Loki of Vanaheim (Part 3)

It's Time (LOKI)

I stretched my left arm across the forgiving, wide mattress, but didn't find her warmth. The unfamiliar nature of the new room disoriented me, adding more panic to the night's delirium. I leapt from the bed and snapped my fingers in the hall while looking left and right—both the washroom and the nursery were empty. My heart thumped so loud, I wondered if it rattled the shingles outside. I turned and wrapped a tunic around myself, then grabbed a pair of trousers, prepared to search the whole fortress if I had to.

Though if my heart wasn't loud enough for the neighbors, my stirring was certainly enough for her. "I'm...I'm out here, Lo," she said from the front room.

I stepped around the corner and let go of my bridled breath. "Thank the gods. Why are you up?"

She sat on the floor with her back against the wall, lit in front by the strong fire from our hearth. Tiwaz curled peacefully on the small amount of room left on her lap. Besides the fact that the hour was late and she wasn't in bed, nothing looked terribly amiss.

That is, until her face contorted in sharp pain. She groaned and leaned forward, rubbing the bump in large circles.

I knelt beside her slowly, too afraid of something wrong that we couldn't reverse. "Tell me everything."

"I didn't want to wake you," she croaked through her breathing. "They got closer together and I couldn't stay on my back any longer. The heat makes it better." After a few long exhales, she relaxed and rested against the wall again. "Goodness, that was a strong one."

I furrowed my brow. "Are you saying—"

"They're coming, love." She touched my cheek and smiled with the edge of her lips. "We're safe, and I'm well. But it's time."

"Wow." The world turned quickly, making me grateful I was already so close to the floor so I couldn't fall over. A rush washed over me, through me, for too many seconds to count. "And we thought a fortnight would be too long. Not even a day later, and here we are." I sat next to her and rubbed Tiwaz's fluffy head, curious if he had some sense of what was about to happen. "It's good to know they're decent souls enough."

"Why say that?"

"They didn't arrive any earlier." I smirked at her. "Any other time, and this place wouldn't have been ready yet."

She laughed and patted the bump again. "Thank you, boys. Now please don't make this more difficult than necessary."

I took her hand to kiss her knuckles. Comfort wasn't high in my skill set—it was her expertise. I tried to think like she did. "Have you gotten any sleep at all?"

"Hardly. Lying flat is terribly uncomfortable. I probably have a better chance while sitting like this."

"Move forward a bit. Let me hold you." Positioning myself behind her, I let Sigyn rest on my chest so I could keep her upright. She nestled into me willingly. Like she belonged against me. Since my concern over waking without her stirred my pulse to a high clip, her proximity eased my worries. For a little while, we discussed logistics—how we would negotiate troubles at night, if I would still teach as I had been lately, who we trusted close by—while carefully sidestepping our many fears for the day ahead.

We grew past the distinction of lovers. We were partners. A unit of two, soon to be four. Another day, and we'd be a family. She deserved every ounce of worship I could spare.

Her pains were irregular, and I helped her breathe through each one. Rubbed her shoulders and pressed on her lower back. Played with her hair the way she liked, plaiting it again and again. Eventually, the crackling fire and Tiwaz's purrs sang her to sleep.