CHAPTER 12

Her sweet voice echoed through the chamber as she dabbed away at Lina's features once more. This was a position Frigga didn't enjoy putting herself in, but she felt as if Lina was her own daughter and wanted to tend to her as such. She sang songs to her as Lina lay in her bed.

A month after Maura's attack, Lina still hadn't awakened. She let loose her arrow and collapsed to the ground. Maura was probably the most surprised when she found the arrow sailing through her body.

Things had started to settle back to normal except for the fact that barely anyone saw Loki anymore. If he wasn't in his chambers he was with Frigga tending to Lina. Every day he would bring a few flowers from the garden and place them in a vase at the base of her bed. He walked around to Frigga, kissed her on the forehead to greet her, and looked at Lina.

"Any improvement?"

"The same as all the other days, my love," Frigga replied.

Loki sighed. He sat next to his mother and took Lina's hand in his. He felt her soft skin tingle with life. She was there with them.

"She fought hard for you," Frigga stated. She had never seen her son's expressions so soft for anyone except herself. "I'll leave you two alone." She stood up, kissed Loki on his forehead, and walked out of the room.

"I miss you," he whispered. He longed to hear her voice, to hear her read him stories and comfort him when he needed it most. He wanted to feel her hands run through his hair and to gaze into her warm green eyes once again.

+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+

Dinner than night was quiet as usual. Thor hadn't been out adventuring, Odin had been trying to find a way to cure Lina, and Frigga was back tending to the princess.

Loki kept looking towards Lina's seat hoping to suddenly find her there conversing with her mother. He poked at his food, unable to sustain an appetite. He stood up and walked out of the hall to the garden. The moon was full and lit his path through the various flowers and shrubbery.

Grabbing a flower from one of the bushes, he sat on the bench where he and Lina had sat before. He thought back to one of the nights he had spent with her.

"And they lived happily ever after," she finished. She closed the book and set it on the table next to her. "How was that one?"

Loki sat up and yawned. "Wasn't my favorite. I almost fell asleep during that one."

"I'll pick a better one next time then." Lina stood up, grabbed the book, and walked to put it back on the shelf. She stretched her arms over her head and proceeded to walk outside. The cold, night air tickled her skin. Her nightgown gently moved with the breeze. She leaned against the edge of the balcony taking in the stars and moon above her.

Two arms wrapped themselves around her waist, a face nuzzling her neck.

"You know what I see when I look at these stars?" she asked him.

"What do you see, my flower?" Loki replied.

"I see my parents. And my brother."

"I overheard you speaking to them one night," Loki informed, following her gaze. "I'm sure your father is very proud of you."

"One can only hope so," she said. She turned to face Loki and draped her arms on his shoulders. "Did you ever imagine this?"

"Imagine what?"

"That we'd be together."

"No, I didn't," Loki answered. "But I'm glad that we are."

The stars that night were no different than the ones he was looking at now, but there was nothing the same about them now that Lina wasn't by his side. He stared at the flower in his palms. He imagined Lina smiling as he pinned the flower into her hair for the first time. Tears welled in his eyes and for the first time in his life, he let his emotions slip.

+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+

He felt the sun's rays hit his face. He awoke in his room, the curtains to his balcony wide open. He sat up and looked around the room, not spotting anyone around. Maybe Thor had found him and brought him back into the castle.

Laying back down, he closed his eyes and wanted to never wake up.

A door squeaking caught his attention. He stayed motionless. The pitter patter of footsteps could be heard on his floor. A shift in weight on the bed caused him to roll over slightly. Glasses clinked together, the aroma of food filling his nostrils. Another familiar scent made his heart skip a beat. A floral smell, the flower he left for Lina.

He opened his eyes and stared for a moment. There she was.

"You know it's not smart to go wandering around at night by yourself," she teased.

"I was merely looking for a perfect flower."

"You need look no further." She held a tray with food in her hands. "I brought you breakfast." She smiled warmly at him.

Loki took the tray from Lina and set it down on the table next to his bed. He grabbed her waist and brought her closer to him, feeling her warmth beside him. He turned over, resting his body gently on hers.

"I've missed you," he whispered.

Her fingers traced alongside his face, taking in what she had been missing for so long. "I've missed you too." She brought his face closer to hers, their lips gently touching one another.

A sweet, soft kiss was something Loki had never experienced. When they pulled apart, his gaze was set on her eyes. They warmed him, lighting a passion long extinguished with her absence.

+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+

News of Lina's awakening spread throughout the castle and realm like wildfire. Delighted by her recovery, Odin announced that there was to be a celebration in her honor in a month's time.

Lina couldn't wait.

Hello everyone! Thanks for supporting my story. Only a few more chapters left!

Just wanted to respond to a few reviews I've been getting...

lalatomic: I hope the story has been living up to your expectations! :)

Raven: The name change happened because I realized that Maura's original name was too similar to a name I had read in a fellow author's story. I had wondered why the name had come all to easily when I was writing so I decided to change it so it wouldn't seem like I was stealing ideas. Hope you're enjoying the story :)

Until next chapter -sparrowlina