The next morning, her father, sister, Thor, Volstagg, Fandral, Hogun, and even Queen Frigga all came to the Observatory to bid Sigyn farewell. Loki was the only one missing. Sigyn hadn't seen him since last night. It was alright, though. One day he would understand. And they could always use projections to communicate when, or if, he decided to reconcile. She would like to hope he would.

Heimdall had said Howard Stark was currently in a city called Los Angeles. The Bifrost was going to deliver her to a desolate area where no one could witness her arrival. She was going to have to walk to the city from there.

"Ready? "Heimdall asked.

Sigyn nodded, and gave everyone one last glace before Heimdall opened the Bifrost.

After a few seconds in the rainbow bridge, she was standing on Midgardian soil. Indeed, there was no one around. She started walking. Heimdall had told her that she needed to go west to reach Los Angeles. If only she had been allowed to bring her horse… or a ship. According to Heimdall, mortals didn't use horses to travel anymore, but they weren't ready to behold the sight of an otherworldly ship either. Traveling on foot was the only option she had. Well, she knew this duty wasn't going to be easy. She couldn't let such a minor inconvenience dishearten her.

Sigyn wouldn't get exhausted easily simply by walking, but soon, the scorching heat turned the march into a challenge. If she closed her eyes, she could even believe Heimdall had accidentally sent her to Muspelheim instead. It wasn't something Sigyn had expected. Her mother would often describe her home as a land of cold and ice. Sigyn had visited her village several times, and seen that she was right. It turned out Los Angeles was very different from Tonsberg. When she finally saw the buildings in the distance, she realized she was about to reach her destination. She had to ask a few people where Howard Stark lived. They pointed her in the right direction, but Sigyn didn't understand why they were giving her such odd looks. Yes, here, she was clearly the only one wearing an armor and carrying a sword and a shield right now, but like Asgardians, mortals had their own warriors among them. Why did these people not seem to be used to the sight of one?

Howard Stark's house wasn't what she had expected it to be either. Heimdall had said he was one of the wealthiest and most influential mortals in the realm. Sigyn had thought such a person would live in a palace or castle. But this was just a… house. The biggest one in this area, yes, but only a house. Nevertheless, she knocked on the door.

A tall, lean man with a clean-shaven face and his short hair combed to one side answered. She had concluded that mortal men wore their hair short. She hadn't seen one with braids or a warrior's tail so far. Their clothes didn't make much sense to her either, so she couldn't tell if this man before her was well-dressed or not.

"Good afternoon, miss. How may I help you?"

"Are you Howard Stark?"

"I—I'm sorry, who are you?"

"I'm Lady Sigyn Tyrsdottir of Asgard. I'd like to speak with Howard Stark."

The man looked at her as if she had just said the most preposterous thing he had ever heard. Then he said, "I'm afraid Mr. Stark is quite busy right now. Good day."

He was going to close the door to her face, but Sigyn stopped him. Her strength seemed to have surprised this mortal man, and that gave her a confidence she had never felt before. "This is about the Tesseract," she said sharply.

A look of understanding crossed his face. He opened the door again, let her in, and led her into a hall in a wary attitude. Sigyn assumed this man was some sort of servant. Of course. She should have known. In every realm, wealthy people had servants. It was a universal rule, it appeared.

"Please wait here," the servant said and walked out of sight.

Sigyn looked around, hoping to find some water. She was so thirsty that her throat had begun to hurt. Unfortunately, there was no water in sight. Again, the interior of the house was much humbler than she had expected, but perhaps this was the best Midgard had to offer.

At least the servant didn't keep her waiting for long. "Mr. Stark will see you now. This way, please."

This time, he led her into some kind of courtyard full of half-naked women. Some were walking around, or sitting, sipping their drinks, or swimming in the pool that was in the middle of the courtyard. Despite the overwhelming thirst, Sigyn was so disgusted by the sight that neither the pool nor the drinks tempted her. She quickly spotted the only other man. He, too, was half-naked, but at least he was wearing an unfastened, long, brown robe. He was sitting in a chair, and staring at her, with a glass that had been filled with an amber-colored liquid. His short hair was unkempt, and he had a mustache. In fact, she had seen a portrait of his back in that hall.

She walked up to him. "Howard Stark?"

"In the flesh. And you are…"

"Lady Sigyn of Asgard. I know you're in possession of the Tesseract, but you're meddling with forces that are beyond your—"

"Whoa, slow down. Slow down. Tell me, who sent you here? Joe? Tim? Anton?"

"Odin Allfather, the King of Asgard and Protector of the Nine Realms."

Like his servant, Howard Stark, too, looked at her like she had just said the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard, but he seemed rather entertained. He laughed, and got on his feet, then eyed her from head to toe, like she was a piece of meat he was considering to buy. Sigyn had come here to find respect and valor, but the truth was, she had never felt so insulted before.

"Alright, whatever this is about, it can surely wait. Why don't we… have some fun first, before I ask you how you even know about the Tesseract?"

He was trying to be seductive, but it only infuriated her even more. "I didn't come all the way to Midgard to be one of your concubines, Walterson! I'm here as the guardian of the cube!"

"Perhaps I could change your mind…"

"I'm married!"

"Well, that never stopped me before," he said, put an arm around her waist, and tried to pull her closer.

She had had enough. "How dare you!" she snarled, and shoved him away with all the strength she had, sending him flying off into the pool. The concubines screamed and scattered around in panic, and the servant exclaimed, "Sir!"

"Get your hands up!"

Sigyn turned around, only to see a brunette woman pointing a primitive-looking weapon at her. Unlike the others, she was fully dressed, and she didn't seem scared at all. A warrior, obviously.

"Get your hands up!" she repeated firmly. "I'm not going to ask again."

"I don't take orders from mortals."

"What?" she asked, visibly offended, but didn't put the gun down.

Sigyn was going to have to prove her point, then. She drew her sword, but the other woman didn't even hesitate. She squeezed the trigger. There was an explosive noise, and Sigyn immediately felt a searing pain in her right leg. Warm blood was oozing from a hole in her right calf, where she had been shot.

Damn. So, Midgardian weapons could harm her, after all… She had made a terrible mistake. Panicked, she wanted to get away from her opponent. She forced her wounded leg to move, but she was in too much agony. She collapsed on the floor, and tried to crawl this time, but darkness claimed her before she could even put one arm in front of the other.

…

"Could she be one of them?" Sigyn heard Howard Stark's servant ask. "If the Russians found a way to replicate Doctor Erskine's formula…"

"I don't think she was trained at the Red Room," the woman said.

"Why not?"

"If she were one of them, she would've seduced Howard. This one tried to kill him."

"Right. She wasn't exactly being subtle," Howard Stark agreed.

"But then, maybe they've changed tactics."

"Perhaps we could ask Miss Underwood?" the servant suggested.

"And give her a possible ally? No!" Although this was the Walterson's property, this woman was obviously had a certain authority over them. Sigyn wondered who she was. Heimdall hadn't said anything about such a woman.

"Look at this sword," she went on. "What were you even thinking when you let her in, Mr. Jarvis? You should've called me immediately!"

"I was thinking Mr. Stark's tendency to add theatrical elements to his romantic endeavors might have gotten out of control."

"Well, who can blame you for that?"

"Speaking of, I'd like to take a closer look to that armor. Maybe we can take a—"

"Oh, for God's sake, Howard!"

"For scientific purposes," he defended himself. "If it's anything like that sword… I mean, the molecular density of the material is—"

"Russian assassin or not, I'm not going to let you strip a woman naked for your 'experiments.'"

"I wasn't going to ask you to strip her naked. I just need a sample from the fabric and the metal."

"Shut up… Walterson." She chuckled.

"Don't call me that, Peg. Ever."

Sigyn decided that she had heard enough, so she opened her eyes. She had been shackled to a bed, but that wasn't going to be a problem. The pain in her leg had reduced to a throbbing. She quickly conjured an illusion to make the mortals think that she was still in the bed, cloaked her true form invisible, and went to stand behind them. They didn't even notice her limping past them.

"Good, you're awake," the woman said sharply.

"You shot me," Sigyn spoke through her projection in the bed.

"You tried to kill my friend."

"He insulted me."

"And do you go about killing anyone who insults you?"

If I did, half of Asgard would be dead by now, she thought. "I only wanted to talk to him."

"So, you want to talk, then? Good. Let's talk. First question: Who are you?"

"I already told you who I am."

"This time, you're going to have to be more specific."

"I'm Lady Sigyn of Asgard," she repeated. "Daughter of General Tyr, and wife of Loki Odinson. I don't know how I can be any more specific than this."

"Alright, where is this Asgard?"

"Wait, do you mean you don't remember the myths?"

"What myths?"

"Your ancestors used to worship Asgardians as gods once. I knew you didn't expect us to be real, but I thought mortals still remembered those tales."

"Miss Carter, I believe she's referring to Norse mythology," Mr. Jarvis said.

They all exchanged confused looks. Then Howard Stark narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Are you HYDRA?" he asked all of a sudden. He wasn't wooing her anymore.

"What makes you think she's HYDRA?" Miss Carter asked him.

"Do you remember who else was obsessed with those Pagan myths? The Red Skull. Come on, Peggy. You know his file better than I do. He was trying to be a god."

"Do you believe me to be a disciple of the Red Skull?" Sigyn asked him.

"Exactly."

Peggy Carter raised a hand. "Wait, you do know who the Red Skull is," she observed.

"Of course I do. Johann Schmidt, the leader of HYDRA. He wanted to use the Tesseract to wreak havoc in your world. Why do you think Odin sent me here? To ensure the safety of the Tesseract and not let anyone abuse its power again."

"If Odin is so mighty, why didn't he come here and take the Tesseract for himself?"

"The Tesseract is his. When I was a child, it used to be kept in Odin's Vault. Then he decided to hide it in Midgard instead. He thought it would be safer here, and no mortal would dare use it."

"And I thought we lived in a democracy," Howard Stark scoffed. "Darling, tell your king that Earth is not his personal bank vault. Or anyone's."

"So, do you believe her?" Peggy Carter asked.

"I do, actually. The Red Skull was right about the Tesseract. What if he was also right about everything else?"

"And is this your brain talking, or… another part of you?"

He rolled his eyes. "Come on, Peg. This is SHIELD business. You know how seriously I take SHIELD."

"You still think I'm of the Red Room, whatever that is," Sigyn calmly told Peggy Carter, glad that the conversation had finally taken a more civilized turn. "But I'm not."

"Can you prove it?"

"I believe I can." She dismissed the illusion in the bed and revealed her true self. They all looked at her with a mixture of awe and wariness. "Is this something one can learn at the Red Room?"

"Certainly not," Peggy Carter mumbled.

"Next time you restrain a sorceress, use enchanted shackles… As you can see, Peggy Carter, if I wanted you or your friends dead, you'd be dead by now. I'm not an enemy."

No one spoke for a while. The silence was only broken when Sigyn had to wince in pain. She shouldn't have been standing on her feet for too long with that wound. When she looked down, she realized the dressing had been soaked in blood.

"You popped your stitches," Howard Stark said. "Get back in that bed, let me take a look at that wound."

"I won't let you lay a finger on me, Walterson!"

"Why do you keep calling me 'Walterson'?"

"Wasn't your father's name Walter?" she asked, confused.

"Yes, but… Look, just call me Howard. 'Howard' is fine."

"As you wish," she said, and then turned to Peggy Carter.

"Peggy," she said.

"Edwin Jarvis, at your service," the servant said.

"Sigyn," she told them, and sat in the nearest chair. "I'll cast a healing spell. It will take several days for such a deep wound to heal, but at least the bleeding will stop."

"Good," Howard said. "Frankly, I was more worried about the carpet. It's Persian."

"I don't know what that means."

"That means it's worth more than you are. Though an alien would probably worth a fortune in the black market…"

"Are you threatening to sell me into slavery now?"

"Relax, slavery was abolished more than 80 years ago… Peggy, a word?" Howard asked. He and Peggy left the room. Sigyn didn't ask where they were going. She focused on her healing spell instead.

"Oh," Mr. Jarvis exclaimed softly when he saw a flash of golden light. "Impressive."

"Mr. Jarvis, can I have some water, please?" she asked when she recalled how thirsty she was.

"Of course." He fetched her a glass, and a jug full of water.

Sigyn drained the glass in three gulps. Without a word, Jarvis refilled it. After the fourth glass, she was feeling much better.

"You're Howard's servant, aren't you? Are you the only one?"

"I'm his butler," he corrected her.

"What's the difference?"

He smiled. "You're not very familiar with our world, are you, my lady?"

"I will be, in time. This is my first day here. I'm sure you'll understand, Mr. Jarvis. You seem… adaptable."

"My time as a butler to Mr. Stark has taught me to keep an open mind. Is there anything else you need? Perhaps you'd like something to eat?"

"Did Howard tell you to poison the food?" she asked, but she was merely jesting now.

"Of course not. I can personally assure you that Mr. Stark's hospitality is impeccable."

"Then a meal would be most welcome." Indeed, she was starving.

"I'll be back in a jiffy."

Sigyn busied himself studying the bedchamber until Mr. Jarvis returned with her meal. To be honest, the meat smelled great.

"I hope you like steak," he said, then in a small voice, added, "Or, at least know what steak is…"

She laughed. "I know what steak is, Mr. Jarvis, don't fret." She then pointed at the portrait of Howard on the wall. "That portrait… I thought I saw another one in the entrance hall."

"I'm sure you did, my lady."

"How many portraits does he have?"

"There is a portrait in every room of the house. Each one is different, though. It's a collection."

She opened her mouth to say something, but then realized she was at a loss for words. Who could have known that the most arrogant being the Nine Realms had ever seen was here, in Midgard? She heaved a sigh, wondering for how many decades she was going to have to tolerate Howard Stark. Perhaps this was how the universe was punishing Sigyn for abandoning her loved ones.

…

Although she had gone to sleep with a full belly, Sigyn was famished again when she woke up the next morning. She had been given a silk nightgown, and a robe, so at least she hadn't had to sleep in her tunic and breeches. Still, she wanted to be in her armor while she had to be around Howard, so she put it back on before heading out of the bedchamber. Mr. Jarvis had said fresh fruit and scones were served every morning. She didn't know what "scones" were, but she was too hungry to care right now.

It didn't take long for her to find the dining hall. Well, it wasn't big enough to be a "hall," compared to the great dining hall of the Asgardian royal palace, where hundreds of people could feast together. "Room" would be a more appropriate term. Howard Stark was sitting at the table by himself, both reading a book and eating.

"Good morning," he said curtly, without even looking at her.

"Good morning," Sigyn replied, and took the seat across from him. "Where's Peggy?"

"She's returned to New York. She had to take care of some… things. Family things. Left me here with a crazy space Viking."

She smirked dangerously. "As I recall, you were quite eager to spend more time with me yesterday…"

"That was before you nearly killed me!"

Mr. Jarvis entered the room, carrying two plates in his hands. One was full of fruit, the other small, round pastries. Sigyn assumed they were what mortals called "scones."

"Good morning, Lady Sigyn," he said, placing the plates on the table for her, then he fetched a pot. "Tea?"

"Yes, please," she said, and turned to Howard. "New York?"

"It's the greatest city on this planet. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise. Jarvis will take you there tomorrow."

"Why must I go to New York?"

"I thought you wanted to be closer to the Tesseract," he said, as if he was stating something obvious. "We keep it in a SHIELD facility in New York."

"What about you? Are you not coming?"

"I will join you later. Unfortunately, SHIELD is not the only establishment that demands my attention. Do you know of Stark Industries?"

"You're a merchant, I know."

He put the book down and raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm a businessman."

"But you invent things, and sell them."

"Yes?"

"That makes you a merchant."

"We need to work on your vocabulary if you're planning to stick around here," he muttered, and returned to his book.

"I've sworn an oath to guard the Tesseract with my life. I'm not going anywhere." Much to her surprise, Howard made no reply.

Sigyn took a sip from her tea, and started eating her breakfast. These are delicious, she thought to herself. To be honest, Midgardian food was much better than she had expected it to be. At some point, Howard snapped his fingers twice, and Mr. Jarvis, who had been obediently waiting in a corner, came to pour him more tea.

"Good gracious!" he exclaimed all of a sudden. "Is it true that your husband gave birth to an eight-legged horse?"

Mr. Jarvis' eyes widened. "That sounds immensely painful… and disturbing."

"What?" Sigyn cried in disbelief. "Odin has an eight-legged horse, true, but Loki didn't give birth to him, of course. How do you even know of that jest?"

He waved the book at her. "I'm reading your biography, darling."

She shook her head. "Did mortals really believe that? Yes, Loki can cast the most realistic illusions, after Queen Frigga's, of course, but that doesn't make him an actual shape-shifter!"

"Loki… He's the God of Mischief, right? And you said your father's name was Tyr. The God of War. So, what are you the goddess of? Fidelity?"

"Is that what they say about me?" she asked, now feeling a bit proud.

"Yes."

"We don't see ourselves as gods and goddesses, but I'd be honored to be known as the Goddess of Fidelity."

"Well, that sounds… boring."

"I don't expect you to understand, Howard. You seem incapable of devotion."

"And you seem to have quite an appetite for someone… so small."

Sigyn froze. She wasn't eating more than she usually did, but no one had told her she had "quite an appetite" before. On the contrary, she ate very little compared to other Asgardians. "You should see my friend, Volstagg, then."

"It's probably because your metabolism burns faster… Jarvis, I'm going out. You stay here, and keep an eye on my… guest, will you?"

"As you wish, sir."

When Howard stood up, a pained wince escaped his mouth, and he placed a hand on the small of his back.

"Mr. Stark?"

"I'm alright," he said, but he sucked in a sharp breath as he straightened himself up. Sigyn wasn't sure why, but suddenly, she felt a slight remorse for what she had done to him yesterday.

"Let me." She got on her feet and approached him, but Howard actually flinched when she extended her hands.

"Can you please not do anything awful for five seconds?"

"I'm not doing anything awful, I just want to cast a healing spell. The same one I used on myself. It will ease your pain."

"Why?"

"Consider it a peace offering."

"Very well. Go ahead. Let's see what you got."

Sigyn put a hand on his back and recited the ancient words.

"Oh, wow… I feel better, indeed."

"I told you, didn't I?"

"Thanks, I suppose," he said reluctantly, and walked out of the room.

A/N: Thanks everyone who has reviewed so far. The second and third installments never got the response I'd expected, so every single review means a lot to me. Just a quick reminder, I hate abandoning my stories, so I always pre-write them before start posting. I'm still working on the last two chapters and I will probably squeeze in another chapter after watching Captain Marvel, but other than that, this fic is completed, I just post the chapters after one last grammar/spell check. Also, dear Guest, I'm sorry you didn't like Sigyn in the first story, but perhaps this one helps you like her more.