Author's Note: Ok, the same rules apply to this chapter as applied to the confrontation chapters. The dialogue is the same (minus the Sigyn/Frida and Sigyn/Hallsteinn scenes which are replaced with Loki/Frigga, Loki/Odin, and Loki/all the men scenes), now we are just getting Loki's thoughts towards everything. I hope that the chapter is easy enough to follow. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns feel free to drop me a message and I will try to clear things up for you.
Loki had been extremely restless after his conversation with Sigyn about why he had never sought her hand in marriage. The disappointed look in her eyes had spoken volumes, and each unspoken thought had stayed with him.
He was bored of her.
He was in love with Amora.
She wasn't good enough for him.
He wasn't sure any of those things had even crossed Sigyn's mind, but they stayed with Loki all the same. A couple of days after Sigyn fell asleep with him on his couch, Loki went to discuss his thoughts with his mother. Frigga listened attentively as Loki revealed his mind to her over luncheon.
"… it just continues to nag at me." He confessed. "I never realized how not asking for Sigyn's hand equated to rejection in her mind."
"Maybe it didn't equate to rejection, but I am sure that it did leave her with questions."
"I can't let that happen again." Loki stated. "I can't leave any doubt this time that I love her."
"Then you do realize what you will have to do." Frigga said with a smile.
"Yes, I have to ask her father for her hand."
"So what are you waiting for this time?" Frigga inquired.
"For the right opportunity. I can't just show up at her house one fine afternoon and demand that he hears my suit." Loki pointed out.
"Why not? No one is stopping you."
"Because there are several people in her family that would not approve of me or my suit."
"I take it they know why you split up then."
"I would assume so, they all more than likely saw the aftermath." Loki admitted.
"The aftermath?" Frigga pressed.
"I almost strangled her to death, remember? That sort of act leaves a mark."
Frigga nodded her head and took a sip of her drink before commenting.
"Lord Halldor and Lady Signy may still hold a certain dislike of you for what you did to their daughter, but they are nobility through and through, and will at least hear your suit gracefully before making a decision."
"I don't doubt her parents would be gracious, but her brother is not likely to be so. He would be willing to oppose my suit, while I don't believe her father would."
"So what do you plan to do about that?"
"I'm not sure. The most logical course of action would be to try and win the favor of her family back, but I wouldn't even know where to begin."
"While I understand your desire to be in the good graces of Sigyn's family to help strengthen your suit, it is a risky undertaking. If you aren't careful another man will snatch her from you again."
"Another man? What other man? Sigyn hasn't been courted by anyone else."
"That is true, but you forget that courting is not a requirement for marriage. The only requirement is that the man makes a marriage contract with her father, and there are at least two men I know of that are considering doing just that. If you wait one of them will beat you to her."
"But what of Sigyn's feelings? Surely her father wouldn't accept the suit of someone that she does not love." Loki pointed out.
"Who is to say he wouldn't? Sigyn is at the perfect age for marrying and bearing children. She is an attractive girl from a highly powerful and respectable family that will no doubt be given a generous dowry, making her a very agreeable prospect for suitors. On the other hand, these same advantages will allow her father to set a rather high bride price. Yes, Sigyn's speedy marriage would have great benefit for Lord Halldor." Frigga justified.
Loki clasped his hands in front of him. His mother's reasoning made sense, too much sense. At this rate Loki was going to lose Sigyn again, and this time there would be nothing he could do to get her back. Frigga's hand came to rest on top of his.
"You are over thinking this, My Dear. Would it be preferable to have the blessing of Sigyn's family? Yes, but not required. Lord Halldor would be willing to overlook your past indiscretions based on your status alone, and while that might not be enough to persuade Lord Hallsteinn, you have the one thing that might sway them all..."
"And what is that?" Loki asked, knowing that his mother had not finished her statement in hopes of him asking.
"Sigyn's love."
Loki mulled that answer over in his mind before rising from his seat.
"I have to go mother. I left something at Sigyn's home, and I fear I have forgotten to retrieve it till just this instant." He excused.
Frigga gave Loki a small nod, and he was out the door and down the hall in no time. He headed straight for the training grounds. As always the AllFather was there watching over the soldiers training, and Loki headed straight for him.
"Loki, I thought you would have been here training with your brother." Odin remarked as Loki approached.
"I would have been, but mother requested an audience with me this morning." Loki excused.
Odin didn't remove his gaze from those training as he continued the conversation.
"I see, and was it a productive meeting?" He inquired.
"Productive enough, its topic is what has brought me to speak with you."
"Go on then."
"I desire to ask Lord Halldor for Lady Sigyn's hand in marriage."
Odin turned his head to look at Loki with his good eye.
"You do? And when do you plan on making your suit?"
"Today, this afternoon."
Odin's eye widened in surprise, and what Loki thought appeared to be amusement.
"This afternoon? Why the sudden urgency?"
"Because I have put it off for long enough, and I can't stand to do so any longer. What I must know is if you have any objections to the match."
"If I did, would it dampen your resolve?" Odin queried.
"No." Loki replied respectfully, but firmly.
"I didn't think it would… fortunately I have no objection to the match. If it is my blessing you seek, then you have it."
Loki let out a breath that he didn't even know he had been holding.
"Who are to be your witnesses?" Odin inquired, turning his gaze back to the warriors in front of him.
"Aside from yourself? Thor and the others. I presume Lord Halldor will call on Lord Hallsteinn to be his."
Odin nodded his head slightly in approval.
"And you are resolved to ask this very afternoon?"
"I am."
"Then I best go get ready, and you best go retrieve your witnesses."
His father left without another word, and Loki felt a weight lift from his shoulders. It wasn't that he had expected Odin to block his suit, but it was so rare that he gave his approval for anything Loki did that a small part of Loki had expected Odin to crush his plans right then and there. Loki sought out his elder brother and his friends and informed them of his intentions. Thor happily accepted the duties of acting as a witness for himself and the others with a bone-crushing hug. Loki decided that he would head to Sigyn's home ahead of the others in order to give her family some warning before he sprung his suit upon them. Loki's mind raced the entire ride there, and he began to feel butterflies springing to life in his stomach. A servant greeted him upon his arrival, and Loki requested to speak with Sigyn in order to retrieve something that belonged to him. The servant suggested that he wait in the sitting room for her, but Loki declined. He had no desire to sit cooped up in a sitting room allowing his nerves to eat at him. He was stroking his horse's mane when he heard footsteps approaching. He looked over, expecting to see Sigyn, or perhaps the servant, but was greeted by the sight of Sigyn's parents, Frida, Markus, Sigyn, and her niece.
"I hope I haven't interrupted something important." He commented rather unnerved. He hadn't expected a welcoming party.
"Not at all." Halldor assured. "We were just showing Frida and Markus out when we were informed that you had arrived. I hope we didn't keep you waiting."
"No, I only just arrived and I have nowhere of importance to be this evening, except for here of course."
There was a sort of awkward formality to the proceedings, and it made Loki even more nervous than he already was. He was a Prince so they had to show him respect, but he was also the man who hurt their daughter so they had every reason to dislike him. Loki was very conscious of both of these things, and he knew that he would need to be very careful if he didn't wish to sabotage his suit.
"Erlingr said that you have come to retrieve your possessions." Sigyn commented.
"I have." Loki answered, giving Sigyn a grateful smile.
Would she be so calm and collected if she knew what possession he was truly here to retrieve?
"I'll run upstairs and fetch them then." She offered.
Her niece, Sigrún, began to fidget in Frida's arms, and Sigyn bopped her on the nose playfully before running up to her chambers. Loki watched her retreating form before glancing back at her rambunctious niece. Frida gave up fighting the wriggling toddler and placed her on the ground. Sigrún, obviously happy to be free, waddled her way over to Loki. She made it all the way to his left leg managing only to fall over twice. She then grabbed his pant leg and tugged on it a couple of times before falling onto his foot. She sat there smiling up at him and prattled away in her own un-discernable language.
"She wants you to pick her up." Frida informed him.
Loki looked from Frida back down to Sigrún. Was he allowed to pick her up? Would Frida be upset if he touched her child? He looked back to Frida, and determined that her gaze was more expecting than threatening. He bent over and took Sigrún into his arms. The toddler, thrilled at this new development, tugged excitedly at his clothing and managed to snag one of his fingers. She talked away merrily without any care that she received no response in return. Loki kept a watchful eye on the child in his arms, but looked to Sigyn when she returned with his clothing in tow. At first she seemed astounded by the sight before her, but the shock soon wore off into something that Loki couldn't quite place his finger on. She swiftly approached him and held out his clothing.
"I'll trade you." She offered.
Loki nodded and passed Sigrún over to Sigyn and relieved her of his cloak and tunic. He folded the two items up rather slowly and placed them in his saddlebag. Perhaps he shouldn't have left the palace quite as early as he had. He hadn't really come with many ideas to prolong his visit, and he glanced longingly towards the entryway of the courtyard before reluctantly turning back to look at Sigyn.
"Is there anything else you nee-ow! Siggy!" Sigyn exclaimed as Sigrún gave Sigyn's hair a hard yank.
A chuckle reverberated in Loki's chest as he watched Sigyn give her niece a scolding look. She looked so natural holding Sigrún. In fact, the more Loki thought about it the more he realized how natural she seemed around children in general. All those summers spent playing with the children at the Summer Solstice flashed through his mind. For some inexplicable reason children seemed to gravitate towards Sigyn, and she always seemed to understand their bizarre ways of thinking.
"Sigyn is at the perfect age for marrying and bearing children."
His mother was right; Sigyn was at the perfect age for both of those things.
Marriage.
If all went well today he would be the one she would marry.
Children.
If all went well today he would be the father of those children…
Sigyn was staring at Loki, probably waiting for an answer to the question that Sigrún had interrupted, and Loki quickly shook off this unforeseen realization.
"There are few things I need in general, but I most certainly needed to see that." He remarked teasingly. "May I?" He asked, nodding towards Sigrún.
"I suppose…" Sigyn replied.
"Come here Siggy… Norms, that is awful Sigyn. Was that really the best sobriquet you could come up with?" He asked while taking Sigrún into his arms.
"She likes it." Sigyn answered in a rather dazed tone.
Loki allowed Sigrún to nestle against him, and he contemplated the possible future that could be ahead of him.
Did Sigyn want to have children?
More importantly, did she want to have his children?
By the Norns he hoped she did. What he would give to see her carry his child…
"I told you that she liked you." Sigyn stated, interrupting his train of thought yet again.
"It would appear that you were correct." Loki answered. "Time for her to go back to her mother however."
He strode over to Frida and offered Sigrún to her. Frida took her daughter from Loki's arms, and he came back to stand by Sigyn and his horse once more. He momentarily grasped for any excuse he could think of to extend his stay, but none were coming to him.
"Is something wrong?" Sigyn queried.
"No, nothing is wrong it's just…"
The rest of his sentence faded out as the sound of approaching riders grew louder.
"Finally." Loki stated as he looked back at the entrance of the courtyard.
Odin was the first to ride in, and Thor and the Warriors Three followed him. The sound of the hoofbeats brought several servants running, and they quickly took charge of the men's horses once they dismounted. Loki watched as the realization of what was happening dawned on Sigyn, and he couldn't fight back a smile at her reaction.
"Lord Halldor, I have come to seek Sigyn's hand in marriage." Loki finally admitted.
Sigyn looked towards her father with hope filled eyes, and Loki secretly wished her looks would be enough to win her father over.
"It would appear you have your witnesses, but I have none… unless Markus will consent to act as mine." Halldor noted.
"I will." Markus answered without hesitation, and a little smile towards Sigyn.
"What about Hallsteinn?" Sigyn inquired.
"He is not here to act as a witness." Her father pointed out.
"But he should be." Sigyn stated.
Loki noted that Frida nodded her approval of Sigyn's opinion.
"Sigyn is right." Signy agreed. "Hallsteinn should be here."
"We cannot keep the Royal Family waiting here while we send for him." Halldor noted.
Sigyn looked up at Loki for his support, and he refused to disappoint her.
"Yes, you can. I wish for Lord Hallsteinn's presence so I may know that I carry approval from the entirety of Lady Sigyn's family." Loki stated. "It will hardly hurt to postpone the proceedings long enough for Lady Sigyn to go fetch him."
Sigyn gave Loki's hand a grateful squeeze before giving a curtsy to the AllFather, Thor, and the Warriors Three to dismiss herself. She was the only hope Loki had of convincing her brother to agree to his offer of marriage, and he really did want him to agree to it. Sure it would be easier if Hallsetinn wasn't present to oppose his suit, but that seemed like a coward's way out, and Loki was no coward.
Lord Halldor wasted no time inviting Loki and the witnesses to his study, but only left after promising his wife and daughter that nothing important would be discussed till the arrival of his son. Lord Halldor instructed a servant to fetch six extra chairs to his study, and then he led the men there. Once inside, he took a seat behind his desk, and offered the two seats in front of the desk to Loki and the AllFather. Odin and Halldor passed the time waiting for Hallsteinn to arrive by talking over tactics and politics, while Loki did his best not to fidget in his seat. He wanted to pinch himself to validate that this was all real, but refrained seeing as someone might catch him in the act. The extra seats were brought in and Thor and the others pulled them around the desk. Lord Halldor pulled out a sheet of parchment that the contract would be drawn out upon, and placed a quill next to it. Everything was set for the negotiations; all they needed now was Hallsteinn. Minutes seemed like hours and Loki began to fear that Sigyn hadn't been able to convince her brother to come. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the doors to the study opened once more and Lord Hallsteinn entered the chamber.
"Forgive my tardiness, Sigyn and I got a little too loquacious." He excused.
Loki interpreted that into "We had an argument."
With the arrival of Hallsteinn, the talks could begin. Loki began by restating his suit to take Sigyn as his wife, and thus the first hurdle was approached. Would Hallsteinn, Halldor, or Markus challenge his suit on the grounds that he had assaulted Sigyn? Hel, even Thor could challenge it on those grounds since he was there to witness part of it. A moment was given for anyone present to challenge the suit, and Loki's heart raced despite his stoic exterior. His eyes locked with Hallsteinn's, practically daring him to speak out, but Sigyn's elder brother didn't say a word. When no one raised any challenge to the suit Lord Halldor continued on to the negotiation segment of the meeting. It was time to deal in the economics of the arrangement.
"And what is it that you wish to dowry with my daughter?" Halldor inquired. "I cannot promise to meet all your demands, but those within reason I will surely attempt to accommodate."
Loki sat back in his chair to better contemplate what he did want. This was why men didn't just make spur of the moment decisions to press their suit. They were supposed to think about this ahead of time so they could go in with fair and reasonable conditions, but Loki had done no such thing. He closed his eyes for a moment to run numbers, politics, and assets in his mind, but there was only one thing that stuck out to him: Sigyn.
He wanted her, and he could care less what came with her. This was so much more than merely a business contract to him, and to treat it as such was to do Sigyn a dishonor. He opened his eyes once more and smiled.
"I want Sigyn. I want to see her happy, and I want to please her in any and every way I can. I care not what comes with her to dowry, for anything you could offer would pale in comparison to the knowledge that she will be mine to love till Death comes to claim us. With that being said, I know that due to tradition I cannot take her hand without a dowry to accompany it. Therefore, I ask you to set your terms for me. What would you ask for her bride price? Due to the abnormality of my station and my father's house you know I have nothing to offer you except the promise of what I am to inherit once my father has passed, which is hopefully a long time coming."
Those in the room seemed stunned into silence at Loki's pronouncement. He was well aware that this was hardly the traditional way of handling this sort of thing, but he was hardly a traditional person. Now it was Lord Halldor's turn to sit back in his chair to contemplate the situation. This had obviously not been what he had expected to occur. Haldor's eyes scanned Loki, and after a minute or so he cracked a small smile.
"I have taken part in three marriage contracts for my children, and this is the first time I have ever been taken by surprise during the proceedings. I have no need of land, wealth, or possesions. I have enough of that on my own, so it would seem that we are both faced with a problem. We each neither need nor want anything more than to see Sigyn happy, which means we each have nothing to ask of the other. Unfortunately if we have nothing to ask of each other then we have nothing to base our contract off of."
"A unique problem indeed." Loki commented. "A problem that I believe I have a solution for. Upon the coronation of my brother I will be granted the right to choose an estate for my house and myself outside of our designated living quarters in the palace. The choosing of that estate I will leave up to Sigyn, and it shall legally belong to her."
"And in return?" Halldor pressed.
Loki was about to respond when Hallsteinn spoke up.
"May I make a suggestion?" He inquired.
Both Halldor and Loki gave him leave to speak.
"You say that you wish for nothing more than Sigyn's happiness, Prince Loki, so may I speak on her behalf?"
"Yes, you may." Loki allowed.
"When Sigyn leaves our father's house her possessions are to stay with him. As with Frida, I am sure he intends to gift them to her as a wedding present, but there is one thing that she prizes above them all that will be required to stay here."
"And that is?" Loki pressed.
"Roan. Legally he will have to stay here as a part of our father's estate that is already contracted to pass to me. If you will ask for immediate ownership of Roan, and the rest of the stables upon my father's death as Sigyn's dowry I will relinquish my rights to them." Hallsteinn proposed.
Loki hadn't realized that Sigyn didn't actually have ownership of Roan, and that knowledge made his decision simple. Loki couldn't imagine what it would be like for Sigyn to give up the horse she had practically raised.
"It is settled then. If you will relinquish your rights to the stables then that is what I will require as Sigyn's dowry."
"Then consider them relinquished." Hallsteinn confirmed.
Halldor leaned forward in his seat and clasped his hands in front of him.
"For the bride price Sigyn will choose and legally own the estate that Loki is to inherit upon Prince Thor's coronation, and for the dowry Loki will receive immediate ownership of Roan along with possession of my house's stables upon my death along with Sigyn's living allowance. Do these terms seem fair and agreeable to all those present?"
All those in the room agreed that they did so Halldor set about putting the contract down on parchment. Loki watched silently as the ink began to spell out the terms of the marriage contract. Each stroke of Lord Halldor's hand brought Loki one step closer to claiming Sigyn as his forever. Lord Halldor signed the contract first, and then gave the pen and parchment over to Loki. His eyes scanned the document, and after finding every thing to be in order he set his signature down. The witnesses each signed in turn, and that was it. All that was left to be determined was the date, and Loki had no real say in the matter given the sheer size of the event. Most weddings would only include the family members of the bride and the groom, but because Loki was a Prince all of Asgard had the right to witness the event. Large events could be pulled off in about two weeks time with his mother at the helm, but this event called for certain things that would take a little more time to prepare. Odin and Halldor determined that the wedding would take place in three weeks time to which Loki did not object. Both parties rose from their seats and the wedding contract was entrusted to Thor. Loki exchanged the necessary formalities with the other men present before making a beeline for the door.
Sigyn rose from her spot the moment Loki threw open the doors, and he readily drew her into his embrace. He kissed her quickly before speaking.
"Everything is arranged." He reassured her.
"When is the wedding to take place?" She inquired, relief and joy flooding her features.
"Three weeks." He answered.
"Three weeks? Can it not be any sooner?"
"I wish it could. Unfortunately there are a couple of things that will take some time to arrange since this is a Royal wedding." Loki explained, hoping that he would be able to suppress the fears that he could see swirling in Sigyn's mind.
Sigyn placed her hand on Loki's cheek and gazed into his eyes.
"Then swear to me that you will not do anything rash. No unnecessary battles. No skirmishes simply for amusement. No slaying of monsters for sport... I refuse to lose you the same way I lost Theoric."
"I swear it." Loki promised, while placing his own hand on top of hers.
She rubbed her thumb along his cheekbone till Loki removed it and placed a kiss on it.
"We should leave you now so that we may return to the palace and inform Frigga of the news." Odin interjected. "My wife will be more than a little pleased to hear it."
Loki nodded in agreement, but requested for a few moments alone with Sigyn before he left, which was granted.
"It is likely you will receive a summons from my mother sometime in the next few days. I have a feeling she will want to begin discussing wedding arrangements as soon as possible." Loki stated after everyone else had walked off towards the courtyard.
"You sound thrilled." Sigyn teased.
"Absolutely elated." Loki lied. "In all honesty I don't know why I simply can't take you home as my wife now."
"Tradition and that sort of thing." Sigyn excused.
"Then I suppose I can't protest that." Loki conceded.
"You could, but I have a feeling that your protest would be in vain."
"Futility has never stopped me from doing things in the past."
"No, I suppose it hasn't."
The pair stood there in silence for a moment just staring into each other's eyes. In just three weeks Loki would be joined with the most intelligent, feisty, and sensual woman he had ever had the chance to meet. He was a fortunate man, and he knew it.
"I don't want to leave you." Loki admitted in a hushed voice.
"I don't want you to go." Sigyn responded.
"Three weeks. I just have to remind myself that it is merely three weeks."
"It won't be that awful. We will be so busy planning the wedding that it will seem to go by in no time whatsoever." Sigyn assured, though Loki could tell that she was trying to convince herself of that just as much as she was trying to convince him.
"I love you, Sigyn." Loki whispered affectionately.
"And I love you." She responded before kissing him goodbye.
