Hermod found her on the outskirts of Valhalla and brought her to Odin's palace in Asgard.

Odin smiled at her warmly as she entered. "Welcome, Loki's wife. I understand we have some grandchildren? Where are they?"

"They are safe," she said.

He nodded soberly. "I called you here because – Loki has killed again."

"No," she whispered, astonished. "Who?"

"Baldr," he said. "You never met him, he was gone when you were here. The best and brightest of my sons, and well loved, so well loved. But he languishes in Hel now, thanks to one of Loki's tricks."

"What happened?" she asked in a whisper.

"They were playing a game - a foolish game - throwing knives at Baldr. He was invincible to all save mistletoe, and of course Loki remembered and gave Hodr the blind a dart made of mistletoe. Baldr was gone in minutes."

"I'm so sorry," she said, meaning it. "Why am I here?"

"He needs a personal jailer," said Odin. "He has escaped so many times. Right now he is guarded by twenty of my best soldiers, weakening my ability to defend the borders. Ranganarok is upon us. I need my men." He paused and looked out the window. "But if I fetter him to you until his trial, however, I can better keep him here."

The jailers brought her down to Loki. He looked at her with hope until he saw the black manacle on her wrist.

"No," he whispered.

"It's just house arrest," she said.

He stared at her, his eyes huge in his pale face. "It will drive us both crazy, Siygn. This is terrible.."

It was only a few weeks until the trial but they were the longest weeks of Sigyn's life. The manacles were unbreakable and immoveable, save by Odin's power, and they limited her own ability. She could not come and go as she wanted; she and Loki were forever chained together.

Rather than face the ridicule of Asgard, they spent most of their time in Loki's house. Once, she might have thought being alone with Loki and a pair of handcuffs was romantic. But there was no romance between them anymore. Night after night they tried to sleep without success - side by side, fully clothed, unable to move.

Loki pleaded with Odin to restore him to the jail but Odin refused. Then Loki began to take it out on Sigyn. "Why did you allow this?" he asked her bitterly. "Leave our boys with strangers – yes, they're your family, but they're strangers to me – and have yourself chained to a maniac."

"I am your wife," she said. "I would do anything for you. And this is what Odin has commanded. This is my duty."

"You would not care so much if you knew about my infidelities," he said, his voice turning into a hiss. "While you were gone I have been visited by many lovely ladies and I did not resist them-"

She looked into his eyes, feeling the pain of his claims burning within her. "Is this true? Did you cheat on me? On our family?"

"Yes," he whispered, his eyes narrowed to slits.

She laughed at him then. "You miserable failure. Claiming that you are Prometheus, misunderstood god, when you are nothing but a devil. Cheating on those who love you. Well, you can try, but I will still love you. You are my husband, even if you are nothing but a liar and a cheat."

He raised his unbound hand as though to strike her.

"Really?" she mocked. "You're going to hit your wife, a Valkyrie? You can't find anything better to hit?"

He hit a nearby table instead, with such force that the crystal shattered. "I could do that to you," he said. "I could kill you. Perhaps I will, when I am released."

She shrugged. "Kill the mother of your children? Obviously you're a keeper." She looked away, hoping he would not see the tears of hurt in her eyes.