Loki looked over at Sif and tried to calm his racing heart. Her laughter floated across the marble hall as the sunlight shone on her gold hair.
He really didn't know why he was so nervous. There was nothing unusual about what he was about to ask; it was a common practice for a warrior to ask for a lock of a lady's hair before combat. Besides, he knew that Thor and Balder had already asked for and received one.
No need to be nervous. Then why were his hands sweating?
As Sif broke away from her group, Loki gathered his courage and approached her.
"Lady Sif."
"Yes, Loki?" she asked, amusement lingering on her face. He could almost swear that her dark eyes were sparkling. By the Norns, she was exquisite.
"As you know," he said, outwardly composed, "the combat trials are approaching. I ask permission to fight in your honor."Loki took a silent breath and held it, awaiting her answer. It was swift to come.
"I am sorry, Loki," Sif replied, coolly, "but I am afraid that there will be only one woman fighting in my honor, and I have reserved that privilege for myself." Her voice, which carried so well, travelled across the hall and into the ears of all present. Scattered chuckles broke out across the room.
With a swish of her hair, Sif walked away. Loki's face was frozen in a blank expression. Fighting the urge to run, he slowly began to leave the hall.
"Hard luck, Silvertongue," Fandral called after him, "But don't be upset; I'm sure Hogan would be willing to fight in your honor!" The witticism drew a round of snickers.
Amidst the jeers, a quiet figure detached herself from her friends. Sigyn stepped in the path of the young magician, laying a single hand on his arm.
"May I?" she asked, gesturing to the knife on his belt. Confused, Loki drew it and offered the ornate blade to her hilt-first.
Sigyn took the dagger in her right hand. She pulled a blue ribbon from her hair, sending her golden hair tumbling around her shoulders. Grasping a single curl with her left hand, she cut it with the dagger. Wrapping the ribbon around it securely, she handed the dagger and the lock of hair to Loki.
"Fight well and with honor."
The room was silent as she left.
Sif was fond of jokes, but she did not laugh when she awoke a few days later to find that her hair had disappeared.
Loki, on the other hand, did.
He only stopped when Thor and his three friends cornered him and demanded the return of Sif's hair. Loki denied having anything to with its disappearance but offered to replace it 'from the compassion of his heart.' That was, of course, if Sif could bear anything so weak and womanly as magic assisting her.
Sif nearly throttled Loki when her hair returned jet black instead of blonde. But Thor and the rest of the male population expressed their approval for the shade, and that convinced Sif not to insist Loki try again.
In the past, Loki would have been jealous of the attention Sif gave the other warriors. Perhaps being publically humiliated and heartbroken had cooled his ardor.
Or perhaps it was something else entirely.
Author's Note:
This is the first part of the story of Loki and Sigyn, written as backstory for "Dream Walker". I felt it was too good to leave in flashbacks, and I'll be posting updates as DW progresses. This will be a multi-chapter affair, and I'm estimating that there will be at least twenty installments.
This is also my second retelling of a Norse myth; if you liked it, you may enjoy the first, "The Birth of Sleipnir". I didn't put them together because Sigyn doesn't appear in that story.
Anyway, thanks for reading, and leave a review if you have questions, requests, or just feel like letting me know what you thought.
- Jordis