Hey there! This is my first fanfiction, so be nice, though constructive criticism is always welcome!
And, obviously, I do not own Marvel
Part 1- Loki
The young prince wonders through the palace gardens alone, huffing bitterly like the child he is. He saunters through the flowery aroma and refreshing colours with disinterest, thoughts revolving around his evident irritation. This is not the first time he's been left to entertain himself once his brother, Thor, and friends have gone gallivanting off. Not that this has ever been a particular issue before, he enjoyed time to his own thoughts now and again- that was until she arrived.
Sigyn and her mother, a retired Valkyrie, had moved into the palace as respected guests of the royal family some weeks ago, and he had been wary of her since they were first introduced. Thor had taken an instant liking to her joyous demeanour and bright sense of humour, happily complying with their mother's wishes to make her feel welcome. Loki could not muster the same enthusiasm.
Regardless of their differences, Loki had always tried to conform with his brother's interest in brash adventures and other sports deemed enjoyable, which had been a struggle and at times frankly tedious. This had been made all the more difficult by the intrusion of this girl. It seems all she has to do is enter the room in order to be instantly accepted. It infuriates him. It infuriates him that someone so simple could pull away what little attention he could draw to himself. It infuriates him that someone so simple could bother him so much. Sigyn isn't particularly pretty, nor skilled, and has yet to even try to have a proper conversation with him. Loki simply could not understand the attraction to her.
Fortunately, Thor would always agree to spar with him in the evenings on summer days such as these. Still a child, Loki has a lot of learning to do, but until this evening, he would have to bide his time.
"Loki," his mother, Frigga, calls kindly from some way behind him, halting his dwindling stroll. She approaches Loki as he turns to see her passing through the shade of an overhanging apple tree.
"My son, I appreciate that the gardens are a beauty to behold in peace, but I've repeatedly seen you passing the hours by yourself. Why must you isolate yourself so?" Frigga questions with an affectionate concern as she strolls up to him,
"Thor and the others have gone off to play, I wanted to spend my time in the quiet of the garden, mother," he answers with indifference. She sighs sadly before advising;
"You must not let yourself fall into a shroud of loneliness, Loki, it will grant you no favours". He simply shifts his gaze to the ground at his mothers words, not knowing whether he could agree or disagree. Before he could reply, however, Frigga moves the conversation to her purpose for seeking him out,
"I have also observed that you have yet to greet Lady Freya and her daughter, Sigyn, with a proper kindness," Loki's brows furrow at the mention of the girl, but his mother continues nonetheless,
"I wish only for you to give her a chance, you may have more in common than you think". Loki can't help but scoff at that. How could he have anything in common with the girl, he thinks, she evidently prefers to spend her time with Thor, Sif and The Warriors Three (as they like to call themselves). Admittedly, he does not know much about her, but surely she is no different from any other girls he's met. They wouldn't have anything in common, it was plain enough to see; she wears robes of white and purple, where as he prefers the contrasting black and green colours. Never mind the fact that she was a girl, and even the idea of her aggravates him.
"I understand you do not share these wishes," Frigga continues, clearly reading the expression that must have shifted onto his face,
"So I have something to aid you," the mention of this sparks some curiosity, enough for Loki to lift his focus to his mother. Loki watches as Frigga uses her magic to conjure a small, slim bow. Handing the bow to him she explains;
"Sigyn loves archery, so her mother has told me, though she has yet to acquire a bow and receive proper instruction." Upon closer inspection, Loki can see that the sturdy, light-weight bow is engraved with delicate ebony designs, swirling over a deep purple that envelops the front, and stretching slightly over the boundary between the purple and crystal white colour covering the belly of the bow.
"Now, when you next see her, you will be able to present her with this bow as a show of goodwill from yourself, as well as tell her the happy news that she will be allowed the lessons she desires." Frigga finishes with a light smile and a hopeful gleam in her eye. Loki looks up at her from the bow with a sceptical expression, but nonetheless reluctantly agrees to his mother's instruction. Loki does not look forward to when he will next have to see Sigyn.
Loki is surprised. Quite bewildered actually. Loki had made his way to the Training Grounds for some early morning practice, to find not only Thor, but Sigyn herself. Once Thor had wondered off to prepare for practice, Loki was left to unwillingly greet Sigyn with the politeness Frigga had taught him a prince must always carry. She was not rude, nor did she dismiss him or even act overly attentive when recognizing she was talking to a prince. She was actually a little shy at first, and possibly a bit bewildered herself. Sigyn spoke to him with a kindness, a civility, and with what struck Loki the most, an interest.
Once Loki had presented her with the bow and informed her of the opportunity to take up lessons in archery, a genuine and pure smile spread across her face. He didn't know what it was, perhaps the brightness in her deep russet eyes, maybe the light giggle that she couldn't hold back, or the shape of her lips moving between her now rosy cheeks, but something made him smile too.
Suddenly Loki felt elated to give Sigyn the bow, and perfectly content to talk to her for the rest of the evening.
Unfortunately that was not to be, as Thor bellowed for his attention from across the training arena, causing Sigyn to take her leave.
So here Loki is now, for the fifth, or perhaps sixth time being knocked onto his back, his body slamming into the dirt with a harshness that made him feel as if the ground itself were punishing him for his clumsy footing. He stands again, a little abruptly, stumbling back slightly as he regains focus on Thor's complacent expression.
"Perhaps that's enough for today brother, I think we've both drained our energy enough for one evening" he decides with a breathy smile, trudging back to the armoury before Loki could demand a rematch. Silently agreeing, Loki follows his brother, becoming increasingly aware of a stinging graze on his cheek.
His thoughts start to wonder toward his earlier curious encounter. He liked the way she said his name... Perhaps Sigyn wasn't all that bad. Perhaps he could get to know her. Perhaps he could make her smile again.
Over time, Loki had only become all the more curious about Sigyn. He wants to talk to her again, to gain the interest he felt from her, to see her smile. However, they aren't particularly close, and rarely speak. Though when they did, Loki could always remember what she'd said.
He thought back to when he'd been peacefully reading in the palace library, and Sigyn had sneaked up on him. Loki hadn't even felt her presence, having been too absorbed by the enthralling words on the pages, and couldn't think how long she'd been lingering around before alerting him.
"Have you really read all those books?" she had inquired in her young virtuous voice. Loki's gaze instantly snapped up from his book to meet hers. He began to feel the air grow heavy in his lungs, and stared at her with wide eyes and mouth slightly agape for a brief moment before responding.
"Uhm, uh, no. No, most are books I intend to read," he'd said, finally gathering his wits,
"My mother recommended several books to read, so I chose to start with them first," Loki explained, casting his eyes down to the pile of books next to the wing chair he'd become slouched in.
"Oh? What are they about?" Sigyn had continued to question, and though Loki had lost the confidence to look up at her again, he could tell she was expressing clear curiosity,
"Casting illusions, mostly. I haven't cast anything as of yet, but mother is teaching me". Then there had been a moment of uneasy silence shifting in the air between them, as neither knew what to say. That was until Loki heard the soft sound of Sigyn's padded shoes move across the room, and further into the library.
He should have said something more. Anything. When had he become so... so obtuse?
Among other instances, Loki also remembers that he'd once overheard Sigyn mention to her friend, Bailee, that she held a particular affection for animals, namely the Lapphund dog. Which brought Loki to his current situation.
With the company of Sif, Fandrail, Thor and Sigyn, Loki is once again engaged in combat with his brother, parallel to Sif and Fandral's sword play. Unfortunately, the brawn that is Thor is proving to be too much for the under practiced Prince. He also becomes easily distracted by the small figure of Sigyn on the side of his vision. Just a few yards away, she is accompanied by her instructor, firing arrows at a large circular target- and missing. Though every so often Loki would hear the distant, swift and triumphant sound of an arrow embedding itself into the coiled straw target. That is, before having it muffled by the sound of Thor's grunt and a swinging fist.
"It appears your practice of those little magic tricks have not paid off, Loki, perhaps you shouldn't neglect your time on the training field so much." Thor smirks as both Princes take a step back to regain their stamina once more,
"You won't be saying that when I best you in battle someday, brother," Loki replies, causing Thor to release a small laugh,
"I doubt your gimmicks would have much effect on me," Thor smiles confidently, getting ready to step forward once more. Loki, however, suddenly finds his train of thought pause when he subconsciously glances in Sigyn's direction. He sees her take a moment from her hearty endeavors to actually hit the centered point of the target, and turn her attention over to the brothers.
Suddenly Loki catches an idea. He'd been practicing illusions for months now. It had become quickly strenuous and exhausting, but Frigga had acted as an attentive tutor before he got the chance to give up, and once Loki had mastered the image of a still object, it was easy enough to move onto animated illusions. After all his efforts, it would certainly be rendered fruitful if he could show off his new found skill.
As Thor prepares to throw another hit, Loki conjures the image of a small Lapphund puppy dog in a shine of emerald light. The puppy has a fluffy cream face and belly, with black fur that stretches from its head to its wagging tail. Excitedly, the puppy yelps and jumps toward Thor, who looks at it completely baffled. He stumbles back slightly with a gasp, losing his balance and catching the attention of the pair next to them,
"The mighty Thor, brought to his knees by a small pup!" Sif exclaims with a laugh, looking to the grinning Loki and startled Thor. Loki looks from his handy work over to Sigyn, only to lose his smile somewhat when he sees the girl's full focus now on a demonstration her teacher is giving with her bow, appearing to have missed his trick. Thor fumbles through the illusion, dissolving the image, and straightens his posture as well as his wits.
Suddenly feeling drained at the futile attempt to make this girl smile, Loki decides he's had enough training for today. He tells the others he'd promised to return a book to his mother soon, before stalking back to his chambers.
Many years have passed now, and the Prince has matured considerably into a more lean and prominent figure. Loki's long black leather robes sway beside his tall matching boots, glinting slightly with golden and silver embroidery, as he saunters along the smooth stone path.
He slows his pace when a figure catches his eye. A young woman he could easily recognize through the distance. Sigyn. She is kneeling by a rectangular garden patch, watering the churned up soil.
Loki decides to make his way over to her in slow strides, taking time to act casual and admire the surrounding flora. He rarely finds the chance to talk to Sigyn any more, as they have both grown into busy lifestyles. Sigyn has become a much more skilled archer because of it, traveling across the realm in search of new skills to learn and tutors to meet. Hence why she hasn't been much of a prominent presence.
Nearing her occupied self, Loki observes Sigyn's troubled expression.
"I never took you for a gardener, Sigyn," Loki says. Smirking, then, at her startled reaction,
"Oh! Loki, you frightened me," she replies, bowing her head into her crouched form with a hand to her chest. Then glances up to meet Loki's gaze, causing a foreign flutter to emerge in his stomach.
"No, well, you're right, I never have been one for gardening, it appears now is no different," she continues with a concerned look to the flat garden patch. Loki frowns at her adverse words.
"What do you intend to grow?" he asks, nearing her a little more with small steps.
"Stargazer Lillies. This particular variety my mother loves. She grew them outside my childhood home. Before we left Vanaheim." Sigyn had never really disclosed the details of what occurred leading to her journey to Asgard. Though he'd wondered, Loki had never found the right way or moment to ask.
"My mother has kept a few flower seeds all these years, and she gave them to me to grow. However, I appear to be having little fortune. I planted them all the month before last, but have seen no progress," Sigyn admits with slouched shoulders. Loki's concern only grows at this,
"Perhaps you simply need to give it more time, the Asgardian climate may somewhat differ from Vanaheim's," he tries to say in reassurance,
"Yes, perhaps you're right," Sigyn replies with a little more enthusiasm. She stands then, to meet Loki's gaze. She is nowhere near that same height as him, like she was when they were younger, but she still held a distinct air about her.
"It's good to see you again Loki, though I must be off, I have plans to meet Bailee soon, I must make sure certain arrangements are still in place. Have a good evening, my Prince," she says sincerely with an amiable light to her face.
"Of course," sombre to cut their conversation short so soon, Loki looks to his feet, unsure of how to carry himself, "and you." Sigyn gives a slight nod before walking past Loki, down the way he'd come.
Loki hates to see her saddened by her unsuccessful endeavor. He plots to think of a way he could brighten her spirits again.
Several days later, Loki can once again be found among the dazzling flowers and charming shrubbery. He is visiting the small patch of seemingly lifeless soil, which acts as a sentinel to the life that hidden seeds may one day bloom. After hours of research in new, previously unseen corners of the palace library, Loki had been able to discover a means of assisting the flowers in their potential to flourish.
He faces his palms over the land, and uses a method his mother had taught him; expressing an incantation through his mind. After some fair trial and error, Loki almost gives up hope, until he looks to the ground. He sees strings of lime and sage light swirl and seep into the soil. It doesn't take long for greenery to break the surface, and for buds to emerge. The flowers grow much more rapidly than Loki expects, but is pleasantly surprised to find that the Stargazer Lillies fully bloom before his eyes. It doesn't take long for the flowers to cease growing, finally stopping to sway in the mellow air.
Loki grins to himself with pride and sense of fulfillment, before deciding to seek out the one he'd accomplished this feat for. As he makes his way to the entrance to the palace from the gardens, Loki finds himself approaching the ample silhouette of Volstagg.
"I say, my Prince, 'tis an exquisite noon is it not!" Volstagg greats with beaming smile,
"Indeed it is, Volstagg. I wonder- you wouldn't happen to know the whereabouts of Sigyn would you?" Loki inquires,
"Oh, why yes, though I regret you may have missed her," Loki frowns in question as Volstagg continues,
"She had left just this morning to journey to the out lands of Asgard. To visit an old friend of hers, Bailee? If I recall correctly. Did she not tell you?" Loki felt his heart drop at the news,
"Yes actually. Yes she did. It must have slipped my mind... No matter, I shall see her when she returns," he says with a plastered smile, one of his many lies, "Enjoy your evening, Volstagg."
"And you, Loki." Volstagg replies with a hint of unsaid concern, before making his way elsewhere, leaving Loki to stand solely accompanied by his own thoughts.
In the company of Thor, Fandral and Sigyn, a now older Loki paces in one of the many lavish warm palace lounges, fuelled by impatience and annoyance. In front of a calming crackling fire he begins to rant;
"This is entirely uncalled for!" He exclaims, clearly vexed, "He's not really going to do this is he?"
"Oh stop your whining brother, I thought you were supposed to be a grown man now," Thor mocks with a smile. Loki turns to him, irritation seeping through his features,
"It was a simple mistake! A slip of the hand!" He retaliates in protest, turning away now to pace once more,
"How was I to know that my dagger could have cracked that window? It could have happened to anyone!" He exclaims, mostly to himself,
"You're right, it could have happened to anyone... Except one who is actually skilled in throwing knifes," Thor laughs as Loki glares at him,
"Yes," Fandrail adds on the brink of laughter himself, "And you should take more credit, Loki, that 'crack' was more of an obliteration of the window. It was quite impressive really!"
"Never the less," Loki retorts with a scowl, "It was a minor mistake. Not reason enough for Father to ban me from all weapons, and for Norns knows how long!" He continues while walking back and forth before his friends. A storm within Loki continues to fester and boil as he rants in his mind.
Engrossed in his own aggravation, Loki doesn't notice the entrance of Volstagg until the worrier's less than nimble body knocks into an inconspicuous spare stack of fire wood. This snaps Loki into attention,
"Oh!" Volstagg bashfully laughs, "I suppose that is why they call me 'Volstagg the Voluminous'," he says with a small laugh from all but the irritable prince, who snaps back;
"Indeed, Volstagg, but there is no need to remind us of your appropriately acquired title, your girth is proof enough." Then Loki catches the sound of an unrecognizable giggle from behind him. He glances back to see Fandrail and Thor looking to him from his outburst, and Sigyn curled up at the end of the plush cream and gold settee, her face obscured by the book she seems captivated by. Loki dismisses it before stalking out of the room to think up a way to regain his valued daggers.
Later that evening, after much apologizing and assured promises, Loki walks through the palace halls toward the training arena for the evening session. Twiddling a steel plated throwing dagger between his fingers.
He enters the training grounds to see Sif guiding Sigyn, who has put aside her bow and arrow, and is being taught how to wield a closer range weapon. Loki glances at her for a little longer than he'd ever admit, before seeing Thor engaged in a two against one combat with Hogun and Fandrail, while Volstagg files his axe on a near by bench.
Loki makes his way forward with a characteristic smirk on his face. He sees Thor hurl the now fatigued Fandrail onto the ground, displacing wisps of dust into the air. Loki throws the dagger with hard accuracy into the dirt next to Fandrail's head, causing the three warriors to look up.
"Ah, I see you have your little trinkets back, Loki," Thor exclaims from across the small distance between them, with yet again a smile tugging at his mouth,
"Indeed, though they are no mere 'trinkets' brother, they are weapons worthy of battle," Loki replies, manifesting another dagger into his hands with his magic.
"Of course, of course," Thor says in affirmation, "though are you sure you actually know how to wield one, little brother?" He finishes in intention to mock, and Loki retorts,
"Evidently; since father entrusted me with-" before being interrupted by his second dagger slipping in his fingers, cutting his right index and middle fingers. He hisses loudly, attention snapping to his sore wounded hand. Loki hears that giggle once more, but this time form into a sweet laugh. Looking up again he is struck by a strangely unfamiliar warmth as he meets the gaze of Sigyn, who has a beaming smile cast his way.
Loki does not hear Thor's booming laugh, nor any hearty sniggers from any of The Warriors Three.
Loki even forgets for a moment what they find so amusing, and the sting of both embarrassment and small blood loss from his hand.
Loki just sees Sigyn's smile. Because in that moment, that is the only thing that matters to him.
As you can see, this is 'part 1', there will be a part 2 which is basically the same story, but from Sigyn's point of view :) hope you liked it and please review!