Cecilia POV
I woke up in the middle of the night knowing that something bad had happened or rather, was going to happen.
It wasn't a type of premonition, though. It was just my intuition. My heart was palpitating hand and I was covered in sweat.
I sat up in my bed, looking around the room, then my eyes drifted up to the full moon.
How many days and nights had passed since the day I came here? And how many days and nights needed to pass before I died?
Thinking this, a pang of regret filled me. I wish I hadn't told Loki. Now I knew he was going to put himself in danger... now bad things could happen.
I could only imagine the worse. And this feeling wasn't wrong...
It took three days for Loki to come back to me. Three days of worrying.
On the first day, I tried to rationalize. I tried to tell myself that Loki was okay and nothing would ever happen to him. Loki was strong after all. The first time I had met him I had seen him fight for his life. I had seen him tear into a person without hesitation but for some reason, my heart was not convinced.
Loki was doing whatever he had planned on doing for me after all. And that only meant risk.
I cursed myself once again.
On the second day, I asked Gerald about him. If anyone knew where he was it would be Gerald but as if he had taken an oath of silence he didn't tell me anything of relevance.
I was not the duke, just the daughter of the duke, I couldn't force or compel him to tell me anything but I had to try something.
So I said, "Gerald please, he just left without saying anything. I'm worried about him."
With that, Gerald sighed and said, "Don't. He will come back."
Then Gerald left to do his duties.
This left a deep sadness and burning fury inside me. Not towards Gerald, however, but towards Loki. But truly towards myself. I shouldn't have told him anything...
On the third day, my mind was filled with horrible thoughts. Three days had felt like three months and I felt like I was withering.
And just when I wanted to cry, there was a knock at the door. I didn't think much of it because at first I hadn't realized it was real but when the door of my room opened revealing Loki, I felt all my worried fly away.
"Where have you been!?" I screamed as I ran into his arms.
I looked at his face which was drained of colour with bags under his eyes. He looked like he had not slept in days and this made me frown hard.
Loki did not avoid me, he just allowed me to come towards him but he didn't say a word. Not yet at least.
"I found it." Loki said simply buy his tone wasn't a happy one.
"That's... great." I said completely thrown off guard by his tone.
He nodded.
"But the pendent itself isn't enough. It's I'm not strong enough..." he said averting his eyes as they darkened.
"It's fine. We'll figure out another way." I said rationally.
But Loki just shook his head.
"There is no other way... I'm sorry..." Loki started. At this point he couldn't even glance my way but I pulled hard on his shirt trying to force his gaze. Suddenly, he swallowed hard, and I felt as if he was about to cry, but instead, he said, "I won't be able to be by your side anymore."
Hearing this, my eyes grew wide with shock and I grabbed onto his arms and yanked them towards me.
"Why?! What did you do?" I screamed at him.
His face contorted in both pain and shock, as if he had expected me to calmly let him go. I couldn't. Loki was my sun.
"I didn't do anything bad, if that's what you mean." Loki said as he put his hand on mine. "I need to get stronger. I need to..."
"What do you mean...?" I said slowly.
"Three years..." he said in a mumble.
"What?" I said as my eyebrows furrowed. Though I didn't phrase it as a question. I knew what he was going to say but I prayed he wouldn't.
"You have three years. I'll work on getting stronger. In two..."
"No." I said with a low growl. Then I pushed him away hard. His back hitting the door with a loud bang. "No! I won't let you! You can't!"
"My lady, I must. It's the only way to break the bind." He said in a soft voice. As if trying to coax a child.
"No. You really don't have to do this! What if something changes, what if I get killed earlier? You'll regret everything." I said, just allowing anything that came into my head to pour out from my mouth.
Hearing my words Loki's face turned so pale I though he was a ghost. He then came closer to me and put his hand on my cheek. His eyes were glossy and loving as if he was saying goodbye forever and this broke my heart into a million places but then, he meant into me, placing his lips on my forehead.
In a split second I felt a warmth I had never felt before enter my body. It filled me with... love...
When his lips parted from me, he looked deeply into my eyes. "I gave you a blessing. If you're in any mortal danger, it'll protect you as my double until I can come to your side. And if you want to see me, you can with this. "
I looked at him with wide eyes. "What do you mean...?"
Loki moves to my side and then he took my hand, and lifted it up to my forehead touching it, suddenly, another Loki appeared in front of my eyes. It wasn't quite physical. More like a ghost of sorts but it was Loki.
"It's ancient Mein magic. It gives you a part of my soul. It'll be here for you when I'm not. " Loki said a bit bitterly.
I looked up to his face with eyebrows raised, "Are you jealous?"
Loki smiled. "I see you're not mad anymore."
Hearing this, I frowned and then I slapped his hand away from me.
I looked at him sadly for a moment and then I said, "you want me to release you?"
Loki looked at me sadly. "I'll come back to you. I promise. When I do, let's—"
"You wanted this, and now you're asking me to break it." I said cutting him off. Then I turned away from him, looking out towards the window.
I felt my eyes sting with unshed tears. "Fine."
With that said, I swiftly turned towards Loki. "Take off your shirt."
"What?" Loki's face twisted.
"I said take off your shirt." I repeated as I went to my dresser. Inside, there was a small bottle with a brush inside. It was blessed oil.
"Why do you have that?" Loki said with confusion.
"I knew I'd have to free you sooner or later. I didn't want my father or Gerald to do it. I wanted to do it myself. So I had some oil blessed for this occasion." I explained.
Loki just remained quiet.
"Take off your shirt." I said for the final time and this time Loki did.
He took it off revealing the scars from his childhood and the contract tattoos. I ran my finger on many of his scars and tattoos. Some I recognized, and some were new but I didn't ask him questions. He probably wouldn't tell me anyways.
Finally I trailed my fingers to his back where a huge contract seal lied. The servant seal.
"I'm telling you now, I'm releasing you forever." I said as I began putting the oil on his back.
Hearing this, Loki's back tensed.
"That doesn't need to be—" he started.
"It does. Just be free Loki. You don't need to stay with me." I said without wanting to hear another word he said.
As I continued to put the oil on his back dissipating the magical seal, I began to cry.