Sigyn's Discovery (Part 1)

Celebration (LOKI)

I didn't need Thor. I didn't need Odin. I killed Kl'rt myself, with my bare hands, one eye, and a purposeful handicap of a form. He was no match for me, even as the weeks passed, because I had everything to lose with my failure—not just my self-worth, but my platform as well. King of Asgard, Allfather, was only as useful a title as it was the realm he ruled after. If I was to lead my people to another eternity of prosperity, beyond the prophecies of rebirth and renewal of the future, I needed citizens to lead. Soldiers to train.

Someone to notice all my efforts.

When the palace shields fell, it gave me the push I needed to dismantle the force field of Kl'rt's ship. One chance to kill him before they got inside. Before they found her. Before it was too late.

Fortunately, the Skrull wasn't near as wise as even the most basic Asgardian soldier.

The chink in my shoulder's armor—the holes in the sheath that Sigyn reminded me to mend after the first attack—had long since been repaired, for which I was grateful. My position as leader of the army made me the primary target, hit from all angles with various weapons that touched every inch of me many times over. I had no doubt the vow I took to care for my underarmor saved my life.

Kl'rt didn't attend to his ship the same way. A close-range shot from Gungnir at our last meeting shorted the circuitry beneath his ship, flickering his protective bubble for a moment. I memorized the area, certain another hit would be his demise, so long as he did nothing to hide the impact. He hadn't. I flew my skiff glider in circles around him, shooting the force field enough to blind him.

One chance.

I dropped in altitude and aimed upward, gritting my teeth as I held the staff steady. With an inner prayer to Frigga, I performed Asgard's salvation.

Kl'rt's vehicle stuttered and shook, losing power for all of its systems. Like a stone, it fell from the sky. Unfortunately, I was still beneath it, and dodged just in time to keep from going down with him.

The Skrull clambered from the helm but wasn't fast enough. I jumped from my glider to meet him, slamming onto the hollow-sounding metal of his ship's hood. With Gungnir's tip aimed squarely between his eyes, I no longer cared if he knew who I was.

"Final words to tell your soldiers?" I asked, dropping Odin's inflection as none in my charge were nearby. "Or would you prefer to die in silence, knowing the very man you came here to take vengeance on was your end?"

Kl'rt squinted. "You are..."

"That's right. I am Loki, King of Asgard, rightful heir to the throne of Jotunheim, and survivor of Thanos. Your revenge is for naught." I grinned at him, happy to have earned victory on my own. "Goodbye, Skrull."

With that, I dropped the weapon just enough to blast the rest of him, leaving his head for me to display as my prize.

Now that their leader was claimed, the Chitauri would either need to be vanquished or chased away. I tried to intimidate them from above, but they snaked through the city, through my people, forcing me to fetch Heimdall from the Bifrost as another voice. Together, we could guarantee that no other creature controlled the mindless fighters beyond Kl'rt, and therefore bring comfort to the people that our war was over.

It took the grounded soldiers another hour to clear the streets of Chitauri, but I was grateful to see the palace had been largely untouched beyond the southern perimeter. Without doubt, Sigyn remained safe inside, hidden by her sense of duty and protected by my quick attack.

Triumph didn't lessen my responsibility to visit any casualties before the sun set, so I was forced to bury my wish to see her. Beyond that, every citizen who crossed my path met me with joyful tears, and soon a grand banquet was announced for the late evening. Asgard could return to its constant celebration. Some folks were already spinning fantastic accounts of how they survived, detailing them to eager children in the streets.

Finally, I reached the front of battle before the palace, where the graveyard crew piled dead Chitauri on carts. Kl'rt had clearly presumed this would be the penultimate battle and brought more reinforcements than ever. They outnumbered us by far, evident by the sheer volume of corpses being carried off to dump into the sea.

I kicked one of them over and couldn't breathe. The creature was dead, but the sword in his head was familiar. Ornate. An antique of a bygone military era that no one would dare try to use in real battle unless they had no other choice.

No. I yanked it from the enemy's skull and wiped the blade with my maroon cape, imagining her graceful fingers on the handle. She was out here?

Before I could panic about her status, a new fear crept up when Theoric came near. "Allfather, you found it!" He smiled and held his hands out to take the weapon, sighing in relief. "Please, if I may."

"You know it?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Of course, and its stunning owner. I gave her my word that I would return it." Theoric flipped his head back, clearing hair from his face, much like Thor would after a battle when I'd done all the work and he'd merely struck the ground a few times. Puffed up and sweaty, his every move spoke to his military clout and virility.

I stared at the soldier and wished we were alone. Wished he hadn't survived. Wished he'd already had a wife. The few times he'd made eyes at Sigyn while in my presence, unaware of my heart, played before me all over again. When did they meet? Had an affair blossomed right under my nose? On the field of battle, where all Asgard's soldiers were brothers in arms and of singular mind, I couldn't support him in keeping his promise.

I wanted to hurt him.

"Allfather?" he said again when I hadn't responded.

At least his wish to have the sword meant she wasn't in danger. "Why use this?" I asked, toying with the blade. "Your own issued weapons were not enough?"

He chuckled. "Oh, Sire, no. I didn't borrow it—she was here, battling beside us. Not a soldier or Valkyrie, either. It was quite the sight."

"Beside you?"

"Yes. She was..."—Theoric averted his eyes, and his cheeks tried to mimic the shade of his armor—"...well, frankly, she saved my life. Saved many, in fact. A true hero."

I didn't doubt him, but it broke my heart. My efforts to protect her had all but failed. Sigyn still ended up on the front lines with carnage and terror and everything else she once wrote that she feared. How many did she have to kill? Was she injured? Did she need me?

"I am hoping she will attend tonight's banquet at my side," Theoric added, trying to get my attention again. "Surely she will be more likely to say yes if I keep this promise."

I swallowed to get my heart out of my throat, but it wouldn't budge. "Promises are...a peculiar currency, aren't they?" I whispered. "A commitment that means nothing until it is fulfilled."

"Indeed, its value is subjective, but I can't spoil my chance by having one that's worthless, can I?" He cocked a brow, clearly trying to say more with his expression than his words. As I was a man, couldn't I understand why this was important? Theoric extended his arms again. "Please...with enough time, I can have it cleaned properly before I show her."

If it had been any other time, in any other skin, I would've slain him where he stood and claimed her for myself. Might've even lived as Theoric to keep her close and give her what she needed.

But if I cared for Sigyn at all, I had my own promises to keep. "Be sure to let me thank this maiden tonight," I said, presenting him with the handle first. "I wish to know everything Asgard owes her for."

"Aye," he said with a beaming grin. Theoric bowed, then rushed to enter the palace.

I stood as Odin, proud and satisfied, noticed and thanked by all who passed by—yet reality was far less a delight. I was merely myself in the forsaken mess of my own creation, watching everything I'd fought for slip away.