A/N: WOW. I've NEVER had as much feedback on a chapter that I've had on the last one! I'm glad you enjoyed the plot twist, I promise it had it's purpose, along with what happens in the first part of this chapter. Everything in my stories has a purpose for one reason or another, so be patient please as they reveal themselves! We have another interesting chapter with our lovely men and our leading lady, Sigyn. After so much drama last chapter, surely there can't be more??? HAHA WRONG.
I hightly recommend the band that has the song for this chapter. It mirrors a particular relationship.. can you guess which one? As always, enjoy :)
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Her breath shook when the came out in the hallway, her whole body was shaking uncontrollably. Theoric, who was still trembling with anger had placed his sword back in its sheath. He seemed to be struggling to say something even though his back was turned to her, but she was too afraid to ask. The smack hadn’t truly hurt, even though it had drawn some blood, but she was more afraid of what it meant than anything, was she losing him?
“Lady Sigyn…” His voice was a half sob, his eyes not meeting her when he turned to face her. She could see the tears splashing down on the floor before him, her arms wrapping tight around her body, her mouth by now had stopped bleeding. She wanted to reach out, tell him it was okay but another part was screaming at her to run, run as fast and as far as she could away from him.
They stood there in the hallway for what seemed like an eternity, though she knew it had barely been 5 minutes. It was like they were in too much shock to speak at all; she couldn’t fathom what was going through his mind. Her mind was racing, trying to figure out exactly what to say to him. She wasn’t angry, though she knew she should be. Why? It hadn’t been Theoric, her Theoric that struck her… right?
“Lady Sigyn” His voice starting again, catching a second time when he said her name, and she thought he would lose his confidence to say anything again.
“I shouldn’t acted like. I shouldn’t have hurt you. I do not think you will ever trust me again, and I do not blame you. It’s just... I have watched that mad man since I was a child, I have seen how he twists the truth and how he hurts the ones he loved. So many of my friends perished at his hand. I refuse to lose you as well. Lady Sigyn, I have fallen fast for you and I am not ashamed of that, I would shout it for all of the universe to hear! I am falling in love with you my Lady. If you find it in your hear to forgive me, I pray that we will make amends… I do not wish to lose you.”
He had come close to tears again at this point, his hand reaching out for hers but pulling back when he realized it may be too soon. Sigyn could feel something wet slide down her cheek, tears. She hadn’t realized she was crying till they plopped on the back of her hand, my how much she had fallen for him as well. Watching him break apart was killing her; she had to say something.
“Good Theoric,” The man had yet to look up, seeming to flinch away at the word ‘good’. “Theoric.” Her hand touched his face this time, pulling it up to look at her. Her hands drifted to hold of his, bringing it close to her chest.
“You mean so much to me, but it hurts… You do not trust me Theoric. You do not trust that I can care for myself, that I am someone who is weak and is incapable of caring for herself. Do not take this the wrong way! I am quiet glad you would care for me in such a manner, but I ask that you trust me… I love you very much Theoric, I do not want to lose you either. I forgive you, but know that if this is to occur again, I will never come back to you. But you must also trust I know when a situation is too dangerous for me to be in. Will you trust me when it comes to minor matters concerning my safety such as seeing to Loki as the All-father requested?”
Her voice had sounded much braver in her head, but it sounded more like a squeak to her own ears. He seemed to agree and nodded a few times, bringing her hands to his lips now, kissing them lightly. Golden eyes looked up at her blue ones before his massive hands carefully cupped her face, kissing her lightly on her forehead.
“Go, attend to him. I will see you tonight as I have some matters to attend to with Volstagg and Hogun.” He nodded curtly and retreated down the hallway.
Sigyn didn’t have to ask twice whom he meant when he said “him”. He had meant Loki.
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The former prince was still in pain when she rushed back into the prison, his body bent over on the ground where Theoric had left him. Blood covered the floor from the gash the sword had caused. The guards wordlessly opened the door for her as she snatched her supplies she had left and cautiously moved towards the still figure.
“Loki, it’s Sigyn. Loki please, let me see your arm.”
She was sitting on her knees, trying to get him to look up for she was too frightened to touch him in fear that he would lash out at her. She could see him breathing but his skin was extremely pale from what little was exposed and not bent up underneath his frame.
“Loki…” Her hand shook, reaching out for him. A low groan came from his lips and his body shifted slightly so he was now lying on his back. The blonde had jumped back a little, but had seen he was just moving on to his back. It was now that she could see the full extent that the fight had brought.
His arm hung limp, the gash had stopped bleeding but she could clearly see that the sword had broken or fractured his arm in some matter. His face was bloody, mostly from his mouth and nose. Some of his cuts and wounds had been reopened and were turning his tunic a deep red. But his skin… it as a pale ghost white, though she could feel the heat coming off his body. Hair stuck to his sweaty skin, another groan coming from his lips as she soon realized his back was probably killing him as well from the previously inflicted wounds. He was in horrible shape; she doubted that she could do it on her own. Moving so that she was near his head, she pushed back his hair, dabbing his forehead with a rag.
“Loki, you need to heal yourself, I can’t heal some of these wounds.”
A hiss came from his mouth cursing in an ancient language; his eyes fluttered open and searched for hers, a small smile creeping across his face when he did. She couldn’t help but smile back at him, but pushed that thought away when she saw the pain gathering on his face.
“I am my darli- ”
She could hear the pain in his voice when it hitched and rose in tone towards the end of his sentence. Sigyn could see the magic coming off of his body in a gold hue. It shook slightly and she could see his arm move slightly, most likely to set the bone. It didn’t last as long as before, it halted awkwardly and his body contorted for a moment, the pain stretching across his chiseled features. Loki was in far too much pain to speak, but she knew he had to get out, to get to a healer, a proper one. But then she remembered that Eir and Véar were out with the rest of the warriors, healing them.
“I need you to go over the bed so I can bandage you.”
There were no protests or smug expressions, only a curt nod as he moved to sit up, snagging her shoulder for support. She bit her lip in protest for it hurt a tad, but she could see by his face it wasn’t his intention to do that as all his energy and focus was clearly on trying to stand and shuffle towards the bed.
It seemed father way than she remembered as he fully leaned upon her, being half dragged towards the bed. His good arm draped around her shoulders and his other hanging oddly over his torso as if he were trying to clutch it; she bet the gash from Theoric’s sword was hindering that.
Sitting on the bed, he breathed uneasily and swayed forward to but she moved from his side after helping him sit down and steadied him with her hand. Leaning over and snagging her supplies, she cut off his second shirt of the day and saw that his chest was black and blue, no doubt that he had several fractures before healing himself. She began to wipe the blood away on his chest and back, careful to not agitate his body any more, bandaging his back first so he could lie down.
It was not as bad on his back, only a few of the larger gashes had been opened, but still. Sigyn wrapped white bandages around his torso, chest and back so that he had what resembled a tight knit shirt on, but not too tight. Oh how she wished she could try one of her spells out and try to heal him a bit, or at least dull the pain.
“Try.” He breathed out from in front of her as she was sitting on the bed behind him, smoothing out the last of bandages.
“I don-“
“Try the spells Sigyn.” His head still hung down while he sat on the bed and she could tell that what he had said was command rather than a request. How did he know? She didn’t bother asking because she was far too frightened to delay and anger him again.
“Relax. Concentrate and empty your mind of all emotions… Except for the one that is fueling your desire to heal. Focus it.” Loki’s words coming out breathlessly after each sentence; he was in so much pain.
The blonde maiden placed her hands lightly on his back, closing her eyes and bowing her head, trying to do as he instructed, focusing. But her mind was racing, darting around in circles and it was making it impossible.
“I can’t.” The girl’s voice rang out in frustration and shame.
“Yes, you can. Do it now.” Again, he coaxed her by demand and again not a request, but this time louder.
Closing her eyes and pressing her hands to her temples, she concentrated, thinking of Theoric, thinking of his smile, thinking of his face… but then the pain of what his face had last looked like came to her mind. Instead, she focused on her family. Her mother’s warm smile, her father’s big hug and her little brother’s goofy grin. Love. Her hands felt warm as she placed her hands against the his chest, feeling the magic radiate off of her. Then, a new feeling came across her body; she felt extremely lightheaded.
On the verge of passing out, a hand snagged her wrist lightly, pulling her away. Opening her eyes, Loki had turned to face her, green eyes staring straight into her blue ones. They sat like this for a long time, though in reality it was only a couple seconds. Blinking, she began to feel the effects of using spell take it’s toll. Eir had warned her and Véar that as they were not practiced in magic, as it would take hundreds of years to master, that they would easily pass out if they used too much.
The God of Mischief laid her out on his bed using his one arm, the other now in a sling that she gathered he must have conjured up. Exhaustion was creeping over her, her eyes fighting to stay awake knowing that it wasn’t safe to fall asleep in the cell, not with him. And yet… something called out for her to sleep.
The last thing she remembered was seeing Loki’s green eyes staring at her intently from over a book he was reading in his chair and instantly feeling the safest she had ever felt since arriving in Asgard.
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Waking up she jolted, sitting up way too fast for her own good. Her breathing accelerated when she saw she was back in the prisons. Had everything been a dream? Was none of it real? Had it been an illusion? Something so beautiful couldn’t have been… or could it?
“No, you’re not in your cell.” The rough vocals came from her right, from Loki.
He was still in his chair, turning a page in his book. His color had not been restored but strangely enough, his arm looked much better, just a scar was ripped across his forearm. His bruises and cuts still littering his frame just under his bandages he must have replaced from what she could see. Again, his eyes were sunken in and exhaustion was covering his face, but he didn’t let on if he was feeling as bad as he looked.
“How long have I been asleep?” Her throat was surprisingly hoarse though she had no earthy idea why. It was as if she had been screaming with all the air left in her lungs. Perhaps it was a side affect of using the spells.
“Only an hour. Do not worry, your owner has not come to look for you yet.”
“He is not my owner, he is… he is my friend.” Sigyn said trying to find a word to describe she and Theoric, perhaps her courter? It didn’t matter; it was none of Loki’s concern.
“Would a friend put a mark upon your face?” His words drawing out a few of the words under his breathe.
Her hand flew to her cheek; it was tender and sore, surely…
“No, it’s not bruised.” He replied once more.
That was frankly getting annoying, the whole ‘Loki answering her before she said anything’ thing.
“I see you have healed yourself?” The maiden said, standing up and crossing her arms across her chest.
“It takes but little time to regain my magic when another gives me some to start the process. You should be more careful when you do that.”
“I did not know you cared about my safety God of Lies. I thought it was not in your nature.”
“You know nothing of me Sigyn. Magic is not easily controlled, lest you be consumed by it and become unpredictable. I could not have risked you hurting me further by a magical backlash while I am trapped in an inescapable box.”
Selfish Loki had returned, something she was quiet thankful for. But perhaps… perhaps he wasn’t all bad, right? I mean he had let her sleep on his bed, if only for an hour. Shaking her head at her thoughts she snagged her supplies and headed for the door.
“I will return later this evening to change your bandages.”
He made no motion to acknowledge her departure, so she headed for the cell door.
“Do you love him?” The thin line mouth of the Norse God questioned when she reached for the cell door.
Her veins ran cold with ice. She didn’t have to ask by whom Loki meant. The question was, did she? After all that had happened had she forgiven him? Did she trust him as he trusted her at this moment? There was a long pause before she finally answered him, turning around to do so.
“Theoric is a good man. He does what he does out of love and to protect me.”
“That does not answer my question my dear.” His lips had turned up into a sneer when she had failed to answer his question.
A single tassel of her hair fell her face when she flinched backwards. Was that pain that had flashed across his face when she had moved away from him? Right, like he would care about someone being afraid of him. If he cared at all, he would be grinning in pleasure at the sight of that.
“I’m waiting.” Loki’s voice laced with impatience to his question that had yet to be answered.
“I do. He is kind, treats me well and understands me. He protects me, knows my inner thoughts and wants nothing for the best of me. He loves me for me and does not expect for me to change. He trusts me and he is willing to change just to prove how much he loves me. He’s just… I do not understand why I am explaining this to you, you do not know love.”
The God, who had yet to look up from his book in all of this scrunched his eyebrows in pain, but it was fast and had she not been watching, she would have missed it. Chewing on her bottom lip she instantly regretted saying that. It was obvious that Frigga had loved him, even Thor. She knew he must have loved them back, right? They were the only family he had.
“Loki I-“
“Leave. Now.” His voice was cold and harsh, never looking up from his book but she swore there was another hint of pain crossing his face.
Turning the door handle without a retort from the man clad in green, she descended down the stairs and out the main doors of the prison, all the while dreading on the fact that she had hurt the God of Lies and Mischief with her words.
Sigyn believed herself to be no better than Theoric; she had figuratively slapped the former prince across the face and the sting was still biting at her thoughts.