Sigyn's Discovery (Part 1)

A Cold Child, A Saving Grace (SIGYN)

The stars burned through the deep blanket of night and peeked between the tall buildings of Asgard's city—while I couldn't see many, their guardian-like presence comforted me. Since my run-in with Odin earlier in the evening, I'd returned to the kitchens for a later shift to keep myself busy and chose to walk the palace halls again when I couldn't sleep. As they always were in times of peace, the upper floors were largely deserted.

How could I be so foolish and believe my words and actions would have no consequence? Surely he already formulated some gross punishment for invading his privacy and would make an example of me.

I hoped my dread was unwarranted.

The yawning halls of the palace chilled as I closed in on the judgment hall. Large bowls of flame flashed dancing shadows across the marble walls and pillars which interrupted the otherwise wide open space. They were old friends, the torches, always lively and changing—their waves and warmth beckoned me now as they did when I was a small child. I often thanked them in those days for helping me pass the time when Mother and Father worked tirelessly and needed me out of the way.

When I became old enough to carry secrets, fire listened when no one else would. It did so without casting judgment or making false promises—indeed, the torches were only responsible for bringing me a singed skirt and a curious young boy.

How long ago had it been since we met? I was merely six or seven, too young to be of any help and too old to be left in a nursery. Mother let me run through the palace's upper floors while she arranged a banquet in the great hall. Father assisted the soldiers back then and worked in the armory.

They both had one rule—don't fraternize with the nobility. Even then, I knew my place.

Instead of human friends, I played a game with myself by sliding on the cold stone floors in my thick stockings. My favorite blue dress was unkempt at best, but what good is a garment if it's never worn? Mother stamped false stars upon the fabric using sliced apples, mimicking the shape of their seeds and giving me a sense of the sky whilst on the ground. As I whizzed down the halls on slippery feet, I became a shooting star myself.

But one false move and I tumbled into one of the torch bowls, toppling the pedestal with an unpleasant clang. Only my anxious heartbeat championed its volume, and I was certain I would be punished for making a mess. Yet after a few minutes, no one came to my aid or to investigate the sound, and the still-roaring bowl ahead was too close to resist.

I crawled towards it, careful not to put weight on my now-complaining leg from slamming into the stone so hard. Danger was a satisfying diversion. The blaze itself was not an enchantment, but a true fire which crackled and popped with embers that flew into the air like insects—directionless and fascinating. My youthful mind was easily entertained.

Easily distracted, too, as a bit of hot ash found my stockings without my realizing it. I yelped when the heat bit my flesh—it gnawed up my leg until the edge of my skirt caught as well.

At the back of my irrational mind, I wasn't afraid for my life as much as I was admonishment for ruining my dress. My hands slapped furiously against the flames to try and snuff them out. Though I screeched in pain and called for help, the empty halls surrounding me grew ever taller and more isolated. Seconds lingered like hours. The nauseating smell of smoke choked my ability to cry out more, and I coughed without fully catching my breath.

Every frantic gasp made my body tingle more and more. Impending shock. Despite the bright torch bowl still burning nearby, my vision became hazy and dark. With all the might left in me, I screamed for help a final time and prayed to Valhalla that someone would hear me.

And he did.

The boy sprinted towards me from the other side of a marble pillar ahead. His black and gold armor clanked as he moved, though it didn't appear to slow him down despite the fact he nearly drowned within it. Without hesitation, he knelt at my side and extended his hands over my dress.