They'd decided to eat in Sif's room, so that Sif didn't have to endure being asked "Are you all right?" every five seconds by every warrior in Asgard who'd come to her aid. As it was, she still had to deal with Balder and Thor anxiously watching every bite she ate—and she did eat! Really. It was easier, though, if she pretended she didn't notice the concern in the boys' eyes. That way she didn't have to think about the reason for that concern. They spoke of inconsequential things, but mostly ate in a slightly uneasy silence.

It was…odd, she finally decided. Very odd, to know that something awful had been done to you—to know your friends knew about that something awful—and to have them know more about it than you did. Balder was concerned; Brunnhilda was angered; Thor was worried. Sif, herself, wasn't sure how she felt about the whole situation, or Maldunn, or anything.

'Odd,' however weak sounding a word, was the only one she could say really fit her feelings at this point.

She shook her head at her musings. Thor reached over to her at the movement. Sif and Thor had moved to Sif's window seat, their backs pressed against the night-cooled panes. Balder had left a while ago after extracting a promise from Sif that if she needed anything from him, she wouldn't hesitate to ask. She'd agreed, smiling, and whatever it was Balder saw in her face, he left with a lighter step than he'd had for days.

And now it was just Sif and Thor, sitting. His hand gently brushed her shoulder, his open blue eyes studying her as though looking for something.

As another puzzled look crossed her face, he finally asked quietly, "What is it, Sif?"

They knew each other well enough she didn't bother to dissemble. "I just don't understand… why me? I'm not the only warrior-maiden here, I'm not the prettiest, I'm just… me. So why would he pick me for—for whatever it was he was doing?"

Thor shrugged, frowning. "Maybe he didn't. Remember my father's geas—maybe you were the only one he could see, and… pick. Maybe it started because you were the most apt pupil, and then his—illness—or whatever it is—took over. Maybe it's just because he is insane."

"Maybe it is." That thought was discouraging. It wasn't really an answer.

"In any case," Thor continued, "I don't see why he wouldn't be intrigued by you—you're so unlike other girls."

A snort. "Yes, completely unable to be girlish, with a warlike outlook and freakish coloration thanks to your brother—"

"Bah." Thor waved a hand at her self-deprecation and leaned forward, intent. "Maybe that is why, Sif. You aren't like other girls. There haven't ever been others in Asgard like you before. I mean, most maidens are like Amora—"

"—beautiful! And feminine." Sif put in.

"Beautiful? No. Oh, sure, she's got golden curling hair and deep blue eyes, but… she's pretty,Sif, and that's all. 'Golden hair and blue eyes and rosy skin' describe an awful lot of people, you know." It was his turn to snort. "It describes me. But you—if anyone mentions the littlest thing about you—your raven-dark beauty, your prowess in battle, your strength, your shrewdness—no one has any doubt just who it is that person is talking about. And it's because you are worthy of notice. Do you have any idea, Sif," he said earnestly, "how honored I am to be your friend?"

His eyes were intent as he asked this; she could only shake her head, utterly surprised.

"You see," he said, "people know who I am because of who my father is. Thor, Odinson, They know who the warrior-maiden of Asgard is because of her own merits. Why shouldn't Maldunn be intrigued by you?"

"I—I don't—oh." Sif said finally, never having seen herself in this light before.

And suddenly, things were a little better. And she felt less like an accidental victim, and more like—well, if she'd been targeted, or focused on, or whatever, by Maldunn—at least there was some reason, however ephemeral, behind it. It gave her a modicum of understanding: that there was a line, and Maldunn, by whatever insanity, was on one side of it, and most men, like her father, like Lord Odin, like Balder, like Thor—would never, ever cross over that line.

For some women, the fact that their attacker had a 'reason' (however insensible a reason) to attack them—for some women, this wouldn't be a comfort at all. But for Sif, who was used to being able to confront problems and solve them, for her, it gave her a feeling that she could learn from this and perhaps in future learn to guard against any such similar attacks.

Not that she was planning on being in any such similar circumstance ever again, but it seemed there had been magic involved here—either Lord Odin's gone awry, or someone else's magic being able to interfere with Lord Odin's. Granted, neither of those was a very comforting thought, but it had been such a long day, and there already had been so much worry in it, that even these new thoughts and worries couldn't be maintained…

Her mind, exhausted, couldn't sustain worry or relief any longer, and before she realized it, she'd slipped into sleep, leaning against Thor's warm broad shoulder.

Thor smiled gently down at her. And he would get up, in just a moment, but it was so nice to have Sif curled up against him, safe

He would get up. Really.

In just another moment…

They slept.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Thor moved his head gingerly, eyes closed, wondering why he'd gone to bed sitting upright.

A sigh near his ear caused his eyes to fly open, startled. What—? As his eyes took in the dark head resting against his shoulder, he relaxed as memory returned. His eyes started to close again…

Then they flew open again as he realized he was in Sif's room, in the morning, without adult supervision.

Blast, he was going to get in so much trouble if anyone found out he'd spent the night in Sif's room. And nevermind that nothing had happened, it was the look of the thing…

He gently tried to extricate himself from the window seat without waking Sif, who needed sleep if anyone did. Funny, I don't remember grabbing a blanket… he mused, as he tucked its warmth around Sif, laying her down gently on the window seat's cusion.

She came blearily awake at the movement. "Thor?" She asked sleepily, confused.

"Shh. I'm just going back to my rooms. You sleep." He assured her, hoping she wouldn't notice the early-dawn light coming in the window at her back.

"A' right…" was the mostly-incoherent response as the girl, thankfully, slipped back into slumber.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

He was gingerly making his way back along the path that led to his father's palace, congratulating himself on a narrow escape—and with a wounded shoulder, no less! The bruised pulp he'd turned his shoulder into yesterday—was it only yesterday? It seemed longer.—was protesting any movement at all, and he thought that before heading to his own rooms to catch up on sleep, he might stop by the healers' first. He couldn't see if his shoulder was bleeding through the bandages, but it sure felt like it might be…

He was passing through one of the many crisscrossing intersections of small paths when a deep voice from the shadows nearly frightened him out of his skin.

"Prince Thor. An early morning for you?"

It was Heimdall of the keenest senses in Asgard. Those senses made most people wary of running into him, and indeed since Heimdall was rarely off-duty, most people didn't run into him casually. And Heimdall of those keen senses, who watched over Asgard and sounded alerts when enemies came too close, certainly didn't strike up casual conversations with passers by normally.

And now he was striking up a casual conversation, and eyeing Thor as though he might be one of those enemies in disguise.

"Ah—good morning, Heimdall." Thor said awkwardly, unsure of how to take the penetrating expression on Heimdall's dark face.

"Speak with me a moment." It wasn't a request.

"Certainly." Though Thor was anything but certain he wished to do so. Not because it was always odd to speak with him, since the man was always moving, as he listened and looked everywhere, guarding Asgard even while he was speaking with you. Thor was nervous because he hadn't forgotten Heimdall's other notable attribute. Oh, no.

"There was a great tumult yesterday in the courtyards of Asgard," Heimdall observed, and paused.

"Yes…"

"It was enough commotion to cause even me to glance in its direction for the briefest of moments."

"Was it?"

"Yes." This didn't really seem to need a response, and after a moment, Heimdall continued. "I glanced away from Asgard's borders only long enough to ascertain that no known enemy had entered our lands unseen. Imagine my surprise when I saw the best of our warriors dragging one of their number, Maldunn, away in chains."

"That must have been very surprising," Thor ventured.

"It was. And I do not surprise easily."

"I wouldn't have thought you would surprise easily." Thor agreed, and waited to see if Heimdall would bring up that other significant attribute…

"Imagine my further surprise when one of my fellows sought me out this morning to assure me that my sister Sif had taken no lasting harm from Maldunn."

…yep, there it was. And from the sounds of it, Heimdall was moving toward protective-brother mode.

He was still eyeing Thor closely, and the young prince had a sudden inkling that Heimdall knew where he was coming from just now.

"No, she wasn't permanently hurt, physically, from Maldunn. So my lady mother and Brunnhilda tell me." Thor assured him.

Heimdall reached out and placed one heavy hand on Thor's shoulder. "Answer me this, prince of Asgard, who is one of my sister's closest companions: what of harm other than the physical?"

Thor ducked his head. "I don't know," he admitted. "I don't think anyone can know what sort of harm Maldunn has done to her. But I'll do what I can to help her," he added earnestly, returning Heimdall's look. "We all will."

Heimdall's stern look softened slightly. "I know you will. But is there anything I can do? You know her, in some ways, the best. What is most troubling her at this time?"

Thor's brow creased as he thought. "I suppose…" he began slowly, thinking over the previous evening's conversation, "I suppose it's that Sif doesn't understand how Maldunn was able to—do what he did. Specifically, how he was able to do it to her, and not to anyone else. After all, he had just as much access to Brunnhilda. But he chose Sif. And no one can really say why—not even Maldunn. It even has my father baffled, and he placed a geas on Maldunn so he couldn't harm any ladies."

"I know," Heimdall said. "I witnessed the setting of the geas."

"So no one knows how Maldunn managed to break a geas set by my father! And I think somewhere in Sif's mind, and I don't blame her, is that if someone could break a spell of the Allfather… If it was Maldunn himself, or someone breaking the spell for Maldunn… Well, if even the Allfather's magic can't protect people from madnesses like Maldunn's, how can you protect against madnesses? I think that's what is most troubling Sif. That she has no way to plan around, or guard against, anything like this."

"Hmm." Heimdall was silent a moment, frowning. Then, "Sif need not worry about that; I do not believe that the Allfather's geas is broken. It was not a major magical working, but it was a strongly cast spell. I would have noticed its weakening or breaking. Certainly Lord Odin would have. And he was just as surprised as anyone, I understand."

"He was." Thor confirmed.

"It is strange," Heimdall rumbled in his bass voice. "The Allfather's spell, which was to prevent Maldunn from sensing any lady of the court, I would have wagered was one of the most firmly-cast spells I have ever witnessed. That Maldunn discovered a way around it…" he shook his head. "Maldunn is not a magic worker. And he detests his own madness, when he is in his right mind, as much as he relishes it when he is not. It's especially odd considering Maldunn asked for such a spell to be placed…"

"Wait," Thor interrupted. "What did you say the spell did?"

"It was supposed to prevent Maldunn from perceiving, in any way, any of the ladies of the Asgardian court."

"That's it!" Thor exclaimed, excited. "Sif has never been officially presented as a lady to the court, remember?"

"It is so," Heimdall said, surprised. "I had forgotten. She refused to do it when she came of age to be formally added to the court because she'd only been in the warriors' enclave for a year; she worried that it would discredit her work in the school."

"Would that account for why Maldunn could see her?"

"I believe it may," Heimdall said slowly, "but present this insight to the Allfather. He will know for certain."

"I will!" Thor started to run off, then turned back as he remembered something. "Heimdall?"

"Yes?"

"Are… are you angry with me because I didn't stop this from happening to Sif?"

"Angry? No. No. Why should I be? Thor, I was as much surprised as anyone—and I have the keenest senses in Asgard," Heimdall reminded him.

"But… I was right there. I should have realized something was wrong, that Sif wasn't just overtired. I mean, any other lady I would have realized something was wrong—I would have defended any other lady far sooner, but I thought—"

Once again, Heimdall placed a bracing hand on his shoulder. "But you thought my sister could take care of herself, and so she can, when she can see the danger clearly. She could not; you could not. There is none to blame here, except Maldunn—and whoever pushed him beyond the edge of his madness by providing him with a vial of Maidens' Woe. Don't forget, someone certainly crafted that poisonous substance for him." The guardian added darkly.

"I won't."

"So, go! You did more than anyone else did for Sif, never fear. She will not begrudge you the time it took to fully realize what was happening. Tell the Allfather of what you may have discovered. And if, in the process, you find some way to bring healing to my sister—tell me what I may do. Thor, I am not angry with you. Instead, I thank you for standing by Sif, and for giving her credit where she is due credit, and for not hesitating to ask for help when help is needed. You are growing into a fine young man, and I am glad that our Sif is close to you."

"Th-thanks," Thor stammered, surprised. "Thanks, Heimdall! I'll keep you informed about… everything."

A slow smile and a wave goodbye were Heimdall's answers, as he turned his attention fully back to the safety of Asgard, content that his sister was being well looked after.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sorry about the time between updates, folks. I was hoping to have something up before xmas. However, I was involved in an accident at work, and managed to concuss myself and have some lovely itchy stitches in my face to show for it, as well as somewhat scrambled bruised brains. Needless to say, staring into an eye strain- and headache-inducing computer screen was not high on my list of Things to Do While Recovering From a Concussion.

Anyway! I'm mostly better now, so enjoy, let me know what you think (*cough* reviewplease *coughcough*), and we should have… eh… two chapters, or perhaps one chapter and an epilogue to go. Then on to the follow up story for this, as well as a rather giant XM:E thing I've been working on, and possibly another GIJOE fic.