Chapter Three



Sunlight filtered into the bedroom through the closed curtains.  A beam of light seemed to take a sadistic delight in appearing over Loki's eyes.  Growling in discontent, one green eye cracked open, glaring at the curtains.



A soft giggle came from his companion.  Loki glanced down, a grin on his face.  Brushing back the soft lilac hair, he nibbled Sigyn's lips.  "Morning, beloved."



"Good morning, dearest."   Sigyn purred, snaking an arm around his neck to pull him closer.  He willingly followed, his lips and tongue teasing her own deliciously.  She purred against his lips before pulling back slightly.  "Well, someone certainly is feeling better this morning."



"Of course." Loki smirked, trailing kisses down her neck.  She smiled, closing her eyes dreamily.



Both yelped as a black fur ball jumped up onto them from the floor.  "DADDY!"



"Fenrir!" Two displeased voices growled.  Two pairs of green eyes flashed, glaring at the puppy.



Fenrir whimpered, his ears lay back as he slunk backwards.  He hadn't meant to upset them...



"MAMA!  PAPA!" Two bundles of energy zoomed in after Fenrir, carbon copies of Loki.  Their hair was mused, identical grins on their faces.



Sigyn smiled at her twin sons, sitting up in bed.  The sheet covering her, she held her arms out to the two boys.  They squealed, jumping onto the bed and snuggling their mother.



"So much for sleeping in." Loki sighed good-naturedly, tickling Fenrir.  "And just how did you get here, brat?"



Fenrir looked up at Loki innocently.  "Hel let me out.  She wanted to come visit."



"Did she now?" Loki arched an eyebrow upwards at this news.  His only daughter wasn't really one for socializing.



"I hope there isn't a problem with that, Father."



"Hel!" Sigyn smiled at her husband's daughter, her hand outstretched in welcome.



Hel all but ignored Sigyn as she came in.  Once again Loki took notice of how much Hel and Sigyn resembled each other.



"Of course there isn't a problem, Hel.  It is wonderful to see you." Sigyn's voice shook Loki out of his revere.  "Why don't you all head downstairs.  We'll be down shortly and we can have breakfast together."



"YAY!" The twins bounced off the bed, dragging Fenrir and Hel after them.  The door shut quietly behind the four.



"Sorry for the way she was acting..."



"Oh hush.  Don't apologize for her.  Especially whenever both know she wouldn't." Sigyn said, turning to slide off the bed.  She hid the sad look on her face from her husband as she got out of bed.



"Just because you're not her mother doesn't give her the right to walk over you, Sigyn."  Loki retorted, angry.  It was bad enough how Hel treated his wife; it was even worse how Sigyn just accepted it.



"Loki, don't."  Sigyn got up, wrapping herself in a robe before turning to him.  "It's natural for her to dislike me.  After all, I'm close to you."  With that, she swept out of the room to get dressed.



"What...was that about?" Loki frowned, watching her leave. What did she mean by that?


*           *           *



Coming down the stairs, Loki noticed instantly that something was wrong.  Sigyn  stood at the bottom of the stairs, coaxing their sons into their playroom nearby.  She looked up as he came down, their e yes locking for a moment before she ushered the boys inside wordlessly.



"Loki."



Turning his head from where his wife had disappeared, Loki grinned at the other occupants.  Thor stood their, his ever present hammer at his side.  Behind him stood Freyr and the Norns.



"Is something the matter?" Loki asked lightly, coming to stop in front of them.  He looked from one to another. 



Thor gazed at his friend unflinchingly.  There was a sadness about his eyes, however. 



Freyr looked as bored as always.  It was obvious he had no idea why he was there. 



The Norns each had different expressions.  Urd gazed at him impassively, as if all this was beneath her.  A similar expression to Freyr's was on Verdandi's face.  Skuld kept her gaze down, every once in awhile looking up at Loki and blushing furiously.



Arching an eyebrow upwards, Loki looked at the five.  "May I help you?"



"Loki, Father wants to see you." Thor said quietly, his eyes troubled.



"Oh?   What about?"  Loki asked nonchalantly, coming to stand next to his friend.  His green eyes bored into Thor's brown, making the younger man look away.



"It is not for us to question the All-Father, but to follow." Freyr replied, his eyes narrowing at the snort from Loki.



"Right...whatever.  Fine.  I take it you're my prison guard? " Loki sneered, not bothering to wait for an answer as he made his way out of Lyr and towards Asgard.  The others blinked in surprise, then followed him.



An evil little smirk fell over Hel's features from her place behind a column.  She watched as her father was led away.



'And so it begins...'




*           *           *



Walking into the Hall of Ancients, Loki looked around angrily, his eyes narrowed.  The atmosphere was quite different from the day before.  No one would meet his eyes as he walked past.  Turning his gaze forward, he narrowed his eyes at Odin.



Odin stared back at Loki, his hair falling over one eye.  Beside him stood Heimdall, his own hair covering the eye Loki knew was no longer there.  With a wave of Odin's hand, the others left Loki's side, leaving the god of mischief alone.



Standing, Odin descended the stairs   of the dais, approaching Loki.  A few feet away from Loki, Odin gazed at his half-brother intently.  He raised his hand, and the last thing Loki saw was Odin's aura surrounding him, and a woman's cry of dismay.



Loki looked around him, frowning.   He was in the Void, a place neither physical or within time.  It was a place of nowhere…nothing existed here.



"Odin?"  Loki questioned a slight tinge of fear in his voice.



A disembodied voice floated out; the voice of Odin.  "You are exiled."



"Exiled?  Why?!" Loki took a step forward, his eyes wide in disbelief.   "What have I done?!"



A snake of light flew out of the center of the Void, surrounding Loki.  He cried out, falling as his body changed, becoming that of an eight-year old child.



"Odin…ODIN!!!" Eight-year old Loki reached out to the bright light, anguish in his voice and on his face.  Tumbling through the void, eh vowed then and there to return to the World of Gods.







The scream inside the Hall of Ancients was piercing and heart wrenching.  Silence reigned after the scream ended, no one daring to speak.



Sigyn knelt on the floor of the Hall, her head bowed in unending grief.  Her hand lay limply on the spot where her husband had stood only moments before.  In her hand she held a black stone, a golden chain dangling from between her fingers as she held it.



Looking up, her eyes turned hard; anger and hatred filled her eyes as she gazed at Odin.  "Why?  Bring him back!"



Odin stared down at Sigyn impassively, unswayed by her anger.  He looked up as the doors opened.  Urd stepped in, her eyes locking with his.  She shook her head, then joined her sisters.  The clam expression on Odin's face changed, turning into a snarl of rage.  He grabbed Sigyn by her throat, his eyes bright with the tinge of madness.  "Where are they?"



Choking slightly, Sigyn nevertheless smirked at him.  "Do you think I didn't know your plans?  That the runes would hide it from me?  You'll never find them…never!"



Growling in anger, Odin tightened his hold on her neck, choking her.  The defiance!



Don't be rash now.  She is still useful.  Odin heard within his mind and knew the words to be true.  Loosening his hold on her, he watched as her body hit the floor.  "Very well.  We will simply have to see what Fenrir and Jormungand know."



"Leave them alone!" Sigyn, filled with fear at what Odin might do to her husband's children, attacked.  Unthinkingly, she ran at him, her hands bent into claws as she sought to protect her family.



A snarl escaped Odin, his hand raised.  Power flew from his hand, hitting her square in the chest.  She screamed, falling back.  "you wish to join that traitor?  Then join him, Sigyn!  Only I curse you!  You will know him, be with him…but you will not know him, yourself, or he you!"



"Odin…no!"  Sigyn screamed her hair flying around her as if she were caught in a wind.  A bright flash of light, and Sigyn's body began to deteriorate.  Her eyes gazed on Odin, filled with hatred.



"We will return and when we do, Ragnarok will come!"  A final scream of pain and she was gone, nothing left of her but ashes.  Everyone was silent, watching in a mixture of awe and shock.  Odin had done the unthinkable.  Not only had he banished Loki, but he'd just killed Sigyn…



Freyr hissed, making a grab for his sister.  Her face was filled with sorrow and she ran over to Odin.  What was she thinking?!



"Odin, please!  Bring Loki back!  He couldn't have done whatever it was!" Freya pleaded, her blue eyes filled with tears.  Odin couldn't keep Loki away!



Eyes flashing, Odin gripped Freya by the throat.  She gagged, her hand grabbing at his hand that encircled her throat.  "You wish to be with him, Freya?  I can oblige you!'



She cried out, her body disappearing.



Panting heavily, Odin turned on his heel and stalked off.  The others stared in fear.  He'd just banished two of the most important gods of the Norse Pantheon.



"Freya!" Freyr cried his voice heartbroken.  He fell to his knees, sobbing.  Frigg wrapped her arms around him, gazing at her husband.  Odin didn't even give them a second glance as he turned and walked out of the Hall.



Silence descended on the Hall for long moments.  En masse, the other gods and goddesses departed.  Fear and terror was clearly etched upon their faces.  Thor knelt next to Freyr and Frigg, helping Freyr up.  Carrying his distraught friend out of the Hall, Thor looked back briefly.



'Such pain and heartache.  I wonder will things ever be like they were?'  Thor thought to himself, carrying Freyr.  His eyes caught sight of the Norns briefly before they disappeared.  Life was, indeed, interesting.  But would they survive?



'Be safe, my friend and return to us one day.'  Thor thought to his exiled friend.  He was thankful Loki wasn't there to see what had happened to Sigyn.  But then, he wondered if Loki didn't already know.



Shaking his head in sadness, he led his young friend away.  Hopefully to heal and survive on his own; like they would all need to do now.