Sigyn somehow was comforted by Loki's promise. Her worrying stopped. And, aside from the occasional forced lie, she was almost normal again.
A month passed quickly for Sigyn. She was finally able to enjoy herself with her family and friends without feeling like she was exposed to the world. Though she felt peace, the question of what would happen when she went back to the grove still nagged at her.
The time had come for her to meet Loki at the tree they usually met at. The excuse she told her family was that she had been asked by her "Someone" to spend a day or two with him. Sigyn's mother gleefully granted permission. Meanwhile her older brother reminded her about his skill with spears, just in case she needed it.
Sigyn arrived at the tree in the late afternoon. She remembered that Loki said he wasn't sure when he would show up, so she sat on the ground and waited.
A few hours went by, and the afternoon turned into evening. Sigyn kept reminding herself that, for some reason, he would take a while. So she entertained herself by snapping sticks in half and feeding berries from bushes to animals that came near. Little birds played with each other and sang songs together in the trees. The nature brought a sense of peace to her.
A few more hours went by. The sky had gone completely dark, illuminated by the stars and other planets in the realm of Asgard. The grove became alive with the sound of insects and animals who only came out in the dark. Sigyn really started to worry. Not as much about her own safety as the suspense of what was going to happen. Waiting for hours and hours made her slightly groggy, which only enhanced her emotions.
She knew that going in the grove and looking for him would be a really bad idea. People very easily got lost in there if they didn't know the grove by heart. Not to mention it was night time. And he was probably doing something dangerous in there.
"I don't know how much longer I should keep waiting." She thought to herself. "What if he thought it was tomorrow instead of today? It's the middle of the night now. Why would he tell me to come in the afternoon if he would just keep me waiting for hours on end? Well, he did play that ridiculous trick where he hid himself until I could find him. Although... He seemed much more serious about this meeting than any of the others. What if he had come earlier and I missed him?"
Sigyn hadn't even noticed that she had started pacing. She always started pacing when she was trying to figure something out. She never understood why. When her legs began to get tired, she decided to climb a tree and see if she could find something. Just before taken hold of the first branch, birds started to frantically fly away. Sigyn stopped moving and listened closely. She heard footsteps. But not steady, consistent footsteps. They sounded as if someone was limping. No... Not limping. Dragging. They sounded as if someone were dragging themselves with enormous effort. Sigyn's heart pounded so hard it hurt her chest. They were getting closer. She stood, her feet stuck to the ground, waiting to see what would come out from behind the trees. A figure came into sight.
It was Loki. He had a massive wound that extended from his right shoulder down the the left side of his waist. He hung his head, falling on trees for support, weakly holding his waist and coughing.
Sigyn gasped so loud that it echoed all the way through the grove and scared more of the animals away. She felt extremely dizzy because of the extensive amounts of blood that dripped down and soaked his arm. Her legs shook until she couldn't feel them anymore. Loki noticed her and held up his head. His face turned from struggle to huge relief.
"Sigyn." His voice forced out. His strength collapsed and he plummeted to the ground.
Sigyn sprinted over to him, kneeling next to his shaking body.
"Are you faking this?! Loki, please tell me if you're faking this!" She absolutely hated to ask, but she had to make sure. He shook his head as much as he could.
"Okay..." She took a deep breath. "I'm going to get a healer. Will you be able to stay-" Loki's hand suddenly shot up and clutched her arm.
"... No... I'll be... seen." He coughed harder. his words were pained.
"Well would you rather live and stay in prison for life or die?!" She yelled. Sigyn couldn't believe he actually didn't want to be healed.
"... You do it."
"What?! But..." Tears fell down her face as she tried to talk while she cried. "I'm not a healer... I'd have to do it manually. I'm not even sure I can do it manually. Plus you'd be in even more pain..." He grabbed her arm tighter. Sigyn was surprised he hadn't broken it. She sobbed once or twice.
"... Okay. Okay. I'm going to get the medical supplies I have for emergencies. I'll go as fast as I can. Please... don't die while I'm gone." He let go of her and his arm fell to the ground. She stood up and ran as fast as she could to her village.
Author's Note: Sorry to leave at a cliffhanger like this. I need to do more school. Also, thank you guys for your kind words! They mean a lot to me. :)