Author's Note: Hi there! Just a warning, the next few chapters will be fairly short, but I will be posting them rather quickly so perhaps that will make up for the length. Reteka Hyuuga- Yep, all is prepared for Loki to get into trouble, well almost everything... :) I am glad you enjoyed the verbal competition (granted only Loki knew it was a competition), it was certainly a lot of fun to write! I own nothing except for Sigyn and her family. Enjoy!
Sigyn spent weeks pouring over the large tome the Queen had lent to her. It was full of fascinating tales that had been passed down for thousands of years, and she could hardly put it down. Sigyn recognized some of the stories from her childhood, but most of them were new to her.
"At the rate you are reading that book, you will be finished before the next big celebration." Frida commented one afternoon.
Sigyn had taken to sitting in with Frida as she weaved. She simply read while Frida worked, but Frida had admitted to liking the company.
"And when exactly is that?" Sigyn asked without looking up from her page.
"Sometime next week I believe." Frida replied.
"And what is the occasion?" Sigyn pried.
"Does there really need to be an occasion for a celebration in Asgard?" Frida answered with a hint of a smile.
"I would think so, but that is perhaps the problem. I think."
"No one would fault you for thinking Sigyn. If they faulted you for anything, it would be for not being more verbal about those thoughts." Frida remarked.
"I see no reason to share every thought and idea I have with the entire Realm Frida. Being selective in the opinions that I voice will ensure that others pay more attention when I do share them."
"And why is that?"
"Because they will know that when I speak it is not merely because I enjoy the sound of my own voice. The decision to express my views is not taken lightly, therefore others will not take those views lightly."
The sisters fell back into their tasks, and for a time the only sounds that could be heard were the turning of pages and the swoosh of the loom.
"Do you plan on slapping anymore Princes at the next banquet?" Frida teased after a long period of silence.
Sigyn closed her book and smiled.
"I have no intention to, but if the opportunity were to present itself I doubt I would be able to resist the temptation."
Frida laughed. "I still can't believe you struck him again…"
"It was hardly a violent strike!" Sigyn interjected in her own defense.
"Still, you did strike him. You would be the envy of half of the court if they knew."
"Is Prince Loki really all that disliked?" Sigyn queried.
Frida looked away from her weaving for the first time. "I wouldn't call it dislike, it is more frustration than anything. Loki's pranks have embarrassed a fair number of people, and courtiers tend to hold grudges."
"If I were them I would simply laugh along." Sigyn noted. "If Loki's goal was to rile them up then they are allowing him to succeed, and if they continue allowing him to succeed then he will continue to prank them."
"That is true, but few people think that clearly when they are upset."
"And why should they be so upset? From the stories you have told me his pranks seem rather harmless."
"They are but, as I pointed out before, people have been embarrassed by them. I know few people in the court that would be willing to laugh at their own expense."
"Then there lies the true problem. The Prince's unwitting victims are too fond of themselves."
"Sigyn! It is unwise to speak so of the nobility!" Frida admonished.
Sigyn waved her hand dismissively. "A nobility we are a part of." She reminded Frida.
"Yes, but if you wish to not be alienated by them you best not speak like this in their presence." Frida warned.
"If I am to be alienated for speaking the truth, then let me be alienated. It is not my fault if others are so self-important that they have lost the ability to laugh at themselves. I respect those that value honesty, and those that are willing to laugh at themselves. In fact, I would go as far to say that those who are able to laugh at their own expense are those who are the most self-assured."
"You seem to have put a fair amount of previous thought into this." Frida pointed out.
"Everyone will be made a fool at some point in their lives, and how a person reacts to that inevitable experience will say a lot about their true character. It is by a person's true character that I wish to choose my association with them so yes, I have given this topic a fair amount of thought." Sigyn replied.
Frida turned back to her loom as she laughed. "Perhaps you do think too much."
Sigyn reopened her book contentedly. She hadn't really thought about Prince Loki since their last encounter, but the thought of what their next tête-à-tête could hold brought a small smile to her lips.
