Midnight in the garden of mischief & mayhem

Chapter 4

I shut the door quietly behind me, and turned to look at the haven that I had missed so much. My eyes swept over the plants, but my thoughts screeched to a halt when my gaze alighted upon a tall figure standing in the center of the gardens. A single word flew from my lips before my consious mind had commanded it. It was a word that I had heard in my dreams every night for the last several months, and one that had plagued my thoughts for just as long. "Loki?" It was meant to be a statement, but the quivering of my voice had turned it into a whispered question.

He turned around quicker than I had ever seen anyone do before, and his eyes widened. "Allyra?" His question held disbelief, but also joy.

My feet began to move of their own accord, carrying me toward my best friend. His seemed to do the same, and we met in the middle. When our legs could move us no further together, Loki did not hesitate to bridge the gap. His lips crashed down on mine with the same need and desperation that I had felt for so long. I suddenly understood why it felt like part of me was missing when we were apart: I loved him. I couldn't tell how long I had loved him. Had it been since that first night, or was it a more recent development? I was too lost in his lips to even care at this point. Kissing Loki was the best thing I had ever experienced. He tasted sweet, but also sharp, like a strange hybrid of honeydew and peppermint. I felt his tongue glide against mine, and suppressed a shudder. His hands held me by the small of my back, making sure there was no space between our bodies. I felt surreal, like I was in a dream; surrounded by the lovely garden I adored so much, standing here kissing the man I loved. Could life get any better than this?

After a while, I unwillingly broke the contact between our lips, gently placing my hands on his chest and leaning back. He looked at me, smiling radiantly. I had only ever seen him looking so happy on a few occasions; it made my own grin widen. "I missed you Allyra, don't ever do that to me again."

"I won't. I don't think I could even if I wanted to." The words were so painfully true. Living without Loki had been awful, like a starless night. 

"How long do you have?" The look that accompanied this question made my heart ache. He wanted to know how long we had together, until I had to go back. Leaving him in this moment was unthinkable, I didn't even want to contemplate having to say goodbye again. 

"All night," I responded, feeling the sorrow disappear as his smile returned. I had all night before I had to go and it felt stupid to waste what precious time was left worrying about the end. 

Suddenly, Loki's smile turned into a mischievous smirk. "Oh, I almost forgot, happy birthday." He removed his hands from my waist, and held out to me a small box. I had never seen anything like it before. It seemed to be made of some sort of stone, but many different colors flowed through it, moving and changing every second. "Open it," Loki whispered. I did as he said and was amazed; within the box sat the most beautiful necklace I had ever seen. The chain was a thin thread of gold that held a pendant. The stone was about the size of a marble, and milky white. I touched it, and it felt warm in my hand. "I put a spell on that stone," explained Loki, "it will grow warmer the nearer you are to me." I could not say anything, moved by the beautiful gesture. Loki took the necklace out of my hands and reached around my neck to clasp it. I felt the pendant warm on my chest. He stepped back, looking me up and down, and then wordlessly reached back and tugged at the pins that held my hair in a loose bun. My black hair fell down over my shoulders, excentuating my pale skin and light eyes. "That's better," said the prince with a smile. "Will you have dinner with my family tonight?" he inquired suddenly.

I didn't know how to respond to that. "I-I'm not really dressed for-"

Loki interrupted me, "There are clothes in the palace. Just say you'll come."

I couldn't argue with the pleading look he gave me then, so I just nodded silently, hoping I wouldn't make too big of a fool of myself in front of the king and queen. An elated smile lit Loki's face then, and he leaned down to kiss me again. This kiss was different than the first; it was slower and less fervent. Seconds later, my prince leaned away, took my hand in his, and led me from the garden in the direction of the palace doors.