The Queen of Jotunheim

Chapter 22: Old Promises

Chapter 22:
Holding onto or Breaking
Old Promises

Loki woke up in the middle of the night, fresh tears in his eyes from a nightmare that was already forgotten as soon as he opened his eyes. He quickly wiped them away as he sat up, grabbing onto the fluffy blanket in his nest to ground himself, and remember where he was. It had been a couple of days since Nix had shown him the old temple, and yet he still felt haunted by the things he had seen, having trouble getting a good night's rest.

He did not regret seeing it though, even if he could not explain why it haunted his soul so much, he knew that Nix had been dealing with it all alone for so long. If him knowing the truth in any way lessened her burden he would gladly do it again a thousand times.

But another thing about the whole experience that haunted him was the uncertainty of the future it had created. If Leifr was truly alive somewhere, did that mean he and Nix were technically still betrothed? And if he was dead, could that be proven in a way that finally put Nix's mind at ease... And if he was dead it would mean his dad had killed a... He shook the thought out of his head and started getting up.

Nix had given him a guest room close to her own. It was not as well prepared as her room in his castle had been, but then again Loki had come rather unannounced, and so it was honestly impressive how much she had prepared for him already, including clothing. Some of which he was wearing right now, acting as his sleep attire as the room was still colder than what he was used to.

He had thought that staying in Jotunheim for a longer period of time would make him start to miss the warmth, but he had found he was rather comfortable in this colder environment, and while he did need the occasional hot bath or half an hour in front of a fireplace, he discovered that was not uncommon here.

Just as the people from Asgard and maybe even the fire demons from Muspelheim, could find themself simply being TOO warm, Jotuns would sometimes feel themself too cold and seek a mild form of heat to balance it out.

He had been here for at least 5 days at this point, not having spoken with Nix about what happened at the temple at all. Instead they were delaying the inevitable confrontation, enjoying some simple pleasure Jotunheim had to offer, exploring the market together, flying to distant places on the planet to see stunning sights, and enjoying feasts with other Jotuns. All of it had been lovely, but also felt like they were both distracting themself from the conversation they knew was to come.

He exited his room and started wandering down the hall, stroking the cravings on the wall as he made his way toward the Queen's chamber. He saw no guard between his and her room, and he had a feeling it was because Nix had sent them all away.

He hesitated by her door, ready to knock, but unsure if he should. He didn't want to wake her if she was asleep, but he also didn't want to sneak into her room if she was unconscious. And yet something told him that she was waiting for him, and to just open the doors and walk in, so he did.

Nix was sitting in the frame of her window, looking up at the moon with a thoughtful gaze, wearing the same nightdress as Loki had seen her wearing the first time he walked into her room back in Asgard.

She didn't turn as he entered, though he was sure she heard him, so he just carefully closed the doors behind him and walked further into the room, waiting for her to speak.

"Can't sleep either?" She asked after a moment, almost smiling as she turned her gaze to Loki, but her eyes were still filled with a calm sorrow. "No," he admitted, looking at her worried."I thought some company might help," he joked, flashing her a grin that didn't reach his eyes.

She chuckled, a soft almost hollow sound, as she slid down from the window and gestured for him to follow, leading him to her nest. It was much more impressive than the improvised one Loki had seen her make in Asgard, still built into the floor, and as his feet found the soft fur he laid down without a second thought.