Loki descended the stairs from the balcony, two sentries following and upon reaching the green of the courtyard, began crossing it just as Mariel was making her way back to the steps after her daily visit to the memorial to her sister. This day she had replaced the flowers that she was vigilant to always be sure decorated its base. As she neared Loki, both heading in opposite directions, Loki caught the scent of her perfume in the air, the familiar mix reminiscent of Earth's jasmine and roses. She had not worn it when portraying Sigyn.
"My King." Mariel said in respectful greeting of Loki as the two neared each other, bowing her head slightly and giving him a smile, but the smile belied by the dolefulness apparent in her blue eyes. Loki stopped, the sentries stopping behind him as she passed.
"Wait." Loki said. Mariel stopped, turning towards Loki with a questioning gaze. "You've saved our lives twice. Loki...just Loki."
"As you wish my-Loki." Mariel replied. She smiled, then continued on her way. Loki watched after her for a moment, then resumed his trek towards the opposite side of the courtyard to the structure that housed the dungeons. Within them was held only one prisoner, the only prisoner its walls had seen in the entirety of Sigyn's and his year long reign.
As he reached the doors, one of the two sentries walked before him and opened the entrance doors. Loki entered, nodding to the guard who stood near the doors inside, the two sentries remaining outside. Loki made his way past the empty, deactivated cells until he reached that of Drolfey. The large Jotun sat with his back against the wall, staring ahead of him to the opposite wall of the cell. As Loki came into view, Drolfey turned his head and glared at his King.
"I apologize for the shortcomings of your accommodations. They were not designed with Jotuns in mind." Loki said.
"It is of no consequence for the moment. It will become so should my stay prove long."
"That depends on you." Loki replied. "However long or short your stay's duration, you will not be returning to sit on the throne in my stead."
"I did not suppose I would be. With one such as Skrymir upon it in my place, I'm not certain I wish to return at all. I believe I would rather take the axe." Drolfey said.
"That could be arranged." Loki said, though he had no plans, at least for the moment, of ordering any such act. "Skrymir is intelligent and capable. He will faithfully carry out my wishes. It was time for a change. Laufey and those of his line have brought nothing but ruin and dishonor to Jotunheim."
"But you yourself are the son of Laufey."
"Which leads to the reason for my visit. We have already discussed your shameful deeds and I am of course aware of those of Laufey himself. Tell me of my mother's."
"Your mother?" Drolfey asked, taken by surprise by Loki's request. "Ah...you refer to how it is you came to be. It may be best that you remain ignorant of such knowledge. Are you sure you wish to know?"
"What I wish is irrelevant. I must know." Loki told the Jotun.
"Gerda was Laufey's seventh wife. He took her as his other six had failed to produce an heir. He refused to believe that the fault was his own. Her mother was adept at magic and had taught her all she knew. She was younger than the others, naive and more foolish. She was scheming and ambitious and saw an opportunity to rise above all other women, even perhaps many men, if she were to be successful in giving Laufey the son he had long desired. Unbeknownst to Laufey, she sought the help of a Volva, a black witch, summoning her from the depths of Hel. The Volva instructed her in the use of Svartlseidr, the blackest of magic, its use forbidden on Jotunheim as it was in the other realms.
"The Volva herself provided her demonic blood to create the spark of life within her that when introduced to Laufey's seed created you. After your birth, unfit for the throne and unlikely to survive, Gerda's secret was uncovered. It was only later that it was discovered that the Volva, the black witch she had sought out, had been Loriel. It had been her plan all along to create you, small and weak knowing you would be rejected and then use you to have her revenge and destroy Odin and Asgard after Odin had scorned and exiled her. She explained her scheme to Laufey and convinced him to spare you. Laufey himself knew that there was little chance of Jotunheim emerging victorious from its last battle with Asgard so he went along with her plan. Laufey knew you would someday return, as Loriel assured him you would. He had been waiting for you.
"Gerda's death was swift, if that is of concern to you. She was beheaded, her body quickly and unceremoniously thereafter burned, her ashes scattered to the winds, any mention of her forbidden. It was the usual sentence for one that engaged in the use of Svartlseidr. Is that what you wished to know?" Drolfey looked to Loki, Loki's expression after hearing the last missing piece of his origin story easily read.
"Yes. Thank you." Loki said, turning, stepping away from the cell.
"She as much as Gerda was a mother to you. You cannot escape it, a dark taint you will always carry." Drolfey said. Loki stopped, turning back to him.
"You will remain here for the time being. Once I am assured you will cause no further strife, you will return to Jotunheim under supervision." Loki said. "If you displease me further, the dark taint of which you speak will fuel my wrath." Loki turned again, stone faced, walking away from the cell, leaving Drolfey to contemplate his words amid the doldrums of the dungeon.
Loki stood in Heven's vault before the blue orb that sat returned to its place. He contemplated all that Drolfey had revealed to him. He wondered if Frigga had known. Surely she had sensed it. She had been a powerful witch in her own right. Had the sight of a helpless infant overridden her wisdom and sense and led her to believe that her love would be enough to overcome it? How had Odin himself, with all the power imbued in him not seen it? Or had he? Had he known that what was to come, Ragnarok, all of it, was unchangeable destiny? And what more was to come?
He again recalled his father's words as he had stood before him in chains. 'Your birthright was to die!" he had said. Odin would not have needed to commit infanticide directly, merely have left him for nature to take its course. It likely would not have been much longer. The question he had posed to Mariel played in his head. Everywhere he went there was war, ruin and death. He now believed he knew why. How could he protect Sigyn, and their child if he was the cause of it? He looked from the orb to his hand where he produced an angelic transport cylinder.
Sigyn stood from the throne of Heven, stretching her legs after her last audience of the morning had ended, now feeling well enough to resume most of her duties, though she found herself tiring easily and had asked her schedule to be reduced to allow her time to rest in the afternoon. She planned to do so soon after visiting the gardens for some exercise and fresh air. Loki was to have met her to accompany her there but he had not yet arrived. It was unlike him to be late for any sojourn they had planned together.
Mariel entered the throne room as she had been doing for the last few days to accompany her back to the royal chambers. Sigyn realized she had forgotten to mention her plans.
"Oh...Mariel. I'm sorry. I forgot. Loki and I planned to visit the gardens. You're welcome to join us."
"It is a beautiful day for it. I don't wish to intrude on your time together."
"It's alright. It's not as if there won't be others there anyway. I'm sure he wouldn't mind. I wonder where he is. He was supposed to be here by now." Sigyn said, sounding slightly concerned, though she was sure his tardiness was easily explained...a meeting with the theater committee had run late perhaps. She wasn't sure what he had had on his itinerary for that morning.
"I saw him a short time ago. He was on his way to visit the prisoner." Mariel told Sigyn.
"I'll send for you when I find him." Sigyn told Mariel as she stepped down from the dias on which the throne rested.
Sigyn entered the dungeon, the sentry at the entrance opening the door for her. It was strange to see someone on duty there. Before Drolfey, there had been no need to bother as it sat empty. She passed another guard on the other side of the door and followed the same path Loki had earlier towards Drolfey's cell. Loki was no where in sight. As she came into view, Drolfey turned his head towards her.
"Do you also have questions for me?" Drolfey asked.
"No. I was told Loki was here, or at least he had been." Sigyn told him. She disliked Drolfey immensely. She had even before Skrymir had told her all that he had disclosed of him, and wished to converse with him as little as possible.
"He left some time ago. He had come to question me about his mother. I told him all I know." Drolfey said. Sigyn froze. She had related to him what Mariel had told her of her conversation with Loriel. She believed, especially after Odin had kept him in the dark for so long about his true heritage that he deserved to know, to no longer have such information kept from him. He had said he already knew of it, that Loriel had already told him of how she had convinced Laufey to spare him so that Odin would find him and take him to Asgard. He had not seemed much troubled by it, or if he had been, he had chosen not to show it.
"What did you tell him?' she asked the Jotun.
Drolfey repeated the history he had related to Loki. Sigyn listened, stunned, her trepidation rising. She quickly left the dungeon. She could search the palace, have others do so for or along with her, yet she knew of a quicker way at her disposal to locate him. She could only imagine what he was feeling under the weight of such knowledge. Where might it lead him, what might it lead him to do? He had once related to her the shock he had felt upon learning his true heritage, that he was the son of Laufey. It had gone far in leading to the break with sanity he had suffered which had led to the chain of events culminating in his alliance with Thanos and New York. The fact that Loriel herself had for all intents and purposes created him...that was far more heady than learning he had been born a Jotun, the son of their King.
Xenia stood in the Ladder's temple, looking out between the columns over the expanse of the city and the blue sky above it. She had also heard Loriel's confession, having been hidden from Loriel's view to protect Mariel should their scheme have gone awry. She had counseled against disclosing to Loki what Loriel had said. Some things, she had said, in the end are better kept out of view as looking to the past can distract one from what lies ahead. Sigyn thought now she had perhaps been right.
"My Queen. You seek your husband." Xenia said without turning to face Sigyn as she approached.
"Where is he? Do you know?"
"He has returned to Jotunheim."
"Why didn't he tell me where he was going?" Sigyn asked.
"He did not use the Ladder. I assume he did not wish you to know."
Sigyn stepped out of the golden curtain of light to find herself standing in darkness, again outside the cave where she had been hidden away on Jotunheim. She wrapped the cloak around her as the frigid air hit her, feeling even colder after she had only moments ago enjoyed the balmy temperatures of Heven. Traversing across the snow and patches of ice she reached the entrance, still covered by the hide curtain. Pushing it aside, she entered the pitch black cave. The bronze box still sat in the corner but no heat now emanated from it, the air inside the cave no warmer than outside of it, though there were no freezing blasts of wind to exacerbate the chill.
"Loki?" she said. Receiving no answer, she felt her way to the opposite side of the cave and then over until her hands found the large spherical light resting on the stand. Touching it, it began to glow dimly. Turning from it, her eyes fell upon him. Sitting against the wall of the cave, his knees drawn up, his arms wrapped around them, his head resting on them, obscuring his face, sat Loki. He wore no cloak, no coat, only the clothing he had worn on Heven. She could see his body shivering in the cold.
"Loki..." Sigyn said as she neared him.
"Go back. Leave me here." he said, remaining in the same position, not raising his head.
"You know I'm not going to do that."
"The throne was not my birthright...this is...to die here. I was never meant to be. I am an abomination. I bring suffering and death wherever I go. I will bring it down upon you. I already have. I can't protect you. It matters not how hard I try. I can't change what I am. I carry the vile darkness of Hel within me." Loki lamented.
Sigyn sat on her knees before Loki and reached out, putting a hand to either side of Loki's head.
"Look at me." Sigyn said, raising his head. He averted his eyes as she did so. She could see the stain of tears on his face, his eyes red. It was a rare sight. "Loki...look at me, please." Sigyn pleaded. Loki finally looked to her. She looked intently into his eyes. "It doesn't matter. None of it matters. You are whoever and whatever you decide you are, who you decide to be. You could and would never have saved Asgard or the people of Tartarus, if you were this thing you think yourself to be. You would care for nothing and no one, you would not be able to love anyone, even me."
"What if our child...what if it passes to them...the same darkness that has followed me..."
"Then he or she will need both of us to dispel it. They will need you either way. I need you. Come home." Sigyn wrapped her arms around him, wrapping him in her cloak at the same time as he continued to shiver in the frigid air of the cave.
Loki entered Sigyn's bedroom in the house on the island and walked to a stack of crates. Pulling one off the top he sat it aside and then rifled through the one beneath it, finding the album for which he searched, he pulled it from the crate and replaced the one above it once again.
"Loki...come on, they'll be here soon." Sigyn called from the front room. Loki exited the bedroom, closing the door behind him.
"What's that?" Sigyn asked as he joined her in the front room.
"Oh, nothing really. Just something Quill suggested...he thought it might work for one of the scenes in the play." Loki answered. The sound of a helicopter came through the walls. Sigyn walked to the door, opening it to see a black helicopter land in the field before the house. Sigyn walked towards it as the door opened. A man in a suit climbed out of the helicopter and then turned, assisting a woman and then a young girl out of the helicopter to the ground.
"Hello!" Sigyn called out. Pepper and Morgan Stark looked towards her as she approached. "Hi. I'm Sigyn."
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Pepper. This is Morgan."
"Hello." The little girl by Pepper's side said brightly.
"I was expecting something a bit more formal...I was told you were royalty." Pepper said, looking at Sigyn dressed in typical earth clothing and at the small house, the paint peeling, behind her.
"Queen actually. Of Heven...It's another realm, like Asgard."
Pepper looked towards the doorway of the house as she noticed movement as Loki stepped out of the house. Looking disturbed she drew back, moving Morgan close to her. Sigyn turned to see what had caused their reaction.
"It's ok. He's not here to hurt you. A lot's happened since New York. He's not who he was then. Actually, he's the reason you're here. He's my husband. As you can see, we're going to have our own little girl or boy soon." Sigyn said, looking at Morgan. "Would you like to feel?" Sigyn asked Morgan. Morgan nodded. Sigyn took her hand, placing it on her rounded belly. "See?"
"There's a baby in there?" Morgan asked as she felt movement.
"Yep. Sure is."
"How does it get out?" Morgan asked.
"I think I'll let your mother handle that question." Sigyn told her with a chuckle.
"So what's this that Tony left here? I didn't even know about this place. Happy said Stephen Strange contacted him."
"I'll take you to it." Sigyn said leading the two away from the helicopter. Loki watched as they crossed the field.
Sigyn, Pepper and Morgan reached the other side of the island, near the cliffs. A man stood looking out over the ocean his back to them.
"Who's...?" Pepper started to say, then froze as her memory caught up with her vision. The man, hearing her turned to face her, Sigyn and Morgan. "Tony?!" Pepper called out in astonishment, unable to believe what she was seeing, her mouth dropping open.
"In the flesh...for a little while." Tony Stark said, a huge smile plastered across his face.
"Daddy!" Morgan screamed, breaking away from Pepper and running towards her father. He knelt down, opening his arms wide as she raced into them. Pepper stood frozen in place before finally herself rushing across the grass. Sigyn watched the reunion with a smile, but also sadness, knowing that their time was limited. She turned and made her way back across the island.
That evening, back on Heven, Sigyn sat in the armchair across from Loki who sat on the settee in the large front room of the royal chambers. Both held circular playing cards in their hands. Sigyn discarded a card and drew another. Loki did the same. Sigyn next pulled two cards from her hand, discarding them and drawing two more.
"Last hand for the night. I've got to be up early tomorrow." Sigyn said.
"What for?" Loki asked, discarding another card.
"Just another appointment. You can come if you want but it's just routine. I wanted to get it over with before I started the morning audiences." Sigyn smiled as she drew a new card. She turned the cards over on the table. Loki looked at them in shock, lowering his cards.
"It's not possible." Loki said.
"Read 'em and weep! Finally!" Sigyn cried out with glee.
"You cheated." said Loki, looking befuddled.
"I did not!" said Sigyn.
"How? You never win this game."
"I had a little help. Mariel taught me a few things."
"Did she. What else has she been teaching you?" Loki asked.
"That's for me to know and you to find out." Sigyn said teasingly. Putting the cards on the table and reaching over to collect Loki's, she stacked them together. Loki rose, walking over to the record player. Sigyn looked over at him. "I thought we were going to bed?"
"In a moment." Loki said, putting the record he had brought from Sigyn's island onto the turntable. As the music began he turned back to Sigyn. ( watch?v=m6KDpl7GuBQ)
"We must celebrate your victory." Loki said, extending his hand. Sigyn pushed herself up from the chair, joining Loki and wrapping her arms around his neck.
"We won't be able to do this much longer." Sigyn said smiling, looking down at her pertruding belly.
"Where there is a will, there's a way." Loki answered as they danced.
When I was younger man I hadn't a care
Foolin' around, hitting the town, growing my hair
You came along and stole my heart when you entered my life
Ooh babe you got what it takes so I made you my wife
Since then I never looked back
It's almost like living a dream
And ooh I love you
You came along from far away and found me here
I was playin' around, feeling down, hittin' the beer
You picked me up from off the floor and gave me a smile
You said you're much too young, your life ain't begun, let's walk for awhile
And as my head was spinnin' 'round
I gazed into your eyes
And thought ooh I want you
Thank you babe for being a friend
And shinin' your light in my life
'Cause ooh I need you
As my head was comin' round
I gazed into your eyes
And thought ooh I want you
Thanks again for being my friend
And straightenin' out my life
'Cause ooh I need you
Since then I never looked back
It's almost like livin' a dream
Oh I got you
If ever a man had it all
It would have to be me
And ooh I love you