Author's Note: My note from the last chapter still applies here. A longer period of time covered in a short chapter. Caitreylove Oh, yes, her hair does return to its natural light brown color. I didn't mention it since we have already seen it happen once before. Hahaha well again, we do know what he saw, what we don't know is how what he saw is going to effect him. You didn't have to haunt your e-mail very long for this update. :)


Sigyn pulled Loki's cloak tightly around her. It had been several days since the Winternights festival, but she hadn't bothered to go to the palace to return his clothing. He had said that he would get it from her later, which meant that he would have to come to her. She found herself wearing it around despite the fact that it swallowed her. It was warmer than her own cloak, and the days had been getting abnormally cold. Sigyn also couldn't help but find Loki's smell to be comforting. There was something very familiar in it, some strange sense of security.

The dead grass crumpled underneath Sigyn's feet as she walked in the field outside her home. Her thoughts had been completely jumbled and confused as of late, and this had been the first day since the Winternights festival that she didn't have any familial obligations to stop her from taking some time to try and sort her life out. Ever since the Summer Solstice, Sigyn had found herself thinking more and more about Loki. He had been treading around her so carefully since they had begun to associate with one another again. Rarely did he allow himself to be in her company alone, and he made every effort not to even touch her. The mere grazing of his hand against hers would cause him to flinch away in fear, yet it only caused her pulse to quicken. It was strange that her body would react like that. What did it mean? Did it even really mean anything? No, that was ridiculous. It couldn't mean anything. Loki and she were on pleasant terms now, perhaps on their way to being friends, but nothing more. They could never be anything more than friends…

Could they?

Sure, they had fallen out rather badly, but they were both different people now. Why couldn't they be together again?

Did she even want to be with him again? If he asked, would she say yes?

That was a question she didn't know the answer to. They were just now interacting once more, so there was no reason she should even ask herself that question anyways. Still… she asked it all the same. Watching him play with the children at the Summer Solstice had sparked something in her. A remembrance of how playful and childlike Loki himself was.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

The sound of the crunching grass put Sigyn in a sort of trance. It was so steady unlike the thoughts and feelings that were swirling in her mind.

It was stupid to speculate on whether or not she would like to be with Loki again without knowing if he would even want to be with her. The more she thought about it, the more unlikely it seemed. He was repelled when he even brushed her skin. The thought of actually touching her must seem atrocious to him, or maybe it wasn't. Maybe the reason he didn't touch her wasn't because the idea disgusted him, but because of some other strange reason. Sigyn needed facts before she could speculate on what their future friendship could hold. The Winter Solstice was quickly approaching, and it would provide the perfect opportunity to begin discovering those facts. Her mind finally somewhat at ease, she made her way home.

Sigyn decided to wear her favorite golden gown to the Winter Solstice celebration, and she didn't miss the look of awe on Loki's face as she approached the throne with her parent's. It was the same gown she had worn the first time Loki had escorted her to that same festival. He would look at her occasionally throughout dinner, and she silently hoped that he would be the first to ask her to dance. To her disappointment he was not, nor was he the second or the third to ask for her hand. The evening stretched on, and never once did he seek her out as a dance partner. Sigyn almost found it offensive. He danced with other women, why did he refuse to dance with her? His eyes often met with hers, and he seemed to like what he saw, so why in the Nine Realms did he act so indifferent to her? He did condescend to speak to her in the presence of Thor and the others, and Sigyn decided that she would try a little experiment.

"I don't believe we have had the chance to dance yet, Prince Loki." She pointed out.

"No, we have not." He remarked.

"As I recall, I still owe you a dance." Sigyn reminded.

Loki gave her an uncomprehending look.

"From Lithasblot two years ago. You asked me to dance, but I had already promised that dance to Theoric." She prodded.

A flash of remembrance crossed Loki's eyes.

"Yes, of course. I had quite forgotten that actually." He apologized.

"We could have that dance now, that is if you still care to."

Sigyn could have sworn she saw Loki cringe almost imperceptibly, and there was a glimmer of discomfort in his green orbs.

"Forgive me Lady Sigyn, I would love to dance with you, but I fear the AllFather requires a word with me presently." Loki excused.

It was a lie.

He gave a slight bow, and left Sigyn standing with Thor and the others.

"Well that was certainly strange." Fandral remarked.

"Yes, yes it was." Volstagg concurred.

Sigyn just watched Loki as he sauntered off into the crowd and presumably to somewhere other than to have a conversation with the AllFather. Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three watched her silently for a moment. It was Thor who spoke first.

"Are you all right Sigyn?"

Sigyn shook off her obviously visible disappointment and turned to smile at the others.

"Yes, of course. I am simply a bit tired. I spent this afternoon looking after my niece, and she has an unlimited supply of energy. Perhaps it is time I retire." Sigyn excused.

None of the others discouraged her from going, and she left with a nod of her head. It was still too early to convince her parents to leave, so she decided to go get some fresh air. Sigyn meandered about the open-air hallways for a little while before slipping unseen into one of the smaller gardens. She lay down in the soft grass and looked up into the night sky. The stars twinkled above her, and the scent of flowers began to soothe her tense body. She closed her eyes for a bit knowing that a little nap would do her some good. She was awoken some unknown length of time later by two voices floating her direction.

"And what is so unwise about it?" A female voice asked.

It was Frigga, Sigyn was sure of it.

"Everything. Wasn't it you who warned me against any perusal of that sort?"

Loki.

Sigyn lay very still so as not to alert the two royals to her presence, and listened to their conversation somewhat guiltily.

"Yes, but when I warned you against it her situation was quite different from the one she finds herself in now." Frigga stated.

Loki gave a sigh.

"As am I, mother. When I decided that I wanted her back I didn't take into consideration that I didn't deserve her, that I could never deserve her."

Sigyn's heart began to beat faster. They were talking about her…or Amora…

"That you could never deserve her? Why can you never deserve her?"

"Because I…I just can't."

"Loki, I am your mother, and I demand you tell me. I refuse to stay in the dark any longer. At first you refused to tell me what happened between you two, then Sigyn refused to give me the full truth…"

"You spoke to Sigyn about our separation?" Loki asked in a worried tone.

"I did, but all she would say was that she had discovered you cheating on her. I don't doubt that it was enough to separate you, but I do doubt that it was bad enough to start the silent war between you and Thor that took place following your split."

Sigyn perked up slightly. She hadn't realized that Loki and Thor had fought with one another after her discovery of Loki.

"Why do you assume that Thor and I's quarrel had anything to do with Sigyn?" Loki inquired.

He was trying to change the subject, but it didn't fool Frigga.

"Because it started at the exact same time that you stopped seeing Sigyn. What connection did Thor have to your separation?"

"Why don't you ask Sigyn?" Loki responded with a touch of bitterness.

Sigyn supposed he would always be a bit bitter towards Thor and herself for that incident, but she couldn't blame him since she would always be a tad bitter at he and Amora.

"Ask Sigyn? Why?"

"Because she is the one who slept with him!" Loki almost shouted.

Frigga was silent for a moment.

"Sigyn slept with Thor?" She finally asked.

"Yes…"

Loki was trying to regain control over himself, and Sigyn could hear him walk a few steps.

"After she discovered Amora and I together in bed she went off and bedded Thor."

"I see, and that is what assured your separation?" The Queen prodded gently.

"No, I didn't know she had slept with him, and I asked her to come and speak with me. I thought I could still patch things up between us. She consented to the meeting, but when she confessed her infidelity I lost control of myself. If it had only been someone else, anyone else, it wouldn't have been so bad, but she slept with Thor! My brother!"

He continued to try and speak, but his words failed him. Embarrassment flooded Sigyn's cheeks. The guilt she had felt as she lay naked and exhausted on the floor with Thor pulsed through her veins once again. She had slept with the one person that Loki was jealous of, and she had done it intentionally.

"What happened next? You say you lost control of yourself, what do mean by that?"

"I mocked her with my words and my actions. I just wanted to prove to her that I had control over her, that she was beneath me, and that I could use her as I pleased."

"Loki…" Frigga didn't even try to hide the deep disappointment that she felt in the utterance of that one solitary word.

"Mother… I… I almost forced myself upon her. I threw her against the table in the library, and watched her squirm beneath me. I had never felt so powerful before, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was how Thor felt all the time. Her eyes, oh Norns, her eyes… they begged me to stop, the pleaded for me to see reason in a way her voice could not, but I didn't listen. I was too busy relishing that overwhelming sense of power, that strange sense of dominance. I literally held her life in my hands, and I wanted to see her suffer. I wanted her to feel the pain that I felt, without realizing that she already had felt it…"

Loki trailed off as he withdrew inside himself and the nightmares of his own dark desires.

Frigga said nothing.

Sigyn felt tears prick her eyes. They were not from the reminder of that terrible scene in the library, but from the guilt-ridden tone of Loki's voice. It all made sense now why Loki wouldn't touch her. She wished more than anything to see the look in his eyes, and Frigga's reaction to his admission. What she would give to reveal herself to the pair, and take Loki into her comforting embrace. She had already given him her forgiveness, why must he still torture himself over the past?

"Loki," Frigga's voice was comforting this time, "it is time to move on. Have you asked her forgiveness?"

"Yes."

"And I presume she has forgiven you."

"She has."

"Then if you are seeking her friendship once more I suggest you start to treat it like a normal friendship. It doesn't hurt for friends to dance with one another."

"I know that mother… I just need more time, that is all."

"How much more time darling? A year? A decade? A century?"

"However long it takes for my skin not to burn at her slightest touch." Loki responded.

"Don't wait forever, Loki. Every time you have lost her it has been because you waited too long. You know I support the idea of thinking through your actions before taking them, but if you simply sit around thinking all the time nothing will ever get done."

"I know."

"Don't tell me you know, show me." Frigga charged. "I should return to the banquet before your father misses me. Don't stay out here too long darling."

Sigyn could hear the rustle of Frigga's dress as she left, but she stayed in her spot listening for any signs of Loki. She didn't hear anything at first, but after a few moments she heard the sound of his leather boots on the stone floor of the corridor heading towards the entrance to the garden. Sigyn began to panic. If he came into the garden there was no way he wouldn't see her. She glanced around for an escape, but only found one. The large flower bushes that had been hiding her from the sight of Frigga and Loki would provide coverage, and they backed up to the railing. If she could crawl her way through them she might be able to slip through the large gaps in the railing and escape into the corridor. Not wishing to be found, she went with that plan of action. She found a small gap in them and shimmied into it. She crawled through them slowly and carefully trying not to shake them any more than the breeze already was. The going was slow and tough, and she knew that she was pretty much ruining her dress with dirt and grass stains. She peaked her head out through one of the gaps in the railing and couldn't see Loki anywhere. She smiled to herself and pulled herself out of the flowerbed and into the corridor. This last motion shook the bushes rather violently and Sigyn swore to herself. She heard Loki's soft steps in the garden make their way towards the rustling, and Sigyn crawled as quickly as possible behind a nearby pillar. Silence reigned for a few minutes, and Sigyn held her breath. She half expected Loki to peak around her pillar and say "Got you!" He did no such thing however. She finally worked up the courage to dart from pillar to pillar in the opposite direction of the garden. Only once she was a safe distance away did she stop acting so suspicious. On her way back to the banqueting hall she happened to come across Thor and Sif who were heading away from the party. The pair seemed more than a little surprised to see Sigyn there.

"Sigyn… where in the Nine Realms have you been?" Thor asked.

"Oh, umm… I was just… taking a walk in the gardens." She excused. "Why? Was someone looking for me?"

"No, it is just… well are you certain you were walking through the gardens because it looks like you were traipsing about something more akin to a forest." Sif remarked.

Sigyn looked down at her dress and laughed.

"Yes, it does, doesn't it? I lost an earring in one of the flowerbeds, and I had to go looking for it." She excused.

"I see… and did you find it?" Thor asked a bit unsure about her story.

"I did." She replied with a smile and pointing to one of her earrings.

"Very good, well if you don't mind, Lady Sif and I have a few things to discuss." Thor excused.

Sigyn smiled a knowing smile.

"I am sure you do."

The three of them bowed to one another, and Sigyn continued her journey to the banqueting hall. Once she reached the doors she was faced with a decision. She couldn't go in there looking like this, seeing as it would raise questions from her family and others, but she couldn't just leave without telling her family of her departure. A servant coming in her direction gave Sigyn an idea. She quickly intercepted the maid and requested that she tell her family of her parting. The maid promised to do so, and Sigyn made her way to the stables. She wouldn't take one of the horses since it would be impossible to ride in this particular dress, so she simply retrieved Loki's cloak, which she had left in the carriage upon their arrival. She drew it around her tightly and pulled the hood over her head. The walk home was a long one, but Sigyn didn't mind it. She wasted no time getting out of her soiled dress and handing it off to one of the servants to see if it could be saved. She didn't wait for her parents to return, but went straight to bed.

Weeks trickled by, and Sigyn thought that she would hear from Loki, but she didn't. Did he not want his clothes back or something? Maybe he had meant that she should bring them to him? This was confusing, why didn't he just let her give them back when he dropped her off home? Ostara, the Spring festival, arrived in due time, and Sigyn determined that she would just bring Loki's things to the celebration with the intent of giving them back. When she arrived however, Loki was nowhere to be seen. She kept expecting him to saunter in during the feast, or at least during the dancing, but he never did. Curious as to his absence, Sigyn determined to ask Frigga about it. Spotting the Queen from across the room, Sigyn quickly made her way over and bowed.

"Good evening, My Queen." She greeted.

"Good evening, Sigyn. How are you this lovely Spring evening?"

"Very well, thank you. I was wondering though, where is Prince Loki?"

Frigga kept a smile on, but Sigyn could sense that it was forced.

"He is…away."

"Away? Away as in…dealing in the matters of the Realm away?"

"Yes."

Sigyn almost let her own smile fall for a second, but didn't wish to draw attention to their conversation.

"He still mixes himself in those types of affairs after what happened?"

"He does, I think it gives him some sort of strange enjoyment."

Sigyn shook her head in disbelief.

"I cannot believe that the AllFather still allows him to be a part of anything that dangerous!"

"Believe me, it is a conversation I have had with my husband on more than one occasion." Frigga assured.

Sigyn couldn't be positive, but she was fairly certain that Frigga meant argument more than conversation. Not wishing to take up too much of the Queen's time, Sigyn excused herself to go and converse with her peers. She kept up a happy appearance, but inside she couldn't help but worry for Loki though she knew there really was no need to. Whatever he was doing now couldn't be nearly as dangerous as what he had already done.


Author's Note: Sorry, this ending is not supposed to be a cliffhanger. I know it could come off that way when you read it, but it isn't. Loki is just fine, I promise.