Author's Note: The Author's Note is actually at the end. I will say here though that this chapter gave me a lot of problems to write, and I think you will see why as you read.
Sigyn moved her head slightly to get a better view of the page Loki was reading from, causing Loki to give a little grunt of complaint.
"You make it very difficult to read to you when you keep squirming about." Loki protested once Sigyn had settled back into him.
"I am sorry, My Lord, I have finished my squirming." Sigyn promised.
Loki looked at her doubtfully, but continued reading from the Prose.
" 'Now Loki was taken truceless, and was brought with them into a certain cave. Thereupon they took three flat stones, and set them on edge and drilled a hole in each stone. Then were taken Loki's sons…' Sigyn why in the Nine Realms are we still reading this?" Loki stopped to inquire.
He closed the tome in his hands, but kept a finger on their current page.
"We have yet to find anything else important relating to Hel in here, and these stories are both ridiculous and depressing." He argued.
"Nonsense, some of them are rather amusing."
"Only because you are not the one the Midgardians are jesting at."
"Now be fair Loki, you are not the only one they are jesting at. I wouldn't say anyone looks particularly good in these stories." Sigyn comforted.
The breeze by the lake picked up slightly blowing the loose strands of Sigyn's hair about, and Loki tried to tame them with his free hand.
"Wouldn't you rather discuss our trip to Vanaheim?" He pressed.
"We leave tomorrow Loki, I think we have done all the discussing on it that we need to."
Loki reluctantly opened the book once more and resumed his reading.
" 'Then were taken Loki's sons Váli and Nari or Narfi; the Æsir changed Váli into the form of a wolf, and he tore asunder Narfi his brother. And the Æsir took his entrails and bound Loki with them over the three stones: one stands under his shoulders, the second under his loins, the third under his boughs; and those bonds were turned to iron.' "
Sigyn's hand tightened on Loki's arm at the gruesome imagery, but Loki continued to read.
" 'Then Skadi took a venomous serpent and fastened it up over him, so that the venom should drip from the serpent into his face. But Sigyn, his wife, stands near him and holds a basin under the venom-drops; and when the basin is full, she goes and pours out the venom, but in the meantime the venom drips into his face. Then he writhes against it with such force that all the earth trembles: ye call that 'earthquakes.' There he lies in bonds till the Weird of the Gods.' "
Loki shut the book, signaling that he would not read anymore. Silence descended upon the two of them as they both stared out over the lake preoccupied by their own thoughts. The image of Loki being tortured in such a cruel way while she could only stand by and try to lessen the pain caused Sigyn's heart to tighten. Her sadness then morphed into anger at the sheer cruelty and brutality shown upon Loki and their children, and her body began to tremble with rage. It was the feeling of Loki stroking her hair that brought Sigyn back to reality. Loki wasn't chained under a serpent and they didn't have children, it was no more than a story.
"I told you we shouldn't have kept on reading." Loki soothed. "You seem to be taking this tale far too personally."
Sigyn didn't confirm or deny Loki's statement. Instead, she lazily played with the fingers on his hand that wasn't preoccupied with stroking her hair.
"I can't help but wonder where I am during the majority of these stories." Sigyn finally remarked.
"What do you mean?" Loki prodded.
"I mean that there are certainly a fair number of stories that you feature in, and though they list me as your wife I am only mentioned in this one story. Where was I when you were traipsing about the Nine Realms? You obviously found the time to impregnate me twice between your many adventures, but not even that is mentioned."
"I believe those particular encounters might not have been appropriate material for this work." Loki argued.
"They found you being impregnated by a horse to be suitable material enough!"
"Yes, but that occurence was certainly out of the ordinary. How often does a shape shifting male become impregnated by a stallion?"
"Not often?"
"Not ever. Perhaps the Midgardians only wanted to write stories of things that they could not already witness in their everyday lives. A woman being impregnated by her husband is hardly out of the ordinary, and it would seem that our children were quite normal compared to my other ones…"
"Is that supposed to make me feel better? I was so unimportant and uninteresting that I didn't even deserve to be mentioned except for once, and when I finally am mentioned I do nothing but watch helplessly from the sidelines as my husband and sons are maimed and killed. The other gods and goddesses find me to be so weak that they don't even care that I stay by your side to try and help you because they know I am too pathetic to do you any real good!"
Loki shushed her before she could continue her rant.
"You are taking this far too seriously again. These are made up tales that have no real meaning or pertinence to us. Yes, it is true that so far you are only featured once, but is that such a bad thing? When the rest of us are shown we are doing stupid things that make us look like fools. Perhaps the Midgardians did not write about you because they could find no faults to exploit in your character, because you were better than the rest of us."
Sigyn still was not satisfied with that answer, but Loki was right. These were nothing more than stories.
Their excursion to Vanaheim the next day was rather relaxing. They spent their time exploring the stunning scenery of the Realm, and Sigyn silently wished she could have brought Roan. He would have loved to gallop through the open fields and forests. Sadly her stallion was too large to fit in their little flying craft, and she was fairly certain he wouldn't appreciate their mode of inter-Realm travel. Sigyn, however, had been far more relaxed when taking the passage this time. Her heart might have skipped a beat right before entering it, but any worry she might have had was taken over by adrenaline as the world flashed blue around her. On the way back to Asgard she convinced Loki to let her steer their little vessel with his guidance. He had seemed reluctant to allow it, but when she pointed out that he would still technically be in control he relented.
The next week passed much as the first two had except that Sigyn and Loki made it a point to spend some time alone every so often. Sigyn would go out for a daily ride and Loki would take that time to practice his magic. The brief periods of separation, though a nice reprieve, always heightened their longing for one another and, when taken in the evening, often led to bouts of impassioned intimacy. It was after one of these bouts, when Sigyn and Loki both lay exhausted and breathless, that Loki asked Sigyn a strange question.
"Would you stay by my side to hold a basin over my head?"
Sigyn looked at her husband in confusion at first. It took her a moment to realize that he was referring to the story they had read by the lake, and she began to suspect that it had bothered him more than he had let on.
"No."
Was her eventual reply. Loki's eyes snapped down to look at her in disbelief.
"Well that is a surprisingly disappointing answer." He muttered looking back towards the ceiling.
Sigyn rolled on top of Loki and tilted his chin down to better study his face, but he kept his eyes averted from her.
"Would you really want me to waste my time doing that?" She inquired.
"I didn't realize trying to protect me qualified as a waste of time." Loki shot back, obviously hurt by her words.
"Yes, it would be because if the choice were up to me, I would be trying to set you free." Sigyn stated firmly.
Loki's eyes met Sigyn's then.
"Free me and defy the will of the gods? I suppose I should have seen that answer coming."
"Yes, you should have." Sigyn stated, rather sore that Loki apparently thought that she would be perfectly content to let him suffer.
She rolled off of Loki and onto her side facing away from him, but he soon rolled onto his side and draped his arm over her body. He pulled her snugly against him and brought his mouth to her ear.
"Don't pout Sigyn."
Sigyn didn't respond to him, so he tried another tactic.
"I am sorry I doubted you. Will you allow me to make it up to you?"
Sigyn nodded.
"Good because I feel a second wind coming on."
Sigyn let out a reluctant giggle as Loki kissed the back of her neck, and her misgivings were soon forgotten. The pair slipped into sleep after their second go around, and when Sigyn next opened her eyes she was surprised to see a guard trying to shake her awake.
"Lady Sigyn, you must come with me." He instructed.
Sigyn pulled the covers closer around her to hide the fact that she wasn't wearing anything. She looked over to where Loki had been sleeping only to discover that he was gone. Her heartbeat quickened at his absence, and she knew that the guard's appearance here must have something to do with Loki's disappearance.
"Please wait outside while I change." She requested.
"There is not enough time for you to change." The guard stated.
"I cannot leave this room completely nude!" She retorted, her annoyance growing.
The guard glanced about the room and saw her green and cream dressing gown draped over a chair. He swiftly picked it up and handed it to her.
"You may put this on, but do so quickly. I will be waiting for you outside the door." He instructed.
Sigyn nodded in understanding but didn't move till the guard was actually outside. She recovered her undergarments that had been scattered about the evening before and put them on before slipping the dressing gown on over them. She quickly ran a comb through her hair and then left the room. The guard was waiting for her as promised along with two others.
"Follow me." He requested.
Sigyn fell in step behind him. A thousand questions burned on her tongue, but she could sense that time was not a luxury they had so it shouldn't be wasted by questions that were soon to be answered anyways. The guards silently marched her through the corridors of the palace, and as they began to take her down a flight of stairs she could hear Loki's voice.
"Sigyn, wake up."
Wake up?
"Sigyn, you need to get dressed if we are to leave for Alfheim before sunrise."
Sigyn closed her eyes and when she opened them again she was looking up at a fully dressed Loki smiling down at her. A dream, a rather realistic but pointless dream.
"Perhaps we should avoid so much physical exertion the night before we take our trip to Midgard." He teased.
Sigyn smiled in spite of herself and sat up.
"Yes, that might be a wise idea."
Her heart fluttered as she studied her husband's attire. He was wearing his usual leather trousers and boots, but the sleeves of his green undertunic were rolled up. She absolutely loved it when he did that. It made him seem less formal and more playful, and Loki's playfulness was one of Sigyn's favorite things about him. Loki rose from the edge of the bed and went to the wardrobe.
"You put your undergarments on while I choose a gown for you."
Sigyn didn't protest the suggestion and began the process of dressing while Loki looked through her gowns. She had just finished lacing up her bodice when Loki held out a dress to her.
"This one." He stated.
It was a simply cut cream-colored gown that Sigyn wore with a gold belt. She slipped the dress on over her head and Loki laced up the back while she clasped the necklace he had gotten her in Nidavellir around her neck. Once Loki finished with the laces, Sigyn belted the dress and styled her hair making sure to affix her dagger ornament into her up do. She wrapped her cloak around her ensuring that she pulled her hood up, and Loki did the same. They were on their way through the passage in no time, and Loki allowed Sigyn to "navigate" their craft once more. The sun was just rising when they reached Alfheim, and Loki hid their boat as he had in Nidavellir and Vanaheim. Loki then led her through the main city, which was almost completely deserted. He stopped at a large fountain and sat with Sigyn on the edge of it to watch the sun rise over the horizon. Only with the coming of daylight could Sigyn truly appreciate the beauty of the city around her. The light elves had stayed true to their name and had designed their home entirely in white and gold architecture. Sigyn, in her cream and gold, seemed to fit right in with her surroundings, and while she admired the city around her Loki seemed to admire only her. His eyes ravaging her body finally drew Sigyn's gaze to him.
"You glow. Did you know that?" He asked.
"I think the morning light is playing tricks on you." Sigyn responded.
"No, you always seem to glow." He avowed while placing his hand over the one that she had rested on the lip of the fountain.
"Then it is your own heart that deceives your eyes. I merely shine as a reflection of your love, just as a moon reflects the light of a sun."
"Then you will continue to glow till the end of time. I love you just as much as I did the day I first kissed you in the stable yard."
"I dare say you love me a good deal more."
"I dare say you are correct." He agreed with a small grin.
They sat watching the sunrise with his hand resting gently atop of hers, and once the sun had fully risen Loki finally continued leading Sigyn around the city. His little tour lasted till about midday, at which point they left the main city to explore the outlying gardens. They ended their day by watching the sunset atop a waterfall. Sigyn was worn out when they reached Asgard, and fell asleep after she snuggled up to Loki who was reading in bed. She felt herself being shaken awake again, and she opened her eyes to see the same guard from the morning before.
This was a dream.
The guard once again requested that she come with him, and even though she was aware that this was a dream she couldn't do anything but respond the exact same way she had the first time. This time Loki's voice didn't wake her as she descended the stairs, and with each step she took downwards a sense of foreboding grew. The guard who had awoken her led her into a dimly lit chamber, and she could sense the two guards that were following them closing in behind her. It took Sigyn's eyes a minute to adjust to the poor lighting, but when they did the only syllables she could utter were:
"Loki…"
She didn't get a very good look at her husband in the dream before her real one awoke her.
"Sigyn, are you all right?" He asked in a concerned tone.
"Yes… yes, I am fine."
"Are you certain? You were shaking…"
"Yes, I am fine. It was a bad dream, nothing more." She assured.
Loki gave her a doubtful look, but didn't press her on the topic of her nightmare. He knew that she would share it with him when she was ready. Loki stroked her hair until she fell asleep again, and this time she didn't dream.
The next few days were spent planning their trip to Midgard, which Sigyn found extremely difficult to do since it was the largest and most diverse of the Realms they were to visit. Each night her dream would recur, and each night Loki would wake her further and further into the garish tale. Sigyn began to notice subtle changes in the nightmare as the nights drew on. The chamber in which she awoke and the building she was led through began to look less and less like the palace and more like a manor by the sea. It wasn't till the night before they were to leave for Midgard that Sigyn was able to reach the conclusion of the nightmare's story…
Sigyn was awoken by a guard shaking her shoulders.
"Lady Sigyn, you must come with me." He instructed.
Sigyn pulled the covers closer around her to hide the fact that she wasn't wearing anything, and she looked over to where her husband should have been sleeping. Of course she found him to be gone. It was an absence she should have been used to by now, but it seemed the pain of his empty place in their bed would never lessen.
"Please wait outside while I change." She requested without looking at the guard.
She knew she should ask why the guard had come for her, but she assumed that the reason was tied to Loki in some way. It always was.
"There is not enough time for you to change." The guard stated.
"I cannot leave this room completely nude!" Sigyn retorted, her annoyance growing.
The guard glanced about the room and saw her green and cream dressing gown draped over a chair. He swiftly picked it up and handed it to her.
"You may put this on, but do so quickly. I will be waiting for you outside the door." He instructed.
Sigyn nodded in understanding but didn't move till the guard was actually outside. She recovered her undergarments that had been scattered about the evening before and put them on before slipping the dressing gown on over them. She quickly ran a comb through her hair and then left the room. The guard was waiting for her along with two others.
"Follow me." He requested.
Sigyn fell in step behind him. She followed meekly till she heard a scream from her children's room.
Váli.
Nari.
She turned quickly on her heel to go to their aid, but was stopped by the two guards who had been following her.
"What are you doing!?" She demanded as the guards grabbed on to her arms, but the guards neither responded nor let her go.
The screams of her sons grew more distant as they were being dragged off, and Sigyn knew that she had to get to them before they were gone forever. She struck out against her captors and managed to free one of her hands long enough to retrieve the small dagger she had concealed in her bodice. She was able to slash one of the guards across the cheek before the third guard disarmed her and slung her to the ground. Pain shot through her body at the impact, but she didn't believe that anything was broken. Sigyn sought to stand up and run from her captors to the aid of her children, but one of the guards was on top of her pinning her down before she could move. The cries of her sons soon echoed out of her reach, and a deathly silence filled her home. Tears began to fill her eyes, but she refused to let them fall in the presence of the guards. She was pulled to her feet by the guard who had subdued her and was then deprived of her dressing gown and checked for any more concealed daggers. After the guards were content that she wasn't hiding anything else she was marched out of her home and down to the beach in nothing but her bodice, underskirt, and undergarments. She continued to struggle against the men holding her, but with no success. They finally came upon a cave in the cliff face, and the guards took her inside. There was almost no light in the cave, but once Sigyn's eyes adjusted to the dim surroundings she spotted the battered form of her husband being held up by several more guards. The smell of blood overtook her senses, and she scrunched her nose up at it.
What had they done to her husband?
Sigyn tried to pull away from her captors to go to Loki, but they only tightened their grip on her arms. A snarl echoed from somewhere in the cavern and Sigyn's heart stopped.
Were they going to feed Loki and her to some sort of monster?
Where were her children?
What had Loki done to deserve this?
She certainly hadn't done anything worthy of such a fate.
Another two guards emerged from the darkness of the inner cavern. One held the leash of a fierce looking hound while the other was dragging a struggling Nari behind him.
"Nari!" Sigyn shouted, while pulling against her captors.
"Mother!" Her younger son called out in panic.
Where was Váli?
The iron grip of the guards on Sigyn's arms didn't falter, and she looked towards Loki for some sort of assistance. Her husband's head was still hung over with his hair dangling about wildly so she couldn't see his facial features, but it was obvious no help was going to come from him. She looked to the gathered members of the Æsir who were watching the scene unfold with practical disinterest, and tried to plead with them.
"Please let my son go, there is no need to punish him for whatever Loki or I have done!"
Some of those present turned their cold gazes on her, but the only ones she noted were those of the Royal family. Sif, Thor's wife, didn't even acknowledge her. She merely kept her gratified gaze on Loki, whom she openly despised. Thor's burning gaze cautioned Sigyn to keep silent. The AllFather's eye held some sense of pity, but an iron resolve as well. Frigga first looked to Sigyn with sympathy and then to Nari, but if Sigyn had hoped that the Queen might intercede on her son's behalf such hope was dashed when the goddesses eyes turned on Loki. Of all of the Æsir assembled, Frigga's gaze was the most hate-filled of all.
Sigyn was about to demand where her elder son was, but the AllFather spoke before she could utter another syllable.
"Raise the prisoner's head so he may receive his sentence." He commanded.
One of the guards restraining Loki grabbed his hair and pulled his head up so he was looking at the AllFather. Sigyn's eyes visibly widened at the sight of Loki's face. It was bruised and bleeding, but that wasn't what shocked her. No, blood could be washed away and his bruises would heal, it was his lips that floored her. They had been sewn shut. The Æsir had taken away his ability to speak for either himself or his family. When had such a right been denied a prisoner before? Loki's defiant eyes met Odin's solitary one for merely a moment before they darted desperately around the room searching for someone else. It wasn't till his eyes found Sigyn's that she realized that the someone was her. He scanned her swiftly, assessing her condition, and relief crossed his features when he found her to be mostly unharmed. The AllFather's voice brought Loki's attention back to him.
"Loki Laufeyson, you have been apprehended and brought here for the murder of Baldr Odinson. As punishment for your grievous crime you are to be witness to the death of your own son, Nari, by his transformed brother Váli, and then be bound by his entrails under a venomous snake till your own death."
Loki's eyes flitted to Sigyn, concern etched on his face.
"No harm will befall your wife. Sigyn is here to bear witness so that her suffering will further add to your own. Once the sentence is carried out she will be allowed to leave, and will be provided for in your absence since only the Norns know what wrongs you have done her." Odin responded in answer to Loki's unspoken question.
Sigyn felt her knees go weak as the words of the AllFather sunk in. Her transformed son meant that Váli was the hound. The guard holding Nari bound his hands and feet before placing a blindfold over his eyes and tying a gag around his mouth. Sigyn began to feel light-headed and her world began to spin. She was going to pass out, but she couldn't pass out. She had to stay awake. She had to save her son!
Her momentary limpness caused the guards to loosen their grip on her. She saw her opportunity to free herself, and a shot of adrenaline surged through her. She rammed her elbow back into one of the guard's nose and struck the other one in the neck. Finally freed, Sigyn ran to Nari's defense before the hound, her other son, could be unleashed upon him. She scooped her youngest into her arms, but before she could stand to flee with him, a large hand gripped the back of her neck.
"Put him down." Thor commanded.
Sigyn clutched onto her crying son even more tightly.
"Please, let my son live. Kill me in his place, I would gladly die in his stead."
No one spoke after her final plea for her son's life, and Sigyn didn't take her eyes off of Nari. She could hear the guards trying to subdue Loki who had seemed to find a little more strength left to fight.
"The decision has already been made." Odin finally stated. "Your son must be the one to die."
A son for a son.
The two guards who had been restraining Sigyn earlier tore Nari from her grasp and Thor forced her to her feet. The 'god of thunder' began to walk her over to where Loki stood, but Sigyn had not given up the fight yet. The moment he transferred his hand from her neck to her upper arm she broke his grip, secured a dagger from the guard closest to her, and went to strike at Thor with it. Unfortunately the warrior's instinctive reflexes where much quicker than her own and he deflected the strike while landing his own blow against her temple. Sigyn was sent staggering away from the warrior-prince towards her bound son. She tried to catch herself as she fell forward, but the world went black before she even hit the ground.
A dull pounding in Sigyn's head awoke her, and she was reminded of where she was and what she was doing there when she heard Loki struggling against the Æsir that were trying to bind him to three large boulders. She tried to push herself up to go to her husband's aid, but she could barely lift herself from the ground. She finally got herself to a sitting position and rubbed her cheek, which felt sticky. She glanced down at the offending substance and almost gasped at the sight of blood. She looked down at her bodice to discover that it was soaked in blood as well, and she then looked back over her shoulder. The sight before her was worse than any nightmare. There on the cavern floor lay what was left of Nari's mangled body. No one had bothered to even cover the poor little boy's remains. Did they not care that they had just murdered an innocent child!? She glanced towards Loki, whose arms the Æsir had managed to bind to the stones using Nari's intestines. Sigyn felt like vomiting at the sight, but she wouldn't allow herself to display such weakness. They had stripped Loki down before binding him, so Sigyn made her way over to his discarded clothes. No one paid her any heed as she took the garments and went to wrap the body of her son in them. She cradled the lifeless bundle in her arms not caring that his blood was soaking through Loki's garments and on to her. She rocked him back and forth as she had when he was a babe. None of the gods or goddesses came to offer her comfort, not that she would have accepted it if they had.
She was an outcast.
The second she had married Loki she had been doomed to such a fate. The friends she had before the marriage all disappeared as soon as she said her vows. None of them wished to be associated with the trouble that followed the 'god of lies' footsteps. Her friends and family abandoned her, and then her husband did as well. Loki disappeared after their first month together leaving Sigyn alone and defenseless. She spent all the tears she possessed during that first year alone, which was why she had none to shed now. He never sent her any word of his whereabouts, and the only time she had cause to hear of him was when she went to the markets and the gossip of his misadventures and bedding of other women met her ears. It appeared to Sigyn that she was no more than a toy that he had grown tired of. After years of separation Loki finally came back to her long enough to impregnate her, and was then off again. He returned in time for Váli's birth, and Sigyn had hoped that perhaps the birth of a son would be enough reason for him to stay. For a short time it appeared that Sigyn's hopes would be validated, but Loki left again before Váli even reached his first nameday. The pattern continued as the years passed. Loki would turn up every so often acting as though he had never left, and then leaving again without any warning. What angered Sigyn more than Loki's frequent comings and goings was her willingness to take him back. Not once during their marriage had she been unfaithful to her husband, and she had always welcomed him back to their bed when he returned to her. Perhaps she was weak for that, but despite all of Loki's flaws she still loved him. Sigyn wasn't sure Loki loved her in return, but when he bedded her she couldn't help but think that he was at the very least fond of her.
The sounds of struggle finally ceased, and Sigyn looked over to where Loki was now naked and bound. One of the women present gave a little snap of her fingers, which was greeted by a hissing sound. A large serpent slithered out of the shadows from behind her and approached Loki. The snake glanced Sigyn's way once, but it seemed to be very conscious that she was not its intended victim. Upon reaching Loki the snake slithered up around his torso and around his shoulders. Sigyn's breath hitched as the snake slithered and hissed about her husband, and without warning it sunk its fangs into his shoulder. Those present watched without pity as Loki writhed in pain, but the sound of his muffled screams tore at Sigyn's heart. How could anyone watch on impassively at such apparent suffering? Sigyn could have sworn that the serpent's beady eyes took on a gleam of delight as Loki writhed beneath it. The snake finally released Loki from its bite and slithered up to the rocks hanging over Loki's head. Its venom flowed freely from its fangs now dripping down Loki's face and body like acid. Loki continued to thrash against his restraints, which had been transformed from his son's entrails into iron, and moaned in agony. Sigyn heard someone scream Loki's name, and it wasn't till she was pulling at her husband's fetters that she realized it had been her. The snake lashed out towards Sigyn for her interference and Sigyn fell backwards in an attempt to avoid its fangs. Content that it had caused enough panic for now, the snake curled itself up on the rocks and watched as Loki's body continued to shake from the aftershock of the venom. A soft hand touched Sigyn's shoulder, and she recoiled from the touch as she turned her head.
"It is time to go, Sigyn." Frigga encouraged.
Sigyn's eyes hardened at the woman kneeling next to her, and she had to fight the urge not to shove her away.
"I am not going anywhere." She stated.
Movement by Nari's body captured Sigyn's attention, and she spotted Thor about to pick up the little bundle.
"Don't you dare touch my son!" Sigyn threatened, while rising to her feet.
"Sigyn…" Odin began, but was immediately cut off.
"Do not speak my name with such pity for I know you feel none. None of you do. I don't believe any of you capable of pity unless it is towards yourself! You are all selfish, cruel, and vain beings who take pleasure in the suffering of others!"
The Queen looked ready to try and reason with Sigyn, but Odin placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Let her mourn her sons, and she will come to us when she is ready."
"And what of my husband? Do you not think I will mourn him every day that I know he suffers?" Sigyn seethed.
"If you had a true husband, perhaps." Sif countered.
"True husband?" Sigyn pressed in a deadly calm voice.
"What husband tires of his wife after only four weeks of marriage, and then only returns to impregnate her in hopes of conceiving a proper heir?" Sif taunted. "Though perhaps the better question is what woman is so gullible to allow him to do so?"
A feeling stronger than hatred began to swell up in Sigyn's chest.
"Get out, all of you. Get out!" She shouted.
It didn't take long for those present to follow her command, and once she was left alone with Nari's body and Loki bound to the boulders she fell to her knees and began to sob.
What woman was that gullible indeed?
Sigyn felt wretched, and she knew she probably looked the same. When she managed to pull herself together she found that she was curled up next to Loki. She wasn't sure how, but she knew that time had passed. Nari's body was no longer in the cavern, a blanket covered Loki's lower limbs, they had both lost weight, and Sigyn's skin was so pale that it seemed almost translucent. She looked up at Loki's face and realized that his lips were no longer sewn shut. Deep down she knew that she had done that; she had given her husband his voice back. She glanced above Loki's head to see the snake looming above, waiting to disrupt his sleep in the most painful way it knew how. As Sigyn stared the snake in the eyes she came to a stark realization. She and Loki couldn't live like this forever. Something had to be done to stop the pain and the suffering, and Loki was in no position to be the one to end it. Sigyn had tried to kill the serpent before, but with no luck. This time she had a plan that was certain to work. She ran her fingers gently across Loki's face hoping not to wake him, and placed a feather like kiss on his lips. She didn't want him to be awake to witness what she was about to do. She stealthily pulled out her dagger, making sure that the serpent didn't notice her movements, and pulled her sleeve away to reveal the pale skin of her forearm. She slowly held out her arm to the serpent and waited. It didn't do anything at first so Sigyn made a sudden flicking motion in hopes of startling the snake into reacting, and it worked. The serpent buried its fangs into Sigyn's wrist. Sigyn bit her lip to try and stifle her own screams while pulling the snake violently from its hiding spot. The noise woke Loki from his sleep, and his eyes widened at the sight. Sigyn's intentions seemed to be very clear to Loki, and he yelled out trying to stop her.
"Sigyn! Don.."
Before he could finish his plea however, Sigyn severed the snake's head from its body in one swift motion. Though the serpent was dead, its jaws stayed clamped shut on Sigyn's arm pouring all the venom in its glands into her blood stream. She grasped the affected area and writhed on the cavern's floor as the excruciating pain took over all of her senses. She had known that the venom was extremely painful, and even bore scars from shielding Loki's body with her own as the venom had dripped down, but this was unlike anything she had ever felt before. The only thing that made the pain worth it was knowing that her husband would be free of it forever. She somehow managed to crawl her way over to Loki as the spasms shook her body, and she curled up against him.
"Sigyn…" was all Loki could manage.
Sigyn smiled up at him despite the pain only to see him crying.
"Don't cry Loki, I'm not."
Loki pulled against his chains to try and touch her, but he was unable to. Sigyn's body began to feel numb, and she knew death was only a matter of moments away.
"The pain was meant for me Sigyn, not you."
"We are husband and wife, Loki. We are one, what hurts you must also in turn hurt me. Besides… I can't really feel it anymore."
"Can you feel me?" Loki inquired as he leaned his head against hers.
"Only you." She replied. "Loki…"
"Yes, My Love?"
"Will you let me see your eyes? That's what I want to see before I go to sleep."
Loki turned his head to look her in the eyes, and smiled just as he had the first time he had asked her to dance.
"Do you believe Váli is still alive?" She asked.
"Yes, I do."
"Find him."
Loki nodded that he would.
"You will take care of Váli, and I will take care Nari… he never did like the dark." She reminded Loki, while resting her head back on his arm.
"I don't believe that it will be dark where you are going." Loki stated.
Sigyn felt herself smile, and the fire in Loki's eyes was the last thing she could remember.
Author's Note: Oh my goodness this chapter was confusing! I kept trying to write it one way and then my fingers were like "No! Write it this way!" Gah I hope you, the reader, managed to follow it. I'll try to break it down for you here. Italics are the things that Sigyn is dreaming, the images and thoughts that are solely inside her mind. My original intention was to take this chapter and go through the progression of Sigyn's dream (how it slowly morphs from the first one onwards). I was going to lengthen the sequence each time while altering the thoughts Sigyn has and the surroundings we find her in. Notice how in the first dream her thoughts tend to fit the way this story portrays her, while the thoughts she has during the final dream or more akin to what the Sigyn of the mythology might have had. I was literally going to change the details subtly till we reached the final incarnation of the nightmare, which was actually just going to be its own chapter. I ultimately decided against that route for times sake. It would have been very fun to write, but it also would have meant that I wouldn't get the chapter posted for probably another week. Some readers might have found it to be a fascinating process, but it would have been too bogged down in details for the majority of readers and I knew I would be able to get the sense of what was happening in Sigyn's mind across without taking up so much space. I also know that this story is already rather long (which shouldn't have surprised me but totally did) so I didn't want to spend two chapters on Sigyn's dream. Anyways, if there are any questions about what in the Hel is going on in this chapter feel free to message me. I would be floored if there wasn't at least a couple of confusing points along the way.
