The black bishop moved to the right knocking over the white rook. Sigyn picked the white rook up and set it next to the other white pieces. She looked at Loki before moving her queen knocking over the black bishop. He picked it up and set it aside by his.
They were next to the glass wall by the helicopter pad. This was their fifth game. Loki had won the majority, but they were lucky. Sigyn would beat him in about ten or less moves. Loki would stall her and try to make her play right into his traps.
Bruce saw them as he went to get food. Loki clicked over another piece. He overheard him say 'check.' Sigyn pondered at his setup and moved her king over. Loki clicked over another piece. He repeated what he just said.
"Can't you just see his next moves?" Bruce looked over at the two.
"I could if I wanted to," Sigyn smiled and knocked over a chess piece. "But where would the fun in that be?"
"Even with your abilities," Loki smirked. "I believe you would still fall, especially when you are lead right into my trap, check mate." His voice final in his accusation.
"No," Sigyn smiled as she knocked his piece over. "You fell into mine. Check-mate." She smiled with sweet innocence making steal a glance at the board then back to her.
He shook his head taking her in. "We are at a tie now. Another round?"
"Lead the way," Sigyn mused as she placed the pieces back in order with her mind.
Bruce shook his head and left them to their own devices.
Small snowflakes started to trail down from the white clouds. Sigyn put her fingers to the window as a couple snowflakes touched.
Loki didn't have to look at her to know what was going on. He viewed the pieces on his next plan of attack. He moved one pawn out. She did the same, though she did not have to look.
"It will not stay for very long," Loki reassured her as he moved another piece.
"No," Sigyn withdrew and came back to the game. "Though who is to say that we will have more time, or that we will only have another day; maybe even an hour?"
They heard the elevator going down. Tony walked in with annoyance on his face. He saw the two playing chess. He was about to say something until Sigyn spoke.
"Director Fury is on his way up, along with Agent Coulson," she mused as she waited for Loki to move his piece.
"No cheating," Loki warned, his voice was a bit lofty.
"Mmm," Sigyn smiled. "Et tu, Brute, et tu?"
"I didn't think you would know how to play any game?" Tony looked over to see how they were doing.
"It is similar to our own," Sigyn smiled. "Director Fury is here to ask one last time about my answer and he has other matters he must attend to here, in case you were wondering." She looked at him while she moved her pawn once Loki had moved his. She looked back to the board.
He looked over to Loki, "Does this not creep you out at all? Always knowing what's on your mind."
The elevator doors opened up and the two stepped out.
"You already know why we are here," Fury looked over to Sigyn.
"Yes," Sigyn mused as Loki ticked over a pawn.
"Then what is your answer?" Fury stopped with Coulson by his side.
Sigyn flicked her eyes to Loki who did the same. Her hesitation gave Fury the answer.
"Shall we continue our last conversation in private?" Fury stood a bit taller.
Sigyn flickered down to the board then back to Loki. "No cheating." She stood up and the flow of her gown swirled around her, her hand grazed his as she left. Loki smirked.
Tony shook his head and left. He didn't want to deal with SHIELD more than he had to, which left Coulson with Loki.
Coulson stood by Sigyn's chair. "Mind if I join you?" Loki nodded his head. "I am not afraid, in case you are wondering, which seems to me that you aren't." Loki watched him through his eyes. "I did die but I guess it wasn't for very long, but the idea of being given a second chance doesn't give me a sense of being indestructible either. I just have a new way of thinking. Which comes to you, you had a whole army at your command, a powerful scepter, the Tesseract, and I heard you can be very persuasive, but again like I said you lack conviction and still do. Your passion was overrun by your past. It happens to the best of us. It is said that you were also tortured and under the influence of the Tesseract; that your decisions were clearly not your own." Loki's eyes flickered. "I am not here to mock you either."
"You are not here to sway me are you?" Loki mused. He had a bit of a chuckle.
"We had turnovers all the time," Coulson straightened up. "It would not be any different with you. Director Fury has tried to persuade even commanded me from asking you, but I thought I would give you a chance. She would have wanted it anyway." He inclined over to where Sigyn and Fury left to. Loki flicked his eyes back to Couslon. "She has quite the abilities. She is on the top of everyone's wish list to those that know of her and even those who don't. A formidable foe, lucky to have as an ally."
Loki stared straight at him taunting. "She is your top priority."
"Yes," Couslon didn't lie. "She is powerful, but she seems quite responsible, knows right from wrong, stays true to her word."
"Loyal," Loki knew what he was going to say next.
"Yes," Coulson agreed.
"Considering you have my oaf of a brother fighting for this realm," Loki straightened. "You want the next best thing from Asgard, more protection from beings like me."
"Yes," Coulson repeated. "SHIELD has often wondered how the fight would pan out if Sigyn and Thor did fight one another, who would win, but she did say she has sworn to protect, we want her to have Earth under her protection as well. You wanted to rule this place, but you had the idea of protecting it. You wanted to be like Thor, do what's right in your lifetime, have those around you look up to as they do to him and your father Odin."
Loki clenched his jaw and looked away into the vast openness of the city. He looked back to him a bit menacing. "You found how to ally with her. Persuading her that it is the only choice. She is sworn to protect, as Thor has sworn to protect the nine realms, you found she did the very same. And here I thought I was the one that could not be trusted."
"We do what we have to do," Coulson sat up. "That's why I am offering the same for you. Protect our world, become allied with us. Asgard may not want you, but we do; as long as you stay within confines doing what is actually right. One more thing, if you decline our offer and you do cause any more trouble, we will stop you with every necessary force we have."
He walked away once he saw Fury walking out with Sigyn. The two left them and headed back into the elevator. She headed over to him, smiling once she saw the board was still them. Her eyes flickered to him as she sat back down.
"Agent Coulson gave you a chance," Sigyn clicked over a piece. Loki looked back to the board.
"You have given him your answer," Loki didn't look at her. "You have allied with them. They knew about your sworn oath. I may just join them if they keep this trickery up."
Sigyn's smiled faltered. She sighed. "Yes. Though, I am a force so strong they are a bit intimidated by me. I allied with them to ease their minds and to establish my own allies, sworn oath or not."
"Consequences are a frivolous matter," Loki clicked over a piece. "Best not to worry especially how deep you have already have gotten yourself in."
"Mmm, no thanks to you," she gleamed.
In the elevator, there was silence before Fury spoke to Coulson.
"You offered him a chance," Fury was trying not to show his anger and his disappointment but it didn't work. "This is not helping you out to get the BUS and your own operative team for cases. Defy my orders again and you will be seeing paperwork and cubicles for the rest of your life."
"I understand," Coulson looked straight ahead. "Just remember to thank me later when he decides that SHIELD can join him."
"Join him? Join HIM?" Fury looked at him. "This egotistical, little brother syndrome, demigod killed you and you want me to thank you once he allows SHIELD to join him? You are out of your mind, just like Sigyn and the rest of them thinking that he will ever be good. I don't know what connection they have either or how she even puts up with him on a twenty four hour basis. I don't even think I want to know." He looked back to the doors.
"Loki doesn't go to you, you go to him," Coulson explained. "He trusts no one and likes the fact that no one trusts him, but he does want you to know that he is an equal and can muster up any means to prove it. Thor said that they all grew up together. Sigyn went away, but ultimately Loki has no friends at all just useful acquaintances. Sigyn sees in him in what he sees in her. They're lovers. She sees him as an equal, as he does her. I also did some research on her. It might help you since you might be able to see them that way."
"Oh?" Fury looked amused.
"Thor is known as the God of Thunder, Loki the God of Mischief, and Sigyn," Coulson smiled, "the Goddess of Fidelity. She stays strong even when the whole universe might be raining down against her. She can withstand anything thrown at her, which is a quality Loki likes. She doesn't let the darkness around her get her down, she wears it with pride. Back to Loki, it seems that few see him actually as anything; having him on our side would be a great attribute. He knows all the ins and outs of the worlds, the darkness and truth that no one else sees and can give willingly. Sigyn would but she is sworn under Odin and is entangled with a few other contracts. She would still give us what we need but it would be harder to get to her than it is to him. Plus, he would mostly just want things in return for him, a price."
"I think when you got brought back, your sanity has got left behind," Fury scoffed. "But get to the point of this."
"SHIELD is made up of several unique agents all who we believe are a force of their own," Coulson was ending his monologue. "Each new agent we recruit is shown that they are an equal and that their abilities are praised among us just only if they don't use it for wrong. Loki is a dark horse that has been filed under evil, why not let him work with us and be filed under what he actually wants, to do good."
Fury started to laugh. "I have to hand it to you, you made Loki sound as if he wasn't a kleptomaniac for least five seconds."
"Just trust me on this one," Coulson replied. "By the way, how did the rest take it that Malekith has never showed again and that once the Asgardians leave, they are to split up due to danger of being together?"
They heard a faint crash and a boom from up top. Coulson and Fury looked up then looked to one another.
"How's that for your answer," Fury spoke. "Sounds like Thor just found out."
"You didn't actually tell him?" Coulson was a bit confused.
"I let Steve and Tony take this one," Fury looked to him. "I already gave Sigyn enough trouble as it is getting her to ally with our side. I didn't want to go through another hour or so trying to persuade the God of Thunder to calm down. Though she did have a few terms and conditions of her own, that Earth becomes a sanctuary and safe area for her and Loki if things went awry."
"She's already planning her escape," Coulson almost mumbled.
Back up top, Sigyn and Loki were still playing. The two were taunting each other.
"Sigyn!" Thor boomed as he entered the room, raging with anger. He looked right at her.
"Saw this coming as well?" Loki mused.
"It was only a matter of time," Sigyn's smile was sad. "Fury at least kept his word on not mentioning anything until it was close to the time we left, though he did leave it to Steve and Tony to bring him the news."
"Loki, leave us," Thor walked over to her in anger.
"You act as if I know nothing of this, "Loki looked over to him.
"How long has he known?" Thor stood by the table.
"It was a recent decision," Sigyn didn't look at Thor, she kept pondering at the setup.
"Malekith has made no efforts of coming back to Midgard. We should be in Asgard, assembling the armies to go after him." Thor drew Mjölnir to his side and set it down on their game, smashing some pieces. "I will use any force that I can; you know the real reason of why we are here Sigyn. What is it?"
"And this is why we do not ever have nice things," Loki looked to Sigyn.
"Shut it," Thor clenched his jaw. "Why are we here?"
Sigyn sighed before she looked him straight in the eye. "Me. You are here because of me." Thor was confused. "Allfather left you two behind with me. If it was just me here, I would be still locked out. This is due to a decision being made without my consent. Not that it's anything new."
"What decision?" Thor narrowed his eyes.
"The decision of whom I shall marry," Sigyn looked to Loki. "I am just a game piece in Allfather's board of the nine realms. Whom I get to ally with is his concern."
"Father would not lead you to this prospect," Thor rushed to his father's defense. "He would not do this to you. Plus I and many others have sworn to protect the nine realms and join them together."
"This has been an ongoing decision once he found out what I was," Sigyn replied. "How else do you think the Jotuns are staying aligned with us? Yes I was under Odin's protection, to be safe from the rest of the realms, but they have arrangements of their own for me. My mother and father have the same ideas."
"This cannot be true," Thor clenched his fist. "Father would not allow you to be married off."
"Not now at least," Sigyn kept going on. "Allfather, has thwarted them each time by leaving or sending me here if I am not with the Valkyries. He does like to give the best by giving those away to what he believes is the best. I was sent away to become the best that I could. I was a tool he could use in the future. A weapon for him to yield at any moment, maybe even passed down. I am just a bargaining chip. Think about the time you were banished. Midgard is one of Allfather's favorite places to do some of his dirty work. You think you were banished here because it was random place he liked? No, I have been here for several years in numerous increments, because Midgard has forgotten about the rest of the nine realms. The nine realms believe Midgard is low while the rest has evolved. We are stuck on Midgard because this is the last place my parents and the Frost Giants will look. This is the last place anyone would look."
Loki watched them in a calm composure. Thor took up his hammer and laid it in her lap. "Wait here." He looked over to Loki. "A word." Loki glanced to Sigyn who was trying to control her shock and growing rage of what had just happened. She could not take it off her lap. She knew she was worthy but not enough for Mjölnir but at least had to try.
Loki went off with Thor. They were across the room away from her. "Is this all true?"
Loki looked to Sigyn. "You actually care about my word, how touching. Even if I did give you the truth, would you actually believe me? I am actually more astounded by Mjölnir is in her lap and she is unable to move it, though it should not come to a surprise seeing as how she does do Father's dirty work, of course she is not worthy enough."
Thor clenched his jaw. "Loki!" Loki did have a point. "At this moment, yes. Now, tell me is this all true? Would father really do this?"
"Yes," Loki watched Sigyn trying to take the hammer off of her. He was fascinated that she could not lift the hammer either and yet she was still trying. "If father see's something with his eye that he finds suitable, he uses it to his will. I was to be used in politics with the Jotuns. I rule there under orders from Asgard which would have been from you if I actually complied."
"Loki," Thor was not interested in his dark attachment to his father. "We still grew up together as brothers; it doth not matter if we are from the same blood."
"You are from his own loins," Loki was a bit serious now. "His own flesh and blood, she and I are just pawns on Odin's own game to keep the nine realms under Asgard's protection, relics to be cast away by his own choosing. He wanted you to be ruler, me to rule Jotunheim and her to be the very weapon used against all realms even against us if we seemed unfit."
"I will speak to father about this once we are back in Asgard," Thor reached out his hand to grab Mjölnir as it came to him from Sigyn's lap. He walked away in brooding anger.
Loki turned to Sigyn who looked outside in the vast openness of the city. Her head rested upon her palm. She looked serene as he drunk her in. She tried to keep herself calm though, knowing that once they were back in Asgard, she might not ever see Loki again with all the trouble she was causing down here.
"As I said before, consequences are a frivolous matter," Loki sat down in his chair. He looked at the smashed pieces of the game and shook his head. "I think Thor helped in my favor, most of your pieces are smashed. And he wondered why I got tired of sharing over the years."
Sigyn gave a small chuckle. She looked over to him.
"I was quite interested how you are unable to lift the hammer," Loki inclined an eyebrow. "You have done things in the name of Odin that is not right by your standards."
Sigyn cleaned up the board and restored pieces. She placed them how they were before they were smashed.
"How much have you done in his name?" Loki pondered.
"Enough to know my servitude is not indentured," Sigyn finally looked at him again.
"You peer into the darkest depths of the minds around you but who actually get's to peer into yours?" Loki moved a chess piece.
"Few have," Sigyn paused and moved her piece next. "All of which have been Valkyries."
"The Swan Lake," Loki mused. "Purifies the body, the soul, and the mind, only allows who have been sworn in as a Valkyrior, traps those who are not. Only way to tell is through the mind and spirit itself. No garments of any kind are allowed to pass through the lake. I may just have to find the portal to there just for glimpse."
A raven swooped down; hopped to the window they were at and started to peck at the window. Sigyn and Loki looked at it. It squawked once and flew off.
The two looked to one another. They heard a couple of crashes and a few bangs.
"Thor's handling as he usually does," Loki knocked over a game piece.
Sigyn laughed. "That was not Thor that was Tony, Steve and the rest of them." She knocked over Loki's piece. "Check."
Loki smirked. "You do have to admit you can be uncanny at times." He knocked over her piece.
"And here I thought that was why you liked me," Sigyn moved her piece. "Check."
"Check mate," Loki smiled. Sigyn looked at the board and then to him in confusion. "I will let you redeem yourself. I will let you even use your abilities."
"How kind of you," Sigyn smiled and set up the board again. She set her legs upon his lap. "Let's make things more interesting."
Loki grasped an ankle. "Your legs for-?"
Sigyn pondered, letting him try to figure out what she wanted from him. "Your torso."
"For this round," Loki smiled. "Next it will be garments, then a place, a time. How it must feel to torture you again and again with something you cannot have?"
"Mmm no," Sigyn tapped her index finger upon the table. "That is for tonight, one last time to be ravished. This deal is for those who win actually lose."
Loki cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. "I lose I get to ravish you first tonight. You are most enticing when you become mischievous." He moved a chess piece.
The game went on, the two both tried to lose the game. While they would ponder on the moves Loki would stroke her legs. It put her in a tranquil state. She would send light pressure almost the same as her lips upon his neck and jaw line.
Sigyn tried to move her legs, she detected someone coming. Her eyes flashed fear. Loki kept her still.
"Afraid someone might see?" Loki made sure that she was well covered in her Midgardian gown she had chosen for the day.
Tony walked into the room without even a care to them. He went straight to the fridge.
"For Frost Giants you two really know how to get a place all hot and steamy," Tony grabbed a few items and then shut it. He looked at them to find them in a normal sitting position, staring at the board game. He was quite confused. "You two aren't mind talking are you?"
Loki looked to Sigyn smirking. "We are now." He chuckled. Sigyn took in a breath.
"You sly dog you," Tony shook his head. "While you're using your mind for adultery do me a favor and check to see when exactly our food is arriving-"
"Two minutes and thirty seconds," Sigyn smiled as turned to Tony. "For the first one, next five are arriving in six minutes and twenty three minutes. Such a feast you are creating."
"Why not give one last who-raa before the Asgardians leave, hopefully for good a few months or a year," he shrugged. "Well you already know the second part."
"One last meal with all of the Avengers together," Sigyn's smiled faltered.
Tony headed for the elevator, "Yeah, same with them though, they leave I get peace and quiet."
"Shall I get the Chituri to come back and feast with us?" Loki spoke just right before the elevator doors closed on Tony. His last look to them was a bit of shock and panic.
The feast Tony gave them was a plethora of fast food from Asian cuisine to Italian to whatever Tony liked the most. The entire group was situated in the common room. They enjoyed each other's company.
The next morning it had started to snow again. This time it stayed. Loki was in Sigyn's room. She was in his green tunic again. He had almost a death grip upon her. His head was upon her chest, his arms were wrapped around her. His legs entwined with hers. She had one had in his hair the other was spread out on his back. She woke up before him. He looked so peaceful. His lips were parted and she could feel his hot breath through the cotton tunic. She opened her mind to the world around her. The snow was setting on a few inches now.
Loki stretched and held onto her tighter than he had before. He tried to go back to sleep. Sigyn stroked his hair until she heard him hum for a bit. He gripped her again. She started to chuckle. Her eyes started to water. She was going to miss this. If things were changed and she had her way, she would want to wake up with him every time.
"Our time in paradise is up," she whispered. "The day of reckoning is upon us."
Loki opened his eyes, sighed once and lifted his head up to her. "Asgard can wait for just a few more moments." He rested his head back down upon her and started to fall asleep again. She smiled again before trying to fall asleep. As she was about to drift off into slumber she heard a pounding upon the door. Loki gripped her again and gave a small gruff in annoyance.
The door swung open to Thor. "Pardon my intrusion, Sigyn but we must be on our way. Have you seen Lo-ki?," he started to speak. He then spotted them. "My apologies." He shown a bit of smile around the edges. "When you two are uh ready, we leave, soon." He turned away a bit chuckling.
Sigyn gave Loki a smug look. He sighed again and rested his chin upon her torso staring up at her. She patted his back. "If this was how you were for conquering Midgard no wondering why you lost."
He pulled her down towards his level. "I believe you like to hound me for losing. Did you actually want me to win?" He nuzzled into her.
"No," Sigyn kissed his forehead. "Not entirely. You do however know how I wanted it to end for you."
"Yes," He kissed her neck. "Shall I count up the tally marks?" She gripped his hair and shoulder.
"Every single one of them," she taunted. The two rolled over. She kissed his heart and patted it with her hand. She then was the first to get up. He sat up himself and watched shake her hair from the tangles. Loki smirked as he stood behind her.
He tugged at the ends of his shirt. He whispered into her ear, "I will need this back." He tugged his shirt off of her to reveal black and green lace lingerie. "These should come to." He grazed his hands over her hips.
Her clothes came over to her. She moved away from him a bit and all of her clothes were put on in a few seconds. She turned around to him, fully clothed in her fighting attire. She had on everything except the mask and her hood was not up. She kissed him on the lips and put a key wrapped in cloth into his hand. "Keep it hidden. It holds a secret. I will go meet Thor and the rest." She kissed him once more with hunger and passion. She did not hold back. Loki followed. He pulled her in close; his hands roamed every trace of her as if they had not done that at all. As if this was the first time he had pulled her in for an embrace.
She pulled away and searched his eyes. "I love you," Sigyn spoke so faint he almost did not hear her. She walked out of the room leaving him there to get ready.
The group was in the common room. They were in warm clothes and had steaming mugs in their hands. Thor drank down several mugs of coffee. He spoke about how much he was going to miss this drink. Loki strutted in to see them bantering with one another. They noticed him coming in but didn't pay too much mind. All of them then started to file out of the doors onto the helicopter pad. It was a bit windy up there; some of them bundled up tighter. The three stood in the same place as they did before they got locked out. They said their goodbyes.
Steve looked to Tony who was eating skittles. "Don't judge. They're taking a trip on the rainbow bridge; I thought it was necessary to taste the rainbow too." Steve shook his head at him.
Thor's voice boomed for Heimdall.