Forever. I Promise (Sequel to As one. Always)

Chapter 19

After Loki and I parted ways for the night, I decided to take a walk around the gardens. I was feeling restless, and wanted some time alone. The gardens were private, secluded and lovely to look at. Perfect.

As I passed the gorgeous blooms growing in the moonlight, I let my mind go blank and just enjoy the sights I was taking in. I wanted to simply enjoy the flowers and the quiet before the storm. I had a feeling things were going to get interesting soon.

A cool breeze blew my hair around my face, making me shiver. I rubbed my arms to warm myself back up and smooth down the goose bumps forming on my arms. I looked up at the sky, suddenly realizing how late it was. The moon wasn't showing tonight, making it darker than usual. I wasn't afraid of the dark, but I was starting to get weird feeling in my stomach.

Turning on my heel, I retraced my steps. I was trusting my instincts here and even if I was wrong and was being silly, I would laugh at myself once I was inside the safety of the palace. I had to admit, Odin being dead did make it feel less safe, especially since he was murdered in his own room. But Thor still held respect and power in the nine realms. And respect does instill a healthy amount of fear, which made the palace the safest place in the realms for me.

I turned the last corner, knowing that the exit was right there. I felt a certain relief at the thought of being out in the open again, and in view of the palace.

That is, until I turned and didn't see an exit. Instead, there was a wall of greenery. I did a double take, turning around quickly. Maybe I had made a wrong turn? But that couldn't be right. The bench that sat at the entrance was here. All the benches were different, each had a different carving on it. And the carving of blooming roses was on this one, like the entrance bench.

What was going on?

I pinched myself and blinked a few times, trying to see if maybe I was seeing things. Maybe I was asleep? After about six pinches, one being particularly hard on the sensitive skin of my under arm, I realized I wasn't dreaming. Plants had spontaneously grown in the entrance.

I started to panic. There was another exit on the other side of the garden, but I would have to walk at least half an hour to get there. And what if that entrance was blocked too? I turned on the spot, looking for signs of another way out.

I suddenly felt an eerie feeling wash over me. I turned again, looking for signs of something lurking in the dark. I saw nothing, but my feelings said otherwise.

Against my better judgement, I called out. "Is anyone there?" Nothing but silence. "Hello?" Nothing.

Moments like this, I wished Loki and I were still able to communicate telepathically. Or that Asgard had invested in cellphones.

I shivered again as wind blew by me. My hair blew in my face again, and I desperately pushed it out of my eyes to see again. As I moved my hair, I noticed a shift in the darkness and froze. Something had moved. I hadn't heard anything, but I was sure of it. Something was moving.

My breath started to rise and fall as it moved again, this time closer. "Who are you? What do you want?"

No answer. No movement. Only silence. For a moment I wondered if I had scared whatever had been rooting around and caused it to flee. I took a deep breath, hoping that it was gone so I could focus on getting out of here.

Suddenly, a dark mass sprang out from the shadows. It was so quick, so sudden that I let out a blood curdling scream. I put my arms up to shield myself as I felt a huge weight fall on me. There was fur on this thing and it smelt disgusting. Like blood.

I screamed again as it bit down on my forearm. After a few minutes of agony from the bite I felt my body go limp, and the world turn blurry. Suddenly, a cloaked shape walked out from the shadows. At least, I think it was cloaked. It was hard to make out distinct details. The thing looked in my direction, snapped its fingers at the beast who promptly got off me and hurried away.