A/N: Hey, this one didn't take me four months to write! Yay! lol Well, guys, I really think I'm coming up on the end here. Maybe just one more chapter. I'm pretty sure there's only one more chapter left, anyway. Oiy, this has been one long ride. I'm kind of getting excited. ^_^
Anyway, enjoy and let me know what you all think!
Disclaimer: I own only the plot of this story and Ivy.
Chapter 29
Ivy blinks, taking in the dark cavern around her. She's been here before. Granted, it's been a ridiculously long time since she has, but she's familiar with the cave she's currently in.
She turns around slowly on her spot, looking for any hint of light in the pitch dark room, the shadows of the stalagmites and stalactites really telling her where she is. She notices a light flickering in the distance somewhere on her right and she heads in that direction, keeping her hands out in front of her in case she runs into something that she can't quite see. It doesn't take long for her to clear the dark cavern and enter the other chamber heading deeper into the cave. She passes a hand over the stone wall, tracing its rough surface as she heads toward the brighter light just in the chamber in front of her.
She walks into the last room without pausing to look, already knowing what she's going to see. She glances briefly around the room, eyeing the stone slab in the center of the room and the torches alight on the far wall. Her eyes jump up to look at the stalactites hanging from the ceiling somewhat cautiously as she walks deeper into the room. There shouldn't be a reason to fear them. She's nothing but a spirit here, right? It's not like she can knock them down.
But, then again, if she is nothing more than a ghost or spirit here, then why is she able to feel the cool, damp air of the cave or the rough stone walls on her fingers?
'Probably best to try not to figure that out at any length,' she decides, her hazel eyes roaming the room looking for the woman who summoned her here.
"Sigyn?" she calls, stopping beside the altar somewhat uncomfortably. She doesn't study its surface for too long.
"I'm here."
Ivy turns around facing the entrance again. Sure enough, the familiar looking goddess is standing at its entrance, a calm smile on her face as she stares back at Ivy. She looks just the same as the last time she summoned her down here: long white dress with a simple purple sash around the middle, creepily familiar face staring back at her. It seems nothing changes for the dead.
Sigyn moves deeper into the room towards her, her smile growing. "Welcome back, Ivy." She cups Ivy's face, her touch no more than a whisper against her skin. "I'm happy to see that you remember again. What the Allfather did was cruel not only to Loki."
Ivy swallows thickly. "Thank you." She takes in a deep breath. "Is there any way I can hug you or something?" she asks, not bothering to ask what Sigyn wanted. She gets the feeling she'll find out soon enough.
Sigyn giggles slightly in surprise, her hands falling back down to her sides. "Why?"
"You helped me, back then," Ivy answers, shrugging slightly. "I don't know how you did it, but you got me away from the Giants. If you hadn't, I'd be…" She trails off, shrugging helplessly. Her eyes fall to the floor. She'd be dead if it weren't for the goddess in front of her.
She feels cool arms wrap around her shoulders and her eyes jump upwards in surprise, her vision obstructed by the goddess's dark brown hair. Sigyn chuckles quietly in her ear. "Well, I couldn't allow you to die in that frozen hell," she mutters. "Not when I knew I could help."
Ivy finally responds, wrapping her own arms around the woman's waist and squeezing slightly. "How did you know though?" she asks instead. The women pull apart and Ivy can only look at her in slight wonder. "I mean, I didn't even know you could still do something like that."
Sigyn snickers lightly. "Well, I was a goddess," she points out, her eyes sparkling with a hidden mischief there. She shakes her head though. "The process of what I did was a little more… complicated than what you may expect."
Ivy cocks her head to the side, a habit she thinks she picked up from hanging out with Fenrir a little too much. "How so? If you can tell me, that is."
Sigyn sighs slightly. "Do you know what I did in its entirety, Ivy?" she asks instead, backing up to lean against the stone slab of Loki's prison.
Ivy blinks but shakes her head. "No, not really. I didn't see anything that happened. One second I was tied to the mast of that ship, the next the ocean was frozen over and I was on top of it."
Sigyn nods. "Well, I possessed you for a short time in order to use my original abilities."
Ivy's eyes widen. "You possessed me?"
She bows her head. "I did." Her eyes drift away from Ivy's, scanning the room around her. "Being dead obviously means I can no longer use my powers or abilities that I once had in life. However, I can resurrect them for a short while if I possess a living being. Doing so, though, usually comes with a steep price for both the possessor and possessee."
Ivy watches her closely, noticing how the other woman refuses to look at her as she explains. "I get the feeling the price isn't anything good."
Sigyn snorts. "No, it is not." She sighs, her eyes finally darting back to Ivy's eyes. "Usually the living host is destroyed by the former god's power. Living beings, especially mortals, cannot withstand the full force of our power. Most disintegrate on the spot should they see our true forms or full power."
Ivy can't help but balk at that news. "Then how did I live?"
Sigyn grins. "While you had been living and progressing your relationship with Loki, I had been busy doing some research down here. I finally figured out why it is that you and I look so similar in appearance."
Ivy can't help but give her a flat look. "Does that have something to do with why I lived when you possessed me and used your powers to save me?"
Sigyn laughs. "Yes, it does. It seems you and I are related."
She blinks. "Huh?" She wasn't expecting that. Not even slightly.
Sigyn continues to laugh quietly, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth and try and hide it from Ivy, not that it works. "Shocking, isn't it?"
"How?" Ivy asks slowly, completely confused. "We can't be related. You're a goddess. I'm mortal."
Sigyn hums, bowing her head. "That is very true." She pats the stone top next to her in invitation, hopping onto its surface herself. Ivy eyes it warily for a moment. She doesn't like that object, even if it is no more than a copy of the real one. She can't help it. She releases a breath and simply walks over to her doppelgänger, jumping up to sit on top of the stone beside her. She keeps her hands in her lap, refusing to touch the surface any more than she has to. Sigyn turns her body so she's facing her, her legs folding together beside her. She seems far too comfortable sitting here.
"What most people do not know, at least within the mortal realm, is that I once had a brother," she starts, her voice calm. "Now, this was a very long time ago, back when men were still developing cities and trade. His name was Darri. You won't find him in any books or tales. All of his stories have been lost to time. But even when he was living, he was a very… unobtrusive man. He was quiet and he loved to explore. He spent much of his time on Midgard, getting to know Man and its developments. He was very fond of the mortal race.
"About three thousand years ago, he made a choice. During his travels, he met a beautiful young princess." Ivy raises an eyebrow at this and Sigyn smiles. "Yes, typical, I know. But she was beautiful. I met her once. She was the daughter of a chieftain of one of the northern Norwegian tribes, before the race called themselves Vikings. I do not really understand how or when he met her—he was probably nothing more than a wandering soul who took refuge at her father's house—but within days of meeting her, he decided to stay and try to win her favor."
"I take it he was successful?" Ivy asks.
Sigyn nods. "It was a year later that she gave birth to a strong son, half-mortal half-Aesir. It was after his son was born that my brother decided to remain on Midgard as a mortal man. He went to the Allfather, pleading his case to suppress what made him Aesir and remain on Midgard as a mortal man. The Allfather refused at first, but when Darri went to such lengths as to stop eating Idunna's apples, which only forced him to wither away, did he agree to allow Darri to live his life as a mortal man."
Sigyn sighs heavily. "I was upset for a long time with my brother," she admits quietly, her eyes falling to her lap. "I was resentful that he left me. We were all the family that we had and it wasn't long before he left for the mortal realm that Loki had changed. I had many friends, but my brother was my true confidant and I resented him for choosing a mortal over his family. I hate to admit that I never tried to keep in contact with him or the family he created. And then, with everything that happened with Loki, I completely forgot about everything that happened with him."
She finally lifts her eyes from her lap, reaching to grasp Ivy's hand in hers. "What I am getting at is that my brother's line continued for many generations. All the way to you through your mother's side. I suppose you could say I am your great-times-a-million aunt." She chuckles softly. "That's also why you and I look so much alike. We have the same genes, as diluted as they are in you by centuries worth of generations."
Ivy blinks at her several times before opening her mouth. She promptly closes it when nothing comes out. "I know this is a lot to take in," Sigyn says, squeezing Ivy's hand.
"Putting it mildly," Ivy mutters, still blinking rapidly at the dead goddess. "So, I'm a descendent of a god."
"Yes."
"A legitimate god."
Sigyn nods.
"Holy shit."
The goddess snorts before her laughter spills out around them like chimes. Ivy can't help but join in a few moments later. "You'll have to forgive me if I seem a little… disbelieving," Ivy continues, her mirth calming quickly compared to her companion.
Sigyn calms after a few more giggles. "You have every right to be," she reassures her. "After all, your godly blood is no more than a speck at this point. But, because it is there, I was able to save you."
Ivy shakes her head. "Forgive me for asking again, but… how? I don't see how that one drop of Aesir blood could possibly save me from your abilities."
"It acts like a buffer," she explains with complete patience. "As long as someone has something that connects them to the Aesir—something physical—it is that much more difficult for that person to be destroyed by our full forms. Your blood shields and protects you from us naturally. Loki's cape is another form of protection, putting up a shield around your mind when you sleep so no other Aesir can enter it." Sigyn lifts her other hand to cup Ivy's cheek, her thumb stroking the skin just beneath her eye. "That's why you were able to break through Odin's enchantments, both times that you've had to. If you were a normal Midgardian, he would have been able to completely erase your memories. Instead, they were suppressed to your subconscious, thus they were never truly erased to begin with."
Sigyn's hand falls back to her lap. "So, when you were captured by those Giants and I came to you, I knew that I would be able to possess your body for a short time without destroying you. When I took possession, my abilities from when I was alive—my magic, if you will—was resurrected and I froze Jotunheim's ocean over and broke through the rope they bound you with. Doing that much cost me much of my strength and I was ejected from your body and the realm of the living as a result. Everything else that happened that night was under your own strength."
Ivy's eyes dart away from Sigyn's own hazel eyes, looking at the stone wall in front of them both about twenty feet away. "I wasn't aware that gods could choose to be mortal," she mumbles, thinking over all the information Sigyn just gave her. "I didn't know they could have children with them either."
"It's not an uncommon occurrence," Sigyn admits. "In fact, it was one of the reasons that Odin decided to cut off all contact between the Aesir and the mortal world." This manages to capture Ivy's attention again, her eyes darting back to Sigyn's curiously. "He felt far too many of our race was choosing the mortal realm over our own. Which, to an extent, was true. Asgard is a constant realm. It's known as the Realm Eternal to others. Midgard, on the other hand, is constantly changing and evolving, much like the race of men that inhabits it. It tends to be more fascinating to those of us who always remain the same."
"So, what?" Ivy asks, confused. "He closed the gates in order to keep everyone on Asgard? That's awfully selfish."
Sigyn sighs. "I can't help but agree with you." She shakes her head. "But, you have to also remember that Asgard has a very finite population. Having children that are full Aesir is rare among the race. So, when gods were choosing to dwell on Midgard and sacrifice away what made them gods, it scared Odin."
Ivy snorts. "Something scared Odin?"
Sigyn's responding grin is wistful. "We're not infallible, impervious and invincible, you know. Even the great Odin Allfather can feel fear."
That makes Ivy pause. The man always seemed so… confidant and untouchable whenever she saw him. He was always self-assured and knew what to do. Perhaps there was a bigger reason for his actions than just spiting Loki, like she wants to believe? Maybe he's truly afraid that Asgard will eventually die. Her mind jumps back to a conversation that she shared with Idunna and Hel years ago, when they surprised her by stopping by when she was skating. They were talking about Ragnarok and what the prophecy really was. Ragnarok is kind of a big deal, Idunna was explaining to her. It's a prophecy that has been a part of Asgardian culture since the start. But, there's never been a clear indicator for when it will start or who will bring it about… All it really tells us is that everything we know will come to an end at the hands of someone who wishes to destroy the old order. That's all.
'If that's all that is told about Ragnarok,' Ivy ponders, 'and Odin has always been the King the same as the prophecy has always been a part of Asgard's culture, then of course he would fear it. It's his job to protect his people.' Maybe, just maybe, she can understand his reasoning. Maybe she can understand his own fear of gods choosing to leave Asgard. After all, that would be one form of destruction for them.
She hates to admit it, but she can at least understand him on that level. However, she will never be able to forgive him for what he did to her. Nor can she truly forgive him for what he did to Loki, even though she didn't know him when he was imprisoned. That's just not something she can let go.
She takes in a deep breath of the cool air, nodding her head. She returns her eyes to Sigyn, who's watching her patiently. "Well, your genes are apparently pretty strong if I look this much like you and it's been nearly three millennia."
Sigyn snickers, that mischievous glint back in her eyes. "A god's genetics are always a little stronger. If you trace your family back from your mother's side, you'll notice how they all manage to look somewhat the same, even with outside influences." She cocks her head to the side, peering at Ivy closely. "However, there isn't anyone that looks so much like my brother and I than you do. It's a very curious thing."
Ivy snorts lightly. "Genetics is a very curious thing. Maybe it just needed my father's German heritage to kick your looks back into gear."
"Well, it's as good an explanation as any," SIgyn agrees, shrugging slightly.
"Is that why you wanted to talk to me?" Ivy asks. "You wanted to tell me we're related?"
Sigyn's hand tightens around Ivy's slightly. "That was one of the reasons. I have one other." At Ivy's curious look, she takes in a heavy breath. "Call him, Ivy."
"Wait, what?" Ivy asks, blinking in shock. "I didn't think you ever wanted him to see you again."
She smiles softly, her eyes falling to their clasped hands. "It is not that I never wanted him to see me again. I just wanted to wait until I knew for sure that he wouldn't stay by my side that I saw him again." Her eyes dart back to Ivy's. She pushes back a lock of her hair behind her ear, an almost nervous gesture on the otherwise stoic goddess. "I think… I think it's time now."
Ivy's hand clenches tightly around Sigyn's. She has to ignore the almost pained feeling in her heart as she looks at her ancestor (in a manner of speaking). If there's one person she's ever felt any inkling of jealousy towards, it's her. And she knows that it's completely stupid and irrational. She just has this feeling that Loki's true love is the woman in front of her. How is it possible for him to love her in the same way?
But, the two deserve some form of closure more than she needs to guard her already fragile heart.
Ivy only nods. Sigyn gives her a somewhat forced grin before finally releasing her hold on her hand and hopping off the stone top, moving towards the entrance of the cave. Ivy watches her curiously for a second, but just shakes it off as simply a quirk of the goddess's. She folds her hands into her lap, looking up at the ceiling full of stalactites. "Loki, I need you," she calls, her voice something slightly louder than a whisper. "Can you come here for a minute?"
She blinks and he's standing in front of her. His bright green eyes take her in almost franticly as he steps closer to her, cupping the side of her head. "Ivy, what is it? What's wrong?" he asks quickly, his eyes darting over her face looking for any injury or harm done to her.
She giggles at his enthusiasm, grasping the back of his hand with her own. "I'm fine, calm down," she tells him.
His relieved sigh brushes over her face, pushing back the short whisps of her bangs that refuse to stay in her ponytail. She watches him closely as the realization of what exactly is going on suddenly enters his eyes. His eyebrows crease together in confusion. "What are you doing here, love?" he asks her, his eyes finally leaving her face to roam across the room. "You were asleep mere minutes—"
His voice dies in his throat and her mirth at his entrance leaves very quickly as he takes a closer look around the cavern. While this may be Sigyn's home for right now, this was Loki's torment for over a thousand years. She hasn't forgotten that the surface she is sitting on has his handprints gouged into it and is also speckled in his blood. Okay, granted, it's not the actual thing and is really just a copy, but it's traumatizing enough. 'Maybe this meeting should have happened somewhere else?' she wonders as he takes a step back from her, still looking around.
His expression is guarded, an almost pleasant mask as his eyes dart back to her. "Ivy?" he simply asks. The question contains far more than just her name.
"I wasn't the one who really wanted to see you, Loki," she admits, her voice quiet. She pulls her knees up to her chest so she can hug them as her eyes dart to look behind his shoulder.
It takes him a moment, but he follows her gaze, turning his body just enough so he can peer behind his own shoulder. His reaction is immediate. His shoulders tense and his entire body turns to face the entrance to the cavern and the woman standing there in its threshold. Ivy looks away, suddenly finding the floor a very entertaining thing to look at. 'Do I really need to be here for this?'
"Sigyn?" his voice calls. He sounds completely disbelieving, like he can't believe his own eyes.
"Hello, husband."
Ivy's eyes dart back up against her own will, hearing her sound so fond and sad at the same time. Loki hasn't moved an inch, which is mildly surprising. She expected him to fly to her, touch her, something other than just stand there and stare at her. For her part, Sigyn just watches him with gentle eyes and a sad smile. The two remain frozen for several long breaths just staring at the other. Ivy feels a little like a third wheel the longer they just stand there.
'Okay, I literally am the third wheel in this situation.'
Ivy remains glued to the spot, thinking vaguely about how she can escape and give the two the privacy they deserve for this encounter. Unfortunately, the only exit is blocked and if she were to try to get out, she would definitely be stopped and questioned by both parties. And she has no idea how to jump back into her body from here. It seems whenever she has visions or her spirit is called somewhere, it's the god in question controlling it that can send her back. She has no control over it whatsoever. Which is mildly frustrating, now that she's thinking about it.
Surprisingly, Loki turns to look back at Ivy, his face still showing mild shock as he looks at her curiously. His eyes dart back to Sigyn, where his mind is going clear enough. Sigyn snickers lightly in response. "I brought her down here, Loki," she tells him.
Ivy snorts in response. "Like I would have any clue how to get here on my own?"
Sigyn nods her head in agreement, smiling at Ivy. "I am sorry about that, Ivy."
She shrugs in response. "No big deal, I guess. I've gotten used to it."
Loki's eyebrows furrow together in further confusion. "You two act as if you know each other," he mutters, eyeing them both closely.
Ivy's arms tighten slightly around her knees. "We've met before," she admits. "Do you remember when Idunna and Hel went ice skating with me after you told me everything about your imprisonment?" She waits for his nod before continuing. "Before I woke up that night, Sigyn brought me here. She wanted to introduce herself to me."
"I felt it was important she get both sides of that story," Sigyn explains, capturing Loki's attention entirely. "Among other things."
Loki shakes his head slowly, taking a step towards her. "I have been looking for you for so long, Sigyn," he mutters, his mind clearly leaving the topic of how they met alone. Not that Ivy can blame him. Trying to understand what happened to his wife and why she hid from him for so long is a little more important than how the two of them met.
Sigyn's grin falls and she looks up at him sadly, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. "I know," she whispers. "And I have been hiding from you for a very long time."
"Why?" he asks, his voice almost savage but not with anger.
She shakes her head. "What would you have done if you had found me, Loki?" she asks instead. "There's no way to bring me back. I'm dead. I didn't want you to be constantly looking back. I didn't want you to stay by my side where you don't belong."
"It has been centuries, Sigyn."
She snorts. "Five hundred fifty six years, to be exact." She shakes her head. "What you feel, Loki, you feel deeply. So deeply you often don't show it. I could not risk you seeing me—finding me—and never leaving again. You do not belong here. You need to live."
Ivy's eyes fall back to her knees as Loki breaches the space between the two of them. It's interesting. She can't help but agree with Sigyn. Loki never would have left her side had he found her within that time. Well, he might have to exact his revenge on the Aesir who he blames for her death to begin with. But, he would have been right back down here with her. She swallows thickly. But, what's to say that he won't now? Sigyn seems so sure that he'll go back, but Ivy isn't so positive.
On the other hand, she can't help but feel for Loki too. If she had the ability to go to this realm at will and visit her family any time she wanted to, she definitely would. Isn't that within his right as a god? Sigyn really did take that choice out of his hands even if she was looking out for his best interest.
She mentally sighs. The moral implications of all of this is staggering and she's kind of surprised that she has to think so deeply on it in the first place.
"I agree," he mutters quietly. Ivy blinks in surprise, but keeps her eyes down. This feels a little too intimate and she's just trying to give them as much privacy as she can. "I did and do need to live. But do you not think I deserved the chance to say goodbye?"
Her eyes fly upwards mostly against her will. Loki and Sigyn stand facing each other, with a foot maybe separating the two of them. Sigyn is looking up at him with purely sad eyes as Loki watches her with something akin to the same. A grief held for so long that it simply can't be called sadness anymore. "I never got that chance, Sigyn," he mutters.
"I know," she replies, her voice shaking slightly. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for so much. I was not able to stand listening to you scream anymore, love. The bowl wasn't working and I couldn't come up with anything else to do. I left you alone because I wasn't strong enough. Once I got down here and I found out you were freed, I couldn't risk the chance that you wouldn't move on. You deserve that more than anyone else I know." She shakes her head, her eyes falling to the floor in what can only be described as shame. "I told myself that I wouldn't allow myself to see you again until I knew for sure that you had moved forward, that the temptation would not overwhelm you."
Ivy's eyebrows furrow as she listens to Sigyn and the way she phrased that. The first time they spoke about Loki and the fact that she hides from him, she made it seem like she was preventing him from seeing her. But, the way she said it just now, the meaning is the exact opposite. She stares at Sigyn closely, her eyes taking in her hunched shoulders, her hands clasped in front of her and her head bowed to the floor. She recognizes that stance. It's the same one she has when she's apologizing to someone.
Sigyn feels guilty for sacrificing her life for Loki. She may say that she kept away from Loki because she wanted him to move on first—and that may definitely be the case—but Ivy has the suspicion that it was more the opposite. Sigyn may have needed this much time to settle what she feels like was a crime against her husband. Which was leaving him alone.
Loki cups the bottom of Sigyn's chin, forcing her to look up at him. "How can you say that you were not strong enough?" he asks her. "You endured that hell for over a thousand years with me. You endured my brutal treatment of you for millennia before that. You are far stronger than any of the strongest warriors on Asgard."
"I still left you alone," she insists.
He grins softly at her. "Not entirely. You gave me a chance to have a relationship with my children. Before that hell, I had no idea nor care about who they were or what happened to them. You brought me back, darling."
Sigyn smiles and laughs, her voice shaking. "I am glad to hear that from you. Even though I had that confirmation a long time ago."
Ivy and Loki both look at her in confusion at her statement, even if the goddess is only paying attention to one of them at the moment. "I was nothing more than a vengeful, angry god once I was released from my containment," Loki says, shaking his head slightly. "How would you know that I had any sense of my old self?"
At this, Sigyn turns her head to look at Ivy, her smile soft and tender. "You have looked after my brother's descendent with nothing but love for several years now. And, besides, the dead do talk. I have heard of how you have mended your relationship with your children. You will never return to who you were before, not entirely. But, if I played a small role in bringing the chance for you to have happiness again, that gives me peace."
Loki blinks down at her for several seconds. Ivy purses her lips together, tucking her head down into her knees so he doesn't see her grin. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what part of the goddess's sentence he happened to notice the most. Sigyn smiles big, noticing his confusion too. She steps back from him, moving over to Ivy at a calm pace, winking at her playfully. "Descendant?" Loki asks, his eyes following Sigyn's progress across the space with barely concealed confusion.
"Yes, my brother's," Sigyn confirms, turning to hop back up onto the stone top beside Ivy. She gives Loki a coy look, her eyebrow raising. "Did you never wonder why it was that we look so much alike?" She wraps an arm around Ivy's shoulders, pulling her closer to settle her chin on Ivy's shoulder. "After all, we could be twins."
Ivy eyes the goddess out of the corner of her eye as Loki continues to just blink at them, which is comical in its own right. "I thought Loki was the god of mischief?" she asks, her tone quiet but she knows Loki will be able to hear her just fine in the closed off space.
Sigyn giggles, leaning away. "You try being married to him for eight thousand years. You pick up a thing or two."
Ivy snorts, shaking her head. "I can't even fathom eight thousand years," she admits. "Let alone think about living them."
Sigyn snickers. "Fair enough."
Ivy's attention swivels back to Loki only to find him still standing there, his eyes flicking between the two of them. She shrugs at him. "I just found out myself," she tells him. "So you aren't the only one who's surprised."
"Oh, I have many reasons to be surprised tonight, darling," he mutters in response. His eyebrows furrow in renewed confusion, his eyes narrowing. He looks at his wife for a brief second before returning those calculating eyes back onto her. "Why did you not tell me you had met Sigyn?"
"I asked her not to tell you," Sigyn answers for her, cutting her off before she could think to open her mouth. Any trace of her former playfulness is now gone as she regards Loki with a stoic expression. "In fact, I made her promise me that she would not tell you. And you know just how important promises are to our kind."
"Did you truly have that little faith in me?" he asks in return. "Did you really believe that I would have… withered away down here, in this place specifically, if Ivy had told me you were here?"
"Yes." Sigyn doesn't even hesitate to answer. "You can lie to yourself and to the rest of the world, but you cannot lie to me. I know you better than most, Loki. And I know how you are. Just like I knew you would never come to this place in search of me, I knew that if you were to find me then—a mere three years ago—you never would have left."
"I made a vow," he counters. "To that young woman you claim is your family's descendant. I would not have gone back on that."
"You do not need to be physically present to maintain a simple protection vow, Loki. You and I both know that." Sigyn sighs, shaking her head. "If Ivy had told you where I was, you would have come here immediately and never leave unless Ivy called for you." She turns to look at Ivy, her hazel eyes sad. "And you and I both know how often she called you back then. Thus, you never would have left." She turns her gaze back onto her husband. "You would still be here to this day. And where would that have put Ivy?"
"What do you mean?" Ivy asks, her voice small. She's not a part of this argument in the slightest. Why does Sigyn keep bringing her up?
Sigyn—for the first time since she's met the goddess—ignores her, her sole focus on the god in front of her. Ivy turns her head to look as well only to find his green eyes on the floor, his hands balled into fists and his jaw clenched tightly. Ivy releases her hold on her legs, allowing them to relax back against the altar top as she stares at him. "Loki?"
"So what were you waiting for, then?" he asks, his gaze still on the floor. "What has changed since then—a mere three years—that has changed your mind?"
Sigyn smiles. "I know you are the god of lies, love, but what is the point in lying to yourself? You know what's changed."
'Well, I don't,' Ivy can't help but to think, her eyes darting between the two gods like they're the competitors of an interesting tennis match.
Loki's eyes slowly rise from the floor to connect with Sigyn's. His expression shows understanding, complete and utter understanding for whatever it is that she really said to him. 'Well, at least one of us gets it.' Sigyn only nods her head, her smile soft. 'These two are able to have conversations without even talking,' Ivy notices. She mentally sighs. She couldn't blame Loki if he were to decide to stay here with Sigyn. It's clear to her, at least, just how much he loved her. She can't blame him for wanting to stay with someone who loved him so fiercely and that he loved back.
"I'm happy you finally understand, love," Sigyn states, standing up and brushing out the front of her skirt in a manner that is purely habitual. She turns to look at Ivy. "I promise after this that I won't call you down here any longer. At least, not to this spot, anyway." She grimaces, looking around. "I think I can finally leave here. Perhaps I will ask Hel where she would like me to be. And I'll see if I can find Darri."
Ivy grins wistfully. "Tell him I said hi."
Sigyn giggles. "He will be happy to know that his line is still alive and strong."
"That reminds me," Loki mutters, walking over to them both. He stops about three paces away from Ivy, his eyes flitting between the two women again. "Ivy is your brother's descendant? How?"
Sigyn rolls her eyes. "Did you forget that Darri chose a mortal life about three thousand years ago?" she asks, giving him a flat look. "I know that I told you about it."
Loki's eyes dart to the side. "I vaguely remember you mentioning it."
Sigyn releases a bone-weary sigh. "Men." She looks at Ivy, her hands resting on her hips. "Be warned: none of them know how to listen."
Ivy giggles. "Of that, I am aware. My dad was the same way."
A familiar hand traces through her hair and Ivy's attention immediately snaps to Loki. He looks down at her, his eyes searching like he can see straight through her mortality to that speck of blood that somehow makes her more. "You have Aesir in you," he mutters.
"It's nothing more than a fraction of a fraction by this point," she counters, shaking her head. She refuses to acknowledge the thrill that entered her gut when he touched her, hoping against hope that it means what she thinks it means. "Hardly anything to be impressed by."
"But," Sigyn injects, her eyes only on Loki. "That fraction of a fraction is enough."
Ivy blinks. "Enough for what?"
Sigyn gives her a secretive little smile. Ivy looks up to Loki only to find his eyes wide with realization. "What?" she asks him.
"Could it be possible…?"
Okay, now she's getting annoyed. She huffs in aggravation, crossing her arms. "Are either of you going to tell me what the heck you're going on about?"
Sigyn laughs. "It is not for me to explain," she answers. "And it is not a choice I must make. You two will have to discuss that together." She looks up at Loki, her small bright. "I'm going to go now." She steps toward him, lifting a hand and brushing it against his cheek. "We loved each other for so long, Loki. And I will never stop loving you. But our chapter is done now. I hope I was able to give you a small sense of peace before you start your next journey. All I ask is that you be happy and live a long life."
Ivy lowers her head, trying to hide the sudden swell of tears in her eyes. Why does Sigyn's speech remind her so much of what her father said to her the night before he died? Why does death have to be so final? And why couldn't the woman in front of her have the chance to live by Loki's side? After all, Sigyn would survive millennia where Ivy will die in a few short decades. If she's lucky.
There's a sudden gust of cold wind whipping Ivy's bangs across her face. When she looks up, the goddess is gone, leaving her and Loki alone in the dark cavern under the Earth. She swallows thickly, swiping at her eyes to get rid of the visible moisture before looking up at Loki. He's still staring at the place Sigyn was standing, looking a little lost within his own head. She reaches forward tentatively, hesitating for a second before grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze. "Loki? Are you alright?"
He blinks, his eyes filling with clarity as he turns to look at her. "Oddly enough, yes," he answers.
She looks at him closely. "Are you lying to me?" she asks, giving him a flat look. "Because if you're just saying that so I won't worry—"
The cave is suddenly filled with his deep chuckles, cutting her off. Using his free hand, he brushes aside the few bangs still lying across her face. "I assure, love, I am fine."
She looks at him closely, her eyes flicking between his looking for any hint that he's anything but okay. She is, fortunately, not able to find anything other than a sense of contentment coming from him. She finally sighs, letting the topic go. "I'm sorry, Loki."
He blinks. "Whatever for?"
She shakes her head. "I really wanted to tell you the first time I met her, but she was so adamant that you couldn't know. And then to drag you here of all places only a day after I remember everything…" She sighs. "Why does it feel like everything is happening at once?"
He chuckles, tilting her head up as he leans down to press his lips softly to hers, molding their lips in a soft dance that sets her skin on fire. He leans back after less than five seconds, looking down at her with a soft look. "Whereas I feel like I must thank you, Ivy."
She blinks, trying to pull her brain back to the here and now after that kiss. "Why?"
"For many things," he answers. He straightens fully, his eyes leaving hers finally to look around them. His face morphs into one of disgust. "Let us get out of here and forget this place."
That's one plan Ivy can agree on. He helps her down from the stone table, his hands steady on her waist. "Close your eyes, love," he commands. She does as she's told and she feels the press of his fingertips against her forehead before there's a blinding light that flashes behind her closed eyelids—
The next thing she knows, she's gasping awake, shooting up straight in her bed. Loki's cape is held tightly in her fists as she tries to regain her breath. One hand is holding her shoulder, keeping her steady, as the other rubs soothing circles into her back. "Relax, darling," Loki's baritone intones in her ear. "Breathe."
It takes several moments for her breathing to regulate and return to normal. When it does, she flops back down, nestling herself into Loki's shoulder and chest. "Is it always that… jarring waking up after something like that?" she asks him, wrapping an arm around his waist. "It doesn't even feel like I slept."
"Unfortunately," he replies. She can hear the grin in his voice.
She humphs quietly. She can only hope that she's never called down there again.
Several minutes pass in silence as her breath finally levels out and she thinks back on the roller coaster of an encounter that they both shared. She tilts her head up to look at Loki. His eyes are already on her. "Are you sure you're okay?"
He grins. "You are such a worrier, love." His hand leaves her waist to comb through her hair repeatedly. "I am and will be alright."
She nods, relaxing again and just letting his heartbeat be her lullaby. "Hey, Loki?" she asks, her voice heavy with oncoming sleep again.
"Hm?"
"Who released you? Everyone seems to think I can figure it out, but I'd prefer just to be told."
He snickers quietly. "What made you think of that?"
She yawns. "The first time I met Sigyn, she told me that someone helped to free you but wouldn't say who. I was just remembering that conversation. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
The silence stretches long enough that she doesn't think he's going to answer. She mentally shrugs it off. It's not like she really has to know. She's just curious. She doesn't blame him for wanting to forget everything involved with his prison.
She's half asleep before he decides to answer. She's still not entirely sure if she heard him right to begin with. "Idunna set me free."
