Right to the Night

Chapter Fifteen

 "I love my king and I love you." Elisabete huffed, not wanting to have said it in the first place.

Elisabete watched as Edric went over to the head of the bed and folded down the sheets. She furrowed her brow as she watched him and scoffed as she shook her head.

"Are you not going to talk to me?" Elisabete asked.

"I have nothing else to say to you." Edric replied.

Elisabete grabbed her nightdress from the bed and gave Edric a look as he got under the covers. Edric looked up at her and chuckled as he shook his head.

"What?" Elisabete inquired.

"Do you actually think anything is going to happen tonight?" Edric retorted.

"Well, we are husband and wife. We are to consummate our marriage." Elisabete replied.

"No, he consummated it for us. And I do not want to sleep with you...ever." Edric told her.

"Edric, what are you going on about?" Elisabete asked.

"You are a tainted woman, Elisabete. I will not participate in such acts with a woman who has sinned like you have. You claim to be this chaste girl, but that's not the truth. Look at you. You're disgusting." Edric explained to her.

Elisabete's eyes welled with tears as she heard him speak to her. In some ways, she believed him. She did hate herself for giving in to the vanities she desired to have. She had sinned and a part of her felt fine with it. In that moment, she realized she had put herself into a horrible situation marrying a man she despised with every fiber of her being.

"What can I do to make you happy?" Elisabete asked.

"Nothing you do can make me happy." Edric replied.

"Surely, there must be-"

"I said no, Elisabete. Now get into my bed and sleep. During our honeymoon, I hope you'll go to our church and confess all your wrongdoings and repent for the sinful act you have committed against me." Edric explained to her.

"Yes, I will." Elisabete spoke softly.

That night, Elisabete lay in the cold, stiff mattress as Edric slept beside her. Elisabete had ruined everything for herself. She lay on the bed, thinking about her night with Loki. She couldn't deny how much she had loved it. He had opened her up in more ways than one. The more she thought about him, the more she could not deny her feelings for him. Whenever he touched her or looked at her, Elisabete felt her heart swoon. She desired to have all the vanities of the world, but, above all else, she desired Loki.

As Loki prepared himself for bed, he stared at his bed, longing to have Elisabete's body lay next to his. She made him feel things he hadn't felt in such a long time. She always made him smile whenever she was in his presence, and, much to his confusion, it was always a genuine emotion he felt. Elisabete relaxed him with just her being. As he looked at his bed, he was reminded of the night before and wanted to have her again. He loved how her body reacted to his. However, the sound of Faust crying from a few rooms over made him push his thoughts to the back of his mind.

Loki groaned as he walked towards the room. Sanit was still admitted to the healing rooms since she was still too weak to move. He opened the door to find the small boy unattended. Faust was standing up on his bed, crying loudly. As he looked at the boy, he felt his heart sink, feeling somewhat sad for the boy. Loki used his magic to make the candles in the room lit and the boy's cries lowered as he saw Loki entering the room.

He winced as he made his way closer to the boy. He stood at the foot of the bed, watching the boy as he plopped down onto the small bed, continuing his crying. As he stared at the boy, he grew livid, seeing that the boy shared similar features to his brother. He hated the boy and wanted nothing to do with him, but, seeing that he had been left alone in the dark, made Loki want to reach out to him. He sat down on the edge of the boy's bed and grimaced as the boy crawled towards him and set himself down in his lap. Loki hesitated slightly, not knowing what to do. He put his arms in the air and slowly brought them down. He kept his hands by the sides of the boy, not wanting to touch him. The boy stared up at Loki and sniffled as he rubbed his eyes of his tears. After a few moments, Loki lightly patted the boy's back. As he did, the boy stood up on his lap and Loki's eyes widened as the boy wrapped his small arms around his neck. Loki looked down at the boy as his breath hitched in his throat, unaware of what to do next. Almost instinctively, Loki wrapped his arms around the boy and stood from the bed. The boy rested his head against Loki's chest with his eyes closed. In that moment, Loki realized that he too would soon be a father and his own son would act in the same way, so now would be the time to practice.