Ok… you guys are probably gonna want my head at the end of this chapter…
Edited: 24/06/13
Chapter 25 - The Interference of Politics
Loki had to see his wife. He did not care if he were caught, he had to see her. For a month he had been studying the Casket, and he was sure it was starting to drive him mad. The dreams about Laufey were back with a vengeance, forcing him awake in a cold sweat every night, and now he was starting to see looming blue shadows in the corner of his eye as he walked. And he was cold. He had never felt the cold much before, but now he was shivering without cause.
To distract himself he had been leaving the city on Sleipnir and exploring the surrounding villages and towns, cloaked with seiðr. He sometimes posed as a Light Elf, and inquired of Asgardian custom, to try and understand better what Tyr had been trying to tell him, to either confirm or prove him wrong. It was exhausting and still he could not sleep. He was on his last vestige of strength, he had to find Sigyn and talk to her. Their usual letter sending had stopped on either side, and Loki found he could not put his thoughts to pen to give to her, and he could only imagine she was still very upset with him about Laufey or perhaps the Svana and Ey were watching her more carefully than usual, after slipping their reins.
Sverrir was waiting for him at the stables as he returned from another excursion and dismounted from Sleipnir, barely keeping his balance.
"My King! I must speak with you," he called, running towards him as Loki strode towards the palace.
"Not now Sverrir," he dismissed, trying to walk ahead of him. Sverrir kept pace.
"Please my king, it is urgent," Sverrir insisted, "Myself and the entire court are concerned for your welfare. I only wish that you would confide in me, so that I can help you –Loki!"
Sverrir dared to grab Loki's arm and pull him back. Loki reared back and loomed over him,
"What do you think you are doing?"
Sverrir backed up and bowed his head, "I'm sorry, but I am worried for you."
"What for? I'm fine."
"Majesty you've been running around all across the city and beyond for days, you lock yourself away in the Weapons Vault for hours at a go, and you're not sleeping. We're worried for your health."
Loki snorted, turning away, "Don't be. I'm fine." Or he would be once he saw Sigyn.
"Majesty wait!" Sverrir chased after him, "There is another matter. The Crown Prince of Alfheim is here!"
Loki came to a dead stop and turned to look at him, "What?"
"Prince Berach of Alfheim is here. He comes to swear allegiance to you on behalf of Alfheim, and he brings books, just as the princess did –how many did you ask for?" Sverrir's eyes glittered at the mention of the books.
"All they were willing to give," Loki said absently, cursing all things as he realised he could not keep the crown prince waiting. Sigyn would be out of his reach for a little longer. "Very well Sverrir, make the prince comfortable, I shall be along presently, once I've changed from my riding garments."
Sverrir looked very relieved as he bowed to him, "Yes majesty, I'll go and tell him."
Once Loki got to his chambers, he used magic to scrub his skin clean and erase the smell of horse from his hair, then he dressed in his ceremonial robes and promptly sat down on his bed and held his head in his hands while he composed himself. He was exhausted, and slightly shaky from his efforts, but now that he had a moment to think, he realised if he climbed through the mirror he would probably find himself surrounded by those blasted Svana and Ey women. There was a reason Sigyn always came to him, and why she could only do it after she had gone to bed. The women watched her like a hawk at all times, except when she was in bed. Once they had rotated sharing the room with her, in case she ever needed anything, but Sigyn had thrown the temper tantrum to end all temper tantrums and managed to get her way about having one time and place of privacy. The fact that she had done it just so she could sneak out to see Loki made him all the more impressed. Throwing tantrums was much more Odinson than Njordsdóttir.
Once his hands stopped trembling Loki drank several cups of mead and summoned two loaves of his favourite bread, eating them with less finesse than Thor ever would. Once he had finished the last crumb, he opened his door to go to the Throne Room.
Seeing Sigyn would just have to wait.
Sigyn was already awake when the doors to her bedchamber opened and Svana Ein came in, she always was. She needed the few minutes before her attendants walked in to mentally prepare for the day, to hold on to her sanity until the night came again.
"Sigyn? It is time to rise." Svana Ein said, leaning over her and touching her shoulder. Sigyn opened her eyes and held her hand out. Svana Ein took it and helped her to rise from her bed. "Your parents wish to speak with you when you have eaten."
Sigyn nodded and extended her arms out from her sides, waiting. Ey Fyrstr and Ey Þridi walked up to her and curtsied to her before stepping up and untying the collar of her nightgown, then pulling it over her head. Svana Ein drew the curtains, letting her chamber be flooded with light, obliterating the complete darkness. Sigyn closed her eyes as her bared skin was warmed by the sun, as Ey Fyrstr undid her plait and ran her fingers through the cream strands to let her long hair brush over the curve of her backside.
Sigyn walked into the bathing room, letting Ey Annarr and Ey Fjórdi take her arms and help her step into the hot water. Sigyn's mind flashed with the usual fantasy of using her magic to make herself slip, imagining the way her head would smash open on the hard white tiles, crimson blood a shock against the gleaming porcelain. Then she was kneeling in water up to her collar. The Ey started washing her body with soft cloths, while Svana Þrír got into the water as well and wetted her hair to comb it out.
Sigyn's eyes meandered around the bathing room, hoping something would hold her attention for the duration of her bathing, but neither the lovely wall designs, nor the cautious looks of query from the Ey were enough to rouse her to speak. She had had periods like this before, where she said nothing to the women around her, and they obediently said nothing in return. Weeks could go by when only a handful of words were heard in the Princess' entourage if she was in that sort of mood.
Sigyn's eyes gave up on the walls and she started examining Ey Fyrstr's body before her. She noted the tiny imperfections on the skin, a small freckle that rested in the crease of skin at the armpit, how her breasts were different from Ey Þridi's in size and shape, her nipples darker than the other women's.
As they worked their way down Sigyn's body, Svana Þrír gently pulled Sigyn to sit on her thighs, hands holding her thighs in support as Ey Annarr rubbed at the crease between thigh and pelvis, and between her legs. Sigyn bit her tongue in irritation at the cleaning and amused herself with memories of how she hid evidence left by Loki on her body from the nine women. Svana Þrír let her go so she could lean forward and have her backside cleaned as well.
Loki was both fascinated and repulsed by the idea of being bathed so intimately every morning, but he was skittish about being touched. Sigyn had long stopped caring. The Svana and Ey were not people, not the way Loki was a person when he touched her, not like anyone else who kissed her hand or embraced her. They existed solely to cater to her, they had all shed their identities and their desires to attend to her. Their touches were gentle, but perfunctory. It was just bathing, nothing else. Loki could not help but think such intimacy must be uncomfortable, but Sigyn had long passed that stage.
Once they were done with her toes, she was taken out of the bath and dried. Svana Þrír styled her hair and dressed her in the garments she had picked out for Sigyn that day, and then Sigyn was escorted to her balcony. There she would eat her breakfast in front of the city, so everyone could see her and salute to her. She replied by covering her lips with three fingers and extending them to the people. Little children bounced with excitement when she looked at them. It made her ache deep and low in her belly to see their excitable, bright faces looking up at her with adoration. In bad days she thought they had Loki's eyes, her nose, a wicked smile they shared, and had to rush away to avoid the longing that welled up inside her.
Soon, she told herself, soon.
As she ate and the cool air of early morning roused her brain she wondered what her parents wanted to see her for. Usually it was just one of them summoning her, not both. Come to think of it, why was her mother even here? Rarely did she come to the capital now, so it must have been important. Neither of them had said much to her upon her return from Asgard, which had been frustrating, since she could not come out and demand they push for her to marry Loki, not after the trouble she had caused digging her heels in about marrying Thor. Her parents were plenty of things –stupid was not one of them.
Once she was finished her food, Sigyn went to her father's study. Her father Njordr, his blue-grey hair pulled back behind his head, was staring out at the oceans lapping at the edge of the city, probably wishing he could go sailing, while her mother Skadi was sitting next to the fire, looming and strong as she carved an animal from wood with her favourite knife.
Sigyn shut the door behind her, her attendants remaining outside, and stepped forward three paces until her parents looked at her. Then she dropped into her deepest curtsey, which made her knees hit the ground and her spine pull in discomfort, even after centuries of practise.
"Majesties, you summoned me," she said, eyes down on the ground.
"Yes my lady," said Njordr, "Come and sit with us, we must have a discussion."
Sigyn always had to brace herself as she pulled out of her curtsey, she could never just rise up out of it, it took a little extra effort. Still she did not stumble and went to the chair indicated, sitting deep into it and keeping her back straight. Her father crossed the room and stood next to her mother, who flicked away a bit of wood into the fire and set both items down on the nearby table. A united front. Whatever this was about, Sigyn was not going to like it.
"As you know Sigyn," Skadi began, "Since the banishment of Prince Thor, we have had to… consider the issue of your marriage once more."
Sigyn did nothing but nod. Njordr cleared his throat and said,
"The Queen and I have been discussing the tragic loss of a potential suitor for you, obviously even if Thor is able to redeem himself, he is unsuitable for you now. The realm would never allow it."
"I see." Sigyn felt her heart expand in delight. Thor would no longer be considered a suitor? It was exactly what she wanted, now she could marry Loki.
"In light of that," Skadi continued, "We have decided to start negotiations with another suitor, and so far we are pleased with the reactions we have received."
Sigyn hid her confusion, surely Loki would have written to her about this.
"So… you wish for King Loki to press his suit to me?" she asked.
Skadi snorted, "Not at all! A second son who only got the throne as a last resort? Vanaheim will have a fit. No Sigyn, we intend to betroth you to Flaith Berach, the Crown Prince of Alfheim. If all goes well, you'll be wedded and bedded within the year."
Njordr grimaced faintly at his wife's uncouth words, but nodded. Sigyn stared at them in shock.
"Berach?" she repeated, barely able to avoid stuttering. "You… you intend me to wed him?"
"Well Sigyn, realistically, he's the only acceptable choice," Njordr said with a shrug, "He is a Crown Prince-"
"Loki is king," said Sigyn without thinking. Her father sighed, shaking her head,
"For mere moments until Odin deigns to wake up. He will have to step down eventually, and then when Thor returns, he will step back into the role of second son. Unacceptable."
"Besides, he's Aesir. It would be a hard thing to get the whole realm to agree to," said Skadi.
"But… Odin's going to sleep for a long while, at least that's what Mimir said." Sigyn was scrambling to think up a good argument, but she was never as good as Loki when it came to winning arguments like this. She needed time to prepare. Loki could do anything by the skin of his teeth and do well.
"Mimir… that knarled old fool!" sneered Skadi, "Good was the day his head was parted from his body and we sent it back to Odin for trying to fool us."
Sigyn barely flinched at the reminder of what happened to Mimir. "But… I'm supposed to be Queen of Asgard."
"You've never shown much inclination towards it before," said Skadi, narrowing her eyes. Sigyn swallowed and lifted her chin.
"I just assumed it would happen whatever my own feelings on the matter. I guess I got used to the idea."
"Well, you can get used to the idea of being Queen of Alfheim. What difference will it really make? One prince instead of another," said Njordr.
"The fact is Sigyn, we always put off the marriage with Thor until he was king because we feared that Asgard might… destabilise when he rose to the throne," said Skadi, "Now our prudence has been rewarded, because Asgard is no longer the power it was. Odin is gone, so is Thor, and no one expects Loki to keep the realm in the dominant power. It simply is not in his ability."
Sigyn felt a burning rising in her chest as she stared at her mother coolly. "So… you were only ever stringing Asgard along. Waiting."
"Sigyn, as much as we hoped you would grow attached to Thor to make your marriage easier, this is still a political matter. I spun enough woes to Frigga that she would never push the matter out of kindness." Skadi shrugged, coarse hands rubbing over the fabric of the chair she sat upon. "Everyone knows Frigga was the one most vested in the union of Vanaheim and Asgard, and that could not be confirmed until Thor was made king."
"So that's why you would send me to Alfheim when I was a child? Not to learn seiðr but to get to know Berach?"
"It was a case of both. You needed all the magical education you could acquire, if only so we could rival the power of Odin and now Loki in this. The fact that Berach was one of your tutors was no coincidence of course."
Sigyn's mouth was dry as a desert, and she could not swallow as she stared at her parents. None of this should have surprised her, none of it! Her parents were far more cunning than they ever let on to Asgard or the other Nine Realms, letting the other realms think they were too busy hating each other to be much for political games. They just never told her about these games.
"Sigyn, aren't you glad? You'll finally be married and be able to become a mother." Skadi's amber eyes were boring into her daughter's. "You've been wanting that for a long time, haven't you?"
Damn her mother for noticing. Yes, Sigyn had been longing for the day when she would hold her first child in her arms. But it was meant to be Loki's child too, not Berach's. Sigyn called herself the father of Fenrir for goodness sake!
"… yes mother. But are you sure Alfheim is a better ally for Vanaheim than Asgard? We've always been allies, friends even."
As one, Skadi and Njordr sneered, Njordr saying, "Asgard thinks it needs no friends, only in its unending generosity does it bestow its protection and kindness upon the rest of us."
"A-are you saying you intend to attack Asgard?" Sigyn asked, sweat breaking out on the back of her neck.
"Not at all." Skadi cut through the air with her hand, "But it would be nice to perhaps… shift the balance of power in our favour a bit. Loki has already shown he is reluctant to go to battle-"
"He always was more cautious than bull-headed Thor." Njordr shrugged, "Hard to say which boy will prove the greater problem."
"Alfheim has long been stable, more so than Asgard in some respects, since Alfheim has not gone to war since Banríon Aetril cast out Malekith and the other Dökkálfar from her world, and that was centuries before the war with Jötunheim, right around the time Berach was born. We can be assured of Berach's competence as a king because he has handled everything well each time his mother has made him regent when she decides she wishes to raise another child, or go off on one of her explorations… whatever those entail."
"Sounds… reasonable," Sigyn uttered, barely able to breathe. She gave herself a small shake, "But, majesties, it may be that Asgard expects the, admittedly unofficial, agreement for me to wed their future king be upheld. They might see your decision as a great offence, with the way the marriage was built up."
"Sigyn, you're almost eleven hundred years old. Long past the age you should have been when you married, but we put it off to make sure you had the best possible match. Loki is too new if nothing else to be considered a match for you." Skadi rose to her feet and picked up the half formed animal she had been making, "The matter is decided. We will push this marriage forward and have you in Berach's bed by the time the feast of Lithasblot is upon us."
Sigyn inhaled and nodded, "As you wish."
She rose to her feet and curtsied to them, "Majesties."
Njordr looked like he was going to speak, but Sigyn left the room before he could. She barely noticed the Svana and Ey rising to follow her, but walked back to her chambers, a buzzing in her ears and her vision itching with black at the edges. When she entered her study, she paused and inhaled deeply.
"I'm going to take a nap."
She did not wait for a reply, only stepped into her bedchambers and shut the door behind her. Lifting her head, she saw her reflection in the mirror. Her magic mirror. The gateway to Loki. But all she could see now was her own pale face, staring back at her. The reflection swallowed and twitched, and then Sigyn looked to the side. Her ceremonial dagger rested on her dresser. She picked it up and unsheathed the sharp edge, turning it over against her palm. She walked across the room and sat on her bed. The steel caught the sunlight for a moment.
The memories of being a girl and sitting on Berach's knee as he helped her learn Ljósálfar seiðr came back, and she narrowed her eyes as the memory took on a new context. Berach had treated her like a child, there was nothing inappropriate about his touch or gaze, but still, he must have known this was possible. The idea of lying in bed with him… she shuddered.
No. That was unacceptable.
She sighed and lifted the dagger.
So… yeah, next time there's shocking news for Loki. I… think I'll hide under my desk for a while.
Night's Darkness. Interference