Unforeseen

Awkward Nighttime Adventures

My eyes shot open and in a second I was bracing my body on my elbows in the dark. My silken sheets twisted around my legs and torso, capturing me in a kind of sumptuous cocoon as I collapsed over onto my side, realizing that I was indeed still in bed. Gripping the loose folds of my nightgown over my chest, I could feel my heart beating at the rate of a machine gun in my ribcage. I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself down.

It was just another dream.

Dang it, brain, why did you have to do this? Why couldn't I just sleep?

I had woken up previously in the night due to a nightmare where I was standing on trial before the king and court. I couldn't remember why I was being tried, but I remember waking up in a sweat. I'd managed to fall back asleep, but this time my dream had been filled with stage fright as I sung offkey on the grand stage in the new Asgardian theater! The audience had grown more and more riotous, booing my performance, some people even going so far as to throw things at the stage. To make matters worse, a whole fleet of bronze plated guards had come swarming in to arrest me and Loki! I'd dashed away, trying to get to Loki before we could be caught! Maybe if I just explained everything, then we could figure this out! I'd woken up just before the guards could catch me and clap long, heavy shackles on me!

I groaned, finally pulling myself together. They were just dreams; just dreams that were interrupting my much needed sleep. I was so tired! Yesterday had been absolutely draining! Why did my nightmares have to keep waking me up? I just needed a bit of rest!

Flopping over, I reached through my hanging bedcurtains to try to find my phone. What time was it? Would it even be worth it for me to try to fall back asleep? It was still dark with no light peeking through my window or bed curtains...I groaned again as I looked at my phone. For some reason, either because we were so far from earth or because of something to do with Asgard, my phone could never figure out what time it was. There was no way that it was three in the afternoon!

Having put my phone back away, I rolled onto my back and closed my eyes again, hoping that maybe I could grab a few hours of undisturbed sleep. Sadly, hopes don't always turn into realities. To my vexation, after what felt like an hour of lying there and tossing and turning, I was still awake with small snapshots of my nightmares playing before my eyes in the darkness.

Finally giving up, I tugged my bedcurtains aside and tossed my legs over the edge of the bed. Fine. If I couldn't sleep, then I'd get up. What should I do though? The first rosy light of dawn hadn't even broken over the horizon yet... I thought back to all the other times over my life when I hadn't been able to sleep because of nightmares. I'd always either cooked or read to keep myself occupied until the morning...

My brain felt too worn out for me to try to input more knowledge into it by reading though. Even reading something fun like Asgardian poetry or whatever seemed like a bit of a chore... and I hadn't cooked in a while... Come to think of it, I hadn't stepped foot in a kitchen since coming to Asgard! I'd just never needed to since the palace staff took care of meals...

Deciding on my course of action, I stood up from my bed and walked over behind my changing curtain where I lit a candle on a candlestick so that I could see what I was doing. I pulled a simple lavender gown from my closet, switching my nightgown for it and layering a rich purple shawl with embroidered iris flowers over my arms. Even though during the day the summer sun felt like it could almost cook you, it was actually rather chilly at night, which made the shawl necessary. I twisted my hair into a French braid before taking up the candlestick again along with my charged phone and quietly leaving my chambers.

The soft soles of my silk slippers made only the slightest brushing sounds as I started making my way down the palace hallways. After a quick wrong turn in the shadows of the night, I made my way out of the wing of the castle that was dedicated to the living quarters of the royal family, the ambassadors from other realms, and other honored guests. However, as I came to the bottom of a large flight of stairs, I found myself feeling rather lost again.