A/N: I just wanted to take a moment to thank those of you following this story - every review, follow, and favorite means more to me than I could ever express. I hope you continue to enjoy this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. :)

It was just after dawn when Sigyn awoke. Loki had shifted away from her at some point during the night, and was curled around his pillow as though it was tethering him to the bed. In sleep, he looked so fragile and innocent - so different to the angry and bitter man from the night before.

Her fear of leaving him alone in such a state was the only thing that had kept her from gathering her things and returning to her apartment during the night. He had said some truly vile things to her, but the way he had collapsed into her arms before falling asleep suggested that he was at least slightly apologetic, if not truly regretful.

Being careful not to disturb him, Sigyn rose from the bed and quietly made her way to the washroom to clean up and prepare for her duties. If she hurried, she knew that she could make it to the kitchens to get something to eat before she had to report to the Queen. Loki had likely arranged for breakfast to be brought to his chambers, but she wanted to be gone before it arrived.

She needed some time to think before they talked. His behavior the night before had been reprehensible, vacillating between loving and livid so rapidly that she couldn't be sure how to react from one moment to the next. She was certain that his overconsumption of wine had been part of the problem, but she knew that its main effect had only been to loosen his tongue to the point of rudeness. The things he had said were obviously on his mind.

Fortunately for her, Loki had recently convinced her to keep some of her personal items at the palace, for just such an occasion as this. She quickly pinned up her hair, dressed in one of her everyday dresses, and was just about to leave when she stopped. She knew he might come to the wrong conclusion about her absence if she didn't leave a note for him explaining why she was gone. The last thing she wanted to do was make things worse than they already were.

As she walked to his desk for paper and ink, she had to step over the piles of clothing they had left behind in their mad scramble for the bed the previous night. She glanced at her dress, unable to leave without at least picking it up. It was the nicest thing she had ever owned, and even if Loki didn't love it, it deserved better than being left on the floor of his chambers all day. She didn't touch his things; he could tend to his own clothing when he awoke.

She laid the dress across the sofa at the foot of the bed, and scribbled a quick note for him. She left it on her pillow, knowing he would find it easily when he woke up. He still hadn't moved, but she watched him long enough to see the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Resisting her sudden urge to climb back into bed with him, Sigyn tiptoed across the room, silently shutting the door behind her as she left.

Around the third knock on his door, Loki finally awoke. The light from the window was as a dagger behind his eyes, and he fleetingly wondered why Sigyn hadn't already answered the relationship had long since become common knowledge to the other palace workers, and she no longer tried to hide when she spent the night. Another knock - likely someone from the kitchens bearing breakfast - and Loki sat up.

"Enough!" he called out, his voice still thick from sleep. I swear, one more knock and they will be wearing my breakfast back to the kitchens.

Fighting off a wave of nausea, he looked to his side. He found a folded piece of paper where Sigyn should have been, his name written on the front in her flowing script. He picked up the paper as he got up, dressing in his robe before crossing the room to answer the door. He opened the note, barely acknowledging the kitchen maid as she brought the food in and set it on his desk.

Loki,

Forgive me for leaving before you awoke. I did not want to disturb the sleep you so obviously needed.

I wish to talk about last night when we are alone again this evening. I want nothing to come between us.

I love you,

Sigyn

"Your Highness?"

Loki looked up from the paper to the kitchen maid. He hadn't even realized she was still there. "Yes?"

He spoke softly, but he could swear he had startled her. "Apologies...I don't mean to disturb you. My name is Ingrid - I'm a friend of Sigyn's. Or, I guess, I'm more correctly a friend of Edmund's-"

"Yes?" Loki asked again, and this time his voice was stern. The girl looked like she could prattle on for a while, and with the way he felt, his patience was wearing thin. "Sigyn's not here, if you're looking for her."

"Oh, no…I already saw her this morning. She stopped in the kitchens for something to eat, and she asked if your breakfast was being prepared. You see, I was an apprentice for my aunt, an herbalist, before I came to work at the palace…" Something in Loki's face must have frightened her, and she hurried to finish. "Sigyn thought you may not be feeling your best this morning, so she asked that I use some of my knowledge to prepare a remedy for you."

At this, Loki was taken aback. He was well acquainted with spells that could cure his raging headache, but the fact that Sigyn would take the time to make sure he was comfortable - even after his treatment of her the night before - was an encouraging sign that he hadn't irreparably fouled things up. "That was very kind of her…Ingrid, was it? You have it with you?"

Ingrid smiled, visibly relieved at his reaction. "Yes, Your Highness, right here with your breakfast." She indicated a flask of hot water with herbs steeping inside. "Be sure to drink all of it. You should feel better in no time."

"I'll see that I do," said Loki, sitting at his desk. "Thank you for your help."

"Of course, Your Highness." She bowed to him, wisely recognizing a dismissal when she saw one. Turning on her heels, she hurried across the room and out the door.

Loki watched her leave, halfheartedly picking up a piece of bread and tearing a chunk off of it. His appetite was nonexistent, but he knew not eating something would only exacerbate the problem. The bread caught in his throat like a stone, so he poured a glass of the herbal concoction to wash it down.

Without Sigyn's company to distract him, his thoughts inevitably turned to the events of the previous night. He had not been that drunk since he was much younger, when he and Thor were still testing the strength of Asgardian spirits; yet, he still vividly remembered every excruciating moment.

To his mortification, his body had refused cooperation when he needed it most, but he knew his overconsumption of wine wasn't solely to blame. As hard as he tried not to, he couldn't help imagining that damned guard rutting into Sigyn - his Sigyn - and the resultant frustration and anger had been his ultimate undoing.

Illogical as it was, the thought that any other men had seen and experienced her the way he had incensed him. Sigyn had assured him that whatever had been between her and Völund had been unpleasant for her, and long ago. Loki had no reason to believe she was being less than truthful. However, his nagging sense of jealousy - already on the rise from watching her dance with Thor - had overridden what had remained of his rational mind.

Finding himself unable to confront those who he felt deserved it, he had instead unfairly taken his anger out on Sigyn. And yet, she had stayed, holding him in her arms and smoothing his hair as he slipped into sleep, a gesture he knew was more loving than his actions had merited.

With all of Loki's previous lovers, the sex had merely been a means to an end, a way to meet his body's physical needs without any messy emotional attachments. With Sigyn, it was frightfully different. His longing for her was more than just a physical craving, more than even love. It was a bone-deep ache that - if left unchecked - threatened to erase his sanity for good.

Without even realizing it, Loki had allowed Sigyn to wield an unprecedented amount of control over him and his happiness. He wasn't content just to be next to her, or even hold her. He needed to be in her, be a part of her, to join her body to his; and yet, even that was never enough. He wanted to breathe her into his lungs, absorb her into his skin, taste her in the very air around him.

She was the kindness he craved, the beauty he felt he was lacking, the cheerfulness he had never been able to produce on his own. He could not rest until she was such a part of him that even a stranger would see her in his actions.

He leaned back into his chair, throwing his arm over his eyes to shield him from the sun until the herbs had a chance to work. The sharp pain had finally become more of a dull throb when he heard his door open and heavy footsteps cross the room. "Good morning, Thor," he said, not needing to uncover his eyes to know who it was.

"You certainly undressed in a hurry last night," said Thor, obviously commenting on the clothes strewn across the floor. "Your night must have been as eventful as mine. I swear, if Sif's desire increased that much at the mere announcement of my coronation, my cock may not survive the night of my actual crowning."

Loki rolled his eyes beneath his eyelids. Of course Thor wouldn't be troubled by too much wine. Is there nothing the golden son cannot do?

"I'm so happy for you," he said, the mockery in his voice once again slipping right past Thor's perception.

"Are you alright, brother? You look ill."

Loki lowered his arm, wincing as the light hit his eyes. "I'll be fine. It's nothing a little time won't mend."

"Where is your lovely companion?" asked Thor, glancing toward the bed. "I would have thought to find her here with you this morning."

And yet you walked right in without knocking. Hoping to catch a glimpse of something that does not belong to you, brother? "Mother needed her early," said Loki, the small lie effortless. At that moment, he would have welcomed a sharp stick in the eye before he would admit to Thor that there was anything amiss between him and Sigyn.

"I see," said Thor, reaching to swipe some bread from Loki's breakfast. "You know, you left last night before I had the chance to thank you."

Loki raised an eyebrow. "Thank me? For what?"

"For everything," said Thor. "Things seem to be changing so suddenly. It seems we were only just boys, playing together, and now…well, my coronation will be here before we know it." He looked at Loki, his face radiant with sincerity. "You know, I wouldn't be able to face any of this without you by my side."

"Where else would I be, Thor? You are my brother, and I love you," said Loki, and he meant it. "Besides," he added with a laugh, "you need me by your side. Everyone knows I'm the brains of the family."

"Indeed you are," said Thor with a smile. "We make quite a team, Loki. Working together, you and I could well be nigh unstoppable."

"Yes...unstoppable," said Loki, and for that one moment, he could let himself believe it.

Mid-morning, Sigyn accompanied the Queen to one of the palace's larger sitting rooms. There, they were to visit with the Vanaheim delegation once more before they returned to their own realm.

From her vantage point at the side of the room, Sigyn could see the women sitting together at a table, and the men clustered together in a corner. She was too far away to hear the men, but whatever they were discussing had apparently ruffled the feathers of one of the delegates. She watched with concern as his face turned red with indignation, his chest thrown out in defiance.

At that moment, Loki walked in - late, but looking a great deal improved from when she had last seen him that morning. Whatever Ingrid had concocted for him had clearly helped; he walked across the room, his head held high, showing no signs of discomfort. He caught her eye briefly, quickly nodding at her before joining the other men.

She watched as Loki took control of the conversation, soothing the angry delegate before the situation could escalate. The man visibly relaxed, shaking his head with a laugh. Loki's unmatched skills in diplomacy never failed to impress her; and yet, all of his tact and subtlety had disappeared with her the night before. Sigyn didn't know if she should be flattered or alarmed that she had such an effect on him.

"Sigyn, dear - come here."

At the sound of her name, she turned to see Queen Frigga waving at her, indicating that she should come join the women at the table.

She approached them warily. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Sigyn, it seems you made quite the impression on your tablemate last night. Svana here tells me you discussed your desire to become a diplomat yourself."

"Oh, that was a comment made in passing," she said, hoping the Queen wasn't upset. "I was discussing my family, and my father - how I had dreamed of following in his footsteps as a child. Please know, I am content in my service to you."

"And I am content to have you in my service. Yet, I wonder now if being my handmaiden is the best use of your talents."

"I am willing to do whatever you see fit, Your Majesty."

"Spoken like a true diplomat," said Svana with a laugh. "You don't give yourself enough credit, Sigyn. Perhaps being the companion to one so skilled in negotiations has influenced you more than you think."

As Sigyn opened the door to Loki's chambers after her duties, she found it to be much darker than she expected. It was still fairly light outside, but Loki had drawn the window shades tight, and as a result, the only illumination in the room came from the fireplace.

She had seen him earlier in the day with the Vanaheim delegation, but the Queen had been needed elsewhere, and Sigyn had left with her before she had a chance to speak to him. She had no idea what kind of mood he might be in, and the darkness of the room only served to increase her anxiety. For all she knew, his charismatic behavior with the delegates had merely been for show, and her evening with him would be no better than the night before.

Coming farther into the room, she noticed that the table that sat in front of the fireplace - usually laden with books - instead held candles, a few trays of food, and several flasks of water. Loki was sprawled into a chair beside it, rising to greet her the moment she came into view.

"What's all this?" she asked, coming a bit closer and nodding toward the table.

"After last night, I thought I should redouble my efforts to court you properly," said Loki. "I hope you can forgive the lack of wine," he said, sheepishly pointing to the containers of water, "but I thought I should abstain from it for a while."

"That's probably a good idea," she said, relieved that he seemed to be in a decent mood. "Ingrid was able to help you this morning, then?"

"She was. That was very kind of you to send her."

"It took some convincing," she said, making no attempt to come closer to him. "You apparently have quite the reputation with some of the palace workers for your temper. Until last night, I wouldn't have believed it."

At the set of his jaw, Sigyn could tell that she had touched a nerve, but he quickly composed himself and closed the distance between them. She offered no resistance as he gathered her into his arms. Instinctively, she knew it was the closest she would get to an apology.

She looked up at him. "Loki, we need to-"

"Go to bed?" he said, cutting her off. "I agree."

She sighed. "I was going to say we need to talk."

He lowered his head. "Yes, of course we do." Keeping his head down, he raised only his eyes to her. "May I kiss you first?"

Her mind was practically screaming at her to stand firm. Damn it Sigyn, don't do it...he's manipulating you. You know he won't stop with a kiss. But her body was starved for him, and she found herself pushing all thoughts of resistance aside and nodding her consent.

His eyes shone in triumph, and all at once, his mouth was on hers. His kisses were soft at first, but he quickly became possessive and insistent, holding her head in his hand as his thumb gently pushed on her chin to open her mouth to his.

Loki's hands roamed down her body, pulling at the laces on her dress to remove it. She finally gave up any pretense of control, and she could feel him smiling into their kiss, knowing that his victory over her was complete.

From that moment, neither of them could get undressed fast enough. They didn't even bother to try and make it to the bed, choosing instead to just fall to the rug in front of the fire as soon as the last of their clothing was discarded.

They collapsed into a mess of tangled limbs, and before she could catch her breath he had her legs wrapped around his waist and was pushing into her. When she managed to speak, it wasn't objections but declarations of love she found on her lips, returned to her just as ardently as they were given.

There was nothing gentle about their lovemaking; he was rough and aggressive, his every move that of a man intent on proving himself a worthy lover. The next day would bring bruises and aches that would make even the smallest movements uncomfortable, but in that moment Sigyn was more than willing to endure Loki's affections, whatever their manifestation.

He shifted himself in a way that changed the angle of his thrusts, and her body seized up - her orgasm so swift and unexpected that she burst into tears, overcome with relief and emotion. Loki slowed his movements considerably, his eyes wide with alarm, before she found her voice. "Please, don't stop...I'm fine...just, don't stop..."

He took her at her word, finding his rhythm once again as he leaned down to kiss away the tears from her cheeks. In no time at all, he found his own release, burying his face into her neck with a groan as he filled her.

It wasn't until much later, as she was falling asleep curled up in his arms, that Sigyn realized they had never talked about the previous night's events. She had tried to bring it up once more, but Loki had put her off yet again, telling her that he would rather make up for his awful behavior with actions instead of words.

To that end, he had taken her once more in front of the fire and then twice in the bed, until they were both simply too exhausted to try and have any kind of meaningful conversation.

With her last conscious thought, as her body relaxed and the darkness crept in, Sigyn wondered if they ever would.