"Sigyn: After 'The Avengers'"
Snodin
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Asgard.
The trial was set the next morning, leaving Loki some time to sit quietly in his cell to contemplate on how he would go about defending himself before Odin. The cell was one of countless in a long, dark hall not unlike the treasure rooms beneath the castle. The only wall blocking him from the outside was made of an ice-like element; transparent like glass, but strong enough to keep even a frost giant out… which was good, beings how Loki was in fact a frost giant's son. As each minute ticked away, Loki was reminded of this sad fact and sighed deeply- though Thor was kind enough to unleash his mouth guard, his hands were still bound. But at least he could breathe properly now.
His keen ears picked up the faint sound of footsteps creeping through the hall; oh great, here came the favorite son to drag him off to trial, he thought. But soon he realized that the footsteps were far too soft to be Thor's; the thunder god normally clopped around like a horse in his steely boots. These footsteps sounded like they were bare… and dainty. And indeed, they were the feet of a woman- young woman with golden, curly hair and fair skin. She was tip-toeing down the hall in secret, unsure if seeing the criminal was against the rules or not. She didn't want to risk the chance of being caught and then lectured in front of everyone (including her six older sisters) by Odin later. Her stealth seemed to worked, as she appeared alone and unguarded before Loki's icy cell.
"Sigyn," he cooed weakly. He was leaning against the rightward wall when she appeared before him through the glassy door.
"You remember me," she smiled.
"Remember? We practically grew up together, didn't we?"
"Hmm. It's been a while, my old friend." Just the sight of him was enough to get her heart racing, but she was careful to keep her feelings to herself.
"Who sent you?"
"No one. I came alone… When they told me Thor brought you back, I had to see it for myself." Her smile was dropped. "Oh Loki, why? …Why did you leave us?"
His dark eyes narrowed. "Do you not know? Did Thor not tell you?"
"I know of your betrayal, yes. But I still don't understand it. You used to be so happy here- at least, you looked happy."
"I was… for a little while."
"Then why throw it all away? Were we not kind to you?"
"My whole life was a lie, Sigyn. I am not a son of Odin, I am a frost giant. And worse yet, I'm not welcome in my home world because they've seen me fight alongside the Asgardians. I have no home, no family."
"That's not true," she interrupted him while shaking her head. "You have everything here. Perhaps if you make a strong case and Odin forgives you, he'll let you come back to us. We could forget that this ever happened."
He chuckled softly. "Heh… You think it's that easy? You're even more naive than I remember. No, Sigyn, I've already given up on this place. It's too dull for me anyway, especially after I've been to many other worlds… Did you know there's a whole planet out there full of eager subjects to rule over? It was wonderful."
"Didn't you get your butt handed to you on that planet?"
"Damn, that Thor! I should have known he'd brag about that… No matter. As soon as I get out of here, I'll start again with a new plan."
"With that attitude, they'll never let you out." She turned her head away slightly, not trying hard enough to conceal her sorrowful frown.
Loki was a quick one, quick to notice her shift in tone. It was clear to him now that she didn't just come here to make small talk; she was trying to reach out to him- to help him. He leaned in to look her more deeply in the eyes. "I'm touched by your concern, Sigyn. But you need to understand where I'm coming from: I don't belong here, even if I was accepted back, it wouldn't be the same. I need a new world to call my own... And, I would be willing to share that world with someone who understood me."
She looked back at him and was caught by his mesmerizing eyes. She opened her mouth slightly, but no words were coming out. Perhaps he caught her off guard.
"We were always close, you and I," he smiled warmly.
The poor girl couldn't help but blush. "…Well, to be honest…"
"Yes?"
She leaned in to whisper to him secretly, "Between you and your brother, I always thought you were the cute one."
This made him laugh, and it sure felt good to laugh again.
"Don't tell Thor."
"My lips are sealed."
She pulled herself away so as not to fog up the icy wall. "…Still. If you're inviting me to join you on your adventures, then I'll have to decline. My place is here."
He leaned back with a disappointed frown. "Are you afraid of what they'll do to you if you join me?"
She sighed, "How could you make me choose between you and my home?"
"You're not limited to this place, my dear. You can go wherever you want, choose any planet you want. I know it sounds simple, but that's because it is… Join me."
"You always were as good liar, Loki."
"This is no lie, my dear Sigyn. When have I ever lied to you?"
Her bottom lip trembled while she struggled with a response. "…I…"
She couldn't have made her choice then and there, even if Thor's steely boots weren't clopping down the hall to alert her. She quickly pulled herself away from the jail cell before Thor caught her being too close to the prisoner.
"Sigyn?" chirped the manly god. "What're you doing here?"
She walked past him with a turned up nose. "I'm visiting my friend."
"Whatever he's told you, don't trust a word of it."
With a small huff, she marched off. But as she left, Thor was keen to spot the rosy rouge in her cheeks. This made him shake his head as he approached Loki. "What did you say to her?"
Loki replied coyly, as usual. "Nothing, she just wanted to say hello. Why do you ask, 'brother?' Jealous?"
"Father will see you now."
.
All Loki had to do was act calm as he stood before Odin and his queen Frigga, while the Twelve Judges recounted his crimes against both Asgard and Midgard (Earth) before Odin could make his final judgment. The time would soon come for Loki to defend himself, a moment that Thor was particularly worried about, knowing how good a liar his stepbrother was. But Odin knew that while in his presence, Loki would have no choice but to act as his true self. Still, it didn't hurt to keep a calm demeanor.
"And finally, perhaps the worst crime of all, stealing the Tesseract with intention of using its power to overthrow any and all planets," said one of the judges. "This only proves that Loki Odinson has not yet abandoned his mad quest for control over Asgard and to destroy his majesty, Lord Odin."
"That is enough," said the eldest god. With his one blue eye, Odin stared down his stepson. "Have you nothing to say in your own defense, Loki?"
After a moment of silence, the raven-haired god of mischief finally spoke. "Let me start by correcting my accusers; my proper name is Loki Laufeyson."
Infuriated by this, Thor tried to charge, but was restrained by his friends Hogun and Volstagg.
"I will allow it," Odin replied. "Continue."
Slightly startled by Thor's reaction, Loki stirred. "Ahem… I must explain that while I had fallen through that wormhole… which I created, and I am truly sorry for that… I was left stranded on the planet of the Chitauri, and had no hope of leaving without first winning their favor. And yes, that included helping them retrieve the Tesseract. I would have kept it safe from them and use it to send myself home, except the mortals of Misgard completely misunderstood my intentions."
"He lies," spat Thor. "He never wanted to come home, he was going to rule and enslave Midgard."
"Be still, Thor!" shouted Odin. "I will hear his case. Go on, Loki."
"…Well, I had considered staying on Midgard. But only because the mortals there are so weak and feeble; they need someone like us to keep them safe from greater threats and even from themselves. I have seen them wage pointless wars against each other, none of which would have happened if we had not stepped in."
Odin wisely replied, "It is not our place to govern the mortals. We let them do as they wish, because they are intelligent enough to make the right decisions. They are not like…" He couldn't say it.
"…Like the frost giants?" Loki dared to ask, while looking rightfully offended.
"Understand this, Loki: as a frost giant, you would have been a nameless soldier in an army that willingly throws its members away without even a proper burial. That is no way for anyone to live."
"Oh, I see. So by kidnapping me, you were trying to save me?"
"I have saved you. And whether you accept it or not, I love you as though you were my true son, which is why I am allowing you a fair trial. There are others in this court who demand that we send you to prison for an eternity- or worse, back to Jotunheim, where you will surely be put to death! Now I ask you, son, do you accept the responsibility of your folly and wish forgiveness?"
Loki was eerily quiet.
"I will only ask you this once," warned Odin.
Loki took a deep breath and replied, "…No. I am not sorry."
Gasps filled the room, added on by a small gasp coming from a young lady hiding in a corner. While others were genuinely shocked by this, Thor bowed his head and shook it as though he was expecting such a terrible answer.
Loki continued to say, "I did what I believed what was in the best interest of the Midgardians. I did what I had to, to get off of that wretched Chitauri planet. I do not seek forgiveness, because what I did was right by me!"
Hiding in her corner on the edge of the room, Sigyn grasped her panged heart. She finally understood why her longtime crush had betrayed her kind. And sympathized.
"You leave me no choice then," frowned Odin as he prepared to make his final judgment. "You will be taken back to your cell, where you shall remain for the next ten thousand years."
"Ten thousand?" gasped Loki.
"That should give you enough time to reconsider your place among us Asgardians. Thor and Volstagg will escort you. We are adjourned."
Loki turned even paler than his natural complexion; even for an immortal, ten thousand years was a long time. And it seemed that he was not prepared for this sentence. Worse yet, Thor was now placing the mouth guard back on his jaw.
"That should keep you from swaying anyone into freeing you," hoped the thunder god aloud.
Sigyn was overwhelmed; how could Thor treat his brother so coldly? And how could they take away his voice like that? Such a beautiful voice it was, and to almost never hear it again? This was the straw that broke the young goddess' back. While no one was watching, she slipped into the shade.
.
Though Thor and Volstagg were big and strong warriors, they never would have expected an attack from one so small and dainty as Sigyn, and that would work in her favor. As the duo marched along the dark and cold hall of cells with Loki in tow, their clopping boots overshadowed the soft tiptoes of the goddess that was creeping up behind them. And thanks to the pedestals that lined the hall, she could easily jump behind one in case one of the warriors sensed her presence. She had with her a hair pin with a sharp edge, thin enough to pick the locks of Loki's wrist chains. The goddess was quick and agile, enough so to slip her needle-like pin into the chain lock, fiddle with it for a second or two, then jump into hiding just as Thor and Volstagg turned their heads.
"Did you feel that draft too?" asked Volstagg to Thor.
The thunder god shrugged. "These halls are ancient; there must be cracks in the walls."
This went on for a good ten minutes before Loki finally noticed his chains being loosened. He turned his head as far back as he could while the corner of his dark eyes caught Sigyn's fair face.
"I've made my choice," she whispered, as the last pick was turned.
Snap!
With his chains loosed, Loki could teleport without struggle. The next draft Thor and Volstagg felt was that of the cold mist left behind by Loki's teleportation. Thor was the first to notice the sound of chains falling to the floor, two seconds too late.
"Volstagg, he's loose!" he roared, pulling Mjoinir from his belt.
"Where did he go?" growled a furious Volstagg. The two of them looked left and right, up and down, but found nothing.
"Alert the others!" Thor demanded as he charged in the opposite direction in which they were marching.
Meanwhile, on another side of the hall, Loki and Sigyn reformed into material after going through mist. The goddess was dazed, as this was her first time through a magical portal, so Loki led the chase while grasping her wrist firmly.
"This is crazy," she muttered.
"I know!" cheered Loki. "Isn't it wonderful?"
Carelessly they ran down the halls until they came to the exit where they were met by dozens of armored guards.
"Hang on tight," smirked Loki as he pulled Sigyn close to him. Again, they disappeared into nothingness before the guards' spears could touch them.
This chase would continue on, with the fugitives popping in and out of every corner, sometimes purposely close to the throne room just to catch the gods off guard. In fact, most of the chase was just a rouse to distract the guards from guessing Loki's true location. But there was one place where Loki intended to pop up, and that was the treasury hall where his golden staff was being kept. As he reconfigured from the mist, he seized a guard's staff to break the glass in which his staff was jarred and snatched it up before disappearing into a puff of smoke once more.
Thor, more than anyone, was quick to guess where his brother would end up. And sure enough, he was right: The Bifrost Bridge. Despite being on the right track, Thor could never hope to catch up to Loki and Sigyn. But Loki gave him a fighting chance, reappearing just at the gateway where Heimdall held the keys to other worlds.
The massive guardian grasped his spear and aimed it at Loki. Loki raised his hands in defeat and pleaded, "You wouldn't dare strike a woman, would you?"
"What woman?" asked Heimdall, right before Sigyn struck the back of his head with Loki's retrieved staff. But beings he was more than twice her might, her blow was more like a soft tap on his helmet.
The gate guardian turned around and faced her. "Traitor!"
"I didn't encourage this, I swear!" shouted the god of mischief.
Sigyn tossed the staff high in the air and over Heimdall's head so that Loki could catch it. He caught it, winked at Heimdall, then aimed the staff at his tall adversary and cast the freeze spell on him as he did once before. In an instant, the gate guardian was no more than a frozen statue… again.
"Wow," blinked Sigyn. "That was too easy."
"Nope," smiled Loki proudly. "I'm just too good."
As Loki grabbed ahold of Heimdall's key/spear, Thor was charging toward them with gusto, screaming, "Loki! Sigyn, stop this madness!"
While Sigyn started to grow nervous, Loki was already turning the wheels on the teleportation machine. "Well, my dear? Where do you want to go first?" he asked with a sly smile.
Sigyn glanced back at Thor, who was begging them to turn back, then back at the god she chose. She jumped into Loki's arms and gasped, "Anywhere but here!"
As Thor closed in on them, Loki turned to his charging brother and smiled.
"Get back here, brother!" Thor raised his hammer to strike, but missed his target as Loki and Sigyn faded into a flash of white light. They were gone. Thor roared.
.
Hours later, after Heimdall freed himself from his icy state, the gods gathered in council to decide the fate of the fugitives if and when they were to be recaptured. Odin and Frigga were visibly shaken, feeling betrayed once again by the son they loved as their own. Sigyn's sisters were also present and pleaded mercy for their sister, fearing that Loki had somehow bedazzled her into helping him escape. But while everyone else spoke their peace at the council, one voice remained silent: Thor's.
He stood on the Bifrost Bridge for a time, staring up at the stars, wondering which planet to invade first. He was soon joined by his friend Sif, who greeted him with a pat on the shoulder.
"You're worried about them," she guessed.
Thor frowned, "About their well-being, or what they'll do to the balance of the universe?"
"…Both, I guess."
"Yes. I am worried."
"Did she seem… possessed or spellbound to you?"
Thor gave himself time to think about his answer, which was rare since the god of thunder wasn't known for thinking deeply. But given the time he had spent with both Loki and Sigyn, he could only come to one conclusion, a conclusion that made him sigh with discontent.
"I think it's worse than that, Sif… I think she's in love."
.
END