After learning that he had been betrayed by the woman he loved, Loki returned to their – his – suite in a rage. He picked up the first lamp that he saw to hurl it at the wall, but thought better of it. Why destroy my own things? I should be destroying hers.

So he went into the chamber where Sigyn's possessions were kept. He began with her jewelry, melting the gold in his hands and letting it pool on the stone floor. He ground the gems and pearls to dust beneath his heel. Then he started in on her clothes, tearing them to shreds and tossing them into the fire. He burned up her poetry books. He shattered the lamps and unraveled the wall hangings.

When her possessions were in shambles, he slammed the door shut and sealed the room. He would never enter that chamber again! He proceeded to comb through the suite and destroy every last thing that had belonged to Sigyn, everything that reminded him of her.

By the time he was done, he badly needed to redecorate.

o-o-o-o

Sigyn didn't need her healing powers to know that something was bothering her uncle. It was obvious the moment he walked into her prison.

"What is it?" she asked, looking up from her book. It was a general guide to Vanir magic, but it had an interesting section on incantation fetters that she hoped would yield some answers.

"It's not good," Uncle Frey warned her. He pulled out a bottle of wine and tossed it to her. "You might want some of this in a moment."

"Wine?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Look, it's not a solution, but it numbs the pain a bit. I was drunk most of the time for years after Vanaheim fell."

Sigyn considered for a moment. On the one hand, she had a feeling that the coming news would tear her apart. An escape would be welcome. But… the queen had taught her that the key to strength was to face things as they were and refuse to let it break her. She threw the bottle back. "I'm not going to run away from reality, Uncle. Tell me!"

"You're a brave lass, little one." He pocketed the bottle with a rueful grin. "Braver than I used to be, at any rate." He sat down beside her. "Odin told Loki that you're still alive."

"And?" Sigyn asked breathlessly. Maybe he changed his mind. Maybe he let slip where I am. Maybe Loki will come and find a way to break in here!

"And he told him that your magic was all over your prison, that you had helped to prepare it."

Sigyn gulped. She knew how that looked. "So… he thinks I've betrayed him?"

Uncle Frey sighed. "Given that he went home and destroyed all your possessions? Yes, I'm afraid so."

Sigyn stared into space. Thanks to Odin's trickery, her husband believed her faithless and was spiraling into darkness. She knew she should be worried about the fate of Asgard and the other Realms right now, but the injustice of her own situation overwhelmed her. How could Odin do this to his own family? How dare he ruin her life this way?

"Are you sure you don't want a drink, child?"

Sigyn shook her head.

"Do you want a hug?"

She flung herself into her uncle's arms and choked on her tears.

o-o-o-o

Loki couldn't sleep. Something was still bothering him. I destroyed all her things. I cast her out of my life. She's gone!

Yes… he had lost Sigyn. But she wasn't lost to everyone, was she? That was what troubled him! The injustice that others still had her while he, her husband, did not! Well, he might not be able to take her from this new lover of hers, but he'd be damned if he let her bastard of a grandfather keep her memory!

Tossing aside the covers, Loki climbed out of his new bed and transformed himself into a magpie. He flew down to the ocean, to Njord's hall. He cast a sleeping spell on the old sea god before he even knew he was there and slipped into Sigyn's childhood bedroom. He opened the window and began hurling her possessions out onto the beach.

The process took several hours, as he kept pausing to examine items that told him something interesting about his lost love. There were several old dolls that were streaked with evidence of rather imaginative play, including a significant amount of mud. I never knew she used to play with dolls… Oh, look, this one was chewed on by…something! Loki was momentarily distracted by the image of a mud-spattered little Sigyn chasing after an animal that had carried off her doll. Then, disgusted with himself, he set the doll on fire before throwing it out the window.

When he had finally thrown out all her possessions – really, who keeps the clothes they wore as a child? – Loki went outside and set the entire pile ablaze. The flames lit up the whole beach and brought a satisfied smile to his face. Transforming himself back into a magpie, he released the sleeping spell on Njord.

The sea god emitted a very satisfying cry of horror when he saw Sigyn's things ablaze.

o-o-o-o

Sigyn was still sleeping fitfully when her grandfather stormed in. "Look at this!" he bellowed. "Look at what that wretched Trickster of yours did!"

The young woman brushed her tangled hair back out of her eyes and looked at what her grandfather was holding. To her surprise, his arms were full of books, toys, and clothes she had owned as a little girl, all burnt black and barely recognizable. "What in the world?"

"He did this!" Njord raged. "He broke into our home last night, put me under a sleeping spell, and destroyed your room! Everything you own that wasn't already brought here is ruined!"

"Why would he do this?" Sigyn asked, still shocked.

"To take you away from me!" her grandfather snarled. "Because he's a selfish, bitter, impulsive little bastard who was never even slightly worthy of you! You see now why I had to take you away?"

Sigyn bit back a sharp retort about how Loki would never be acting this way if she hadn't been stolen from him. It would do no good and might provoke her grandfather into harming her. Without her ability to heal herself instantly, she was keenly aware of how comparatively fragile her body was. Durable compared to humans, of course, but no match for the strength of a male Vanir or Aesir.

He loves you, Princess, Room interrupted tentatively. Please, rebelling against him will not help you and can only make things harder for both of you. Try to forgive him.

For advice from a tree, it was actually pretty good. "I don't agree with you, Grandfather," she finally said. "But… I do understand." And when he dropped her burnt toys to hug her, she felt a little softening in her angry heart. Misguided or not, he was still her grandfather.

o-o-o-o

For several days after he destroyed Sigyn's things, Loki did not come out of his chambers. He brooded and drank, and cursed at anyone who knocked on his door. He changed Thor into a beetle and nearly managed to crush him. He even insulted his own mother when she came to see him.

Everyone was surprised, then, when on the fifth day, Loki came out impeccably groomed and charming as ever. His laughter and smiles were perhaps a bit over-bright, but his silver tongue covered the deficiencies.

The dark prince smirked as he noticed the admiring glances several ladies sent his way. It was time for some revenge.

o-o-o-o

"With Lofn?" Sigyn's hand shook as she set down her glass. "Grandfather, you must be mistaken. Loki hates her. He… he wouldn't…"

"I'm afraid he did." Uncle Frey picked idly at his tuna steak. "Freya was very excited about it after the ladies' meeting this morning. Apparently, he's bedded at least five of the women who most hated you in the past two days."

Sigyn stared down at her plate, trying not to cry. She had been expecting this since she learned that Loki would think her unfaithful. He was not the sort to keep a promise if he thought the other person had backed out of their end. And yet, learning for certain of his activities felt like a knife in her heart. "Grandfather… Uncle Frey… Would you mind leaving me alone for a few minutes?"

Uncle Frey nodded understanding. "Come on, Father."

"I will not leave her alone at a moment like this!" he snapped.

"Please," the diplomat added quietly. "Let the girl have her privacy to cry herself out."

Sigyn watched them leave, then buried her face in the first cushion she found and screamed. She felt Room recoil at the strength of her response, but she didn't feel like concealing anything.

Loki, her Loki, in bed with another woman. With at least five other women, and probably more to come. She supposed she should pity the other women; Loki couldn't possibly have cared for them, whatever pretty lies he had told. He would probably hurt them, angry as he was. But she still hated the idea of anyone but her lying in Loki's arms.

Does this make me a petty person? she wondered. This… this anger. It's so strong! I'm angrier than I was when he killed Theoric! How can I be so selfish?

As she wept at her husband's betrayal, Sigyn had more cause to feel guilty. She was taking comfort in the knowledge that Loki didn't care for these other women. They probably hadn't seen that tender look his eyes always held when he smiled at her. They hadn't heard that velvety laugh right in their ear when they made a particularly amusing noise. They almost certainly hadn't fallen asleep nestled against him, pressed to his heart. Loki was angry, bitter, and out of control, but she was still the woman he loved.

I am a despicably selfish woman.

Of course, it would make more sense to be worried about the fact that Loki no longer had a reason to restrain his harmful impulses. Actually, his next pranks would probably be particularly cruel, out of spite. Sometimes, with how much Loki loved her, she forgot what he could be like with no reason to care. She was terrified for Asgard, but the anger at her lover's betrayal still overwhelmed her.

You feel so much guilt, Room said tentatively. Is there…anything I can do to help, Princess?

You could tell me how to get out of here! Sigyn mentally yelled into her 'hidden' box. No, she ultimately replied, trying to calm herself. I just… I feel so much at his betrayal, when I should feel more for the people he will now endanger.

I understand, Room replied sympathetically.

And it occurred to Sigyn that, should she let something slip, she now had the perfect excuse for irrational emotions.

o-o-o-o

Loki tried to convince himself that he was enjoying his newfound freedom. After completely redecorating his chambers in his favorite emerald green, which would not remind him of Sigyn's eyes anymore, he had gone on a spree of mischief, the kind that he had not been allowed since his marriage.

He began by reversing every road sign in Asgard. The resulting mess of traffic was hilarious. So what if a few broken limbs and destroyed carts resulted? That was no longer his problem!

Then he changed a few people into chickens. It wasn't his fault that one poor family accidentally ate their father, though the irony made him laugh, with only a bit of hectic bitterness to tinge it.

It occurred to him that what he was doing was rather petty, but he dismissed that thought. What did it matter if he was petty? Perhaps this was his true nature, without Sigyn to reign him in. Of course, the fact that it would upset his mother gave him a bit of pause, but he brushed that aside easily by blaming her for not warning him of Sigyn's betrayal.

When he found himself missing Sigyn's free-spirited affection and innocent laughter, the dark prince told himself that he was simply missing the physical aspect of their relationship. And he indulged. He charmed his way into the beds of lady after lady, taking particular pleasure in pouring his hatred and frustration into the women who had most hurt his cursed little bride.

He refused to let a single drop escape his eyes this time.

o-o-o-o

Sigyn's studies of incantation fetters were rather discouraging. They required magic to remove – either the magic of the one who placed them, or the power of a general mage, not someone like herself or Uncle Frey. He can't remove the fetter no matter what trick I try, Sigyn realized. I'll have to target Grandfather.

Of course, that was going to be a lot riskier. Under this foreign influence, Grandfather harming her was a legitimate concern. But I have to get back!

Well… there would be a long time to think of the right trick. In the meantime – Sigyn double checked that she was in her 'hidden' box – she needed to make a key.

o-o-o-o

It was with some trepidation that Frigga invited her younger son to come visit her in her garden. Loki's pranks had cost ten lives over the past three days, with many more injured or missing. His revenge on Sigyn was out of control. "My son… what makes you so certain that Sigyn betrayed you?"

"Her power was all over the place that holds her!" he ground out angrily. "She helped prepare it!"

"She could have been tricked," his mother pointed out gently. "Why do you think she went to the arms of another man?"

Loki sighed heavily, sat down, and told her in furious detail about his dream.

Frigga carefully concealed her guilt. Of course. I dream of the future, so Loki suspects that he dreams of the past and present. He does not know that he has no blood of mine in him!

o-o-o-o

"Wood carving?" Grandfather asked dubiously.

Sigyn nodded. "I can't just watch movies and read all day, Grandfather. I need to do something!"

"Climb Room."

She sighed. "Grandfather. There's nothing to see in here! It's no fun to climb a tree if you can't see anything!" When he paused, she widened her eyes appealingly. "Please? It'll be a good challenge. You know I've never sculpted before. And you can bring me lots of pretty sea shells to model."

"Why not clay?"

Because the key has to be made out of Room's wood, Sigyn mumbled into her hidden box. "Clay has to be baked, and you won't let me have an oven."

Grandfather frowned. "Of course not. I don't want you to harm yourself."

Sigyn lowered her head meekly, resisting the temptation to insist she never would. She knew by now that it would only drive him away. "Then can I please have something else to play with? Even if it's just sandpaper! I can learn to shape wood with sandpaper!"

He sat back and considered for a long time while Sigyn quietly demolished the pie he had brought her. He didn't like sweets anyway. "Very well," Njord finally agreed. "But if I see one scrape on you, the sandpaper goes!"

o-o-o-o

No one was quite sure what Queen Frigga said to Prince Loki, but his pranks at ceased to be fatal. Injuries were still being incurred, and the healers were swamped, but at least all the damage was reparable.

Still, the Allfather found it necessary to send his sons out to distribute the damages a bit. Thor was only too glad to spend all his time hunting trolls and bandits with his little brother, and Loki seemed to get a good deal of his anger out by tricking them into killing themselves. And womanizing everywhere they went.

He never spoke of it, especially not to Thor, but Loki still found himself thinking of Sigyn whenever he was with another woman. He bedded many who were more beautiful, more skilled, or both, but none of them made him feel the way she had. None of them touched his heart.

Thor may not have noticed Loki's emotional emptiness with women, but he did notice that suddenly he himself was the only one moving civilians away from battles. Loki usually took care of luring off all bystanders, even before he had met Sigyn, but now he did not seem to care.

After a young child was crushed under the foot of a troll, Thor finally confronted the issue. "What's wrong with you, brother? Clearing the civilians is your job!"

Loki laughed bitterly. "Oh, no. Just because I used to do something does not make it my task, brother. If you care about them, you can save them. It matters not to me."

A good ruler-to-be would have developed compassion in the wake of this. Thor, temperamental and fed up with his brother's whims, decided that he did not care either. If people did not have the sense to leave battle to the warriors, that was their own fault!

o-o-o-o

As it turned out, wood carving was much harder than Sigyn had expected it to be. First of all, sanding wood down with a piece of paper took a long time, although she was gradually developing better control with it. Second of all, copying a shape was… difficult.

She tried to pick the simplest shapes of sea shells, but still found her models coming out uneven. A smooth curve was harder to make than it looked! At least Room seemed happy to supply her with any amount of wood she needed.

"This one's looking better," Uncle Frey commented, picking up a model of a clam shell. "You're capturing the location of the grooves. Now you just need to smooth out the curves between them."

Sigyn flopped on her bedding in a huff. "I've been trying to smooth them out! It's just hard!"

He chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Well, you wanted to learn. This is what learning a new skill feels like."

She sighed. "I know, I know."

He gave his niece a one-armed hug. "Why don't you take a break? " Frey leaned over to switch the computer on. "Let's watch a movie."

"Won't that disrupt your sleep cycles, though?" Sigyn asked. "I wouldn't want your powers to misfire."

He laughed. "Unlike some people, I'm not dependent on my powers, little one. I can handle a sword quite well, and I generally prefer to talk my way out of a situation anyway. I might be a little sleepier than usual, by I'll be fine." He dangled a bag in front of her. "Besides… I brought you some chocolate!"

Sigyn pounced on the bag with glee. In the midst of her frustration, loneliness, and worry, it was nice to take a break for sweets and movies. "I want to watch something that won't remind me of Loki at all," she insisted. "Something with no tricksters, or princes, or romance, or suffering, or brothers betraying brothers, or anything."

Uncle Frey gave a bemused shake of his head. "That's quite a request," he said thoughtfully. "Let me see what we have…"

o-o-o-o

Unknown to Loki and Thor, three pairs of eyes were watching them as they entered a dark forest.

"Mama! Is that him? Is that our father?" asked the voice attached to a sparkling pair of blue eyes. "Who's the blond one with him? Is that his wife? I thought Lady Skadi said she was pretty!"

"Don't call me Mama," corrected a cool, stoic voice. "That's his brother, Prince Thor. His wife has gone missing."

"Too bad," murmured the third. "I was looking forward to another mama."

"Both of you stop talking," commanded the stoic voice. "We must not be detected too soon."