Year 976:

Chapter Three:

Due to Loki's actions, he was in an immense amount of trouble. It turned out that Thor did in fact report to his father about Loki's (as his father supposedly put it) "rash and foolish actions". So until further notice that he was expected to trot back to his living quarters as soon as lessons were finished for the day, and stay in there by his lonesome until supper.

This meant of course that Sif's time with Loki had been restricted significantly. However, the two attempted not to think about it, and tried to enjoy the time they did have together during study breaks and the afternoon meal.

During the afternoon lunch break they would often sneak away from the rest of their peers and go to their place: the courtyard that held their beloved wiry tree. Sometimes Loki would close his eyes, and take a rest. During these times he would insist that he was watching her and was looking out for any outsiders that dare to infringe on their property.

Other times he would tell her stories that were so captivating. He managed to weave magnificent worlds and brave characters out of mere words. She wondered if he practiced telling such stories, or if he spun them out of the air – right in the moment he was telling them. Yes, Loki was a gifted storyteller, and as Sif loved when he would take the time and effort to create a tale.

It was during the conclusion of one of his tales that a lapse of silence occurred. Her mind was still reeling, trying to process the end. Why did Queen Alva have to die by the hand of the betrayer, Dagfinn? She wasn't sure why. Sif was never one to demand happy endings, and romance, but she found herself wishing that this particular story did end on a good note. Why couldn't King Eluf save his queen? The thought saddened her. Poor Alva. And poor Eluf who was driven to such sadness and despair he abandoned the throne.

She plucked some strands of grass, shredding them into small pieces. If she had thought about it, she probably shouldn't have destroyed the grass. It never harmed her. And yet, here she was tearing it. She wondered if she was a monster, if she would be considered violent, for her acts of grass shredding. She pushed the thought away and instead decided to speak (her head bent as she tried to focus on tearing the green plant into small, miniscule pieces), "You should write these stories down. They're so wonderful."

"No, Sif. They're only for you and your ears because you love them so much," Loki responded.

She looked up, her eyelashes fluttering due to the bright sunlight that kissed her face. The blonde studied his form which was leaning against the base of their beloved tree. His blue eyes seemed to be fixed on her own form, and in that moment of realization, she looked away. With this action her hair cascaded past her, brushing her cheek. She wondered how the sunlight which was filtered through the leaves hit her. Did it create a halo around her, creating an angelic presence?

Draugr's Day arrived in the last week of October much to the delight of the girls who sighed dreamily at the thought of receiving sweet treats and the boys who were excited to scare and be scared. Sif never cared for Draugr's Day and never understood why it appealed to so many children and adults. What was the purpose of being frightened? And why would you want to consume so much sweetness that your teeth hurt?

Nevertheless, Draugr's Day arrived, and instead of the daily lessons, a festival of sorts was held: plum apple bobbing, chariot rides, candy stalls, and the corn maze which fellow classmate Grim had infamously gotten lost (and cried) in last year. Sif thought that this was all rather ridiculous, and would have preferred studying her arithmetic – even history! But alas, she was expected to join in the festivities much to her own personal dismay, and the encouragement of her tutor.

"Don't be so sour, Sif," Loki told her as the pair walked around the grounds where the small festival was being held, "Think about how you're missing history and astronomy – and you hate those two subjects." He paused for a moment before perking up, "And it's a whole day we can spend together."

As if struck by sudden inspiration, he then directed a small smile towards her. "Wait, here," he said, almost eagerly before he rushed off in some random direction, leaving the girl in the middle of the fairgrounds. She was tempted to give an exasperated sigh, but a voice interrupted her:

"Sif."

She turned around to see a rather apprehensive looking Thor. His band of friends were a few feet away pretending to act disinterested, along with a pretty girl who went by the name Jarnsaxa. The sight of another girl hurt Sif. Had she been so easily replaced? The thought truly offended her. Did their friendship mean nothing to Thor?

A wave of uneasiness washed over her as she watched the doe eyed girl stare at the back of Thor's head. It didn't sit well with Sif, and she was tempted to tell her ex-friend that it bothered her so – but what right did she have? He could do whatever he wanted. She obviously didn't care because they weren't friends!

She mustered the best stormy look she could in that moment, and watched as Thor took in her facial expression. His own facial expression falling, he then said, "Before Loki gets back,"

That caught Sif's attention. Had he been watching her? Waiting for the perfect opportunity to ambush her?

She watched incredulously as a tint of pink colored his cheeks. He clasped his hands behind his back, "Happy Draugr's Day." And with that, he pivoted on his heel and ran back to his friends.

It was an odd interaction between the two ex-friends, and Sif couldn't wrap her mind around it.

"Here," Loki's voice cut through her thoughts, and a candy plum apple suddenly entered her field of vision. She took it, confused at what exactly she was holding. Loki was scowling, eyes narrowed and lips drawn in a thin tight line, "I got that apple to cheer you up, Sif – because that's what friends do. But obviously you would prefer to be friends with Thor."

Sif was shocked, and speechless. Hadn't she already said that she had agreed to be friends with Loki, and him alone? Her mind was spinning from all the anger that was radiating off her supposed best friend. And in that instance she decided that she had enough from this raven haired boy. Who was he to push her around and manipulate her feelings?

"Don't be jealous, Loki." She replied, "Haven't I told you that you and I are friends? Plus Thor approached me, and he only did to wish me a Happy Draugr's Day."

This time it was Loki's turn to experience a slight stain of pink upon his cheeks. He looked absolutely furious as he responded hotly, "I'm not jealous!" He clenched his hands into tight fists at his side, eyes blazing, "Take that back, Sif! Take back what you said!"

She shook her head furiously, clutching the candy apple, "No!"

And in one quick movement, Loki had snatched her gorgeously caramel coated apple that he had purchased with his own savings, and smashed it against the ground. It was a beautifully horrifying scene: Sif aghast, Loki furious, and the apple obviously ruined.

The words flew to her lips and departed into the air before she even registered what she was saying: "You're horrible!" She cried these two words aloud, pointing an accusatory finger at the person in front of her. Mind reeling, she then turned on her heel and ran in the direction opposite of him. She didn't really care where she went as long as it was away from him. Tears blinding her vision, she made her way into the corn maze and ran wherever she pleased within the maze. It didn't matter as long as she was alone.

Reaching a spot deep enough in the maze, she sat down and cried – not caring she was ruining yet another dress which she would be reprimanded for by her mother. Hot tears ran down her cheeks, and she made no attempt to remove them – something that usual prideful Sif would have never allowed. Her sniffles echoed in the air, and after a few moments she wiped away the now mostly dried tears that stained the apples of her cheeks. Reigning in her feelings, she took a deep breath, and examined her surroundings. How long did she cry for?

Collecting her thoughts and brushing the dirt off her clothes (it was a useless attempt), she then marched through the maze, each path she took resulting in her nerves rising and her confidence lowering. Where was she? Surely she couldn't be lost! The thought only made the lump in her throat rise, and she choked back a small cry.

What a horrible day! This was the reason she would always hate Draugr's Day!

The next thing that occurred was quite strange and, little did Sif know, would change everything. It was as if Odin had heard her sobs and felt her hatred for Draugr's Day – and as if on cue, had sent a gust of wind to sweep through the corn maze. The blonde girl shivered slightly, wanting nothing more than to be back in the comfort of her own quarters. Expecting the gust to die down, she was surprised when it continued and brought a large pile of dried leaves towards her. And then she cried aloud – terrified and surprised. It was as if the leaves were furious at her! They whipped around her, some slapped against her skin, and others danced across making it feel as though tiny bugs were climbing upon her arms and legs. She shrieked at the sensation.

"Get off!" She screamed, waving her arms frantically to stop the blizzard of leaves that surrounded her. She closed her eyes shut, stomping both of her feet, "Get off, get off, get off!"

"Sif, it's me!"

And suddenly she felt herself hitting something solid – something human. The young girl opened her eyes to find herself being embraced by Loki. Loki. Her one friend. She had never been so glad to see him. The pent up terror was released, and she found herself sobbing – loud, mournful cries. She wrapped her arms around him tighter, afraid he was only an illusion, "Loki?"

"Shh," he said simply in response, weaving one of his hands into her hair. It was surprisingly comforting. She bit her lip in order to keep back the sobs that threatened to escape her lips, and made herself focus on the sensation of him petting her hair.

"I'm sorry," Sif whispered. The words surprised her, but she found that meant them. She was sorry for ever fighting with Loki. It was all very foolish.

He was silent for a moment, and Sif was afraid that she wasn't forgiven. What if Loki didn't want to be friends with her anymore? Dread started to set in her bones. What would she do?

"It's quite alright, Sif." He said in a rather pragmatic tone. A pause, then: "More importantly, are you hurt? Did anyone try to hurt you?" He asked curiously as he continued to pet her hair. She decided to rather liked the sensation. It reminded her of when her mother would comb her hair after she got out of the bath.

"No, of course not," She said, "It was just a vicious pile of leaves." She then realized how ridiculous she sounded. A vicious pile of leaves? It all sounded rather made up. If she had said that to her parents, surely they would have laughed at her before chiding her on having a wild imagination.

Loki drew back, looking at her carefully – his own eyes searching hers, "Are you sure, Sif? Thor didn't put his cronies up to teasing you, did he? That would be awfully mean." His eyes fluttered towards the ground before meeting hers again, "I was sure I saw Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun enter the maze soon after you did."

Sif opened her mouth to disagree with his claim – she hadn't heard anyone else enter the maze. But then she clamped her mouth shut, and focused on his words. Perhaps he was right. Maybe they did enter the maze and play a mean prank on her. She wouldn't put it past them. She wracked her brain, trying to remember if she heard any of their voices. Surely she had heard at least Fandral's voice. And the more Sif was questioning it, the more she started to believe it. Thor's friends had followed her in the maze to play a mean prank on her! She felt her face pinch into an expression of disgust.

"Don't worry, Sif." Loki said quite eagerly as he took her hands within his own, "I promise you they'll pay for it."

She shook her head at his words, and slid her hands out of his grasp, "No, you're already in enough trouble as it is. Let them have their fun." She paused, "I'm sure they did it only because it was Dragur's Day. Or maybe they were dared to."

She watched as frown appeared on his lips, "But they shouldn't get away with it. It's wrong!" He then paused as he took in her expression, and offered softly, "At least let me play a prank on them in return – it's only fair." He then quickly added, "And I promise it'll be a small prank only – nothing too mean."

She hesitated. What exactly did he mean? What exactly did he have planned? She was tempted to say no, but as Sif took in his hopeful expression, she found that she couldn't refuse his request:

"Alright."

Author's Note: Review, please?