Unforeseen

Lovely Lilies and the Passage of Time

I was greeted the next morning by the cushy plushness of my pillows. Morning light shone dimly through the white and teal draped curtains surrounding my four poster bed, casting my covers and pillows in faint blue-green light. I furrowed my eyebrows, closing my eyes again as I buried my face into my silken pillows. Last night... had I fallen asleep in Loki's arms? I couldn't seem to remember walking back to my chambers... and I'd been so, so comfortable lying there listening to his breathing and the rhythm of his heart. Loki's voice had worked like a lullaby as he read the familiar Shakespearean story to me. In the end, my sleepiness must have won out over me!

I huffed a sigh. This is a bit embarrassing... That was the second time I'd fallen asleep while Loki was reading to me. No doubt I would have to bear his teasing for it the next time I saw him. There was no way he'd let that pass a second time without mentioning it. Oh well, there were worst things than seeing Loki smirk and chuckle. He was infuriatingly handsome when he was smug after all.

Suddenly, I froze and my eyes flying open, a realization falling upon me. How... how had I gotten back to my chambers if I'd fallen asleep cuddling with Loki last night? I certainly would've remembered if he'd woken me up and walked me to my rooms... but I didn't... I'd drifted off with my head on his chest and woke up surrounded by my pillows. Had he... he hadn't carried me to my chambers last night, had he? Oh gosh!

In a flurry, I started twisting from my side onto my back, but then froze again as my one hand closed around something delicate and slightly waxy. My gaze shot down to my fingers. What in the-

There between my fingers was the stalk of a single white lily in full bloom.

I gasped, bringing the bloom up to my nose, a smile growing across my face as I rolled onto my back. There was no doubt now. Loki had definitely brought me to my rooms last night and, being the romantic fiancé that he was, he'd left me this lovely little present! I was usually a lighter sleeper, so it surprised me that I could've slept through being carried or whatever, but perhaps I'd been so at ease in his grasp that I'd slipped into a deeper slumber than usual. That man... what had I ever done to deserve him? He was so different from when I first met him, so gentle and thoughtful. In fact, he was downright romantic!

My heart fluttered as I lay there, grinning at my flower when I noticed an emerald ribbon hanging from the lily's stalk, a small piece of paper tied to its end. I squinted at the familiar scrawl in the dim light of my bed, reading:

Would the loveliest bloom in Asgard join me for breakfast in the garden?

I giggled, twisting the note between my fingers. How could I ever refuse such an invitation?

My fit of giggles was cut short by the sound of my chamber doors being pushed open. A moment later a bright voice greeted me from outside my bed's curtains, "Good morning, Penelope!"

"Fulla!" I nearly choked on my surprise, sitting up in bed, "Uh, good morning!"

Amusement laced Fulla's voice as I heard it traveling through my rooms towards the bed, "Ooh, you sound rather more wakeful than usual. Sleep well?"

"Yeah, I did." I answered, tucking my lily by my side on my silken covers as I bent my knee up to hide it from Fulla's sight as she swept my curtains aside, letting in the full light of morning.

Fulla paused as soon as I came into her view, pausing as she held my curtains aside. The auburn-haired girl gave me an odd look, her eyes trailing me up and down. I stared back at her like a deer in the headlights for a second as I thought she'd seen the lily I'd tried to hurriedly hide. I expected her to ask why I had a random flower in bed with me, but instead, when she finally spoke, she asked, "Is there any reason why you didn't change into your nightgown?"