Disclaimer: If I owned Marvel, Sigyn would have been in every Marvel moving, even if it was just a scene chatting with Nat and Pepper about the idiots their SOs are.

Day 795:

Sigyn was curled up in her bed, as she had been since Thor had told her of Loki's death. For the moment, she was out of tears, but she knew it wouldn't last. Idunn sat in a chair nearby, reading a book, but Sigyn knew her oldest sister would be at her side the moment she showed any sign of needing her. In fact, Idunn had barely left Sigyn's side in the days since she had awoken, standing guard over her little sister, even against the King of Asgard himself when he came calling.

Not that Sigyn needed guarding. Practically the whole palace had heard the curses she had screamed at the Allfather when he came to her door. Idunn had blocked his way to the grieving widow, but this hadn't stopped Sigyn from letting everyone in hearing range know that she blamed Odin for the death of her husband.

Sigyn felt the sting of tears returning and quickly forced her thoughts from the king of Asgard and back to the Princess of the Vanir who sat at her bedside.

"Idunn?" she called, rolling over to face her sister.

"What is it, dear one?" she asked, setting aside her book.

"Why are you here?" Sigyn asked softly.

Idunn looked at her, surprised, before getting up and moving to sit on the bed next to her.

"Where else would I be, dear one?" she asked, seeming genuinely confused.

"Any where I am not?" Sigyn suggested dully. "Why would you want to stay with your traitor sister as she mourns her traitor lover?"

Idunn took Sigyn's hand and held it tightly.

"My faithful sister is in mourning for her husband." She told her. "She just became a widow. My proper place is at her side."

"I thought the popular opinion, especially in our family, was that my marriage was not valid, no matter what the old customs dictated." Sigyn said, sneering.

Idunn was quiet for a moment.

"In those moments after you took on Var's part of the spell, I was sure I had kept one sister at the expense of another." She told Sigyn softly. "And then Loki's magic joined you and I saw it rush to protect you. I felt it. Loki's last act in this world was to let go of every last bit of his magic and send it across the realms to protect you in the only way left to him. Without him, I would have had to watch my sister die in front of me, and I wouldn't have been able to do a damn thing. I do not care what anyone in all of Asgard has to say on the subject, my sister's husband died for the good of our people and she demands the respect due a hero's widow."

Tears began to fall down Sigyn's checks again and Idunn gently wiped them away.

"I am so sorry, little sister." She told her, her voice thick with her own tears. "For so much. For letting mother drive us apart when I should have always been there when you needed me. For not standing up for you when she tried to tear you down. I am just so sorry. But I swear to you, Sigy, I will not leave you alone again. I will not let you go through this alone."

"What am I supposed to do without him, Id?" Sigyn sobbed, grasping her sister's hand tightly. "He's the only one I have ever loved. We were supposed to have millennia together, and now he's left me again. How am I supposed to go on without him?"

Idunn gently smoothed her sister's hair as she sobbed, shushing her and trying to calm her.

"You will go on, dear one, because you know it is what he would expect of you." She told her gently. "He gave his life to protect not our people, but you. He would expect you to honor that sacrifice by living your life in a way that would make him proud. I may not have been that fond of Loki, even when we were young, but that was because I never felt he was worthy of the affection you showed him. In the end, though, he proved himself worthy of you. Now it is your turn to prove you are worth of him."

"He always thought he did not deserve me." Sigyn said softly. "He used to ask why I defied the natural order. He thought the natural way of the world meant that the proclaimed Goddess of Loyalty should never love the God of Lies."

"But you did love him." Idunn prompted when Sigyn fell silent.

"He saw me." Sigyn told her. "Even when much of the court would forget me until they needed healing, he remembered me. It was always in little ways, stopping by the Halls of Healing to share a new book he had found, or making sure I came out of my rooms to watch whatever prank he had planned for Thor, or even just sitting with me at the evening banquet. And then he saved me from Theoric. Did you know we were actually married for years?"

"What?" Idunn exclaimed.

Sigyn smiled sadly.

"Part of the plan to trick Theoric into giving me up included taking his place in the ceremony. I am sure he did not even think about it, but he signed the wedding vows with his own name. I looked it up after I declared myself as his wife before the court, just to make sure there would be no problems. I was planning on telling him when he got in one of his 'I'm perfect' moods."

Her face fell and Idunn once more gathered her into her arms as she sobbed.

"I loved him so much, Idunn." She cried. "And he loved me. No matter what anyone says, I know he loved me. How could he leave me?"

Idunn just held her little sister as she grieved for the man she had loved since childhood.

When she had quieted again, Idunn pressed a kiss to the top of Sigyn's head.

"I knew Loki loved you." She told her. "I probably knew before anyone. Even him."

"What do you mean?" Sigyn asked, sitting up.

"Do you know how he kept Theoric from the ceremony?" she asked.

"Not all the details." Sigyn admitted. "Just that he got him drunk and locked him up somewhere."

"That wasn't the first plan." Idunn told her. "The first plan was to simply to have Theoric killed."

Sigyn stared at her, blinking.

"Loki…tried to have Theoric killed." Sigyn repeated slowly.

Idunn nodded.

"I do not understand." Sigyn said. "Theoric is still alive. Something must have changed his mind, because Loki's plans do not fail."

Sigyn broke off suddenly and her face grew thoughtful.

"What is it?" Idunn asked.

"Nothing." Her sister replied, shaking her head. "So, what changed his mind?"

"I did, I suppose." Idunn replied. "I heard you tell him that mother had revealed her plan to marry you off to Theoric and saw you run off in tears. I was going to go after you, but something in his face made me stop. Looking back…I believe it was heartbreak. I walked over to him and simply asked if he planned on helping you, as I could not, and he simply replied 'His death would save her and it is an easy thing done'. I could see in his eyes that he meant it. If killing Theoric would save you from a life of unhappiness, he would have wielded the dagger happily in your name. It was in this moment that I saw what I think few had ever seen, that while Thor may be superior warrior, Loki was the much more dangerous of the two brothers. Especially when it came to you."

"How did you keep him from killing Theoric?" Sigyn asked, clearly shocked by what Idunn was telling her.

"I told him that it would upset you if Theoric died because of you and he nodded and said killing was too easy anyway." Idunn replied. "Then he left." She sighed and shook her head. "When it was revealed that he impersonated Theoric at the marriage ceremony, I thought he had done it anyway, but then Theoric showed up with a Valkyrie bride. That's why I convinced mother to let you stay in the palace as Frigga's lady. I knew you would be safer in the house of Odin with Loki helping to protect you from Mother's machinations than alone in her own house."

"You convinced her?" Sigyn asked weakly.

"I am not like you, Sigy." Her sister said softly. "I was never strong enough to stand against mother openly. So after Theoric, I told her you'd have an easier time finding a husband among the Asgardians. I may have hinted that Thor was an option."

"She never would have missed an opportunity to put a daughter on the throne of Asgard." Sigyn agreed, smiling slightly. "Even if the daughter was me."

Idunn shared her smile, nodding.

"But she couldn't admit that she was giving up one of her daughters." She added. "It would have reflected badly on her, so she continued to argue with Frigga periodically over you. Not enough to win, but enough to save face."

"And Frigga knew it." Sigyn told her. "She knew Freya didn't want me, so she took her place. She took me into her home and into her heart. She made sure I never once felt unwanted. Her and Loki."

She began to cry once again and Idunn simply pulled her into her arms until her little sister finally succumbed to exhaustion and fell into a fitful sleep.

When she awoke again, she looked around and saw Idunn dosing in the chair nearby. She slowly got to her feet and pulled her robe around herself to go stand at the window. The sun was rising, and its pale pink and yellow lights lit Asgard, making it beautiful.

In her mind, as she looked out over the city, Sigyn thought about her sister's words, especially her views about what Loki would expect of his widow. And as the sun broke over the horizon, she came to a conclusion.

He would expect her to be strong, just as Thor had said he had wished for her. He would expect to her be the Wife of the God of Lies.

"Id?" she called, turning away from Asgard.

"Hmm?" Idunn murmured, waking slowly. "What is it, Sigy?"

"Can you do me a favor?" her sister asked.

"Of course." Idunn said, rubbing her eyes and sitting up straighter. "What do you need?"

"I need you to call the court seamstress." Sigyn said simply.

Idunn stared at her.

"Whatever for?"

Sigyn smiled slightly for the first time since the news of Loki's death had arrived.

"I feel the need for a change."

Thor knocked on Sigyn's door and opened it after a second. Inside was chaos, dresses strewn everywhere and Idunn collapsed in a chair. She glanced up at him and simply nodded tiredly.

In the center of the chaos, was Sigyn, but a Sigyn he had never seen before. Gone was the soft woman dressed in blue and silver, and in her place was a strong woman, dark woman, dressed still in silver, but now it accented the green his brother had always favored.

Her hair was pulled into a severe braid down her back and on her head sat the tiara that had once belong to his mother. The dress she wore was much tighter than the gowns she had worn before and she had added a silver breastplate and gauntlets, and around her throat was a thick silver torque, set with a large green stone.

"Well, that is certainly different." He said, calling her attention to him.

She nodded and turned back to the mirror, studying her reflection.

"I needed it." She told him. "The girl who wore those dresses wasn't strong enough for who I'll need to be from now on."

"I thought she was strong." Thor told her.

"She was in her own way." Sigyn conceded. "But she always had…she had him to help her stand. I need to stand on my own. I need to be more like him."

"Hence the wardrobe." Thor said.

Sigyn nodded.

"Your mother, when I was a child and uncomfortable being in the eye of a strange court, once told me that if I looked like I belonged and acted like I did, even if I didn't feel like I did, no one would doubt it." She told him. "And that if I did this for long enough, one day I'd look back and realize I did belong. Many people are going to be glad that my husband is dead, and they will look on me with anger if I dare to mourn him. So now, instead of fitting in, I need to stand out. I need to look strong enough that no one will dare deny me my rights. I will be Loki Silvertongue's widow, I will mourn him, and I will have my vengeance."

"Your vengeance?" Thor questioned.

"On those who dare to deny he died a hero." Sigyn said viciously. "On all who call him a traitor and a monster."

"He did do monstrous things, especially on Midgard." Thor pointed out.

"I do not deny it." Sigyn replied. "But not all of it was his will. He was twisted by the Chituari and their leader. And no matter what he did, he sacrificed himself for all the realms. In the end, he showed his true character, and if anyone finds it lacking, they will answer to me."

Thor sighed, but let it go.

"I did not come to argue, sister." He told her. "I have something to tell you."

"You are leaving." Sigyn said simply, turning away from him and walking towards the window. She leaned against the wall and wrapped her arms around herself. "I do not want you to go, but I know you must."

"Have you gained the ability to look into another's thoughts and not told me?" he asked, shocked. "I have not even told the Allfather what I plan!"

Sigyn looked back at him and smiled sadly.

"I simply saw the way you looked at Jane Foster." She told him. "And the way she looked at you. She is a good match for you, despite being mortal. I, better than most anyone, know that you should seek your happiness while you can. I would give anything for one more day with mine."

Thor walked over to her and turned her so she was facing her.

"I will not leave if you need me to stay." He told her. "Despite what I may feel, you are my sister, my brother's wife. My first duty is to you."

Sigyn reached up to gently lay a hand on his cheek before pulling him into a tight hug.

"Go." She whispered. "Be happy. Do not worry about me."

She pulled away to look into his eyes.

"Loki may be gone, but I can still feel him." She told him softly. "Inside me, inside my magic. He'll keep me safe."

Thor nodded and pulled her back into his arms, simply holding her for a moment before pulling away and striding out the door.

Sigyn turned back to the window and Idunn came up next to her, linking her arm with her sister's.

"You're not alone." She told her softly. "You'll never be alone. Not so long as I, or Sif, or the Warriors Three, or even the Allfather have anything to say about it."

"I want nothing from the Allfather." Sigyn spat angrily.

Idunn sighed, not wanting to upset her sister. Her anger with the King of Asgard had not abated in the days after Loki's death. If anything, it seemed to have grown. He was still trying to see her, and Sigyn was still resolutely refusing to speak to him, or even be in his presence.

"As you wish." Idunn replied.

The two sisters fell silent, simply watching Asgard as she began to rebuild.

A/N: So…what do you think? I promise to not draw out the inevitable reunion much longer!

Review, please!

Abbey