Author's Note: Ok, so I have used two points of view in this chapter. One of them is very short (literally it was less than a page on my word document), but I just couldn't resist. If you have trouble finding the transition in and out of it let me know, and I will make sure to go in and differentiate it somehow. Snow White Queen That is a slightly disturbing statistic. I mean kids need to know how to use computers since we live in an age where technology runs everything (which is also an exceedingly scary thought), but two and under seems a bit young to me. Hehe I am glad Frigga's appearance was unexpected. My mom does things like that to me sometimes, but I don't handle it nearly as calmly as Loki. I am always like "Whoa where in the world did you come from!?" There is no question in my mind that Loki did the "dirty Jobs" or that he would have if he hadn't flown off the handle. I would say that it did backfire. So when I read the part about him being like a newborn kitten I couldn't help but imagine him as a little kitty running into walls because he couldn't see…I don't know why, but that was the first image that popped into my head… Yea, what are the chances that Loki will just stand by and watch another man win Sigyn's heart? Reteka Hyuuga yes, Loki doesn't really understand the whole being separated thing does he? Little Bird don't be too disappointed yet, I am not sure Loki realizes just how serious a threat Theoric is to his "claim" on Sigyn just yet. Ohhh denial. Aurora hmmmm what will happen? I guess we will just have to wait and find out, but not in this chapter XD

"Your former lover has been keeping quite the eye out on me lately." Theoric remarked as he led Sigyn across the dance floor.

It wasn't often that Theoric was able to attend dinner parties due to his work, but Sigyn was glad he had been able to attend this one. Frida and Markus were supposed to have been in attendance, but Sigrún had been running a slight fever so as all good first time parents do, they panicked. Needless to say Sigyn didn't think there was anything seriously wrong with her niece save that she was teething.

"He never was one to share his play things with others." Sigyn commented.

Theoric smiled.

"You are hardly a play thing."

"To you, but to him that is all I ever was. It is the defining trait that separates the two of you."

"So we are similar in other ways?" Theoric asked.

"Very."

"Tell me." He requested.

"The good or the bad?"

"Both."

"Very well…you are both extremely intelligent, witty, and handsome in your own unique ways..."

"and the bad?" He pressed.

"You both have a tendency to step on your dance partner's toes." She teased.

Theoric swore quietly under his breath and released her foot from underneath his. Sigyn laughed quietly as his cheeks took on a slight shade of pink. It was amusing how a man older, hardened, and more mature than her could be so easily flustered by the small innocent things in life. They danced for a bit more before switching partners a few times. They met again off the floor a little later in the evening.

"I don't know how people can dance for so long." Theoric noted in a tired voice.

"Whatever do you mean? Are you, a member of the Crimson Hawks, saying that you lack the stamina to dance the night away?"

"I don't see you out there dancing." He retorted.

"I would be, but I fear my feet are too battered and bruised from my first dance partner to carry me on any further."

"Then your feet are rather fragile seeing as I only stepped on them once."

"Not so, you stepped on them at least twice."

"Must you always argue with me?" Theoric asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Yes." Sigyn stated with a proud smirk.

"Well that is unfortunate. I had hoped to discuss something with you, but if all you wish to do is argue I must leave you simply with 'good night'…"

Sigyn grabbed his arm before he could turn away, and smiled.

"No, My Lord, I fear you shall not escape me so easily as that. If there is something important you wish to discuss then I am in the humor to hear it."

"So you promise not to argue with me?"

"You know I cannot make that promise, but I will certainly try my hardest to curb my tongue. Will that please you?"

"I suppose it will do. There is a topic I have been meaning to broach with you these past couple of weeks, but I was not sure you would be ready to discuss it yet. If I am overstepping my boundaries with this query please don't be offended, it is certainly not my intent to do so."

Sigyn nodded her head in understanding, and Theoric smiled.

"Perhaps it would be easier to discuss this without anyone eavesdropping if we were to take a stroll about the room." He offered.

"If walking about the room will put you at ease then I am not opposed to it, though my battered feet cry out for rest." She replied.

Theoric rolled his eyes at the jest, but began to lead the way about the room anyways. He clasped his hands behind his back as he strolled, and Sigyn couldn't help but be reminded of Loki. There weren't just similarities between the men in their personalities, but in their mannerisms as well. Loki's possessiveness truly was the defining factor that differentiated the two men.

"I know you prefer not to skirt around important issues, so I will get straight to the point. Why did you not marry Prince Loki?"

Sigyn gave a start at the unexpected question. Of all the things people had asked her about her relationship with Loki, this had never been one of them.

"I don't want the details of why you split. I don't want the story of what wrongs you must have done one another… those things are for you and he to know, not I. I simply want to know how you and he were so intimately involved for all those many years, yet you chose never to wed."

Sigyn looked at Theoric with a mixture of admiration and confusion. Everyone wanted to know the truth of what happened between Loki and her. They didn't ask her for the story outright, but she could see the desire to know in their eyes. The rumors people were able to come up with reflected poorly enough, more so on Loki than herself of course, but the truth would put even the most indecent of those rumors to shame. Loki's reputation would be shattered should the full truth ever come to light. Her actions on the other hand, would be considered ill thought out, but justifiable and therefore forgivable. Of all the people who had the right to know what happened between her and Loki however, Theoric was one of them. It was no secret to Sigyn that Theoric was, in his own way, courting her. That fact alone gave him the right to know the truth, yet here he was saying that he had no desire to know it.

"…those things are for you and he to know, not I…"

Theoric didn't care about her past; he cared about who she was now, and who she could become in the future. He wasn't going to hold her mistakes over her head like some sort of ambiguous threat. He truly cared about her as a person.

"I never chose not to wed Loki, he never asked for my hand." Sigyn confessed.

Theoric gaped at Sigyn for a moment before shaking his head.

"What a fool… so it was not because you are opposed to marriage?"

"I am not so untraditional as that!" Sigyn defended with a smile.

Theoric raised his hands playfully as if in surrender.

"Calm yourself Lady Sigyn, I had to ask!"

"Mhmm of course you did… I am keeping my eye on you." She warned in the same playful manner.

"As long as you like what you see I won't make any objection to that."

Sigyn gave him a little "Ah" and punched him in the shoulder. Theoric laughed her pathetic excuse of a punch off, and Sigyn covertly stuck her tongue out at him.

"Are you done acting like your niece?" He asked as he fought the rest of his laughter down.

"…yes."

"Very good, now I can ask you my second question. What is your opinion of me?"

"Aside from what I said earlier about you having a tendency to step on my toes while dancing? I think you to be a good man. I suspect that you carry some rather unpleasant secrets and memories, but it is no less than I would expect from a member of the Crimson Hawks."

"I would be lying if I were to try to contradict you. My job comes with many rewards, but many burdens as well. I have done things that I would not utter before any civilized person, though they were borne out of necessity. What I must know is if you would be willing, in the name of friendship, to let me carry those burdens in secret and not to hold the demands of my profession against me?"

"I could be well contented to do so, have you already not shown your willingness to do the same for me though you have less cause to show me such sympathy?"

Theoric nodded.

"Then that leaves only one thing left for me to ask. If I were to pursue your hand in marriage would you be open to the idea? If you say that it is not an unattractive idea to you then my intentions are to court you, but if you say you would not give my suit any consideration then I will give up any thought of it now."

"It hardly matters if I should give it consideration or not, it is my father who must accept or decline any such suit, not I." Sigyn pointed out.

"I know that's what custom dictates, but if such an arrangement were to be to your disliking I would not force you into it by going over your head to your father." Theoric replied.

"I think it is safe to say that your suit would be far from distasteful to me." Sigyn answered.

Theoric seemed to relax slightly.

"I don't intend to ask for your hand any time soon, mind you. It wouldn't be possible with these last few things I must do with the Crimson Hawks, and I feel as though you still need more time to get acquainted with me before you commit to spending the rest of your life with me…" he noted.

"That sounds like a fair enough arrangement to me." Sigyn assured.

Theoric smiled down at her in relief and offered her his arm.

"It grows late Lady Sigyn, would you care for me to escort you home?"

"I would appreciate it very much."

The pair went to thank their hosts for the wonderful evening, and Theoric walked her home.

Duty called Theoric away for a short time, and Sigyn was unable to see or speak with him for several weeks. She hadn't told anyone about their conversation at the dinner party, but she supposed that her family had already guessed Theoric's intentions by now. The next time they were able to see each other was when her mother and father had invited their family and friends to a picnic at the estate. Theoric spent much of the time talking with Markus, Hallsteinn, and the other warriors present while Sigyn allowed the children to take turns riding with her. Hallsteinn's oldest had come prepared to ride also, but Sigyn wouldn't allow the children to ride with him seeing as he was still practically a child himself. She loved watching Hallsteinn's son valiantly trying to keep up with her on horseback, and listening to the children's squeals of delight as she cantered freely across the open grounds. She caught Theoric glancing over at her once or twice as she rode, and smiled. She didn't have to be told that her riding kit was more flattering on her than half of her most expensive gowns. Her mother was finally able to rein Sigyn in for the meal itself, but the children seemed even more upset by the interruption of their riding than Sigyn was. Sigyn couldn't be sure, but she thought Roan was probably glad to be free of the children for a while. Once she had grabbed her food she went to sit on a blanket with Markus, Frida, Sigrún, and Theoric.

Sigrún was gnawing on some soft pieces of fruit and bread, and Frida was watching her closely in case she should accidentally begin to choke on it. Markus smiled warmly at his wife's hovering, he had long since given up trying to convince Frida to relax where Sigrún was concerned. The four of them talked freely about nothing of importance for a while, and Sigrún eventually crawled up into Sigyn's lap. Her niece seemed a bit disappointed that she was wearing her hair up because it took away all opportunity for her to pull it. Apparently Sigyn's clothes weren't interesting enough to tug on either because Sigrún began to look at Theoric warily. It wasn't that Sigrún disliked Theoric, but Sigyn could tell the baby was a bit intimidated by him. Funnily enough, Theoric was probably more intimidated by Sigrún than Sigrún was by him. Theoric was an only child so he had never dealt with younger siblings or nieces and nephews, making the idea of young children foreign and a bit scary to him.

Sigrún eventually decided that there wasn't any part of Theoric's outfit that seemed interesting enough to tug on either, and she began to fuss in her Aunt's lap. Sigyn mindlessly began to bounce Sigrún up and down, which cheered her up considerably. As she bounced, Sigrún caught a glimpse of something shiny sticking out of Sigyn's riding boot and began grabbing for it. Shiny things always made for good toys. After a few failed attempts at snagging it, Sigrún was finally able to get her hands on the object and pull it out. Sigrún had no idea what it was, but it was silver and shiny and she wanted to keep it. Her Aunt would let her keep it right? She wasn't sure what to do with her newfound plaything though. Did it taste good? There was only one way to find out. Sigrún brought the silvery object to her mouth, but before she could open her mouth her Mother let out a cry.

"What in Odin's name… Sigrún no!"

Her Aunt, who hadn't noticed her take the toy from her boot, quickly snagged it away.

"Siggy you can't eat this!"

But Sigrún hadn't wanted to eat it; she had wanted to play with it! If she could just make them understand… Sigrún reached out to take the object back from Sigyn, but her Aunt pulled it further way. Sigrún began to get upset. Why was everyone being so mean? She looked amongst the grown-ups for an ally, but they all seemed determined to keep the fun shiny toy away from her. This wasn't fair! She began to cry, and her Mother quickly grabbed her from Sigyn's lap and began trying to shush her, but Sigrún would have none of it. Her Aunt wouldn't have taken the toy away if it hadn't been for her Mother, so she began to wiggle and fuss even more. Her Father finally relieved her Mother of having to hold her, and Sigrún cried as her Father rocked her. Why didn't they understand her? Why wouldn't they let her have the pretty shiny plaything!? Why did she suddenly feel so tired? Why didn't she get to see the boy with the pretty eyes anymore? Why wasn…

It only took a few minutes for Sigrún to fall asleep in Markus's arms much to everyone's relief. Sigyn slid the dagger back into the top of her boot with an apologetic look towards Frida.

"Sigyn Halldordóttir why are you carrying a dagger around like that!?" Frida asked in restrained panic.

"In case of an emergency. I almost always ride alone, so I need to be prepared for anything. If Roan tossed me and bolted, but my leg got caught in the stirrup I could be seriously injured or killed. By keeping a dagger on me I can still free myself by cutting through the stirrup. I would still likely be injured, but it would lessen the chances of me getting killed." Sigyn argued.

"That's all good and well, but next time can you keep it out of the grasp of my two-year old?"

"Siggy's almost three now." Sigyn pointed out.

"Two, three, does it really make that much of a difference?"

"Do you know how to use it should you be attacked?" Theoric asked before Sigyn could press any more of Frida's buttons.

He had been expecting a verbal answer, but found Sigyn's dagger against his throat instead.

"Well enough to outmaneuver one of the Crimson Hawks." She said with a small smirk.

Theoric raised an impressed eyebrow before swiftly disarming Sigyn and turning the dagger on her.

"Must you two really play with daggers at lunch, and in front of a baby no less?" Frida lamented.

"Well Sigrún is asleep." Markus pointed out.

"Ugh don't encourage them! Besides there are other children around." Frida noted.

Theoric removed the dagger from Sigyn's throat, but didn't hand it back.

"You are absolutely right Lady Frida, this is not the time nor the place to play fight with daggers."

"Brown noser." Sigyn muttered under her breath.

Theoric smiled before studying the dagger in his hand.

"I've seen that style of dagger fighting before," he commented, "and this looks just like one of Prince Loki's daggers."

"Loki taught me, and it is one of his daggers. I stole it from him years ago." Sigyn replied.

"Goodness not only do you slap Princes, but you steal from them as well." Theoric answered with a laugh.

He held the dagger out for Sigyn to take, but she wrapped his fingers around the hilt instead.

"Keep it. It is a good dagger, it deserves to see action." She stated.

Theoric nodded in acceptance of the gift.

"But I can't leave you defenseless." He remarked before reaching behind and pulling out his own dagger and holding it out for Sigyn to take.

"Yours deserves to see action, but mine has seen action enough."

Sigyn took Theoric's dagger and looked at it. It wasn't nearly as fancy as Loki's was, and it had most assuredly seen combat before. She sheathed it in her boot as Theoric sheathed Loki's in his belt where his old dagger had been. Now they both possessed a little reminder of each other in the form of an object that held the memories of what had up till this point been the most important things in their lives, memories that they were finally willing to let go.