The edges of the holes frayed in my hands. My underarmor hadn't ever been so damaged. I'd only mended it twice before, once to correct an error during training and another after Thor tried to bludgeon a creature armored in huge spikes—one of which flew off and hit my arm. I was too quick to be wounded in battle. Too smart to let any enemy so close. Two steps ahead at any moment or hidden behind my own magic, my track record of returning from battles without deep wounds was unparalleled.
Something changed. This was different. This happened in a moment of distraction. Distraction brought on by the girl who flaunted my faults without thinking. Of course I hadn't yet mended the fabric—all night, she wouldn't let me be. She wouldn't leave my thoughts yesterday. Hadn't left my mind in weeks. She drew my attention in the heat of combat and allowed me to be marred more than ever before within the bounds of my armor.
When I donned the black sheath for the first time, standing before Odin and Thor in the formal presentation of my manhood, the exposure alone made me want to project an illusion of myself on the pedestal instead. Sitting in one of Frigga's chairs, quietly stitching the holes from the matted thread tucked into my boot, I felt equally naked. Even alone, my pledge followed me.
I'd promised to protect Asgard, to my last and dying breath, as all soldiers did. What kind of protection had I offered by drawing the enemy here? If Thanos's aim was to demolish Asgard into cosmic dust, did he do so for revenge, or could he sense my presence?
Sigyn's care was genuine, even welcome, yet that scared me all the more. She'd become what I feared in the first place—a risk to herself and to me—and allowing her near would only heighten the chances of me being injured again and again. I couldn't protect her or anyone else if my focus strayed even an iota.
As the minutes passed and I finished the mending, my resolve tightened like the final knot to keep it closed. Until I could be certain the Chitauri were defeated and Asgard was no longer Thanos's target, the woman casting spells with her absence would have to be banished from my thoughts entirely.
Yet a worry crept through the proverbial armor I placed on my heart.
If I do not claim her, what's to stop someone else from doing so?
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Sigyn's Discovery (Part 1)
FanfictionPalace worker Sigyn notices Odin the Allfather mourning and attempts to comfort him. But Sigyn is in for more than she bargained for when she discovers the king isn't what-or who-he appears to be. Sigyn must decide if her fidelity lies with Asgard o...
