Sigyn's Discovery (Part 1)

Found Property (SIGYN)

Despite my misgivings about his general attitude, I was eager to please the Allfather and wanted to impress him straight away. I hurried my feet to Frigga's chamber to do as I was asked, though I was apprehensive about what might be there—perhaps someone went into her room after I saw Odin at sunset? Since the remainder of the night before was a blank slate to me, anything was possible.

The room wasn't in much disarray—the only thing immediately out of place was the pedestal for Loki's helmet and the shroud that covered it. Both were strewn about the floor as if knocked over in a swift strike.

Odin...do you not have even a grain's worth of respect for him?

I righted the base with a sigh and carefully lifted the helmet as if I forgot that it had already been worn in battle several times—surely my soft hands couldn't damage it. Nevertheless, I dared not leave a single fingerprint on the gilded surface and wiped away all evidence that I'd ever touched it until my reflection stared back at me.

That wasn't all. Odin stood behind me in the mirror shine as well.

I whipped around to greet him but was mistaken. The room was empty. Nothing stood between me and the balcony except the silent reflecting pool, as always. My heart hadn't received the message, though, and continued to thump at the base of my throat. Even as a grown woman, my overactive imagination caused me to see things.

Any other time, I might've taken it as a sign to retire early, but I had new responsibilities to complete. With reverence, I veiled Loki's helmet with the black sheet, asked Valhalla to be with him and Frigga, and shifted to the open bedroom door further in the chamber.

Frigga's blue robe—the same one Odin held yesterday on the steps—was draped over the edge of her bed. Small dark stains peppered the fabric. Tears. My stomach dropped to see them, evidence of the Allfather's silent sadness, and folded the garment neatly to tuck it into the top dresser drawer.

Something shiny on the dresser top caught my eye. Silver. Round.

That...that's mine.

My cloak pin—the one I used to secure the green sheet beneath my robe. Why on earth would it be in Frigga's chamber if I'd taken it off in my room?

That's where I put it...didn't I?

When I changed clothes earlier, it didn't cross my mind to check. There wasn't time to test the theory now, so I had to trust that the simplest solution made the most sense. I pocketed the brooch and told myself it must've come undone when I was on the steps yesterday, and the skirt stayed up because the outer tie on my waist was strong enough. That was the only logical explanation as far as I could tell. Retrieving the pin brought me comfort since it once belonged to my mother—losing it would've been far more painful than misplacing the green sheet alone.

Seeing as the rest of Frigga's chamber was untouched, I dusted the room to make it pristine and turned to view my work when I was finished. What felt so empty yesterday now brimmed with an unknown energy. Secrets. Ghosts. The painting of the stars on the ceiling from my angle by the door gave me a sense that I'd seen it recently from that very spot.

Had I dreamed it?

I turned the lock as hard as possible when I left and even shook the handle to be sure. The echoes of the large bolt cranking over followed me to Odin's chamber on the opposite side of the throne. No guards stood watch in the hall, and my only companions were great bowls of fire. Seeing them gave me the same sense of familiarity as the painting in Frigga's room.

While common knowledge told me where to find him, I'd never been to the king's quarters. Was it a mirror image of Frigga's setup, only with a different view? Or did he favor a different kind of atmosphere to the open space and fresh air the queen enjoyed? The journey to his doorway took ages—the stone palace never seemed so wide, or so cold. The sun already set, giving everything not lit by the torches a bluish cast.

The grand doors intimidated me. They needed no direct lookout—no one who wasn't welcome would dare touch them. A quiet buzzing emitted from the metal handles on either side; without doubt, Odin had enchanted them to keep unwelcome visitors out with a sharp electric shock. I prayed he hadn't forgotten to include me.

I gave a timid knock, to no answer. Was he even there? I tried again, more forceful this time, and the door creaked open a sliver. No one granted me entrance, but I was armed with such exclusive attire, a guard would've let me pass anyway.

So I entered, sneaking my slim frame through the small opening. "Allfather? Hello?"

The first room was nothing but a dark foyer. Only a few dim candles on the walls told me its size. I let my eyes adjust for a few moments and focused on a streak of light at the back beneath a second doorway—shuffling in this second room drew me closer.

My hips bumped a few invisible tables, but I was fortunate the room did not have awkward steps to make me fall. I kept quiet until firmly before the second set of doors, made even darker by the corona of shine around them. "Allfather?" I asked again, rapping with a timid fist. "Are you here?"

A shadow interrupted the light around the door. Two feet, undoubtedly, stood before me on the other side. A lock snapped open and one side gave way, forcing me to shield my eyes from the golden light saturating my vision.

"Yes, Sigyn, I am here." He said my name with a deliberate pause on either side. He exited his room to stand within the foyer, closing the door behind him quickly. With his presence, the candlelight surrounding us grew brighter, allowing me to see the meeting space where he likely held council with soldiers and commanders.

Odin's brutish stance was imposing compared to me—and I was taller than most Asgardian women. With his hands behind his back, he studied me as he had earlier in the judgment hall, eventually walking in a circle around me while I froze in place.

"I trust that you completed the task I assigned you, yes?" he asked, in a softer tone than I expected.

"I did, Allfather."

"And I see you are...appropriately dressed for your new service."

I reflexively ran my hands over the skirt to make it straighter. "I am, Allfather. Thank you."

He attempted to make eye contact with me by leaning down, though I was wary to do anything but stare at the floor in submission. He might've changed my station, but I still carried worry from my conduct the night before.

The king directed my gaze upward with a single finger beneath my chin. "I trust you found what was yours, did you not?"

I squinted. The brooch...?

"You should be wary of where your loyalties lie, Sigyn. There are some fires that cannot be put out." Odin dropped his hand and stood straight again, glancing at the door behind me. "You are dismissed," he said, turning to his bedchamber and swiftly disappearing behind the black doors, leaving me in the ever-dimming foyer.

I hurried to the hallway before I lost all sense of where I was, though a looping thought unceasingly ran through me: My loyalties? Why would he say such a thing?

His mention of fire stood out like a warning bell. I knew something about being burned, and being forcibly so close to Odin was its own inferno, not to be played with in idle hands.