Apologies for the long update gap! This chapter has some action, a much-needed reunion, sass, arguments, and setup for a few important characters; hope you enjoy, and feel free to leave reviews!
"I still do not see why he needs to be with us," Thor muttered as they walked through the halls.
Sigyn sighed and rolled her eyes. "I told you last night, Thor; he knows Thanos better than any of us, and as far as pure power goes, we could use his strength. The Mad Titan is no easy foe."
"And you love him, and don't want to see him in a cell."
"True," she shrugged.
"But breaking into a prison, Sigyn? Are you completely sure about this?" His brotherly concern would've been sweet at any other time, but now it was just bothersome.
"First of all, we will not be breaking into anything, we will have a key," she explained, exasperation overtaking her voice. "Secondly, you already agreed to help me with this and I will not let you back out now. Now shh, be quiet, we are almost here; the einherjar can still hear you even if you are invisible."
Thor, to his credit, remained silent despite her terseness as he walked along side her, invisible to all but her eyes. She held herself tall and proud as she approached the main prison door and the several guards stationed outside of it. "I will see my husband."
Two men at the front traded wary looks. One stepped forward cautiously. "My lady, perhaps you should return to your quarters…"
These men were fearless when it came to battle, but a determined noblewoman- a princess, no less- was clearly a different story. She would hardly have to try to get her way with them. "Perhaps you should step aside," she said coolly.
"Princess Sigyn, you should not-"
"Have I been completely banned from the prison or will you step aside when your princess commands it?"
Tight-mouthed, they moved away from the door, leaving just enough room for Thor to follow behind her. She had won no friends here, but if that was the only price she had to pay, then today would be a good day. Her eyes darted around the prison while they moved through the cells. As she realized just how many guards, and inmates, were present, she felt a sinking sensation in her stomach. Maybe this was not the best idea after all… But it would have to work; it was too late now to come up with anything else.
Loki's cell was one of the first ones, so they didn't have to walk for long. When he saw her approaching, he rose. "Sigyn, I-" she saw his eyes slide to where Thor stood next to; she hadn't expected her simple illusion to fool him. "Why is he-"
She didn't hear him finish. She had to do this now, and she had to do this quick. Closing her eyes, Sigyn stretched out her mind until she felt every being in the prison. There are so many…but not too many. With a murmured spell and a quick flick of energy to every mind, she was finished.
"Damn," she winced, putting a hand on Thor, who was now completely visible, to steady herself. "It must be the baby; I should not be this drained."
"Darling, are you-" Loki paused as he looked around, his concern changing to a half-smile amazement. "You did this all in a moment?"
"They are not dead," she said with eyebrow raised. "Just sleeping. But yes, I did."
"Does this mean that you are here to free me?"
"What do you think, you dolt?" she teased with a smile. Just a few more moments and they would be properly together again for the first time in months. "Thor, did you get the keys?"
He rose from the body of a sleeping guard with an iron keyring in his hand and took a step towards the cell. "Are you sure?" he asked, one more time.
"Yes."
With a sigh, Thor unlocked Loki's cell, bringing down the barrier of energy that had held him inside.
In that moment, Sigyn felt her weariness fade away; how could she focus on being tired when her love, her husband was moving towards her as she moved towards him, when their bodies were colliding and their arms were wrapping, when things were as they had been and as they should be?
"Oh Sigyn," he murmured as he buried his face in her hair.
She pressed her face into his chest, relaxing parts of her body that she didn't know were even tense. This felt so right to be standing here with him, to hold and be held. She wanted nothing more than to stay like this, but they couldn't. "We have to go, love," she whispered as she pulled back slightly, her face a breath away from his. "Once we are safe…once we are safe we can finish this."
"We could get started now." There was a hint of a growl in Loki's voice as he brushed the hair away from her face.
Sigyn grinned, baring her teeth in an almost feral way. "Do you think either of us could stop if we did?"
He sighed and pulled away, though he left his arm wrapped around her side. "My love, I wish you were wrong more often."
"Then who between us would ever be right?" She sighed, pushing her smile into the background. When she turned to look at Thor, though, she had to fight to keep that smile from returning. The warrior stood with his arms crossed, one hand tightly gripping Mjolnir as he stared straight ahead and tried to ignore them. "Thor, are you alright?" He usually wasn't this bothered by their affection, but then again, Loki usually wasn't newly free from prison.
"Do not worry about him, love, he is just pining for his Midgardian pet," Loki sneered.
The anger was immediate on Thor's face. "You dare to speak of my Lady Jane in that-"
"Oh come on," she interrupted, rolling her eyes. "Can you at least wait until we are out of the prison before you start bickering like children? I know you are brothers, and I know you have to keep up the illusion that you hate each other, but it can wait."
"But Sigyn he-"
"Sigyn, darling-"
"It. Can. Wait." she said firmly, giving each of them a pointed look. She loved Thor like a brother and of course cared for Loki, but sometimes they really did act like children and she was left in the role of the scolding mother. Shaking her head, she added, "Just come on, we need to get out of here."
A door opened and slammed shut, then everything became slow. Two guards entered the prison, took a few steps forward as if to speak with the trio, and paused with shocked faces as they took in Loki's freedom and everyone else's unconsciousness. Without a second to spare they turned to leave and, presumably, sound the alarm.
She only had an instant to react. Summoning a ball of energy to her hand she took a few precious moments to aim (lest she seriously hurt someone) before letting the energy loose towards the guards. One fell, struck on the back, but the other slipped out before she had a chance to do anything else.
"What were you all doing?" Sigyn whirled on Loki and Thor, who stood dumbstruck and frozen. "You couldn't have helped me? Now everyone will know what we are doing." Her frustration slipped away, though, as she felt a wave of exhaustion sweep over her body. Loki reached out to steady her, but she batted his hand away weakly, still not forgiving him entirely. "I do not know why you just stood there." A slight groan as the weariness became more present, less easily ignored.
"You are tired, love; you need to rest," he murmured, his worry-filled eyes flicking down to her belly.
Her mouth was set in a determined line. She would not let the frailness of her body, or the apparent idiocy of the Odinsons, ruin this; she would protect her husband, and she would protect their baby. To admit defeat now would put them both in danger. "I do not have time to rest, not now," she said in a carefully controlled voice. If Loki saw just how fatigued she really was, he'd go right back in his cell and refuse to leave, lest she hurt herself trying to escape. It was that kind of devotion that made her love him. "We need to leave."
An alarm finished her sentence. "They will flood the prison with guards," Thor told them as he looked around. "We might be able to fight our way out."
"Loki?" She looked at him with her eyebrow raised. Her body was trembling slightly, but at least she could still stand without issue. For now. The combination of a baby and far-reaching magic did not seem to be working out for her. "What do you think? I do not know how much I will be able to help."
The look of uncertainty on his face was disquieting, and his stumbling words even more so. "I, ah, the cell was leeching my power-"
"Really? We are about to be attacked and you lie to us? Poorly?" Sigyn said sharply, shaking her head; all three of them knew his words weren't true. Loki, my Loki, always so full of secrets. She would find out what he was trying so hard to hide, but now was just not the time. "I have had enough. We are getting out of here, and we are getting out of here now."
A tight grasp, a muttered spell, and a push of power later, they were standing in a damp cave. This time, she couldn't stop herself from collapsing. Her knees buckled without warning and it was only Loki's quick reflexes that prevented her from hitting the ground.
"Sigyn, my love," he murmured as he cradled her body and helped her rise. One arm was around her shoulders, the other rested protectively on her stomach. "What have you done?"
"I took us to the portal," she groaned, leaning on him heavily. The teleportation had left her with just enough energy to stay conscious; even now, just a few moments later, she recognized how foolhardy her decision had been- but what other choice did she have? Stand there and watch Thor and Loki do nothing? Her breathing was labored and she felt faint, but she didn't think she would pass out just yet. "Can you get us to Midgard? To Thor's allies?"
Loki balked at that. "Are you sure- alright, love; we do need to get you somewhere safe. Thor, hold her for a moment." She allowed herself to be passed into Thor's strong arms as her husband approached the swirling pit. As she understood it, he didn't have to put any energy into this particular portal for them to reach their chosen destination (one of the main reasons she chose it, since she thought he might be depleted after their escape); he just had to bend the magic already present. One day I will get him to teach me how to do this on my own. She clung to Thor, not quite trusting her legs to hold her up. If ever there was a time for her to faint it would be now, but she refused.
A few seconds later, Loki stepped back and nodded. "It is done. All we have to do is jump."
"It will be okay, Thor," she said gently, noticing the hesitant look on his face. "The portal will take us to your allies, and we can figure out our next step there."
"Assuming they do not attack my brother on sight."
Those were the last words she heard before falling through a swirl of rainbow colors and landing in a room at the top of a tower.
You probably guessed it, but yes, they are in the Avengers Tower which begs the question: which Avengers do you all want to see? They will all be present, but if you have any preference as to who is more involved in the plotline, let me know! I can't guarantee that I'll be able to work them in, but I will definitely take your thoughts into consideration.
And, as always, let me know what you thought of the chapter; positive, negative, or some of both is always appreciated :)
