Chapter Text
The air the night of the Ostara festival smelled of honey. Sigyn found herself noticing it frequently, the sweet humid breeze had been blowing new spring blossoms through the halls and alleyways of the city since late that afternoon. A light veil of sweat that crossed her brow cooled pleasantly as she wove through the crowds leading up the palace's great golden steps, her skirts lifted above her ankles to keep from stumbling.
Everywhere she looked she could see evidence of Asgard’s vibrant springtime; flowers seemed to line every windowsill in the city in colourful bunches, errant petals blowing to the ground with a particularly strong, balmy breeze. Nearby under an archway, a group of young girls braided some into each other’s hair with endearing intensity, tucking each strand of hair in place with utmost care. Sigyn smiled at the sight, taking a small sip from the gilded flask she’d been keeping tucked inside a fold in her dress as she navigated through the rest of the crowd. As she tucked the small golden piece back into its hiding spot, she felt a hand wrap itself around her waist and pull her sideways into an alley, a small yelp leaping from her throat before she could think to stop it.
“Drinking in the streets now, are we, Lady Sigyn? How very uncouth of you.” the prince flashed her a teasing grin, his eyes flashing to the fold in Sigyn’s dress she’d been too slow to draw her hand away from.
Sigyn felt her ears grow warm, but didn’t miss a beat. “I’m not mistaken in my knowledge of Asgardian customs, am I, my prince? Is it not customary to drink with abandon at any sort of celebration?” She’d already retrieved the flask from her pocket, holding it out to her friend in offering with an exaggerated flourish.
Loki smiled at her gesture, but held up a hand. “I’d better not,” he offered, leaning in slightly, “if I know my brother like I think I do, I’ll have plenty of reason to drink tonight just putting up with his carrying-on with half the maidens of Asgard.”
Sigyn chuckled, Loki's sudden proximity feeding the blush that was now spreading to her cheeks as she replaced the bottle again. “If that’s the case I’d better hold off for my time around Lady Sif this evening,” she mused, “I’m sure she’ll be an absolute treat to be around while that’s happening.”
The raven-haired prince smiled at her again, and as she moved to sweep an errant lock of dark hair behind her ear, a whisper of the spiced rose perfume she wore wafted in his direction. She didn't notice the corners of his mouth curl very slightly upwards in appreciation.
“May I escort you inside then, Lady Iwaldidottir?” he asked her, a hand reached out politely. She thankfully hadn't noticed his moment of distraction, and placed a soft hand in his, straightening her posture as they moved out of the alley.
“It would be my honour, Your Highness,” Sigyn smirked, “best of luck to both of us."
---
Hours later, the festivities continued but with markedly less participants and Sigyn found herself alone on a balcony, admiring the sky with pleasantly dulled senses. She sipped absently at what was left of her cup of ale and sighed contentedly. Sif, inevitably, had been dragged off by Thor or the Warriors Three (after much reassurance from Sigyn that yes, she was perfectly capable of enjoying herself alone). She hadn’t seen many faces she knew, at least any who'd be worth much for conversation, so she sat and enjoyed her own company. She liked this part of the night; it gave her time to calm her racing thoughts and allowed her to people-watch more freely. However, in her inebriated state, a nagging spot in the back of her mind felt rather lonely.
Sent as a token of political good will from Vanaheim when she was a small child, Sigyn had always been somewhat reserved around the other children, as though she could intuitively understand they had already, on some unconscious level, decided she was an outsider. She felt that same invisible distance around them even now in adulthood, her kind disposition keeping her on good terms with most but never winning her many close friends.
Outside of Sif, who she saw mostly during some sort of feast or large gathering as of late, Loki, of all people, had always been her closest friend. He'd turned her hair ribbon into a small, shimmering snake once when they were children, and had been charmed instantly when Sigyn had forgone screaming in favor of chasing the other nearby girls with it instead, suspending it in the air above her fingertips. They'd grown to be quite close despite their vastly different social statuses.
Surely this was due to much help from the Queen, who had always been especially kind to Sigyn since she'd arrived in Asgard. So much so, in fact, that Sigyn had her own chambers within the palace grounds, and now spent her mornings serving Frigga as one of her handmaidens before she went to the healing rooms to do her usual work assisting Lady Eir. This predictably led to its fair share of jealous whispers among other ladies of the court, but the more time that passed Sigyn found it easier and easier to ignore. Luckily for her, she was already well versed in keeping her emotions in check, doing her best to ignore the schoolgirl crush she’d developed for her childhood friend, who no doubt would be married off to some high-born royal lady soon enough. She wrinkled her nose at the thought, indulging in a moment of bitterness, before raising the rim of her cup to her lips to take another drink.
As if conjured by her thoughts, a familiar teasing voice came from behind her.
"Well, this certainly seems quite antisocial of you."
Sigyn grinned but did not turn around. She swallowed a quick breath and was attempting to slow her already increasing heartbeat when she saw two figures on the ground below approaching.
“This is my favourite spot in the whole palace.” She declared defiantly, turning her head to meet the gaze of her company after a moment, “Do you know why?”
Loki cocked his head and put on a convincingly quizzical expression. “Hm. I’m afraid I have no idea. Why?” He stepped to stand beside her at the balcony, hands crossed behind his back.
Sigyn’s smile widened, and for a moment Loki thought her mirth seemed almost wicked. She nodded her head downwards below the balcony, where a staggering, boisterous Thor and Volstagg tried their very best to juggle drinking and walking down a flight of stairs into the gardens. Loki opened his mouth to remark but Sigyn raised a finger to her lips silently, using the other hand to redirect his attentions back to the scene below. No sooner had he looked back down did Volstagg lose his footing on a chipped step, toppling into a low fountain and taking Thor squarely down with him.
Loki’s laugh came out more like a delighted breath when Sigyn turned back to him, hazel eyes glittering excitedly, “Volstagg trips on that step somehow every year, I swear it on the Tree,” She giggled, her gaze sharpening slightly when she noticed his eyes lingering on her and not his older brother stumbling from the fountain. "With all the practice they've had one would think they'd be better drinkers by now."
“I don’t think I know a single woman in all of Asgard whose skill in drinking rival my brother's as much as yours, my Lady.” Loki said after a pause, noting the small amount of lukewarm ale that circled the bottom of the cup in her hand.
Sigyn gave a short, wavering laugh. He'd been caught staring and was back-pedaling, she thought to herself, and not very well. “You don’t like me because I’m like all the other women in Asgard, though.” she replied, almost challengingly.
For the first time -in far too long, in her opinion- she’d caught him at a loss for a quick retort. “Whatever lies someone’s told you, Lady Sigyn,” he managed to mutter after a pause so long it nearly pained him physically, “I can assure you they are unfounded.” She didn’t believe him, but truthfully, he didn’t believe himself either; he wouldn’t have been surprised to feel beads of sweat rolling down his temples he was blabbering on so clumsily. Since when had she had such an effect on him? He reasoned with himself that it must have been how much he too had had to drink.
They lingered in another stretch of silence that nearly became uncomfortable had Thor's voice not echoed up to their balcony from the ground below.
"Brother! Lady Sigyn!" the golden prince called up to them, grinning ear to ear despite how thoroughly drenched he was, small rivulets dropping from the ends of his hair. Volstagg was still by the pond, sat upon the ground as he tried to empty water out of his boots. "We've been looking for you two- come join us!"
Sigyn leaned her upper body over the railing as far as it would go, waving innocently down to them and flashing Thor a warm smile. "Alright, my friend, but only if you promise we won't have to jump into the fountain first." Thor only laughed in reply to her teasing, and soon Sigyn was plopping herself back down from the railing and snaking an arm around Loki's to pull him along with her as she made her way downstairs.
---
The warm edges of sunrise were creeping over the horizon as Sigyn walked back to her chambers alongside Thor, anxious for a good rest. Volstagg had retired to his home an hour ago, and Loki had disappeared from behind her earlier by the time she'd reached the bottom of the stairs. Sigyn hoped his sudden exit wasn't due to her teasing, but figured Loki had a perfectly reasonable, if not interesting, reason for leaving so unceremoniously. She would have to try and prod him for it later.
"And how go your lessons with my mother?" Thor's question startled her a bit, as she'd been lost in thought, their conversation fallen into a pleasant lull as they plodded sleepily towards their respective chambers.
"They've been wonderful," Sigyn's voice brightened at the mention of Frigga's tutoring. "I can see why Loki is already such a powerful sorcerer in his own right. She's been so generous, I hope she knows how grateful I am for everything she's done for me." She cast a glance up at Thor, who was now smiling warmly.
"I'm sure she is quite aware. She's quite fond of you too, Sigyn. You're like the daughter she never had." Thor chuckled. Sigyn's smile grew in size and radiance at this admission and so he saw fit to continue. "And you've become like a sister to me." Brutish as he could be at times, Sigyn was often surprised at how sincerely kind the older prince was capable of being. They exchanged a small grin and he looked towards his feet, unsure of how to continue.
“The Allfather plans to name me King,” He said finally.
Sigyn pursed her lips and kept her gaze straight ahead, her expression deliberately neutral. She appeared deep in thought for a moment before she spoke. “Has he told Loki of his decision?”
Thor let out a deep sigh and rubbed the back of his neck tiredly, only now beginning to look as wearied as he ought to after such a long night. “He did, just this morning. It all won’t be for years anyway. I’d hoped he would not be upset with me but he seemed a bit reluctant to talk to me all evening. I’d hoped, also, that he may have spoken about it with you?”
Sigyn frowned. Why hadn’t he said anything to her about all this? Perhaps, she thought, this was why he left so suddenly when Thor had caught sight of them. Loki had often been prone to jealousy when Odin showed Thor any sort of particularly strong favour but even so, she was certain they would be back on good terms in due time, as they always were. The two princes admired each other greatly and as often as they disagreed, she never knew them to be at odds for long.
“He hasn’t, no,” she replied. They allowed another moment to pass without speaking, turning a corner leading to the hallway housing Sigyn’s chambers. As they approached the door she spoke again, a reassuring smile gracing her features. “You’ll make a fine king, my friend.” Thor seemed to become a little less anxious at her words and she continued, a dark eyebrow raised, “But if I may be so bold, I feel securing a capable advisor would be in your best interest. Perhaps someone who knows the many reponsibilities that come with the crown..."
Thor let out a small laugh. “I could not be half a good a king as I hope to be without Loki’s support. And I’m sure he’d be pleased to know that he has yours.” He gave her one last tired smile and clapped her gently on the shoulder before turning to continue down the hall. “Goodnight, Sigyn.”
“Goodnight, Thor.” Sigyn waved a hand in farewell and stepped inside her doorway, her mind now racing with this new development but still eager to fall into bed. She shut her door quietly behind her, lighting a nearby lantern with a gentle wave of her fingers. A small crackle of light seemed to dance off the flame’s edge and into the air, but she paid it no mind as she loosened her hair from its many braids, tension leaving her the more hair she freed from the pins and ribbons that held it. Once she’d laid onto her bed her eyelids felt so heavy she drifted off to sleep in minutes, the lantern in the corner still lit even as narrow rays of sunlight poured in through her curtains.
Suddenly her eyes flickered open, a voice rousing her from her slumber. The lantern had burned out and the sun must have moved as it had since abandoned its task of filling the room with amber glow. She strained her eyes to see through the darkness, finding a familiar figure sitting at the edge of her bed. Sigyn pulled her covers up to her chest, attempting to salvage some sort of decency as she pawed at her hair to tame whatever mess it’d become while she slept.
“Loki? What are you doing here? Is something wrong?” She whispered, voice muddy with sleep as she tried to slow her racing heart. She couldn’t even recall him ever being inside her chambers before now. Their friendship was enough of a scandal to some within the realm, she didn’t intend to push her luck hosting a prince in her private quarters. How did he get in? She thought she’d locked the door behind her.
He shot her a wolfish grin through the dim light. “No Sigyn, everything’s all right,” he said, his voice low and soothing, “I just wanted to speak with you.”
“I wanted to speak with you earlier, you left so suddenly. Where did you go?” she pulled herself to sit upwards as he turned to face her. He moved closer to her then, placing a lithe hand on her thigh before he spoke again.
“That doesn’t matter,” he purred, and her heart began to hammer harder in her chest despite her efforts, heat blossoming where his hand covered the bare skin below her nightgown. His hand slid deftly upwards until it curved around the peak of her hip, squeezing gently. “I’m here now, aren’t I? You have me all to yourself now.”
Sigyn’s chest tightened and she felt as though her lungs would give out that instant. She’d pined for him in secret, yes, but she was sure she’d done a passable job in hiding the intensity of her affections. He had surely not been interested in pursuing her, or at least she’d thought so. This behavior was all coming seemingly out of nowhere, and her mind scrambled in its sleep-mired state for what to do next. Was this all in jest? Was he only teasing her?
Before she could open her mouth to stammer out a response, he closed what little distance remained between them, kissing her fervidly as his free arm snaked around her waist. After an initial moment of shock, she wasted no time reciprocating in earnest, clutching his shoulder as he pushed her back down into the bed. He pulled her leg over his hip, pinning her down with his weight which coaxed the smallest of groans from deep in her throat.
His breath was hot on her neck as he answered her, though she was positive she’d not asked aloud. “No, Sigyn, I’m done with teasing now.”
Sigyn woke abruptly, the mid-morning sun obnoxious in its intensity, sweat clinging cold and damp to her temples. She propped herself up on shaky arms and scanned her eyes feverishly around the room, feeling foolish but somewhat relieved when she realised she’d been dreaming.
Relief ebbed away, and was just as quickly replaced by frustration. What a fool she was letting herself become! It was naive of her to think that Loki could reciprocate the feelings she’d developed for him, even if he did feel something for her beyond friendship. She resolved to put the dream out of her mind and hope that her infatuation passed in time, although the memory of it lingered in her mind as she rose from her bed and readied herself for the day, knotting her stomach and tensing her shoulders with a hollow, anxious need.