Unexpected

Sunsets and Roses

As we left my chambers behind, a glimmer of gold shimmered down his figure. As soon as I saw the hint of his magic, which I had become so familiar with over the last year, I expected my handsome, lean prince to turn into the greyed and eye-patched king. He still looked like himself though when I peeked over at him, and I realized that the kingly illusion was being presented to everyone else, but I could still see him as he truly was. A small smile came to my lips at that thought that I could see him for what he was even through the illusions and masks he could put on.

Loki tucked my arm into the crook of his elbow so that we were linked arm in arm as he led me through the massive golden halls. Leaning my head closer to him, I asked, "Where are we going?"

Loki turned his head towards me, looking down at me with a quirked brow and a small, amused smile, "Why are you whispering, Penelope?"

"I'm not." I argued back under my breath. I wasn't whispering... no, not whispering, but I was talking softer than usual. In these huge, darkening hallways that were empty except for an occasional maid or guard it seemed, I was just a bit afraid to speak too loudly in case my voice echoed too loudly under the vaulted ceilings. Everything was so picturesque and beautiful that to speak too loudly and break its majesty with the noise would feel rude or disruptive, like a noisy fly landing on a masterpiece oil painting. I wasn't going to admit that though, "I'm just wondering where you're taking me."

"It's a surprise." He smirked, looking forward again.

Could my heart handle any more surprises? I sighed, "Haven't I had enough surprises today, Loki?"

His smirk broadened into a laugh as he patted my hand where it rested on his forearm, "You will love this one."

I gave him a pleading, questioning look to try to coax him to tell me more, but ended up merely nodding after a moment, giving in when I realized that he wouldn't tell me anything more, "Fine."

After a few more minutes of walking through the maze of hallways we came out upon a huge golden balcony. I peeked at Loki from the corner of my eye, but he wasn't looking at me. Instead he was just smiling, obviously pleased with himself. I had to squint, raising my free hand to block the shine from my eyes as we strode out, my mouth dropping at the glorious sight before me.

The golden rails of this huge balcony were set ablaze as they reflected the golden and orange light of Asgard's setting sun that was touching the horizon and dropping below the sea that fell off the side of the world. The Bifrost's dome looked like a glittering Christmas ornament hanging on the side of the jewel-like sea, the rainbow bridge attached to it and shining in a multitude of shifting, pulsing colors. The clear sky above was a rich masterpiece of gold, orange, red, pink, and purple, fading into the deep navy of a night sky far above Loki and my heads.

My arm went limp in Loki's grip as he pulled me gently to the end of the balcony. To me it felt as if I were floating in a dream towards the magnificent scene, dropping my shading hand so that nothing would be blocked from my sight. "Oh my gosh... this... this is- "

"The best view of the sunset in the whole palace in my opinion." Loki's eyes shifted from the fiery sun to look down at me, still grinning, "I proposed to you in the light of the rising sun. It only seems right that we should view the sunset together, don't you think?"

"Yes." I gasped, leaning my head upon his shoulder, unable to look away as the sun dropped lower into the ocean, creating new colors to paint the jewel like sky and the soft clouds hanging in it, "This is unbelievable."

Truly it was. I had seen many a sunset while sitting on the beaches of Lake Michigan while growing up in Muskegon, but never one as vivid as this one. As I stared at the intense beauty, I couldn't help but be astounded. This wasn't the same sun I'd always lived under, this wasn't the same sun setting that I had watched before. This one was a completely different orb setting over an impossible sea in a realm hundreds of light years away from Earth. It was so hard to believe. This entire day was hard to believe and yet, I could not deny the intense bitter sweetness of this new reality with me leaning against the strong, steady arm of Loki, my fiancée, as we watched the sunset on this palace balcony in Asgard.