After they returned to Midgard, the Jarvises never spoke of what had happened in the healing room, but the next day, Howard asked Sigyn who Lorelei was. She told him everything. Soon, her new friends knew what it meant to be the only half-mortal in Asgard and why she was so desperate to become a great warrior. For the first time since she had come to her mother's realm, she saw pity in their eyes. But that pity didn't wound their friendship. On the contrary, they seemed to trust her more now. After that failure, she didn't think Howard would be willing to use the super soldier serum on her even if he was able to recreate it one day, but he promised that he would, and he didn't want anything from her in return anymore. He also said he now trusted Sigyn to give her her own place to live. It was a penthouse in Manhattan; smaller than the mansion where she had lived with the Jarvises, and the other floors belonged to other mortals, but it had a magnificent view of the New York City. Sigyn said she could pay for this residence with Asgardian gold—when she had accepted to become the guardian of the Tesseract, Odin had given her enough gold to afford a comfortable living in Midgard for at least 500 years—but Howard had refused to take it. In the penthouse, Sigyn had found the records of old Viking songs. When she played them, she realized some of the songs her mother used to sing had survived to this age. That was such a thoughtful gesture.
Sigyn suspected it was Loki who had told Odin about her plan to bring mortals to Asgard. He admitted it when she confronted her husband. Sigyn knew he was trying to protect her in his selfish, twisted way, but she refused to speak with him again after that confrontation. She was betrayed, she furious, and she didn't know how she would ever be able to forgive him.
Ana had been pretending to be unusually cheerful since they had returned from Asgard. Was it to hide her own pain from Sigyn, or to console her, she didn't know. Probably both. Although they didn't live in the same house anymore, Sigyn and Ana still spent plenty of time together. They would take a stroll in the streets, go shopping or to movies. They were taking a walk after seeing a movie named Sunset Boulevard, for example, along a street Sigyn was pretty sure she had never seen before. Ana was determined to show her every part of this city.
"Stop blaming yourself for what happened," she suddenly said, taking her arm. "You did everything you could. Besides, Mr. Stark promised to help you, right?"
"It's not about the serum, Ana. I really wanted to help you. You would be a great mother."
"So would you."
"It's not the same thing. I swore an oath not to bear children. I had a choice. You didn't."
"Look, I only spent like, half an hour, in Asgard, but from what I saw, I don't think you were given much of a choice… in anything."
Sigyn opened her mouth to say it wasn't actually as bad as it seemed, but she froze when she sensed something. Was it… magic? Yes, it was definitely magic. This was unusual. There were no sorcerers in Midgard. She looked around to find the source, and decided that the energy was coming from the building on her right.
"Sigyn?" Ana asked warily. "Is everything alright?"
"What's that building over there?"
Ana shrugged. "I don't know. It's just a building. Why?"
"Nothing," she lied. "Just curious. Does this street have a name?"
She thought for a moment before replying. "Bleecker Street, I guess. What's wrong? You're acting weird."
Sigyn would love to discover the source of this Midgardian magic, but not while she was with Ana. Whatever it was, it could be dangerous.
"Sorry. It just seemed familiar. I must have been mistaken. Come, let's keep walking."
Ana didn't seem convinced, but she didn't push the matter any further. Tomorrow, Sigyn would come back here, alone, and find out. Sigyn sometimes still struggled navigating her way through Midgardian streets, but at least she had an address in case she got lost.
117A, Bleecker Street.
…
The next day, Sigyn was standing at the door of the mysterious building. Instead of actual Midgardian clothes, she had donned her armor, and disguised it as a Midgardian dress. When she knocked, the door opened by itself. She stepped inside. She could still sense the same magic she had sensed yesterday, but other than that, there was nothing unusual about the richly decorated entrance hall. It reminded her of Howard's houses. Whoever owned this place, they had to be wealthy.
"Lady Sigyn, welcome to the New York Sanctum," a male voice said. There was a man who stood at the top of the wide wooden stairs. Slowly, he descended the steps, and stopped right before her. Sigyn now knew enough about the life in Midgard to realize that there was something unusual about his outfit. Mortals didn't normally wear layered robes like the one this man was wearing. But more importantly, Sigyn could sense magic in him. He wasn't the source itself, but he definitely practiced magic.
She dismissed the illusion on her armor to show him that she had come here prepared, but decided not to draw her sword just yet. "The New York Sanctum? What does that mean? And who are you?"
"I am the Master of the New York Sanctum. The Ancient One is waiting for you. She will answer your questions. This way, please."
Not sure what else to do, she followed this Master into a corridor on the left. It was a short corridor, and there was a stone door at the end. A door with a peculiar symbol on it. Then she recalled that she had seen the same symbol on the top of this building.
The man opened this door, and gestured her to go ahead. When Sigyn passed the threshold, she felt something around her shift. There was a bald woman in similar robes on the other side, indeed waiting for her.
"Thank you, Master William," she told the sorcerer.
Master William didn't follow Sigyn inside this room. Instead, he closed the door, leaving her alone with this woman.
"Are you the Ancient One?"
"I am. And you're Lady Sigyn of Asgard, daughter of General Tyr, wife of Loki Odinson, and the protector of the Space Stone."
Sigyn didn't ask how she knew all these. The magic she sensed in this mortal was much stronger than what she had sensed in Master William. There was also something dark and ancient. It wasn't really difficult for such a powerful sorceress to know who Lady Sigyn was. Instead, she asked, "I'm not in New York anymore, am I?"
She smiled. "No. But fear not, you're free to return any time you wish."
"What is this place?"
"This is Kamar-Taj."
"Another 'Sanctum'?"
"No. But all Sanctums are connected through this place."
She turned around and looked at the door she had passed through. There were two more like that one. "Are there only three Sanctums?"
"Yes. You've discovered the New York Sanctum. The others are in London and Hong Kong. Come, let me show you around. Kamar-Taj is nothing like Asgard, of course, but I think you'll still find it quite charming."
When she looked around, she realized this place was actually a library. Much smaller than the libraries of Asgard, but it was still a vast collection.
"All these books," she gasped. "Are they on magic?"
"Yes."
The Ancient One led her into a courtyard, where a dozen of mortals were practicing a sequence of movements. At first, she didn't understand what they were doing, but then realized they were learning to open a portal. And most were succeeding. The others, she assumed, had to be beginners.
"You harness mystical energy to open portals… How do you do that?" It wasn't something one could do with Asgardian magic.
"You can learn how, if you join us… Tea?" A disciple brought her a tray. She poured two cups of tea, and gave one to Sigyn.
She smelled the tea, just in case, before taking a sip. "So, is that why you called me here? Do you want me to be your pupil?"
"I called you here because I knew you wanted to know more about Midgard, as is your right. You think you're neither human, nor Asgardian, but you're wrong."
"What am I, then?"
She looked her in the eye, and for some reason, Sigyn felt like this sorceress' gaze was piercing right through her soul. "You're both."
Sigyn made no reply.
"Do you think you're the only lost soul in the world? Kamar-Taj is a house of wisdom, enlightenment, and self-discovery for people like you. All these people you see around, they were once lost, too. And now, here they are."
"And it's you who heals them?"
"I teach them how to heal themselves."
"So, Midgard has its own sorcerers… Since when?"
"We humans are not as unsophisticated as Asgard believes us to be. In fact, our order predates many ancient civilizations."
"Heimdall has never told me about you."
"I can't say I'm surprised. I assume he's aware of the existence of Kamar-Taj and the Sanctums, but what transpires within them is hidden from his gaze."
"Impressive. Still, I don't understand. How can one become a "Master" of magic in only a matter of decades?"
"What we practice is called the Eldritch Magic. It's different from Asgardian sorcery. It takes an equal amount of dedication, if not more, but a shorter period of time to master."
"And once you master, what do you do with those powers?"
"I don't have to remind you how vulnerable this world is, Lady Sigyn. Organizations like SHIELD protect it from physical threats. The Sanctums protect it from mystical ones. And we, the Masters of the Mystic Arts, protect the Sanctums. What do you say? You're already a master in Asgardian magic. Would you like to learn the magic of your mother's world as well?"
"I would love to, but I can't join your order. My duty is to guard the Tesseract. I promised a friend that I'd let him keep and study it, so I can't bring it here with me. But I can't leave it unguarded back in New York either."
"You could also learn how to heal your friend, Ana Jarvis."
"By drawing power from the Dark Dimension, I assume?" she asked sharply. This mortal must have been drawing power from the Dark Dimension. That was how she must have become the "Ancient One." The idea disgusted Sigyn. There was a good reason any form of dark magic was forbidden in Asgard.
"I don't enjoy drawing power from the Dark Dimension," she admitted. "Nevertheless, I must keep doing it until I find a worthy successor."
"If you choose to become a slave to Dormammu with your own free will, it's not my place to stop you from doing so. But I refuse to use dark magic on my friend, even if it's the only way to heal her. Now, if you excuse me, I must return to New York." She put the empty teacup down.
"Of course. I see why you're called the Goddess of Fidelity, Sigyn Tyrsdottir."
"Thank you, Ancient One."
Sigyn followed her back into the library. As they made their way to the Sanctum gates, Sigyn heard a voice calling to her. It was genderless, and almost like a whisper, but she could hear it clearly.
"What's this?"
The Ancient One turned to her, and blinked in confusion. "I beg your pardon?"
"Do you not hear a voice?"
"No... Can you tell me where it's coming from?"
She walked around the library, trying to locate the source. The whisper became louder as she approached the Sanctum doors. There it was, on the pedestal…
"What's that?"
"The Eye of Agamotto," gasped.
"What is it?"
"The Eye of Agamotto is one of the powerful relics here, created by our founder, Agamotto himself. Is it really calling to you?" She seemed as bewildered as Sigyn.
"I believe it does," she said approcahing the pedestal. When she put a hand on the pedestal, the Eye opened, revealing the glowing green gem inside. The Ancient One let out another gasp when it did. The power Sigyn sensed was as ancient as the universe itself, and infinite. Just like the Tesseract…
"The Eye wants to show you something. Put it on."
Sigyn obeyed. And the moment she did, she wished she hadn't.
She was on a spaceship, surrounded by dead Asgardians. Not just a few; there were piles of dead bodies everywhere. Sigyn was on her knees, weeping. A gigantic, purple creature stood above her. He was wearing a gauntlet on his left hand. Just like the Infinity Gauntlet in Odin's Vault… But it couldn't be the same one. She was certain that the one in Asgard was for the right hand. Still, he was wearing an Infinity Gauntlet, and had two Infinity Stones on it. One purple, one blue… The Power and The Space Stones. When he extended his right hand, she thought he was going to strike her, but he didn't. Instead, he gently wiped her tears away.
"I don't want to kill you," he said. His voice was surprisingly gentle as well. "You're unique, Sigyn. I don't want you to spend an eternity resenting me either. I made that mistake once, with another daughter… Still, there has to be a balance. I cannot make an exception, not even for my children. So, choose, child. I give you a chance to save one of them."
He stepped aside, and Sigyn saw that Loki and Sif were being held by two repulsive creatures. Only then, she realized what the purple one had been talking about. Sigyn had never seen either of them so scared before. Not even on that day in Nornheim…
"I cannot choose. Kill me instead."
"No. But unless you make a choice, I'll kill them both."
She gulped.
"My love," Loki said. "I understand. I understand why I must die. It's alright. I deserve to die anyway. All those people I killed…"
She choked on a sob. "But I love you, Loki. I love you so much."
He smiled. "I know. I love you, too. But you owe Sif a debt."
"Sister, you don't owe me anything. I've lived a good life. Now let me die a warrior's death."
But Sigyn knew Loki was right. She did owe Sif a debt. She turned her head, and looked at Thor behind her. He, too, was on his knees, and… What in Hel had happened to him? He was covered in blood, his hair had been cut short, he had lost an eye, and some kind of metal contraption restrained him. The mighty Thor had lost a battle…
"I'm sorry," she told him. "If only Thanos just killed me instead."
He bowed his head, as if he wanted to tell her that he understood her struggle.
Thanos smirked. "I assume you have a preference?"
"My sister. I choose my sister."
Much to her surprise, he gave her a dagger. "Very well. Give your treacherous husband a quick death, and we shall be done here."
Her eyes widened in terror. "Do you want me to do it?"
"Unless you think he deserves a more painful death?" he questioned with a menacing smirk.
"No," she said quickly, scrambling to her feet. "Of course not. I'll do it."
She walked up to Loki. He was still smiling at her. "It's alright, Sigyn. I'm just glad it's you."
"Forgive me," she whimpered.
"There is nothing to forgive. I'll be reunited with Odin and Frigga in Valhalla. I'll see your parents, too. Haldor, the Warriors Three, perhaps even your beloved mortal friends…" He had looked at Sif while saying Haldor's name.
Sigyn tried to smile, too, but she couldn't. "Goodbye, my love," she said, and drove the dagger into his heart. Then she closed her eyes and howled in agony. When she opened her eyes again, she was back in Kamar-Taj.
"What was that?" she asked the Ancient One, panting heavily.
"That was your future." Sigyn was terrified, but the Ancient One's calmness led her to believe this wasn't even the worst thing the eye of Agamotto had shown her.
"This is the Time Stone, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"And Thanos… Who is he?"
"There are many who seek to collect all the six Infinity Stones. Thanos is one of them. He thinks he can bring balance to the universe by killing half of the living things."
"But that's madness!"
"And that's why people call him the Mad Titan."
"We must stop him!"
She smiled patiently as if Sigyn were a child throwing a tantrum. "You can try."
"So, will you just let him be, then? What kind of protector are you?"
"I've looked into my future and realized it's not my fight. It will be my successor's. For now, my duty is to wait for him."
Then, another thought occurred to her. "There are two Infinity Stones in Midgard. It's too dangerous."
"Then you must take the Tesseract to Asgard."
"I can't. I promised my king that I'd guard the cube here, and I promised my friend to let him study it. You must give up on the Eye."
"And do what, exactly? Hide it in another world and put its people in peril, like Odin did?" she asked sharply. "No, the Eye of Agamotto stays here, on Earth."
Sigyn wasn't going to give up easily. "So does the Tesseract. I'll tell Odin about the Time Stone. You shall answer to him."
"Do you really trust him?"
"Of course I do."
"Oh, Lady Sigyn… You might be married to the God of Lies, but you're not the Goddess of Lies. We both know that you're not going to tell Odin anything. You're not going to tell anyone anything."
"What makes you think so?"
"Because no one else knows the Time Stone is here. Not even Thanos. And we, as two stonekeepers, must keep it that way."
"What if he finds out anyway?"
"Thanos is not ready. We have time. We can use that time to prepare this world for his arrival. We might need the Eye for that."
"Can that future be changed?"
"What you saw was a reality. Only one of many."
"So, it can be changed… How?"
"With the right actions."
Sigyn needed some time alone to process everything that had happened today. "I must go back to New York."
"Very well… Before you go, though, do you swear to keep our secrets?"
"I do. Thank you for your hospitality." she said, and bolted for the New York Sanctum door. She was starting to think she might have made too many promises.
…
Sigyn returned to her penthouse, only to find Loki waiting for her. His timing couldn't have been worse. But she couldn't tell him about the future she had seen. The Ancient One was right. She couldn't tell anyone. It was her burden to bear alone.
"What are you doing here?" she asked wearily.
"I've come to apologize."
"It's not my forgiveness you must earn."
"I could apologize to the Jarvises, if that's what you want."
Sigyn knew him well enough to see that he was serious. This newly-found humility surprised her, but she did her best not to look impressed. "No, you'll only scare them. Just do me a favor and stay away from my friends, alright?"
"As you wish."
"Go away, Loki." She turned around and headed for the kitchen. She hadn't eaten anything today. A full belly would probably help her think more reasonably. But suddenly, she felt Loki's cold fingers around her wrist. He wasn't just a projection. He was here.
"How did you…"
"I used one of the secret passages. Oh, and I've brought you a proper Asgardian ship as well. It's on the roof. You won't have to rely on those primitive flying boats anymore."
Yes, this was the Loki she had missed. Mischievous, perhaps even duplicitous, but also thoughtful and affectionate. Then she remembered the Ancient One's words.
"With the right actions."
She could only change that future with the right actions. Loki would be a victim of Thanos only because of her love for him. That was what she needed to change.
"Loki, stop…"
"Stop what?"
"Stop pretending like we're in love."
He frowned. "Are we not?"
"No, Loki, we're not. We never have been."
"Then why did you marry me?"
"Because you left me no other choice! Because you are a spoiled, entitled prince who cannot handle rejection! You never loved me, Loki. I can see that now. My mother loved my father, and she followed him to a realm of unknown, without hesitation. Mr. Jarvis loves Ana, and he, a mere mortal, defied the Allfather himself when his wife was insulted. You never did either of those things for me when you should have. You only married me because you wanted to show everyone that you could have the most beautiful maiden in Asgard. I'm just a trophy. For hundreds of years, I let you parade me around, but no more. Go find yourself a new pet."
Sigyn might not be the Goddess of Lies, but she could lie convincingly enough if that was what it took to protect her husband. Still, when a tear fell from his eye, she had to look away.
"Very well," he said flatly. "It may be too late to annul our marriage, but rest assured, you'll never hear from me again. Enjoy your pathetic life in Midgard."
She closed her eyes, and only opened them when she heard the front door being slammed shut. Loki had left. Sigyn collapsed on the floor, and wept for hours. Finally, as the nightfall approached, she got on her feet, and decided to go to the rooftop. She wanted to see if Loki had taken the flyer with him. She hoped he had. It would prove that he really had given up on her.
But it was still there, cloaked with an invisibility spell. Loki must have decided to walk all the way to his secret portal, then, which was very far from here. Sigyn started crying again. How was she going to make this man hate her?
…
Loki kept his promise, and never contacted her after that day. But the more Sigyn thought of that vision, the less sense it made. Maybe Sigyn had been captured while trying to protect the Tesseract from Thanos, but why were the other Asgardians on that ship? They didn't look like warriors. Where were they going? Or, were they coming from somewhere? How could Thor, the greatest warrior of Asgard, lose a battle? Why was Mjolnir not with him? Where were the Warriors Three? Where was her father? Queen Frigga? And more importantly, where was Odin himself? But the lack of answers was going to drive her mad, so eventually, she stopped asking questions. Her life in Midgard returned to its normal course before anyone could even notice that it had fallen apart. Sigyn was just trying to be grateful for the family she had found here. But nothing lasted forever. Especially in Midgard.
As years passed, Howard's obsession with finding Steve Rogers, or at least replicating the super soldier serum became worse. For some obscure reason, Peggy and Mr. Jarvis seemed to be blaming themselves for this obssesion, and one day, they decided to confess something. Howard hadn't lost Captain Rogers' blood sample during that conflict with the SSR. Mr. Jarvis had secretly given it to Peggy, and Peggy had chosen to pour it away. They had hoped this confession would help Howard stop blaming himself, but it only made things worse. Howard kept Mr. Jarvis as his butler, and he kept working with Peggy at SHIELD, but he grew distant, cold, and stern. He buried himself in his work. He even stopped fooling around with women. Sigyn was starting to fear for him, but she refused to take any sides in this conflict. She loved all of them equally, and she couldn't blame any of them. They all had their reasons.
At least Peggy had been able to move on, and married Daniel Sousa. Hers was the first Midgardian wedding Sigyn had attended, and she had attended it with the Jarvises. Howard had refused to come. But they all remembered it was thanks to Howard that Daniel could have a dance with his bride.
Soon, Peggy had two children. A son and a daughter. Daniel knew of Sigyn's true identity, but both he and Peggy had agreed to leave their children out of the SHIELD business. It was a dangerous life. And a mysterious "family friend" who didn't age would eventually raise suspicions, so Sigyn gracefully promised to stay away from Peggy's family before anyone had to warn her.
The second wedding she attended was Joseph Manfredi's. She was a bit confused when she found out Manfredi was the leader of the Maggia, a criminal organization, but Howard said he and Joseph were childhood friends. They had grown up together. Manfredi even asked him to be his best man, and Howard was honored by the gesture. He begged Sigyn to go with him to the wedding, though, saying he didn't have any other female friends he trusted to keep the gold diggers away. It was alarming to hear such a thing from him. After all, he had willingly surrounded himself by those gold diggers for years.
He met Maria Carbonell at this wedding. She was a distant cousin of Manfredi's. Someone had asked her to play a song at the piano, and Howard couldn't take his eyes off her since then. "She is an angel," he kept saying. She was a charming young woman, indeed. And clearly, a talented musician. Manfredi introduced them, but unlike most women, Maria didn't swoon over him. On the contrary, much to his frustration, she barely looked at Howard. But Howard wouldn't give up easily either. At first, Sigyn had assumed he had returned to his old ways, but then realized that he actually respected this woman. After months of persistent courtship, Maria, too, was finally convinced and she decided to give Howard a chance.
When she and Howard got engaged, he told her the truth about SHIELD. He said he would do anything to keep her safe, but he also wanted her to understand how dangerous being Howard Stark's wife could be. But Maria wasn't a coward, and their wedding was the third one Sigyn attended. Howard agreed to invite Peggy and her family—mostly because Sigyn threatened not to come if he didn't—and they came, but he and Peggy barely spoke to each other. It broke Sigyn's heart. As for the Jarvises, they welcomed Mrs. Stark with open arms. Maria and Sigyn soon became good friends as well. "I could never imagine America's Mustachioed Casanova and the Goddess of Fidelity making such a good team, but Howard is full of surprises," she had said when she had found out the truth about "Sharon Tyler."
But Howard's wounds were too deep for even Maria's love to heal. He became more and more obsessed with the idea of proving his worth by building a better future, and not being remembered as a greedy weapons developer. But he still needed the money from the weapons to pursue his true dreams. He had another genius friend who shared these dreams. Anton Vanko. They had improved the Arc Reactor design together, and they were sure it was going to change the future. "The Unity Project," they called it. Howard had so much faith in this scientist that when his son was born, he gave him the English variant of his name, Anthony. He was planning to tell him the truth about the Tesseract when he discovered Anton's betrayal. Anton Vanko had been a spy for the Russian government all along. Howard deported him and his son to Russia immediately, but the betrayal made him even more paranoid and ill-tempered. He saw enemies everywhere.
He wasn't exactly wrong to be suspicious of everyone, though. There were indeed those who were trying to take advantage of his vulnerabilities. Maria was especially concerned about Obadiah Stane. She had even given Sigyn a secret, a secret she hadn't told anyone before. Stane had tried to seduce Maria—unsuccessfully, of course—while she was still Howard's fianceé. Lust, jealousy, and greed was a dangerous mixture. But telling this to Howard would only make his paranoia worse. So, the two women agreed to keep an eye on Stane and get rid of him quietly if he became a serious threat. Sigyn had come here to become an honorable warrior, but now, she was ready to become an assassin if necessary. Things she did for her friends…
She thought the situation couldn't get any worse, until one night she received a call from Maria. Ana Jarvis had died from stroke.