Unlike Loki

Chapter 57

(Loki)

I left her there for a moment, crying against my legs, letting her let it all go.

When she eventually seemed to calm down, I brushed my hand on the top of her head, stroking her damp hair. "Come on, then." I bent down slightly to put my hands under her arms, to lift her to her feet. She came up to stand, seeming lighter somehow. She didn't look at me, just seemed to stare into space somewhere. I put my hand on the small of her back and started to lead her towards the castle. We began to walk slowly that way when her legs seemed to give out, and she fell towards the ground. I caught her as gently as I could, just before her knees slammed into the rough ground.

"Let me carry you." I said softly.

"No. No, I'm fine. Really." She shakily stood back up.

"You were literally dead less than an hour ago. You are in no state to do much of anything at the moment. Let me carry you." And I picked her up in my arms before she could protest. She made a small whimpering sound, but ultimately laid her head against my shoulder, and put her arm around my neck, the other one on my chest. I could feel her breath lightly on my neck.

It nearly made me go crazy.

I walked her all the way to the castle, and was met by a couple of guards who offered to take her from me; I denied their offer but thanked them for their generosity. I continued to carry her up the staircase and to my chambers, having to wait for the guards to push open the doors. Once inside, and behind closed doors, I led Anna to the bed. I sat her gingerly on the edge, and she laid her arms in her lap, looking at her tattered and torn dress.

"Sorry about the dress." she said.

I chuckled. "Quite alright." I looked at her for a moment, watching her, making sure she wasn't going to drop dead on me. "Do you think you can clean up and change by yourself?"

She popped her head up, looking at me. Her eyes drooped, but she was smiling at me, the corner of her mouth curled up. "Now, now. Don't go taking advantage of me." Her cheeks reddened.

I looked at her sheepishly, "I-No-I didn't-" I sighed, grabbing the bridge of my nose.

"Yes. I'll be fine." She laughed lightly, a glow back in her eyes, and used her hands to push herself up and off the bed. She went to the wardrobe that she had, at some point, figured out belonged to her. I watched as she opened the doors and looked through the various clothes, not seeming to be able to decide on any one particular dress to sleep in. She eventually closed the doors, no clothes in her hand. I watched her in confusion as she walked around my bed and headed towards my wardrobe. I watched, arms crossed, still confused as she swung open the doors of my wardrobe and began to rifle through it.

"What are you doing?" I asked accusingly.

"Calm down. Don't go and get your panties all in a wad." she retorted, still looking through my clothing.

Taken aback, I said,"Panties? I most certainly do not have any panties." At least I didn't think so. But I wasn't going to tell her I had no idea what 'panties' were.

She simply laughed to herself and pulled out a long sleeve black shirt that had been hidden away at the back of the large closet and a pair of old trousers that I had trained in long ago. They were worn, but still comfortbale. She closed the wardrobe, my old clothes in hand, and flashed me a grin, heading for the washroom. She closed the door behind her and I didn't move until I heard the water run.

I couln't help but smile to myself.

I decided to leave Anna alone and get something for her to eat and drink. Not too much, just enough so that she can have something in her stomach.

I still couldn't get my mind around the fact that she alive. The fact that she had been dead was slowly becoming a weird sort of nightmare in my past.

***********

When I come back, assorted fruit and water in my hand, Anna is still in the washroom, steam billowing from under the door. I set the plate of refreshments down on the nightstand beside the side of the bed she slept on a few nights ago. It's only a few more minutes before I hear the door of the washroom open, and Anna comes out, a little more color in her cheeks and a smile on her face.

She looks almost irresistable in my clothes.

They are much too big for her. The shirt is long on her, the arms a good four or five inches past her hands, but the hem is too short, and I can see just the smallest sliver of the skin of her stomach. She looks absolutely ridiculous in my trousers. She's had to tie them almost impossibly tight to get them to fit her small waist, and it appears that she has rolled the legs up several times, but they are still too long, her bare feet peeking out from under them.

"Why are you so impossibly long?" she asks me, grinning foolishly.

I shrugged my shoulders at her, too busy looking at her to answer.

She smiled again, and then made her way to her side of the bed and climbed in, pulling the covers to her chin. She suddenly sees the tray on the nightstand. "Oh!" she said, looking at me. I nodded my head at her, to let her know that it was for her. "Thank you." And she began to eat slowly, sitting up in the bed, the blankets resting on her hips. She had to pull the sleeves of my shirt up to be able to grab ahold of anything. I smiled to myself and walked over to my wardrobe, pulling out a change of clothes and heading to the washroom to clean-up myself.

I took one last look at her before I closed the door behind me.

***********

When I came out, rubbing my wet hair vigorously with a towel, Anna was tucked into the bed, the food and water gone. She seemed to asleep, after the day she'd had. I blew out the lights and crawled into the bed, lying on my back.

Not much later, she must have thought I was fully asleep, for I felt her scooch over to me, and kiss me lightly on the cheek, before crawling back to her side of the bed and settling in for the night.