For the second day in a row, Sigyn found herself running through the halls of the palace because of Loki. She knew she should no longer care about him or what he was doing, but her feelings for him were still too strong to be set aside so easily. She had to know he was safe, even if his concern for her happiness was nonexistent.

The wind was intense as she and Ingrid stepped out onto a high balcony; a large piece of metal – ripped directly from the façade of the palace – flew past, barely missing Sigyn's head. Carefully, she ran to the balcony edge, her hands digging painfully into the balustrade as she watched the sight before her in horror.

The pulses of energy running through the Bifröst were the most intense she had ever seen, the beam of light emanating from the Observatory almost painful in its brightness. It was too far away to make out who might be in it, but she didn't need visual confirmation to know Loki was among them.

There were several other palace workers standing around, watching with wide eyes. Sigyn made her way to a group of them, hoping someone would have an answer to reassure her.

"What's happened?"

"I heard a crash earlier, and saw Prince Thor falling from up there," said a young page, pointing up to a gaping hole in the wall of one of the palace columns. "Not long after, Prince Loki rode by on a horse, heading out to the Observatory as fast as he could."

"Prince Thor? Are you certain?" Sigyn wasn't sure how many people knew of Thor's banishment; surely this poor page was mistaken.

"Yes, my lady. He flew past just a moment ago, heading to the Observatory himself. There's no one has a cape like that one."

"By the nine," said Sigyn. "Shouldn't someone go check on them? They might be in danger."

Before anyone could answer, Sigyn caught movement in the corner of her eye. She watched in amazement as a golden cape flew past; Odin himself, awakened from his sleep and hurrying to help his sons. She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the Allfather would ensure everyone's safety.

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind, when the Observatory exploded.

Loki had never felt such rage in his entire long life. If only Thor hadn't been so eager to take revenge, if only Thor's friends could have left him on Midgard a little longer, if only he'd had the chance to carry out his plans unimpeded, if only, if only…it was maddening.

He had reached the Observatory ahead of his brother, in plenty of time to open the Bifröst and all its power onto Jotunheim. Using the Casket, he had frozen it open, comforted by the knowledge that there was nothing to stop the annihilation of the jotuns' home – and with it, any remaining evidence of his true heritage.

But any comfort he'd gained had been itself eradicated with Thor's arrival at the Observatory.

You can't destroy an entire race, he'd said. This – from the man who had very nearly tried to do just that not three days prior – incensed Loki more than anything. Only three days' time, spent in the company of Midgardians of all people, had changed his brother so completely he could scarce recognize him. And now that Loki had finally embraced the war culture that was so highly prized in Asgard, he was going to be told it was wrong?

"I don't know what happened to you on Midgard to turn you so soft. Don't tell me it was that woman!"

Thor said nothing; the look on his face was all the reply Loki needed.

"Oh, it was!" This shocked Loki more than anything. Three days spent on Midgard, and in that short span of time some insignificant woman had managed to teach his insufferable brother more humility than all the years of Loki's patient consultation. Whatever sorcery she so clearly possessed, Loki had to know more; and if she was destroyed in the process, the Nine Realms would be all the better for it.

"Well maybe, when we're finished here…I'll go pay her a visit myself!"

Enraged, Thor leapt into the air, his hammer aloft. Loki's own fury was overpowering, his need to win at all costs devouring the final vestiges of his sanity so completely he could barely feel anything, emotionally or physically.

They fought like madmen, first inside and then outside the Observatory, even as its power built to hazardous levels. Just a bit longer and nothing – not Loki's considerable skills in magic or Thor's strength – would be able to stop it.

But then Thor – blessed, infuriatingly perfect Thor – had done the one thing Loki hadn't counted on. He'd taken Mjölnir and began to destroy the bridge itself.

At first, Loki was stunned into inaction, not believing his brother would have had the tenacity to do such a thing, before finally getting to his feet and sprinting down the Bifröst, Gungnir poised to strike the final blow.

Loki was nearly to Thor – so close he could almost convince himself he was going to reach him in time – when the bridge finally gave way beneath one final swing of Thor's hammer. Having nowhere else to go, the energy that was usually focused in the Bifröst suddenly burst outward, and they were both thrown far into the air. As they fell, Thor was somehow able to grab one end of Gungnir as Loki grasped the other, and Loki thought that if they were going to die, at least they would die together.

Just before they cleared the ruined end of the bridge completely, however, they came to a sudden stop, and Loki looked up to find Odin himself holding Thor by his leg. It was appropriate, really – Odin at the top, controlling who would and wouldn't survive for power, holding the chosen one, the golden son, and Loki left at the bottom trying desperately to hold on.

He looked up past his brother, into the cold eyes of Odin. "I could've done it Father, for you! For all of us!" Loki yelled, desperate for some measure of reassurance that it hadn't all been in vain.

"No, Loki."

Just two simple words, and with them, Loki felt the last ounce of fight in him seep away. An eerie calm settled over him, and he could see the horror in Thor's eyes as he realized what Loki was about to do.

"Loki, no!"

In the end, it was easy. He'd already lost everything – not only the family he'd always known, but also the potential family he'd hoped to create for himself. He looked once more at his brother, relaxed…and let go.

Sigyn couldn't reach the Bifröst fast enough. She ran down through the corridors, pushing and shoving anyone who got in her way. Just as she reached the courtyard, she saw Odin and Thor approaching, alone. Shockingly, Thor was crying, grasping something shiny in his hands so tightly it took Sigyn a moment to figure out what it was.

Loki's helmet.

Sigyn pulled in a sharp breath to cry out, but her vision blurred and darkness claimed her instead.

The days after passed for Sigyn, but not in the normal way, if there was such a thing. Her waking hours were spent in a daze. The court's business had come to a standstill, and as such, the queen had not needed Sigyn's services. It was just as well, as Sigyn was in no shape to be much help. Grief had consumed her; her body ached near constantly, she couldn't keep any food down, and an overwhelming fatigue had settled into her so completely she could barely keep her eyes open for any length of time. Every night she would find herself lying in bed for hours, intermittently weeping and screaming into her pillow, desperate for sleep but afraid to close her eyes lest she dream of Loki.

The official story from the palace was the Loki had been defending Asgard from another jotun attack, this time through the Bifröst itself. A magic spell gone wrong had caused the destruction of the Observatory, and in the ensuing explosion, neither the Allfather nor Thor – hastily returned from his banishment – was able to save him. The only thing they had recovered was his helmet.

Sigyn knew the truth was more than that, though no one had explicitly told her so. She was questioned at length about the days leading up to Loki's death by Odin himself, and he seemed genuinely frustrated that she had nothing new to add to what he had already learned from others. Whatever secrets Loki had been keeping, he had kept them from her just as easily as he had everyone else, and it was that fact – the ease with which he had deceived her – which she found the most upsetting. She couldn't help but wonder if he had ever been truthful to her at all.

But in her heart she wanted to believe he'd loved her, no matter what his actions and words had been, and one week after Loki's death, during his memorial celebration, the queen had come to her with news that seemed to confirm exactly that.

Sigyn was sitting at the banquet table, trying to muster up the enthusiasm to participate in the revelry, when she felt the soft hand of the queen on her shoulder.

"Walk with me, Sigyn."

She had followed the queen at once, desperate to get away from the merriment and carousing surrounding her. Even in a state of mourning, the Aesir were not ones to pass up an opportunity for drinking; no one cared to consider the feelings of a bereft young woman, lonely for her lost love.

"Your Majesty, forgive me. I've been so preoccupied with my own sorrow I haven't made the proper effort to offer my condolences for your loss."

"There is no need to apologize," said Frigga, steering Sigyn away from the crowd and toward a bench in a quiet alcove. "You and I are mourning him in very different ways. The pain you are experiencing is no less real for you than mine is for me."

"I almost feel as though I don't have the right to mourn him at all," said Sigyn. "It isn't as though we were married. We weren't even promised to one another."

"That's actually why I wanted to talk to you, Sigyn. I spoke to your brother, and he told me what happened between you and Loki before his death."

Sigyn took in a sharp breath. "Your Majesty, it all happened so fast. I hadn't even had the chance to process everything before, before…" She motioned with her hand, indicating the memorial feast still underway around them.

"Quite frankly, I've had a difficult time processing it myself. I told you once that Loki was a very passionate man, how when he was set on something that nothing would stand in his way. That applied to every aspect of his life, and in my opinion – as a mother who in some ways knew him better than he even knew himself – his mind and heart were set on you."

"I feel you speak the truth, and I want nothing more than to believe you, but it's so hard to trust your words." She didn't have the heart to tell the queen just how harsh Loki had been, how emotionless he had seemed when she last spoke to him.

"Well, I have something that I hope will set your mind at ease." Frigga reached into a discreet pocket on the side of her dress and pulled out a small velvet pouch. "In gathering some of Loki's belongings for tonight's celebration, Thor found these in Loki's desk. I think they will be of great interest to you."

She took Sigyn's hand in hers, emptying the pouch into her upturned palm. Two rings spilled out, identical in every way but size. They were fashioned from bright gold, the intricately engraved image of Gungnir – a reverent symbol of the house of Odin – encircling the surface of each. One was much smaller than the other, and Sigyn gasped as she realized what they were.

Frigga picked up the larger of the two, and held it at an angle. "Look inside."

As Sigyn peered closer, she could make out a single engraved word on the inside of the band: Sigyn. Without touching the smaller ring, she knew what she would find engraved in it. Loki.

Sigyn burst into tears, nearly dropping the rings as her body was wracked with sobs. She looked at the queen, trying to divine some sort of understanding. "I don't understand…why? Why would he dismiss me if this was his intention all along? You say you knew him better than anyone – why would he do that?"

The queen wiped a tear from Sigyn's cheek, her countenance sorrowful. "My darling girl, the pressure he was under was so great. Losing his brother to banishment, nearly losing his father – then to be handed the throne of Asgard? Whatever his reasons for letting you go, he must have felt he was doing what was best for you both."

"I'm sure you're right," said Sigyn, even as her mind insisted there had to be more she didn't know. Frigga was still her queen, and Sigyn's sense of duty wouldn't allow her to question what she was being told. She looked at the rings in her hand. "I won't wear them of course, but if you would allow it, may I…may I keep these?"

Frigga closed Sigyn's hand over the rings. "Of course. I think Loki would have wanted that."

After her conversation with the queen, Sigyn stayed a while longer; however, she knew the celebration would continue until the wee hours of the morning and she'd had more than enough. She found Edmund to tell him she was leaving, and he insisted that he and Ingrid accompany her home. Though he hadn't said it in so many words, Sigyn knew he was afraid to leave her alone for too long.

She bade Edmund and Ingrid good night the instant they arrived at the apartment, excusing herself to her room. She was tired of keeping up her brave face around others; she was on the verge of another breakdown, and wanted relative privacy for when it finally hit her.

She changed into her nightclothes, making sure to retrieve the rings from her dress before crumpling into the bed. They were so tiny, but the weight of everything they represented made them feel impossibly heavy in her hand. They had confirmed Loki's love for her, and yet their existence posed so many more unanswerable questions; Sigyn thought she would go mad if she lingered on them for too long.

When sleep finally claimed her, it was deep and blessedly dreamless.

Opening her eyes the next morning, her gaze immediately settled on the box containing the things she had removed from Loki's chambers, still sitting in the same spot it had been in all week. The pain had been too fresh for her to go through any of it before, but she could no longer put it off. She would mourn him and what they could have had for the rest of her life, but it was time to start the process of moving on.

She put the box on her bed and began pulling things out: clothing, toiletries, books, and various other items that meant everything and nothing at once. The shawl he had conjured for her the night of the queen's birthday celebration was near the bottom, and as she picked it up, a jar fell from inside of it.

It contained the contraceptive herbs she had been so faithful about using. She had laughed once with Loki about them, telling him that if he was such a powerful sorcerer, he had to know of some spell he could use instead. His answer had surprised her. Well, yes…but I've never used it more than three times on the same woman. I'm too fearful of permanent damage if I used it more often, Sigyn. At the time, the thought that perhaps he'd want to have children with her one day had made her happier than she could express; now it was just another painful reminder of what had been taken from her.

The jar was still quite full, and rather than waste the contents, Sigyn decided to see if Ingrid could use them instead. She found her in the kitchen with Edmund.

"Is everything all right?" Edmund asked, rising from his chair.

"It's nothing," said Sigyn. "I was just going through some of my things, and I found these." She held the jar out to Ingrid. "I obviously won't need these anymore. I thought perhaps you could use them."

"Oh, oh yes," said Ingrid, taking the jar from her hand.

She could feel the all-too familiar sting of tears once again forming in her eyes. "Forgive me," she said, turning back to her room. "I'm just so exhausted." She had barely closed the door behind her when she heard a soft knock.

She opened the door to find Ingrid on the other side, holding the jar of herbs. Her hand was trembling violently as she held them out. "These herbs…they're not what you think they are."

Sigyn looked at her, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"I wanted to tell you, I even started to last week in the palace kitchens before everything happened, and then there wasn't an appropriate time, and oh, your mother is just so intimidating-"

"My mother? What? You're not making any sense."

Ingrid took a deep breath, blowing it out forcefully before speaking again. "She asked me to switch them out. Sigyn, these herbs are useless."

Sigyn's hand flew to the doorframe to help keep her upright, all of the blood rushing from her face. "What are you saying, Ingrid?"

"I'm so sorry, sorrier than you would ever believe, but Sigyn – I think you might be pregnant."