Sigyn was in Valhalla. All night long, Loki and she had enjoyed each other's company, consumed by their love, kissing and pleasuring each other before falling asleep in each other's arms. And there she was, her head resting on her lover's chest, smiling as she could hear the steady rhythm of her heart.
Mine . My heart now. Loki's all mine, forever!
Sigyn stopped herself from giggling, as her mind was lost on a little could of happiness. Loki loved her back, and their future would be gloriously joyful, gleeful, delightful... without a single trouble on the way.
The All-Mother had always supported their friendship, so their love surely would not be a surprise. And without a doubt, their match would be an advantageous one for the realm. Her dowry, with her father's gold and diamonds from his mines, would be hard to resist, and as the daughter of the Queen of Vanaheim, and niece to the ruler of Alfheim, her royal bloodline could not be contested. Her grandfather had been an old friend of Odin, so, Sigyn did not doubt the All-Father would accept her easily as his daughter-in-law.
How wrong she had been.
She felt Loki's hand delicately caressing her arm, and emerged from her sleep, opening one eye... only to find the bed surrounded by Crimson Hawks, pointing their spears at them.
Tyr, their leader, was looking at them, his stern face inscrutable. He threw their clothes at them, and told the two young ladies to get dressed and follow them. Loki and Sigyn looked at each other, worried. But Sigyn, still, was hopeful. Surely, the King and the Queen wanted to talk to them, so they could start arranging the marriage, maybe drafting the contract, preparing the ceremony, picking the flowers with the queen... Oh, this was going to be so lovely.
With a simple gesture, Sigyn turned her purple dress into one of green and gold, Loki's colors, and smiled at her lover. The princess smiled in return, squeezing her hand as the guards were leading them to the throne room.
As she had expected, not many people were present. Odin, sitting on his throne, the All-Mother, by his side and her own mother. Their expressions puzzled Sigyn the most. The All-Mother looked worried, and sad mostly. Her mother had a mocking grin, watching her and Loki with a superior contempt. As for the All-Father, it was obvious he was holding back his fury, for now.
Loki held her breath, shielding Sigyn with her arm, and by a little gesture, told her to stay quiet and let her speak.
"All-Father", Loki spoke calmy, not letting any expression on her face betray her true feelings, "Do not blame Sigyn for this. I am the only guilty here, seducing her into my bed, when I am well-aware of your plans..."
Well-aware of your plans?
Sigyn looked at her lover, confused. What was she talking about? While she had be so confident of their future together, and the legitimacy of their relationship, she was starting to feel nervous as the All-Father's boiling stares were burning her skin.
She had been happy, her heart singing, dreaming of her wedding with her beloved princess, and now, she was feeling more and more ashamed, as all her hopes were beginning to crash down.
And did Loki actually accuse herself of seducing her? Oh no, she was not going to take the blame on herself. She would not let her.
"All-Father", Sigyn interrupted Loki, "All-Mother", she continued, hoping that Odin's wife would take their side, "Please, do not blame Loki. She did not have to seduce me. I love her."
She turned herself to face Loki, smiling at her, looking at her princess with eyes full of adoration.
"She is the love of my life. I don't think I could live a single moment without her by my side. So, if we have your permission, I would like to be her wife. Please."
She had had so many different versions of that speech, much more eloquent, in mind. On her way to the throne room, she had rehearsed them all in her head, and yet, this was what came out of her mouth. This was slightly clumsy, and the 'please' at the end could be seen as a little too desperate, but her and Loki's happiness was at stake. This was not a moment for pride, but to get the King and Queen's approval.
Unfortunately, this was not going the way she had hoped. Instead of tears of joy, and Loki taking her into her arms and kissing her joyfully, her lover's sadness was apparent, and tears of sorrow were now drowning her face.
Didn't she want to marry her?
The sound of Gungnir hitting forcefully the ground made Sigyn jump in terror and in dread. Odin's rage was now unleashed, and for once, she was its target. Growing up, no one had ever been crossed at her. Her parents had been content with her, her teachers had always been satisfied with her studies and behavior. Always the perfect little girl, nice and polite. For the first time in her entire life, people looked at her in disapproval, ready to punish her for whatever they decided she had done wrong.
But what had she done to deserve this? She was a princess of two realms, her father was the richest man in the Nine realms... surely, Odin could not refuse her as his daughter-in-law... could he?
"Silence, child! You only speak of folly. Loki is not for you, but for Thor."
Thor? What did Thor have to do with it? Thor only saw Loki as his sister, not as his bride.
Loki fell on her knees in front of her adoptive father, her beautiful face bent low. Never had Sigyn seen her proud lover so desperate and terrified.
"Sigyn did not know that, All-Father. Her love for me is pure, and I abused it, as I desired her. Please, do not punish her. I will marry Thor, as you wish me to, but please, spare Sigyn from your wrath"
The Vanir felt her head spin as information start to flow into her brain. Loki was engaged to Thor? But they grew up together, as brother and sister. How sick was this? And how come no one had ever told her. Not that it would have change anything : she would have still wanted to be Loki's wife, but they could have tried to elaborate a plan, freeing her from this unhappy match.
"Do not worry about my daughter, Princess", Freya's voice resonated in the room, melodious but slightly poisonous, "I'll find her a suitable groom, and all will be forgotten very soon."
NO!
Sigyn realized too late she had screamed in the throne room.
No. They could not do that. They could not give her away to some other person, when she belonged to Loki, heart, body and soul. It was heresy, and she refused it. She would not do it, at any cost.
"You will do as you're told, girl. As Loki will, isn't that right, daughter?", Odin's tone was hard, unshakable. The voice of a king you could not disobey.
A tyrant, Sigyn thought, rebellion growing in her heart. He is a tyrant, and I will not do as they ask. Loki won't either, I know her.
But when she saw her friend, her heart broke, as it was obvious Loki had accepted the All-Father's will as her law and would do as she was told.
Sigyn broke into tears, her own will breaking at her lover's betrayal. She closed her eyes and nodded. If Loki was not on her side, what chance did she have to win? If Loki did not want of her anymore, what was she fighting for?
And so, after some time, Freya came to Sigyn's rooms to announce her she had found her a husband. "Theoric. A nice boy. Very handsome! A Crimson Hawk, from the All-Father's guard. I'm sure you'll like him. And even if you don't... well, try. The wedding has already been arranged, so it's not like you've got any choice in the matter"
Not like you've got any choice...
She wanted to laugh at the idea. Her only choice, the one she truly wanted and lived for had been robbed from her. How could she marry anyone else but Loki? The All-Father himself, that old batty goat, had named her Goddess of Fidelity.
Fidelity?! Ha! And after that, they demanded of her to forget her true love and marry some mercenary soldier who would look at her twice, make her bear his children, and leave her once he was done with her?
Never.
That night, she had to once again attend another boring ball. She would rather not, as Loki and Thor's engagement had been made official, and she could not stand to be in the same room as her former lover. It was all too painful. To see her being paraded as Thor's future queen, when she ought to be free, flying from place to place, with Sigyn by her side... this made her want to scream. She wanted to open her golden cage and free her. But then, she remembered Loki bending the knee to Odin, accepting her fate, and betraying her love. She had chosen this, even if it shattered Sigyn's heart into billion pieces.
Another person not enjoying the evening, and more or less for the same reasons as Sigyn's, was Lady Sif. She had loved Thor for nearly as long as Sigyn had loved Loki, and the painful wince on her beautiful face betrayed her jealousy at the Prince and Princess' supposed happiness.
"You would have made a good queen", Sigyn observed, while sipping her wine absentmindedly.
"Shut up", Sif growled, "Had you and your girlfriend not fucked each other so loudly that night, their engagement would not have been so quick."
Sigyn raised her eyebrows, surprised at the warrior's accusation. So everybody knew she had been Loki's lover, and yet, that Theoric fellow still wanted to marry her? Oh well. Another after her father's gold, most certainly. And this time, Loki would not be there to help her push the unwanted suitors away.
She would have to go through it. The thought made her shiver and feel sick to her stomach.
Suddenly, as she tried to continue her conversation with Sif, a young warrior appeared by her side, holding out his hand for her to take.
"My Lady?", he asked politely.
Sigyn stopped a moment, looking at the hand in question – a fine-looking hand, she admitted, with long slender aristocratic fingers, that reminded her more of a nobleman's than of a soldier's.
She looked at the man who had talked to her, and felt her traitorous heart miss a beat.
Oh.
She had to confess, he was handsome.
Tall, with half-long dark hair and bright blue eyes, his air of confidence and charisma was intoxicating and could hardly be resisted. He was dressed with a refined elegance, that noted of his good taste and noble-birth.
"May I have this dance, Lady Sigyn?", he continued, bowing courteously.
His voice was deep, and mesmerizing. A few words, and Sigyn realized she could listen to it for hours.
She nodded, and accepted the invitation, leaving Sif to her brooding, following her mysterious nobleman to the dancefloor, where several couples were already dancing the night away.
She could have stared at his eyes the whole night long, his hand gently placed on her waist, sending shivers of pleasure to her spine, while her heart – unfaithful heart! – was beating much too fast for a meaningless first meeting.
The only person who induced such reactions on her body was Loki – but her lover was in the gardens, walking with her fiancé, surrounded by the High nobles, a world away from her.
"May I know your name, my Lord?", she asked, trying to control her emotions as best as she could.
The man smiled, his eyes suddenly full of mischief.
"You may call me Theoric, my dear", he replied calmy.