Author's Note: Well I swore I wouldn't write another story for this particular universe, but I am caving in and doing it anyway! This idea has nagged at me for the past week, and I can't put it off any longer. For any of you that might have read my first story you should know that this story has NO connection to it. This is an entirely different incarnation of Sigyn, so the plots do not overlap anywhere. Unlike my last story I don't have everything planned out, just a general idea of where I want it to go so any and all reader suggestions are more than welcome. It is AU, but I will do my best not to contradict any canon plots from the movies. (If you are a fan of the comic or mythology I am afraid I am throwing a lot out, sorry!) I own nothing save my interpretation of Sigyn and her family. Let the random story begin!
"Loki, why the sour look?" Thor asked in a tone that Loki thought was far too cheery for someone who was only on their first glass of wine.
"What sour look brother?" Loki replied instinctively.
"Your face is set in a firm grimace, if I didn't know better I would say that you are already bored with our tales of battle…" Thor replied before finishing off his goblet.
"If you didn't know any better indeed…" Loki thought silently to himself.
He already looked bored because he was bored. How many times could Thor tell this story without loosing his enthusiasm for it, and how many goblets of wine did he plan to consume before dinner even started? He was starting in on his second, and guests were still arriving for the banquet. Loki sighed internally. Sif still seemed enthralled with Thor's story, and would no doubt beg him to go into further detail…again. Loki decided he should just be grateful that he came out looking pretty good in this particular tale too.
Loki shifted his gaze over to his parents. At the moment they were receiving guests, and Loki was relieved that he and Thor were still young enough to avoid that particular duty. He could stand having to participate in skirmishes and minor battles, but Loki's insides twisted into a knot at the prospect of having to stand on those stairs and pretend to pay attention to every guest that came in. He really needed to perfect that replication spell so he could just project an image of himself there and avoid the whole thing entirely. He probably still had about a year before Frigga would insist that he and Thor start taking up duties as hosts for these types of events. Loki was so focused on contemplating his growing list of duties that he didn't notice that Sif had gone off to sit with her family, but a sharp jab from Thor's elbow brought his mind quickly back to the present.
"So do you think I can convince Sif to join me in my chambers later?" Thor asked with a smile.
Thor was at the age where he starting to fill out, and the attention he received from the ladies hadn't taken long to go to his head. He was still good-natured though perhaps he was a bit too good-natured with the girls. Loki had had the extreme misfortune of walking in on Thor during one of his romantic escapades, but it had hardly been his fault. If Thor had wanted privacy he should have kept his amorous exploits to the bedroom.
Loki glanced at Sif quickly, and noticed that she was still sending looks towards Thor and flipping her golden hair about. He turned back to face his elder brother.
"I doubt she will need much convincing." Loki assured with a sly smirk. "You know mother would be livid if she knew what a philanderer you have grown into." He teased.
Thor threw his arm around Loki's shoulder.
"And she would cringe if she realized what a rapscallion you can be."
"Fair enough." Loki conceded before clinking his goblet against Thor's and taking a long drink.
Thor slammed his goblet down with vigor and cracked his knuckles.
"So which lovely Lady are you going to seduce with your elegant words this evening?" the elder Prince asked.
Loki set his goblet down gently and shrugged his shoulders.
"I haven't thought about it." He stated.
Thor sent him a dubious look. "You haven't thought about it? It shouldn't require much thought Loki, just take a look around the room for a girl that catches your eye… I mean you have done this before haven't you brother?"
"Of course I have." Loki lied. "Unlike you however, I try to put a little thought into my decision."
"Well don't put too much thought into it brother, it is not as if you are looking for your soul mate." Thor reminded him.
Loki smiled, but the conversation was dropped as Hogun, Fandral, and Volstagg took temporary seats opposite the brothers.
The five began discussing battles, but Loki's mind soon wandered from that topic back to his conversation with Thor. Loki had most certainly been lying when he had insinuated to Thor that he had been with a woman before. He wasn't embarrassed by the fact that he hadn't bedded a girl yet, but if he had admitted it to Thor he would have been forced to listen to a lecture on the "proper" way to woo a woman into bed. Of course Thor's "proper" way was simply sweeping them off their feet with his good looks and sunny disposition, and Loki didn't really have that option. Loki was slightly worried about his lagging physical maturity, but since he was younger than Thor he supposed it was to be expected.
Loki swirled his goblet on the table and watched the wine inside spin around. Perhaps it was time that he bedded a girl. It couldn't hurt, and who knew, he might actually enjoy the experience. Sure he didn't have Thor's looks or personality, but he had other qualities that could endear him to the fairer sex. Loki glanced around the room and noticed several girls that were close enough to his age to try his charming tongue upon. Loki smirked. This new challenge would certainly spice up the evening if nothing else.
Loki refocused on Thor and his friends when Fandral's story was interrupted by the arrival of the family who would be sitting where Hogun, Fandral, and Volstagg were currently positioned. The "Warriors Three," as they were now calling themselves, threw Thor a disappointed look, but vacated their seats anyways. Loki watched silently as Thor welcomed the new arrivals to the banquet, and he recognized the eldest man to be Halldor, one of Odin's chief advisors. It was his son Hallsteinn whom the banquet was being thrown for. From what Loki had heard, Hallsteinn and his division had been fighting against a recent uprising when their leader was killed. Amidst the chaos, Hallsteinn had been able to take charge of his division, and he eventually led the men to a decisive victory. For his actions, he was to be the guest of honor. Halldor talked some with Thor as his wife Signy sat silently by. Loki glanced from Halldor and Signy to their children. The pair was rather well-known for their surprising number of offspring. In Asgard it was rare for a couple to have more than three children, yet Signy and Halldor had six. Though the Norns had been kind enough to give them six children, they had been cruel enough to take three of them away. Loki had been told that the eldest daughter had died in childbirth along with the baby, the younger of their two sons had gone missing in battle, and that their second youngest daughter had recently died in an accident of some sort. The most recent loss still showed clearly on the family though they seemed to be doing their best to hide it. The two remaining daughters were sitting across from Loki. He had seen the elder of the two at banquets before, and he knew her name was Frida. The younger girl, however, had never been in court before this that Loki could recall. She appeared to be slightly younger than him, but she was certainly past the age when young Ladies were normally introduced into Odin's court. Loki assumed that her parents had been waiting to formally introduce her into court life since she had two elder unmarried sisters already present there. The recent death of her sister would account for her newfound presence here.
Loki decided that he should at least introduce himself to the two girls, and upon introduction he learned that the younger girl's name was Sigyn. Once the introduction was complete, Loki turned back to Thor and began conversing with him, but he made sure to watch Sigyn and Frida with his peripheral vision. The two girls seemed a little strained in their interaction with one another, but Loki could tell that Frida was concerned for Sigyn, who seemed to be a bit anxious about something. Loki assumed that it was simply nerves getting to her, and his thoughts were confirmed when Frida pushed a rather full glass of wine towards her younger sister. Loki let out a small chuckle when Sigyn took a rather large gulp of the wine, crinkled her nose in disgust, and took a second large swallow anyway. Sigyn shot him an embarrassed look upon hearing the chuckle, and Loki realized that he had been full-out staring at her. He quickly covered with a cough, but not surprisingly it didn't seem to fool Sigyn.
"Does something amuse you My Prince?" She asked shyly.
"It is rare that something does not amuse me." Loki admitted.
Sigyn smiled. "That does not surprise me given your reputation." She replied honestly.
Loki raised an eyebrow. "My reputation?"
Sigyn's smile quickly faded, and the fear that she might have offended one of the Princes of Asgard shone in her eyes.
"I meant no offense My Prince." She quickly amended.
Loki leaned forward on his elbows and rested his chin on his hands. "Of course you didn't, but now I am curious. What reputation has preceded me?" He enquired.
Sigyn seemed to relax at Loki's casual response, and a slight gleam returned to her eyes.
"I have merely heard that you take pleasure in games and common tricks, but I know little of the court so your full reputation is rather a mystery to me."
"My tricks are far from common," Loki defended before continuing on, " but I see nothing in either of those observations that would lead you to believe that I am rarely bored." He pointed out.
Sigyn took another drink from her goblet, and kept her gaze fixed on the table as she replied.
"Well I would imagine that there are many things in the palace that could be a source of entertainment for a Prince, but those rare times when you do feel less-than amused you can create your own amusement through playing a game or enacting some sort of trick."
Loki smiled at her reasoning. "You mean to say that I am easily amused?"
"No My Prince, I mean to say that you are creative enough to keep yourself occupied."
Loki rested his arms on the table and clasped his hands in front of him. "An interesting assessment considering you had not met me till this evening."
Sigyn raised her eyes to meet his. "I have heard enough stories to draw my own conclusions about your highness's more obvious talents."
Loki waited a moment for her to expand on that statement, but she refused to say any more.
"What a strange girl." He thought silently. "She seems very assured of her assessment of me despite the obvious timidity of her interaction so far..."
He found it interesting that she had used the word creative in lieu of mischievous, which is how most people described his manner of self-entertainment. Perhaps she was just as amused by the stories of his exploits as he was by pulling them.
A sharp kick to Loki's calf alerted him that Thor had been observing his conversation with Sigyn, and he turned to face his older brother.
"She seems a suitable choice." Thor whispered to Loki as Sigyn and Frida began to converse.
"I am glad to know you approve." Loki replied in a sarcastic tone.
"No need for the condescension." Thor replied. "Do you not find her attractive?"
"She is pretty Thor, but I don't simply wish to bed a girl because she is attractive. She seems a bit… timid, and I am not sure that is a trait I want in a woman who I intend to share my bed with."
"I am not sure it is timidity brother." Thor responded. "I think it is nerves…"
Thor nodded his head in Sigyn's direction and Loki glanced at her subtly. She was laughing uneasily at whatever the man next to her was saying while a servant refilled her goblet. As the chalice was set down in front of her again a relieved smile graced her features. She took it and placed it to her lips while still keeping her attention on her companion. Loki turned back to Thor.
"She better be careful, she doesn't strike me as someone who has had much drinking experience." Loki pointed out.
"Which is why I think it is merely nerves that ails her." Thor reasoned.
Loki sighed. Every once in a while Thor would actually make some logical sense, and this was one of those times. Loki had already determined earlier that Sigyn was drinking to soothe her nerves, but the fact that Thor came to the same conclusion confirmed any lingering doubt he had. Loki also knew that if she wasn't careful Sigyn was going to feel a little more than tipsy later on.
The arrival of the guest of honor signaled that the feast was to begin, and Thor let the topic of Loki bedding Sigyn go in favor of eating. Loki on the other hand continued to consider the possibility. She seemed to be around his age, she had been interesting enough to talk to so far, and she was attractive. Nothing seemed to stand out as a major concern, so as the dinner progressed Loki began to formulate a plan of attack. The wine had certainly relaxed her, which would aid him in his conquest. He was completely confident that he could merely talk her into sleeping with him, but he was grateful for the assistance of the wine since it was his first attempt at this.
Sigyn spoke very little over dinner. Instead, she seemed to prefer listening to other's stories and commenting when she deemed it necessary. Long after Loki had tired of the idle talk Sigyn was still listening attentively. She seemed to be taking in each story she heard as if she was putting them to memory. For all he knew, she was. Loki decided that asking her would be a good way to open up a line of conversation later. Loki was pleased when the final course of the meal had been removed from the table. Dance music began to fill the hall, and Loki knew it was time to put his plan into action.
"Care to dance m'Lady?" Loki asked Sigyn after a large number of people vacated their seats either to dance or gossip in little groups around the room.
"Do I really have the option of refusing a Prince?" She asked.
"No, not really." He replied with a shrug.
"Well then I suppose I don't mind terribly Prince Loki." She responded.
Loki made sure no one was paying attention before he stood on the bench that had formerly been his seat and used the table to step over to the bench where Sigyn was sitting. He jumped off the bench and extended his hand out to her. Sigyn gave him a peculiar glance, but placed her hand in his anyway. Once they were comfortably on the dance floor Loki took some time to observe her a little more. She seemed to be fighting his lead, and she kept her gaze directed squarely on his upper chest.
"This would be more pleasant if you would simply relax. I am surprised after four glasses of wine that you could possibly be this tense." Loki commented.
"It was only three glasses of wine." Sigyn corrected.
"No, I am fairly certain it was four." He argued.
Sigyn looked up to meet his gaze with a firm look. "It was three, the last two glasses were a half and half mixture of water and wine."
"Still, after three glasses of the AllFather's wine I find it difficult to believe that you can stand, let alone struggle against me while dancing. Do you not trust me?" Loki prodded.
"The truth or a lie My Prince?" Sigyn asked.
Loki smirked.
"The truth, it would be too easy for me to detect a lie."
Sigyn shifted the hand that was on Loki's shoulder and let her gaze fall to an imaginary piece of fuzz there.
"I do not. I observed your behavior at dinner. You watched me as someone might watch a caged bird in hopes of hearing it sing, and do not think that I did not..."
Just as suddenly as Sigyn's reprimand had begun, she stopped.
" 'Do not think that you did not' what?" Loki prodded.
Sigyn brought her eyes to meet Loki's once again.
"It was nothing My Prince, to say any more would be to overstep my place." She excused.
Inconveniently for Loki, the song finished and Sigyn pulled away, curtsied, and quickly left the dance floor. Loki watched her go off to Frida's side. Frida seemed slightly annoyed by her younger sister's intrusion since she had been talking with a rather attractive guard, but Sigyn seemed to pay no heed to her sister's annoyance. Loki considered following after her to see how she would react, but a hand on his shoulder grabbed his attention.
"Do I not get a dance now that you are old enough to flirt with the Ladies of the court?" Frigga asked.
Loki turned to face his mother and smiled.
"Who said anything about me flirting?" He retorted innocently.
"Loki I am your mother, you cannot deceive me…nor her apparently." The Queen added before allowing her son to lead her around the dance floor.