Eternity

Chapter Fourteen

(Opal's POV)

I wake up to a gentle hand in my hair. Loki is standing over me, brushing my hair out of my face as he leans down and places a soft kiss on my cheek.

"Rise and shine, my dear. We have a long day ahead of us."

I rise from the bed before I ask,

"What do you have planned?"

"Well, we first have to take care of Odin's body-"

"Already done."

He pauses for a moment before continuing,

"Then I have to official mark myself as king-"

"Done as well."

He sighs before he says,

"Well, then we have the day to ourselves."

I can hear the smile on his voice and the next thing I know, he is taking my arm and leading me somewhere.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

(Loki's POV)

"How much further are we going?"

I smile at Opal's question. She looks absolutely radiant in her light blue dress and her headpiece is now made of silver.

"We are here."

We come to a stop and she looks up and asks,

"Where are we?"

I had forgotten that one of Odin's commands was to limit her senses. The only thing that she can sense of the outside world is her master, so she has no idea where we are. She blindly followed me around and did not even hesitate, even though she could not tell where she was going.

I've brought us to her favorite place: the garden. Ever since I first brought her here, she has loved coming here and sitting by the edge of the water. I lead her over to the water's edge and sit her down. I turn and pick a white lily to give to her; it was her favorite, and as I place the delicate flower in her hands, I see that it hasn't changed. She runs her finger gently around the petals and when she looks up at me, she graces me with the most beautiful smile I've ever seen. Even with the headpiece covering half of her face, her beauty still takes my breath away.

"Thank you, Loki."

"For what, my dear?"

"For showing me kindness. I know it probably won't last long, but I appreciate this."

I take her hand before I respond,

"It will last forever, my dear. I would never do anything to hurt you, do you believe that?"

She looks back down and is silent for a long time. I sit down beside her and we sit together in silence for almost an hour before I hear,

"Yes."

"Yes, what?"

"I believe you."

(Opal's POV)

I don't know why I believe him, but somewhere deep down I feel like I can trust him with everything. He said yesterday that there was something special between us, but I didn't really understand it until now. I still don't understand it completely, but something about this place makes me feel at peace with him.

"Would you care to go back?"

I turn towards Loki and nod. He takes my arm and leads me back towards the palace, which gives me time to think.

Why did the garden make me feel so at peace? It's almost as if... I've been there before? But that's not possible, today is my first day out of chains, let alone out of my chambers. Yet I feel as if something has happened there before...

(Loki's POV)

The entire walk back, Opal seemed to be deep in thought. We have been in the chambers for over an hour, but she has not moved from her spot at the edge of her bed. She is starting to worry me, so I ask,

"Are you alright?"

She looks towards me and lets out a sigh.

"Is there anything special about where you brought me today?"

Her question confuses me, so I ask,

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, it's almost as if I've been there before, but that's impossible."

My heart skips a beat; does she remember?

"It's just a weird feeling I have, I'm sure it's nothing. It's probably because I haven't been out before."

I walk towards her and take her hand. Is it possible that the memory is still there? I have to believe it is there, but I have no idea how to reach it.

Then it hits me:

"Opal, would you like to accompany me to the ballroom?"