"I will go."

Her voice, steady and clear, broke through the tension in Laufey's throne room. All eyes turned to her, including that of Odin Allfather and his son. His expression was unreadable, even to her. His cape was the colour of dried blood and it struck her as oddly funny, given the circumstances, though it wasn't really the time for laughing.

"I will go as the Allfather's hostage," she repeated, standing tall. "Along with Helblindi."

"You will hold your tongue and stand aside," Laufey said. A hand fell on her shoulder but she shook it off, mostly because she could not be dissuaded and because she didn't want the other Jotun to feel how badly she was trembling. It was a risk, she realized. The air in the room crackled, waiting for just one wrong word to ruin everything more than it already was. Several Jotnar shifted their weight from foot to foot, glancing around uneasily, their gazes most often staying on the Allfather and his son.

One wrong word was all it would take to start the war anew.

"If this is what it costs for peace," she said slowly, meeting the tyrant Allfather's eyes steadily, "then I will gladly pay it."

"Who are you, child?" The Allfather said, and she hated the gentleness in his voice. He wasn't gentle, and the fact that he was trying to act as if he was-especially to her-was insulting.

"I am Laufey's ward, the sister-daughter of Farbauti," she said, lowering her head politely. Would a ward be considered an acceptable hostage? She hoped so. She hoped her thin relations to Laufey would make her a good enough hostage.

The Allfather simply stared at her before turning back to Laufey. "Two hostages, Laufey. That will keep the peace between us."

She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, tension leaving her shoulders just a little. She saw Helblindi stiffen beside Laufey, his expression terrible, his desire to fight back against this clear. She made certain to keep her expression blank, giving them no hint of what she was thinking or feeling. Instead she merely watched as Laufey and the Allfather stared at each other. For a moment it seemed as if Laufey would fight back against it-not for her sake, certainly. But for Helblindi's, his eldest son and heir...

But then Laufey took a step back. "You will have your hostages, Allfather," he said, his voice deceptively calm. "But who will we receive in return?"

For a moment, she expected the black haired man to step forward. The Allfather called out something and two others stepped forward, however. War generals, it would seem. Hardly a fair trade, both for her and for Helblindi. A son for a son; a ward for someone lesser. But Laufey was not truly in any position to argue.

And then, just like that, it was done. Her fate was decided. At least, she thought, it was chosen by myself and no one else. It was a small comfort. Before she had time to contemplate what her future would be now, or indeed even think about it, the Allfather motioned towards her and Helblindi. Two soldiers came for her and she swallowed down the rising sense of panic. She wouldn't even have any time to say goodbye?

The soldiers towered over her and then moved her forward, joining her with Helblindi. They were taken out of the throne room and then walked out of the remains of the castle, taken to the edge where the rest of the Aesir warriors waited for their king and princes. They both received blatant stares as they passed, curiousity and loathing and disgust evident on all, until finally the soliders stopped near a four legged horse. It stared at them for a long moment before snorting and looking away, pawing a little at the ground, still expecting battle.

She wished to go over and stroke his muzzle, but she stayed where she was, watching the Aesir shiver in what was considered warmer weather for her kin. She should have looked down at the ground, she supposed, instead of so apparently staring at her enemy, but did not. Though the first few times she saw the Aesir men looking at her and her bared blue skin in what was obviously lust, she felt tempted to look away. She clenched her fists, suddenly feeling exposed under their gazes when she never had before. Helblindi would not help her if one of them approached her, and neither would the soldiers who stayed by their sides, and the Allfather would not care.

Not for the first time, she felt fear of the Aesir. And the knowledge that she would likely have to live with that fear daily once she was in Asgard made her tremble again.

Helblindi shifted his weight, the anger coming off of him in waves, and it gave her an excuse to look away from the soldiers to him. "Do not move so much," she said quietly in their native tongue. "You will make them nervous."

"I do not care," he replied. The soldiers that flanked them cast them suspicious looks, but did nothing to stop them. "And you should be ashamed, making them believe you are not bothered by this. That we are be taken by them in an attempt to bring peace, when you and me both know the Allfather will never stay true to his word."

She said nothing. They had peace now. And that peace had come at the cost of their lives, but if it meant keeping the rest of their kin alive, she could accept it. Surely the Allfather would not turn his back on that truce, that bond created by words and her sacrifice.

It was almost surprising how much she wanted to believe in the good in him when she had been taught again and again that there was none.

They waited for the Allfather to finish his talks with Laufey and join them. Really, as long as it was taking them, she and Helblindi could have been allowed to say goodbye. To Angrboda, her only friend and clanskin, whom she'd run away from to get into the throne room instead of to the safety of the caves. To Farbauti, the closest thing she'd had to a mother, and to the other women she would never see again. The ache of loss struck her hard, then, but she willed herself not to cry. Not yet, not now, with all the soldiers watching her.

Then, finally, the familiar dried blood cape and the golden armor appeared in the doorway of the castle, followed by the quiet son. The Allfather walked quickly, not at all looking like he had just won a war and beat her kin back into submission. The quiet one's expression was carefully blank, though his gaze kept wandering over to his father, almost questioningly. It made her wonder what had transpired in the throne room after she and Helblindi had left.

"We're leaving," the Allfather barked shortly, his voice somehow echoing through the wind. The soldiers cheered and soon the sounds of a thousand men preparing to leave filled the night air. The Allfather left his son to attend to his own business, and the quiet one flexed his hands briefly and stayed where he was. He let out a small sigh, his breath forming in the air. Then he straightened and seemed to rein himself in.

Sigyn knew a little of what that felt like, having to keep yourself in check around others.

Then he turned to see her staring. She felt Helblindi tense beside her and she herself stiffened a little, holding the dark one's gaze for a long moment before he finally walked away. He had kept his expression blank, but she knew what he thought of her, just as the other Aesir did. They were all the same in their thinking.

As the soldiers began to move, she took one last look up at the castle and the remains of the city that had once spread across the frozen land. Somewhere, the faint echo of yet another building crumbling reached them, almost lost in the noise of the Aesir. She tried to memorize the feeling of the rocks and snow under her feet, the chill of them, the sharpness and toughness against her skin. Tried to hold on to the feeling of the midnight sun and how the land looked under its glow, how the cool wind felt as it blew over her skin, the feel of snowflakes landing on her blue skin. How the air felt when she breathed it in, sharp and sweet.

There would be none of that in Asgard, so she breathed it all in, tried to absorb it in some attempt to bind it to herself, to take it with her.

Then she began walking, keeping it with her, those last few moments in her land. She focused not on the sound of a thousand men walking and cheering and laughing, but of simply herself and the feel of Jotunheim. It helped her to ignore the destruction the Aesir had caused in the war, of the bodies she was certain were still lying out in the fields. She had seen enough of the horrors inflicted on her kin while she worked in the healing rooms. She was not ready to see more.

Her body collided with something, throwing her out of her thoughts. She blinked and looked up at Helblindi as he cast her an irritated glance. "Stop dreaming," he growled. They had stopped at the edge of the cliffs. She stood on tiptoes to see what was happening but could not see over the soldiers or Helblindi. Then the soldiers parted and before her stood the Allfather.

"Come," was all he said, then he turned his back and began walking to the edge of the cliff. She followed, Helblindi refusing to move for a second until finally making his way over. She stared ahead and did not meet the gazes of the other soldiers. She stopped when she came to stand by the Allfather and his son. The Allfather's son did not glance at her again, keeping his gaze resolutely on the horizon. It was nice to be ignored by at least one of the Aesir present, she thought.

"It is time to return home to the Realm Eternal," the Allfather said, standing before his warriors, "and celebrate the beginning of a new peace, and mourn the losses on both sides that had to happen for it to be possible."

It did not have to happen, she thought. But war is the only way our clans know how to speak to one another.

All around her the Aesir cheered and yelled, the sound vibrating her very bones and rising up into the starless night. She cringed as it stung her ears and a ringing sound lingered long after they had all fallen silent. She noticed that the quiet one did not cheer so much, barely at all. She was shuffled closer to him, though she made sure to keep as much space between them as possible. She did not want to give him reason to notice her.

Then the Allfather lifted his spear into the air and a bright light formed over them, reaching down for them. She felt the energy build, overwhelming in its power, then a prickling all over her skin. The cold rock ground of Jotunheim fell away under her feet as it felt like the light would pull her into tiny pieces, too many for her to ever possibly count, and then the energy carried them faster and faster through a small circle and she felt the bile rising up in her throat but she couldn't close her eyes-

It was over in a second. She fell to her knees on an overly warm, smooth floor, her grunt of surprise turning into a gasp. The Allfather and his son turned to look at her as she laid on all floors, trembling. The energy crackled in the air, causing a shiver to run down her spine. No one came forward to help her, not even Helblindi, who was still standing though looking quite ill himself.

Get up, Sigyn thought firmly, gritting her teeth. Stand up, do not let them see you like this anymore than they have already. She shakily got to her feet, not reaching out to lean on the walls as she could feel the energy still coursing through the metal. Touching it would only make things worse, she knew.

"Come with us," the Allfather said, once it seemed like she had recovered enough. She followed along slowly, looking around at the circular building that surrounded them. Heimdall's Gate, she had heard it called. The light it produced hurt her eyes, making her blink at the sudden change from the relative darkness of her home to this golden gleam. The etchings in the walls made her dizzy again, the endless circles throwing her off balance.

And yet she still wanted to stay and learn how everything single thing worked. She imagined what Angrboda's reaction would be to such a thing: Exasperation and maybe not a little disgust that she was looking so kindly on something their enemy made. But there was no harm in admitting it was beautiful, was there, or wanting to know how it worked? Still, as much as she wanted to stay and study it, the others were leaving. And the presence of the Gatekeeper in the center of the room put her on edge. He was silent and did not turn her way, but she had the feeling he still saw her even if he did not see her with his eyes. She quickly followed the others and let out a sigh when they left the Gate.

And then she gasped softly as she took in her first sight of Asgard.

It was nighttime. The stars and far off galaxies set the sky alight in a myriad of colours. She had never seen so many stars or knew the sky could be so many colours. Underneath the bridge they were standing on, water rushed past until it fell into the cosmos. It smelled different from the water she knew of back home. There was a sweeter smell to it, somehow. But what caught her attention was the city. Everything glowed, like Heimdall's Gate, an all too warm golden light that shone in the darkness. And in the middle of it all was what she assumed to be the Allfather's castle, giant and golden and overlooking all of his domain.

Beacon of hope, shining out across the stars, it was said. Sigyn believed it then.

It was only then that she noticed the heat. It stuck to her cold skin, covered it completely, and already she missed the cold of her home. The sharpness on her tongue slowly disappeared, replaced by the dull taste of the warm air, and she hated it immediately.

"Keep up!" Helblindi's sharp bark made her jump and she refocused her attention back on everyone. They were far ahead of her now, down the many coloured bridge. She quickly ran to keep up, her feet smacking against the hard metal of the bridge, the energy rushing up her legs at each touch.

"Forgive me," she said quietly once she had caught up to Helblindi. He made no attempt to slow down for her, his long legs keeping him several paces ahead of her, and she had to almost run to keep up with him. The warmth made her lungs hurt, but she refused to complain. Behind her, she could hear the Gate open again and bring home the rest of the soldiers.

It would be a beautiful homecoming for them, the past half year away from home and loved ones. She tried not to feel too spiteful.

As they got closer to the city, she slowly noticed how quiet it was. Shouldn't there have been families coming together to welcome their loved ones home? She looked around but saw no one. She drifted closer to Helblindi, uncertain, as they continued their walk down the bridge. Soon the sound of soldiers walking behind them eased the silence, but she still felt too uneasy.

Asgard was so quiet, and it was not like the quiet of Jotunheim. She wasn't certain she liked it quite yet.

After what seemed an eternity, she began to hear the first rumble of noise other than the soldiers, barely a murmur. Then as they got closer to the castle, the noise grew and grew until it shook the bridge. The clearing in front of the palace, then, was where everyone had gathered, and they did not cheer until they saw their king and princes.

Hundreds of Aesir filled the clearing and suddenly she could not take another step. She tried but her feet refused to move again, her legs solid ice. They hadn't yet seen her or Helblindi, their gaze focused intently on their triumphant king. She wanted to keep it that way. Just disappear and let none of them see her.

But it couldn't be that way. She had made her choice and now it was time to handle the consequences of it. Which meant presenting herself into a crowd of her enemies, like some sort of war trophy.

Ignoring her heart beating wildly in her chest, she took a deep breath to steady herself and then stepped forward. Slowly the voices died out as the Aesir began to notice her and Helblindi. Smiles and happy faces soon fell into confused, shocked or disgusted expressions, and the air thickened with the same tension that she felt in Laufey's throne room not hours before.

The Allfather stood at the front of the palace with a tall, proud woman by his side. She had a kind demeanor and Sigyn immediately liked her warmth. His son went to stand next to the golden woman. The Allfather made a quick motion with his hand and Sigyn took it as a sign to join him. After hesitating only a moment, she did, though she stayed at the bottom of the steps leading up to the palace doors. Helblindi stood beside her, glaring at every Aesir who met his gaze. She kept her sight forward yet again, out to the bridge and the soldiers lining up on it.

"We have won the war with Jotunheim," the Allfather began after a moment. "The Jotnar fought bravely and valiantly, but we pushed them back into the heart of their own city and there defeated them once again." The Aesir cheered yet again, though this time it was duller, muted, and she knew it was because of them. It made her want to shrink in on herself, curl up, but she kept her stance straight and tall. "I never wished for another war with Jotunheim," he continued, and she stiffened a little.

Then why did you make the first attack?

"I grieve for every person we lost on both sides and how needless their deaths were. In order to ensure that this peace will last, however, Laufey and I created a new truce and struck a new bargain. We have taken two of their kind with us and left two of our kind with them, as we did in Vanaheim."

What a kind way of saying you have taken us hostage.

"Helblindi, the eldest son of Laufey," and the crowd turned their hard stares on him, the loathing clear on their faces. "And Laufey's ward, the daughter of his wife's sister." It was only then she realized he had never asked for her name, as had no one else. She was just the ward, the hostage, the token to make sure peace would never be broken again.

Sigyn swallowed the bile that was rising in her throat and kept herself from clenching her fists. Just a little while longer and she'd hopefully be left alone.

"With them we have left two of our finest generals; Agmundr-" A woman's voice cried out somewhere in the crowd and a shocked murmur followed. The Allfather went on, undisturbed, "and Einar." Another shocked cry and the Aesir's voices rose higher, threatening to overtake the Allfather's. "They will do well in Jotunheim," he continued, raising his voice only a little. It was enough to make the people silent again, however. "They will help us preserve the peace and open up new pathways between our two kingdoms, so that war will never come about again."

It was a good speech, she supposed. It was also mostly a lie. He had chosen the war generals because, should her people turn on them, they had a good chance of surviving until help could arrive. They could fight off their attackers. Helblindi, too, would likely be able to fend for himself should things go wrong here.

Herself? Well. She wasn't certain. But she was not as important or consequential as the other three were. She would be the last one they went for in an attack, she hoped.

"Rejoin with your loved ones," the Allfather said, "and tomorrow we will feast to the new beginning."

The Aesir managed a happier cheer that time, and she felt the need to run away from it all, into some place quiet where she could be alone from all those stares. Before she could react, she heard a loud cough behind her and turned quickly. A new woman stood behind her, golden hair pulled away from her face and a simple black dress covering her body. She wondered how they could stand to be covered so, especially in this warmth. She had bright blue eyes, almost the colour of ice and just as cold as they stared at her.

"Hello," the woman said slowly, as if she thought Sigyn couldn't understand the warrior tongue. "I am Dagný. Follow me."

Sigyn did as she was told, seeing Helblindi being taken off by men in simple black robes. She worried for a moment, but she could do nothing to help him if he needed it. She allowed herself to be led away from the Allfather and the voices of the soldiers and into the quiet of the palace. It was relatively cooler in there, not by much, but enough that she let out a small sigh. She followed Dagný, who walked briskly through the golden halls, until they stopped before a golden door with etchings on it. "This will be your chamber," Dagný said, not even looking at her.

"Chamber?" she said, her voice quiet.

"Yes," Dagný gave her a sidelong glance, a hint of suspicion and distrust in her look, before turning back to the door and opening it. "Where you will sleep and stay."

"Oh," she said, fidgeting awkwardly. She had shared a room with several other of her clanswomen in Jotunheim, Angrboda and Áslaug and Myrgjöl and so many others. It had been uncomfortable at times, but she could not imagine falling asleep without the sounds of their even breathing and Angrboda holding her hand. "Thank you," she finally managed. Dagný simply gave her a short, piercing look, then motioned her to go inside.

She did slowly, giving a wary glance over at the fire that helped light the room. Small seating places surrounded the fire and she made a note to move them as soon as possible. Several small windows lined the wall opposite her, and she strode over to one. A view of Asgard and the sea greeted her, along with the cosmos, and she decided she liked it. A long thing with a mirror atop it stood next to a ridiculously large sleeping mat, which was raised up off the ground and far softer than any sleeping mat she'd ever felt.

She sat down on the sleeping mat and looked around her chamber. The fire cast shadows on the walls, making her a little nervous, but otherwise...

Well, it would never be home, but she would simply have to get used to it. And it was more than she'd expected, anyway. "Thank you," she said again to Dagný, but when she turned, the woman was gone and the door was closed. Sealed, most likely, so she did not bother to go over and open it.

She sat there for a long while before falling back onto the sleeping mat, which cushioned her nicely. She stared up at the ceiling and listened to the fire crackle, and then she turned on her side and curled up without bothering to take off her breast cover or skirt.

No one had asked her name, no one had looked at her kindly or with any kind of compassion, and now Asgard, the home of her enemies, was to be her home as well. Until she died. She would never see Jotunheim again, nor her friends or the scant remains of her family. It had been her choice, yes, but that did not stop it from hurting as badly as it did.

Sigyn did not cry often and when she did, it was not for very long. But she allowed herself to cry then, and she cried so hard her body wracked with it, her voice keening and tearing out of her throat, until she fell into a restless sleep.