So, this is the first sequel to Five Kisses; if you've not read that and the oneshots that take place before this then you may want to... Just an idea. ;)

There are some big changes in store for Loki and Sigyn so I hope you guys like it! :) They're certainly going to have... a time of it... :P

By the way, the music Loki's playing at the beginning of this chapter is Debussy's La fille aux cheveux de lin. And here's a link; just remove the spaces. :) www. youtube watch ?v=wF0xq51sxgM

Kit xx

The melodic sound of chiming piano keys could be heard from the hallway outside Loki and Sigyn's rooms. Sigyn sighed as she listened to her husband play. The sound was so beautiful. She didn't understand how he could be so accomplished; but he was. And every time he sat down to play, she couldn't help but smile. Whatever else his playing did, it made Sigyn feel- and wasn't that always what everyone said the point of music was? To make the listener feel something?

Sigyn leant back into her chair and pulled her legs up to her chest so that she could rest the book in her hands against her knees. Loki's music was a perfect background for reading, she had discovered. It always made her feel so much more involved; particularly as Loki seemed to know the mood of whatever she had chosen to read and mimicked it in his playing.

She'd never questioned how or why that seemed so often to happen, but she enjoyed it all the same. And she had a feeling Loki wanted her to notice, but say nothing. She didn't know why; it was just the feeling she got. But it was a kind gesture, a little nuance that he seemed to have picked up that never failed to put Sigyn in a better mood.

A knock heralded from the door and Sigyn turned to look in its direction. Loki didn't miss a note however and remained seemingly oblivious to the intrusion, keeping totally focussed on his playing. The Queen pushed open the door and paused in the doorway before coming in, watching her son play for a moment.

Catching sight of the Queen, Sigyn sat up, quickly swinging her legs off of the chair. She closed her book and placed it in her lap. Looking over at her mother-in-law, it was obvious that she was surprised at the Queen's presence. She and Loki barely ever got any visitors when they remained in their rooms, so it felt almost odd to have another present.

"Good morning, mother," Loki said.

He stopped playing and swivelled round on his stool, a small smile lighting his expression.

"That was lovely," Frigga smiled.

He inclined his head to her. She didn't say it, but she cherished any soft moment she witnessed from her youngest son. And he, of course, wouldn't openly let it be known that he loved the praise- particularly from his mother. It was so rare that he received such compliments having Thor as an older brother.

"I'm afraid that I'm going to have to steal your wife away from you for a time, Loki," Frigga said, interrupting Loki's thoughts.

He smirked after her and shook his head. He knew exactly why his mother wanted Sigyn; it only irked him slightly that she had made sure that he was not involved in any way. The date had been set for this occasion many weeks ago, and his exclusion was just as planned. Loki had been entertaining the idea of investigating however. And now, as he looked over at his mother, he couldn't help but think about disguising himself and following them anyway. Hm, he thought.

He looked over at Sigyn, whose expression made her appear more than slightly confused. Despite that though, she left with Frigga anyway, depositing her book on the small table beside her chair. Loki smirked at her as she disappeared; his poor wife had no idea what awaited her. What fun he would have when she returned.

"Forgive me, my Queen-" Sigyn started as she walked down the corridor beside Frigga.

"Oh, dear, please do stop calling me that- I'm your mother-in-law, call me Frigga."

Sigyn smiled a little at the older woman's pleasant attitude.

"Forgive me, Frigga, but where are we going?"

"Well dear, now that you have had a sufficient amount of time to settle in with Loki, it's time."

Sigyn paused for a moment before cautiously asking, "Time for what?"

Without missing a step, Frigga replied, "For your duties to begin."

Sigyn blinked, which only made the Queen smile and feel that she had to explain a little.

"Your honeymoon period is over now, my dear; and I believe you have had long enough to accustom yourself to the palace. Now it is time for the real work to begin."

The younger woman frowned a little, confused, but curious too. Real work? What does she mean by real work? Sigyn wondered. Certainly she had wanted to do something with her life; she had had no plans to merely be Loki's wife. She had intended to figure something out with Loki that would get him to allow her to accompany him when he left Asgard occasionally, or even to leave on her own for a short period.

It might have been a difficult undertaking, but Sigyn had thought about its worth. She wanted to be able to experience new things and new places like Loki did. Admittedly, she understood what he meant about hunting; she wouldn't press that matter and ask to join him again. In essence, that was just seeking out dangerous beasts to kill, and that he thought it would be too risky to take her made sense.

But she wanted to be able to leave Asgard. To experience things like those heroes in her books did; to adventure. But it seemed to Sigyn now that she had already had some plans made for her, though she didn't understand what the Queen could have come up with that could be classed as 'real work'.

Frigga paused before the entrance to the main hall of the palace. Odin's Hall. Sigyn took a deep breath as her uncertainty grew. She couldn't fathom why her mother-in-law had brought her to Odin's Hall of all places, but she knew now that whatever this 'real work' was, it probably involved her seeing the Allfather.

Sigyn tried to keep her perplexed frown from her face as Frigga led her into the Hall. This must be serious, she thought, her mind rolling over a million possibilities as to the purpose of her being there that all seemed as unlikely as the last.

The two women came to a stop at the bottom of the grand stairway that led to the Allfather's throne, where he sat in all his glory. Frigga moved off to the side, leaving Sigyn alone under the Allfather's one-eyed gaze. She could feel a mixture of curiosity and anxiousness taking over her and she couldn't help but chew on the inside of her cheek as she bowed.

Odin stood from his throne, saying nothing for a long while as he surveyed his daughter-in-law; and Sigyn couldn't help but notice that he was acting very much as the Allfather in that moment. She had noticed when she had first met him that Odin had two sides to him; the powerful Allfather, and the pleasant and welcoming in-law.

The difference between the two sides of the God were strikingly noticeable, and Sigyn could tell that she was standing before the Allfather, the God, rather than a father figure at that moment. She gulped back a nervous lump that was growing in her throat as he levelled her with his gaze.

"Sigyn Iwaldidottir," Odin started, his voice ringing out to fill the entire hall. "Wife of Loki Odinson; Princess of Asgard, as a member of the royal family, I hereby proclaim you the Goddess of Fidelity."

His staff, Gungnir, clashed against the floor, finalising the motion with echoing swiftness. Sigyn blinked. What just happened? she thought blankly. If she'd heard correctly then the Allfather had just named her the Goddess of Fidelity. But... A Goddess? Me? She couldn't get her head around the situation and her thoughts started to become incoherent as she tried, so Sigyn had to turn her attention to the fact that Odin was smiling at her a little as he descended the steps from his throne. Somehow he seemed to have made the transition to friendly father-in-law.

He came to a stop before her and said, "My daughter, I must apologise if this has come as somewhat of a surprise to you."

It took Sigyn a moment to realise what he was saying.

"Surprise... Yes; to say the least," she replied, trying almost to laugh off her confusion.

Odin placed a hand on her shoulder, an almost comforting gesture, but also a fleeting one, as he quickly quit the room. Of course, Sigyn knew that the Allfather would have other business to attend to- she'd be surprised if he ever stopped. But his departure was just so... abrupt. She would have liked to have asked him about what had just happened, but since he had left so quickly, Sigyn could only stand in the same place, frozen by her bewilderment.

Loki had watched as the scene played out, cloaked in invisibility. The ceremony had gone rather smoothly, he thought, although Sigyn did seem to be a little shell-shocked. His brows rose as he thought about the position his father had given her. The Goddess of Fidelity. What a position for Sigyn to was telling- and in a good way for him, he thought too.

His father was wise; he had given an eye to possess such wisdom. And Loki knew that that meant that Sigyn would do well in the position he had appointed her to, which boded well for them all. Loki watched as a handmaiden approached his wife and he made the decision to depart; to return to their rooms before Sigyn did. He would have to prepare himself to face her questions.

Sigyn was utterly lost. She couldn't help but wonder why Odin had done that- why he had made her a Goddess in the first place, but moreover, why the Goddess of Fidelity? She didn't have too long to think about it though before a handmaiden arrived to whisk her away. And she didn't even get a chance to ask Frigga about it. Frowning, Sigyn followed the woman that she did not know the name of back to her rooms. She couldn't figure out the cause for what had just happened, so she phrased the question to the handmaiden.

Sigyn couldn't help but stare as the woman sneered, "It's probably because you're married to Loki- and if you've got to stay married to him then you're going to have to be loyal. You deserve a medal for sticking with him- you might as well be the Goddess of Fidelity for you pains."

"I think you speak out of turn," Sigyn scowled at the woman.

Under the now-Goddess' gaze, the handmaiden seemed to shrink, her eyes finding the floor.

"Sorry, my lady, I meant no disrespect," the cowed woman mumbled.

Clearly she wasn't being totally honest about that, but Sigyn dismissed it. She knew that a lot of people didn't understand their relationship, and she knew that those same people weren't too fond of her husband. She bit her tongue as she realised if she got angry about every little comment, then there probably wouldn't be many people that she hadn't yelled at.