. And he must never know...
Loki had been in a dark mood since that morning.
He didn't understand...or even wish to...why his heated exchange with the girl from Avonlea had rattled him so.
She meant nothing to him at all. She was nothing more than a tiny drop in the vast ocean of his world, so why would he even waste his precious time by giving her a second thought? It made no sense at all.
After spending all day locked away in the palace library studying old texts, he was growing agitated that he could not concentrate due to his mind wandering back to the same subject.
Abandoning his books, he decided to retire for the night.
But sleep didn't come easily, his mind was still unable to switch off...
...and when at last he did fall asleep, he dreamed. Of her.
Dreaming was not something that happened regularly for Loki. And this dream was so vivid and real.
He was walking through a meadow, then he came across her...smiling at him gently, she sat with an open book on her lap.
"I see you like reading..."
He stated, squinting slightly in the sunlight,
"...I'm an avid reader myself."
Sitting down beside her, he took in the way the light enhanced the rich tones of brown in her hair, which hung down in scented folds over one shoulder.
"What are reading?"
He enquired, leaning in to see for himself, and he was temporarily stunned when he saw an artist's impression on the page, which bore his own name below it.
"Yes it's you..."
She replied sweetly, turning to look at him and shyly meeting his eyes,
"...it has always been you."
At that, he reached out and brushed her hair back, gently touching the soft skin of her neck.
She closed her eyes as he traced down and along her shoulder with his finger tips.
"M-my Lord.."
She whispered breathlessly,
In response he placed the pad of his finger against her lips, to silence her. And to his surprise she kissed it gently.
Overcome with desire, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her full on the lips.
She responded by kissing him back and wrapping her arms around his neck, her hands reaching up to tousle his dark hair.
Tilting whilst continuing to lock lips, they lay back against the soft grass,
"I want you to want me Belle"
He rasped, breathlessly between kisses.
Without speaking, she reacted by slipping her hands up beneath his shirt, and the feeling of her hands on his skin made him let out a small moan...
..which woke him abruptly from his slumber.
Sitting up, breathless and sweating he was instantly confused and alarmed at the way he'd moaned in his sleep.
What was happening to him?
...Was he losing his senses? And did he actually want her to want him?...
At the same time, far across on the other side of the kingdom, Belle stirred feverishly in her sleep.
She was dreaming of a meadow on a beautiful spring day. And there, amongst the tall grass, she was lay kissing Loki passionately.
The dream was startlingly vivid and real. She could feel the sun on her face, smell the flowers entwined amongst the long grass...taste the sweetness of his soft lips.
"I want you to want me Belle"
He whispered between kisses.
Running her hands along the soft skin beneath his shirt, he let out a gentle groan which made her almost dizzy with desire.
"Oh Loki...I want you.."
She arched her body to press it against his...
..then suddenly awoke with a start.
Gasping for breath, she realised she'd physically jerked in her sleep and woken herself up.
Trembling slightly, she felt almost ashamed of herself for having such an illicit dream.
Such feelings, like desire were alien to her. And she didn't want to dwell on what it meant.
She'd never felt that way about a man before.
Did this mean that she actually wanted and desired him?...