The Verdant Prince

Chapter 22: Let Go

I awoke gently, taking a deep breath in. The air smelled of various herbs and traces of fire smoke. I opened my eyes carefully and took in my surroundings. Soft beads clinking together in the gentle morning breeze, the very faint trickle of water. Peaceful again. I take a deep breath, a small smile forming on my chapped lips. 

"Wakey wakey, eggs and bacy." Asmund called suddenly and I jumped where I lie. Instead of first opening my eyes to a dimmed hut, I opened them to my dark haired friend, grinning down at me with a sly smile. Asmund's top tunic strings were tickling my cheeks and nose. I swatted them away and stuck my tongue out at him. 

"If I had my dagger beneath my pillow,  you would be dead where you stand." I hissed, relaxing back into the soft pillow. Asmund threw his head back and laughed deeply. 

"That is why I took it further away from the table." Asmund gestured to the end table near me which held my dagger. I paused.

Dagger. Not daggers. I frowned as I sat up, cracking my neck and stretching. Had I left my dagger by the riverside? 

"How did I get here?" I asked softly. Asmund gave me an odd look as he put his chest plate on over his black tunic. 

"Well, after bathing, you walked to the hut." Asmund said bluntly. "That's all. That's it." Asmund clarified, giving me a rather strange look. 

I suddenly remembered. The night terror, my angry frenzy to the river where I did not mourn alone for long. Loki had been there, we had talked and... Had I fallen asleep? Without waking?

 I threw the thin, ratted cloth off of me and hopped down to the surprisingly chilled ground. I quickly dressed myself in my armor, clicking the silver gauntlets and pauldron into place. I gave my small gray cloak a good pat before heading for the door, sheathing my one dagger. Having only one dagger felt odd and uneven to me, I shuddered. Anyone could have taken my weapon.

"Wait, where are you going?" Asmund asked, walking towards me while still attempting to tie his satchel and shin guards to himself.

"To find my missing dagger." I said flatly, admitting such a thing was hard. I had never been so reckless before and it angered me to admit that I had made such a foolish mistake.

"How do you lose something so shiny and priceless? We're in the middle of an invasion." Asmund said dramatically, throwing his arms up.

"How did you lose something so shiny and priceless?" I repeated, mocking his dramatic tone. Asmund's face turned beet red and he raised his finger, stepping forward.

"Y/N you better not be talking about my v-" 

"Goodbye, Asmund." I chirped, slipping out of the hut and into the cool air of the morning. Faintly I could hear shuffling and an 'oof!' and I couldn't help but laugh and shake my head. I would give Asmund a hard time for it later. 

I trotted down to the riverside, looking over the spot that I had been not even a few hours ago. There was no trace of my dagger, or trace that there had ever even been anything there. I groaned and shook my head, running back to the huts. 

I trailed my eyes around the slowly waking company, perhaps one of them had seen it and kept it for safekeeping? Even in the back of my mind, I knew they would have returned it out of their own integrity standards. 

Unless... said person did not have such standards and morals of honesty. I turned on my heel, headed straight towards the only hut that seemed royally suiting enough for a Prince- a sly one, too.

With a small growl, I flicked back the beads to the hut. In my delight, they clank and click together gently, like the soothing chirps from the birds in Asgard. I shook my head and focused on the task at hand.