"So how are you really?" Brynjar questioned Eyra the next morning. They were seated together in one of the gardens, and Eyra felt completely at peace for the first time since her arrival at the palace. Although she loved Asmund with all her heart, she and Brynjar had always been the closest of the three siblings. She wasn't sure where the eldest had gotten off to, but she was perfectly content to have this time alone with her favorite brother.
"Life here is incredible, Bryn," she dodged his question carefully. "I am no longer subjected to tedious lessons on 'how to be a lady,' I can walk in the gardens every day, admire the stars each night from my balcony, and I am learning to fight. My fiancé is the perfect gentleman; he cares for me and is kind, fun, and thoughtful. I am making plenty of friends."
Brynjar sighed and put an arm around his sister's shoulders. "Then why are you so unhappy?"
Eyra's jaw clenched for a moment. "What makes you think I am unhappy?" she whispered.
"You are much thinner than when I last saw you, you look exhausted, your smiles rarely reach your eyes, and you are constantly distracted by thoughts of something," he listed. "And I have an inkling of what that something may be."
Eyra did not ask him what those suspicions were. She was certain that he was correct, and she knew that, should he ask her directly, she would have to confess that he was right.
"I suppose I am still struggling with the idea of this marriage. Although I love Thor dearly, he is not someone who I would have chosen to spend my entire life bound to. I will get used to it though. I have a good five thousand years to sort out my feelings, after all."
Bryn sighed again and hugged Eyra tightly. "If I could spare you from this, I would, Eyra-Bear. In a heartbeat. This is not what Father, Asmund, or I ever wanted for you." Eyra felt her eyes well up with tears, and she snuggled against her brother's chest with a sniff.
"I fear he would be very disappointed in me if he were to see me now," she wept, struggling to speak clearly.
"Don't say that!" Brynjar scolded. "Don't you ever say that! Father would never be disappointed in you! He trusted you to, in the end at least, always make the decision that would make you the most happy." Eyra's heart pounded at his words. "He cherished you more dearly than I have ever seen another man cherish his daughter. He only ever wanted what was best for you."
"And what would that be in this situation?" She whispered, and Brynjar was suddenly reminded of the little girl he once knew who would find his room in the middle of the night after she'd had a nightmare. As his heartstrings tugged painfully, he tightened his arms around his baby sister's small body.
"I don't know," he confessed. "That is something that you will have to figure out on your own. The only advice I can truly give you is to follow your heart and remember that you are loved. That will, I hope, at least offer you some degree of comfort." Eyra was looking up at him and shaking her head in amazement. "What is it?"
She gave him a watery smile. "I guess I never realized just how much like Papa you've become. I do believe those are the exact words he would have said to me were he with us now."
Bryn looked touched at her words and kissed her forehead tenderly in thanks, though his next words were still meant completely for her. "Then know that I am proud beyond measure of the woman you've become, and Papa would surely feel the same way."
Eyra lifted herself up to press her lips to his cheek affectionately before settling back down into his embrace. The two sat together in comfortable silence for the rest of the morning, simply grateful to have the joy of one another's presence once again.
When Eyra returned to her chambers that afternoon to get ready for the ball, she was surprised to find Sif waiting patiently outside her door. "Sif!" She exclaimed. "What can I do for you?"
The warrior looked slightly awkward. "Well, I thought, given that we are the only two young maidens about this place, it would be fitting for us to get ready together."
"I think that is a wonderful idea!" Eyra was ecstatic at this unexpected turn of events. "Please, come in!"
Sif seemed hesitant as she followed Eyra into the room. Eyra quickly pulled an extra seat in front of the mirror before opening her wardrobe. She still had not decided what to wear; the dozens of gowns she owned simply overwhelmed her. After a moment of fruitless contemplation, she turned to Sif sheepishly.
"Did you bring what you are going to wear?" Sif nodded and gestured toward a small case she had with her. "Perfect! Please, put it on while I try to come to a decision on the same matter..."
Instead of doing as Eyra suggested, Sif moved forward to stand next to her, eyeing the many fabrics before her thoughtfully. "I think you should wear this one," she said decidedly after a moment, pulling out a sparkling gold gown. "It would compliment your skin nicely and make you look like a beautiful flame with that hair of yours."
Eyra spread the gown delicately on her bed, inspecting it carefully. It truly was lovely with a fitted bodice covered in an intricate gold leaf pattern. The skirt loosened at the hips, flowing out in a shimmery silk fabric, and the design continued until about halfway down the thigh. She turned to Sif with a grateful smile. "It's perfect," she told her sincerely.
Sif inclined her head in acknowledgment, and the two each changed into their respective outfits. When Eyra saw Sif, her mouth fell open in awe. She was wearing a pale blue gown made of flowing material which did not hug her body tightly, but was fitted just enough to show that there were definite curves hiding underneath. Sparkling diamonds were scattered across the skirt and bunched together more tightly the higher they got.
"Oh, Sif," Eyra breathed. "You are going to be the desire of every young man in attendance tonight!"
Sif offered her a small smile before turning to herself in the mirror and whispering regretfully. "All but one." Eyra barely managed to catch her words, and her heart went out to her companion. It was not the time, however, to have that particular conversation.
A couple of hours later, they had finished getting ready. Eyra had curled her hair and pinned it atop her head where she had woven gold leaves to match her gown. Sif had curled her hair as well, but left it to flow nicely down her back. They turned to offer each other small smiles, pleased with their efforts.
The two women made their way down to the grand hall together, though Sif had to leave Eyra when they met Thor just outside the doors. He looked at her with a fond smile on his face as he offered her his arm.
"You look beautiful, Astrid," he told her as she took it.
"Thank you," she smiled up at him. "You are looking very fine yourself."
He escorted her gracefully into the hall where hundreds of people were gathered. Eyra allowed him to lead her up to where Odin, Frigga, and Loki already sat. When the youngest prince of Asgard laid eyes on her, he did not even try to mask his wonderment. Eyra blushed as she saw him, unable to deny that he looked absolutely wonderful. He was dressed in a long tunic which was completely black but for the collar and cuffs, which were gold.
As soon as Thor and Eyra were seated, Odin stood up, and the room quieted. "Our dealings on Vanaheim were a great success," he began. "But it is not only that which we gather here to celebrate today. We are also here to share in the great joy of my son, Thor, and his newly betrothed, the Lady Astrid, only daughter of Lord Inghard. We wish them all the best."
Eyra felt herself flush as all eyes turned to her. She tuned out of the remainder of the Allfather's speech and was startled when Thor was suddenly asking her to dance. She, of course, agreed, and soon found herself being swept about the dance floor. She had danced with Thor, Asmund, and each of the Warriors Three when the familiar face of Loki appeared before her.
"Would you care to dance?" He asked her uncertainly. Against her better judgment, Eyra gave him a shy smile and accepted the hand he was offering her. There were a few moments of uncomfortable silence before Loki cleared his throat nervously. "You look...absolutely ravishing, Eyra."
She blushed. "Thank you. It was Sif who helped me to decide what to wear."
"Well, Sif has better taste than I thought," he shot her a hesitant grin.
Eyra laughed in spite of herself, quickly settling into the natural ease with which the two of them had always conversed. "You do Sif an injustice. Look! We match!" She smiled, gesturing toward his collar and cuffs.
"Yes, well, how was I to know you were going to wear gold? Actually, I had rather hoped that you would show up in my colors. Green would suit you," Loki winked. "In fact...ah yes, perfect. You look like a rose!" Eyra looked down with a start to see that her dress had, indeed, turned green. She whipped her head around to see if anyone else had noticed, but Loki gave a gentle laugh. "Don't worry, it's only an illusion. You and I are the only ones who can see it."
She looked up into his eyes and felt a small marble of panic form in the pit of her stomach. None of this was conducive to her plans to get over him. "Loki..." she started, but he cut her off.
"You know," he murmured. "This is how I see you much of the time. You are a goddess. I am sure the midgardians would see you that way, at least. I know I do..."
That was too much for Eyra, and, with tears blurring her vision, she stepped away from him abruptly. "Loki..." He stared at her in confusion. "I'm sorry...I just...I can't do this." And with that, she turned and hurriedly wove through the other pairs on the floor and darted through the door.
"Eyra, wait!" Loki shouted after her. Luckily, most everyone else was either too distracted or too drunk to notice the drama that had unfolded. Loki sprinted out the door and down the hall after Eyra to find her standing alone in a corridor, tears streaming down her face. "Eyra..." he repeated, coming to stand next to her. His voice was pleading. "Please...tell me what's happened to us..."
Eyra looked up at him with pain in her eyes. "I'm sorry..." she choked. "I can't...please leave me alone..."
At that, Loki felt his frustration with the situation boil over. "Why?" He snapped. "Do I not have a right to know why you all of the sudden refused to have a thing to do with me?"
"You wouldn't understand," she defended herself, voice harsh in response to his own tone.
"Then make me understand!" He threw his hand into the air.
"There is no way for me to do that!"
Loki swore to himself. "Well, I would surely understand better than I do at this point, at least! Because for the past two and a half weeks, I have wracked my brains trying to figure out what it was that I did to turn you from me so, and I am as bewildered as I was in the beginning!"
"Do you really want to know?" Eyra's voice was raw with emotion. "Really?"
"That's what I've been telling you!"
"I'm supposed to be falling in love with your brother!" There was a stunned silence before Eyra took a deep breath and continued. "I am to be married to your brother, yet with every moment I spend in your presence, I find myself falling deeper and deeper in love with you! I'm in love with you, Loki Odinson, and it is the best and the worst thing that has ever happened to me." A small sob escaped her throat. "I just don't know what to do."
Loki said nothing in response to this unexpected declaration, and Eyra refused to meet his gaze in fear of what reaction she would see there. Then, she suddenly felt his hands grab her face, and his lips crashed against her own.
Flying. That was the only way she could think to describe what she was feeling as her hands flew up to grip the front of his tunic tightly. Her knees had gone weak, and she was certain she would have collapsed had it not been for his hands pulling her flush against him by the waist. Their lips moved together in a frenzy, desperately pouring every ounce of emotion they'd built up into this one kiss. Eyra let out a small gasp as her back suddenly hit the wall, and Loki's hands traveled up and down her sides, her arms, her neck. Her fingers had somehow found their way to his soft, black hair and tangled themselves in it, pulling him, if at all possible, even closer to her. A low chuckle rumbled from Loki's chest as he moved his lips along her jaw and to her neck, nipping and sucking almost frantically and making Eyra moan his name loudly as she tilted her head in order to afford him better access. The waves of pleasure he was sending through her were unlike anything she had ever experienced before. He slowly made his way back to her lips, his kisses becoming longer, slower, and more gentle. Eyra was certain she was going to melt into a puddle at any second.
Loki pulled away all too soon in Eyra's opinion and leaned his forehead against hers. His eyes were nearly black as they searched her face. They gazed at each other, eyes wide, breathing heavy, and hearts pounding, and, in that moment, all thoughts of anything but each other were irrelevant.
"Does that answer your question regarding what kissing feels like?" Loki teased. Eyra laughed breathlessly and, ignoring the fact that she would surely regret this later, pulled his lips back down to hers.
"Show me again."
A/N: Well. I'm just gonna leave this here... ;)
KyokoHonda49: Wow thank you so much for your incredible feedback! I agree that Loki should definitely be more playful, especially before the events of Thor. He is the god of mischief after all. And a happy Loki is equal to a happy me! ;)
Dappledwing: I am so glad to hear that! Thank you so much for all of your support!
DeadlyThorn1997: Despair no longer! At least for the moment...muahahaha. ;)
Deductions-of-Sherlolly: Thank you so much! I myself am still interested to see where the relationship between Sif and Eyra goes lol
anon: Thank you so much! I hope that the events of this chapter fall under your category of 'alone time.'
TheBattyWhiteCrow: Oh my gosh, you are just like me when I am reading a story that I like! I reread the cute fluffiness over and over again! Haha the feels! And yes, it kills me to see Loki heartbroken. I just love him so much! Thank you a ton for your support!