Weeks swiftly passed by and my visits to the prince melted from weekly trips to daily occurrences. It felt odd to admit at the time, but I had found myself longing for his company as much as he seemed to long for mine. Our time together was now scarcely spent healing his wounds but more frequently we found ourselves laughing and genuinely enjoying each other.
During this time, I began to feel more comfortable within the palace walls. I had grown certainly accustomed to the palace dungeon but furthermore, I had grown familiar with its extensive halls. Frequently, before or after my visits with the prince I found myself in the company of Frigga.
Graciously, she sacrificed her time to spend with me. Often, we toured the lavish gardens, inspected shipments of fine fabric, and the queen often insisted on tutoring me in the art of magic. Over time, as I had felt increasingly close to her son, I felt close to her as well.
Frigga's presence was consistently so warm and bright. She was a pleasure to be around. I truly felt spoiled by the fact that she had somewhat taken me under her wing.
One day, I found myself once again within the walls of Loki's cell, doubling over in laughter as we exchanged stories from our childhood.
"You are devilish!" I said, overcome with giggles, "I can't believe you would torment your brother like that."
"I am the God of Mischief," he said, stifling his laughter, "I suppose it's in my nature to torment."
"Well yes," I agreed, "I don't what I expected from a younger you, I thought you may have been sweeter than what you've described."
"Sweeter? Me?" He said in disbelief as he cocked an eyebrow.
"Yes!" I said, gently pushing him back as I laughed, "You just don't seem that...troublesome. Not to me, at least."
He chuckled, "I can assure you, dove, I am plenty troublesome. I just don't find it within myself to trouble you."
"You don't?" I said, leaning forward towards him with a grin upon my lips, "And why do I have the luxury of being spared from tricks by you, oh mighty God of Mischief?"
Loki's breath caught in his throat as a smile grew on his face.
I was inches away, I could almost feel his cold breath upon my skin. I so desperately wanted to just lean in, just a bit more...
"Well, my lady, I can't find it within myself to trick you," Loki said plainly, his cool blue eyes refused to meet my own and break the tension between us.
"Well, Loki, what should make me so different?" I asked, tilting my head as I once again put a larger space between us.
He shrugged, seeming genuinely unsure.
"You're just different," he said, "No matter who it is, I can always find a reason for them deserving trickery, illusions, or even lies. But you, I just can't find a reason. Nor do I want to."
I crossed my arms, leaning against the wall of his cell as we both sat on his bed. I examined him for a moment, looking him over.
Everything about him was noticeably softer than when we had first met. His eyes no longer seemed to glow red and his shoulders weren't held as tensely. His face even seemed to hold a softer expression as he looked at me and his lips curled into the smallest smile.
I wondered how Loki had changed so much and why. Hertha had insisted earlier that it must be due to his affection for me. I had recalled her telling me all about men who had melted into little boys in her presence. She described to me that once men fell in love, they would become more tender as they grew unafraid of the way they felt. Perhaps this was happening with Loki.
However, I couldn't bring myself to draw this conclusion. Despite his obvious changes, I felt as though I was able to recognize other parts of him with greater ease as well. No longer was I at a loss for his true feelings or thoughts. I knew almost the second I met his eyes whether he was upset, thrown into a rage, or even happy to see me. I felt as though I could even tell what he was thinking by a mere sigh or furrow of his brows. the softer he had become, the easier I was able to understand him, the easier it was for me to care for him.
"And you, Sigyn," he went on, snapping me out of my thoughts, "you can't find a reason to resist coming here, can you?"
I shook my head in agreement as he continued, "You can't resist the desire to see me, I can't help but be kind to you. I see we're in a bit of a situation."
I raised a brow, "And what situation would that be?"
"A situation in which a God has become infatuated with a mere healer."
"Infatuated?" I questioned him with a smile, "I don't suppose you mean you have fallen in l-"
Before I could finish my sentence, Loki's lips swiftly met my own as he cupped my face with his ice-cold hands.