I reach my hands out in the dark

and wait for yours to interlock, I wait for you.

Don't Give Up On Me, Andy Grammer

Sigyn spent hours in the library that day, researching everything she could find that could possibly give her a lead. Mainly snakes, and the poor souls in the past who'd had this punishment enacted on them. Thor wandered aimlessly around the bookshelves, as bored as he could've possibly been, asking if she'd found anything every ten minutes. Honestly, he was being more of a pain in the neck than a help. Close to midnight, she'd still found nothing, and Thor had fallen asleep on one of the window seats. His snores shook the windows.

Sigyn sat down beside his sleeping form, her head in her hands. Hours, she'd worked, and nothing to show. How do you find someone with that little information? She'd already sent Thor to go try to pry answers out of Odin, naturally, to no avail. Thor was just as bored talking to Odin, who, apparently, could do a very good impersonation of a brick wall.

Sigyn sighed, and leaned back, finally succumbing to her weariness, and fell asleep.

Hours later, as the sun peeked over the horizon, Sigyn jumped to her feet, shaking Thor awake. "Thor! I've an idea!"

"Hrnk?" Thor grunted, rubbing his eyes. "Idea of what? I had an awful nightmare last night, that..." He glanced up at Sigyn, his blue eyes filling with tears. "It wasn't a nightmare, was it?"

Sigyn sadly shook her head, patting his bicep comfortingly. "I'm sorry."

Thor sighed, rubbed a hand over his face, and got to his feet. "What was your idea?"

"How about we use a tracking spell?" Sigyn asked. "I've never heard of one being used on such a long distance, but... it wouldn't hurt to try, right?"

Thor stared blankly at her. "I don't know anything about spells."

"Or spelling." Sigyn agreed. "You can still help me gather the ingredients."

Thor frowned at her. "Are you replacing Loki to be the one that always pokes fun at me?"

Sigyn giggled, making her way out of the library. "Well, someone's got to, until he gets back, right? I'm going to see what ingredients he already has on hand, and then we can collect the rest." She opened the door to their room, immediately confronted by Vali.

"Mama, where's Father?" He demanded, for some reason not intimidated by his muscular uncle.

"I have no idea." Sigyn smiled. "I'm trying to get him back."

"He calls you Mama?" Thor asked, his deep voice spooking Vali, and sending him, quivering, under the bed.

"Yes, he does." Sigyn replied, counting on her fingers. "Let's see, we'll need Lilac extract, Giardia Lamblia, a DNA sample from him... probably a moon crystal to enhance the range..."

"What are you going on about?" Thor asked. Sigyn entirely ignored him.

"Graphite, I believe... I haven't made a spell like this in a long time. Erm... oh." She turned to Thor. "We either need everything I just said, plus a bit more, or we could use just the sample, the crystal, and dragon blood."

Thor beamed, finally able to use his talents to help. "I can get dragon blood. There's a dragon terrorizing Vanaheim as we speak, they're calling it Fafnir, and it's a really horrifying one!"

Sigyn rolled her eyes. "We don't need to kill it, just get a blood sample."

"Or, we could kill it, and have a blood river?" Thor asked happily.

Sigyn narrowed her eyes at him. "Only if I get to come."

"I suppose?"

Sigyn sat down at Loki's desk, and started searching through the drawers, looking for a blood sample, anything of her husband's DNA that she could use.

Thor sat on the bed, being bored.

"Eureka!" Sigyn grinned, holding up a few strands of black hair.

Thor glanced up. "Hair?"

Sigyn nodded gleefully, sealing it into a sterile envelope, and dancing over to the bookshelf. "Moon crystal, moon crystal, where do I find a... Aha!" She pulled out a specific book, quickly skimming through, until she found the answer she'd been looking for.

The only place the moon crystals are still readily available was at the forge of Brokk and Eitri on Nidavellir. The place where all of this had started.

Sigyn snapped the book shut, her lips pressed together.

"What?" Thor asked, standing up. "What's wrong?"

Sigyn turned to him, a wide, and very fake smile on her face. "We. Are going to Nidavellir."

Thor turned pale, placing a hand on the bedpost to steady himself. "Is that..." He swallowed hard. "Is that where he is?"

"No." Sigyn slid the book onto the shelf. "That's where the supplies to find him are."

Thor shook his head, unable to speak.

"Yes." Sigyn insisted impatiently.

"I can't go back there!" Thor croaked. "I can't ever go back..."

Sigyn swept forward, grabbing Thor by the collar, and pulling his face down to her level. "Do you want your brother back?"

Thor nodded miserably, and Sigyn released him. "Then we're going to Nidavellir."

It took two weeks to get everything ready, and to obtain the king and queen's approval. By then, Sigyn had told Vali what had happened, Nanna had retreated to her room and refused everyone entrance, and Thor had broken down at least twelve times. Sigyn really felt bad for him, but she never allowed herself to dwell on anything but regaining her husband. It kept her going, and it supported Thor, as well.

"Sigyn..." He asked her as they walked down the rainbow bridge. "What if he's cold?"

"He doesn't feel cold." Sigyn immediately replied.

"Oh, yeah... But what if he's sick? What if he's gotten a nightmare? What if he's afraid we won't come?"

Sigyn faltered, just for a second. "Prove his fears wrong." She squared her shoulders, and kept going.

When Sigyn walked into the forge, all the dwarves suddenly stopped working, and looked up, staring at her. Her hair was up, her pointed ears on full display. "Please." She called confidently. "I need to speak to Brokk or Eitri."

The dwarves blinked. "What for?"

She swallowed nervously. "I'm... I'm a friend of prince Loki's."

Eitri stood up, and clumped over to her. "You're that Sigyn girl, eh?"

Sigyn nodded.

"Well, I don't see the prince anywhere around here, and I don't think yer welcome here without 'im." He grumped, glaring fiercely up at her.

"Wait!" Sigyn bit her lip. "Loki's... he's in trouble. I need your help."

Brokk walked up beside his brother. "You, again? What's happened to the Prince? He need more hair?"

The princess glanced at Thor, who nodded encouragingly. "It's... a bit of a long story..."

Brokk raised an eyebrow disbelievingly, but Eitri nodded understandingly. "How about ye pop to the back of the shop for a spot o' tea while ye tell us all aboot it?"

"Eitri!" Brokk protested, but he was quickly shushed.

"She's the young laddie's bride, Brokk. I think we can trust her. And if we can't, look around. We make weapons, here, and she's got naught but a dagger." Eitri gave her a wink. "Come along, now, and bring yer blond friend with ye."

The two of them lead her and Thor to a door in the back of the smithy, made for dwarves, so they had to duck to get in, and the ceiling was much lower inside. This appeared to be the two dwarves' home, and it was very cheery. There was already a kettle whistling, and Eitri poured tea for the four of them.

"Alright, lassie." He smiled encouragingly. "Sit down, and tell us what happened to yer man."

Sigyn sat down on the floor, not wanting to damage the furniture with her weight, and gratefully accepted the tea. "Well... While I was retrieving the hair..." She glanced at Brokk, who rolled his eyes, and grudgingly sat down next to his brother, as Thor sat on the floor beside Sigyn. "There was a hunting accident... and two of Loki's brothers... died."

Brokk's eyes widened, appearing to change his mind about her. "I'm sorry for yer loss, the both of ye. Were ye very close to them?"

Sigyn nodded, blinking back tears. "The Allfather... he blamed Loki, and... sent him away to have snake venom dripped on his face until I can find him. And I have no idea where he is."

"And ye think we can help find someone the Allfather conceals?" Eitri asked. "Ye overestimate our abilities, lass."

Thor suddenly spoke up. "We're trying to find him. You don't have to do anything but give us a... a crystal, was it?"

Sigyn nodded, taking a sip of the tea. It helped her calm down, some, so she took another sip.

"A moon crystal, ya mean?" Eitri asked. "Aye, we can help ye with that." He got up, and took a crystal off his shelf. "Here ya go. And lassie?"

She looked up. "Hm?"

"Tell us when ye find him. And keep us updated on his welfare. He's a good lad, with a heart o' gold, and we're not the only ones who'll be concerned over his welfare. The prince has many a friend in high places."

Sigyn nodded, not exactly sure what he was talking about. "I promise."

Brokk jumped up, suddenly. "Elf?"

Sigyn turned to face him.

"If ye hurt him..." He warned ominously, but his eyes were twinkling.

Sigyn laughed. "I won't lay a finger on him."

Sigyn was very surprised with the amount of time it took to hunt a dragon. And, deep down, very concerned with how much time was ticking by as Thor tracked it down. Winter came and went, and there was still no sign of the dragon. Sigyn spent his seventeenth birthday weeping into his pillows. It was well into spring by the time they finally confronted the beast, and they took it down rather easily, and collected enough blood for the spell. Sigyn felt it was far too much work for far too little of a reward, but she gleefully returned home with the vial. All she had to do now was put the hair and the crystal in a controlled environment in a golden container of the blood, making sure there was little to no variance in temperature or pressure for four hours under a full moon, and the crystal would light up in the direction that Loki was in. Simple work, yet very delicate. But Odin insisted up on a feast for the slaughter of Fafnir.

Sigyn had to attend, so she missed the full moon.

That night was the first night, besides Loki's birthday, that she allowed herself to feel.

She wept herself to sleep, and her dreams were haunted by the glimpse of Loki's face she'd seen before he left. Blood-streaked, and sewn shut. A thought occurred to her just before dawn. Loki could not speak, nor could he eat.

How long did it take for an Asgardian to starve to death?

Sigyn sat bolt upright. It had been five months, and it would be yet another before she could even begin searching. She leapt out of bed, and bolted down to the healing hall.

"Eir!" She screamed. "Eir!"

The healer was already up, cleaning up the medical paraphernalia, and she looked up, startled. "What is it, Highness? Are you hurt?"

Sigyn swayed, then fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. "Eir..."

"What is it, child?" She asked quietly, brushing the hair out of her face.

"How... long can he live?" She sobbed desperately. "Without food or water?"

Eir didn't need to be told who the princess was speaking of. "For a normal Asgardian, about five months without water."

Sigyn moaned miserably. "Then-then he's already dead..."

Eir huffed through her nose. "The prince? Surely you know Sigyn, it will not take a bit of hunger to take your husband down. He's a fighter, a survivor. You will not be looking for a corpse."

Sigyn sniffed, and glanced up at her. "Y-you really think so?"

Eir smiled. "I know so. I also know next week is a full moon on Svartalfheim."

Sigyn stared at her in awe. "Eir... you are a genius! I owe you!" She leapt to her feet, and raced out of the room to prepare to travel to Svartalfheim.

After another week of waiting for the full moon, and three weeks of traveling through Asgard's forest, making up six months without Loki, Sigyn was standing at the mouth of a cave, Thor at her side, as the blinking crystal told her that Loki was in there.

"Thor..." She whispered in a hushed voice. He gently took her hand, his eyes worriedly fixed on the darkness inside. Mjolnir was clenched tightly in his hand.

"Let's go, Sigyn." He whispered. Sigyn lit up her hand with energy, and confidently stepped forward into the darkness. The cave was deep, and gently sloped Downwards into blackness. She slowly made her way to the very back, where her husband was chained to a boulder, terrifyingly emaciated, and still wearing the same clothes he'd been wearing on the day of the accident, now little more than blood-stained rags. His face was raw, and eaten away by the acid, although the damage appeared mostly around his eyes. His beautiful emerald green eyes that sparkled when he laughed, and bared his very heart to Sigyn... They were most likely gone. She could see bone around his eye sockets. Oh, my Loki... what have they done to you? Sigyn covered her mouth with a hand, the crystal dropping, forgotten to the floor.

The enormous serpent was above him, yellow eyes glittering in the dark. A drop of evil-looking venom dropped onto Loki's face, seeming to almost spite them. The acid burned into the raw flesh, causing him to writhe weakly against the chains, a muffled whine escaping his throat.

He moved.

Norns,he made noise!

After all this, he was still alive. Still fighting.

By the way, we're about halfway through, now.

Coming up next, we'll see exactly how alive Loki is, and we'll have Eir and Frigga being awesome.

A heart lets you be Sigyn from the comics and/or mythology, and hold a bowl over Loki's face to catch the venom. A review lets you get him out from under the snake.

Hopefully, TheOnlyHuman.