15th of Flora
This was an interesting day. And this mostly because...I met someone.
It's been over a week since I noticed that dark figure in the forest. I went in the woods everyday after that, with or without my brother, but everything seemed quite normal. No more strange appearances, no more peculiar noises, nothing! The forest looked as welcoming and safe as the first day I had stepped in it. Therefore, those past days, day by day, my worries and fears cleared and I placed them all in my past. Who knows? Maybe it was just our imagination after a day spent under the hot sun.
So today, I fearlessly went with Eobar in the forest to play. He took his favourite blue ball so we could play catch. We walked together deep into the forest, while I once again looked left and right...all clear! After a few minutes, we reached a large glade that was in the heart of the woods, the one in which my father would take me when I was of Eobar's age. Dragonflies were flying all around us once we arrived and one even got stuck for a couple of moments in my brunette locks. Then we started playing, throwing the rubber ball to each other, me trying not to throw it too hard in order for my brother to catch it easily.
After a couple of minutes, when the ball was in my hands and I was preparing to throw it to Eobar, I felt something crawling beneath the corset of my creamy-white dress. My hands were up in the air, gripping the ball, so that when my body suddenly twitched, I accidentaly threw it too hard and too far for my brother to catch it, landing somewhere behind the branchy trees surrounding the glade. My fingers moved instinctively to the moving, itching lump at the back of my corset, trying to get out whatever was stuck in there. Through all the rush that enveloped me to find out what was wrong, I heard Eobar saying:
„Don't worry! I'll go get it, Em!"
With the corner of my eye I noticed him quickly heading to the ramose exit of the glade. The small lump in my corset started grumbling and buzzing, as if it were more desperate to free itself than I was. I hooked my index finger in the edge of my corset, pulling it from my skin a little, while my other hand was brushing up in order to push the small insect out. After a few seconds, I noticed a small dragonfly flying violently out of my dress. Then, I turned to look around, but Eobar was nowhere to be seen.
„Eobar!" I called out. No answer. „Eobar!" I cried again, with more force in my voice, but still no reply.
That's when I began panicking. My brother should have returned by now, I thought to myself. I started thinking he might have gotten lost or injured himself or...who knows, maybe something even worse! I began yelling his name while running in the direction he had left soon before. My whole body was trembling and I felt a strong knot in my stomach. Just the thought of losing my beloved little brother was enough to drain me. A few minutes passed, though it felt like decades to me then, while I was running through the woods on the path I was more than sure that my brother had taken. I couldn't understand where he had gone and how could he have gotten so far in such a short time. I ran a little more, looking desperately left and right, before abruptly stopping in my tracks. I saw Eobar and...him.
In front of me was the entrance of a small, but brightly-lit glade. In this glade Eobar was standing in front of a young-looking man, who was down on one bent knee in order to be at my brother's eye level. It looked like he was talking to Eobar. But, all this I noticed in just one second, for the moment I saw my brother in the presence of a stranger, I simply called his name, running swiftly by his side.
„Eobar, what are you doing here?!" I asked breathing heavily, trying to scold my brother while pulling him by his hand closer to me.
„Nothing...we were just..." Eobar let out innocently, looking with his big black eyes up to me. He didn't seem frightened by the man. But even so, I pulled him behind me, away from the stranger. I looked down at my brother one more time and I was ready to tell him one more thing in my tired, husky voice, but I was abruptly interrupted.
„I assure you I mean him no harm!" the stranger said, attracting my attention back at him.
He had raised to his feet while my attention was focused on Eobar. I noticed he was quite tall, even compared to me, for I am fairly tall for my age, and that his body had a sort of felinic allure. I couldn't help but remark he was all dressed in black...just like the mysterious figure from last week, except for two or three segments of green. This unsettled me. His skin was almost porcelain white and clear, a quite beautiful shade I may add, his hair was raven-black and he had a pair of big, green eyes that were staring directly into mine. He looked like a nobleman, probably a warrior, one of those who live around the palace of Asgard. Through his eyes that were piercing through mine and his facial expression which looked quite concerned, he was trying to assure me that he wasn't a dangerous man. But I am not the one easily persuaded.
After pronouncing these words, I shot him a glare and tightened my grip on Eobar's shoulder. I breathed in sharply, licked my lips and prepared to say something, but once again, I was interrupted.
„And I mean no harm to you either!" he let out reassuringly, extending his right hand a bit towards me, as if trying to comfort me. I think it was quite obvious that behind my angry looks and attempts to look brave, I was quite scared.
„What was going on here?" I asked quickly, taking a short look at my brother then back at the stranger.
„The boy wandered here searching for his lost plaything which had fallen very close to this glade and I returned it to him" he answered, pointing slightly at the ball my little brother was now holding in his hands „when you arrived miss, I was simply questioning if he were here without a parent or someone to look after him!"
I looked into his eyes skeptically, then back to Eobar. He nodded his small head at me, as if agreeing to what the man had said. I swallowed hard and licked my lips, while a feeling of composure started filling my body. My brother didn't look frightened and the man before me didn't seem malevolent or harmful, now that I had pieced everything together in my head. Everything was fine. I was just overreacting like a fool…as always. I looked back at the stranger in front of me, whose eyes still delivered me the feeling of concern and empathy, and thought that I should say something in order to make the situation look less awkward to the both of us.
"Well, then umm…" I began stammering embarrassed, not knowing how to express myself in order to apologize for making him feel guilty for nothing "Thank you for…your concern towards my brother and…I apologize for…"
"Please, don't apologize!" he interrupted me, his facial expression turning milder "Your confusion was understandable. In fact, it is lovely to see such a young lady being so caring towards her smaller sibling" he added with a short smile "It was a pleasure meeting you little one!" he ended by looking down affectionately at my brother.
"My name is Eobar!" the boy said quickly, in a loud voice "And my sister's name is Embla!"
After hearing my name coming out of my brother's mouth, I couldn't help but immediately turn my head to him with a glare, while a sudden blush began flooding my cheeks. I can't understand why exactly. But before I could say or do anything, I heard the man's voice again:
"Embla…" he repeated simply and my head turned back at him in a flash. Then, he said while extending his right hand "I am…" and he stopped for a few short moments, looking around a bit unsettled "Loki"
I extended my right hand to him, staring directly in his emerald eyes. He looked back at me with his eyebrows a bit furrowed as if waiting for a certain reaction from my part. He kept this gaze for a few moments, while gently grabbing my hand in his own. Once he noticed that my face didn't move a single muscle, he looked less tensed and a smile of relief tickled his face. I have no idea what was that all about! Then, he took my hand up to his lips and placed a soft kiss upon it.
"It's been a great pleasure meeting you!" he added, looking me once again in my eyes.
"Umm…" I let out, baffled by his chivalrous gesture "Pleased to meet you too!" I said smiling. I am quite sure my face was bright-red by that moment.
I then withdrew my hand from his gentle, yet firm, grip. I looked down at the ground for a second, then back at Loki, not knowing what to add or what to say next. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, I said:
"I…" I began while looking at the ground, after biting my lower lip "My brother and I have to go now. It's getting quite late and mom probably needs some help with lunch…" I looked him in the eyes while he simply nodded at me.
"I understand, don't worry! Once again, I'm pleasured to have met you and…" he paused, think of the right words "take care!"
"Thank you!" I replied with a soft smile, while grabbing Eobar's hand and beginning to slowly head towards the forest's exit.
After taking a few steps, I heard him Loki's voice from behind me:
"Embla!" he called out.
I looked over my shoulder and saw that he had already sat down, under an oak tree, next to an open book I hadn't even noticed until then.
"Will I see you again?" he asked, grabbing the book slowly and placing it on his lap.
"I don't know" I replied simply "Who knows? If you'll come around here …maybe" I added with a hint of optimism in my voice.
He nodded before finally turning his gaze to the open book. I then took Eobar and quickly left the forest and went back home. On the way, I told my brother not to tell mother and father about this meeting we had with this strange, nobleman, for I didn't know and still don't know how to think of it. Eobar kept asking me why he shouldn't tell anyone about it, but after promising to bake him his favourite dishes for a week, he happily agreed.
I am now looking back at this meeting and, for some reason, I feel quite puzzled. I am sure he is a nobleman, judging by how soft-spoken and mannered he was and how well he was dressed, but what would a young nobleman do in the middle of the forest on such a beautiful day as it was today? And I can't help but remember the event from over a week ago. The figure was all black and most probably sitting under an oak tree…just like Loki today! I am sure there is a strong connection. But how could someone, anyone disappear without a trace, this only if he was the black silhouette from days ago. But I have no proof for that! And, ultimately, why did he look so uncomfortable when he pronounced his name? By the looks on his face, he probably expected me to be familiar with that name, but nothing rang a bell in my head. Now that I think of it, hmm…Loki, Loki…no. Nothing! I honestly doubt that I ever heard this name before.
All in all, he seems to be a gentle man and I know for sure that he was telling the truth today, but I don't know what to say. I don't know if he should be trusted or not. Asgard is a dangerous place, that's the first thing my father told me, and I can't risk my safety. He asked me if we ever meet again…I don't know what to say, for I don't know if I would like to. I probably do, because he seems to be quite and intriguing and intelligent person, but…
Hmm…I don't know what to add. This was today's experience…which left me quite bewildered.
Ta-da! Chapter 2! Hope you enjoyed it and I would like to thank the reviewers/followers! Reviews are optional but truly helpful ;)!