Hello friends! I have a rather short chapter for you. Sorry if it's too short. I'll try to add another soon.
I wanted to thank Katiebra (I'm so glad you liked the softness! I've always thought of Loki as a gentle love interest), animexluva13 (Thank you, I was a little worried about the way I wrote the characters but it made me feel good to know you liked it!), GRexCarolinii (I really wanted to write Sif and the Warrior's Three differently from what has been done, so thank you for your kind words!), Imperial Dragon (You'll just have to keep reading to find out. Hehe), Kirixchi (Thank you! As a fan of your work, I'm honored to know you're enjoying it!), Kaede Kei (Thank you!), Mo (I didn't think they hated Loki in the movie, either. If anything, Loki was just the little brother of their friend. And thank you so much for the well wishes of my son! He's feeling much better now.), SleepyHeather (You have good taste in music! Lol. Thank you!), Iloveskitteryandmush (Thank you!), pinkieswore (Thank you! I appreciate your kind words!), and Charisma B (Thank you very much! I'm so glad you're liking it!)
You guys are so amazing! And once again, thank you also to those that put my story as a favorite or alert! I'm overwhelmed by the show of support!
Some more trivia, I get on Pandora a lot when I write. The stations I mostly listen to when I write this story is Sia, Lisa Gerrard, Trifonic, and 30 Seconds to Mars. Just thought I'd let you know.
Thank you guys!
"What!" King Njord shouted.
Freyr bowed on the ground in front of his father in respect, "Freyja confirmed it with her own eyes. Princess Sigyn was captured by the sons of Odin."
The King stood from his throne and paced with his brow knitted together in concern, "This cannot be true. The Allfather and I have been meeting in secret for talks of peace."
"I found it rather disturbing myself. Your most beloved granddaughter traveled with her mother in order to surprise you. She told Freyja that she wished to bring a smile to your face in these terrible times. But their party was intercepted on the way by Princes' war camp. My sister was able to escape, but I fear our dear Sigyn was taken." Freyr feigned sorrow.
Njord's tired face twisted in anguish, "Oh, my poor girl…" He grasped onto the arm of his throne. His expression darkened, "How dare they! Odin speaks of treaties to my face while his sons commit such atrocities!"
Freyr nodded, "What shall we do, Father?"
King Njord looked down at his son as if the answer had not occurred to him yet. He grimaced, "You will take our best men and retrieve Princess Sigyn. I shall deal with the Allfather. And Freyr… bring her back at all costs."
The younger man bowed, "Yes, my King. I just hope we reach her before she endures any unspeakable horrors."
The King growled, "Let us hope for the sake of both realms, that my dearest Sigyn has not been hurt."
With that warning lingering in the air, Freyr took his leave while trying to hide his grin. Everything was as he had planned.
Loki and Sigyn were made to stop at a quiet stream to refresh themselves. They had traveled half a day in search of Vanir troops, although she had no idea what would happen once they found them.
Sigyn looked up at their surroundings and smiled. The wind whispered to the trees, who in turn reached out to meet it like a lost lover. Birds sung to each other above them. It was so peaceful and most welcomed after being in the company of boorish warriors.
Her gaze leveled back down to the stream and she cupped her hands in the clear water to quench the strong itch in her throat.
Loki watched her curiously as he had done since they narrowly escaped his brother's guard. At first she seemed slightly nervous around him after the kiss but as they marched on, her demeanor turned to happiness. He wondered if she was glad to be rid of him soon or if she truly just enjoyed life.
"Are you unwell, my Lord?" Sigyn seemed to see his thoughts written above his head.
He frowned as she had reverted back to his title, "I am alright. What about you, Princess? I suppose you are elated to be welcomed by people of your own realm soon?"
She grimaced and took another drink, "Yes… I am to return to the tedious rituals of court and the mindless pursuits of warriors who only wish to bed a daughter of Freyja…"
Loki turned in surprise.
She sighed, "If I had not love for my grandfather, I would choose to run away. I tire of being used as a political pawn."
"And you wish to go back?" He gasped.
Sigyn darted her eyes toward him, "What am I to do, Loki? If I were to run away, where would I go? And you… would you just abandon your duties as Prince to escape the confines of the life you have been dealt?"
He looked down, feeling rightly scolded, "No I suppose I could not."
She gazed back up to the trees and smiled, "But it is alright to dream of such wonders. Wouldn't it be delightful if you and I ceased our search… to escape together in pursuit of worlds beyond our own?"
"You would wish me to accompany you on your forbidden journey?" Loki grinned.
"Of course! I wouldn't want to make any new discoveries without you. Besides, who else would allow me to bother them so?"
He shook his head and huffed out a laugh, "I hardly see you as a bother, Sigyn."
Sigyn's smile faded for a moment and the two nervously glanced at each other. Her thoughts flew back to the moment that his cool lips touched hers. A strange shock ran down her spine at the memory and landed deep in her belly. At feeling this, she quickly rose and stepped back a few paces.
"I wanted to thank you for saving me. You must be in a terrible lot of trouble now."
He too stood, "Only with my brothers. My father will be quite pleased that one of us decided to follow his orders."
Sigyn peered up at him through her eyelashes, "And was my rescue only meant to please your father?"
Loki cocked his head to the side and his lips thinned at her comment. She feared that she had said the wrong thing and insulted him in some way. His eyes never left hers as he closed the distance between them and took her hand.
"Your rescue was to keep you safe and nothing more."
She had forgotten how to breathe under his piercing stare and was quite thankful that he released her hand to glance around. He seemed to sense something in the air and he softly grabbed her elbow to be on their way.
"Come… we must be swift on our feet. My brothers and their men are still searching for us."
Sigyn nodded in agreement and followed him further into the woods. She studied his form as he stepped over rocks and swayed past tree branches that stuck out too far. He was graceful in his movements and his royal clothing flowed with his body.
"Back at the camp… how did you create ghosts of us?" She asked.
She heard Loki laugh in front of her.
"They were not ghosts. They were merely projections of ourselves. A 'simple trick'." He said as if quoting someone.
Sigyn stopped her trek suddenly. Loki turned when he didn't hear her following anymore. Her beautiful dark eyes were cold as she stared at him angrily. In all their time together, he'd never seen this side of her and he wondered what was wrong.
"How dare you call that a 'simple trick'…" She huffed. Loki wasn't sure how to respond so he waited for her to continue.
She charged toward him with a finger raised level to his face, "That 'projection' was extraordinary! You have a special gift, Loki!" She softened and lowered her voice a little, "Don't let those cruel men tell you otherwise."
He watched her grow timidly closer as if she wasn't sure she should. Her words struck a nerve within him when he realized he'd waited all his life to hear that he was unique instead of odd. Her hand shook as she placed it on his cheek while looking deep in his eyes.
"Your gift assisted in my rescue. You're a hero. Stories will be told across the nine realms of the powers you possess." The intensity between them grew to new heights.
A tear rolled down Loki's face and Sigyn quickly wiped it with her thumb. His breaths came out ragged with emotions. His heart opened up and the passion between them crashed down on him like a wave. When she bit her bottom lip, it became too much. He grasped onto her hips and pulled her against his body roughly. She yelped in surprise and felt his hot breath hit her cheek. She looked down and found her hand had fallen on his heaving chest.
"Sigyn…" He growled hungrily.
The noise made her gasp in surprise and pleasure. She felt his fingers digging into her sides and she silently prayed that he would kiss her again. She saw in his eyes the desire to do so but his movements gave away his hesitation. She decided to take issues into her own hands…
In a moment of passion, Sigyn wrapped her fingers into his raven black hair, pulling his head down, and her lips forcefully collided with his. Loki moaned into her mouth and wrapped his arms around her waist while reciprocating her vigor. Their lips danced together perfectly.
They pulled apart for a moment while staring between each other's lips and eyes and used the advantage to catch their breaths. Loki rested his right hand under her left ear. His thumb caressed her cheek while the other fingers found refuge in her dark hair. He knew now that his heart was stolen. It would forever belong to Sigyn, his enemy.
Her fingers untangled from his hair and she smiled softly. As if it was contagious, Loki smiled as well. He lowered his head and captured her lips once again, but this time it wasn't as hungry. His kiss was tender and loving. Sigyn felt her heart jolt in surprise at his gentleness. He planted several soft kisses on her lips and let the last linger.
Loki's body tensed suddenly. He felt the presence of someone else near. So as to not reveal he knew they were there, he looked above Sigyn from their private moment with his lips still connected to hers. Her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion when she noticed him distracted.
Without warning, she felt herself being forced backward at a great speed. Then as if in slow motion, she watched Loki fly backward as well as an arrow shot past them. It landed with a thud behind them in a tree trunk.
When reality set back in, Loki pushed her behind him protectively and glared up, searching for who shot the arrow that almost killed them. His eyes landed on a tall warrior with a dangerous demeanor. He felt Sigyn move around him against his protests and watched as she leaned forward to take a better look.
"Uncle?" She gasped.
Thanks guys! Sleep well, my friends!