LOKI'S POINT OF VIEW
I had to admit, it was strange being a part of a real family. A daughter, a mother, and now with me as a father-I felt odd. By no means was it bad, but it was not something I was used to.
We left the field and returned to Sigyn's little cottage that was no more than a mile away. It was a wooden building with vines spindling up and down its walls, flowers blossomed out front amongst tall tomato plants and blueberry bushes.
"Are you hungry?" Sigyn asked, looking over her shoulder as she unlocked her front door.
"I-" I began, almost taken aback by the fact that she cared about my needs. It made sense, but again, it was far from normal for me.
"I am," Hela chimed as Sigyn pushed open the door, "Can you make stew? Or pheasant? Actually, I don't care, I'm just starving."
"I'll see what I have," Sigyn said as Hela walked straight past her and inside.
"Welcome to our home," Hela said, grabbing my hand and pulling me inside. Sigyn followed closely behind us and shut the door softly.
"It's um," I began, looking over the small living room and adjacent kitchen. It was distinctly Midguardian and extremely small. Nevertheless, it was bright and warm. Vases of flowers, baskets of vegetables, and pictures of Hela littered the walls. It was a stark contrast to anything I had ever known in the palace.
"It's...nice," I said softly, looking over all the pictures of Hela and Sigyn.
"Quite different than what you're accustomed to, isn't it?" Sigyn said as she stood behind the island in the nearby kitchen, "I bet you hate it."
"No, I never said that it's just that-"I stammered as a smile grew onto Sigyn's lips and a small laugh escaped her.
"You can take the prince out of the castle but you can't take the castle out of the prince," Sigyn said matter of factly, "Trust me, I know."
My face flushed with embarrassment, the last thing I wanted to do was appear pompous or spoiled. But, Sigyn was able to cut right through me. I was trying so hard to impress them both, show them that I deserved to be here. Obviously, though, I had to find out a different course of action. Lying about my feelings wouldn't get me anywhere, Sigyn saw right through it all.
"I'm you're starving, but are you hurt at all?" Sigyn asked as ripe veggies began to float her way alongside a particularly sharp knife.
"I-...No, I'm fine asides from a few scratches," I said truthfully as I watched the items gracefully land on the workspace in front of her. Spindles of gilded magic began to work away at chopping up the produce and Sigyn paid almost zero attention to this spectacle. From all that I had seen in the tapes of our life, I had gathered that she was a talented healer but I had not known that she was a witch.
"This is your magic?" I questioned as I watched intently.
She nodded and I continued, "But I thought you were just a healer."
"She is," Hela chimed in, "But with nothing else to do but farming, baking, and fishing, she's picked up a few tips and tricks. She can like...possess you too."
"Not true, I don't possess people," Sigyn said quickly.
"Enchantment, is it?" I suggested, "You're an enchantress?"
Sigyn smiled, "Yes, that's a better word for it."
Hela shrugged, "It's more fun if you say you possess people but whatever."
I couldn't help but smile. Hela out of the two was much more of a mystery to me. Honestly, I never thought I would be a father. I struggled to see the appeal in it, yet here I was before my very own daughter. For this alone, I struggled to wrap my head around her. But furthermore, she had been just a child when my life was cut short. Too young to truly develop a personality and to allow me an understanding of her. But now, years after my "death" she was a young lady. To be truthful, I was quite intimidated by Hela as sorry as it sounded.
"How old are you now, Hela?" I asked softly as she sat in one of the two giant armchairs.
"Twenty," she said promptly.
From the kitchen, Sigyn's voice sounded out as she said, "Don't lie, Hela."
She rolled her eyes and corrected herself, "I'm almost thirteen."
"Thirteen?" I repeated, my heart jumping into my throat. I had a thirteen-year-old daughter. I could hardly fathom that. I had a hard enough time understanding how I had convinced Sigyn to marry me, understanding how I could end up with a child, or rather a teenager was much more difficult to wrap my head around.
"Thirteen on October thirty first," she affirmed, "Some father you are if you don't even know my birthday."
I laughed lightly, "Forgive me, but at least I know now."
She nodded, "Good. It's the least you could do."
"Let's see, if you're thirteen now or nearly thirteen, I would only be a mere one thousand and fifty years old when you were born," I recounted.
A small laugh escaped Hela as she asked, "Are you really that old?"
I nodded, "Oh yes, well technically no but yes, right now I'm one thousand and forty-nine years old," I explained.
"That's crazy," she said matter-of-factly.
"I am a God, dear," I explained, "It's not as if we die."
Immediately after saying this, Hela's face dropped. I realized my mistake almost instantly. I was a God, this was true. But I had in fact...died. Quite insensitive to the little girl who had most likely watched her father, well, watched me die by the snap of a neck.
"Well, you did die," Hela said.
And just in time to relieve the crushing tension, Sigyn called out, "Dinner's ready."