The fire crackled away in the fireplace, the sound of it nearly drowned out by the rain battering away at the windows. It was late in the evening, Mayura had long since gone home; Fenrir lay spread out on the couch snoring up a storm and Loki poured over a book. As the grandfather clock ticked off the minutes Loki found his attention wandering. With a sigh he set down the book in favor of staring into the fire. Though his memories were faded like the words in an old book he went over them again, searching for what he could have possibly done to angry his sworn brother so much. Why had Odin banished him to Midgard?
Unbidden another face loomed in his memory. A gentle, smiling face. Loki frowned. Long ago when he had sworn allegiance to the Æsir and took his place within Asgard they had given him a wife as was tradition. His memories of her were as scattered as the rest of his memories but he recalled that she had been a quiet woman, and gentle.
Reaching for the half-full cup of tea Loki found it only lukewarm and wondered how long he had been staring into the fire. Not that it mattered. No doubt Yamino would be in in a moment with a fresh tea, the boy had a talent for knowing what would be needed when.
Sigyn. Loki turned the cup around and gazed blankly at his reflecting in the surface of the tea. He had never been able to figure out what she had thought of Yamino, Fenrir and the others. Gentle Sigyn had never forsaken him for his unfaithful ways, always she was waiting for him in his hall in Asgard. He knew that she loved him as surely as he cared for her, deep inside. Always he had been traveling, wandering where he would and leaving her to tend to their two sons. He mused to himself that once he had returned to Asgard that he would spend some time with her.
Loki turned to the windows to watch as the last of the rain tapered off. "When I return..." He said under his breath.
"What was that Master Loki?" Yamino asked, the china rattling as he refilled Loki's tea cup with from the teapot, steam curling up from the cup.
"Nothing," Loki said softly, giving his son a smile. "Just thinking."
-fin-
