Chapter Two
No matter how often Sigyn visited the Bifrost, she was always amazed by how bright it was. She sat atop the crystal of the path, watching as the light splintered beneath her fingertips. As always, she marvelled in how the light would dance below the crystal and skirt away toward the Bifrost Gate. If she tried really hard, she could follow it or deflect its course – the energy nearly had a tangible presence beneath the crystal and she loved the game it presented to try and alter its track. After one of these slips, when it skirted away in the wrong direction, Sigyn took the time to examine her hand and the warmth that lay on it.
She continued this over and over and over again, as she had done every night for two weeks.
"How do you ever get any work done?" She asked Heimdall, who sat gazing away from her. As per usual, the Gatekeeper was ignoring her astonishment, knowing that she would be as stunned today as she would be when she visited again tomorrow. "I would be so overwhelmed by everything you see, everything you hear. All this energy is so distracting."
"There are other things to watch when you can see as I do," Heimdall said simply.
"But that's my point!" She pointed out. She turned to look at him fully to help make her point, all while knowing he would not return the favour. "I would be distracted by a bee, nonetheless the universe…"
In all her years visiting the Gatekeeper, Sigyn had never heard Heimdall laugh. She was proud to say, however, that every now and then she could see the tiny quirk of his lip when he was amused. She found it endearing, particularly considering Heimdall rarely conversed or allowed himself to be amused by people at all.
"I wish I had half your ability," she looked away to hide her grimace. "My abilities often get me into trouble."
She had to hold herself back from making a face while just thinking about her exchange with the prince that afternoon. She had realized too late that the prince had cloaked himself, and instead of avoiding his eye as someone of her station should, she had announced his presence to all the other scholars around her. Her only hope was that he would forget her face, particularly after she had ignored his lie and had given him his book anyway. Perhaps her peace offering would be enough to keep her safe from any of his infamous revenge tactics.
"Everyone has a purpose, young Sigyn. Your day will come," Heimdall informed her, his voice almost comforting. She let out a small laugh.
"Let me know when that day is," it was hard for the young girl not to roll her eyes, but she didn't want to insult the man at the gate. If she rolled her eyes he was bound to know.
"Can you see my class, are they studying?" She asked wistfully. "Have they moved on from Ulldrs' third rule as of yet?"
"They have," he responded easily. She doubted the man even had to search to know the answer, but the response made Sigyn frown. She was missing a devastating amount of her schooling being back Asgard and she didn't like it. While she knew she was not anywhere near being behind in her actual studies, she didn't like feeling like she was missing out on the small things you could only learn in lecture. It had been two weeks since she had arrived back in her Aesir home and with each passing hour, she missed the grand Vanir halls she had grown used to more and more.
Heimdall swivelled his head over to the side as if he was hearing something faint. He took a moment to look over his shoulder and then brought his eyes to her own.
"Your mother wishes you home," he told her suddenly. Now she did roll her eyes – it would have been impossible not to. "Your parents seem upset."
"When aren't they?" Sigyn muttered to herself, standing up from the Rainbow Bridge and straightening out her white apprentice robes. Her mother had always been a highly strung and overbearing woman, but life had gotten worse once her father had grown ill. Now that the news was public on Tyr's prognosis, her mother, Fulla, had ordered all her children home. With everyone else coming back, it had been no place of Sigyn's to argue. As much as she wanted to be back in Vanaheim with her lessons, she knew her family needed her here to spend time with her father in his final weeks.
"Are my siblings already there?"
"All but Delling. It seems you are late for dinner," the Gatekeeper explained flatly. He never found regular events like this worth a lot of attention. All the same, Sigyn sighed to herself. He was right, she was sure – Sigyn had, again, lost track of time.
Her mother never believed that she could stay out on the Bifrost for the hours that she did. It was cold for many this high over the water and boring for those who did not have a relationship with the Gatekeeper. But honestly, though she had one now, she probably didn't need one. Back when Sigyn had started her regular trips down to stargaze, it had been just as nice not to have to say anything to the Gatekeeper at all, simply so she could organize with her thoughts. Often that's all they did. The benefit of her magic and his own was that they could often see what the other preferred.
"Have a calm night with the stars, good Heimdall," she called out to him as she began to walk back toward the golden city. "Please let me know if my class moves on to Hod's theory. I'm behind in my elemental readings."
"'Behind' implies that you have not already done the readings," if she would have been looking, she knew that Heimdall would have been showing off that small smile again. "I suspect you still have six days before they will move on."
Six days until they turn to Hod's theory of elemental change? That should be time enough to get more literature on the subject. That is, of course, if she could put down the newest books on Freyr's shapeshifting techniques for a day.
It was unlikely at best.
The walk home was peaceful, as the nights in Asgard always were. Because of her mother's duties serving the queen, the family often ate later at night. As she walked, Sigyn found herself hoping that tonight would feature her mother's cooking rather than the cooking of either of her sisters. Her eldest sister, Radny, had cooking that was particularly difficult to stomach. Because she had been married within the last decade she was trying to settle down and begin a family all her own. She said all she needed was practice – Sigyn just couldn't imagine, at this rate, how many more decades that would take…
"Are you only getting to dinner now?" A voice called out from behind her. Were it later in the eve Sigyn may have been unnerved by the break in the nightly sounds, but her brother's voice was just as familiar as the rest of the street she was striding along. This was where she had been raised and she knew each shadow well, including her brother in his guard-gear. It was not the same as an Einherjar uniform, for it was not as high a position, but her brother was working diligently to rise up the ranks. He was taking every piece of work that would prepare him for the day he was finally accepted into the elite palace warriors.
"You're not at dinner either," she snipped back, frowning at her brother. He laughed at her expression.
"I'm following in father's footsteps," he countered. "You're just making your own. As usual."
"Some would find that honourable," she argued back, but she smiled at him anyway. While his words were painfully true, she knew he did not mean them as critically as her father always did.
"Or they may assume that you're looking for trouble," he disputed with a similar smile. One of her brother's soon-to-be soldier friends did not see the light-hearted humour of the interaction.
"You should be careful, Miss Sigyn," he said with a stern tone. "It is a strange time for our land and a maiden like yourself should be protected."
"Oh Theoric, you need not worry about my sister," Delling laughed, shouldering his friend appreciatively. "I certainly see no reason to. My father taught us well how to take care of ourselves. But you should go to dinner, Sigyn, be with him."
Sigyn could practically feel the sorrow radiating from her brother and it went without saying that her brother would rather switch positions with her. She would have too. While Sigyn wanted nothing more than to stay out into the night, she knew she shouldn't keep her family waiting any longer. They were grieving, preparing for a life-altering event. The intrusive guard was right, these were difficult times and she did not want them upset.
After a short walk, Sigyn entered her family home and was met with a bustling kitchen and a pre-set dinner table. Her two sisters were bickering over something that was steaming in a pan.
"You over-season everything," Sjofn huffed in frustration. "Just let me finish it."
"If you put in six times the salt of last night's dish, it would still be too little," Radny hissed back. These two often quarrelled and Sigyn had grown up listening to arguments just like these. "Now please pass the potatoes."
"Do you need help of any kind, or can I avoid the inevitable food fight?" Sigyn asked with a smile. The two girls looked to her and blinked before going back to glaring at each other.
"You're not taking this away from me," her eldest sister hissed. Sigyn tried hard not to laugh at the threat; everyone in the family knew that Sjofn would beat Radny in any battle.
Sigyn ended up swooping in to save the food from their anger. She took the dish away from them both, insisting that it was done well enough for their simple family meal. She continued to help prepare by filling the water goblets and moving finished dishes onto the dinner table. It took only a few minutes after she began that her mother entered, carefully assisting her father.
Up until Sigyn had returned to Asgard, her father had always been a very intimidating man. Tyr was the God of War – specializing in the law and justice of war crimes – so he was always an imposing figure in and outside of the household. He had handed down his genetics to all his children but Sigyn: blonde haired, light eyed, and strong.
Now that Tyr was sick, he looked very different from the man she had known. His pallor extended all the way to his shock of now white hair, the spark in his eyes had dulled, his strength had given way to a crippling weakness that seemed to translate down to his very bones. Since Sigyn had left to apprentice over a decade before, his frown had permanently secured itself to his face. Pain does that to a person – even if a god. But still, despite knowing what was happening to her father, it was strange to see him this way.
When Sigyn had been young, she and her father had been close. Very close. He had loved her quirks and her curiosity – in fact, he had encouraged it. He had bonded with her over her love of finding answers, whatever form the questions may take. He had loved searching for those answers with her, he had loved explaining the ways of the universe as he knew it…but as she grew alongside her curiosity, his patience had diminished. Tyr began to pull away and slowly, with time, Sigyn grew unsettled by him.
All this emotion had come to a head when Sigyn had decided to study magic.
The family had never been the same since.
As her family members took their seats – save her brother Delling, who was still out watching the uneventful streets below the palace – Sigyn tried hard not to draw attention to herself. As always, the unspoken theme of the dinner was one that she could not follow. The table, the place settings, the goblets, the napkins, her entire family looked like it had been dipped in gold. Her sisters had golden hair and eyes, their skin was golden toned and seemed to sparkle. Her brother, while absent, followed suit. Her mother had always loved gold, so much so that it seemed she had coloured her children with it.
But not Sigyn.
Sigyn shared her mother's attributes: her skin was not golden, but a pale olive tone. Her eyes were not hazel but a deep, rich brown. Her hair was not blonde and wispy as her siblings, but dark and thick. Were her mother not dark haired and eyed as well, Sigyn would have wondered whether this family was even her own.
"How are you feeling, father?" Radny asked, leaning forward to place her hand on her father's arm. He gave her a soft smile in return.
"It is a good day," he informed. He was lying, Sigyn knew it instinctively. She did not need her talent for knowing the truth to hear how his voice did not seem to agree with him. He sounded weak and airy today – a sign of increased pain and exhaustion. Each day it grew worse, she could see it. The family waited for their father to take the first bite of food so that they could all do the same. He looked remised to do it – Sigyn couldn't help but wonder if nausea was playing a factor today and if the only reason he was eating at all was so that they didn't feel guilty about beginning their meal.
"This is delicious, Radny," Fulla, Sigyn's mother, smiled. "Not nearly as salty as last night."
Sjofn slowly turned to Radny, a wicked smile playing on her lips and a twinkle in her eye. Sigyn tried hard not to laugh at the mischievous expression.
"Does anyone know how long until Delling arrives?"
"I saw him patrolling the streets," Sigyn informed quietly. "He worried he would not arrive in time. In fact, he mocked me for nearly being late."
"And why were you late?" Tyr's voice, while weak, seemed lower and more suspicious when he addressed his youngest daughter. Sigyn cleared her throat, trying to keep her composure after his change in tone.
"I simply lost track of time," she explained vaguely. She did not want to elaborate any more for she knew that her father would not approve of where she had been. He rarely did.
"Wait—" Radny cocked her head to the side, looking over Sigyn's shoulder as if she just had a rogue thought. "Delling's returned."
It barely took a moment before Delling entered the dining area, out of breath and with his protective gear still on. Once upon a time, he would have been in trouble for this. Now Sigyn thought her father may have liked to see the gear on him. Perhaps it made him proud to see that while he could no longer serve the crown, his son would.
"I'm sorry to be so late," Delling tried to catch his breath between words. "Theoric allowed me to leave when Asmund joined him."
"That's alright," her father smiled, patting his shoulder appreciatively as his son sat down. "Tell us about your day."
"There was nothing of note," Delling smiled, digging into his food like a beast. He took a few bites and hummed appreciatively. "Oh, good job, Radny – not nearly as salty this time."
This time, her older sister Sjofn could not hold in her laughter.
"That's hardly polite, Sjofn," her mother scolded. Sigyn, herself, could not hold back her smile.
While she knew you were not supposed to pick favourite family members, Sigyn would not deny she enjoyed spending time with Sjofn most. Maybe it was because she was the closest in age – they were hardly a century apart – but it was likely thanks to her gall. It was hard to reign in her sister. While their parents had taken time to find a man that Radny finally deemed fit enough to marry, Sjofn rebelled against the very idea of commitment. She had rebelled so much, in fact, that she had made a show of bringing back both men and women to the home many-a-time. After a stretch, her parents understood she would not be tamed.
"Does Bjorn like your cooking, Radny?" Sjofn asked. "Or has he been slowly starved?"
"Sjofn! I'm sure her husband loves that she is trying." Her mother scowled. Sjofn was already laughing, but upon seeing Sigyn trying to hold back her own giggles, the older sister began to cackle loudly. Her father grunted, disliking when they encouraged each other as they were.
"Delling," Tyr moved to change the subject, angling his body so that he was speaking only to his son. "Did you go to the Training Grounds today?"
"I did," her brother was still stuffing food into his face as he spoke. "We did not get a lot done, though. We had to make way for the princes; they took up the whole area with their sparring."
At the thought of the princes, Sigyn found her face heating up again. She prayed to Odin that her brother would not mention their incident with Prince Loki earlier that day. But her brother was preoccupied with eating and it seemed because the prince had been out of sight, he was also out of mind.
"And who won?"
"Prince Thor, of course," Delling explained with a laugh. "He always wins. Those tricks of Prince Loki's can never outdo the power he has with Mjolnir."
Sigyn rolled her eyes, she couldn't help herself. With his well-trained eye, her father caught the action. He frowned, narrowing his eyes at her.
"Let me guess, you approve of such trickery?" He asked brusquely. Sigyn fidgeted in her seat, moving her eyes to her mother. Her mother widened them slightly, trying to insinuate that she should not start a fight. Sigyn didn't want to…but she knew it would only be worse if she dared to try and lie.
"I do not believe magic to be trickery," she said quietly. She steeled herself, preparing for the fight her words would bring. "Brute strength is not the only making of a warrior."
"Of course not," her father's voice dripped in disdain. "But this is not about warriors, is it? To you, magic is noble."
"I believe it can be, yes," she said quickly. She looked around the table for any help, but her siblings were now averting their eyes. None of them had ever taken interest in magic and this argument was well and often played out. Over time, it seemed they had learned to stay silent. "Magic is not just something that people do to trick others. Magic comes in many forms, father. There's healing and Seeing and—"
"And trickery," he finished for her. She went to speak again but her mother's dark eyes gave such an intense look that made Sigyn want to hold her tongue. She looked again to her siblings – Radny ignoring the conversation, Delling trying to stuff his face to ignore the fight, but when her eyes made it to Sjofn, she caught the glance. She nodded slightly to her younger sister as if urging Sigyn to fight back.
"Prince Loki is shameful in the way he does things," her father was mumbling. "It's cowardice, the kind of magic he uses. It does not matter his ability, it does not matter his intent, he's constantly causing trouble—"
"Magic does more than cause trouble and trickery," Sigyn's voice came out louder than she meant it and it made her heart pound nervously against her ribs. "It is used in every aspect of Asgard and to ignore that is to ignore the very power that Asgard is known for. If you dismiss the magic we use to thrive, then you insult our very King and Queen by dismissing it."
Her father slammed his cutlery on the table, glaring daggers through his daughter. "I know for a fact that the Allfather—"
"Knows even more sorcery than his son!" Sigyn raised her voice to meet his rage. She was tired of having this argument. She was tired of making good points and having them being thrown away just because of his prejudice. "Magic is not something to be hated father, it's something to be admired! Would you truly have these opinions had I not left for Vanaheim to learn it? Is this discrimination simply because of how much you disapprove of me?"
She wished she hadn't asked the question as soon as it had left her lips.
Her father, pale eyes blazing, levelled her with a glare that told her the answer.
"That's enough," her mother, her deep voice sounding like there was something in her throat, stood to address them both. "Sigyn, I believe it's time that you go upstairs and resume your studies. Tyr, I should like I word with you outside."
Sigyn, happy enough to get back to her studies, threw another look to her father before rushing back up to her room and ensuring that she slammed her door.
She opened one of the newer books from her trip that day, digging back into the mechanics behind Hod's theory of elemental change. She read for quite some time, ignoring the hum of the argument her parents were having outside. After a while, when it had died down and her father had slammed his bedroom door, her mother entered her room.
"You do not need to bait him, you know," Fulla said simply, cautiously moving to sit at the foot of her daughter's bed. Sigyn pulled up her feet so that her mother would not be touching her – she did not want to be comforted or lectured. She wanted to lose herself in the very magic that her father thought was so unfit for Sigyn to learn.
"I didn't."
"You are a beautiful soul, Sigyn," her mother sighed. "But you are still so naïve. Your father speaks from a place of experience that you cannot appreciate—"
"And what experience does he have with magic, besides finding it useful?" Sigyn slammed her book shut to look at her mother. "Magic has only helped him in battle, but now he despises it? I have heard his war stories, I have heard of his victories – magic always plays some sort of factor. He simply hates it now because I have taken such a shine to it."
"Not everyone sees the truth as you do, Sigyn," her mother smiled, leaning forward to cup her cheek. This time, Sigyn let her. She had always felt at odds with her mother as a child – her mother had been cold to her when she was young. But as she began to grow, and the relationship between her and her father began to fade away, her mother had stepped up to the challenge of being a present parental figure. "Sometimes people lie to themselves so much that they do not realize they have passed the lie to others."
Sigyn knew this to be true. Ever since she was young she had always been able to tell when people lied. She could see through any falsehood or fib, she could see through disguises and misplaced intentions. She knew that sometimes people did not – or possibly could not – even acknowledge their own lies…but that did not mean that they should not be called out on this behaviour.
"A self-imposed lie does not begin a hatred like this," Sigyn cradled her knees even closer to her chest while she looked at her mother. "Does he really hate me so much that he hates all I love?"
"He worries over you," her mother said after a moment. She did not miss the fact that her mother did not reject the entire idea, but she could tell her mother spoke the truth – or at least the truth as she knew it. "He has seen Magic ruin people's lives, Sigyn. He worries that it will do the same for you. It's can be an addiction, the power magic can bring. He does not want to see you overtaken by it."
"Why does he expect I will be?" She asked with a frown. "Does he really think I have so little control?"
Her mother looked like she was going to say something meaningful, something important before she leaned forward and kissed her daughter softly on the forehead. When she pulled away, the indecision still seemed to linger behind her eyes.
"Rest well, my little Syn," she said the nickname sweetly, likely because of how much Sigyn disliked it. "Win or lose, this not a battle to be fought tonight."
Her mother blew out the lantern next to Sigyn's bed, ending any idea that she would study more before bed. While Sigyn thought about possibly relighting it – and out of spite she would have done this with magic – she figured sleep might be a good idea after such an eventful day. At this point, she would take any escape from the confines of Asgard, even if it was only in her dreams.
Thank you so much for your response to this story! To all my reviewers, I would like to send a big thank you. I am responding privately to those with accounts, but let me give a quick shoutout to:
stlmoonlight: Thanks! I've been very excited to write this story, it's been in my mind for a while. I hope that you'll like what I've come up with!
MissEvangeline: With GEM winding down, it's nice to have something else to look forward to in the fanfic world. I hope that it remains intriguing after this chapter and that you continue to like the direction I'm heading in. Thanks for reviewing!
I'm so glad that it sounds like people are already interested in the concept of this story. I hope that you liked this taste into Sigyn's world, especially before things start to go a little crazy. And don't worry, next chapter Loki and Sigyn will meet properly. I will be posting 'cast photos' and other answers to questions on Twitter, so please add me EgyptsLegend for sneak-peeks, Q&As, polls, and updates! Also, I would love to hear what you are thinking of the story so far, so please remember to review!
-Egypt
