Some time later…

Sigyn stared out at the peaks and valleys that made up Valhalla. She had been living back on her home realm for nearly a year. Loki was still missing. Fortunately, he had the good grace to wait until they got back to Asgard before disappearing again. She could still feel his arms when he grasped her by the waist and whispered into her ear. "I will return for you."

Thor had acted like the perfect politician. He managed to convince Fury that Sigyn was acting under his orders by drawing Loki out and making him believe that she would run away with him. Once Fury was (barely) satisfied, Thor ordered Loki and Sigyn to go back to Asgard. Sigyn had been so fearful of Fury's wrath, she complied immediately. Natasha returned Sigyn's belongings that had been delivered to S.H.I.E.L.D. With mere seconds of privacy, Natasha threw her arms around Sigyn. "I wish you could have stayed."

Sigyn returned the embrace. "Me too."

The red headed assassin jumped back as if she was shocked by her own actions. "I'll talk to Thor, maybe we can find a way to communicate between realms."

Sigyn let out a shaky laugh. "I don't think I'll get wi-fi in Asgard."

But Natasha found a way. Whenever Thor and Sigyn met, which was often, he usually had a message from her Midgardian friend. Initially, the two met to further discuss Sigyn's training, which included physical and mental conditioning. For months, Sigyn anguished after hours-long sparring matches and intensive classes on Asgardian traditions and history. Each night, she fell into her new bed, asleep before her head hit the pillow. Thor was there to hear Sigyn vent out her frustrations and offer tactical solutions. As Sigyn improved, her weekly meetings with Thor morphed from advisory to friendly. Sigyn described what life was like in the Midgardian foster care and Thor talked about his uncommon introduction to Jane Foster.

And the physical transformation was a whole other story. Sigyn knew she would become stronger and leaner, but she didn't consider the Valkyrie physical characteristics. Her ears grew pointed tops and her eyes took on a curious shade of silver which, she swore, shined when she felt threatened. Sigyn's hair thickened and turned golden. Whenever Thor was acting short tempered, Sigyn liked to tease him into a hair flipping contest. Of course, Thor never deigned to join in, but he tended to talk with a little more cheer after.

Sigyn's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a discreet cough behind her. Turning, she noticed a slight woman and recognized her as one of Frigga's handmaidens. "Pardon the wait, ma'am. The son of Odin is temporarily detained by the All-Mother. If you may allow me to escort you to the library, it should only be a few more moments."

Sigyn nodded in agreement. She has long stopped asking the staff to address her with more familiar terms after positively terrifying the assistant of a weapons- smith. Even in Asgard, she was regarded as a strange creature. More easily accepted, of course, but strange nonetheless. No one seemed willing to give her any information about Ashish or the identity of her father. Following the handmaiden, Sigyn figured she could use the time in the castle's library to look over the literature, hoping for a history of Ashish's travelling group or her father's coven. Frigga's handmaiden silently opened the door and gestured for Sigyn to enter. Surprised that the woman would not enter the room with her, Sigyn stepped in and surveyed the area as the door closed behind her.

The library was a room of true beauty. Sigyn surmised the height of the room easily surpassed two regular floors of the castle. Not only were all the walls lined with books, but it appeared as if all the tables and desks strewn about were also covered with random tomes. Someone has been doing some research. Sigyn thought. Now if only I knew how they organized all of this. Otherwise, I will be here for another year before I find something worthwhile. She then sighed, moved to the closest bookshelf, and was thankful for her language tutoring. By the time Thor strolled into the room, Sigyn was perched at the top of a ladder, distracted and giggling at a volume of an ancient sex how-to guide. "It would be ideal for you to remember when a man of power enters a room, it is recommended for a lady to hide any literature of a scandalous quality."

"When I cross paths with such a lady, I will be sure to enlighten her of this new lesson." Sigyn grinned down at Thor. Her smile died quickly when she saw how exhausted he looked and how he leaned against the wall for support. "We can reschedule this if you need to be somewhere else."

Thor scrubbed his face with his hands. "No, please, I would welcome a happy distraction."

As Thor collapsed into a large armchair, Sigyn studied the man. Dark circles rimmed his eyes and his normally healthy complexion was pale and dull. She thought about waiting Thor out in hopes he would divulge what was obviously keeping him up at night. However, she remembered how it took Thor 6 months to talk about Jane and that was out of sheer stubbornness. Sigyn perched in the chair next to his and crossed her arms. "Are you at least going to tell me what you are so worried about?"

"Not worried, necessarily. I've been starting a large…undertaking and I was hoping you would assume the responsibilities." Thor tilted his head back and let out a large sigh. For a moment, Sigyn thought he had fallen asleep. Perhaps he had because with the next large breath, Thor shot back forward and cleared his throat. "My apologies, what was I saying?"

Trying to appear nonchalant as a wave of concern washed over her, Sigyn picked up a nearby book. It was a volume of traditional Asgardian dances. "Something about a large undertaking that you wanted me to take over."

Thor's eyes lit up as he remembered. "Ah, yes. I felt guilty because you have been spending the past year learning about your homeland but nothing about your family. When I was just a boy, I recalled seeing some literature on your mother's clan and the long dispute between them and your father's coven. So far, I have been fruitless in my search and honestly there is only so much time I can dedicate to such a task. My father had finally given you permission to have full access to this library so that you might take over. All that I ask is that when you do find it, you let me know."

The knot of worry loosened significantly as Sigyn nodded. "Yeah, absolutely. And I will let you know so that your family knows when to end the access for me in here."

She didn't want to assume that the permission from Odin would be a permanent fixture, though she did hope it was one. Thor looked at her with confusion. "Sigyn, we're friends. I only want to be informed because I wish to be here with you when you learn about your parents. Would you not want a comforting presence if what you read is a happy tale? And if it is, wouldn't you wish to share such a momentous occasion with one who truly understands the depth of your joy?"

Sigyn flushed with embarrassment. After a year of constant companionship, she still found it hard to believe that the Asgardian prince would want to build such a relationship with her. To be truthful, it did help relieve the pain of missing David as much as she had been. "Oh god, Thor, I'm sorry. It's just that Asgard has so many traditions and societal obligations that I constantly worry about offending someone because I am not proper enough."

Thor cut her off with a hearty laugh. "I think, my friend, that you have spent entirely too much time in lessons and not enough out in the lands. You will realize quickly that most of these traditions that you speak of are hardly considered in everyday routine. When you are done in here for the evening, come find me. I will introduce you to some friends. But if you will excuse me, I think I might catch up on my slumber while I still am without appointments this afternoon."

Sigyn grinned in response before turning her attention back to the bookshelves. If she had been paying any attention, she would have noticed Thor's satisfied smile. Had she looked back, she would have found it odd that Thor turned the wrong way down the hall outside of the library doors, going deeper into the back of the castle instead of upstairs to his quarters. If Sigyn's curiosity had been roused, she would have followed and walked to the dungeons where many of the criminals of Asgard were kept under close supervision. Had she not been buried in a book, Sigyn would have hidden in the shadows as Thor walked confidently down the corridor before pausing at the corner cell. If she would have kept in the shadows, she would have quickly recognized who had previously been held in the cell. Because it was the same individual who was in there currently. She would have seen Thor fix his expression from disappointment and sadness to a neutral mood. She would have seen him face the criminal inside of the cell and greet him by name.

"Welcome back, Loki."

If only Sigyn had paid attention, she would have realized Thor had given her a task which would consume days of her life so the staff in the castle could make plans regarding Loki's return and immediate imprisonment without fear that his beloved would catch on. By the time Sigyn would have emerged from the tomes of knowledge, everything would have been put back into place and everyone could begin to forget about the returning criminal back in his cell. But had she paid attention, Sigyn would have doubted her friendship with Thor and would grow suspicious of all of the Asgardian citizens. So perhaps, for now, ignorance is bliss.

Thor watched as Loki glared out from the corner of his cell, too caught up in his own emotions to pretend otherwise. Though the question was hissed out with the intent of being ignored, Thor could hear it clearly. Loki's question dissolved any hope of rehabilitation, though to the average eavesdropper, it would have sounded innocent enough, courageous maybe.

"What has my wife been up to? Learning much?"