6. Nightmares

Song: Alicks - don't let me fall asleep.

~ a month later ~

Its dark outside, the sky a deep blue with the stars shining bright. The ceiling above Sydney is awfully familiar, she's only been staring at it for almost a month now.

She sighs as she peels the covers away from her body. The marble floor is cold against the pads of her feet. She stares at the sleeping figure on the other side. She's almost envies of how easy Loki can find his sleep.

Sydney reaches below her bed, her fingers brushing over a thick book. She pulls it out and lays it on her bed. A sigh leaves her lips as she pushes herself up, taking the book with her as she loves over to the balcony.

She takes a seat on the stone ledge, opening the book and reading away. She always loses herself into the words forming the story. The stories about Midgard and the other realms. Maybe tonight it will send her to sleep.

Sydney softly chuckles when she reminds herself that she refused to read it a month ago, it was her mothers originally.

She's about 7 pages in when a shout followed by some muttering startled her. 'No....no father!' Loki suddenly yells.

The book drops from her hands, crumpling on the ground as she rushes to Loki's side. 'Loki please wake up...' she refuses to touch him, afraid she will hurt him again.

'Loki!' Her voice is a mix of sheer panic and worry. 'Oh bloody-' she slowly loves her hands on his forehead, his body seizing its rapid movements immediately.

'Syd...' he rasps as his eyes flutter open. 'Are you Okay?' Sydney's voice calms him.

'Yes...' Loki replies, pushing himself up until he's sitting.

'It was another nightmare wasn't it?' She sits down and he nods. 'Correct...'

'Tell me...' she commands, Loki tenses up for a moment before slumping down again. 'My father was going to kill you and I tried to stop him...'

'It was just a dream...no one is going to kill me, not right now anyway...' she jokes slightly.

'You're right...and You couldn't sleep again, could you?' He shoots back and she rolls his eyes. 'Nonsense...you woke me up..'

'Really?.. ' he replies surprised.

'No...you're right I could not sleep.. so I tried to read a bit...' she smiles shyly.

'I'm sorry...'

'Don't apologise...please...now go to sleep, it's a big day for your brother tomorrow...you have to be there for him...'

'I'm wide awake now...' Loki sighs.

Sydney moves off of the bed and walks over to the balcony, she picks up the book she dropped before walking to his bed again.

'What's that?'

'A book... you do know what those are don't you?' She jokes and he rolls his eyes. 'It was my mothers.. I refused to read it until a few days ago...'

'And what does that have to do with me?'

'I'll read it to you, maybe it helps...and if it doesn't..then at least we tried...' she shrugs.

'Fine...just don't act like I'm a child...'

'Them refrain yourself from your childish behaviour for once..' she fires back.

'As the night falls, the young prince walks home. Heartbroken, he just lost the love of his life. With no chance of getting her back. '

'What kind of sad story is this?' Loki scoffs and Sydney chuckles. 'Shut up and listen...it gets better...'

'I very much doubt that..' he mutters, like an actual child.

'Shush Loki...' Sydney grins.

'he walks and walks...until he arrives at his castle. Empty...no one is there, a dark, cold and empty place. Drowning in sadness the prince walks upstairs. As he arrives at his chamber, he hears someone laughing. Softly and sweet, a bit of light shines through the door, warmth coming off of it. And as he opens the door the light blinds him. He slowly opens his eyes, he's confused, he never went to bed. How does he suddenly wake up in his bed if he never was there?. He sits up and the sun blinds him again for a brief moment.'

Loki unknowingly scoots closer to Sydney, her voice drawing him on like a bees to the honey.

'The place suddenly doesn't feel so cold and empty anymore. He feels next to him. There's no cold and empty spot next to him in the bed, there's a woman. She wakes up and stretches. She turns around and the prince looks her into the eyes. "My love.." she speaks with a smile brighter than the sun. "Together at last..." the woman continues. And then it crosses his mind. He walks to the window and stares at the view. "Isn't it beautiful, everything we were told about, and more" the woman's hands run down the prince's arms. "I wish to know one thing...did it hurt?" The Prince turns to his love, a chuckle comes from her. "No, I didn't feel anything...I died in peace..." the princess replies. The door to his chamber, was really the door for the Valhalla..where he now rests in peace, with his beloved princess...' Sydney closes the book.

'That's it?, no happy ending?' Sydney chuckles at his enthusiasm for the story. 

'Didn't you think of this as a happy ending?' She replies.

'Not really, they're both dead...'

'But Loki...they're together...they're in peace...'

Loki takes the book from Sydney's hands, he rereads the last page of the story over and over again.

'That's the story Loki...' Sydney chuckles.

'Then it's poorly written...' he states.

'I'd agree with you but then we'd both be wrong...' Sydney retorts as she laughs.

'You're really sharp, Aren't you?' Loki mutters and Sydney just smiles, batting her lashes at him.

'I suppose I am...'