Forthright (Sequel of Silenced)

Chapter 10

Leidi

I lie next to Loki. Compared to everything that's happened, this is the most relaxing moment of my life. One of his arms is bent behind his head. The other is around my waist. Holding my stomach.

I wonder how he does it. How he can easily accept the baby. It's not his. The child of his worst enemy and he considers it his own. I lean my head on his shoulder. His grip tightens on my waist and he wraps his other arm around me.

I wrap my arms around his neck and melt into his embrace. He kisses the top of my head and rests his chin on my head. "How do you do it?" I say, breaking the silence. "Do what?" He looks at me. "How can you accept the child of your worst enemy?" I say, meeting his gaze.

He smiles, "It may be the child of my worst enemy, but it's also the child of the love of my life." "I love you, Loki," I say burying my face into his shoulder. He wraps his arms around my waist, "I love you too Leidi."

I doze off in his arms.

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I wake up in his arms, his breathing soft and even. His arms are still wrapped around my waist. I groan and roll out of his reach, pulling my nightgown down to cover me. "Leidi! You're blocking my view," he whines the minute I do. "What view?" I say turning to him. He just smiles. "LOKI!" I yell, flustered when I realized what he meant.

He gets up and walks over to me, hugging me from behind. He pushes his lips against my ear, "I'm just kidding. But..." He trails off. I look at him with wide eyes. "Loki," I say.

"Fine," he puts his hands up. I leave his room and start down the hall to my room when a hand clamps over my mouth. Loki laughs behind me, "did I scare you, love?" I wriggle my mouth open and bite down on his hand. "Yaoi!" He yells pulling his hand back.

"Did I scare you, love?" I say. He rests his hand on the side of my face, "Too many times we've been interrupted. I wish to spend every moment alone I have with you. And I want to make the most of it," he says, slipping an arm around my waist.

"Loki, come on. Let me go," I say, "I'm cold." He chuckles, "I'm not stupid, love. You're like I am. A Jotunn." "It was worth a shot," I shrug, "Loki may I go?" "No." "Please?" "No." "I wish to eat breakfast. Volstagg said if I'm late again, he'll eat my meal," I whine. "I shall cut him open and rip it from his stomach," he says.

"Do you honestly believe I'd eat that?" I say, "Loki! I'm starving. And so is he." I slide my hand to my stomach. "She. Leidi it's going to be a girl," he says. "Still, you wouldn't allow it to starve," I pout. "Of course not," he says, kneeling in front of me and kissing my stomach. "Loki," I say. "Shsh, I wish to speak to our child," he presses his ear to my stomach, "Hello, daughter." "Son," I say. "Leidi." "Loki."

"I'm hungry. We're hungry," I say. "Very well," he says getting up, "you may go." I kiss him briefly, and disappear into my room.

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Volstagg and I have a competition to see who can eat more of the pheasant. No one really minded. For Volstagg it was normal. I was starving because of the baby. Volstagg and I wolfed down the pheasant as Thor looked at us as if to say we'd enough. 

After breakfast, I went and vomited all of the pheasant. "It's not your fault," Loki said. He was trying to make me feel better.

Loki sat on his bed as I leaned on his shoulder. He read from a book of tales he had stolen from Jane's house. When he stole it, I have no idea. He read aloud a tale of "Sleeping Beauty."

"The description of this Maleficent character sounds like you," I say. "Oh, does she?" He says. "The horns and the scepter. She also plays tricks," I laugh, "I'm merely jesting." He laughs, "the Aurora character reminds me of you. Beautiful and kindhearted."

He continued the story, "and they all lived happily ever after." He closed the book. I groan in frustration. "What is it?" He says. "Why must they all end that way? Does nothing happen after?" I say.  I blow a strand of hair from my face. "I believe these stories were meant for children," he says, examining the cover, "in each story, it speaks of the beautiful princess, the brave prince, and the bad guy. The bad guy is usually a witch or a sorcerer, sometimes a stepmother. I guess children don't read too much into it."

"Loki," I say, "may I ask you a question?" "Of course you may," he says. "Whatever happened to the others," I say. "Others? I do not understand," he says. "Your other wives. I've learned that you had three wives. What happened to them?" "Ah. Them," he says, stroking his chin.

"Angrboda was like you, a frost giant. But she was not small. I'm sure you've met Fenrir, Jormungandr, and Hela," he says. "I haven't," I shake my head. "Well, you'll meet them soon. But they were our kids. She had left me because it didn't work out as well," he continues, "she was my second wife. My first wife was Glut, but since we were young, we had no children. And she was a Muspel. So we couldn't anyway. My third wife was Sigyn. Have you at least met Vali and Narfi?" I shake my head.

"Well, they're her children. They live in this palace. How come you've never met them?" I shrug, "wait, isn't Sleipnir your son too? Who's his mother?" I pick up the glass of water from his beside and drink some. "Uhm, that would be me," he says turning bright red. I almost spit out the water, covering my mouth. I cough, "how?"

"Ehehehehe. That's a story for another time," he says. I stare at him incredulously. If he can mother a horse, I wonder what kind of children I'd have if they were his.