"Lady Sigyn! Lady Sigyn!" Dagny called out.
Sigyn looked behind her to see the girl running in her direction.
"Good evening Dagny, what are you up to?" Sigyn asked.
"The others told me to come get you!" Dagny explained excitedly.
"The others?" Sigyn asked.
"Yes! They told me to come get you so that we could work on the story!"
"The story… what story?"
"The one we started last year. The magician and the princess, and the bird, and…don't you remember!?"
Sigyn laughed.
"Of course I remember, how could I forget, but shouldn't you get Prince Loki. You can't finish the story without him." Sigyn pointed out.
"We already got him!" Dagny pronounced proudly before taking Sigyn by the hand and pulling her along.
Sigyn smiled as they approached Loki and the other children. He looked relieved to see her, and she got the feeling that this wasn't exactly how he had wanted to spend his Summer Solstice festivities. Sigyn counted the number of children, and noticed that their numbers had increased since last year. Instead of a dozen there were now closer to sixteen kids running about. Gytha, the girl who had wanted to be the magician's minion, pulled Loki towards Sigyn.
"So we decided that the princess and magician missed each other, all right!?" She stated excitedly.
"Yes, I believe we covered that last time." Loki noted somewhat awkwardly as he looked down at the child holding his hand.
"Well what we didn't tell you was that after the magician disappeared and the princess returned to Alfheim, he would sneak back to see her in secret." Gytha expounded.
She let go of Loki's hand, and he just continued to stare down at her. Gytha gave him a little nod of her head in Sigyn's direction.
"What?" Loki asked, not understanding Gytha's hint.
"Go to her." She muttered under her breath in a failed attempt to keep Sigyn from hearing her.
"To Sigyn? You want me to go to Sigyn?"
"Of course, didn't we just say that the magician went to see the princess in secret." Gytha responded in an exasperated voice and gave Loki a little push in Sigyn's direction.
Loki took the hint this time, and walked the last two steps towards Sigyn.
"Princess." He greeted with a bow.
"My Lord." Sigyn answered with a giggle and a curtsy.
The girls seemed pleased with this, and gave little giggles of their own, causing Loki to look over his shoulder at them. This wasn't enough for the boys however because Bárðr, the eldest of them, folded his arms over his chest.
"They have to meet in a secret place!" He protested.
"This isn't secret enough?" Sigyn queried.
"Of course not, everyone can see you here. Go find a secret spot in the garden and then we will come and discover you." He directed.
The other children agreed with Bárðr, and closed their eyes so Loki and Sigyn could hide away somewhere. Loki nodded his head in the direction of the garden and they both took off in that direction. Sigyn was smiling brightly as they searched for a secluded corner. They finally came across a willow and Loki smirked.
"Can you climb in that dress?" He asked.
Sigyn raised her eyebrow in a cocky manner.
"Can you climb in that fancy garment of yours?" She retorted before pulling herself up onto the lowest branch.
Loki smiled and began to climb up after Sigyn. They kept climbing till they reached about halfway up the tree, at which point they stopped and took a seat on one of the branches.
"Who would have guessed that our little story time would turn into a game of hide and seek?" Sigyn remarked as the amusement she felt shone through her eyes.
"To be honest, I am not certain anything about our story time can surprise me anymore." Loki admitted.
"Children do have quite the imaginations." Sigyn agreed, while leaning her head against the trunk of the willow tree. "I can't wait for Siggy to be old enough to play like this."
"Siggy?" Loki asked.
"My niece." Sigyn clarified.
"Ahhh." Loki intoned.
"She likes you, you know."
"She likes me? How is that even possible? I only held her once and that was over five years ago."
"I know, but apparently you made an impression. There is a drawing of a boy in one of her books that has green eyes… it's her favorite book. She always wants to go back and look at that picture."
"I see."
"I warned her to stay away from green-eyed boys."
"A wise warning, we tend to be nothing but trouble."
"How many green-eyed boys do you even know?" Sigyn asked with a laugh.
"One, but he has caused trouble enough."
"Indeed he has, he is quite famous for it."
"I think the word you are looking for is infamous." Loki corrected.
"I suppose that would depend on who you asked." Sigyn argued.
"A fair enough assessment I suppose." Loki replied. "You know I found something in one of the gardens during the Winter Solstice that was rather odd." He added as an afterthought.
"Really, what was it?" Sigyn enquired.
"This." Loki answered before materializing a diamond-studded hairpin.
Sigyn kept her face as impassive as possible as she looked at the hairpin, her hairpin.
"That is pretty. The owner must be missing it."
"I am sure they are." Loki agreed as he twirled the pin between his fingers.
"Could it be your Mother's?"
"No, I have already asked and she says it does not belong to her."
"Well that is odd, what other woman spends her time in the palace gardens?"
"What other woman indeed?"
"Perhaps it is Lady Sif's." Sigyn suggested.
"Do you honestly see Sif wearing something so frilly?"
"No, perhaps not… ask Thor. He seems to be growing his hair out so maybe it is his."
Loki couldn't contain a laugh at that remark, and he closed his hand around the hairpin.
"I will forgo making that inquiry, but if you feel brave enough to risk Thor's rage then, by all means, go and ask him."
"I fear I lack the bravery for that quest, My Prince." Sigyn replied with a soft smile.
"I believe it is still simply 'My Lord' since the story has yet to be finished, My Princess." Loki responded with a mischievous grin.
"Oh yes, I suppose you are right. So no magical handcuff this time?"
"No, not unless you would like one of course."
"Mmm no thank you, I don't think the magician and the princess are quite that comfortable with each other yet."
"Very well, but if you change your mind…"
Loki's eyes danced with playfulness as he let Sigyn's mind finish the rest of that sentence. Sigyn rolled her eyes with equal playfulness before closing them. The pair was silent for a bit before Sigyn could hear Loki moving carefully along the branch towards her. She didn't bother to open her eyes till she felt one of Loki's hands brace her head as the other one slipped something into her hair.
"What are you doing?" She asked in a curious tone.
"Returning the hairpin to its rightful owner." He murmured.
Sigyn's breath hitched in her throat as Loki's breath flitted off her exposed skin. It seemed that after all this time even the slightest things he did could still excite her.
"There, I think it is in snugly this time." He remarked before drawing away from her. "I do wish I could have seen you crawling through the bushes. I bet that was quite the sight."
Sigyn blushed. There was no use lying to Loki about her presence in the garden. He was already well aware of it, and a lie would only give him definite proof. Instead, she decided to change the subject.
"Speaking of returning items, you have yet to come to retrieve your cloak and tunic from me. I imagine you were fairly cold without them."
"They are hardly my only cloak and tunic." Loki pointed out.
"Still, I am sure your mother noticed their absence."
"If she did, she made no remark about it."
"I brought them to Ostara hoping to return them to you, but you weren't there."
"Yes, I was otherwise engaged that evening."
"That is what your Mother told me when I asked after you."
"You asked after me?" He asked with a raise of his eyebrow.
"I did. I was hoping to get your things back to you before you had a chance to accuse me of stealing them."
"Of course, we would hate for that sort of accusation to fall on you again."
"Indeed, especially since we both know what sort of punishment tends to follow."
Loki's playful smile faded, and Sigyn knew she had taken her teasing a bit too far. They sat in awkward silence for a little while, and Sigyn only spoke when she couldn't take it any longer.
"I wish we didn't have to be so careful around each other." She mused.
"Me too." Loki concurred.
"Do you ever wish you could go back and do things differently?"
"All the time. You?"
"Yes, though it is a pointless train of thought. The past cannot be changed. All we can really do is learn from it and move forward."
"Not an easy thing to do." Loki noted.
"No, it isn't, but the things that offer the greatest reward are never the easiest to accomplish now, are they?"
"You certainly are in fine form tonight, Princess." Loki remarked, causing Sigyn to give a little laugh.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to dampen your evening with profound musings." She apologized.
"Don't apologize. I haven't had conversation this meaningful since… well since I don't remember when."
"The conversation you had with your Mother seemed to be fairly meaningful."
"Aha, so you where there!" Loki teased, as if he hadn't already known that fact.
"Yes, I fear I have given myself away. It would seem that my tendency to eavesdrop has not left me."
"It would appear not. Do you know what the punishment for eavesdropping on the affairs of the Royal Family is?" He queried.
"Not a clue. What is it?"
"I have no idea, that's why I was asking you." Loki replied with a smirk.
Sigyn began to laugh, which drew the sound of children's voices towards them.
"This way! This way!"
"Where are they!?"
"The tree! Look in the tree!"
Sigyn placed a hand over her mouth to smother her laughter, but it was too late.
"It would appear you have given away our position, Princess." Loki teased.
"It would appear so." Sigyn returned as the children ran under the willow tree.
They started by just looking around the base, but finally one of the boys happened to look up.
"I found them! Look he has her captured in the tree!"
"We have to rescue her!"
"I don't need rescuing." Sigyn called down to the children below. "I came here of my own free will."
"He has put her under his spell!" Lofn gasped.
"Someone has to climb up and save her!" Dagny stated.
One of the boys quickly volunteered, and Sigyn looked at Loki. Her concern for having the boy try and climb the tree was silently acknowledged by Loki, and before the boy could make the climb Loki spoke up.
"There is no need to rescue her from me. I give myself up willingly to you."
The children looked at one another in confusion. Apparently they hadn't planned on the magician willingly turning himself over to them.
"A wise decision." A familiar yet unexpected voice interjected. "You are quite outnumbered." Thor stated as he walked under the willow tree as well.
The children looked amongst each other again. Apparently they weren't quite sure how to deal with this new arrival either.
"ummm apparently the magician's brother found out that his brother and the princess had been meeting in secret and decided that he would come defend the magician." Bárðr improvised.
"Of course there were too many for the magician's brother to fight off on his own." Dagny stated.
"Looks like the magician will need to assist him then." Loki stated before jumping out of the tree.
"That should even things out a bit." Thor remarked.
"And the magician's helper is going to fight with them too!" Gytha reminded them.
"No, the magician's helper is going to take the princess to safety away from the fight." Loki corrected.
"Then the princess needs to come out of the tree." Gytha pointed out.
Everyone looked up to Sigyn expectantly, so she began to descend.
"No, no, no!" Asa protested. "Climbing down would take too long. The princess would have to jump into the magician's arms if she planned on having time to get away."
"I'm not sure that is a good idea. Last time I fell out of a tree, he dropped me." Sigyn remarked.
"I did not drop you, you fell on me." Loki defended.
Thor gave Loki an amused look, and Sigyn was certain that Loki was blushing in embarrassment.
The children didn't seem to care about Sigyn's protest, and began to encourage her to jump from the branch. She sent a questioning look down to Loki, and he gave her a nod to signal that he was ready. Sigyn took a deep breath and stood up on the branch while keeping a tight hold on the one above her.
"Here goes nothing…" She thought silently as she took a little leap of faith off the branch.
She let out a little excited squeal as she plummeted downwards. She closed her eyes tightly, and just when she was sure she was going to hit the ground a pair of strong arms caught her. Sigyn opened up her eyes and was met with Loki's amused green gaze. That beautiful gaze that should actually be red. Looking at Loki right now it was difficult for Sigyn to believe that he was actually a Frost Giant.
"Still don't trust me?" He asked quietly.
Sigyn just smiled, and Loki placed her on her feet.
"They are going to chase after Gytha and I." Sigyn whispered.
"How can you be so sure about that?" He asked.
"I just am. Give them a head start before you and Thor chase after them." She encouraged before grabbing Gytha by the hand and running off.
The squeals of the other children and the sound of pursuing feet confirmed Sigyn's prediction. She and Gytha ran as quickly as Gytha's little legs would carry her towards the main celebration. Thor let out a yell, which signaled he and Loki's pursual. Gytha and Sigyn stopped and turned around to watch as Loki, Thor, and the other children tussled about. The noise of the scuffle drew the attention of some of the party guests including Sif and the Warriors Three. Volstagg, noticing all the fun he was missing out on, quickly went to join in, causing several of the children to squeal in surprise. As Sigyn watched the rough housing she silently wished she could participate. If she had been wearing trousers she most assuredly would have. Gytha began to shuffle her feet impatiently, and Sigyn gave her a little nudge.
"Go on ahead and join the fun. The princess is out of danger here." She assured.
Gytha smiled happily and ran off to join the melee. Hogun, Sif, and Fandral joined Sigyn to watch the "battle."
"Not going to join in?" Sif asked.
"It would hardly be appropriate in this attire." Sigyn pointed out.
Sif shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't see you jumping in." Sigyn added.
"It would hardly be appropriate in this attire." Sif mimicked.
Sigyn smiled and looked over to Hogun and Fandral.
"And what excuse can you give for running from the fray?"
"Well someone should stand guard by the Ladies." Fandral argued.
"Surely we don't need two guardians." Sigyn pointed out.
"True… I suppose one of us can stay here while the other joins in on the fight…"
Fandral trailed off and looked at Hogun. He gave a sigh as his inevitable fate sunk in.
"Very well, for the children." He stated before giving an exaggerated bow and strutting off towards the scuffle.
Sif and Sigyn smiled at the silly scene, and even Hogun cracked the smallest of grins. The tussle lasted for no short amount of time, and ended in the victory of the children, which was only right. Their energy was exponentially greater than that of the four men they were wrestling with, so by the time the four adults were laying on the ground panting for air the children were just getting hyped up for a second round. Sigyn thought about making them suffer through that second round, but decided it would be best to spare them that fate. She lifted the hem of her dress and ran towards the group.
"Oh please no more!" She said in a frightened voice.
All the children looked in her direction, and she fell on her knees in front of them.
"Please spare them! I'll return home to Alfheim if you only spare them!" She pleaded.
"That sounds fair!" Asa said happily.
"No, Asa, we can't just let them go." Lofn interjected. "We have to execute the traitors."
"Execute them?" Sigyn asked genuinely confused.
"Wait who exactly have we betrayed?" Fandral muttered to Thor.
"No idea, I came in part way through the story." Thor answered.
"Hold on," Loki interjected, "didn't you say this was supposed to be a happy story?"
"Don't worry, we aren't actually going to kill you." Lofn replied in a conspiratorial tone.
Loki shot Sigyn a "They aren't actually going to kill us in reality or in the story?" look, to which Sigyn just shrugged her shoulders. She had no idea where they were going with this storyline anymore.
"So what happens? Are the magician and his warriors going to be executed or not?" Sigyn pressed.
"I guess you will just have to wait and see." Dagny replied.
"Wait you aren't going to tell us?" Volstagg asked.
"Now that's not quite fair! I want to know if we live or not." Fandral complained.
"I suppose you will just have to come play with us next year too!" Asa responded before she and the others ran off.
"They are seriously going to make us wait a year to find out?" Fandral asked disbelievingly.
"I am afraid so." Sigyn answered.
"Sneaky little rascals." Volstagg commented cheerfully as he stood and brushed the dirt and grass off of him.
"You four should be ashamed of yourselves." Sif remarked with a smile. "I've never seen four experienced warriors lose to children in such a short amount of time."
"Have you ever seen four experienced warriors lose to children in any amount of time?" Sigyn queried good-naturedly.
"Talk all you two want, but I didn't see either of you offer to join the fight." Thor retorted.
"We didn't want to make you look bad." Sif shot back.
Sigyn let the two of them banter back and forth, and placed her focus on Loki.
"It seems our little friends are going to create a saga of your little story." She remarked.
"It would seem so…" he paused for a moment and Sigyn looked at him expectantly. "Are you still up for that dance?"
Sigyn smiled.
"Yes, I am."
Loki held his arm out to her, and she took it without hesitation. He tensed up slightly, but led her to the bonfire with a smile. It seemed as if this was their first time to dance as he cautiously placed his hand on her waist and she rested hers on his shoulder. Their movements were strained at first as they tried to rediscover the natural rhythm they had developed all those years ago. It took half of the song, but they each began to slowly relax in the other's arms. They didn't speak during the first dance, or the second, but by the time the third began they felt comfortable enough to converse.
"Will you be coming to the palace tomorrow?" Loki inquired.
"I had not intended to, but if the Queen were to ask I would of course come."
"She will ask, so may I ask your permission to join you?"
"You are always welcome to join us." Sigyn assured.
Loki gave her a smile, but it quickly faded.
"There is something we need to discuss, Sigyn."
The sudden concern on Loki's face worried Sigyn.
"What is it?" She asked.
"We will talk about it tomorrow, but you should know that it deals with your stalker."
Sigyn shuddered at the thought of the strange woman.
"I see…"
"Don't let it worry you now." Loki encouraged. "Enjoy the rest of the celebration, and we will discuss it tomorrow."
Sigyn nodded and they fell into comfortable silence. Sigyn wasn't sure how long Loki and she stayed dancing, but at some point she found herself beginning to feel a tad drowsy. She softly rested her head against Loki's chest and closed her eyes as he expertly led her body through the motions of the dance. She felt Loki's chin come to rest on the top of her head, and she could hear a chuckle reverberate through his chest. The sensation of being swept off her feet was the last thing she remembered before drifting off to sleep.
