Chapter 5

Tension was apparent on Sigrid's face as she stared at herself in the vanity mirror. She attempted to smile, just to break some of it, only for a grimace to mar her reflection.

"Are you in pain, princess?" Agathe asked suddenly. "Did I pull your hair too tight?" Sigrid let her eyes wander up to her friend's anxious face.

"You did not," she replied. Agathe gave a slow nod.

"Then may I ask what's troubling you?" Her skilled hands resumed combing Sigrid's hair. They had decided to go with a classic style that night to match her dress for the festival. Sigrid liked her hair down and allowed Agathe to braid in some skinny silver ribbons throughout her locks. She knew they would look lovely in the moonlight on the bridge.

"I just," Sigrid let out a huge breath. "I do not think Loki is pleased with Leif's being here."

Agathe did not react save for a quick glance in the mirror. "Has the prince said this?"

"No." Loki had not outright expressed his dislike with words, however the interaction between him and Leif the day before could not have made his feelings clearer. "But he does not have too. I know him well enough to know when he's uncomfortable and Leif's presence is doing just that."

"Oh." Agathe moved to lean over in front of Sigrid's face. She lifted her chin to survey her work, then reached for some tiny, jeweled hair pins. "Were there words between the prince and Sir Leif? Did either of them do something to offend the other?"

Sigrid did not have to think hard to answer the question. "He introduced him by the wrong name to Thor. Loki is good with names. There is no way that was an accident." She paused again, remembering Loki's change in behaviour when Thor mentioned the festival. It was subtle, just a twitch of his mouth and hardening of his eyes, things Sigrid would have missed had they not been so close. "Come to think of it, I think he may be upset that I told Leif he could stay for the festival."

A clatter sounded from across the room. Both women turned to see Ingrid on her knees scrambling to pick up a spinning golden container that held some sheer lip powder. "You invited him?" Ingrid questioned, voice rising at the end. "Why would you do that?"

"I did not invite him, Thor did," Sigrid replied, a bit on the defensive. "Leif just wanted my permission to stay. Should I have said no?"

The sarcasm of the question was either lost or not acknowledged by the younger girl, who proceeded to cross her arms in disbelief. "Well, no wonder Prince Loki is upset! It's so obvious that he wanted the two of you to spend time alone at the festival tonight. How is he going to do that with Sir Leif around?"

"Well, I could not just say no," retorted Sigrid. "My father sent him here and his father is a good friend of mine. I did not want to be rude." Ingrid rubbed two hands down her pretty face. For a young girl, she looked like she had aged a century in that moment.

"Princess," she began, "my next words may sound harsh, but they contain only the utmost respect for you." Ingrid stopped to clasp her hands together. "You are too nice for your own good. You should have told Sir Leif to take a hike."

"Alright," Agathe's voice cut in. "That's quite enough from you, Ingrid. Hand me that lip powder and sit down. I'm almost finished."

As Agathe lifted Sigrid's chin to apply the colour to her mouth, she could not help but mull over Ingrid's words. Maybe she had been too hasty, too caught up in wanting to please her father that she gave in without thinking it through. Loki would have fought an uphill battle with the Allfather to get him to agree to the festival, and she knew he wanted to spend it with her. He had alluded to as much two nights ago. Now that she had allowed another man to tag along to something that was to be for the two of them, he must be feeling pushed aside.

"Oh, Norns. Ingrid, I think you're right." She did not have to turn around to know the younger girl was wearing a smug smile. "Loki did want this to be just for the two of us. He wanted to spend time with me since we've not seen each other a lot as of late." Sigrid sighed and placed her face in her hands. She felt terrible to have played a part in upsetting him, even though it was unintentional. "What if he no longer wants to go tonight?"

"Nonsense!" Agathe was quick to chide her. "I doubt Prince Loki would let something as trivial as this keep him away from accompanying you. You're his best friend, Sigrid. There is just no way he will not show up for you."

"I didn't even see him today," she moaned in disdain. Leif had found her on her way to breakfast and had requested she take a walk into town with him. She had been on her way to Loki's chambers to ask him if he wanted to go riding, so she told Leif upfront that she already had plans. It was only when a guard alerted her that Loki was going to be out of the place today did she double back to Leif and agree. "He wasn't here so I went into town with Leif."

"Did you have a good time?" Agathe queried.

Sigrid waved a hand dismissively. "Yes. Leif is a good man and he's a great conversationalist, but the fact remains that I have not known him since we were children. He is as good as a stranger to me. And…" she hesitated, unsure of whether to continue.

"And what?" chirped Ingrid. She had moved to sit on a low stool near Sigrid's feet, smoothing out the ends of her dress. "What were you going to say?"

Two sharp raps on the door saved her from having to answer. Ingrid rose from her seat to answer it. Sigrid remained in front of the vanity to allow Agathe finish her work. The other woman's hand came to rest on her shoulder, and their eyes met in the mirror. Agathe squeezed her shoulder and smiled, offering some much-needed comfort.

"Princess, you have a visitor." Sigrid turned her head, and her shoulders sagged in relief.

"Loki." He looked as handsome as ever dressed in his usual swaths of green and black. The long cape that completed his look was attached at each end to a broad shoulder, brushing the floor as he walked. He wore no horns tonight, and she could see his slicked back hair was secured at the nape of his neck. His lips held a slight smirk and no trace of the irritation from the day before, for which Sigrid was grateful. "You're here!"

Loki gave her a wry grin. His pale green eyes roamed over her from head to toe, then back again. "Why would I not be here? I asked you to the festival, did I not?"

"Yes, but I thought you-" Sigrid ceased speaking as she caught sight of Ingrid in her periphery. The redhead's eyes were sparkling with curiosity, waiting to hear the rest of their conversation. Agathe had already made herself scarce in the connecting bathroom. "Ingrid, that will be all. Go on and enjoy the festival."

"Oh, I'm fine here, princess," Ingrid clasped her hands together at her waist, features morphing into an innocent expression. "Do carry on."

"Ingrid…". Sigrid's intonation left no room to argue, and Ingrid frowned upon recognizing her meaning.

"Fine," she gave a dramatic sigh and headed for the door. As she left, she fixed Loki with an accusing stare. "I know you were responsible for that disgusting toad I found in my bed this morning, your highness. That was not nice at all."

"Me?" Loki gestured to himself with feigned offense. "I detest toads. I am much more partial to snakes." Sigrid stifled a laugh. Loki and Ingrid were always troubling each other in this manner. He often played such pranks on Thor when they were children and even now, he would do so if he got bored. Unlike with Thor, there were some lines Loki would not cross with the young girl, so Sigrid never had to worry about her getting hurt. If Loki really wanted to put a snake in her bed he simply would have done so.

"I'll get you back, prince," Ingrid turned up her nose. "You're not the only one who can play this game."

Sigrid watched as that wicked smile made its way across Loki's face. He stared down at the girl, whose neck was craned all the way up to meet his gaze. Mischief sparked in his pale green eyes. "I welcome the challenge, dear Ingrid." Ingrid did not flinch once, much to Sigrid's astonishment. Loki had an intense gaze, and even she found herself a bit hot in the cheeks when he stared at her too long. But Ingrid just kept her face impassive as she curtsied once, then left.

"You may very well not like what she does," Sigrid told him as she walked over to him. "She's very devious when she wants to be." Loki gave an unconcerned shrug.

"At worst she'll put sugar on my toast. At best, I'll have a little protégé."

Sigrid sighed. "Oh Gods, not this. The place does not need another troublemaker when we already have you."

"Excuse you," Loki laughed, offering her his arm. She took it and let him lead her out into the hallway. "I am a delight. Just ask anyone."

"I beg to differ," came a new voice from behind her. Sigrid turned around. Standing there was a tall, broad-shouldered man. He was dressed in light colours that served to compliment his umber skin; curly dark hair cropped closer to his head than she remembered. His eyes, clear and blue as the Asgardian lakes, regarded her with a warm familiarity. "You are most definitely a troublemaker, Loki. You just get away with it because you're good to look at."

"Fjor!" Sigrid ran to the man, allowing him to pick her up for a spin. He dropped a kiss on her cheek once he placed her down before pulling her into a tight hug. "What are you doing here? I've not seen you in so long!"

"I ran into Loki today on his quest for the Allfather. He told me about the festival and suggested I come." His eyes went over Sigrid's head to Loki. "Didn't you tell her?"

"I was getting to that, my old friend." Loki's scent of cinnamon and cloves became stronger, alerting her that he was now next to her. She slid her arm though his once again as he recounted his day. "Father sent me to handle a small matter with one of his noblemen today. I had no idea Fjor would be there. Once I realized I would be gone longer than intended, I sent word to let you know of my whereabouts." So, Loki had not been avoiding her. He was just busy doing his father's bidding. "Did you not get the message? Is that why you thought I would not be here tonight."

"I was also not at the palace today," she admitted, eyeing him with care. "When I found out you weren't here, I accepted Leif's offer to go into town." Loki's face twitched. "I thought we could've gone riding, but when I found you weren't here-"

"It's fine." There was counterfeit calm in his tone. "If I were visiting a beautiful princess, I would also want to spend as much time with her as possible." Sigrid shifted in discomfort. Loki's words were not in sync with the vibe emanating from him. She would have to pull him aside later that night and have a chat with him.

During their exchange, Fjor had remained unusually quiet. Now that their conversation had lulled, he interjected. "Who is this 'Leif'? A friend?" Sigrid nodded.

"From back home, yes. We knew each other as children. He's come for a visit at the behest of my father."

Fjor took in her words in silence. His gaze went to Loki once she finished, and she could see wheels turning behind those striking eyes of his. After what seemed like a millennium, he spoke, "I see. Is it safe to assume your will be friend attending tonight?"

"Yes." Again, Fjor stared at Loki. Sigrid could not shake the nagging feeling that she had misspoken. All she had done was answer Fjor's questions. So then why did the atmosphere become so tense? "Is everything alright? You are behaving so strangely."

"Everything is fine, darling. I've just had a long day." Loki told her. He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips, letting his lips linger over the skin. Sigrid bit her lip. "And by the way, that dress looks wonderful on you. Doesn't she look wonderful, Fjor?"

"Ah, yes," Fjor responded, a twinkle in his eye. "Quite." Sigrid rolled her eyes at their teasing.

"Let's go," she told them. "I don't want to miss a second of the festival." Sigrid linked her arm through Loki's again.

"You know," said Fjor, with a hint of amusement in his tone, "it's a shame that dress is silver."

Sigrid frowned and looked down at the shimmery material. "How so? I quite like the colour."

"Oh, the colour suits you fine-"

"Fjor…" Loki spoke in warning.

"-but just think of how well you'd match with Loki had it been green."

ooOOoo

Sigrid looked beautiful tonight. It had been the first thought in Loki's mind since he had arrived to collect her earlier that night and remained at the forefront since then. She had chosen a silver dress, satin and flowing off her body in the most flattering way. It accentuated her shape whilst leaving a lot to the imagination. Her hair was in its natural waves, woven through with a shiny material that caught the moonlight every time she moved her head.

She was sitting next to him on the Bifrost bridge, head tilted up to watch the night sky. Loki had originally planned for the two of them to be down in one of the anchored boats above the waterfall, but Thor's suggestion for them to all go as a group had negated that plan. It was also the reason why he had invited Fjor. He was not sure how long he could hide his dislike for the sandy haired man and needed someone who knew him almost as well as Sigrid did to lessen the tension in the air.

"Loki, look." Sigrid nudged him with her shoulder, pointing a finger to the sky. There was a cluster of stars lit up in the sky in the shape of a wolf. "It's Ulf's Keptr. I can actually make out the mouth!" Loki chuckled at her excitement. Sigrid's mood had changed as soon as she hit the bridge to that of a child discovering the world for the first time. It was infectious, her thrill, and he allowed her to point out the constellations to him even though he knew them all by heart.

"Do you know what that one is?" he questioned, turning her chin to face the one shaped like a beaten hexagon. Sigrid tilted her head to study it, teeth denting her bottom lip as she thought. Her mother had taken her star gazing when she was just a child on Vanaheim. Since then, her view of the stars had been limited to books and whatever she could make out from the palace. She knew the common ones, but this was was a bit rarer.

"I don't," she said finally, turning her doe eyes on him. "Tell me?"

"Asar Bardagi," he told her. "Also known as the Asar Battlefield or…" he trailed off with a roll of his eyes, glad his brother was not present to hear what he had to say. "Thor's fight."

Both of Sigrid's thick brows shot up in surprise. "Thor has a constellation named after him?" Loki nodded. "Dear Gods. Did you know that Fjor?"

"Oh, Loki only mentioned it about a thousand times when we were younger," said the man lying flat on his back to Loki's right. "'Fjor, my brother has a constellation named after him'. 'Fjor, why don't I have one named after me?'". He raised up on his elbows to flash the grin that used to make Loki weak in the knees. "Our boy here is quite the complainer."

"I do not complain that much," Loki protested. He reached out to flick the middle of Fjor's forehead. "Don't make me kick you off the bridge."

Fjor rubbed his forehead with a twist of his mouth. He looked to Sigrid for help. "Sigrid, Loki is threatening me."

"Loki, do not threaten him." She tugged on his collar, drawing him nearer to her. He was already sitting with his shoulder pressed against hers and allowed his hand to slide behind her along the bridge so she was leaning back into him a bit.

"Cold?" He questioned, seeing the raised pores of her skin. No wonder she wanted him closer to her.

"A little. I did not expect to wind to be so merciless. I'm sure the water down there is cold as ice." Loki twisted a hand in the air. A thick, white blanket materialized out of thin air, wrapping itself around the two of them. Sigrid sighed in content and let her head fall back onto his shoulder. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Loki let his chin drop onto her head, enjoying the gentle heat the blanket provided. Next to him, Fjor watched the two with interest before laying back down. He flicked the outer end of Loki's kneecap with his fingers as he did so. "That hurt," Loki snapped.

"I remember you liking it when it hurt." Gentle vibrations—Sigrid's sudden bout of laughter—shook his body. He was just reaching out to knock Fjor in the head for revealing a snippet of their sexual escapades to Sigrid when an unwanted figure approached him. He felt Sigrid lift her head immediately to greet the man.

"Leif."

"Princess," he kissed the back of her hand in greeting, much to Loki's chagrin, and took a seat next to her. "You look lovely tonight. Silver suits you well."

"Thank you." A bit of red once again blossomed in Sigrid's cheeks. "You're very dashing tonight yourself." Loki's urge to roll his eyes was suppressed by the sight of Fjor biting back a smirk. He jerked his head towards Leif, a clear message of 'engage him' in his eyes. For once, Fjor listened without having to be asked twice.

"Fjor Oddvarson." He held a strong hand out to Leif. "Sigrid told me you would be here tonight. It's Leif?"

"Leif Erlingson," replied the man. "Of Vanaheim."

"Erlingson?" repeated Fjor. "I've heard of you. My wife's father knows yours. Weren't you appointed head of the king's army?" Now, Loki did roll his eyes. He wanted Fjor to distract the man and grab his attention away from Sigrid, not give him a chance to talk himself up.

"A special branch of the army," Sigrid corrected. "A lot of the persons responsible for my mother's death are still to be found. Leif was asked to join because my father thought they would benefit from his help."

Fjor perked up, intrigued by the conversation now. "I had no idea the Vanir King allowed such young persons to head task forces. You must be very good at what you do."

"Oh." Leif's eyebrows rose at the praise. "I thank you for your kind words, Fjor. However, I was only appointed because I would be able to identify some of the traitors."

Loki felt Sigrid begin to fidget beneath the blanket. Her head faced Leif; eyes locked on his face with a little too much force. It was no doubt an attempt to keep her features schooled. "Why would you be able to identify the traitors?" Loki asked him.

"Because I was with Sigrid the night it happened. We were together when some of the men broke in and I helped get her to safety." He paused when he saw Loki's ambivalent expression. "H-have I insulted you in some way, your highness?"

Sigrid still did not turn to look at him. Sometime during Leif's speech, she had moved an inch away from him. Now, she sat with her back ramrod straight, shoulders thrown back and stiff. Loki just knew her face portrayed immense culpability. "You both were… together that night?"

"Yes." Now it was Leif's turn to be confused. He looked to Sigrid, then back at Loki. "Did you not know that?" There was not one ounce of malicious intent behind the man's words, yet Loki felt a heat rise to his cheeks.

"I did not," he said tersely, "know that. I did not know that at all."

His tone made Fjor sit up beside him. "Loki…" There was warning in the low call of his name. Like Sigrid, Fjor knew well when Loki's temper was about to flare.

"Oh." Leif looked downright ill at ease. "Well, we were just outside in the stables when we heard the commotion. I saw a few of them therefore I was able to provide descriptions for the sketch artists to draw from. It was only when I completed my training did the King see it fit to put me in charge of the groups of men." Leif paused again, eyes searching Loki's face to ascertain his mood. "I truly thought you knew I was there."

"There in the stables." Loki's voice was ice. "And what exactly were you doing in the stables?"

Leif gaped at the bluntness of the question. "I-"

"Loki, let's talk a walk. I believe your brother has been trying to get your attention for a while now." Fjor's hand came down on his shoulder as he locked eyes with Leif. The sandy haired man held his own for a while, then like most people, began to squirm under the pressure of Loki's stare. The hand on his shoulder squeezed. "Let's go."

Loki cursed in his mind. The authority in Fjor's voice left no room for argument. Not wanting the man to toss him over his shoulder and march him down the bridge (because the steamier part of their relationship had well introduced him to all the benefits of Fjor's physical fitness) he got to his feet.

"It was nice to meet you, Leif. Perhaps I may run into you again."

Leif gave Fjor a guarded glance, eyes still flickering to Loki. "Yes. I would like that."

"Sigrid," Fjor said as way of farewell

"Goodbye, Fjor." It was the first time she had spoken since the tête-à-tête had gone sour. She even turned her body to the two men, keeping her eyes downcast. "Would you like your blanket back?"

"Keep it." His snap made her flinch. "You may get cold again."

"Loki." Fjor's voice was a nagging caution. "Let's go."

Loki turned on his heel and made his way down the bridge.

ooOOoo

Awkwardness filled the air in the wake of Loki's departure. Sigrid knew not what to say, nerves still tickling her gut from the secret that was just almost spilt. She continued to sit in silence whilst watching the lights run across the bridge. They were the first thing she had been introduced too upon her arrival in Asgard that night, and the beauty of it struck her even amidst the most terrible moment of her life. Many a night had she and Loki ventured out to it to have a chat under the watchful eye of Heimdall the Gatekeeper.

"Sigrid?" Leif's voice cut the quiet. "Do you mind telling me why the prince seems to hate me so? Because I have not a clue."

Sigrid considered her words. She was still wrapped in the blanket Loki had conjured for her—fluffy and warm the way she liked, although Loki could not stand them since they often made him sneeze—and let her fingers grasp the downy ends. Even with the blanket she felt a chill, because Loki usually buffeted the wind, and he was no longer beside her. "Loki does not hate you."

Leif gave a scoff. She looked up expecting to see him scowling, only to find sympathetic countenance instead. "Well, he definitely does not like me either." Sigrid did not reply, choosing to watch him until a better explanation came to mind. She had found him cute when they were adolescents, and she was content to find to he had grown into an equally attractive man. There was no way she would lose her head over him like some of the younger girls at court, but he was enjoyable to be around.

"Loki doesn't know, does he?" Leif asked. A pink tinge appeared at the tips of his ears, and his voice had dropped very low. "About us."

And there it was. The onething from her past she had hoped would not ever have to be revisited. "He does not, and I'd prefer if we keep it that way. Our focus right now is waiting for my father to set a date for my return, and I shall not divert my efforts to dealing with anything else."

The most peculiar look made its way onto Leif's face. It was as though he wished to say something to her, then thought better of it. "I understand," he smiled, breaking some of the remaining tension. "I will not speak a word to Loki, and I do apologize for the situation I caused. If I had known, I would not have said anything."

"No, it's my own fault," Sigrid waved off his apology. "Loki knows about that night, and he is always so gentle with the way he approaches the topic. I just talk about it so little, for I cannot always bear the feelings that rise within me when I do."

"That night was a terrifying one for me as well. I may not have suffered a loss as you did, but we were so young. There was one point where I thought we'd perish for sure." Sigrid bit her lip. Unshed tears pricked the back of her eyes with such a pressure that she had to close them to alleviate it. A rough hand appeared on her own when she did. "It's okay. We both lost a little part of ourselves that night, didn't we?"

"Yes, we did." Leif's hand was warm on hers, providing some support. She just wished Loki were still sitting beside her. He knew how to handle her tears better than anyone else. "You're a wonderful friend, Leif. I'm so thankful my father sent you."

It was clear her understood the boundary she put in place. He gave her another smile, this one not as wide, and pat the back of her hand. "Did you know there was a vendor here that sells Qulfi? I saw him on the way up to the bridge."

"Qulfi?" That perked Sigrid right up. "I don't think I've had that since I was a child. I used to like the-"

"The chocolate ones, I remember." His grey eyes livened in the moonlight, turning to melted mercury. They were almost as mesmerizing as the luminosity of Loki's pale green orbs. "Should we go get some?"

The thought of the sweet cream treat melting on her tongue for the first time in centuries made her mouth water with delight. Maybe she could even bring one back to Loki. He was not particular about sweets, so a milder one would do the trick. "Yes, please. Gosh, I was beginning to think the rest of the night would be a total downer. Let's go."

In retrospect, she should have taken the blanket off her shoulders before she attempted to get to her feet. Taking the hand Leif provided to aid her in standing would also have been a wise choice. Instead, Sigrid jumped to her feet on her own. The blanket was so long that part of it dragged against the bridge even at her full height, so when she put one foot forward to take a step, she slipped on the plush blanket and tumbled over the side of the Bifrost bridge.