Sigyn returned from her ride and grabbed an apple from a barrel sitting in the stable. She held the apple out to Skrípi, who quickly ate it from her hand. After brushing the mare down Sigyn returned to her room and rinsed off before putting her gown from earlier on. After making herself presentable, Sigyn went in search of Sylvath. She was wandering the halls when she ran into Armallia.
"Have you seen my father anywhere Armallia?" Sigyn queried.
"Yes, My Lady. He locked himself in the library after lunch."
"Thank you Armallia."
"My Lady…" Armallia began hesitantly.
Armallia's nervous tone caused Sigyn to pause before going off in pursuit of Sylvath.
"Yes?" She replied to the maid.
"I am concerned for your father."
Armallia had Sigyn's full attention now. "Why the sudden cause for concern?"
"It is not so sudden." Armallia admitted. "I have been worried since the day we found out about your brother's death. A change has come over him. Its as if he is becoming weaker. He is eating less and less, and nothing I try seems to be helping his waning appetite."
"Why did you not mention this to me sooner?" Sigyn questioned.
"Now that you are training with Celleth you are hardly home, and when you are here it is difficult to find you anywhere except for at Sylvath's side." Armallia explained.
Sigyn knew that Armallia was correct.
"I am sure that it is merely stress causing Sylvath to act strangely." Sigyn suggested, but Armallia looked unconvinced.
"My Lady, your father is not young…I think it is time you start considering what you will do when he is gone." Armallia urged.
The maid's candid pronouncement took Sigyn off-guard. Life without Sylvath was not something Sigyn had really thought about before, but Armallia was right. Sylvath was centuries older than the AllFather himself, and he would not live forever. Sigyn was in such a state of contemplation that she did not notice Armallia leave to finish the rest of her chores. It took a few moments for Sigyn to return to reality, and when she did, she headed straight for the library to see if Sylvath had finished reading her journal. Normally Sigyn would knock before entering an occupied room, but today she chose not to.
"Have you finished the journal?" She asked her father while taking a seat opposite him.
"Yes." He replied in a vague manner.
"And?"
"And what?"
"What do you think?" she pressed.
"I agree that some sort of change must be triggering these events, but I believe that the change must be personal. Something that is happening only to you."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because you are the only person that these events are happening to. You are somehow triggering these visions and encounters within yourself." Sylvath explained, while sliding the journal over to Sigyn.
Sigyn flipped through the pages as Sylvath eyed her carefully.
"I think I might know how it is happening…" she finally murmured, "as my mastery over magic grows, the number of visions and dreams I have increases."
"That is a good theory, but there is only one way to prove it." Sylvath determined.
"How?" Sigyn quickly responded.
"To further increase your mastery." He stated. "I think it is time I begin assisting Celleth in his training of you."
Worry began to flood Sigyn. "Are you sure that is a good idea? I wouldn't wish to wear you out or anything."
"I will be fine Sigyn. If anyone is going to be worn out, it will be you." He replied with a smile.
Sigyn still felt uncomfortable with the idea, and apparently her concern was written on her face.
"Sigyn… I understand why you are worried. I am not as young as I once was, but I am not in Valhalla yet." Sylvath held out his hand to Sigyn who quickly left her seat and grasped it while kneeling by his side. "Ástin mín, my time is coming there is no way to escape that, but while I am here I must ensure that I leave another in my place. I must train up the next greatest sorcerer or sorceress in the entirety of the Nine Realms, and that magician is you."
Sigyn gazed into Sylvath's eyes. "Me?"
"Yes Sigyn, you are a special person. There are things that you will be able to do that no sorcerer before you could, including me. You were created by magic, and are therefore more its child than my own. I will train you in the magical arts for what little time I have left. Once we are through you will be the greatest sorceress the Nine Realms has ever known."
Sigyn sat in shock at Sylvath's revelation. She had always known about her birth, but she had never considered that it gave her such a distinct advantage in the magical arts.
"When will you begin assisting Celleth?" she finally asked while standing up.
"Tomorrow."
"Very well. We best go to dinner, Armallia will throw a tantrum if we are late." Sigyn observed before grabbing her journal and leaving the library.
The next morning Sylvath and Sigyn left for Celleth and Manavana's home in the woods. Sylvath told Celleth of his plans to assist in Sigyn's training, and Celleth quickly agreed. The two Light Elves put Sigyn through the toughest day of physical, mental, and magical training Sigyn could ever remember having. When they did decide to call it a day Manavana invited Sigyn and Sylvath to stay for dinner, an invitation they gratefully accepted.
"Is something wrong Sigyn?" Manavana asked.
Sigyn, who had been pushing the food around her plate absent mindedly, looked up and smiled.
"No, I am fine thank you." She answered politely.
"Are you sure? Your mind seems to be a bit preoccupied." Celleth observed out-loud.
"I am just too tired to eat." Sigyn partially lied.
"Perhaps I should take you back home." Sylvath suggested.
"There is no need for that Father." Sigyn assured. "I suppose I could use a distraction though."
"A distraction? From what?" Manavana pried.
"My over-active brain." Sigyn admitted.
"Well since you aren't eating perhaps you can tell us about the time you spend on Asgard." Celleth suggested.
"What a wonderful idea!" Manavana chimed in. "Please, do tell us about the 'Realm Eternal.'"
"Have you never been?" Sigyn asked a bit surprised.
"No, the only Realms I have ever seen are Svartalfheim, Alfheim, and Midgard." The Dark Elf informed her.
"Then you are well-traveled compared to me." Sigyn confessed. "I have never been to any Realm aside from Asgard and Alfheim. As for Asgard, it is beautiful. The main city surrounds the AllFather's palace, and is where I spend most of my time. The city is bordered by vast plains and forests, and other smaller cities and villages are scattered all throughout the Realm."
"Have you visited these other cities and villages?" Celleth inquired.
"Most of them, yes. My brothers and I tour them every so often to ensure that the people know that the Royal family has not forgotten them."
"Tell us about your brothers. Do they live up to their reputations?" Manavana probed.
"I suppose that would depend on the reputations. I know little of what the people say of my family." Sigyn acknowledged.
"They call Thor the 'god of thunder'. It is said that his strength is unmatched in the Nine Realms and that he has the capability to destroy entire armies single-handedly with Mjölnir." Celleth informed her.
"It is true that Thor's strength is great, but I am not convinced that Thor can destroy an army single-handedly. As for his moniker, I assume it stems from his ability to summon lightening with Mjölnir. Thor is endearing, but he has a tendency to be a bit brash and immature. It is those tendencies that tend to get him into trouble."
"Like the incident on Jotunheim." Sylvath offered.
"Exactly like the incident on Jotunheim. My brother's temper is famous. He does not respond well when he does not get his way." Sigyn explained.
Manavana spoke next. "What of your other brother, Loki? Rumor has it that he was very different from Thor. I have always heard him referred to as the 'god of lies' or the 'trickster'."
Sigyn sighed and dropped her fork onto her plate. Loki had been the subject she had hoped to divert herself from.
"Loki and Thor were like night and day." She began. "I have heard Thor tease Loki about being the 'god of lies', but I did not realize that the name was used by others. In the court he is…was… known as the 'Silvertongue', and for good reason. Loki always had a way with words. He was an academic and magician, while Thor was a warrior. I suppose there were some in Asgard who looked down upon him for that, but few would ever go so far as to make their low esteem of him known."
"Why is that?" Manavana interrupted.
"Because he wasn't designated as the 'trickster' for no reason. Loki was known for his pranks at a young age, and you could be sure that if you crossed him you would be his next target."
The topic quickly drifted to issues concerning Alfheim, and Sigyn was relieved. She had no desire to continue talking about her brothers when she was still rather angry with them. It also didn't help that she had to keep referring to Loki in the past tense when she knew he was still alive. The thought of her last encounter with him ran through her mind for what seemed like the thousandth time. She realized that she needed to see him again, and soon, if she was going to be able and help him escape his current situation. She hoped that under Sylvath's tutelage she would gain the power necessary to see him again before it was too late.