I just cry for no reason, I just pray for no reason.

All The Stars, Kendrick Lamar, ft. SZA

The two months went by extremely quickly. As in, Sigyn barely noticed they went by at all. Angrboda's visits had been scarcer over the past year, but she re-doubled her visits during those two months. It was harder for her to get caught with everyone so busy preparing for the coronation. One time, she brought her fiancée to meet Loki and Sigyn, but Loki excused himself as soon as he saw the giant, claiming he had a "prior appointment to attend to".

"Don't mind him." Sigyn apologized as Narfi and Vali started up a game of hide and seek in the room. "He's a little too Asgardian."

Thyrstr nodded understandingly. "Angry warned me." He replied easily, his speech heavy with a Jotun accent. He was a full-blooded Jotun, but still rather short for his age, standing at around eleven feet high. Angrboda adored him, and they were practically inseparable the entire visit. Sigyn thought he was a very decent man, and he and Angry were super cute together.

Loki was very quiet during those months, something obviously on his mind, that he wouldn't tell Sigyn about. She assumed it was the coronation, and she didn't comment.

On the morning of the ceremony, Loki went missing for several hours. Sigyn was just about to get worried, when he came up behind her, dressed in a warm cloak, his expression even more vacant than usual. "Hello, Sig."

"Hi…" She said, giving him a confused look. "Where have you been?"

He shrugged, slipping the cloak off his shoulders. "Here and there. I assume you're coming?"

"To the ceremony?" Sigyn guessed. "Yes."

Loki turned to her, seeming to see her for the first time. She was dressed in navy blue, as it was Loki's favorite color on her, with emeralds braided into her hair as it flowed loosely down her back. She was wearing the necklace the twins had given her, as well. "You look lovely."

She gave him a small smile. "Thank you. Is there… anything you want to tell me, Melleth?" She asked, somewhat worried for him.

He gave her a warm smile. "I love you."

Sigyn smiled back, somewhat confused. Loki planted a quick kiss on her lips, then rushed out of the room.

"… I love you, too."

Jotnar. In Asgard. Sigyn sighed, and shook her head as she sat on her bed. There was only one man who could be behind this, and he'd just sent an illusion to tell her that he was going to Jotunheim with Thor and the warriors four. He'd apologized for not being able to say goodbye in person, and assured her they'd be back soon. Thirty minutes later, she sat on the bed, still in her blue gown, brushing Vali's hair out.

She had an impending sense of doom, similar to the morning Loki had been whipped the first time. Well, the first time she'd seen it happen. What could happen? The Jotnar were not a cruel people, they'd all return unscathed, unless Thor did something rash. Then again, Thor would most likely do something rash.

"Mama, you're pulling." Vali complained.

"Sorry, Va." She apologized, easing up on his tangled hair. She deftly braided his hair up out of his face, fastening it with a red ribbon behind his ear. "You need a haircut."

Vali nodded, turning his wooden tiger over in his hand.

Just then, Loki burst into the room, his face as pale as a sheet, wearing his armor sans helmet. "Sigyn…" He gasped.

The princess sprang up, and guided him to the couch. "Melleth, what happened? Oh, you're freezing! Are you alright?"

Loki shook his head numbly, staring at his left arm, which was strangely bare.

"What happened to your vambrace?" Sigyn persisted, cupping his cheek. Vali crept up on his right side. "Are you alright, Father?"

Loki shook his head again. "Thor… Thor's…"

Sigyn's eyes widened. "Is he dead?"

"No." Loki gulped. "He's banished. To Midgard. Indefinitely."

"Oh." Sigyn couldn't find the wits to be extremely eloquent.

"Yeah. Oh." Loki agreed. "And there's more."

Sigyn raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

Loki covered his son's ears. "My arm appears to turn blue."

Sigyn put her head to one side, confused. "How?"

Loki uncovered Vali's ears. "Va, can you go see if Lady Eir needs any help?"

Vali nodded cheerfully, and scampered off.

Loki shook his head as if to clear it. "One of the frost giants touched me, and it didn't burn."

Sigyn shrugged. "They only burn you if they want to."

"Oh, this one certainly wanted to." Loki assured her. "It didn't burn, Sigyn. It… it turned blue."

Sigyn furrowed her brow, looking down at his arm. "Like when Angrboda reverts back to her normal form when she touches anything cold enough?"

Loki looked up at her, panicked. "Yes, just like that. You don't think…"

"I think the likelihood of your being Jotun is extremely small, but possible." Sigyn assured him, sitting down on the couch next to him.

Loki leaned his head on her shoulder. "How would I know for certain?"

The princess shook her head. "I don't know. You'd have to touch something that would be cold enough to revert you to your 'normal' form. If you are Jotun, though, there's nothing wrong with…"

Loki jumped to his feet. "The casket… I could…" He looked back down at her. "I'll be right back."

She didn't see him again until that night. She was sitting in her nightgown, reading a book, when her husband wearily closed the door behind him.

"Hey, beloved." Sigyn greeted him. "What happened?"

Loki gave her a tired smile. "Princess Ziggy, you're looking at the king of Asgard."

"What?" Sigyn jumped up. "Is Odin…"

"In the Odinsleep." Loki responded. "With Thor banished… Asgard is mine."

"Woah." Sigyn said appreciatively.

"Indeed." Loki sighed, collapsing onto the bed. "I knew it was hard work, but I'm really starting to appreciate what Fa-Odin does."

Sigyn gave him a look. "Not your Father, then?"

"Nope." Loki squeezed his eyes closed.

There was a pause.

"You going to elaborate?" Sigyn asked, reaching a hand towards his face.

Loki flinched away. "No! Don't… don't touch me…"

Sigyn blinked. "Alright."

He looked remorseful. "I'm sorry… I just… I'm a monster, Sig."

Sigyn looked unamused. "No. How many times do I have to tell you that Jotnar are not monsters? What would Angrboda say?"

Loki snorted. "Who knows what Angrboda would say?"

Sigyn smiled. "True. She does have a habit of saying the exact strangest thing possible. Not the point, though."

Loki glanced up at her. "Then what is the point?"

"That this doesn't really change anything!" She insisted. "You're still the same man, and I still love you!"

Loki gazed into her eyes with a hopeful expression. "Do you really?"

She nodded, carding a hand through his hair.

The king closed his eyes contentedly. "That's nice to know. Nobody else does."

"I love you, Father!" Vali piped up. Loki sat up halfway, glancing at his son, standing in sleepwear by the door to his closet/room.

"Thank you, Va." Loki smiled. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"

Vali nodded guiltily.

"Run along, then." He sighed, suddenly looking far older than his seventeen years. "Sigyn?"

"Yeah?'

He ran a hand through his hair. "It gets worse."

"Oh?" Sigyn snuggled in to his side. Loki appeared to be shocked by this, but didn't stop her. "I… I'm Laufey's son."

Sigyn smiled brightly up at him. "That makes you and Angry cousins!"

Loki paused. "I suppose it does."

Sigyn sat up, a cheerful grin of wonder on her face as she looked him up and down. "This explains everything!"

Loki was taken aback. "What? How?"

Sigyn counted on her fingers. "The twins' markings, the way they look three-quarters Jotun instead of only one-quarter, your heat intolerance, the way your father treats you, the way you can't feel cold…" She trailed off, staring deep into his very confused, and slightly desperate eyes. "That's why you were acting like that after the wedding! Why you immediately loved me, as soon as the bond was tied. And then you chased me around, entirely miserable for, what, two months? Until I gave you the attention you needed!"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Loki asked, mildly offended.

"Jotnar mate for life!" Sigyn explained again. "Once they're bound to someone, they can't possibly have romantic feelings for anyone else, and they crave attention from their spouse!" She bounced excitedly.

Loki stared at her, a little overwhelmed. "You're not… repulsed?"

Sigyn tilted her head to one side. "What have you done that would make me repulsed?"

Loki twisted his fingers. "Nothing… but… I'm Laufey's son!" He repeated. "Do you know what that monster has done?"

Sigyn nodded. "Your father's actions don't define you. Only your own do. You decide what kind of man you want to be, Melleth."

Loki gazed at her in wonder, as if she was the greatest treasure in the universe. He crept up beside her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Truly, it would take the most wonderful woman in all the nine to find it in heart to love a monster."

Sigyn didn't correct him, merely rolled her eyes, and hugged him back.

If I told you what I was, would you turn your back on me?

And if I seemed dangerous, would you be scared?

Monster, Imagine Dragons

Loki kicked his boots through the drifts as he walked down the snow-covered streets of Asgard. It was a beautiful winter day, the sunlight reflecting off the snow, making it look like diamonds scattered across its surface, glistening brightly in the light. He heard familiar clomping footsteps behind him, and turned around to see Thor bounding up behind him.

"Good eve, Loki! How fare you today?" He asked cheerfully.

Loki smiled at his enthusiasm. "Not too badly, I suppose. And you?"

Thor frolicked happily through the snow, kicking up showers of it into the air. "I'm fantastic! Loki! Would you like to play a game?"

Loki arched an eyebrow, amused. "A game? Brother, how old are you, five?"

"Come, Loki!" Thor protested. "It will be just like when we were children! Please?"

"Very well." Loki relented. "What sort of game?"

Thor turned to him, the cheerful smile suddenly a cruel, malicious leer. "How about 'Kill the Frost Giant'?"

Loki's eyes widened as Thor summoned Mjolnir. He glanced down at his hands.

They were sapphire blue, covered in hideous raised lines and markings, the nails black.

Loki glanced back up at Thor in shock and horror, just as his brother swung the hammer at his head.

Loki woke up screaming.

"Loki! Thalionen, are you alright?"

Loki peered around in the darkness, his eyes landing on his beautiful wife, holding a candle, her face looking concerned.

"Y-yes." Loki stammered, trying to control his breathing and racing heartbeat. "It was… it was just a dream. F-for now, at least."

Sigyn nodded understandingly, yet still sleepily, rubbing comforting circles on his back. "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown, I suppose."

Loki nodded shakily. He had to do something about Thor. He quickly stood up, donning Midgardian clothes with a flick of his wrist. "I'm going to Midgard, Love. I'll be back before sunup."

Sigyn was too tired to connect the dots, (She seemed to be rather tired, as of late. Particularly in the last three weeks.) and she mumbled her acknowledgement, and rolled over to sleep.

Loki nodded briskly to himself, and opened a portal into the government agency's base Thor was being temporarily held in.

A few days later, Loki sicced the destroyer on his brother. Why? Because his friends were trying to bring him back to Asgard. Thor would kill Loki if he returned to Asgard and found out about… the thing Loki didn't like thinking about, so Loki's only option was stopping him. He'd never intended to kill him, but he hadn't exactly intended to let the Destroyer get broken, either. Either way, his only recourse of action would be to prove to his parents that he was a hero, that he could be good for anything. The number one way to do that? Kill his birth father. So, Loki sent a personal invitation for Laufey and a couple of his friends to enter Asgard, and kill Odin. He had to encase Heimdall in a block of ice to do it, but it was worth the hassle. A few seconds after Laufey and two others appeared in the observatory, Sigyn ran up to him, taking his arm excitedly.

"Loki, I have fantastic news! Eir said…"

"Can it please wait, Sig?" Loki asked, turning to the hulking giants standing a few feet away. "Welcome to Asgard."

Laufey nodded, a bit confused, but Loki'd expect the brute to be a little slow. "This is my wife, Queen Sigyn."

Sigyn looked back and forth between Loki and Laufey. "Guten abend." She smiled, dropping a curtsy.

Laufey nodded again.

"It's lovely to meet you, your Highness." Sigyn cheerfully went on.

Loki raised his eyebrows at her, offering her his arm. She gracefully took it, and the two of them led the frost giants out of the observatory.

"This is our ice sculpture of the gatekeeper." Sigyn told Laufey, gesturing at Heimdall-who-was-encased-in-ice. He strained against the ice; a barely audible grunt was able to be heard through the layer. "It grunts sometimes, don't mind it. Why do we have it? I have no idea…" She gave Loki a fake-exasperated smile.

Laufey smiled gently, as Loki shook his head. "Cheerful, today, are we?"

Sigyn shrugged one shoulder. "You could say so. I had no idea you'd be inviting the king of Jotunheim over. Is he staying for dinner?"

Loki shook his head. "I don't believe so."

Laufey was grinning like a maniac, now. "I believe I can make time."

Loki shot Sigyn a glare. "Do you even know what Jotnar eat?"

"Fish." She replied promptly. "Their digestive system isn't very different from ours, but I've never met a Jotun who didn't like fish."

"Ooh, she's done her research." One of the other Jotnar that Loki didn't recognize commented. Then again, all Frost Giants looked the same to him.

"Well, then. Why don't you stay for dinner?" Loki faked a cheerful smile.

"I'd be delighted." Laufey grinned, a laugh rumbling from deep inside his chest.

He has the same smile as you. Sigyn said into his mind.

So?

Just noticing. Sigyn smiled cheerfully. It seemed nothing could get this girl down. Not that he was consciously trying, but it was a bit anticlimactic to the weight of the scenario. Laufey stepped into the Allfather's bedchamber, where he was sleeping soundly. Loki heard the noises of a fight from within. He turned to Sigyn. "What was that?"

She shrugged. "I'm just extremely happy, because Eir said I'm…"

"Save that thought." Loki cut her off, and spun on his heel, charging into the room. "And your death came from the son of Odin!" He said in reply to Laufey's statement towards his fa- towards Odin.

He shot Laufey with a powerful blast from Gungnir, sending flying off the bed and into the wall. Just as he was about to finish him off, a weight yanked on the spear, and the blast went harmlessly into the wall.

"Sigyn!" He growled, trying to wrest the spear from her grip without hurting her.

"No!" Sigyn yelled. "Loki, you can't just kill him!"

"Why-ever not?"

"He's your father! And he's a person!" She insisted.

Loki groaned impatiently as Thor burst into the room.

"Thor!" His mother leapt up, wrapping her arms around his neck. That should've been me… Thor always got the attention I deserved. I'll just have to do something they can't ignore.

"Excuse me." He smiled sarcastically. "I have to go destroy Jotunheim."

Next chapter is the last!

A heart gets you a Heimdall-encased-in-ice, a review lets you know what Sigyn's news that she's been trying to tell Loki is!

Enthusiastically, TheOnlyHuman!