It was unusual to see the All-Father away from the palace when Asgard was not in times of war. His councils all came to him, and his children confined their playing to the royal grounds with the Asgardian young that had the honor of associating with Odin's sons. So when Odin had been seen outside of the royal grounds, even if it was just in the lands of the noble houses, whispers broke out among some Asgardians. Had a noble angered him, and had he come to administer personal justice?

The truth, though, was not quite so unpleasant. It was in fact a favored family that had called upon him, and for a much more innocent reason, though still of great importance.

Odin only had to place a foot upon the doorstep of the household before the doors promptly sprang open for him. Servants scurried to welcome the All-Father and remove any conceivable inconvenience in his way while a man stepped out and bowed respectfully. "My king. My greatest thanks for your presence here today."

"You may rise, Lord Haenir," Odin said gently, giving a small smile and placing a hand on the man's shoulder. "It is not such a grave occasion that brings me here today."

Lord Haenir was back on his feet in an instant and nodded. "Then I shall not waste your time with unnecessary pleasantries. Please follow me; she is here."

They walked together through the grand house, winding their way through hallways adorned with ornate tapestries, passing beautiful sitting rooms and elegant stairways. Lord Haenir stopped at a well crafted closed door and knocked firmly. "The king approaches," he announced, and opened the door.

Inside, a young girl of six or seven years of age stood very straight and very primly, looking every inch the proper nobleman's daughter. She had blonde hair that waved very slightly, but was secured behind her head with delicate, ornamental hairpieces. She wore a small pretty dress colored with faded browns, pinks, and whites that looked precisely clean and cared for, which was to say, it looked as if it never been worn before. Odin rather imagined that she wore this dress specifically for his arrival, and was likely quite uncomfortable in it. However, she acted as if it bore her no mind, and she bowed low. "It is an honor to be visited by you, my king," she said in a high, but unwavering voice.

Odin smiled and said, "Rise, Lady Sigyn. It would seem we have much to speak of." She straightened up and stood still, looking up at him. Odin turned to Lord Haenir. "I will conduct my business with the young lady alone, if it should please you. I shall tell you of the news of our meeting when we adjourn."

Lord Haenir blinked in surprise, but composed himself in an instance. "Of course, my king," he murmured deferentially and gave a significant look to the young girl, who seemed to stand straighter and stiller at its delivery. He bowed his head once more and shut the door to the room.

Odin glanced once more at Sigyn, but turned his attention to the room. It had a red canopy bed that he was pleased to see was not overly large for a child. The window of the room overlooked a lush garden with flowers of every color. Odin noticed that the tassels holding the curtains in front of the window open looked very new and stiff. The curtains were typically closed, then, and the lovely view blocked. There was a small, practical desk next to the window, and the cushion on the chair in it looked well worn. And then there were the books.

In place of the usual toys and dolls that one would usually expect to see in a child's room, there were instead shelves filled with books hanging on the wall and neatly arranged piles of books on the floor. There were storybooks, books about Asgardian history, books about the cosmos and what lay among them. The books that were in a stack closest to the desk looked to be mostly about magic, though Odin spotted one title that mentioned the World Tree.

As Odin surveyed the room, Sigyn grew more and more nervous, but knew better than to fidget in front of the king. She settled instead for freezing herself as still as a statue, though some remnants of apprehension remained on her face. Did the All-Father think her strange, just as her parents did? Hopefully not quite as strange, or her father would be very disappointed indeed.

Odin finally turned his attention back to Sigyn, and she resolutely maintained eye contact, despite her insecurity. She was not sure if she was relieved that he did not comment on the books, but was certainly settled by the smile he then directed at her. "So!" Odin boomed, now looking more jovial. "Lady Sigyn, do you know why I meet you today?"

Sigyn nodded a bit stiffly. "Yes, my king," she said, "My father has asked for your assistance in finding me a husband."

"So it would seem. But you are very pretty for such a young girl, and I should think that you will grow into a beautiful woman. Not only this, but you are the only child to a family of high class. Why, then, do you think your father doubt your future prospects, hm?"

Sigyn blinked in confusion. Why, he could see the room as clear as day. Was this a rhetorical question?

She decided to err on the safe side, opting not to ignore a direct question from the All-Father. "My father worries that I spend too much of my time by myself. I…I enjoy reading," she faltered, then gave a small nod towards a nearby pile. "As…you can see." Sigyn swallowed as much as she dared, not knowing for certain what movements were permitted for her to make. Her father had made it quite clear that she was not to act impudently in front of the king under any circumstances.

"Ho," Odin muttered, seemingly to himself, "so he imagines that you will lock yourself away to read your life away, never to be seen by the eyes of men." He chuckled deeply, and looked back at Sigyn. "Tell me, then, my young lady Sigyn, do you think that is the life you shall lead?"

"I hope not, my king," she responded, and promptly gave herself a mental kick. She should have surely answered with confidence that she would make every effort to go out and present herself as a desirable spouse, not given a remark that made her sound as if the decision was out of her hands!

Odin raised his eyebrows. "You hope not, Lady Sigyn? But what you hoped was not the question I asked; what sort of life do you think you will lead?"

Sigyn opened her mouth for a moment, then closed it again. Think about what you say, she told herself sternly. Everything word you speak will be taken into account. "I think," she began carefully, "that should I continue as I am, I would read a great many books, and I would learn much from my reading." She pursed her lips, then swallowed again. "I do not think, though, that I would stay alone. I would still marry and give my father the grandchildren he so desires. But I think he is not so optimistic."

Odin nodded his head, as if in complete understanding of this point of view. "So, it is to be the books or a husband," he said, now sounding quite grave. "Tell me, then. Which do you choose?"

Sigyn stared, as if not quite comprehending the question.

Giving her a moment to process the proposed ultimatum, he repeated, "If you must choose between your books and a husband, which do you choose?" He smiled as Sigyn's eyes darted around the room, as if searching for the correct way to answer the question. Or perhaps looking to see if anyone was around to hear her answer. Odin went down on one knee to look her better in the eye and said to her reassuringly, "I know not if you truly must choose in your future. But I wish to know what you would do confronted with the choice. I swear to you that your answer will remain only known to me. Your father will hear none of it."

For the first time since Odin arrived in the room, Sigyn trembled slightly. The king knelt before her for her answer. The king. Knelt before her. And try as she might, she knew quite well the answer out of her mouth was going to be. She looked down and took a deep breath. "My king. If to gain a husband I had to abandon my books, then…then I should lock myself away in my room and never leave again!" Her voice had risen to a shout. She immediately clamped her mouth shut and squeezed her eyes closed in shame, waiting for Odin to pronounce her a lost cause. Now look what you've done.

But to Sigyn's great surprise, as she waited with her eyes closed and her body stiff and aching, the sound that washed over her ears was a single peal of booming laughter. Cautiously, she opened one eye at a time to see Odin with his eyes now gleaming excitedly. "Ha! What a spirit you have!" he exclaimed, rising to his feet once again. "There is more to you than meets the eye, Lady Sigyn, I should think!" He returned to examining her once again, and Sigyn was quick to straighten, holding her hands behind her back and telling herself to keep calm. She was almost always quiet and observing, surely it should not be so difficult. And for some reason, Odin now seemed to have taken to her behavior. Perhaps her father need not worry after all; if she could continue to keep the king in such a mood, a betrothal could not be so difficult to obtain.

"Well then," Odin rumbled, and Sigyn looked him in the eyes once more. "may I ask you, Lady Sigyn, what you think of the Frost Giants?"

She tilted her head to the side ever so slightly and frowned, not expecting the question. What could the purpose of such a question be, except perhaps to test her valiance? …Oh. "The Frost Giants?" she inquired, widening her eyes and striving to appear a bit afraid. "Why, they are terrible. And, um. Very frightening. I should hope never to encounter one, or I should surely die a horrible death."

Odin looked down on her and frowned, furrowing his brow. "Lady Sigyn, you have much farther to go in improving your liecraft." He curled the fingers of his right hand around his beard and narrowed his eyes. "But such an answer you give as a lie! Why, do you wish to be seen as a coward? I assure you, a woman of great courage is a very promising wife!"

Odin's response let Sigyn know that she was taking a chance right now, but she was sure the alternative would not be so pleasant for her. She did her best to not let her face waver and tried to sound more earnest. "But, my king, I am certainly no fighter! I should never be able to keep up with those who go and fight them. And, um," she said, fumbling a bit, "if my husband were to fight Frost Giants, I would surely live my life in terrible fear."

Odin raised his eyebrows at the answer. "Do you try to dissuade me from choosing a warrior for your husband?"

The wide eyed look faded somewhat from Sigyn's face. "You are not trying to appraise me as a match?" she asked, confusion tinting the question.

They stared at each other for a long moment, and suddenly, Odin threw his head back in laughter. Sigyn jumped slightly at the change, and blinked as she tried in vain to reassess the situation. "Oho, I see your game!" he bellowed, and she did her best to stand still again. She was not sure if she had ruined everything or not. "You wish to turn my pick as your husband in your favor! Did you think that if you had not, I should have chosen Thor as your betrothed?" he asked her, chuckles still rumbling through his body. Sigyn could only nod dumbly, no longer sure why Odin has posed his last question. "Ah, you are a tricky girl, Lady Sigyn," he said with a sigh, his mirth finally dying out. "Clever and quick witted, but not one for impulse, eh? I imagine that you think deeply on your actions before making a decision, do you not?"

"I…should think so?" Sigyn replied, now certain that the conversation had completely escaped her grasp.

"Yes, you should," Odin said, now nodding and stroking his chin. "Yes, you shall make a great wife indeed." He turned on his heel and opened the door to the room. Lord Haenir jumped to his feet at attention outside the room, looking his best to appear as if he had not been pressed to the door frame in an attempt to listen to the conversation. He cursed to himself that he had chosen to make the walls and doors of his household so thick.

"Lord Haenir!" Odin boomed, "I have made my decision. The Lady Sigyn shall be betrothed to Loki, my son. May she grow more and more beautiful in the days that lead up to their wedding!"

Lord Haenir opened his eyes wide and smiled with gratitude. "This…this is wonderful news, my king!" he said excitedly. "Your judgment is truly wise, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart." He looked towards Sigyn, who was still in her room looking stunned, and he jerked his head as much as he dared towards Odin, giving her an expectant look. She promptly sprang from her stiff stance into a deep and practiced curtsy. "I am honored by your choice, All-Father, and am filled with gratitude at your wisdom," she murmured, still trying to take in the events of the last several seconds.

"Nay, my child," Odin said with a knowing smile towards her still bent form, "I suspect, in the future, it is your wisdom that we shall all benefit from." With that, the All-Father swept away, and Lord Haenir was swift to summon a servant to lead Odin back to the grounds.

"Father, Father!" a young voice cried out in excitement, and Odin was greeted by two sprinting young boys back in the royal palace. "We missed you, Father!" Thor shouted, coming to a stop before Odin. Normal little boys would have thrown themselves into their father's arms, but Thor was a prince. He had to maintain some decorum, after all.

"Where were you, Father?" Loki asked, panting as he reached Odin second. "We looked for you everywhere and I told Thor that you must have left the palace and he didn't believe me and said that a king never has reason to leave the palace, everyone must always come to him but I was sure we looked in every room for you and even some of the tunnels I found behind the tapestries so you must have left the palace, right?"

Odin chuckled at Loki's long-winded question, which had left him even more out of breath than when he had come running. "I was indeed out of the palace, my sons, on business that I could not conduct here." Loki smirked proudly at Thor, who pouted in response and tugged on Odin's robe, asking, "But then where were you, Father? What did you need to leave for?"

Odin patted Thor's head, and he reluctantly let go, though he still looked up at his father expectantly. "Why, I was visiting the home of one of Asgard's nobles, and I return with glad tidings!" Odin announced. He turned to Loki and knelt down in front of him. "Loki, I have betrothed you to the Lady Sigyn, daughter of Lord Haenir. She shall make you a lovely wife, my son."

Loki's and Thor's eyes both widened at the news. "Loki has a wife now?" Thor asked, turning to look at his brother, then immediately turning back to Odin. "Why does Loki have a wife now? Can't I have a wife too, Father? Will you bring me one too?" Thor pleaded.

Odin barked out a laugh. "Perhaps one day, my son. Or perhaps one day, when you have grown into a man, you shall choose your own wife!" he said with a cackle. Thor frowned at the fact that 'one day' did not sound to be any time soon. Loki glanced at Thor and ducked his head to hide a smile, but quickly looked back up to Odin. "Will I get to meet her soon, Father?" Loki inquired.

"Yes, I should think so, my son," Odin said, taking a hand each from Loki and Thor into his own and began to walk back into the throne room. "She spends much of her time reading, but I think we may be able to tear her away from her books just long enough to visit us all."

"Reading?" Thor piped up to Odin's left. "She sounds boring!"

Odin smiled at his firstborn, who Odin had known very quickly would have never been a suitable husband for Sigyn. "Oh, my son," he said, almost to himself, "I think you might find she is much less boring than you might think."

I wrote this entirely on a whim, and I have ideas for where I want this story to go, but I'm going to be honest: these ideas are currently very vague. What I do know is that this story is most likely going to be following through the events of Thor and its possible sequel through The Avengers eventually, but of course, we're going to get through some childhood before we get there. Also, I have no idea how age works in Asgard, so when I say Sigyn is six or seven, I do mean like a six or seven-year-old human child. I have not read the comics, so none of the characters in my story will reflect any of the characters in them; movies only! I also started writing this before reading a great number of already existing Loki/Sigyn fics, so the usual fanon isn't going to apply here: her parents are not Freyja and Iwaldi, she's not one of the Vanir, and she doesn't have any siblings (if any of this was in the comics, I apologize. Again, I haven't read them). She is a legitimate Asynja in her own right, and I'll be making up any more of her history as I go along.

Also, this is my first fic, so please: all tips, hints, criticisms, and advice are welcome and desired. Give me some feedback! I want to provide you all with a good reading experience!