The halls were golden, bright and impressive as Sigrün and another female walked in. They watched as people turned to stare at the short redhead; a midget compared to the heights they were used to encountering. The woman next to her was taller with black hair and also staring around the building. Two strange, out-of-place Midgardian women...
That was how Loki first saw her and he couldn't make a fucking move.
The hall was teeming with chatter from the court-wasps surrounding them. They whispered about the arrivals, what they were doing here, how they got there in the first place. He couldn't reveal himself whatsoever.
Loki didn't have a lot of time to process even seeing her walk toward him on Asgard of all places. He had so many questions for her and why she was here.
Then he spotted Fandral trailing her, practically drooling like an adolescent. Suddenly the red clouding his vision pushed Loki's concerns for his woman back. What of Sigrün? Would she appreciate the golden boy's attention? The thought rankled.
Yet when he looked at her face, the redhead's eyes were forward as she walked toward the throne. Her body heat was already lighting up the room and the oblivious court-dwellers hadn't noticed.
Sigrün was simply stunning in her Asgardian leathers and armor, looking both unattainable and almost icy in her expression. Her hair looked more vibrant than ever and she looked stronger. Loki felt a slight pang in his chest as he watched her stop before the steps.
Fandral was still beside the two females and he leaned to whisper toward Sigrün who responded quietly. Suddenly the man beside her touched her elbow and her eyes hit him with a snap.
Despite the absolute shock that Sigrün was even on Asgard to begin with, Loki's knife-sharp jealousy was suddenly even more astounding. What he would give to have the grimy, blonde bastard dead on the spot. He imagined himself walking up to the Fandral, punching him in the face and carrying Sigrün out of there to his chambers in front of all. She is mine! .
Yet he couldn't even think of going over there.
He'd blow his cover to all of Asgard and the only two in the entire realm at the moment who knew him alive was Heimdall and Sigrün. Not even Thor knew and he intended to keep it that way. If she wanted to, she could spill his secret. She'd been very angry with him the last time they parted ways and he'd left in a rush when she didn't answer to his satisfaction.
Ah, a voice nicked the back of his brain, Didn't you tell Thor yourself that your nature ruled against such things as satisfaction?
He pointedly ignored his own consciousness. Even he didn't know if he was right he wasn't about to argue with himself. Though judging from behind the throne and being thought of as dead by most, Loki had few choices but to simply watch as Sigrün awaited Odin's attention; so he finally spoke.
"Woman...why are you and your comrade standing before the Allfather of Asgard? Clearly you are of Midgard...explain."
Sigrün stepped forward and the taller female at her side mirrored the action. "We're both here because we were ordered to, your highness. Although saying we're under orders implies we have a choice in the matter."
Loki had Odin lean forward slightly. "So you're a puppet and your master sent you here...for what purpose?"
Sigrün tried to contain herself, he knew, before she offended the Allfather. "I suppose being called a puppet is an accurate interpretation of my sisters and I." She paused when the dark-haired female at her side pinched her elbow.
She murmured something and Siggy finally turned back to the king. "We have two others behind us, one is suffering because she had to fight beyond her strength. That could be any one of us. Moira or I could kill ourselves going after the relic we were ordered to extract from Asgard, but we'd like not to die today." Sigrün snipped. "Instead we ask permission to borrow the artifact. If we can, we'll return it."
Odin was about to raise his spear when the dark-haired woman spoke. "You're verra quick to judge, king. If you order this we could die fighting to get to that room. The three of us."
"You're awfully confident to peg me as a victim." Loki had Odin say. He wanted to put them in a cell and question Sigrün.
In answer, the woman smirked darkly at the man on the throne. "Oh, I wasna talkin 'bout you, good king. I was talkin 'bout the wee passenger with us." Her words stopped a lot of murmuring in the room.
Loki himself paused as he tried to comprehend, but the woman wasn't finished. "Do ya even
"Moira!" Sigrün hissed, and glared over at the female. "Enough!" Her body heat had gone up some degrees and the court-wasps were starting to notice.
Loki was speechless for once in his life. What exactly was the woman insinuating? Before he could act or even think, the damn guards decided to move in. The women were getting cornered which made them antsy, and antsy made them look suspiciously like they'd act.
Before anyone knew what was going on there were spears in their faces. "Right." Moira snapped and looked pointedly at Fandral. "Tell ma Bear I hope to see him again."
As soon as the last word left her lips, the woman Moira tossed out a hand and caught Sigrün's shoulder like a vise. "Hold still, girlie!"
Before the guards could move, both Sigrün and Moira literally slipped into the floor, leaving no trace of them behind. "Find them!" The Allfather shouted and Loki was already setting up wards so he could leave his projection alone with confidence. He was going to find that insufferable woman and he would get her to talk.
000
Siggy found herself spirited down floor after floor, until finally Moira halted their fall; she landed on her ass gracefully. "Oh fuck!" She shouted and got pulled onto her feet.
"Hush, girl. Do ye feel it? We're so close."
Siggy stopped struggling as Moira pulled her along and the humming that tingled in her head seemed to agree. "Yes...I feel it. Jesus isn't that convenient?"
"It is, yes." The ebony-haired Scot said and led the way.
"So now we're on the lamb with all of Asgard after us and I still haven't seen...um," In an instant Moira zeroed in on Siggy who was blushing again. "Um, I haven't seen Thor. I heard he comes back here sometimes."
"That's a lie! Your baby-da is here somewhere, ya slag!"
"He is hiding here behind the throne somewhere, as far as I'd imagine," Siggy snapped back, "but I didn't see him or sense him at all. Normally I can tell when he's in the room. But that's the least of our worries, Moira! Danny can't make another portal for a day and you spent a good long time in that pub but goddamnit we are stuck here for another day!"
Moira frowned shook her head. "I spoke to Danila just 'fore I took us out of that room." At the glare Siggy sent her, the Scot rolled her eyes. "She is a telepath and also knew exactly where she sent us. Come on dove, have a little faith."
"She's ready? Are you fucking kidding me? She was shaking and pale when she sent us through!"
"She is strong." Moira snapped. "She said she can keep it open for several minutes but we gotta meet her at the right moment. There's no private little house for our escape. She wants us at the giant bridge."
Siggy groaned and rubbed her forehead. "So the biggest brightest spot, to use like a beacon; I get it. So lets get moving, I want out of here."
The two of them moved quickly and slipped right through the door that called to them. Inside were all kinds of treasures, but the one they focused on was a blue cube that whispered and urged them to come near.
Together Moira and Siggy crept forward, only to stand staring at the item. "Well, should we pick it up?"
"It willna hurt us, I don't think...but Loki used it in New York. It's the mind stone." Moira said.
Resolutely, Siggy took a step forward and grabbed the cube with her bare hand. A flood of energy waved through her, but it was cool and didn't feel like she would be in danger. Just as her claws dropped the cube into a stray box Moria found, the giant doors behind them burst open and guards flooded into the room.
Arrows were being readied and Moira turned to Siggy. "Girl, you may have to try something...I donna know if I can stop all of this."
The arrows loosed.
000
Loki was disguised and standing with other soldiers just before the bridge. It was the logical point to hold position since it was the only way known to most to get off of Asgard.
Shouts came from the road ahead and guards were looking singed and frantic. "Be on your guard! We have no weapons against them!"
Loki frowned and waited until he saw a figure round the corner, though it was a body of flame and intangible. The person was obviously female, as the embodied fire was gifted with womanly curves and hair that whipped into the air like a candle.
Sigrün...
Beside her walked the loud one, Moira and Sigrün simply lifted a palm above her head, conjuring a barrier of light energy about them as they walked right on through the grouping of soldiers.
"Donna waste ammunition, boys." Moira barked as they passed. "She incinerates em like marshmallows in July."
Loki watched his lover walk away from him, awed by her. Sigrün's body was a living flame and she'd evolved into an entity he knew nothing about. All at once, he realized he was going to lose her and all at once, for the first time in his life...he was frightened.
"Sigrün!"
She stopped instantly, her feet humming on the rainbow bridge as she turned. Her facial structure was the same but she looked like living flames that would burn if one dared to touch. But her eyes were dark except for the familiar molten amber irises that he knew were her own.
Sigrün knew it was Loki. She wanted to say his name but she knew they had an audience. His face showed from under the helm of the same guards surrounding him. He was in hiding.
Overwhelmed with emotion, she clutched the Tesseract box in her claws even more tightly before she spoke. "What?"
"Talk to me." He murmured and she closed her eyes, set her hand over her abdomen. It was not as bright as her whole body, which was like a hot flame, but she bore a dark blue center.
"I tried " she cut herself off before her voice broke, but she lost the flame. She transformed before them all, her anger and fear gone in an instant and she was once more a woman. "I tried to tell you."
"What?" he hissed and took one step forward, almost losing his guise as a lowly guard. "Tell me what?"
"I
"We have to move!" Moira snapped and launched Siggy out of her nostalgia. "Run! Danny can't keep it open long!"
Before Loki could react, his woman had turned tail and ran from him. Ran from him, like he was a beast. It did more to hurt his ego than he cared it to and he shouted. "After them!"
She was strong and swift and her partner was just the same. Together they worked in tandem, Sigrün incinerating arrows and Moira setting up mines that sucked in guards and dropped them into the sea below.
In one minute they'd made it to the middle of the bridge where their portal awaited them and Moira dove right in. Loki kept his eyes trained on his woman, as she seemed to pause and look down at the artifact in her hand.
Sigrün took one step back, toward him, her eyes shining despite the flames that lit up her hands, arms and finally her hair. She took another step, then one more before she threatened to fall. Her body nearly convulsed, as she were fighting off an unknown force.
"No!" she cried and suddenly there were two sets of hands pulling her back into the portal. "Wait!" she screamed, desperately trying to remain behind so she could touch him.
The last words he heard from her lips were his name and she sounded like she was in agony.