Destroyed Beauty {Pure Illusion Series: Book 3}

Chapter 12

A/N: Hiya guys! So classes starts up this week... yay -__- Which means I'll run out of time to spend with you all, again. BUT, I will try to do better to interact with you guys; I miss that. Also, my heart and soul was crushed to hear the passing of Stuart Scott yesterday; that guy was my childhood in the mornings watching Sportscenter. He will always 'be as cool as the other side of the pillow' to me <3 

This chapter is one of my favorites, as you'll see why (hint: flashback!). I picked the song on the side as I think it reflects Sigyn's thoughts about Loki, the garden, foreshadowing in the coming chapters and specifically their relationship. As always, enjoy and see you Thursday! 

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where the dead man called out
For his love to flee.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree.

¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶

Sigyn awoke with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders; the green fabric and smell of pine and leather immediately caught her attention. She sat up quickly and yanked it off, tossing it as far as she could as the reminders it carried were no longer welcomed. She groaned, the door seemingly the ideal spot to fall asleep last night after a fit of tears, was no longer welcoming in the morning.

The promise of a new day hung in the air as Sigyn stood, smoothing out her dress. A light knock came at her door just as she stood. It belonged to Eméra, as the girl always had a gentle way of knocking. Sigyn retreated closer to her bed, kicking the green blanket further into the corner before she called towards the door.

“You may come in Eméra.” 

The handmaiden came in, carrying a tray of food and a glass of water. She set the tray down on the coffee table and at once went to Sigyn’s closet to fetch an outfit for her to wear. 

“Good morning Lady Sigyn.” Eméra laid out a golden dress on the undisturbed bed. If she noticed, she didn’t say.

“Good morning Eméra, I trust you had a restful sleep?” 

The girl smiled giving a nod as she headed towards the washroom to draw a bath. Eméra didn’t say anything as the room began to steam from the heat of the water. She walked back into the main room where Sigyn was slowly eating some of her food, though she was mainly just pushing the food around her plate so that it had the apperance of being consumed.

“You did not sleep in your bed last night my Lady?” Eméra inquired at last.

Sigyn slightly shook her head, handing Eméra the tray of the scarcely touched food. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Eméra, but the dangers that came with knowing the secrets she did were not a weight she wished to share with the young hand maiden. 

“Would be so kind as to ask Sir Fandral to meet me in the garden this afternoon?” Sigyn said after several minutes of silence. 

Eméra gave a questioning look, but remained silent, as she knew her place in the palace was not to question her Lady’s wishes. She simply bowed and removed the tray of hardly touched food from the room. An odd start to the day was something that Sigyn needed to forget last night’s quarrel.

~~~ 

“…did you really think that those feelings, those intimate moments that we shared were true?”

Loki’s words from the night before haunted his eyes while he strained to see past them and read the words on the page. The pair, he and Amora, had hardly moved from their positions in the library. The movements to stretch or fetch a new book from the shelf the only indications that they were awake.