Sigyn's Discovery (Part 1)

Wisdom (LOKI)

Odin was no less terrifying after months of my spell keeping him captive. What he'd inflicted on me the night before was sheer horror, and I had little hope for mercy in what he had planned next. Faced with the only other person who might've freed him, he didn't hold back any nastiness.

"I will ask you one more time, girl. What is your plea?"

How Sigyn held back tears, I couldn't guess. Shock, maybe? But she was stoic. "I plead not guilty, Allfather, for I served the King of Asgard."

This earned her murmurings from all corners of the room—some that guessed she had no clue, and some that asserted she was defiant.

Which is it? I stared intently, worried for her, fighting to feel anything beyond the tugs of discomfort all over my body. She had dealt with me in panic, sure, but she didn't know what these men were capable of.

Odin hummed, raising his hand to calm the room. "And were you aware your king was false?"

Theoric ran from the opposite side of the judgment hall, up the stairs where she came from. "Stop!"

Sigyn turned to face him. "Theo?"

"Stop this madness, please." He was out of breath, but still managed to stand at attention next to her. "When I found out you'd been accused, I came as fast as I could. Tell them you didn't know about this. Don't let that snake plant false memories within you."

While I hated him, I was also grateful for him. Please take her out of here.

"Dear Theo. I do not need to be rescued." Sigyn kept her eyes squarely locked forward on Odin and tipped her chin down, reminding me of myself in a way. "I knew the man I served was Loki Laufeyson."

I gasped at this, along with several others.

"Sigyn, no," Theoric said, stepping back.

"What?" She shrugged, rebelling more by the second. "How could I have considered him false when he defended our realm, rebuilt Asgard, and led a great army of the people? Ask any of the families who met with him personally if they suspected he meant them harm. Ask these soldiers, who he thanked personally. What difference does it make if he was disguised? Do his actions not absolve him of his misguided attempt to seek approval in this house?"

"Casting an illusion over himself to appear worthy of the throne does not make him king!" Odin stood and struck Gungnir into the marble, attempting to intimidate her.

Yet her every word proclaimed admiration over me. Faith. Trust. Allegiance in every sense. She was unafraid to speak for me. "Illusions are irrelevant. If he had led the people as his true self, would he not still have won?"

Thor added his yells to the cacophony. "If he hadn't attempted to win approval from Asgard on his own, our realm would've been spared countless battles. Countless lives. The city wouldn't have needed to be rebuilt if he sought me out."

"And he wouldn't have needed to keep it from you if you reported to Asgard all that he's done. Beyond that—why did you not return home on your own? Weren't you supposed to rise and be king?"

"Enough!" Odin screamed at both of them, finally resulting in Sigyn shrinking herself. "You are too faithful to your false king, Sigyn Eddasdottir. You've made an error in judgment and refuse to acknowledge the grievances against your realm. Your sentence can be to witness his end." He raised his hand to dismiss her, and the two guards who escorted her in led her toward the dungeon.

She shouted behind her, "I would follow him to Hel, if that is where you should send him. You cannot deny Loki's successes, despite your great jealousy. Frigga would've let him live!"

One of the guards pushed Sigyn hard to keep her moving, nearly toppling her forward.

I tried to stand at this, desperate to defend her. "Wait—"

The oaf of a guard at my side kicked my stomach hard enough, I collapsed.

"Bring him forward," Odin said, sitting once more. Two men grasped under my shoulders and dragged my limp body before him. "You've betrayed me, your realm, and your people for the last time. Loki Laufeyson, I sentence you to face the great serpent of the mountain and torture until your death."

Thor didn't bother speaking up on my behalf. No one did. No one but her.

I was pulled from before the throne to jeers and given a swift kick by Theoric, who said nothing else. He now knew the truth. The guards who took me away reveled in the opportunity to prepare me for my end.