We're at the start, the colors disappear

I never watch the stars, there's so much down here.

Yellow Flicker Beat, Lorde

Loki seemed to take some sort of morbid joy in how freaky Sigyn told him his eyes, or lack thereof looked. She described them to him, the next morning. "Like enormous gaping holes in your head. Totally empty eye-sockets, and raw, almost dripping flesh surrounding them in a sort of butterfly shape. It's seriously terrifying."

Loki leaned back against the pillows, a satisfied smirk on his face. "Well, if I can't see anything, at least I can seriously unnerve people."

"That is terrible logic." Sigyn sighed, rolling her eyes.

"It is my kind of logic. Prince Loki's trademarked logic." He grinned infuriatingly. "It's called, annoy-and-unnerve-everyone-in-the-close-vicinity-logic. Brilliant, is it not?"

Sigyn sighed patiently. "I'm sure."

Loki was silent for a few more seconds, a smile dancing around his lips. "Sigyn?"

"Hm?"

"Can you read to me?"

Sigyn tried to keep her sadness from creeping into her voice. "Sure. Which book?" Loki, who was always reading, who would stay in the library until two in the morning, learning as much as he possibly could from the ancient manuscripts, couldn't read for himself anymore.

"There's a… narration of the Musple/Dark elvish war, it was on the fourth shelf on the bookcase next to the door, to the left." Loki answered hopefully.

"Oh, I see it. Written by Fari Vilison?" Sigyn asked.

Loki nodded. "He's my cousin."

Sigyn's eyebrows shot to her hairline. "Your father's brother, Vili's son?"

Loki nodded again. "He's far older than I, but he can write a riveting narration. In a way, I named Vali after him."

Suddenly Thor burst into the room. "Brother! Sister! I forgot to bring it, yesterday!" He waved a yellowed piece of paper in Sigyn's face.

"What's this?" Loki asked sarcastically. "Is this your demented version of respect? I told you to get out."

Thor slumped guiltily. "But, Loki…"

"Beloved, he has a letter for us." Sigyn informed him.

"From whom?" Loki asked waspishly.

"Balder." Thor answered.

Loki sat up. "That… changes things. What does it say?"

Thor sat down on Loki's bed as Sigyn unfolded the paper.

"It's addressed, to Thor, Sigyn, and Loki. Please do not read until after Loki returns." Sigyn began. "As you well know, I'm dead, now. I'm dreadfully sorry about that, but I know you're all strong enough to get through this. You probably already know that the vision I had, the night I'm writing this, showed me mine and Hodir's deaths. You probably also know that I saw Loki's punishment and return. What you probably don't know, is that I've seen all the way to Ragnarok. I can't tell you exactly what I saw, but I can encourage you for the coming years, or try. Thor, never give up. Although some things are going to be difficult for you, (I'm looking at you, Loki) you'll come out all right in the end, if you keep pushing hard enough. Never stop thinking the best of people, because there will be times when the ones you love will need somebody to believe in them. Loki, never forget: you are loved. There will, until Ragnarok, at least, and I can assure you, afterwards, always be someone who holds you close to their heart, and would die for you, given the opportunity. Thor, Sigyn, your children, born and unborn, to name only a few. It will get better. It always will. The sun will shine on you again. Sigyn, hold tight to Loki. Don't let him go. He needs you, in the coming years, more than ever. Be his rock, his anchor, but don't beat yourself up when you can't be perfect, or exactly what he needs. Stay positive and keep laughing. Find the fun in everything you do, even the unpleasant, and frankly, gruesome things.

I love you all, and I wish things could've been different. I now treasure every moment I have left with you, which is, sadly, a shockingly small number. Don't blame yourselves for what happened, it was meant to be. Stay strong, stay together, and you'll be fine.

All my love, Balder." Sigyn was crying by the end, Thor was staring out the window melancholily, and Loki hugged his legs to his chest, resting his forehead on his knees.

"Thor?" The trickster asked in a small voice. "I forgive you."

Thor's shoulders shook with grief, and he didn't speak, but sent Loki a grateful look.

"What do you think he meant, 'born and unborn'?" Sigyn asked.

"We're to have children." Loki mumbled into his knees. "And he'll never see them."

After that day, Sigyn worried for Loki. He seldom left his bed, hiding under his covers for most of the day. He only interacted with her or Vali, and then, he was quiet and removed. He only appeared to have any semblance of happiness when she read to him, and he would prop his chin up on his hands, not moving until she stopped reading. She gained much practice in speaking the Asgardian language this way, but it was a bittersweet skill for her. When Loki did get out of bed, he would bump into everything, grumbling under his breath (And when he was sure Vali wasn't around, cursing), his hands out before him, feeling whatever was in front of him as he located whatever he had left the bed for, and then quickly returned to it. His shins were always barked up from running into things. He'd grown in the time he'd been gone, now towering above her at six feet and four inches.

Slowly, slowly, he began to recover, physically, that is. His almost skeletal frame began to slowly fill out, again, and every day, Eir would undo the bandages on his face, and inspect the healing process of his eyes. The angry red burn had vanished, now nothing more than a faint butterfly-shaped scar around his eyes. His eyelids had re-grown, and Eir said the actual eyes were beginning to grow back. None of this information seemed to cheer him at all, and he would remain in bed, lying facing the wall for hours, refusing to speak or move. Odin came down to see him once, and talked to him alone. After he left, Loki was even more disconsolate, barely even eating. Sigyn pretended not to notice the dark bruise that had mysteriously appeared on his face during the time Odin had been alone with him.

Sigyn wrote a letter to Brokk and Eitri, detailing the state of her husband, and thanking them again for their help.

Legolas came to visit him, and Loki sat up for him, and acted semi-decent. He was still very quiet, answering in monosyllables whenever he could. On the last day Legolas was there, he sat, staring at Loki with narrowed eyes for a long while.

"If I were to tell you that you needed to go outside, would you?" He asked the prince.

"No." Loki answered.

"Worth a try." Legolas shrugged.

"Why?" Loki asked.

"You need it. You're pretty depressed. I've been there, mate. That's not a… safe place to be."

"You worry for the state of my mind?" Loki asked boredly.

Legolas nodded. "Yes. Yes, I do. You're my friend, I care about you."

"How quaint."

Legolas stood up. "You know, Loki? You can be pretty rude, sometimes. We're just trying to help you, and you're pushing us away."

Loki dropped his head into his hands. "I don't mean to be rude, Lego. I apologize. I just… I'm… I don't know where to go from here."

It was the longest speech he'd made in weeks.

Legolas sighed, and sat back down. "I don't know exactly what you're going through, right now, but I can say this much. We're here for you. I, I have to go back to Alfhiem tomorrow, but you'll have Ziggy. She wants to help, and if all else fails, you can always write me."

"Thanks." Loki smiled ruefully.

Loki got up, and felt around his closet for clothes until Sigyn came up behind, and gently handed him appropriate attire. Loki blushed, and blindly stumbled into the washroom, sullen-faced and embarrassed. Sigyn and Legolas glanced at each other. Was he really going to go outside?

A few minutes later, he stumbled out of the washroom, hands groping through the air to feel his surroundings. "Well, I can't see, so if I'm going out, I'll need a guide."

"I volunteer!" Sigyn whooped excitedly, darting forward, and grabbing her husband's wrist. "You coming, Lego?"

Loki only stayed outside for a few minutes, but Sigyn recognized it as a start. She was hoping it would be a turning point for him, but the next morning, he was back to facing the wall. In desperation, she sought out the queen.

She was in her drawing room, reading one of her books.

"Allmother?" Sigyn asked quietly.

She laid aside the book. "Yes? What do you need, Sigyn?"

Sigyn fidgeted with her fingers. "May I speak with you? It concerns Loki..."

Frigga closed her eyes, sighing through her nose. "About what I said, I did not mean that I love him any less. I merely was trying to… help him understand."

"It's not about that." Sigyn bit her lip. Frigga gestured for her to be seated on the chair beside her. "He's… he's lost all joy." Sigyn explained, taking a seat.

Frigga nodded understandingly. "I fear Odin may be too harsh on him. Loki fears disapproval, and he does get a lot of that from his father."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Sigyn asked, twisting her fingers desperately.

The queen considered the question carefully. "He needs to find purpose. Loki feels that if he cannot please his father, he cannot do anything right. I've helped him find purpose in his spells of depression, before. I think it wouldn't be extremely difficult for you."

Sigyn nodded, trying to think of something Loki could get excited about. "He's extremely competitive…" She mused.

Frigga laughed. "That he is. Especially with his brother. Thor, that is. I remember on the day Thor lost his first tooth, Loki saw how much attention he was getting, and he got so jealous. Naturally, he had to one-up him somehow, so he closed himself in his room, and pulled out seven of his teeth."

"What?" Sigyn laughed. "He really did that?"

Frigga nodded, a fond smile on her face. "He was only four years old. But about an hour later, he toddled out of his room, and grinned up Odin with his jack-o-lantern mouth, still bleeding a bit, but he was so proud of himself. Odin jumped out of his skin. It was a rather disturbing sight."

Sigyn shook her head. "What could I do? What does he care most about?"

Frigga raised an eyebrow at her. "I'd say, you. I've only seen him care for one other person as much as he cares for you."

Sigyn's eyes widened. "What? Who?"

"Vali." Frigga grimaced. "I have no idea why he's so attached that little one, but they've been inseparable for a little over six years, now."

"Why is that bad?" Sigyn asked. "Even if he was a bastard, is it frowned upon to claim your children as your own?"

"It sullies his reputation to admit they exist." Frigga sighed. "Although, I will admit, he is rather adorable. I wish I could acknowledge him; I've always wanted grandchildren. But, of course, the Allfather has forbidden it."

Sigyn smirked triumphantly. "Thank you for your advice, Highness. I'll work on that. And… I understand you had your reasons for saying what you did, the night he returned. I don't know them, but I can respect them."

The queen gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you, darling. I just… I hope Loki didn't take it the wrong way."

Sigyn nodded. "You really love him. I understand."

"Loki…" Sigyn whispered. "Are you awake?"

"No." Loki mumbled, pulling a pillow over his head.

"Please, Melleth?" She shook his shoulder.

He rolled over, facing her. The bandages had long since been removed, after his eyes had grown back. He was still blind, and his once emerald green eyes were filmed over, now appearing to be grayish-green. His blank eyes stared at nothing, but his face was towards her. "What do you want, Sig?"

"I want to talk to you." Sigyn replied, brushing his black hair behind his ear. "We haven't had a real conversation since you came back. I barely know you anymore."

Loki was quiet for a while, his normally extremely expressive face carefully blank. "Very well. What do you wish to speak of?"

Sigyn shrugged, forgetting he couldn't see her. "I just want to talk to you. Like how we used to."

Loki sighed, and sat up, propping his back against the headboard. "Those conversations, if I recall correctly, typically started by telling of our recent activities. Although, I would assume you don't wish to hear the narration of my recent days."

Sigyn raised an eyebrow. "You've done anything?"

"No. That's why you don't want to hear it. It's extremely boring." Loki snorted.

"Then why do you do it?"

He shrugged, rubbing his blank eyes. "Nothing else to do with my life."

Ah. So Frigga had been right. "That's not true! You could play with Vali. Or… talk to your friends…"

"What friends?" Loki cut in. "You are literally my only friend, here."

"Then you could talk to me!" She insisted. "You can't just ignore your life because it stinks!"

Loki smiled. "Challenge accepted."

Sigyn groaned, and collapsed onto his lap. "Then, you may not!" She thought for a minute, lying on her back, her head on Loki's knees. "Don't take this the wrong way, I would never want you to do anything rash…"

"Then you don't want me to get up." Loki quipped.

"Hear me out!" Sigyn swatted his arm. "What's keeping you going? You obviously still think life is still worth living, even if just as a living vegetable. But why? Maybe I can extrapolate it."

Loki bit his lip. "You'll think it's stupid…"

"Maybe." She agreed. "But if it keeps you going, it's valid."

Loki's cheeks tinged a shade pinker. "Well… I was hoping… after I re-gain my sight…"

"Yeah?" Sigyn prompted. "What is it?"

"I-We could… perhaps… have that family we talked about?" Loki asked nervously. "Of course, only if you wanted to…"

Sigyn sat up abruptly, staring at Loki's slightly embarrassed face. "I shouldn't have brought it up, I'm sorry, it's probably too early..." He apologized, twisting the sheets nervously. "I just… Vali wants a baby sister, and I thought… It's stupid, I'm sorry."

Sigyn pressed a finger to his lips, shushing him. "I think that's a great idea."

Loki blushed crimson. "Really?"

"Mm-hm." Sigyn nodded. "What would we name her?"

Loki's face split in a grin, and he felt around for Sigyn's hand. When he found it, he gently pulled her fingers to his lips, covering her hand in kisses. Sigyn recognized the gesture as the same thing he'd done when she had decided to stay with him in Asgard, and when she'd told him she loved him, the first time. She assumed it must be his way of expressing extreme gratitude.

"Well, we can't assume the first would be a girl." He was saying, now clutching her hand with both of his own, gently rubbing circles on her palm with his thumb. "Father would like a boy, better."

Sigyn wrinkled her nose. "Since when does he get to decide?"

Loki shrugged. "We can't really decide, either. I was thinking…"

"Couldn't have been doing much else." Sigyn smirked. Loki gave her a half-hearted glare. "Do you think we could name him after Legolas?"

Sigyn smiled delightedly. "That would be great! And if it's a girl?"

Loki frowned, narrowing his blind eyes out of habit. "I don't know why, but I've always liked the name 'Hela'."

"Hela…" Sigyn tried out the name. "It sounds like an expletive."

Loki giggled softly. "I suppose. Perhaps something else…"

"Maybe a name will come to us when we see her." Sigyn suggested. "At this point, she doesn't even exist."

Loki smiled again, and Sigyn suddenly realized that she'd finally gotten her husband back.

Next chapter, Loki's eyes heal, and we get to see what happened on Nornheim.

A heart gets you the opportunity to tell Odin how much of a total and utter jerk he is, a review lets you name your firstborn son after Legolas.

Guiltily, TheOnlyHuman.