The morning sun shone boldly through the window, casting its light upon the intertwined figures on the bed. The room smelled of sweat. The only sounds came from deep breathing from two sleeping forms.
Allaysia was first to wake, disoriented and groggy. She tried to get up but found movement impossible. Loki's arms around her waist combined with her numb hands at his chest and temple called back last night's events in a flash. The Healing had drained her of strength and she had fallen asleep when Loki's fever finally broke.
Massaging her arms and hands to improve circulation, Allaysia found herself staring into brilliant, twin emeralds.
She blinked.
Loki's face broke into a charming grin.
A thought popped into her head out of nowhere. This is the awkward, morning-after moment. She quickly discarded that non-applicable scenario. She was Healing him last night, not...being intimate with him.
"Looks like you spent the night in my bed, Allaysia dear." Loki freed her from his arms and stretched lazily next to her.
Allaysia stiffly got off the bed, wincing at the needle pain shooting through her arms to her hands. Absently rubbing her arms and hands, she stood by the bed and stared at Loki with an unreadable expression on her face.
"Do not think yourself completely recovered. The Chameleon is a tricky illness and may come back after a day's respite. You may still be contagious. Do not leave this room." She said all this in a rather stiff and formal tone before abruptly leaving the room.
I will not acknowledge his...his improper remark! I had saved his life, dammit. Show some respect!
Her reaction to Loki's racy greeting had been controlled but indignant, and a little flustered had Allaysia been willing to admit to herself. She could feel the heat on her face as the door swung close behind her. But not in time to shut out Loki's amused laughter. The heat moved to the tip of her ears.
"Al, a room has been prepared for our Asgardian guest in the palace. He shall be moved today." Tauristrander strode into the Healer's herb room, only to find it deserted. His eyes widened in surprise and puzzlement. Al was usually in here at this time of the day.
Before he could call out again, however, Allaysia walked up behind him. "Your Majesty." She bowed and looked up into concerned gray eyes.
"Al, you look terrible! What happened?" The king moved closer and held up her face with both hands, examining the dark circles around her eyes, pinched features, and sallow skin color.
Always a confidence booster, Tauri was. Allaysia thought wryly, but her response was deferential, "I had to Heal the Asgardian of a Chameleon Fever last night and had just risen. I do apologize for my appearance."
She had looked briefly in the reflective glass as she gave herself a quick wash, so she really couldn't blame the king for looking so shocked. But it still stung a little.
"You had to Heal him? Was it that bad? Couldn't you have used saberbane?" Tauristrander sat her down on a nearby chair.
Allaysia didn't protest as she could barely stand up herself. Fatigue was filling her mind and body with lead. She had only slept for an hour or so after dawn broke, when Loki's fever cycles had finally subsided.
Healing took a heavy physical toll on the Healer. Had she the strength at the time to even crawl out the bed, she would have dragged herself to her own bed. Not to mention she had to first pry open those lean, unusually strong arms.
"You Majesty, I also wish that I had used saberbane, had I been able to obtain it last night in a timely manner." Allaysia tried to keep the bite out of her response.
With Loki's death grip on her last night, she would have had to waited until the start of the hot cycle, when Loki loosened his arms to go get saberbane. The herb that would have driven off the Chameleon. But the administration would then have been too late.
"Is he well now?" A wise king, Tauristrander didn't dwell on the what he couldn't change and instead focused on the current problem. Yet the current situation wasn't going the way he would've liked either.
"On the surface. I do not know if the Chameleon has been completely removed from his body. It has been a long time since a Healing had been done on a Chameleon, Your Majesty. I cannot be sure of its extent." She explained wearily.
"Thus he cannot be moved today?" Tauristrander still phrased it as a question in hopes that Allaysia would disagree. No such luck.
"He cannot be moved for at least a week, for that's how long a person treated with saberbane would normally require to recover from a Chameleon. I need to be certain before allowing him to come in contact with the royal family."
"I see," the king murmured in disappointment. How inconvenient for the Asgardian to catch a Chameleon at this time.
He turned back to Allaysia, concern marked by tenderness filling his voice. "You need to be back in bed and getting more rest, Al. That is an order.
Allaysia couldn't resist a smile. "Yes, Your Majesty."
Satisfied that she would rest more, Tauristrander soon left.
Allaysia didn't move from her seat except to turn her head toward one corner of the room.
"I know you're here, Asgardian. Drop your little magic tricks and show yourself." She called out, but without much real venom behind her words.
Loki appeared, gliding towards her from the direction she was looking at. A smirk hovered around his lips.
"Ah, Allaysia dear, you are getting to know me better and better. I am flattered." He reached her but didn't stop. Instead, he bent down and scooped her into his arms.
Allaysia instinctively grabbed his shoulder for support, too surprised at his action to react. They were already down the hall when she gave a sudden yelp.
"Put me down! What do you think you are doing, Asgardian." She didn't dare to struggle too violently in case he dropped her, but her voice dripped with cold indignation.
Strong arms held her tightly as Loki seemed unaffected by her writhing body. He did look at her reproachingly as he complained in his smooth silky voice, "You had called me by my name last night, Allaysia dear."
Seeing her reddened face and renewed struggle, Loki quickly added, "I'm taking you to your bed chamber. Did you not promise the king that you would rest? I do not think you have the strength to crawl from that chair to your bed. I am simply being nice by giving you a hand"
Allaysia fell silent and limp against Loki's chest. She was really tired.
She then shot an accusatory look at Loki, the reason behind her exhausion. Why does he look so fit and vigorous and...not tired while she could barely move?
Loki took in her reactions with an amused expression. He nudged open her chamber's door and placed her gently on the bed.
Still bending over her, Loki reached out to tuck a strand of her golden hair behind her ear. Allaysia stared into those sharp green eyes now softened by something she couldn't understand but was enthralled by.
He whispered softly in a low voice, "Are you really not going to acknowledge what we shared last night, Allaysia dear?"
Loki straightened up and walked out of the room before Allaysia could find her voice to correct him. They didn't share anything last night except the Healing process! Yes it was a little, well, a lot more intimate than normal, but that didn't mean anything on neither part. How dare he imply something more, that ignorant, self-important Asgardian!
Allaysia took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She tried to clear her mind for sleep, but her thoughts kept circling back to how it had felt to be tightly held in Loki's arms last night, how well her body had fitted to his, how his breath blew intimately on her neck...
Loki stood in the doorway watching the Healer drift off to sleep. His smirk twisted into a wicked grin. It was almost time to close the trap and reel in the prey.
"Loki, what are you doing?" Allaysia exclaimed exasperatedly.
Loki had flat out refused to respond to the name "Asgardian" anymore. Thus, she had to call him by his name if she were to get his attention, something that she needed very much at this moment.
Loki looked up innocently as he moved her pillows and blankets on her bed to one side and laid down his own on the other. "I'm simply moving my things."
He then smirked slowly and suggestively while his voice dropped a notch. "Unless you would rather have me share yours tonight."
"No, that's not what I meant! Why are you moving your things onto my bed? You are not sleeping here." Allaysia gathered up his blankets and pillows.
She had woken up only a few hours ago because her stomach was twisted in hunger. A quick but large meal, some quality time spent in the herb room and checking the other patients in her house, and she was ready to turn in for bed again as night fell.
Only to find Loki standing outside of her room, carrying his sheets and pillow.
Allaysia gave a small internal sigh. She was too tired for his plays and oddities right now.
Loki shrugged and leaned against the bedpost, letting her take his things. He spoke slowly, "I do not believe that the furnace in my room has been fixed, but I do believe that all the other rooms are full of other patients. However, I suppose now that I'm no longer in the grip of a fever, there really is no danger of me sleeping in the freezing cold. Or I could share a bed with another patient. After all, I cannot infect anyone with the Chameleon anymore, right?"
His smirk grew as Allaysia dropped his blanket and pillow back on her bed. It froze when she picked up hers instead.
"Where are you going?" he moved quickly, blocking her exit from the room.
"Finding an empty bed in another room. You are right. I don't know yet if the Chameleon in you is completely gone or not. Thus, I cannot allow you to expose yourself to the cold or to other patients." She nimbly, albeit slower than usual, sidestepped him and moved out the door.
"However," she continued, "I will not share a bed with you. So you can have my chamber and I will sleep in another patient's room. I do believe Isbelia had mentioned that there was an empty bed in her room."
Isbelia had indeed said that, with her eyelashes all fluttery and voice all sultry, to Loki. Allaysia had simply walked into the room at the time and overheard the comment. How useful it had become right now!
Loki watched as Allaysia disappeared behind the bend in the hallway, his green eyes narrowed and his mouth twisted into a frustrated snarl. She hasn't quite fallen yet, and time was running out.