Lovers of Myth

Delicate fingers pushed open doors large enough for an elephant to fit through. Shimmering, onyx irises looked around the royal room of luxury. She would never get used to living amongst such bright and cheerful colors, after her dark reality of Dhuosnos. Walking through the entryway, the soft material of her long gown swished with every movement.

"I know you're in here, come out. You're in big trouble."

She stopped, standing with her arms crossed as she tried and failed to look angry. The air around her warmed and shimmered with gold as a large male figure appeared before her. His grin was too cheerful for her to fight, her own smile forming as she looked into those gorgeous green eyes of his.

"My love! Surely it is not I you are cross with. I have done nothing to warrant such a stern look."

Loki, God of Mischief. She shook her head, his love for her evident in his tone and the way he moved closer to her without realizing it. He couldn't stand being away from her for too long.

"You promised you wouldn't get her any more animals as birthday presents."

He looked away as if the wall warranted his attention.

"I definitely didn't get any animals as gifts. I remember my promise and I definitely refrained from such things."

Raising an eyebrow she looked at him through a mask of distrust. Surely he didn't take her for a fool.

"Oh, then perhaps the five elephants in the garden are simply runaways. The five tigers in her nursery must also be misplaced. Not to mention the entire room of doves your guards are hiding."

She tapped her fingers against her arms. He quickly erased the space between them, pulling her into a loving embrace, dipping her low, and kissing her gently. The shock of the sudden embrace had her thoughts all in a mess.

"My love, you know I would never go against you in such a way. I brought the elephants for you, as a symbol of our loyalty for each other and your endless wisdom. The tigers are simply there as an extra layer of protection for our heavenly child."

She wasn't buying it. With her hands on his chest, she brought up the flaw in his explanation.

"What of the doves?"

He cursed himself inwardly, forgetting all about those damned birds. Doves. He had doves? Now he looked honestly confused. Their daughter's birthday wasn't for another month. He wouldn't get doves that early if he wanted them for the celebration.

"I don't think I did that."

His confused tone had her shaking her head, both of them standing. She grabbed his hand, pulling him out of the door and down the hall to a room guarded by a handful of immortal soldiers. They bowed to the god and goddess, opening the doors for them.

When the two stepped inside his brow furrowed, his confusion growing. There were no birds in sight. In the middle of the marble room stood a ginormous blue pot, and within its dirt was a very healthy pomegranate tree.

"My love, have I missed something?"

She smiled, moving to pick a ripe fruit from the tree. When she came back to him he wasn't picking up the hint in the least.

"I must have been mistaken. It seems you've given me a pomegranate tree instead of doves."

He raised an eyebrow, opening his hand for the fruit as she sat it in his palm. Looking it over he thought she might be going mad, but then fully looked her up and down and stilled. She was wearing a long, orange gown. She never wore that color. White was her favorite, and she looked damned good in it. He would never complain. Just like he wore green and gold and she enjoyed it on him.

"Ceann..."

Her smile was bright as she backed up a step, her hands moving to rest over her flat abdomen. Their daughter would be turning five in a month. For years now they had found happiness together, the little girl raised within love. It didn't matter that the child wasn't his blood, because she was his heart.

Looking over his queen now, he couldn't stop himself from smiling so big it almost hurt. His goddess hated lies and had been so upfront with him at first. She had learned from him though, now using symbols to get her point across.

"You're pregnant."

Tears filled her eyes as she nodded, the gesture so soft and pure it had his heart filling to the brim. She was pregnant, with his child? A child weaved from death and mystery.

His laugh was like a song as he lifted her off her feet, spinning her around in their joy. In the moment of happiness, he would change nothing. They were safe, at peace.

"This is all your fault, sister."

The redheaded fate stood over a pool of water, watching as the paths of their threads twisted. The blonde sister stood with her arms crossed, clearly defiant. The brunette Fate sighed, continuing to watch as Ceann announced her pregnancy with Loki.

"It was bound to happen."

The redhead shot a glare at the brunette, sneering.

"Not like this. In her promise to protect that daughter of hers, she has tangled our threads yet again. We won't be able to step in this time without showing ourselves to him."

The blonde looked determined, her gaze on the happy couple within the vision of the water.

"I won't stand under his thumb any longer."

The brunette looked over to her innocent sister, her golden hair bright even in their shadowy cave. With another sigh, she spoke.

"I will stand by your decision, sister."

The blonde looked up to her sister in surprise, never expecting such a statement from the neutral one of the three. The redhead glared at them both, then closed her eyes in defeat.

"Very well. We stand as one, forever in eternity. May my fate be yours, and yours will be mine. Sisters."

They reached for one another, hands holding tight. The image in the pond wavered, the lives before them more protected now than they could possibly know.