Chapter 9

Loki had begun to think Sigyn would never return. It had been over a week since she had kissed him and fled. Or at least, he thought it had been that long, it wasn't easy to tell time in the dungeons. If it wasn't for the regular meal times and the changing of the guard, he wouldn't know if it was night or day.

Her absence had given him time to think. His brain kept bringing him back to the day she had left. He had meant to catch her before she went, he felt that he should say something. His father had tied him up longer than he expected and he got to the bridge just in time to see her go. Her long hair blowing behind her as she walked down the bridge to the bifrost.

He was known for always knowing the right words to say, but when it came to this specific goodbye it was like his brain shut off. Truthfully, he was almost relieved when he didn't have to try and voice his thoughts that day.

"Loki," her voice rang in his ears. He squeezed his eyes shut. Great, now you're hearing voices, he thought miserably. "Loki," this time it sounded closer.

He snapped his eyes open just to see her being let into his cell. Her big eyes were sad and he thought she looked embarrassed as she approached him. He was amused at the thought of her being so worried about the smallest kiss on the lips that happened a week ago.

Loki watched her bite her lower lip, avoiding his gaze. He wondered if she was going to speak or if she was waiting on him. The awkward tension was thick, Loki found himself circling her slowly, weighing his next move.

She looked like cornered prey, rooted in the spot. She finally went to speak, "Loki, I-"

In a fluid motion, Loki had stepped forward, entangled his arms around her body, and pulled her against him. He pressed his lips to hers, feeling as if fire was burning through him. He knew he should have resisted, he knew there would be consequences, but at this moment he didn't care.

Sigyn broke the kiss and was staring into his eyes as if she was unsure who he was. He wondered if he should try and smooth it over or brush it off, but then she brought her hand to touch his face, running her fingers along his cheekbone, then following his hairline, behind his ear and down his neck.

He closed his eyes at her touch and whispered, "Please...stop…"

She paused but only for a moment before she had grabbed his chin and forced his eyes to meet hers. "Stop what?" her voice was barely above a whisper.

Loki had lost all control. He had pulled her onto his lap, perched on the edge of his bed. He kissed her as if she was the fresh breath of air, right before you thought you would drown. He moved his lips to her neck and then her collarbone. She leaned her head back, her hands tangling in his hair.

"Shit," he breathed against her neck with a laugh. The guards had begun to hammer their fists on the barrier.

"Are you alright?" They were looking at Sigyn as if they were wary of her.

Loki smirked. "Oh good," he muttered. "Now they think I've manipulated your mind".

Sigyn was assuring the guards that she was okay, but looked at him over her shoulder. "I guess in a way you have…"

The guards had demanded she be escorted out and neither of them had the chance to say anything more before she was removed from the dungeon. For once, she had glanced back at him and it had caused an unfamiliar feeling of hope to bubble in his chest.

"Sigyn?"

Hearing her name startled her. She had left the dungeons, walked straight to the lake, and was now throwing rocks into the smooth surface. Originally she tried to skip a few rocks, like they did on Midgard, but she couldn't get the hang of it. It quickly became aggressively lobbing stones in an effort to distract her cluttered thoughts, which were just: What the hell was that? What the hell was that? What the hell was that?

She looked over her shoulder to find a very curious looking Frigga. Frigga, looking serene as always, in her white and gold dress and robes was eyeing her with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh! Hello my Queen," Sigyn jumped up to meet her.

"I hear your meeting with Loki went a little better today.." she smiled gently.

Sigyn felt her face flush. Frigga's knowing eyes told her she knew exactly what had transpired. The guards must have told her immediately, it had barely been 20 minutes.

Sigyn wasn't sure how to explain herself, but fortunately Frigga didn't expect her to. The older woman reached out to touch Sigyn's arm. "You two should sit down and have an honest conversation dear. There seems to be quite a bit of unresolved memories between you. It is time to put it all out in the open."

"I am not...I am not certain what you mean," Sigyn stammered, but the truth was she knew exactly what the Queen was implying. Maybe she hadn't hid her feelings for him as well as she had thought all those years ago.

Frigga gave her arm a squeeze. "Talk to him. He may surprise you".