A/N: Consider this a song that I've had stuck in my head way too long and consider me fascinated. Sif and Thor in fifty (plus many more) words; in some ways, this is a Sif character study. In other ways, this is me trying to find my voice again. List of fifty found on the Thor/Sif livejournal.
all that's left are your bones
so hold on to what we are.
xlix. scorch
There was a time when the gods of Aesir believed that the flax-haired, willow-eyed maiden would one day be a people's salvation, that she would keep the cycles of the earth and nourish.
They did not see the fight in her eyes.
She had a warrior's mind and a fire in her spirit that could not be quelled.
She gets her name in battle, writes her strength in blood.
She is war, of the earth, but not for it.
She saves the world and leaves in her wake the paths she burned.
l. court
They were young, battle-hungry, convinced of their invincibility and reckless because of it.
He falls in love with her errantly, like the dark curls sweaty around her brow; carelessly, like the threads she weaves through cloth; wildly, like the dark eyes framed by thick lashes; and unconditionally, like her.
She earns her name in whispers. War, the wind cries. War, the shadows crow. War, the All-father declares. Lady Sif, the gentle, the fair, the kind, the undeniable, deserving of a title of strength, valor, and destruction. Lady Sif, Goddess of War.
He falls in love with her in peace, to the lazy trickle of a river, by the rules and writs of their people, under the weight of the future.
She refuses him with steadfast conviction, but offers fleeting smiles that he thinks belie her resolve.
After days—a lifetime—and years, she offers her heart to him.
She fell in love as a child with this humor and grace. As a maiden, she fell in love with sinew and smiles. And as a warrior, she falls in love with his doggedness and loyalty and strength.
In their youth, each devoted themselves to only the other, shared in joy, secrets, and irresponsibility.
In maturity, they devote themselves to causes larger than they can understand and fights that are not entirely their own.
"In my youth, I courted war."
xiv. pyre
They bury their heroes in fire, burn them until all that remains is ash and stories on the breaths of babes.
She will die a warrior's death one day.
Today, he cannot let her go.
When the day comes, he will build her pyre by hand, will honor her bravery and loyalty and love, will welcome the dirt and wood against his skin like he feels her flesh beneath his fingers now.
Today, he saves her.
Today, he holds her face in his hands and memorizes the battle-carved lines of blood.
Today, he loves her.
Tomorrow, he will be strong and brave like her.
Tomorrow, he will be able to let go.
Tomorrow, he will help her burn.
