PROLOGUE
Odin had married many couples in his time. As the ruler of Asgard, he had the power to marry anyone who came before him with the expressed desire to become united. It was a wondrous thing, marriage, because it bound two people together for eternity. Their names would be tied even in death, and it was not a union to be taken lightly. He married his beloved wife centuries ago, and to this day he knew he couldn't have chosen anyone better. A true man did not express their love for their wife the same way in public as they did in private, but on the day of one's wedding, a tear here and there is always excused.
He hadn't cried on his wedding day, mind you, but he could understand why lesser men might. Now, there would certainly be no tears today. Today, Odin married one of his higher ranking members of the Crimson Hawks to the graceful goddess Sigyn. Theoric was a young warrior still, but he had ascended through the ranks quickly for his military prowess and skill on the battlefield. Collected, confident, and purposeful, Odin believed that, in time, Theoric would run his Crimson Hawks – his elite fighters – for years to come. The woman he had chosen was a goddess that Odin had known of since she was born, and she would make a wonderful wife for Theoric to return to after long missions abroad under Odin's command.
He wouldn't go as far as to say he was honoured to marry the pair, but he was excited to marry one of his best warriors to such a beautiful little goddess. Naturally, Thor would always be at the top of his warrior chain, but the Crimson Hawks were the elite of the Asgardian royal command; with Theoric finally becoming a man as a husband, he would no doubt continue to climb the hierarchy, and one day the man would be a companion to Thor in battle, perhaps even with the Warriors Three. Everything he had done since he joined the ranks of the Hawks managed to impress Odin in one way or another, and when the man came before him, down on one knee, head bowed, to ask the All-Father to marry him to the young goddess Sigyn, Odin consented without a second thought.
The preparations for this ceremony were the same he took for every ceremony; he dressed himself in the appropriate attire, collected the ceremonial texts that he was to read, and kissed his wife in the privacy of their chambers. No security marched with him, as he felt he needed no real protection in his palace. However, when he arrived at the central Great Hall, the hall in which he had married many before Theoric and Sigyn, there were guards flanked along the outer walls, lest anything should happen during the ceremony. Asgard's elite rose when he entered, and he took his place near the throne at the top of the marble stairwell. Two large fires burned on either side of him, and as he surveyed the hall he knew so well, he lost himself in the setting sun somewhere far in the distance.
It was a delicate fall evening in Asgard, with warm weather and a perfectly orange sky beneath the starlight. Frigga remained to the side, seated next to Thor in the audience. His clear eyes found hers at the helm of the crowd, and she smiled warmly, her hand resting on her son's. Thor gave him a smile too, and then leaned to whisper something in Frigga's ear; Odin felt himself grin when they chuckled over whatever was said. Soon, Theoric would understand this love, this deep, unending bond of family that, no matter what they did, would endure for the rest of this lifetime. Perhaps when the warrior did, he would come to understand why Odin had removed Loki from his chains and given him relative freedom in the city that was once his home.
But then again, some were more forgiving than others, and some were ruled more by their emotions than the All-Father; very few would ever understand why he had accepted Thor's decision to bring Loki back after his failures on Earth. Odin thought he had made the right choice when he removed Loki's bondage after months of imprisonment, knowing that his adoptive son would not attempt such a foolhardy mission ever again so long as he had Odin's protection from the Chitauri armies. Loki had become subservient to Odin's wishes once again, and because of it, he was given permission to wander the streets of Asgard on his own. His powers were restricted, of course, but Odin had every faith in his ability to keep the young god under control.
Interestingly enough, Loki was not present today. He had been invited, as he knew Theoric through his training with the Crimson Hawks. However, he wasn't even skulking at the back of the hall with the usual scowl he now reserved for Asgardian high society. Curious.
Loki's whereabouts left his mind quickly when Theoric arrived in the hall, clad completely in his red Hawks uniform. He marched down the center aisle with the same determined march that he always had, and his handsome features grinned up at the All-Father as he climbed the ancient steps. He paused one step below Odin, and clasped his hands together behind his back, a steely look in his eyes that the All-Father had never seen before.
"How do you feel?" he murmured softly enough, his words for Theoric's ears only.
"Excited," the warrior replied, his blue eyes darting up to meet Odin's quickly. "I have waited for this day since I first met her."
Odin nodded, fully understanding the elation a man might have on the day that he would marry his beloved. It brought back fleeting memories of his wedding night; Frigga had been stunning, and the sheer look of devotion in her eyes had made their union the most special night of his existence until the birth of his son. He cast his gaze once more toward his firstborn, his smile remaining as he watched the reformed man joke with the Lady Sif to his left, entertaining both her and his mother with no doubt some ridiculous anecdote.
A hush fell over the crowd when music announced the arrival of the bridal party. First came the bridesmaids, four of them, each escorted by more members of the Crimson Hawks. Their uniforms were not the standard red that Theoric wore, but rather the black training gear etched with silver that Odin knew all too well. The ladies were lovely in their deep purple dresses, but he was sure they would not outshine the beauty of the bride. Lady Sigyn surfaced shortly after, marching alone in her pure white gown, a sheer veil thrown over her face. She carried an orange mesh of flowers in her grasp, and her eyes remained on the floor as she approached the marble stairwell.
A bridesmaid aided her up the stairs, holding the bulk of her white train so that she wouldn't trip over the fabric. However, the march was mercifully short, and once she was in position, Odin instructed the pair to hold hands. She handed her flowers to a nearby woman, and then placed her shaking hands in the still grasp of Theoric. With that started, the All-Father began to dictate the ancient words that would bind a man and a woman together for eternity. There were no annulments, no going back on one's words once the ceremony was complete; marriage in Asgard was not to be taken lightly. Even if affairs arose, a marriage was eternal and everlasting.
They stopped only for a moment when Odin demanded any objections from the crowd before them. The hall was silent, and he heard Sigyn sniffle softly as they waited. She reached under her veil to wipe a tear away, and it warmed Odin's heart to see such loving emotion from the bridge. With no objections, he had the couple exchange their vows, spoken perfectly by both, and they swapped rings as an open sign of their eternal devotion to another.
With that, the ceremony was complete, and Odin had married yet another couple in the Asgardian society. He took a step back, announcing their united name to the hall, and the couple kissed through Sigyn's veil in front of their audience. It was at that moment that something changed.
The All-Father frowned as Theoric's eyes changed from bright blue to a familiar green. His nose elongated and thinned, lips mimicking the same transformation. Black hair sprouted from beneath the man's helmet, and Odin felt his anger surge when he finally realized what had transpired under his nose. Sigyn gasped, her hands flying to her mouth, as she watched her husband transform from Theoric into a much taller, leaner Loki.
"What have you done?" Odin thundered, eyes flashing dangerously at the smiling devil before him, "Where is Theoric?"
Loki shrugged his shoulders, his eyes on the woman standing in front of him, "That I cannot say, All-Father. At this point, even I do not know what has become of his person."
Odin heard Sigyn sob form beneath her veil, no doubt horrified to find herself technically bound to the man standing there before her. That trickster… That devil! After all the chances he had been given, and all the progress he had made over the last few months of freedom. Thor was on his feet, storming toward them from the crowd, which was completely abuzz with the hums of dramatic discussions.
"You have broken my trust once more, Loki," Odin told him, the rage bubbling beneath his surface momentarily cooled after he saw Frigga's silent plea to keep the peace. He held up his hand, stopping Thor in his tracks, "You are no longer welcome in Asgard… nor will you be welcome in the near future."
"One day, perhaps," Loki mused as he strolled down the steps slowly.
"Where is Theoric?" one of Theoric's companions demanded, his voice savage. However, he knew better than to attack Loki here, better than to throw himself at a man who could outmatch him physically.
Loki merely smiled, and Odin's eye narrowed at him, "Leave this place, Loki. You can return when the trust you have shattered on this day is regained."
He did not ask him to return Theoric or divulge his location. It was clear that something had happened to Sigyn's intended, and Odin figured it would be easier to investigate this with Thor and the Crimson Hawks rather than force Loki to unravel the plan he had no doubt worked out some time ago. He wasn't sure if banishment was Loki's hope for his actions, but it was a just punishment; if Odin could not trust the man he once considered his son, he couldn't have him in Asgard.
"You are, of course, welcome to stay with us," Odin informed the weeping woman. Frigga would no doubt take her under her maternal wing to help her through this perilous time.
Sigyn's shaking fingers clutched at her veil, and finally she removed it, casting it aside to reveal a tearstained face. She smiled weakly up at him, but shook her head.
"Thank you, All-Father," she murmured, her voice soft and melodic, "but I am married now."
Loki paused in the aisle, turning back to face the throne with a frown on his lips.
"I am bound to my husband," Sigyn continued, her watery eyes searching out Loki's below her, "and my loyalty and life is his… Those were the words we spoke. Wherever my husband goes, I must go too."
He couldn't accept this. He couldn't allow an innocent woman to devote herself to such a trickster, but the emotion in her voice indicated that she had made up her mind on this matter. He watched the married couple stare at each other briefly, and Loki then extended his hand to her. She gathered up her dress and hurried down the steps, taking his hand.
They lingered only for a moment, but soon disappeared, leaving a trail of intrigue and mystery behind them.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Hello all! Welcome to my third Loki fic – I've clearly become obsessed since I've started three in the span of a month. This is a twist on the classic tale of Loki and Sigyn's romance – in the comics, Loki fell in love (Lust? Obsession?) and took Theoric's place after having him killed, much to Sigyn's distress. However, in this AU version from the depths of my brain, we're going to ask, "What if?" – What if Sigyn and Theoric weren't the happy couple, and what if Loki was actually rescuing the Goddess of Fidelity from what could be a doomed marriage?
This prologue is Odin's point of view from a chapter that we will see again in a few chapters. We'll go from here to the beginning, when Loki and Sigyn first met several months prior to the wedding, and the story will follow their marriage as it evolves during Loki's new banishment from Asgard. I'm excited. Are you excited?
This may not have been the most thrilling chapter, but we'll get into the actual story in the next chapter. I always appreciate feedback and reviews! I appreciate you taking the time to read, and hopefully I'll see you for the next chapter soon!