Chapter 82.

He woke and she lay in his arms, her naked body with her back against his chest and he kissed the shoulder closest to him. Lingering to inhale the soft perfume of clean skin and floral creams, his eyes closing as she shifted in front of him and hummed. The bright light from the snow filled the room, and he caressed her hip as she stirred and she opened her eyes. He saw the remnants of her shift laying on the floor, and waved a hand to restore it and she giggled a bit as she looked at it.

"We did get a bit excited, perhaps we should not be so eager next time? For the sake of my clothes and Seamstresses." She said and he laughed into her shoulder, opening his mouth and scraping his teeth over her skin in a playful nip. She gasped, shifting in his arms to lay on her stomach and he lay over her. She smiled as he kissed down her back, working his way back up her spine slowly.

"I hope..." He said, kissing her and positioning her hips as he pushed into her again. "That you know how beautiful you are right now. How angelic and pure you look when you sleep, and how much I desire you."

She stretched and pushed against him, his hands closing over her wrists and she bit her lip as he moved. She pinched her eyes shut, panting and he kissed her from behind and she looked at the snow out the window. He continued to move, her body accepting him and he slipped his hand around her waist to tease her further into ecstasy. She let out a loud cry, her hands gripping the sheet under her and he joined her in the release and she collapsed to the bed and caught her breath as she lay with her cheek to the mattress.

"I love you, and my home is where you are. It always shall be that way, even if our heads rest elsewhere." She said, her eyes closing and he shifted to the side so he would not crush her as he held her. He kissed her shoulder, moving her hair aside and he smiled at her.

"I worship you with all my being." He said, covering them both to stay warm and closing his eyes and drifting back to sleep with her in his arms.

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She descended the stairs in time to find Dell preparing the Midday meal, the older woman smirking at her and Floria blushed at her. She wore the black dress with the gold embroidery and a plain gold band around her head, her hair combed and falling down her back. There was no need to over dress here, and no one to judge her for not being covered in jewels. It was a relief of sorts, knowing that no one would look at her poorly for being as relaxed as she wanted.

"I see you are both finally out of bed, I was starting to wonder if he would let you rise." Dell said, bringing her a cup of tea and she patted her hand. "This will help, in case you both were trying for another child."

"We were not really, we were just enjoying the company of one another. It would be a pleasant undertaking, perhaps we shall work on that later." Floria said and Dell raised her eyebrows at her. The young queen blushed and giggled, sipping from the cup and she held up three fingers.

"Oh my! Making up for lost time then, or just trying to wear the man out?" She asked and Floria pretended to be embarrassed by her statement. Both women laughed, Till walking into the kitchen and groaning at the women.

"Gossiping I suppose, women have nothing better to do at times." He said and Floria sipped her tea as she left the kitchen, turning and walking straight into Loki. The cup splashed over both of them and she opened her mouth in shock, using her hands to try to dry his coat.

"I am so sorry, I did not see you." She said and he grabbed her hands and held her for a moment.

"Nightengale, I am fine." He said and dried himself using his magic, leaving her blushing. He waved a hand and her gown dried and she smiled at him, leaving her now empty cup on the table.

"I still did not see you, I suppose I should be more careful in the future." She said and she walked to stand near the fire. He picked up a shawl and wrapped it over her shoulders, holding her from behind and he kissed her cheek. She shivered a bit and he wrapped her tighter in the soft wrap, trying to keep the cold off her.

"There is more snow coming, I can feel it. We may have a long Winter on us, with nothing to do." He said and they both looked out the window at the drifts of snow. She sighed, leaning against him and pressed her lips together.

"We did need to leave the Castle for a while, but I did not expect to be snowed in this early in the winter." She said and he sat in the chair and pulled her into his lap. She leaned against his chest, his arms around her and he kissed her cheek.

"You called me beautiful last night." He said and she nodded, her hands covering his and she wove her fingers into his from the backs of them.

"I meant it, I love the color blue and think it is so very beautiful. It reminds me of Summer skies, the ocean near the Castle, and all the wonderful things I miss of Spring." She said and he laughed into her neck, letting her settle in his lap and she shifted and pressed her lips together. He shifted her, lifting her legs and draping them over the arm of the chair so she did not put pressure on her sore bottom and she leaned against his shoulder. Both of them not saying anything for a long time, and the fire next to them crackled.

Her breathing became regular eventually, and she closed her eyes, Loki picking her up and carrying her up the stairs to her bed. He lay her on the mattress, covering her with a heavy blanket and kissed her forehead. She lay on her back and the dress she wore reminded him of a woman laying in stasis for her funeral, her pale hands over her stomach and he couldn't stare at her any more. His mind remembering, a time long ago where he stood in this place. Another woman, dying because of his failure to act, and a guilt her carried because of it.

She had been his lover, the Palace Maid with the blonde hair and the wide smile. They laughed together as she ran from her duties and they lay in pools of sunlight in his Chambers, her brown eyes shining as they lay together in the woods or on his bed. Her soft touch, and his aching need to be closer to her as she let him caress her body.

"My Prince, I... I need your help. I... I am with your child." She wept and he felt weak. His knees buckling as he lifted her off the floor, and she wept into her hands.

"What? I thought you were careful! You told me that you took precautions!" He said, smoothing her hair and she turned away from him and ran. He sat in the chair in his Chambers, thinking about what he had done to the woman and he nearly wept. His decision made, he composed a letter, leaving it on the desk for Frigga to find and left his chambers to search for her. He would do the honorable thing, and wed the girl. He was the father of the child she carried, and he would make her his wife.

He walked the Castle halls for hours, and he heard a scream from the kitchens. He ran toward it, finding her laying on the floor in a closet. The bottle of poison she had drank was near her cold fingers, and her lips crusted with blood. He dropped to his knees next to her, and he nearly screamed. His love and child gone, because he was a fool.

He stood over her body as it was placed on the pyre, her dress of black hiding the truth in her belly and he wept bitter tears. The wood lit, and her soul was freed and he stood by until the last spark had died and there was nothing left.

Love was a complicated thing, and he avoided it at all costs after that day. Until a girl had tumbled down a hill, a slave that was running on an injured leg for her life and she begged him for his help. He felt a tear fall from his eye, thinking about how her amber eyes were so scared, how she looked at him on his horse and cowered and tried to escape. He thought about the spark in her that became a fire that burned so warmly, how her soul was a fire that burned so bright. The confidence she now had, and was abused every time she turned her head. He looked out at the snow and thought it was like her, that she was as pure as snow.