7.
She slips from under his arm, following the sound of coughing. She gently nudges the door open, trying to keep the amount of light that streams in to a minimum. "Are you okay, Little One?" She asks, one hand pressed against the door frame while the other rests on the handle.
"No, Mama," he says, voice weak and broken by more coughs.
She walks into the room, kneeling by his bedside. "What is it, Dear?" She touches his forehead, sighing when she feels a fever.
"I'm hot, Mama," he says, wiggling from under his sheets. "And my throat hurts."
She gathers the child into her arms and he wraps his arms around her neck, burying his face into her shoulder. "Let's see what we can do about that, okay?"
She carries him into the living room, thinking of what she can do. Magic is out of the question but herbs can still do something, she thinks. While he coughs into her shoulder, one fist keeping his blanket from falling to the floor, she considers what might ease the fever. She paces in the room, running her hand in circles across his back.
"Mama, am I dying?"
"No, Little One," she says, kissing his forehead. "You simply have a fever."
"I feel like I am dying," he says, pressing his cheek against her shoulder.
"You are not," she says. A smile tugs at the corner of her lips when she finally decides what she can do to ease his fever. Carrying him into the kitchen with her, she uses her free hand to mix herbs with the hope of making a kind of tea that can help.
When she's finished, she pours it into one of the cups he drinks from. "Vali," she says, and the child stares at her. "Drink this. It will make you feel better."
She takes his blanket, throwing it over her shoulder, while he takes the cup from her hands, sipping from it before crinkling his nose. "It doesn't taste good," he says.
"But it will make you feel better. I promise."
Vali frowns but complies with his mother's instructions. She smoothes his hair, pausing when she feels a hand on her arm. Sigyn turns to see Loki standing there. "I'll take him," he says quietly. "Go back to bed."
"Papa," the little boy says after swallowing.
She transfers Vali into his arms and she smiles when the child snuggles against him, still sipping the mixture intended to reduce his fever. She drapes Vali's blanket over Loki's other shoulder, kissing his cheek.
"Wake me if something happens," she says.
"Of course." He kisses her. "Now, go to bed." She nods, slowly walking back to their room, glancing over her shoulder at the two of them.
When she wakes in the morning, she finds herself alone in their bed. Quietly stepping into the living room, she finds him laying on the couch, Vali sleeping on his chest still clutching his blanket. She picks up the cup that was left on the floor and is pleased to find it mostly empty.
She remains in the kitchen, making soup, when they begin to wake. It starts with Vali, she hears his cough begin to return, and she steps out of the kitchen. She stops however, smiling, when she sees Loki's arms curl around his son, asking if he's okay, while rubbing his back.
"This is wretched."
She sits at the edge of the bed, running her fingers through his hair, smiling at him. "You'll survive, Love."
"Of course, but I'm miserable now."
"Would you care for more soup?"
"Please."
She stands, taking the bowl from the nightstand. Vali was on the verge of getting better when Loki had come down with the same symptoms as his son. She had laughed at the horrified look on his face when he first began coughing.
She hasn't left the room when they hear the door open and Thor call their names. He glances at her and she sees the silent plea.
"I won't tell him you're ill," she says quietly. He nods, burying his face into his pillow.
She steps out into the hall, closing the door behind her. Thor and Vali's voices carry from the living room and she forms the lie in her head. She carries the bowl into the kitchen, setting it in the sink before glancing between Thor and Vali.
Thor smiles at his nephew. "Why don't you get that book you were telling me about?"
The boy nods, sliding down from the couch and running to his room, proving that his health has returned.
Thor steps closer to Sigyn. "I take it Loki will be away for a while now?"
"So he says."
"Where is he? I was hoping to talk with him."
"He's out right now," she says. She laughs when he stares at her. "I promise that nothing terrible is going on."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive," she says.
Sigyn steps into the kitchen, quietly ladling more soup into the bowl when Vali returns, holding a book over his head. "Here it is, Uncle."
"Why don't you read it to me while I wait for your father to return."
The little boy stares at Thor, frowning. "What do you mean? Papa is in bed."
Thor shoots a glance over at Sigyn who sighs. "He's sick," she says, setting the lid on the pot. "And he would not like visitors," she adds when Thor begins to stand up.
"I need to speak with him."
"You can do that later," she says, carrying the bowl of soup back towards the bedroom. She closes the door behind her, hearing the beginnings of Vali reading aloud to Thor. He is crumpled in a heap of blankets and pillows, facedown on the mattress. She steps over, setting the bowl on the nightstand before sitting on the edge of the bed, running her fingers through his hair.
"He knows?" His voice is quiet, muffled by the pillow.
"He knows but he won't bother you."
"I am miserable, Sigyn."
"I know." She kisses the top of his head. "But you'll be better soon."
