Proposition

Impending Changes

The following few hours after the attack were hectic for the royals, leaving me and Ezabella to settle into the quiet as others went to their own rooms to retire for the night.

I sat on Loki's bed, my back resting against the headboard while Ezabella sat in the middle with her legs crossed, her hands resting on her ankle.

The quite of the room was thick but comfortable, both of us run down by the events but not wanting to sleep in the fear of missing any news, though I knew that Loki would most likely wake me up and give me any updates.

Ezabella had calmed significantly since learning that both I and her beloved Marnya were perfectly fine, if not a little humiliated on my end.

"Tonight has been insane, I've never felt so tired and energized before in my life," she laughed softly, her smile matching her stated conflicted feelings.

"I know what you mean," I returned her smile, "this was worse than that job we took together on the outskirts of Helheim."

"Don't even get me started on that," Ezabella rolled her eyes, though her smile widened, "you should be resting."

"As should you."

"I'm not the one carrying a half-Jotun."

"True," I hummed, rubbing my swollen belly, "honestly I'm surprised I still am, I thought she was going to try and cut him out of me."

Ezabella frowned and moved forward, taking hold of one of my hands and giving it a comforting squeeze.

"Don't think like that."

"It's hard not to," I sighed, meeting her eyes, "she was kind of nuts but her emotions were complicated."

"As most emotions are, doesn't mean you can just kidnap people and humiliate them over your own plan."

I nodded slowly and gave her a faint smile.

"I know, I understand the entire situation is a whole mess of bad ideas and misplaced emotions, there is no way I can justify what she did."

The quiet falls over us again and I begin to feel my eyes starting to droop, the exhaustion of the events and pregnancy finally kicking in and letting me sleep.

At a snail's pace, I shuffled my legs underneath the covers and then slowly slid down so that I was lying as comfortably as I could.

Ezabella leaned over and grabbed my pregnancy pillow from beside the bed, pulling the covers away from me with a smile and helping me tuck it into place before moving the cover back over like a proud mother with her daughter.

"Have I ever told you that you are beautiful as a mother?" She smiled kindly, her hand running over my bump.

"You haven't," I said tiredly, placing my hand over hers.

"I should have, it's cliché I know, but there really is a glow about you."

"Is it brighter now?"

"The brightest."

"I think that's because I get to be his mother and his mum."

"Maybe so."

Ezabella nodded and then leaned in, we shared a quick peck of a kiss then she ran her hand over my hair and got up from the bed.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Eza," I practically whisper, my eye falling shut of their own accord to sooth the ache from my forcing them to stay open.

I heard her pad across the room, open the door and step out, she must have also turned out the light as the darkness behind my closed eyes turned into more of a void.

Strange, though not unpleasant, dreams invaded me that night.

One of those dreams that wasn't my life and yet somehow it was.

It was comfortable, though we lived in a considerably small hut made of ice with too many children of varying ages to count, it made me feel warm and fluttery even in my sleep.

Loki was just teaching one of our teen daughters how to properly secure a corset when I was jolted awake, a particularly violent kick from the inside instantly making me wake up with a wet patch between my legs.

Or if anyone asked, I would claim it was brought on by a kick.

It was embarrassing to say the least, but at least I was awakened enough to act on it, even if the jolt had been particularly stiff and jarring.

Luckily the sun was beginning to rise and I was in bed by myself.

Seems as though Loki was still in a meeting about the aftermath of Avena's planned attack, bless him.

"He's going to be exhausted," I said to myself while awkwardly climbing out of bed.

With a lot of effort and breaks, I managed to strip Loki's large bed and bundled up the sheets in my arms to discard of them discreetly.

I was so close to making it scot-free without being caught, I had managed to slip the sullied sheets into the washing basket for the maids in the morning and was kneeling on the bed to scrub at the mattress beneath when Loki walked in and froze, looking over in tired bemusement before realization gradually kicked in.

"Have bit of an accident, did we?" He laughed faintly as the door closed behind him.

My cheeks flared up and I looked at him helplessly as he neared the edge of the bed, his eyes sunken with dark circles.

"Nothing big, just a small strip but that was nasty enough."

Loki smiled and shook his head, reaching out to take hold of the wrist of the hand that held the wet sponge.

"It doesn't matter, it happens, come on."

He helped me off the bed and led me into the bathroom.

Once we were inside, he pulled away and took the sponge from me, throwing it into the nearby sink he then turned to the bath and leaned over to put the plug in, the taps squeaked as he turned them and he paused for a moment while watching the water cascade in.

I watched curiously as he stood up straight and started to discard of him armour, each piece that dropped to the floor seemed to alleviate the weight on his shoulders.

When he was down to his underwear, Loki turned to face me and raised an eyebrow, his eyes slowly moving up and down my body.

"Yes?" I asked, suddenly feeling a little self conscious.

"You're still dressed."

"Of course I am."

"You plan to bathe while fully clothed?"

"I wasn't aware that the bath was intended for us both."

Loki's lips quirked into a slight smirk and he turned off the taps then walked to me, stopping before me so that he could fiddle with the front of my clothes his fingers easily unfastening the clasps of the nightdress I had changed into.

"All of us," he corrected, slipping the nightdress away from my shoulders so that it would fall to the floor, "a family bath, just the three of us."

His cool hands moved to my bump as he pressed a kiss to my now bare shoulder.

"There's going to be a big change in dynamics around here," he murmured against my skin, trailing butterfly kisses up towards the bottom of my jaw, "but first we need to wash and rest."

"Will you tell me about the meeting?"

Loki sighed softly and pulled away, moving back towards the tub while discarding his underwear.

"Tomorrow," he said, stepping into the water and looking at me over his shoulder, "for now, I just want to forget about Avena, her upcoming trial and everything else that isn't you, me and our baby."