**READ BONUS CHAPTER #6 IN THE IDES OF JULY BEFORE READING THIS CHAPTER. IT IS CRUCIAL TO THE STORYLINE.**
Before her eyes even open, Anna realizes that she's cold. Freezing, in fact, as the cold wind whips around the bare skin of her neck. Snow hits her face, and she shivers.
Snow?
Her eyelids flutter open, and panic surges through her as she stares up at an inky black sky. Dense clouds hang amid the stars, swirling clusters of light and darkness painting an unfamiliar sky, until she realizes that they aren't clouds. They're galaxies.
Scrambling to her feet, all she can see is rock. Giant crags jut out from the stone, blocking her view in one direction, while the ground in the opposite direction simply falls away. Hazarding a cautious step toward the edge, Anna slowly makes her way toward it while her heartbeat slams against her chest. It's not snow that is falling, but something similar - tiny daggers of cold burning against her bare skin - and a strong wind blows daggers against her bare skin whilst whipping her rose-colored nightgown around her legs. She shivers, she pulls the robe closer to her and wraps her arms around her waist.
A sudden burst of air pushes her forward abruptly, and she nearly falls over the edge of the rock into the nothingness below. Scrambling backward, she struggles to catch her breath before tripping over an outcropping of rock and falling to her feet. The sharp stones cut into her palms like shards of broken glass, and she inhales sharply at the pain in her hands before turning them over to assess the damage. At least a dozen cuts decorate her skin, blood oozing out of them, and she exhales shakily.
"It's okay, Anna," she whispers to herself, gingerly wiping the blood on the exquisite silk nightgown. "This is a dream. This has to be a dream."
If it's not, the maid is going to kill her for ruining the nightgown.
Exhaling slowly, she stands and heads toward the cluster of rock. A narrow path cuts through the dark stone, and she heads into it only to discover an immediate split in the path. She hesitates for a moment, glancing up at the ominous sky, before veering to the left. It's a veritable labyrinth, she soon discovers, as the path continues to twist and break into new directions.
After what seems like an eternity of wandering in the freezing cold, she looks up at the sky again and sighs. Everything looks the same. No matter how hard she tries to navigate through the rocks, it feels like she's walking around in circles.
A sound in the distance breaks through her thoughts, and she whips around to face the opposite direction. It happens again, this time closer, and she bites her lip in concentration whilst waiting - frozen where she stands - for the sound to return. Moments later, she hears it a third time.
Oh god, it's a laugh.
Fear runs through her, the sound of laughter growing closer by the second, and Anna's eyes grow wide with horror. It's almost here, and she can't decide if she wants to greet whoever or whatever it is when it arrives. Acting purely on instinct, she whirls around and runs in the opposite direction.
The rock ahead of her begins to crumble, smaller pieces breaking off while larger boulders begin to crack. Ducking her head under her arms, she sprints forward to run through the shower of rocks - narrowly avoiding certain death under a massive stone - before lowering her now-bloody arms and veering off toward the right.
More laughter follows, echoing through the maze, as she pushes forward. The snow-like substance is falling harder now, each burning flake leaving a stinging red welt on her bare skin, and behind her a horrendous roar shakes the ground. Nearly stumbling, Anna rights herself and hazards a glance over her shoulder to see a wall of fire racing toward her.
The flames devour the path behind her, crawling over the edges of the rock like a raucous flood. She grimaces as the fire laps at her heels, the heat scorching her bare skin, and sparks leap forward to land on her robe. The semi-sheer fabric lights instantly, tiny flames eating the fabric as the fire spreads up toward her body, and Anna struggles to rip the sash from her waist and discard the fabric before ducking around another sharp corner.
Somehow, the fire misses the turn and continues down its original path of destruction, and Anna breathes a sigh of relief. A dim light appears at the end of the tunnel - finally, an escape from the maze - and she pushes forward.
"Run, run, tiny Earthling," the laughing voice rumbles, growing closer still.
Fueled by adrenaline, she sprints out of the opening only to discover the rock ends. Skidding to a stop, she cries out in horror - her heart hammering against her chest - as she tumbles over the edge. One hand manages to find a handhold, her entire body dangling over nothingness, as she tries and fails to grab the edge.
"Wake up," a distance voice calls to her, barely a whisper in the back of her mind. "Wake up, my lady!"
Her fingers scream at her, her grip weakening by the second, and the realization hits her that she can't hold on much longer. This is it. This is where she dies. Instead of her life flashing before her eyes, the only thing she can think about is Loki. She's not ready to leave him. No matter how angry she is at him, no matter how much she wants to hate him, she's not ready to let go. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tries one last time to pull herself back onto the rock.
"Anna!" The voice cries, this time shouting in her ear, and a slap hits her in the face.
She inhales sharply, her eyes flying open, and light floods her vision. A face hovers above her, and - as her vision focuses - she recognizes it. The blonde servant, her brown eyes filled with concern, hovers over her.
"Deep breaths," the woman says, moving away to give Anna room to breathe.
The rest of the room comes into focus, and she realizes she's still in her chambers - Loki's chambers - in Asgard. Relief floods through her, tears pouring down her cheeks, as she gasps for oxygen. It was a dream. It was all a dream.
Sitting upright, she winces - pulling her hands off the bed - and turns them up to glance at her palms. The skin is riddled with cuts, fresh blood and dirt swirling together, while bruises blossom amongst burns that litter the skin of her arms. Every muscle in her body cries out in pain, the sensation hitting her like a freight train, and she nearly collapses from the strain.
"W-what?" She sputters, still staring at her hands.
"It's over," the servant shushes her, turning back toward her with remorse etched over her delicate features. "I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner."
Now playing: "Control" by Halsey.
*****
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Anna's nightgown is attached!
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All Hail The King // Loki - Book 2 ✓
FanfictionBOOK TWO. After being manipulated and kidnapped by Restitution, Anna + Loki narrowly escape with their lives only to be separated by Odin. Stuck on Earth with Jane Foster, Anna finds herself missing the one man she thought she would always hate. ...
