The Little Dove

It had been over a week since they were married. Loki kept to a strict schedule, at the recommendation of his mind healer who advised him that having a routine would help keep him grounded. He exercised in the makeshift gym every morning before breakfast and every evening before dinner. He picked a topic he wanted to learn more about and did research in his library most of the day. He spent a minimum of an hour every day writing in his journal. Each night he treated himself to one stiff drink on the balcony as the sun set. When he was ready to sleep for the night, he stretched out on the sofa.

Eisa flitted around the apartment keeping herself entertained by whatever struck her fancy in the moment. She spent a lot of time creating in the art studio, dancing in front of the mirrored wall in the gym, playing piano, composing music, singing, or reading on the sofa opposite Loki.

When the messenger arrived informing the Prince and Princess to expect a visit from His Majesty and Lord Viggo at teatime the following day, Eisa could not help but be excited and scared at the same time. She was shaking with nervous energy and barely slept the night before.

She tried talking with Loki about it, but he was still acting very cool toward her. Taking every opportunity to be condescending to her about her age and inexperience and ignoring her altogether most of the time. They ate all their meals together in silence, much to Eisa's dismay.

Her heart started pounding in her chest when she heard the King's voice coming from the hallway and when the front door opened and she laid eyes on her father's stern expression, she felt as though she may pass out.

"Breath, Eisa." Loki put his hand on her back, and she relaxed into his touch as she let out a breath that she did not realize she was holding.

"Your Majesty." Loki gave the King a curt bow. "My Lord," he nodded at Viggo.

"Your Majesty." Eisa curtsied shakily, "Father." She stood and wrung her hands together in front of herself.

"Your Highnesses," he said icily as he followed behind Odin.

"Welcome to our home. Our maid has laid out tea and cookies in the sitting room." Eisa's voice was shaking as she tried her best to maintain composure and sound confident. "I must say I was surprised but very pleased when I heard you were coming to visit us. Tell me, Father, is Groa well? Has she had the baby?"

Odin took a seat in one of the leather armchairs, Viggo sat on one sofa and Loki sat opposite him on the other. Eisa took a seat next to Loki, so close their thighs were touching. Loki put his elbow up on the arm of the sofa and rubbed his forehead as he leaned away from her. She was making a statement; they had never sat this close before.

"You would know if you were not locked up in here," Viggo gave her a cold stare, "This is not a social visit, young lady. I have come to put an end to this nonsense and bring you home."

"This is my home, Father. Loki is my husband. I belong here, with him." She put her hand on Loki's knee. Shocked by her boldness, his eyebrows twitched briefly before he fixed his disinterested look back in place.

Viggo's face turned a brilliant shade of red, and a vein started to visibly pulse at his temple.

"Eisa, my dear, your father is concerned that I have forced you here against your will." Odin picked up a cookie and brought it close to his nose for a sniff.

"That simply isn't the case, Father. The King gave me every opportunity to turn down his proposition."

"Eisa, sweetheart, I have suitors lined up for you; you could have your pick of any Asgardian man in the realm."

"I chose Loki."

Loki rolled his eyes and gave his head a small shake as he propped it up in his hand.

"No, sweetie," Viggo's voice was saccharine sweet, "you made a hasty decision without the counsel of your family. Prince Loki is not the man you think he is, dear. You did not understand what the King was asking of you. Tell him that you have changed your mind and would like to go home."

"Father, that is not the case. I-"

"If she is here of her own free will, why keep her confined to these rooms?"

"Ah, yes, well, it is just an unfortunate precaution." Odin brushed the cookie crumbs from his beard.

"What kind of precaution?"

"There can be no question of the legitimacy of the heir to the throne of Asgard. Once she is with child she can resume her routines on palace grounds. With a protection detail, of course."

"Your council was not made aware you had named an heir," Viggo said tightly.

"There are many issues that I am glad I have counselors to consult with. The military, the economy, agriculture, and infrastructure to name a few. As you are aware, the council was quite useless in helping me with my selection. Luckily, my Queen and I were able to have many discussions on the matter before we discovered she was ill. She helped me see the line of succession should stay in my immediate family. Loki has sufficiently paid for his crimes and was paroled so that he may carry on our family legacy."

"That is rich considering..."

"You may speak plainly in here. Eisa knows Loki is adopted and she knows where he was adopted from."

He looked to Eisa horrified, "Say that is not true."

"It is true, Father. The King was very forthcoming with me. Well, apart from the precaution he mentioned." She looked at Odin sheepishly.

"Yes, I am sorry, my dear. That decision was made after the ceremony, after a conversation I had triggered me to take precautionary measures."

'She could have a horde of lovers and I would not mind in the slightest. She could give birth to a thousand bastards and give every one of them the name Lokison. I would not care...'

Loki cut his gaze quickly to Odin, he was looking back at him with a solemn expression on his face. Loki exhaled heavily and gave him a disappointed shake of his head.

He has used my own words against me to seal this girl's fate.

Eisa patted Loki's knee. When he turned to look at her, she was giving him a small smile, like she knew it had to have been his words that caused her imprisonment, but she had already forgiven him for it.

Viggo shook his head, "No, I cannot accept this. She is young and naïve; she should not have been approached with this without my knowledge."

"I disagree," the King said calmly, "The Princess and I had a very long conversation on the subject. She is very clever and perceptive. I believe your influence would not have changed the outcome."

"There is no possible way she would have agreed to go behind my back. She is obedient and loyal."

"I am not one of your hounds, Father."

"Be quiet, child. I am speaking with the King."

Loki inspected his fingernail on one hand, "You may address her as Your Highness or Princess Eisa." He looked to Viggo and basked in the Lord's furious glare.

Viggo's jaw clenched; his temper was holding on by a thread.

"I have honored your request, old friend. Was it not you who demanded I name an unwed man as my heir and marry him to your daughter so she may birth the future king? I am keeping the promise I made to you all those years ago. You are getting precisely what you wanted."

"I wanted Finna to marry the true heir."

"And what of your youngest daughter? What of Eisa? Was she to keep being paraded under the noses of the wealthiest Asgardians while you benefit?"

"Fair Eisa was my reward from the Norns. A small consolation for cursing me with daughters, and now you are attempting to steal her from me."

"My sisters are not curses." Eisa could feel the bile rising in her throat. "I am not an object with monetary value."

"Be silent, Princess." Viggo held his finger up to his daughter.

"He holds no more command over you, Eisa. You may speak as you please to someone below your station." Loki picked a piece of fluff from the sleeve of his tunic and rolled it between his fingers.

Viggo looked at his daughter, "Are trying to make me believe that you knew what he was and still agreed to this?"

"Of course. I-"

"I thought you were smarter than this. How could you be so stupid?"

"I refuse to sit here and have my intelligence or my sanity called into question. Yes, I know that Loki is Frost Giant, transformed with magic to appear Asgardian. I am not put off, and I would not treat him any differently otherwise. A person must be judged by how they treat others, not by something as inconsequential as where they happened to be born. None of us get a say in that."

"Very well, let us discuss how the good prince has treated others."

Eisa let out a slow breath, "I know what he has done Father."

"And you still think he is a good man."

"Yes."

"He has killed people."

"As have you, and I still love you."

"I have killed our enemies in the line of duty. He has killed innocent, defenseless Midgardians."

"The mad Titan Thanos was responsible for that tragedy."

"Was Thanos responsible for his decision to destroy the whole realm of Jötenheim? No. That was all him."

"He had just discovered that who he thought he was for his entire life was a lie! Asgard prides itself on its propriety yet treats the people of the neighboring realm as if they were no more than animals. He, just like all of us, was raised to believe the Jötuns were ruthless savages. And then, one day, he discovers that not only is he adopted, but he was abandoned and left to die by the King of the Frost Giants. Turning the full power of the Bifrost on them was an extreme reaction, but not surprising given the circumstances. Who can say for certain how well that news would sit with any one of us."

The room was silent for several moments.

"You are content to let a woman do all the speaking on your behalf?" Viggo asked Loki.

He shrugged his shoulders, "She seems to be doing well enough on her own."

The King chose this moment to move the conversation forward, "Eisa, given everything you have been told and what you have come to know living here this past week, have you changed your mind? Has Loki given you any reason to want to annul this union?"

"No, Your Majesty. I have fully committed to my husband."

"What do you mean you have fully committed to him?" Viggo stood, his fists balled. "Tell me he has not ruined you, child! Tell me you have not spread your legs for him, you little slut!"

Loki sat up stick straight.

Eisa flinched but then stood up to face her father, "He is my husband in every sense of the word!"

Viggo brought his arm up to backhand her across the face, but before he could make contact, Loki caught him by the wrist. It all happened so fast, Eisa hadn't even seen him stand up and step in front of her.

"You are in my home, Viggo. If you cannot remember your manners, I will have to ask you to leave."

Viggo tried to pull away, but Loki's grip was vice-like. "Take your hand off me!"

"Apologize to my wife for your brutish behavior."

"I will do no such thing!"

"Apologize to the Princess or lose the hand you raised against her." Loki squeezed him tighter.

Viggo was seething, chest rising and falling quickly as he curled a lip up to the prince. Loki squeezed even harder and raised one eyebrow at her father, silently reminding him he could snap his bones with one hand if it came to it.

"I am sorry, daughter. I lost my temper, but I have come back to my senses."

Loki released him. He looked back and gave Eisa the once over, making sure she was all right before he sat back down on the couch and resumed his air of boredom. Odin was practically radiating with smugness and pride.

Viggo sat down and ran a hand over his face; he did not want to leave these chambers without her, "Thank you, My Prince, for stopping me. I don't think I would have been able to live with myself if I had hurt her."

Loki looked up to Eisa; she was trembling, her bottom lip quivering. He could tell that she wanted to cry but did not want to do it in front of her father. Their eyes met, and he gave her a tiny nod, putting his arm on the back of the sofa so she could sit next to him even closer than she had been before. He could feel her shaking; whether it was from fear or anger, he was not sure. He placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it the lightest squeeze. Her shivering stopped and she placed her hand on his leg again, patting it softly.

"Eisa," he leaned in and whispered close to her ear, "you should go with your father. It is not too late. You should not have to be imprisoned here with me; you should be out there living your life, having new experiences. You were not meant to be caged, little dove."

"I will not abandon you, Loki."

"That is very admirable of you. But you are making a mistake."

"I think you are wrong."

He pulled back slightly so he could look at her face, "I am never wrong." He was trying to be intimidating, but a smile broke across Eisa's face as she got caught up in those beautiful blue-green eyes of his.

"I don't believe you."

A small chuckle escaped him as his lips pulled into a half smile.

"How are you so stubborn?'

"Mules are stubborn; I am determined."

"Fine. Why are you so determined to ruin your life?"

"Lives cannot be ruined, only lived. I intend to live an extraordinary life."

Loki shook his head; he had no retort. She will have an extraordinary life, but not here. Not with him.

"You must fly out of here while the cage door is left open, Dove."

"Why would I want to do that?" She felt dizzy as her gaze fell to his lips.

Odin cleared his throat, "Eisa?"

"Hmm?" She couldn't force herself to turn her face away from Loki's so close to her own.

Loki put his arm back up on the sofa and leaned away from her, facing forward again.

"Oh... Yes, Your Majesty?" Eisa righted her posture and turned her attention toward her King.

Odin looked at her sincerely, "I will annul this marriage if you wish me to. No one needs to know if the union was or was not consummated. I would grant it regardless. You only need to say the word, be it today, a month from now, or a year from now. At any point, under any condition, I will grant you an annulment."

"I appreciate your cautiousness, My King. I will remember this kindness." She looked at her father; his eyes were pleading. "I love you, Father. I love my sisters, all my sisters. I will miss seeing you regularly. I am here willingly, even gratefully. This is my home now and my place is with my husband. I am eager to fulfill my duty to Asgard."

oOXOo

The visit was over before the tea had gotten cold. Eisa walked the King and her father to the door and saw them out. When she returned to the sitting room, Loki was not there. She took a deep, cleansing breath, reminding herself that she had sworn to be patient with him. He couldn't always be this distant, right? Once he acclimates to his new surroundings, he will surely stop running away from her, maybe even start seeking her out, right?

Eisa took a seat in an armchair and put her feet up on the ottoman. Wringing her hands in her lap, she thought about what Odin had said. She would be free to move about the palace again once she was with child.

Another deep breath.

She untied her hair ribbon and started undoing her braid as she thought. Human women have a fertile period monthly, and their population proliferated to an almost unsustainable level. Asgardian women live so much longer; their fertility is much less frequent. Even if she and Loki started trying tonight, it could be years before she falls pregnant.

As she combed her fingers through her hair, she tried to think about something else. Anything other than being confined to these rooms for years on end. But her thoughts kept drifting back to her father's visit. She did not have any delusions that he would let this go; he was too used to getting his own way. She had never seen him like that. He had never raised a hand to her before. She had never heard him talk about her sisters with anything other than fatherly love and pride.

However now that she thought about it, he was always making comments about how much money they cost him and complaining about how expensive it was to have daughters. Which did not make sense to her. Lord Viggo spent his money without concern. They always had clothes and shoes made of the finest materials on Asgard. Viggo spared no expense showering them with gifts and paying for their educations and lessons. Eisa could not remember a time when they were not involved in something, music, art, dance, drama, or riding lessons. There was a new dress for every occasion, plus shoes and jewelry. Norns, the amount of jewelry he has purchased over the years? The cost must have been staggering.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized she and her sisters were brought up much like royalty. Nannies, private tutors, cooks, maids, and his own private security. He even paid all his mistresses' living expenses and owned the manse on the outskirts of the capital.

She wasn't positive about what the salary was to be one of Odin's cabinet advisors, but she could not imagine public service alone paid so handsomely. He could have inherited money from her mother's family. Her mother came from one of Asgard's oldest aristocracies, but she knew very little about her father's family.

Eisa was deep in thought, playing with her hair, when Loki emerged from the library.

"It is almost time for dinner."

"Already? I am not hungry."

"You should eat, regardless." His brow furrowed as he came closer, "Your hair is getting everywhere."

"Huh?" Loose strands of her hair had come out while she was running her fingers through it, and she let them collect on the floor beside her. "It will sweep up."

"What are the odds you will actually sweep it up?"

"Fifty percent."

"That was a rhetorical question. You know Greta doesn't clean the sitting room until after breakfast. You could be more considerate. This is where I sleep, you know."

Even though she was comfortable and did not feel like getting up just yet, she didn't want to get pulled into an argument. She let out a frustrated breath before going to retrieve a brush and dustpan, cleaning up the stray hairs while Loki called for Greta to retrieve their dinner. The odds were closer to ninety-nine percent she would not have cleaned it up; she hadn't even realized what she was doing.

Eisa picked at her food. Loki had not brought a book to the table like he usually did, and she could feel his eyes on her.

"You are upset with me." She did not look at him.

As he chewed slowly, he debated whether to engage with her. He set his fork down, took a sip from his water goblet, and then wiped his mouth with his napkin, "Why did you infer to your father that we have had sex?"

"Wishful thinking," she pouted.

He sat back in his seat and folded his arms over his chest, waiting for her to answer him honestly.

She looked up and let out a huff, "Because I am so sick and tired of being treated like a child. Anina was my age when she got married, yet everyone acts as if I am a baby who must always be protected and looked after. I feel belittled and ignorant, being kept so sheltered. I don't like it. There is knowledge I do not have access to, and I hate it. I hate not knowing." She bit her lip to keep it from quivering, "I guess, in that moment, I thought he would finally see me as an adult if he thought I had been... you know...bedded," she whispered the last word.

She raised her eyes to him again, "Thank you for intervening on my behalf. I would not have said what I said if I thought it would make him angry enough to strike me." Her gaze dropped to her plate, "I abhor violence." Her breaths started coming quicker, soon followed by a sob. She dropped her fork and covered her mouth with her hand, "Excuse me." She quickly retreated to the bedroom and shut the door quietly behind her.

Loki could hear her cry for the better part of an hour. Even though she had closed herself in the bathroom and turned the shower on to drown it out, as he sat with a book near the fireplace, he could hear each time a fresh wave of sorrow would wash over her, and she would start bawling anew.

The poor girl. He knew how she felt; he had been where she is now. Finally seeing your parents as they truly are versus the pictures we keep of them in our mind is devastating.

oOXOo

Several weeks passed.

Loki kept to his rigid schedule. He exhausted his body with exercise, he exhausted his mind with research, hoping the combination would eventually grant him a peaceful night's sleep. Unfortunately for him, restless nights followed him up from the dungeon. Nightmares plagued him most nights. When he did manage to get more than a couple of hours of sleep in a row, he woke up sore and stiff from sleeping on the sofa.

Although he was grateful to be back in his chambers, he still hadn't adjusted to sleeping in the dark again and insisted the window coverings be left open to let in the moonlight.

And there was also the matter of his marriage. Try as he might, he couldn't get used to seeing Eisa flitting around his apartment, sleeping in his bed, seeing her clothes hanging in his closet. It was unsettling most days. Knowing she was being kept here under these circumstances. Knowing Odin was hoping he would breed the poor girl. And for what? An ill-gotten legacy? He wanted no part of it.

Still, they ate their meals together. Even if he didn't make conversation with her, this part of their routine felt oddly comforting. Some mornings she came rushing to the table, hair wild and unruly, still wearing a dressing gown. Yet some mornings she was seated before him, looking like the picture of grace and refinement with her hair done and wearing light makeup. It was bewildering and somehow amusing to him.

The irony was not lost on him that she was chaos personified.

One morning, when Eisa sat down for breakfast, she was shocked when Loki set aside the Asgardian news and started making small talk with her, unprovoked. She tried not to get too excited, knowing how quickly his mood could change.

When Greta came in to clear the table, Loki's brow furrowed in concern.

"I know you are small, but is there a reason why you always leave so much food on your plate?"

"A lady must never eat more food than the size of her fist."

"What?"

She held up her closed fist to him and traced it with her index finger. "Each meal or snack should only be the approximate volume of one's fist. See?"

Loki shook his head and folded his hands in his lap, "Sage wisdom from your stepmother, I assume?"

"Well, yes. Is that not... not normal?"

"Did she tell you why you were to restrict yourself to such a small amount of food each day?"

"Because if I eat too much," she paused and looked up at him with sad eyes, "I will lose my luster and embarrass my father, and he will be ashamed of me," she whispered.

Anger flared inside him. Those poor girls. If only Agda had survived, they would not have been abused by that wretched woman.

He took a deep breath, "Fuck that utter nonsense. Your stepmother should be locked up for what she has done to you, little dove. It is no surprise you are so short; malnourished as you were. It is a wonder how you survived to adulthood."

"I suppose I never really questioned it."

He shook his head, trying to calm his temper.

"Your mother, your real mother," he clarified, "was the sweetest, most gentle soul I have ever met. She loved you so much; she would be absolutely appalled to hear you speak this way. If she were still here, your life would look very different than it does now."

Not trusting her voice, she nodded and wiped her cheeks with her napkin.

"It was not my intention to make you cry." He looked out the window, not comfortable with seeing her upset.

"I know."

"I should not have mentioned her. I am sorry."

"No, it's not that. It's... complicated to put into words."

"You could try."

She blinked at him in surprise, "I am sure you have other things you would rather be doing than listening to me fumble for meaning."

"I know better than anyone what can happen to a person if they keep their feelings locked up inside themselves."

"Very well." She took a minute to gather her thoughts. "When people speak about my mother, I know I should feel sadness or even anger that she and my little sister were taken from us so tragically, but I don't. I feel jealous. I am the only one of my siblings who doesn't remember her. I can't picture her in my mind or recall the sound of her voice." She pursed her lips briefly. "I can't miss what I never knew. Does that make me a bad person?"

"No. Of course not."

"I feel guilty that I don't miss her."

"That is understandable."

"People tell me I look like her."

"You do. Minus her chestnut hair. The fire suits you better, though."

Eisa blushed and tucked her chin to her shoulder, "Thank you."

She looked back at him to see him staring at his hands in his lap. Not wanting the conversation to end, she continued, "Groa was more of a mother to me. I do miss her terribly. I wish I could go meet my new nephew."

Guilt wracked through him, "I am sorry you are forced to be imprisoned here."

"The King told us there was a way out of this situation."

"No. Absolutely not."

"Never?"

"Never. Odin will become impatient and change his mind. He will name a new heir and set you free."

"I won't leave you here alone, Loki. I meant those words."

"I took a vow to protect you, and that is what I must do. Even if the one you need to be protected from the most is me."

"Don't say that."

"Your father didn't protect you from that evil woman. Your King changed the terms of your agreement without your consent. You were right; you have done nothing to deserve any of the things that have been done to you."

"Loki-"

"You don't want me. I am no good for anyone. This isn't a story with a happy ending. Do you understand me?"

"No, I-"

Loki stood abruptly and straightened his clothes. "I don't want to hear any more about it. Meanwhile, while you are living under my roof, you should eat what you please when it pleases you. I insist."

With that, he strode briskly to his library. He pulled a random book from a shelf and sat heavily at his writing desk. He opened the book and tried to concentrate, but he couldn't. Her words were ricocheting around in his mind.

He couldn't let her become more attached to him. He had to make her see reason. She needed to go to the King and ask for the annulment. She had to be the one to initiate it.

oOXOo

More weeks passed in much the same way as when they were first married. Loki kept his distance, Eisa kept up hope. More servants were hired to help take some of the burden off Greta as Eisa made as much of a mess as three people and Loki couldn't stand to see items out of place.

After Loki wrote a letter begging the King to think of Eisa's well-being, Eisa was granted permission to invite her sisters to come to visit her in their chambers. Loki mostly hid away in the library, as the sisters usually brought their children, and the sight of all those unbalanced little bodies running around near so many breakable objects gave Loki the worst anxiety. Without his seiðr, he didn't trust that quick reflexes alone could stop one from losing an eye on a corner of a table or toppling over and cracking their head on the hard floor. If they were still immobile, like Groa's newborn, Loki would sit in the lounge with them while they had afternoon tea.

Of course, that gave Loki a wholly different reason for anxiety as Eisa would fuss over the babies, rocking them, singing to them, rubbing the tops of their fuzzy little heads. He caught himself staring at times. It came to her so naturally. She seemed to instinctively know if the baby was gassy and moved them to her shoulder to pat their back. She knew the signs of hunger and passed them begrudgingly back to their mothers for feedings. Loki watched from a distance with reverence as she calmed a shrieking baby to peaceful sleep in a matter of minutes.

Two of the sisters had been noticeably absent. Finna refused Eisa's invitations to visit, and Eisa refused to extend an invitation to Anina, waiting for an apology that would probably never come.

During one visit, Loki was in his library when he heard the peals of laughter coming from the sitting room. Following his curiosity, he went to discover the source of the sound. When he came out of the hallway, he saw that Eisa had Willa's youngest daughter sitting on her knees making animal sounds for her, causing a torrent of baby giggles to echo through the apartment.

Eisa noticed him out of the corner of her eye and flushed with embarrassment, "Oh, are we being too loud?"

"Not at all. I was just curious where that sound was coming from."

"Good afternoon, Your Highness." Willa stood and curtseyed respectfully.

"Good afternoon. Please, carry on. I did not mean to interrupt."

"Olga, can you wave hello to the prince?" The baby waved to him with her whole arm, "Good girl!" Eisa clapped her hands excitedly in front of her, to which she started clapping also.

"You are very tall."

Loki was startled, looking down to see a little blonde girl in a pink dress standing beside him.

"You are very small."

"You are taller than my father."

"Very well."

"You are taller than my grandfather."

"Is that so?"

"Can you touch the ceiling?"

Loki raised his arm to touch the top of the archway he was standing in.

"Whoa! Mummy, did you see that?"

"I did. Come back here and quit pestering the prince."

"Is your name Prince?"

"No."

"What is your name?"

"What is your name?" Loki gave her a faux suspicious expression.

"I am Hati," she held her hand out to him.

"I am Loki." He bent over to place a kiss on her knuckles.

She giggled, "Nice to meet you."

"It is nice to meet you as well."

"Is that a book about flowers?"

Loki looked down at the thick book about the Midgardian geopolitical economy of the twentieth century he held. "No."

"I like flowers."

"Flowers are pretty," he nodded.

"I like you."

"I'm honored."

"Okay, well, bye." The little girl went running back over to her mother.

"Farewell." Loki drummed his fingers on the book in his hands, "Carry on, ladies."

"Would you like to join us?" Eisa asked hopefully.

He gave her a wan smile and a small shake of his head as he turned and made his way back down the hall.

oOXOo

One morning after breakfast, Eisa sat across from Loki as she normally did and noticed that he was turning his whole body when he went to reach for his tea.

"Are you unwell? What is the matter?"

"I am fine."

"No, you are not. Why are you moving like that?"

"I said I was fine. Stop prying."

"Fine." Eisa let it be for now but watched him closely for the rest of the day. He was suffering from a stiff neck and possibly a shoulder ailment, she surmised. At sunset, she steeled herself and went to the balcony as Loki enjoyed a stiff drink.

She laced her hands together in front of herself. Mustering up as much courage as she could, she cleared her throat, "You will sleep in the bed tonight. Sleeping on the sofa is taking a toll on your body. The bed is plenty large for both of us. I do not want to hear any argument out of you."

Loki swirled his bourbon in his glass as he considered her offer. His body was aching, the long hours on the too-small sofa the most likely culprit. She did not sound like she had an ulterior motive. If this was her attempt at seduction, it was pretty pitiful. The bed was certainly large enough to sleep them both without the chance of accidentally touching.

"Very well."

Eisa's face conveyed her shock briefly before she raised her chin, "That is settled then."

"It is."

"Good."

She stood there, not sure how she was going to start her next sentence, seeing how adverse to her touch he had been.

"Is there anything else you need to say?"

"Yes," she licked her lips, "I am going to help you work those knots out."

"That is not-"

"I said no arguing," making her way to stand behind him, she dried her sweaty palms on her skirt before bringing them up to his broad shoulders.

Loki had to laugh as her delicate hands tried to work the tension out of his neck.

"Am I hurting you?"

"I doubt you could if you tried."

He heard her let out an annoyed scoff before he felt her hands slip under the fabric of his loose shirt. Her hands were so warm they almost felt hot on his bare skin. The pad of her thumb found a sore spot at the base of his neck, and he had to hold in a groan as she soothed the tight muscle.

After several minutes of working out the kinks in his neck, she asked, "How is that?"

"Much better, thank you."

"You're welcome." She slid her hands from his shoulders, under his hair, alternating using the pads of her fingers and her fingernails to massage his scalp.

He could not stop his moaning this time, it felt so good his eyes rolled back in his head. Currents of pleasure radiated from his scalp through his entire body causing goosebumps to rise on the skin of his arms and legs. When the heat started to pool in his lower belly, he realized he had let it go on too long.

"Enough!" He stood abruptly and made his way to the balustrade. He did not look at her as he said, "Thank you, Eisa. I feel much better, but I would like to finish my drink alone."

"Of course," Eisa walked quickly back inside, chastising herself for taking it a step further than she had intended. She hadn't really thought about it. As she was massaging his neck and shoulders, she was staring at his silky raven curls, itching to run her hands through his beautiful hair. One second, she was thinking about it, the next she was doing it.

Loki's breathy moans made her insides quiver, and she knew at that moment it was the most wonderful thing she had ever heard. She wanted nothing more than to draw those sounds from him again and again.

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Author's Note: In the next chapter, Eisa finds a new way to cope with her restlessness.