A/N: Are you guys into this? Else, I'll just take it down. I'd hate to update a story no one is interested in.

Chapter 6

"There was no need to pull me away like that," Loki grumbled whilst he made his way towards his brother. "I can control myself, I'm not a child."

Fjor shook his head. "A child, no. A master sorcerer with a penchant for tantrums? Yes. You were going to hurt that man had I not intervened." Loki opened his mouth to protest, only to have Fjor talk over him. "Don't say it isn't true. You were giving him that look you give an opponent before a dagger embeds itself in their back. Sigrid would not take kindly to you killing her friend."

Loki have a mirthless laugh. "Friend. Did you hear the things he was insinuating? What kind of a friend—nay, gentleman—makes such references to a lady's face?" Fjor's blue eyes filled with calculation as he pondered Loki's words. He was probably thinking, Loki knew, that the trickster God had lost his mind.

"I do not think that was Leif's intention." Fjor's voice was gentle, calm, as though he were approaching a wounded animal. "He just said they were together that night."

Loki flinched. There was that word again that itched his skin and burnt his throat with rage. Together. "He made it sound so inappropriate. Together. Together doing what?"

"Maybe they wanted to go for a late-night ride? Haven't you and Sigrid been sneaking out at night for centuries to go for strolls along the bridge?" Fjor sounded bored. "She had a life before you, Loki."

"I'm aware," he snapped, "because she's told me everything about it. She just never mentioned this man ever before, which was fine when I thought he was merely an acquaintance but now it seems like he might be angling for more—"

"Loki—"

"—I know he has an agenda, I know it. Did you see the way he kissed her hand?"

"Loki—" Fjor attempted to interrupt him again. Loki was too far gone in his rant to notice.

"I even asked her who he was when he was mentioned in the letter. She made it seem like she barely knew himeven though that is clearly not the case—"

"LOKI!" A hand clapped over his mouth, cutting him off mid-rant. Fjor was wide eyed, frustration evident in every inch of his face. His outburst had drawn the looks of a few passersby, to whom he gave sheepish nods of greeting. "Your talking is giving me a headache. I want to ask you something, but when I do, you need to shut up and not answer until I've finished. Can you do that?" Loki gave a stiff nod. "Good."

Loki remained silent when Fjor removed his hand. They had stopped walking, now facing each other near the end of the bridge. He could see Thor in the distance past Fjor's head laughing loudly with Fandral and Sif. Hogun was nowhere to be seen, and he knew Volstagg would have been elsewhere with his children, away from the adults.

"Loki, why does the prospect of Sigrid and Leif having a less than platonic past bother you so much?" Loki's brows furrowed.

"I just told you. She's never mentioned him before."

Fjor shook his head. "Okay. Let's try that again. Why have you never liked any of the men Sigrid has courted in the past?" Loki snorted.

"Whom? Arild and Marius? Those two flashes in the pan?" A cruel laugh bubbled up in the back of his throat. "You've got to be joking. The first one could not hold his liquor, and the next could not shoot an arrow to save his life."

Fjor, an expert with a bow and arrow, placed his hands on his hips. "That's funny because I don't remember ever seeing you with a bow in hand. And neither of those things really mattered to Sigrid, did they? She seemed quite happy in both those relationships."

"Happy until she wasn't," Loki reminded him. "She eventually lost interest in both and broke it off. Probably worn out by their lack of personality." Loki placed his hands behind his back. "Sigrid knows she needs someone strong, who knows her and what she likes-"

"I would think her boyfriends knew her well enough." Loki shot him an irritated glance.

"Neither of those men came close to Sigrid in terms of being. She is simply above them, as close to perfect as there ever was." He paused to let his words sink in. "They were not good enough for her."

Fjor raised a thick brow. His arms were folded across his chest now, one hand scratching his chin. He moved it back to his chest before giving a little shrug. "Then who is?"

The question stunned Loki into an immediate silence. His mind went blank. Centuries of well woven words and prolific arguments dried up on his tongue as he considered Fjor's question. Who was good enough for his Sigrid? Not Leif, for sure, and not those two idiots from the past. He had once thought his father may suggest an alliance between her and Thor for the strength of their realms, but that thankfully never came to pass.

"Loki?" Fjor asked. "Are you in there?"

"I-" A piercing scream cut through the air. Loki and Fjor's heads whipped in the direction of it. There were people huddled together a little way down the bridge. Quite a commotion was being had, and they kept peering over the edge to the boats down below.

"What in Hel…" he trailed off, sharing a confused glance with Fjor.

Fjor looked just as baffled. "I don't —"

"HELP HER!" Loki jumped at the sudden yell. "SOMEONE HELP! THE PRINCESS HAS FALLEN OFF THE BRIDGE!"

Loki took off running. He was so caught off guard by what he heard that he forgot he could simply teleport from place to place. Once his brain caught up, he waved his hand and materialized at the spot he had left Sigrid in. Leif was standing in the middle of the crowd, face white as ash. Loki grabbed him by the shoulders and gave a mighty shake. "Where is Sigrid? WHERE IS SHE?"

"She fell!" Leif cried out. "It happened so fast; I could not even grab her!" Disgusted, Loki released him and dropped to his stomach on the bridge. The lake was dimly lit below, taken up by canoes filled with festival spectators. By the chatter rising, he could tell they were all aware that an incident had occurred.

"Did she fall on a boat?" Loki questioned. His eyes searched the occupants below for flashes of silver or dark curly hair. "Is it possible she fell onto a boat?"

"I-I heard the splash! She's in the water." Leif had joined him in searching at the bridge edge. "Sigrid can swim, right? She'll be okay?" The distress in the other man's voice did nothing to bring him peace. If anything, it served to dial his impatience for the man up to abhorrence.

"Not in such rapid waters, she can't," he hissed. "The boats had to be anchored down to prevent them going off the edge. If she's down there…" He glanced down at the crowd below. Images of Sigrid's lifeless body being tossed around by the waves flashed in his mind, filling his veins with an intense dread. "No. The boats. I need to move the boats."

Loki raised his hands towards the air. He chose a random boat and locked on, using his seidr to push it to the side. A chorus of shrieks rose from below. The inhabitants of the wooden structure braced themselves as it lurched, spraying the ones around it with sea water.

"Loki, stop!" It was Fjor's voice, a few feet from where he stood. He had almost forgotten he had left him behind. "Stop!" Loki ignored him, locking onto another boat to move it out of the way. All he needed was to either spot Sigrid or create a proper surface for her to lift her head for air. "Loki!"

"I must find her!" he shouted. "She's been under too long!" Another spray of water and round of shrieks as he rocked another boat. People began clinging to the ends for dear life. He moved another, and another, and another—

"Loki, if you dislodge those anchors those people will die!" Fjor seized his hands and attempted to shove them down. "You cannot do this!"

"SHE WILL DIE!" he roared, pushing Fjor off of him. "She will die if I do nothing! Iwon't let those people fall but I will not lose her!"

"You have no way of ensuring that!" Fjor raised his voice right back. "There are children in those boats! Think!"

"I see her!" It was Leif, kneeling at the bridge. His finger pointed Loki in the direction of a figure being carried by the water. It was surrounded by billows of silvery cloth, and—here, Loki's heart clenched—unmoving. "What do we do now?"

"Now I save her." He waved his hand and waited. A second passed, then another. Loki waved his hand again. Despite the green sheen of light appeared over the water, Sigrid remained in the grip of her watery prison.

"What's happening?" Fjor wanted to know. "Why isn't your magic working?"

"I don't…" Loki shook both his hands with fervor. "I don't know." He attempted to lock onto her body again, focusing all his might on bringing her to him. It was much harder to move a person than an object. A sweat broke out on his forehead as he gave an extra push that gave rise to a green light appearing around her body. Loki waved his hand again, waiting for her to appear next to him… and suddenly his boots were wet.

"What?" Fjor stepped away from the puddle of water. "How did this water get here?" Realization dawned on Loki.

"The waves. It's the waves." He clutched Fjor's collar with trembling hands. "They're too rough. My magic can't decipher her from the waves. They're moving her too quickly." Fjor saw the decision in his eyes before he voiced it.

"Loki, no." Apprehension was abound in his tone. "Don't be stupid."

"Do you have a better idea?" Sigrid's body was now near the beginning of the waterfall. If she tipped over the edge that would be it. The Vanir and Aesir alike could survive longer than Midgardians without oxygen, but the pile of jagged rocks below would tear her to shreds. "I have to."

"Have to what?" Leif, useless as he was in this situation, had the gall to keep asking questions. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going in after her like you should have done."

Fjor placed a hand on his chest. He took a step towards him, eyes locking on his, and Loki saw for the first time a hint of terror from his past lover. "Can you do this?" His voice was a murmur. "If you jump in, do you think you can get the both of you to safety?"

"I have to try." This was the closest in proximity they had been since their relationship had ended. It must have look intimate, he knew, since Leif was watching the two with intent. "I must try. She's my-"

"It's Thor!"

Loki had never been so relieved to hear his brother's name. He craned his neck to search for Sigrid, finding her at an alarming distance from the edge of the waterfall. Just as her body tipped over, his brother zoomed past in the air and caught her. He let his hammer guide him to where Loki stood and landed with a thump on the bridge.

"Brother." Worry was etched into Thor's face as he motioned to the girl in his arms. "She's not breathing."

"Place her down here," instructed Fjor. "Quickly now." When Thor rested her body on the bridge, Loki knelt near Sigrid's head.

"Sig?" he patted her face. "Sig? Can you hear me?" She had already turned a stark shade of white. Her lips and fingers were blue with cold, and when he pressed his fingers to her neck, his heart rate stuttered. "She has no pulse!" He positioned his hands on her chest to begin compressions. Two dark hands appeared over his before he could commence.

"Let me." Fjor's voice was soft and understanding. "You're too worked up. Let me." Loki fell backwards as Fjor began his compressions. Thor was right behind him, holding him up with one meaty arm.

"She could die," he choked. Tears blurred his vision at the thought of never seeing her again. "I could lose her tonight, and the last thing she would have heard would have been my snapping at her."

"Loki, Sigrid is not going to die." There was a waver in Thor's voice for the girl whom he considered a sister.

"How do you know?" Tears blurred his eyes now, and he reached up to grip his brother's arm. "How do you know?"

Thor was silent for a while. When he did reply, his voice was more level than before. "Because I am your big brother, and I would not tell you an untruth. If I say that Sigrid is not going to die, then she's not going to die." His hand cupped the back of Loki's neck with an unusual gentleness. "Now wipe those tears and start thinking of how you're going to apologize to my sister when she is conscious again, because I know whatever happened was through no fault of hers."

A cough filled the air.

"Sigrid!" Loki scrambled towards her as she doubled over. Her body heaved with the force of the expulsion. Water vomited from her lungs as she attempted to take a breath. "That's it." He rubbed circles on her back to help her along. "That's it, just breathe."

Loki moved to cradle her upper body in his arms. He was aware of the audience around him—his brother, Fjor, Leif and various other attendees—yet his mind was occupied with only one thought. "Sig.". She was like ice in his arms, skin wet and clammy from her ordeals. Her dress was ripped and torn, a shame considering how well it suited her. "Sig, can you hear me?"

"I-" Sigrid's eyes blinked rapidly. Freezing hands gripped his armor with a fervor. "I am s-so c-cold." Her teeth chattered with the effort it took to get the words out. "Loki, I am s-so c-cold. Please-" She broke off with another shaky gasp.

"Let me take her to the healers." Thor knelt next to him. "You can meet us there."

"No," Loki held her shivering body closer. "She stays with me. I'll keep her safe."

"Loki, she is freezing, and I can get there faster than you. Let me have her." This time, Thor did not wait for permission. He just lifted Sigrid out of Loki's arms and stood. "She will be fine. I promise you. Come as soon as you can."

ooOOoo

The initial plunge into the water had been a shock. One minute Sigrid was speaking to Leif and the next she was falling headfirst towards the choppy black waves. She was a good swimmer, trained by the same instructors that taught Loki and Thor, so it was no surprise when her instincts kicked in. Sigrid fought her way to the surface using her legs and arms like she had learned all those years ago. She was sure it would have worked had the water not been so harsh.

"Ow." Sigrid winced as Frigga ran the brush over a sore spot on her head. The Queen paused to give her a look. "I hit my head in the water. It's nothing."

"I'll be more careful." Frigga went back to humming and brushing out her hair. Her mother had loved doing the same when she was a child. As per the customs of her Midgardian religion, women rarely cut their hair more than a little trim to get rid of dead ends. Sigrid hated the long hair at first, as it always got in her way when she wanted to run about and play. It was only her mother's passing that made her cling to the tradition. Now, her hair ran well past her waist in the waves she had inherited from her mother. "There. All done!"

"Thank you, Frigga." Frigga placed the brush to the side and stroked her hair, careful to avoid her injury. Sigrid's return to the castle after her rescue had been met with a flurry of barked commands from Thor and swift action from the healers. Thor stood by her bedside whilst they checked her for broken bones or internal injuries and would have surely stayed the entire time had they not needed to bathe her in some warm water. Loki and Frigga arrived by the time they were done to take her to her room. They sat her in front the large fireplace with blanket and a pot of tea.

"You're welcome, my child. Is there anything else I can get you? Perhaps some more tea?"

"Oh, please no. It's so bitter." Plus, she was not keen on having to wake up and run to the bathroom multiple times during the night. Sigrid was exhausted from her ordeal and just wanted to rest. "I'd just like to sleep." Frigga nodded.

"I'll instruct the servants to let you sleep in." She kissed Sigrid's forehead, brushing her now dry hair out of her face. Loki had known the thick locks took hours to dry so he used his magic to help them along. "I'm so pleased that you're okay. When I got word of what had happened, I was so frightened." Frigga straightened, her hand still on Sigrid's head. "Odin will be wanting an update on your condition. He is glad that you've pulled through."

"Ah, yes," spoke Loki from the corner of her room. He was sequestered away from the heat of the fire, still close enough to watch Sigrid in case she needed his help. "He did come running ever so quickly when he found out."

Frigga walked over to her son and tugged his ear. "Stop it. He's in a strategy meeting and you know how he gets." Loki smiled at her, getting to his feet to escort her from the room. "You'll stay with her for a bit, yes? Until she's alright?"

"I will stay until the princess orders me away." He opened the door for his mother and gestured to her guards. "Goodnight mother."

"Goodnight, son." Loki closed the doors to her room once his mother had left. He walked over to Sigrid, who let out the yawn that had been welling up. She stretched her arms wide over her head and let the yawn draw all her fatigue to the surface.

"Someone's tired," Loki commented.

"Hmmm," she nodded once and attempted to get to her feet, only for a lean pair of arms to scoop her up. "I can walk just fine," she said. Despite her protest, she let her head drop onto his chest as he carried her.

"Can you?" There was teasing in his voice. He deposited her on her bed and helped get the covers over her. "You just fell off a bridge, you know." She grunted. He was not going to let this one go anytime soon. As a matter of fact, he might just use it as an excuse to be even more protective of her.

"Stay with me?" Hope lilted her voice up at the end. "I'm still a little cold."

"Of course." A green line ran from his head to his toes, changing his outfit into loose pants and tunic. He slid in beside her then and turned on his side to face her. Sigrid placed her hands under her cheek. Even the blankets she was wrapped in along with the thick covers she was under could not chase away the biting chill from her bones.

"Are you alright?" Loki had not spoken much since her return to consciousness. She remembered him holding her on the bridge, rubbing her back to help expel the water. His familiar arms had clutched her like she would disappear at any given moment—tight, desperate—until she was taken up by Thor and flown to the palace.

"Me?" Loki gave a short laugh. "I should be the one asking you that."

Sigrid raised a mocking brow. "You should also be keeping me warm instead of lying so far away." The bed shifted as Loki shuffled closer to her. They were now cuddled together in the middle of her bed, faces just a hair's breadth apart. He was giving her that amused stare reserved for the sole purpose of her antics. "See? Nice and toasty."

Loki gave a low chuckle. His hand came up to rest on her cheek, thumb moving over the skin in slow strokes. Their legs intertwined to rub against the other's. A hum of appreciation left her throat as his warmth seeped into her body. "Are you okay?" He wanted to know. "Or was that all a farce for the sake of my mother?"

"I was frightened," she admitted. "I tripped on the blanket and fell, and the waves were so strong. They pulled me under before I could even break the surface."

"The blanket?" he repeated. "The blanket I gave you?"

"Loki, this was not your fault." She brought one hand to his chest to caress it. "I am fine. Thor saved me, and I know you would've tried everything to help." The whispers she had picked up on during her time at the healers came back to her. At first the words made no sense, just one or two and random phrases, until she made one of them tell her what all the fuss was about. "They told me about the boats. Your magic is a lot stronger than I thought."

Loki's thumb slowed. He watched her for a few seconds, internalizing the meaning within her statement. "I won't apologize for trying to save your life, if that's what you're attempting to say."

Sigrid breathed out. "It's not."

"Then what?" Defense was evident in the thin line of his mouth. It let Sigrid know that she would have to tread with caution.

"Loki, if something were to happen to me, now or in the future—"

"Nothing is going to happen to you." She covered his mouth with two of her fingers.

"Let me finish." He nodded. "If something were to happen to me, be it an accident or a spell gone wrong, I don't want you to lose your head. You are one of the best sorcerers in the realms, so I've no doubt you know the capacities within which to operate. We just can't behave as though there isn't the chance that you may overestimate in a way that gets people hurt." She paused to sigh. "My life is not more important than the collective."

Throughout her speech, a myriad of emotions crossed Loki's face. Now that she finished, one claimed dominance over the rest: anger. His mouth thinned into a grim line. She could see his face rippling with the effort to contain himself. For a split second, she thought he was going to yell. Instead, the hand that was on her face slipped to the back of her head. It wound itself into her locks, bringing her face towards his until their foreheads touched. "Loki?"

"Do you have any idea how it felt to find out you had fallen from that bridge?" he demanded. "To see your unmoving body floating around like a rag doll in that water. Do you know how that felt?"

She gaped at him. "I-"

"I was terrified." The crack in his voice made tears prick the back of her eyes. "Sigrid, I thought you were dead. I thought I had lost you." Shock ran through her body when the first tear fell from his eye. Crying was an uncommon occurrence for Loki. She had probably seen him cry a handful of times since they met, most of them being when they were younger. Him crying as an adult was a once in a millennia feat.

"It's okay." She let her hands run across his chest as she choked back tears of her own. "Loki, it's okay. You don't have to explain anymore. I understand."

"No, I must." He took one of her hands and brought her palms to his lips, placing a deep kiss that sent a shock through her body. His head moved even closer to her, letting the tip of his nose bump hers. "Sig, I cannot lose you. You are the most important thing to me. If nothing else on these nine realms, I owe my living to you and you only. So no, I will not be careful, and I will most definitely lose my head anytime something happens to you and you are just going to have to deal with that because I…" Green eyes slid closed as he took a shaky breath. "I cannot lose you."

"You won't. "I'm fine. I'm right here and I'm fine. You're not going to lose me." She glided her arms up his chest and around his neck into a hug. Loki's arms moved down her back to her waist, pulling her body flush against his. Loki tucked his face into the crook of her neck and gave her shoulder a kiss. He had never placed his lips there before, and she had to bite her lip to hold in the sudden moan that welled up in her throat

"Sigrid?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you okay? You sound like you're choking." His voice was laced with worry. "Is your breathing okay?"

"Y-yes." She placed a hand on the back of his neck to stop him from turning to look at her. How was she to explain that the feel of his mouth so near her neck had made her forget, for just a second, that he was her best friend and nothing more? "I'm just tired."

"Right. How silly of me." Relaxed, she let him pull away to stare at her. "Do you need another blanket?"

"Actually, I'm warmer now." She pulled off the top layer wrapped around her and settled beneath just the sheets of her bed. Loki's peck had served to get her heart rate going and by extension, get rid of the remaining cold in her body.

"Okay," he murmured. She returned to her original position, placing her hands beneath her face once again. Just as her eyes closed, she felt familiar fingers tangling themselves in her hair. A low hum filled the room—Loki's—a tune that Frigga used to sing around the place when they were younger. She had always been fond of the song, whilst Loki never let on if he felt the same.

"I love this song," she whispered, voice slurred with sleepiness.

The humming stopped for Loki to say two words; "I know", and then started up again.

Sigrid was asleep before he finished the first verse.