"Good morning, my Queen."

"Sigyn," Frigga said with a slightly exasperated smile, "how many times must I tell you to call me Frigga?"

Sigyn returned the smile with one of her own, shrugging. "It is hard to not be polite."

As if to punctuate her point, she did a low curtsey to the Queen, holding out the skirt of her yellow dress. She had practiced it all night until her legs ached and cramped, but Sigyn knew she'd finally perfected it. She'd also told Dagny to wake her early and help her prepare for breakfast with Frigga. If she was going to keep her vow in helping Asgard and Jotunheim to peace, Sigyn thought it appropriate to dress and be styled in a manner befitting an Aesir woman.

It still felt out of place on her, the dress and the loose hairstyle. But once things were settled between the Realms, she would ask to have more dresses made in the Jotun style. She would not have to look like an Aesir forever.

"Well, you look beautiful," Frigga said, eyeing the gown. Sigyn did not miss the implications she'd made in choosing a yellow dress; she could not wear gold, as that was one of the royal family's colours. But yellow was close enough, and she hoped people would take it as a sign that she was loyal to Asgard. "And you're very early."

Sigyn smiled as she rose from the curtsey. "It is good to be early, yes?"

The servants set their places at the table. Sigyn tried not to remember the disastrous conversation she'd had with Loki in the same room the day before. She'd spent the night terrified that Odin would come for her, but when he did not, she supposed that once again Loki must have kept quiet about it.

Only because he is watching me himself, she thought, waiting for me to make a mistake that will give me away. She glanced down at herself when she sat down, suddenly worried. Perhaps it had not been a good idea to be so blatant with her dress and hair. Would Loki look at her today and think she's trying to prove something?

I do not wish to go around fearing what Loki may or may not do, Sigyn thought. But I must be careful of him as well. Tomorrow she would be more considerate in choosing her dress.

"So," Frigga said, once their breakfast had been laid out before them. "Did Loki truly treat you well while I was gone yesterday?"

"Of course, my Queen," Sigyn said, her tone utterly sincere. "He was very charming."

Frigga stared at her until Sigyn felt herself falter. "I know my son," she said at length. "And I know that sometimes, he is the very opposite of charming."

Sigyn shrugged. "If he is, he was not such to me."

"I do want you to feel safe in coming to me for anything," Frigga continued.

She paused briefly in buttering her bread. "I do feel safe in coming to you."

"And you do not have to lie to protect yourself," Frigga said. "I know it's difficult being here, my dear. Truly. You miss your home and your friends, and the life you had there. I know you feel unsafe. But I don't want you to feel that way anymore. I want you to know you're protected."

And if I said your son was the one I needed protecting from, what would you do?

Sigyn smiled and nodded. "I know I am protected, Frigga. I do. You will not let any harm come to me or Helblindi."

"That's right," Frigga said with a nod. There was a brief silence as Frigga continued to stare at her and Sigyn resolutely looked down at her plate. "But I can only do that if you tell me the truth."

Sigyn took a sip of the cider, stalling for time. "Prince Loki was more... absent than unkind, my Queen. I think he is very concerned with other matters. He apologized for it, before you returned." Sigyn smiled again, tighter this time. How long would Frigga keep asking her about this? "I know he is the heir to the throne now, so he must be very busy, yes? I did not mind that he was too absent to speak with me very much."

"Yes," Frigga murmured. "In that case, I'm happy to hear you both got along."

"We did."

Frigga nodded again and turned back to her meal. Sigyn studied her expression before glancing away. The Queen seemed absent herself now, and troubled. She hesitated slightly before asking, "Is everything well, my Queen?"

That brought Frigga out of her thoughts. "Yes, forgive me. I was kept awake late into the night with other matters." She began to eat again and Sigyn decided to let it go. "Sigyn, tell me. You said yesterday that you had very few people close to you, in Jotunheim."

"Yes?"

Frigga shifted, seemingly uncertain about how to phrase what she said next. "Did you have any... significant others?"

Sigyn frowned in confusion. "I do not understand."

"Did you have a partner?" Frigga tried again. "Someone you loved and, ah, bedded?"

"Oh," Sigyn said, eyes widening. "I-er-um," she fumbled, embarrassed. She took a deep breath and shook her head. "Not for two decades, my Queen. And only the one person."

She could not understand the expression on the Queen's face. She seemed relieved, but the troubled lines around her mouth did not lessen. "I see. I'm sorry for asking that so suddenly, it's only that I had hoped you had someone. Or, I hoped you did and I hoped you didn't, at the same time."

When Frigga saw Sigyn's increasingly confused expression, she elaborated. "I hate the thought of you being alone. You deserve to have many friends and loved ones, Sigyn; you're a beautiful, kind girl. But if you didn't, it means we did not separate you from the one you loved. That's something to be thankful for, in a way."

Sigyn looked away and took a bite of her fruit, something she could not identify. The tangy taste made her blink hard and bite her cheeks. Finally, she thought of something to say. "That is kind of you." It felt woefully inadequate, but it was all she could think of.

Frigga allowed silence to fall between them again, much to Sigyn's relief. She would rather talk about the weather, an altogether boring subject, than go through that strange conversation again. When they finished with their breakfast, they withdrew to Frigga's sitting room where the other ladies would join them. A nervous flutter would not leave her, no matter how much Sigyn tried to ignore it. The last time she had been around them, things had not gone well.

Freyja entered as soon as Frigga had picked up the dress she was working on. The woman took one glance at Sigyn's dress and smirked, and Sigyn immediately knew she'd been right in fearing she was being too obvious. Trying not to let Freyja's judgment get to her, she stood and curtseyed to Freyja as well.

"Oh, don't," Freyja said with a wave of her hand, pulling Sigyn back up to her feet. "I won't curtsey to you, so don't do it to me."

Sigyn said nothing, wondering why both she and the Queen were so determined to get her to act inappropriately. She smiled nonetheless and went to take her seat by Frigga again.

Freyja came to sit next to her. "You look very beautiful this morning, Sigyn."

"Thank you," Sigyn said, wondering if they found her beautiful in her Jotun clothes too.

Freyja leaned in and pitched her voice lower, so that Frigga could not hear. "Though some may say you're trying to prove something."

"I am not," Sigyn said, unease creeping down her spine. "Truly."

"I know, dear," Freyja said. "You're so earnest about it, it comes across as sweet and adorable instead of conniving. At least to me. Others may not be so understanding."

Sigyn swallowed hard, glancing over at the Queen as she rose to greet the ladies who were just arriving. "Will I get into trouble?"

"No," Freyja said. "People will assume Frigga was the one to dress you. The suspicion will be directed at her, not you."

Sigyn kept herself from physically reacting in any way to that, even when her heart dropped. Causing people to cast judgment on Frigga had not been her intention, either. "Should I change, after this is done?"

"No, because then they'll think you've something to be ashamed about. As if your sincerity is something to hide." Freyja sighed, leaning back into her own chair. "You'll learn how to do all this eventually. But for tomorrow, wear the purple dress instead."

"Sigyn," the Queen said, making her jump slightly. "Why don't you come over and say hello?"

She rose and went over to the two young girls who were standing with Frigga. They were both shorter than her, and if she remembered correctly, a little younger as well. One had long black hair and eyes the colour of ice; another had dark skin and kind, wide brown eyes. They both looked at her with thinly veiled curiousity.

"Sigyn, this is Lofn," Frigga said, motioning to the girl with the dark skin, "and Nanna."

Sigyn curtseyed and managed a small smile. "It is good to meet you both."

"And you," Lofn said.

"A pleasure," Nanna said, her voice quiet. Not from fear or dislike, Sigyn thought, but shyness. Sigyn took an immediate liking to her; shyness was something she was well familiar with.

"I was wondering, perhaps, if you three would like to become companions?" Frigga offered, and Sigyn thought it a strange thing to ask of them when they hardly knew each other.

Still, Lofn and Nanna bowed their heads to the Queen. "Yes, my Queen," they said in unison, and Frigga smiled broadly at Sigyn.

"I'll leave you three to become acquainted, then."

Sigyn glanced over her shoulder to Freyja, who was watching the scene with a contemplative look on her face. When she was caught staring, Freyja gave Sigyn a small smile and turned away.

Sigyn followed Lofn and Nanna to their seats and took an empty one in between them. She felt like an intruder, given how closely together they always sat. Neither one of them seemed to care as they pulled out their dresses, however.

"Have you learned how to embroider yet?" Nanna asked, smoothing out the bright blue skirt in her lap.

"No," Sigyn said. "The Queen has been trying to teach me, but she has been very busy as well. I have only learned one or two things."

"It's easy," Lofn said, her own dress a bold orange. She was nearly done with the hem of her skirt, Sigyn saw. Her embroidery was beautiful, with the littlest details on the petals of the flowers visible. "Do you learn better by watching or by doing?"

"Seeing first," Sigyn said, surprised at how easy their conversation was going, "and then by doing."

"Then watch me," Nanna said. "Lofn goes too fast."

"It's not my fault you embroider slowly," Lofn said, and if she could have gotten away with sticking her tongue out, Sigyn suspected she would have.

Sigyn bit her bottom lip, but a quiet laugh still escaped her. Lofn and Nanna glanced at her in surprise, then smiled and broke out into laughter themselves.

"So," Nanna began, "who are you hoping will dance with you at the summer festival?"

It took Sigyn a second to realize Nanna wasn't speaking to her, but to Lofn. "You know who," Lofn said, grinning.

They were young, Sigyn realized. Young enough to be giggling over men and the idea of dancing with them. She felt a little out of place again. It'd been decades since she was that young, and even then, she did not have many men or women to giggle over and dream about.

"But what if he doesn't show up? What will you do then?"

"Then I'll dance with whoever I like," Lofn announced, raising her chin. "It's his fault if he misses out." Lofn grinned and leaned in to Nanna. "I know who you're saving a dance for."

Nanna's cheeks tinged pink and she looked studiously at her fabric. "I've not the slightest idea who you-"

"Don't tell me you've moved on from Baldr," Lofn said. "I shan't believe a word of it."

Nanna hunched in further, her blush deepening, and Sigyn bit back a laugh.

"Do not torture the poor girl," Sigyn said. "Have mercy, my lady."

Nanna smiled at Sigyn and she returned it, happy for the gratitude. Lofn snickered and went back to her own embroidery. For a while all was quiet between them until Nanna spoke up. "Are you going to the summer festivals as well?"

"I do not know," Sigyn said honestly. "It is up to the Queen, yes?"

"True," Nanna said. "I think she'll let you, though. They're so much fun, and everyone will be there."

"Have you a dress yet?" Lofn asked.

"Oh, if not, you must get one!" Nanna said, seemingly over her shyness now that Sigyn had been around for a little while. "A red dress would look beautiful on you."

"Red is for autumn," Lofn said. "I think a green dress would look best on her, for summer. A bright green, not a mild one."

Sigyn attempted to keep up with the conversation, but eventually gave up and watched them with amusement. It was easy to be around these girls. She did not have to worry about offending them as she did Freyja or Frigga. Even better, they seemed to like her... or so she supposed. At least they weren't ignoring her.

At the same time, it made her miss Angrboda deeply and, by extension, Jotunheim as well. There was never a moment when she did not miss Jotunheim. She would carry a longing for it until the day she died, and it would always be heavy. Asgard was beautiful, but it was not the same.

"What do you think?"

Sigyn started out of her thoughts and stared at Nanna. "What?"

"I asked you what dress you might prefer," Nanna said. "Lofn and I were going on as if you weren't here, and we're so sorry for that. So, what dress might you like to wear?"

"Oh, I-I do not know," Sigyn said. "Dresses are very new to me."

"Then we'll take you to the dressmakers and help you choose," Lofn said. "A shame Lady Freyja did not think of it herself."

"But she did not know if I am going."

Lofn shrugged. "Either way, I need to go get some more fabric myself, and Nanna likes to look. We'll go with you, if the Queen says it's okay."

The morning passed slowly. Near the end of the gathering, Nanna handed Sigyn some fabric should could practice with, upon which she found out that she was not the best at embroidery. Nanna merely shrugged when she saw it and reassured her that she had time to learn. Then she and Lofn went to the Queen to ask to take Sigyn down to the dressmakers, while Sigyn stayed back and watched nervously.

Frigga must have approved of the idea, for Lofn and Nanna returned soon and began to lead her down to the dressmakers. What followed was another long period of time spent being poked and prodded at by strangers, and being ignored as well. Nanna and Lofn did most of the talking, which Sigyn was fine with. In the end, they decided upon another yellow gown in a slightly darker shade than the one Sigyn was wearing.

The two girls had fought valiantly to convince her to wear a green one, but Sigyn had refused. Green was well known to be the colour the Jotuns were fond of. She did not want to give anyone cause to think that she still had some loyalty left to Laufey.

"Now, as for embroidering it..." Nanna began, fingering the fabric as if testing how thick it was, "since it's for the summer festivals, you need to embroider flowers, wheat, fruits, the things associated with summer."

Sigyn gave her a blank look, which caused Nanna to pause. "We do not have this summer on Jotunheim," Sigyn said slowly, uncertainly.

Nanna blinked, then blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, of course you don't, forgive me-"

"No, no, it is fine," Sigyn reassured her hurriedly. "It is just, I may need help?"

"We can help you," Lofn said. "We'll draw pictures and take you to see the things you'll be embroidering. Since you've a yellow dress, you can't do wheat, it'll blend right in. But some nice flowers and fruits and the custom runes would be nice."

"Yes," Sigyn agreed, though it was still all going a bit over her head.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Nanna said with a smile.

"Thank you," Sigyn said as the two girls led her out of the dressmakers. When Lofn suggested they take a walk through the freshly bloomed gardens, Sigyn hesitated. "The Queen did not say I could go."

"It'll be fine," Lofn said. "The gardens are enclosed, so only the royals and nobles can visit, and the servants of course. You will not be on display for all of Asgard to see."

"Please come," Nanna said. "It's gorgeous when everything's just bloomed, and the fresh air will do you good."

Sigyn could not argue with that. She'd been locked away in Gladsheim for so long, being outside again for just a few short moments would be wonderful. She finally nodded and followed them as they began navigating the corridors. When they came upon the doors to the outside, Sigyn hesitated briefly once again before stepping out. She was half certain that the guards would immediately call her back, but they said nothing, simply watched her before glancing away again. They seemed to trust Lofn and Nanna to keep an eye on her.

Outside of Gladsheim's walls, Sigyn could better smell the scent of the far off sea. She took a deep breath of it and let the breeze wash over her, tasting the salt it carried on her tongue. It was not overly hot, much to her surprise. The sun was too bright, but she solved that issue by staying in Gladsheim's shadow while she followed Lofn and Nanna around the walls.

However, when Sigyn heard the echoes of shouts and weapons clanging against each other, she tensed. Just as she was about to bring it up with Lofn and Nanna, the two girls exchanged an excited look.

"The Einherjar are out training," Nanna said, excitedly. "We have to go see."

"What would your mother think if she knew you were spying on the Einherji, just for a chance to see a few without their tunics on?"

"Lofn!"

Sigyn said nothing, falling back from them as they ran off laughing. She kept them in her eyesight and knew when they had gotten close to the training yard; as the shouts had gotten louder, Lofn and Nanna got quieter so they would not be found. They had done this before, it seemed.

Nanna turned around to see Sigyn lagging behind when they made it to a low rise wall. She motioned for Sigyn to join them, so she did, reluctantly. She did not much want to see or hear these things. It reminded her too much of what the war had sounded like.

Still, she stood on her tiptoes to look over the top of the wall. The Einherjar were in their training clothes and, indeed, some of them were not wearing tunics. They stood in formation on the green ground while another stood at their head, yelling orders. Lofn and Nanna giggled again, and Sigyn smiled despite herself.

If she ignored the weapons clashing against each other, she supposed she could enjoy the bodies the Einherjar had. Some of them were pale, others had dark skin like Lofn's, but all of them had the same muscles. They weren't bad, though not what she was attracted to herself.

Then her gaze caught one Einherji in particular. Theoric was there, an intense look of concentration on his face, his body teeming with power as he trained with the sword in his hand. Sigyn immediately fell back on the flats of her feet, hiding behind the wall before he could see her. Hopefully he had missed her entirely. A sudden anxiety overtook her and she stepped away.

"We should go," Sigyn said. "Please? We should not be intruding."

"They won't hurt us," Lofn said.

Then why are we hiding? Sigyn wondered. "I do not wish to linger," Sigyn said. "The Queen might miss me. Do you not want to see the gardens before it has been too long?"

Nanna glanced back at her, pausing. Then she nodded. "We should go, Lofn."

The other girl sighed, clearly outnumbered in her desires. "Alright, alright," she said. "But if they're still out when we come back, we're staying."

Sigyn sighed in relief and they all began making their way out. As they walked the shouts suddenly died off, causing Sigyn to stop walking entirely. Usually when shouts were cut off like that, it meant everyone making them had died quickly. At least, that's what it had meant in the war.

Instead, it apparently meant that the men were free to rest for a few minutes, as some of them came out to the water basins that were lined next to Gladsheim. Sigyn immediately turned and kept walking, causing Lofn and Nanna to hurry after her. She didn't care if she was going in the wrong direction for the gardens. As long as she got away from the training yard.

She was not fast enough.

"My ladies!"

Lofn and Nanna stopped immediately and turned around, while Sigyn cursed herself for a fool. She shouldn't have lingered. She should have left Lofn and Nanna to their games and stayed back, out of sight.

"Theoric," Nanna said. "We don't wish to keep you from your training."

"You aren't," he reassured her. Sigyn hoped that if she kept her back to him, he would ignore her. "I didn't realize you were friends with the Lady Sigyn."

"Yes," Lofn said. "Queen Frigga only just introduced us this morning, but we're quite fond of her."

Sigyn blinked. Were they truly?

"Sigyn?" Nanna asked, putting a hand on Sigyn's arm and causing her to startle. "Are you well?"

"I am fine, yes," Sigyn said, slowly turning around to face Theoric. He had put on a tunic before he came running after her, at least. "Hello."

"Hello," Theoric said with a smile. "I was wondering if I'd get to speak with you again."

Thankfully, Lofn and Nanna did not react to that as Sigyn feared they would. Lofn merely rose an eyebrow, but nothing else, and Nanna kept her smile in place. Sigyn shifted uneasily and managed a smile of her own.

"I am not hard to find in Gladsheim, and I am certain the Queen would not mind if you visited me," she said politely. "Though I do not know if I would be suitable company for an Einherji."

"Nonsense," Theoric said. "You'd be fine company." He glanced at both Lofn and Nanna, clearly wondering how to politely ask them to leave her alone with him.

They caught on to his expression quickly. "Oh, well," Nanna said, "if you wanted to speak with her now, I'm sure she wouldn't mind it. It's only, we were going to the gardens, and since the Queen has tasked us with taking care of her then we cannot leave her behind. I'm certain you understand."

Theoric opened his mouth to respond, but Lofn cut in quickly. "But of course we can walk behind you both and give you some privacy, if you have need. Technically that's not leaving her behind, and she's still in our sights that way."

Sigyn wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole. Irritation crept up on her that they made this decision without asking her first, though she couldn't quite bring herself to hate them for it. They were too well meaning to be hated.

Theoric met Sigyn's gaze. "If that is what the Lady Sigyn wishes, then I will oblige. My lady?"

Sigyn swallowed hard, surprised he was giving her the option. For a brief moment she considered denying him. But that would have been rude, and she would have disappointed everyone, and besides that... she had to admit she was curious about what he would say. He was treating her kindly enough, and she did not get that as much as she wanted in Asgard.

Finally she nodded, not trusting her voice. Lofn and Nanna smiled at her and stepped away, allowing Theoric to step up to Sigyn's side. They both began walking, and true to their word, Lofn and Nanna stayed far enough back that they could not hear a single word either one of them said.

Theoric was silent at first, waiting until they had passed most of the Einherjar before speaking. "Did you mean what you said, that I could come and visit you whenever I liked?"

"Not whenever," Sigyn said truthfully. "I do have duties to attend to, sometimes."

He laughed, startling her a tad. It was so loud and free. "Of course," he said apologetically. "Truly, I was only hoping we could speak."

"Yes?"

Theoric glanced down to the ground, seeming entranced by the sight of his feet moving beneath him. "I meant what I said before, at the feast. If you ever have need of anything, you should only ask me. I would be happy to help."

"I do not need anything," Sigyn said carefully. "Please do not think you owe me anything, you do not. I was only doing my duty."

Theoric frowned, glancing up at her. "You were doing more than that. Your duty was to save your own people, not the enemy."

Sigyn cringed and shot a look around her to see if anyone could hear them. No one was around save for Lofn and Nanna, and they were engrossed in their own conversation. Still, she was not comfortable having this conversation outside-or anywhere, for that matter. She wanted to bury the issue and never bring it up again.

"We're fine," Theoric said, catching on to her fear. "No one can hear us. Trust me."

Sigyn gave him a sidelong look before turning away. They had reached the outer walls of the gardens now; she could tell by the green leaves that grew with abandon on the white stone. "My duty is to people," she said at length. "Not to loyalties or kings or sides."

"That wouldn't have mattered to most people."

"I am not most people."

Theoric smiled, staring at her for an uncomfortably long time. "No, you aren't."

Sigyn held herself, trying not to meet his gaze. "What is it you want?"

"I want to offer you my friendship," Theoric said, his tone quiet and serious. And utterly sincere. "Or at least an-an alliance, of sorts. I want to repay you for the kindness you showed me."

Sigyn stopped and turned to look at him. Theoric stopped in surprise, as did Lofn and Nanna, though they still stayed far back. "You do not even know me," Sigyn said flatly, staring at him. "You feel as if you must repay me for doing what I thought was right. I do not need any reward for it. If you wish to repay me, then never bring it up again, please."

"Why not?" Theoric asked. "Why shouldn't I bring it up? It was tremendous, what you did. You went out into a battlefield and you saw a wounded soldier of the enemy camp, and you chose to save him. You saved my life, Sigyn. You should be telling everyone, maybe they'd start treating you better then."

"I would not use it as a way to garner adoration," Sigyn said, her voice rising. She caught herself and took a deep breath. "What I did would have had me executed, if Laufey ever found out. It was forbidden, and I would rather it never be brought up again. And if the Aesir knew I had-" Sigyn paused, looking around once more.

"Magic," Theoric finished for her, his voice barely a whisper.

She swallowed thickly. "Yes. If they knew I had that, they would never trust me. That sort of thing, it is not accepted in Asgard."

"It's more acceptable for a woman to practice magic," Theoric said. "Domestic magic, and healing magic."

She noticed he did not entirely deny the Aesir's hatred of magic. She did not bother to explain to him why the combination of her being a witch and a Jotun would make her more reviled and distrusted in Asgard.

"Why are you so insistent on ignoring my wishes?"

There was a tense silence as Theoric breathed heavily, and it occurred to Sigyn a second too late that he was angry at her. Her own temper flared in response. She'd had enough of the Aesir getting irate at her for no good reason; first Loki, and now Theoric? It was too much to expect her to endure in silence. If either one of them thought they could get angry at her attempts to survive, they were truly mistaken.

Then Theoric ran a hand through his hair, parts of it still slick from his training. "I want to know why. Why me? Out of everyone on that battlefield, every soldier that lay dying, why did you choose me to save?"

The anger left her, making her shoulders sag and her heart drop. Of course that was it; she'd been stupid not to think of it before. She saw this sometimes in her kin who had gone through the last great war; they wondered why they had lived and their loved ones had not. The guilt never left them.

It must have been worse for Theoric, she thought. He would have died had she not snuck out of Laufey's castle that night and gone out onto the battlefield. She had chosen him specifically, by chance, and that would only make the guilt worse.

Sigyn looked back at Nanna and Lofn, who were openly staring at both of them. She turned around and kept walking, and Theoric caught up to her a moment later.

"You were the closest," Sigyn said simply, with a small shrug. "The one I knew who had the best chance of living. The rest... they were very far gone. Most were already drifting when I approached, and they had lost too much blood. But you were still breathing, alive and awake, though perhaps not all there in your mind."

"Is that all?" Theoric asked, sounding disappointed.

Sigyn smiled grimly. "What do you want me to say? That you looked at me and begged for help, even though I was your enemy? That you still held on to your sword as you lay in your own blood, but when you saw me you let go of it and reached out to me instead? I have told you the truth; if you had wanted a story, you should have told me so."

It was not the whole truth. Theoric must not have remembered it clearly, but she did. When he saw her, he had gripped his sword tightly and yelled at her to stay away. He'd thought she was coming to kill him.

But he did not need to know that. Sigyn would spare him that much. She could see he believed very well of himself, certainly too well to think he had almost raised a sword against her. She would not shatter that illusion.

"I know you feel guilty," she continued quietly. "I am sorry for that. But I do not have the answer you wish I did, to help make it go away."

Theoric let out a breath and ran his hand through his hair again. "You are," he began, "exceedingly blunt."

"I am honest."

"Bluntly honest," Theoric said, and Sigyn surprised herself by laughing. His smile widened and she quickly caught herself. His long stares and his broad smiles made her uncomfortable for a reason she couldn't quite figure out yet. Theoric liked her, that much was plain to see, and it surprised her. But something about his liking made her uneasy.

Sigyn brushed a strand of hair out of her face and gave him a careful smile. "As long as you do not mind my blunt nature," she said. "I shall not apologize for it."

"No, there's no need to apologize," Theoric said. "I appreciate your honesty. Do you still reject my offer of friendship?"

Sigyn paused. "Friends are nice," she said at length. "But first perhaps we should know each other before we call ourselves friends."

He seemed disappointed again, but nodded all the same. "Acquaintances, then."

"Yes, that," Sigyn said, knowing she should not even attempt to repeat the word. They came upon an entrance that looked to be for the gardens; Sigyn could see colourful bursts of plants from where she stood. She smiled at Theoric, more broadly this time, and motioned to Lofn and Nanna. "We should go, unless you want to walk with us through the gardens."

"Alas," Theoric said, "I must go back to the training yard. But I do hope to see you at the feast again tonight."

"Tonight," Sigyn agreed, and watched him as he left. When he was far enough away, Lofn and Nanna converged on her.

"What did you talk about? It seemed very serious," Nanna asked.

"We thought we'd have to interrupt you two, when you were staring at each other so intently," Lofn added. "Was he upset about something?"

"No," Sigyn said. "It was nothing, truly. We were only talking."

They both seemed disappointed in that. She liked them, but she did not want to talk to them about this sort of thing-they were too young to truly understand it, and besides, it was safer to keep it to herself. She followed them into the gardens and let her worries wash away for a while in the calming space. Sigyn decided she would think on Theoric later; for now, she would enjoy a rare moment of relative freedom.