What to do?
What. To. Do?
Loki was panicked. He hadn't meant for Theoric to die. He hadn't meant for the one girl he'd been crushing on for as long as he could remember to be broken-hearted. He hadn't meant for any of this to happen, but it all had.
Pacing a rut in the floor, fingers threaded into his white, false hair, Loki-in-the-form-of-Odin fretted.
It was war.
Loki couldn't help that some soldiers were going to fall in battle. It was a tragic Fact of Life. But why did it have to be Theoric?
Sigyn and Theoric were courting. They had been since Loki fell off the bridge. As Loki knew that he, of all people, could never make the girl of his dreams happy, he was content, more than content, thrilled, that she had found someone worthy of her affections. Theoric had been strong, brave, a master of the sword, not too bad with the ladies, a surprisingly good dancer, and fantastic at story-telling. Everything Loki was not, save the story-telling. Loki humored himself that he could spin as good a yarn as anyone else, but that wasn't the point.
Theoric had died a hero's death in battle, and if Sigyn found out, she'd undoubtedly be devasted.
He couldn't do that to her. So, what to do?
A tiny, stupid, selfish part of him whispered that now that Theoric was gone, there was a chance for him to win her hand, but he immediately hurled that bit of him into the metaphorical fire, stamped on it until it was in tiny little figurative pieces, and then flushed it down the nonliteral latrine.
He wasn't a monster. (Yes, he was.) He couldn't tell her her beloved was dead, and then begin subtly flirting with her. For one thing, he stank at flirting. For another, she didn't know he wasn't dead, so it would technically be Odin flirting with her, and that was disgusting on a number of levels. And, to crown it all, that was an extremely insensitive and terrible thing for any man to do to a woman who had just lost her beloved, whether he loved her more than life, itself, or not.
But what if she didn't know Theoric was dead?
How would he keep it from her? Theoric's family lived in Vanaheim, so he could send the condolence letter without her knowledge.
He could use an illusion to make her think Theoric lived. But if she wanted to kiss the trick of light, or hold its hand, or whatever those who were courting each other did, Loki wouldn't know, the whole game would be up. He'd need something substantial.
He could always… be Theoric, himself. Not permanently, obviously. He'd break it to her gently, because… he supposed she did deserve to know. Only until he found a way to tell her Theoric actually was… well, dead.
Could he balance being Theoric and Odin at the same time, and still find a few moments to take a step back, and be himself? He doubted it. Still, it wouldn't be so long, only a day, or so, before he thought of something better.
Shapeshifting into the form of the late warrior, he immediately went to go find the young woman. As one of the chief scribes of Odin's courts, she'd most likely still be in the throne room, poring over records in the fading sunlight.
He found her, legs tucked beneath her, head resting on the edge of the bookshelf, an open volume in her lap. She was sound asleep, the golden sunlight pouring over her fiery hair as she slumbered. A tiny smile crept over Loki/Theoric's face as he stepped closer, gently laying a hand on Sigyn's shoulder. "My lady?" He murmured in Theoric's voice. Her soft, doe-brown eyes fluttered open, and she looked up into the face of her beloved.
"Theoric!" She smiled cheerfully, and accepted his offered hand, as he helped her to her feet. "You're back from battle?"
Loki smiled, and nodded. "Did you miss me?"
"Yes... I suppose." Sigyn nodded, and replaced the book on her lap on the shelf. That was odd. No tearful "you're alive, I was so worried," or even a hug. She didn't even seem entirely pleased to see him. Not that he made her uncomfortable, just that he was… just another man. Interesting.
"You're not hurt, I trust?"
Loki shook his head, both to bring himself back to reality, and to answer her question. "Not too badly. A little tired, perhaps. You had a long day?"
"Yeah." She smiled, and Loki's heart skipped a beat within him. "It was rough. War's always hard work for us scribes."
"Well, your work is always appreciated." Loki assured her. "Without you scribes, this kingdom would soon fall to ruin."
Sigyn seemed a little surprised to hear this. "You… you really think so?"
"Of course." Loki smiled a bit. "It's a noble profession."
Sigyn laughed in disbelief. "Why, thank you, Theoric. I didn't know you thought so."
Theoric had never told her? This was getting stranger and stranger. What sort of courtship was this?
Nevertheless, he offered her his arm, and, after she reluctantly took it, began leading her down the hall towards her apartments. "You're looking singularly radiant, today, milady." He noticed, with a timid smile. How did one… compliment? Especially a woman?
Apparently not like that, for she was looking at him with a very queer expression. "Thank you…?"
"Perhaps…" He fumbled. Great, already blowing his cover. Theoric would never trip over his tongue so much. Typically, Loki wouldn't either, but something in the way she walked, the way her lips curved upwards into an amused smile, the sparkle in her wide eyes, and literally everything else about her, sent him scrambling for his wits like a puppy for scraps of food. "Perhaps you'd like to… to… go for a stroll with me, in the gardens, after sundown?"
He knew she'd always enjoyed the mysterious way the world looked in starlight, and assumed she would like it, tonight.
"Why?"
Well, that was unexpected. "Well… I-I wanted to spend time with you." He stammered. "To… talk to you. Get to know you a bit better, perhaps."
"Talk to me." She echoed dubiously. "You?"
"Me."
Sigyn let out a little peal of incredulous laughter. "Alright, then. Please no more frogs, though, I can't stand them."
"Of course." Loki smiled in relief. "No frogs."
And so it was arranged. That evening the two of them walked down the aisles of the palace garden, their eyes turned towards the heavens.
"Which is your favorite constellation?" Loki asked her, suddenly, and she smiled.
"I've always loved Hodir's bow." She sighed. "Cliché, I know, since it's the brightest star in the sky, but looking at it feels like home."
"Home." Loki repeated. "Why's that?"
Sigyn flashed a self-conscious smile. "Well, it's the fondest memory I have of my Mother, may her memory be for a blessing. Sitting on her lap, in the starlight, as she told me the tragic tale."
"It is, indeed, tragic." Loki nodded. "The very idea of a man being driven to slay his brother has always been horrifying to me. It seems like a warning, don't you think?"
Sigyn nodded. "If Balder had simply apologized to his brother…"
"Or if Hodir wasn't so driven by greed…" Loki cut in. "The whole tragedy could've been averted."
"I never knew you were such a scholar." Sigyn laughed. "You never mentioned an interest in the stars, before."
"Well…" Loki knew he needed to keep up the façade of a warrior, as well. "I do like training better. Books are only a… pastime. Punching things is… far more appealing." Where had his ability to lie gone? A baby could see through that.
Thankfully, she only laughed. "I'll take it. Secret affinity for literature, behind affront of a warrior. Sounds good to me."
And so it went. Day after day, Loki became Theoric, and spent time with Sigyn. He still hadn't found a way to break it to her that the man she really loved was dead. However, she kept looking at him strangely whenever he complimented her, or lent her his cloak when she was feeling cold, or did anything decent and gentlemanly at all. Eventually, she seemed to get used to it, before one day, she invited him to a picnic in the orchard. By that point, he'd almost forgotten to tell her. It was a nagging thought at the back of his mind, still, but no longer a priority.
As they sat in the bright sunlight, chatting cheerfully, Sigyn was staring at him with the most adoring gaze he'd ever seen her give anyone, including the real Theoric. It made him feel worth the whole Nine realms, but also… forced him to wonder. What if she found out who he really was?
"Sigyn?" He suddenly asked, fidgeting nervously with his fingers.
"Hm?"
How to phrase this? "What if I wasn't… so handsome? As you tell me?"
Sigyn tilted her head slightly. "What do you mean?"
"Well…" Loki hesitated. "What if my hair wasn't blonde? What if I was pale, and weak, and scrawny? Would you still like me?"
"Of course!" Sigyn took his hand in her own. "You don't judge a book by its cover, or people by what they look like. You judge them by the content of their character, by their actions."
Loki bit his lip.
What he'd done to Manhattan, Thor's coronation, Jotunheim, immediately flashed through his head. "Oh." He said in a small voice. He ought to tell her. He needed to tell her. Before he could open his mouth, though, she pulled a book from her satchel. "Theoric… I brought you here, because I've got something to tell you." She informed him.
Better let her speak, first. He nodded, and gestured for her to go on.
She took a deep breath, and looked him directly in his eyes. "Before the battle on Svartalfheim, you were a jerk." Loki's eyes widened in offense, but she held up a hand. "Let me go on. You never thought of me, you were ridiculously self-centered, you cheated on me basically every time a girl thought you were cute, because I don't want to go all the way until marriage. I can't think of a single time you said a kind word to me, and when you took me on dates, you were rude, disrespectful, and would sometimes place frogs, or snakes, or things, in my hair to laugh at me when I screamed. You acted like a spiteful, spoiled ten-year-old. The only reason I was courting you at all, was because it was my mother's dying wish for us to be wed, and my father was forcing me. My heart has belonged to Prince Loki, ever since that day when we were teenagers, and he brought me iced lemonade when I'd been out riding all day. His death crushed me. My intent was to court you, until I found a way to weasel out of courting you, and then never see you, again.
"Ever since the battle…" Sigyn went on, with a tiny smile on her face. "You've changed. You're thoughtful, and considerate, and tactful, and I don't think you've so much as looked at another woman. Your entire heart is devoted to my well-being, and I have never felt more cherished in my life. I've fallen in love with you, to my own shock. However, you're obviously not you."
Loki stopped himself from gaping like a fish.
She opened the book to a certain page, marked with a red ribbon. Laying her finger on one line, she raised her eyebrow at him. Loki leaned forward. The book was a record book, a census, actually, and the name under her finger was… Theoric Tyrson. With the birth and death date next to it. "Theoric died, that day." Sigyn told him. "And there's only one person I know of, who treats me like you've been treating me, and also knows enough Sedir to hold up a glamour that long. Prince Loki, I don't know how you're alive… but I am so glad you are."
Loki was crying. It was shameful, it was pathetic, if Thor could see him, he'd never hear the end of it. But it was true. Sigyn scooted closer, and traced a simple sigil on his forehead, dissolving the illusion. A radiant smile lit up her face, and she leaned forward, and pressed her lips against his.
ABORTABORTABORT, Loki's mind screamed. For one, he'd never been kissed before. For another, Sigyn knew who he was, and that he was alive. (That one was no surprise. Sigyn was as smart as they come, and she'd most likely figured it out the first day.) And, he couldn't ignore the fact that, Sigyn knew who he was and was willingly kissing him, anyway!
Like he did in all stressful situations involving women, Loki froze, eyes wide, as he numbly tried to process the fact that Sigyn was still kissing him. How did one… kiss? What was he supposed to do? Kiss back? Pull away, and explain how ridiculous the notion of kissing him was? Just sit there like a stupid dummy?
Actually, it was Sigyn who pulled back first, and blinked up at him with wide eyes. "I'm sorry, did I overstep my bounds? I just… I've been wanting to do that for a while…" She awkwardly cleared her throat, and began piling dishes atop each other, to pack up. "Sorry."
"No, no, you're fine…" Loki finally found his tongue, despite the dazed, lovestruck look his face undoubtedly wore. Color blossomed on his cheeks, as he admitted the truth, himself. "I… I fell in love with you, too… I just… I've never done… that, before."
"You've never kissed someone?" Sigyn looked up in wonder. "I mean, yeah, that was my first kiss, too, but, like… you're a prince of Asgard, you're attractive, why haven't you had a hundred girlfriends?"
Loki's blush deepened, and he resisted the urge to hide his face in his hands. "…Because you're the only one who's ever noticed me…"
Sigyn gave him a keen glance, and rested her hand on his knee. "Looks like I need to do a lot of noticing, then, to make up for your prior invisibility."
Loki's eyes lit up, and he stared into her own brown gaze in rapture. "You're going to court me? Even though I'm not actually Theoric?"
"Under one condition." She smiled, wiping the joyful tears from his cheeks.
"Name it."
She stared at him seriously, the smile momentarily vanishing. "No more lies."
He shamefacedly nodded in agreement. "I'm sorry. Truly, I am. I just… I couldn't find a way to tell you."
"Apology accepted." She bobbed her head. "But that's not the only lie I'm talking about. Asgard, Odin, Thor… they all think you're dead."
"I am Odin." Loki blurted. She did say no more lies, after all. "I've been posing as him for half a year, while he sits in a nursing home on Midgard."
He had expected her to be angry, disappointed, anything negative, but, instead, she dissolved into peals of laughter. Rolling on the ground, clutching her sides laughter. But, for some reason, the mirth didn't seem to be directed at him.
"It's not that funny…" He muttered, nevertheless. Immediately, she sat up, wiping at her eyes. "I know, I know, I'm not laughing at you, it's just… Odin? Of all people, why him?"
Loki shrugged. "It's illegal to doubt his validity. And, he was nearby, and I know him well enough to mimic him pretty well."
Sigyn snorted in laughter, again, and shook her head. "You always were one for wild schemes, but I think you've officially outdone yourself."
A month later, Sigyn and Loki stood, hand-in-hand at the foot of the throne, all of Asgard assembled to witness the happy occasion.
No more lies. No more falsehoods. The people finally knew who their true king was, and, to Loki's surprise, they didn't mind. In fact, the day he'd publicly announced it, (and apologized) the people had burst into applause.
The people loved him. Children had run up and offered him trinkets, flowers, candies, and no less than three councilmen noticed how much the throne had needed a new ruler, and how Loki-disguised-as-Odin had actually benefited their realm.
No one was happier than he and Sigyn, though, for after another week of courtship, he asked her to be his bride. Naturally, she'd agreed, and he'd arranged a royal wedding as soon as was logically possible.
Heimdall read them their vows, and the people burst into applause as Loki slipped his ring onto his bride's finger. Sigyn was officially queen of all Asgard.
Roses were thrown up onto the podium, the wedding bells began tolling, all was perfect, as the newly married couple walked through the midst of them, down the halls to the feast, as they showered them with flower petals.
That was when the clap of thunder sounded, and the sky darkened. The heavens began pouring water, immediately drenching all those gathered.
"Thor." Loki muttered under his breath, and wrapped an arm around Sigyn, half to reassure her, and half for his own comfort. Thor was going to kill him. Figuratively, of course, but he would rather be both literally, and figuratively living.
"He's your brother." Sigyn reassured him. "He won't actually harm you."
Loki was skeptical, especially as Thor touched down, his hair streaming, and his face as dark as the storm he created. "Brother! What kind of tomfoolery is this?"
"No kind." Loki held up his hands in defense. "I played by the rules!"
"By playing at being king?" Thor boomed. "Where did you put Father?"
"Midgard." Loki began backing away as his brother continued his threatening advance. "He's happy. The people are happy, we're happy."
"I'm not!" Thor growled.
Sigyn rolled her eyes. "Really? I hadn't gathered."
Loki quietly patted her shoulder, sending her a mental telegram to stay out of this. Arguments with Thor only earned you a punch to the face. "Are you here to stage a revolution, then? Because, last I checked, I was king…"
Thor glanced around at the dripping populace, who were all watching the proceedings with wide, interested eyes. A few of the Einherjar had already drawn their swords. "You're not kidding."
"No, I don't think I am." Loki forced himself to stop shaking.
Thor blinked in surprise, and, like a candle being blown out, his rage extinguished. "Oh, alright then."
All Loki could think as his brother flashed him a cheerful smile, then flew off with a crash of thunder was, well that was easy.
TheOnlyHuman.