AWOWADD 5
Chapter 5: A Life For a Life
The boy remained firmly away from the baking sand dunes. He enjoyed the callous, cold waters near the bankings. A small cove with pillar sized rock walls guarded the entrance and left a clear skyline of the day-night.
His leather skin boots trampled onto the soaked sand with a loud mushy sound. He winced before scrapping the mixture off a nearby rock stump. He gazed around the sun baked cove. It was cozy and kept. A path of criss crossing rocks floated above the water's surface to the center where larger boulders rose to great lengths. The prince studied the curvature of the rocks, testing for any false bindings with the tips of his shoes. He then proceeded a hopscotch across the surface with careful balance.
Beneath the water, he could see the significant color change. It had a eerie greenish glow with a glow so intense, it nearly doubled the boy over. Curiosity made him want to touch the translucent light. But with reservation, he continued on his path towards the centre.
His light feet found purchase on the rocky surface. He stood in amazement at the monolith pillars. He stared straight up and saw the faint rays of sun and moon colliding. It became too much as a sudden bout of dizziness came on the prince.
Loki shook his head of the fleeting feeling as he grounded himself to his knees. The dizziness only intensified as he closed his eyes. He pressed his hot forehead to the sticky cold rock. It's smooth area couldn't absorb the heat that overwhelmed him. Even the air around him stiffened.
The water wasn't too far off from the centre boulder. Casually he dipped a hand into the cool water with the green lights. Almost like a beacon, the lights swiveled. They hovered beneath his hand and grew brighter. With his free hand he shrouded his dilated eyes.
He scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. The lights became brighter but then molded into shapes. They swirled beneath the lights, sometimes blocking the lights. His reflexes weren't as sharp as the flickering of the lights weren't dimming. They came closer and closer...
Apprehensive, he removed his hand from the cool water. Before he could think about the heat or the feeling of sickness, the water splashed vehemently. He gasped as the an unnatural tide rose. It lapped around the rocks. Loki sat up and watched in pure terror as the water violently slapped against the stone. He backed up to the edge of the boulder where his path was nearly swollen with displaced water.
Before he could do anthing- call for help, cast aside his fear to pick up a weapon- a webbed, pale hand darted from the water, locked a grip around his ankle and drug him in forcefully.
Sigyn avoided the guards' search to escape to the sea. She gleefully dug her toes in the sand. She breathed in the shore winds before proceeded to her favorite cove. Nestled in between the wall her father ordered for to be built and the natural sea landscape were the same stone hedges she visited as a child. They represented the furtherest she's ever allowed to scale. That is, at least without an armed precession.
She clung tightly the book she managed to scrap off from the private collections. It would mean extreme consequences should she get caught with this book. The binding was thin but stronger than yew. The etchings swirling up and around in precise details were lined with golden paint. A fresh coat of tanning oil from the hides of wildlife milked the leather shiny.
It was one from the mortals her father and her instructor had told so little about. When she wasn't fulfilling her curiosity's needs, she forged her own path to occupy books of knowledge in the corner of her room on a candle lit night.
She thought, grazing her bare feet across the scathing sand, which reading spot would pique her interests. As she hopped along to the shoreline, hoping the water would cool her burning soles, she heard over the roaring waves an unusual sound.
It was sudden and swift. For a moment she wasn't sure if the sound was a sound at all. The flimsy motion of waves she studied across the shore were lazy and rolling. The ones sounding from the cove, not a mere fifty planks away, were quickening and slapping.
Her eyes rimmed with gold as she shrunk the book to the size of her palm and threw it in to the foldings of her cloak. Her feet scampered to the opening of the cove. She wasn't prepared for anything of the sorts.
Nykrs, large, green sea maidens that clawed for sailors' attention and suckled their desire until they drowned, fought in the cove's waters. They flipped their buoyant fins around the pool. There screeches wailed from above and beneath.
Sigyn readied herself as she dropped her cloak at the sandy entrance. Nykrs were notorious for their competitive natures. They were not as unionized as school pods of hval fish or guppies. Each and every one tore and devoured the other for their predatory needs. Their irascible faces showed no sign of the lovable creatures men found to be alluring. The gills around their neck grew fiercer as their temper flared. The eyes, once charming, turned black as Night's mane and the scales sharpened.
But as the princess tried desperately to shield herself and find the cause of their imprudence of the coral and other aquatic life around them, her eyes narrowed in the whirlpool of collision. A set of hands choked the water, slapping it all around, creating an uproar.
The hands were pale but not the same olive tone as the nykrs. Their screams were coming to a close as two of them ripped at a lone nykr holding the prey. Blood and bits of flesh decorated the pool and the fighting nykrs. Having no power to ease their diligence, Sigyn could see the set of hands accompanied a inky black bob of a head. It moved in and out, between the nykrs and their powerful tails. Now their screams attracted two more of them. They joined into the collision and the prey was stuck at the cornucopia of it.
Sigyn's feet lapped around the wet stones. She searched for something to drive them off. Her fingers scratched over the rough edges of jagged rocks and shrapnel of the monolith pillars. She threw them forcefully at the heads and appendages of the ones showing skin above water. It was futile attempt as they showed no weight in the water.
However, a lone rock smacked the side of a nykr. It bunkered off the side and drew her back into the water momentarily. Then with eyes like a blackened hurricane, the nykr steadied herself and swam back up. Her head barely lifted out of the water before she spotted the small girl. With teeth razor sharp, she hissed at the life form and made intentions to pull her in ankles first.
Sigyn scrambled away from the she-fish. Webbed hands scraped against the rock with white lines following after her clawing finger nails. Instead of hyper ventilating, Sigyn calmed her racing heart. She swiveled her head to another rock, loose and ready to be plunged.
Her forehead strained as she poured every ounce of will into a rock boulder beside her. Easily it could have been lifted by a strong warrior. Small Sigyn tried and tried, as the pressure became too immense. It swallowed her whole as her head rushed. A frightening wet hand gripped her ankle, inches away from gnawing teeth. She let out a scream as she let her self fall into the water, boulder narrowly missing her. The rock weighed down the nykr's left side, dragging her down. Nails pinched her skin in the water before her limb was free. Sigyn's whole body bobbed from the release before she coughed up the water upon breaking surface.
She kicked her feet flippantly, trying to smack the nearest threat. Her salt teared eyes blurred her vision. She bumped into something but upon the skin contact, there was no scales, only the wetness of cloth and leather. Her pale hand grabbed aimlessly for the cloth once more for some buoyancy.
Either it was a torn piece of the boy of his clothing, she knew not. Her eyes blinked away as her coughing became eradicate. The stress and the screeches of the horrid creatures around her were too much. With a single greedy gulp of air she hoisted herself as far out of the water as her body willed and liquified all the magic within in out of her.
Sound resonated and spoke volumes to the nykrs who became stunned. Shockwaves, broken and ringing in their ears confused them. There maddening whimpers resulted them to grab the nearest captive and swim to the depths. In a rush the nykrs pulled broken limbs of their defeated sisters or ripped away from their captors grasp. One or two made attempt to capture the two children.
But the echoes of Sigyn allowed the water to defy gravity and cocoon them- like a protective wall. Underwater gurgles were made as they fled but not without flipping their tails off. The cocoon of water swirled like a tsunami within their fury. Water filtered above and in them as they reached enviously for the surface.
With the struggle of their lungs allowing water in, one broke their surface with the other in tow.
Water dripped from his soaked clothes. The emerald vest he wore darkened like black obsidian steaming from its callous mixture of lava and water. She couldn't tell any color on him as his pale skin blanched and puckered a light pink from the nykrs hold on him. Their suction on him was tight enough to cause little claw marks on his hands and neck.
She coughed up the remaining foul water trapped behind her throat before attending the boy she saved. Her eyes trailed to anything he could strip out of. She worked thoroughly as he was coming to. His eyes lolled back. Sigyn neglected the shoes and outer vest.
Then she preceded to pump air back into his chest, rolling him over to his side and allowing the drainage to filter out. She rubbed the sand off her hands and continued to pump. Her skirts were clinging to her form annoyingly. She didn't bother to call for help as her throat was scratchy and screaming for air itself.
Then the boy started to come to. Her eyes sighed in relief as the boy opened up his dark eyes. His pupils dilated from the sun's intensity and she knew he was panicking. His breath quickened and he coughed rapidly as his shock pulled him conscious.
She shuffled to the side, waiting for the thrashing to begin. His arms wriggled as he cradled his face and sore neck. He groaned as he attempted to override motor controls. He managed to keep his panics down though he switched his head in different directions. He swerved to and fro as his dizziness set in. Sigyn backed off as her heart pumped.
The boy's eyes were strained red and showed signs of trauma around his salt-encrusted lips and chin. He straddled his hands on each side of his head and slowly sat up. Some sand clusters on his wet hands stuck here and there on his cheek. He ignored the scratchy grains as he hissed back a groan. His breath hitched when he finally realized he wasn't alone. Thinking it was one of the nykrs he grabbed clumps of sand at the ready.
Sigyn screamed a little in surprise. Both children, wet and scared out of their wits, took a long moment to gather their senses. Sigyn held her hands up in surrender and peace. She took it as a good sign as he swallowed the gulp of greedy air wanting to infiltrate his lungs. His color peaked a bit, but he was still so pale.
Calmly, she made a small crawl nearer to the boy, who relinquished his hold of the sand clumps. "Are you alright?" she asked him. Her hair, all tangled and stringy, clung to the back of her gown.
The boy's face scrunched in confusion. His lips parted once then smacked back into bitter remorse. He held a hand for her to remain where she was despite her moves toward him.
The boy narrowed his eyes and stood up arrogantly. He picked up the scattered remains of his pride and looked at the equally soaked creature before him.
Whoever it was clearly had taken no precautions of their dressing attire as it was soaked to the bone. The lanky fellow was far too helpless on his own, shivering and fiddling with the garments. Especially the dark cloak now surrounding him. The lump of wet fabric and fur matted down the tuffs of braided hair. When he recalled a voice, he remembered it high pitched.
Unbeknownst to the prince, the same lanky fellow shivering behind the dark cloak was the royalty his family sought for. Sigyn mirrored his movements.
"Does it look like I'm alright?" he said angrily. His eyes moved wildly across the arena watching for anything to dare threaten his stance. When he couldn't find anything that could remotely explain his predicament, he turned around to the girl, who was soaked to the brim like he was. He held a finger pointed to her. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"
Sigyn took a step back, wet hair clung to her equally watered shoulders. His panic state was over but he remained diligent in his mind that she was the Nykr or the reason for the attack.
Unbelievingly she asked, "Excuse me?"
The boy shook his head, scrubbing away some of the water stinging his ears. He squared his shoulders.
"Are you daft?" he asked snootily.
Instead of cowering at his new tone, the princess rolled her eyes and wrung out the water in her drenched hair and skirts. The hood turned up due to a sudden wind draft. Her face with some feminine features remained out of sight. Even so, the haughty boy rummaged after the state of his attire than her presence. Nevertheless the boy watched her from the corner of his eye as she ignored his interrogation.
She laced back the straps to her belt and studded sandals, feeling the intense stare from the standing boy.
She huffed as he waited impatiently. "I don't think it's any of your business to know all about me when you were the one foolish enough to touch the Nykr pool," She smirked as she couldn't control her impending laughter.
The boy laughed at her impetuous nature. Then his laughter stopped coldly. He raised his chin up, eyes glowering at her. He remained loose like a cobra ready for the killing strike.
He enunciated every syllable to emphasize his demeanor. "Who do you think you are, talking to a Prince of Asgard like that?" His arms rested at his side, clenched.
Semi-dry she strode in front of him, eye to eye. She wasn't intimidated by his premature snarls or the stagnant threats he uttered.
"I saved your life," she said lowly. In a short tiff she added, "I don't need to compensate who I am,"
The supposed boy prince released his intense gaze. He seemed at a lost. The breeze from the north returned, gnawing at the hood. It peeled it back and she was caught mid-pull of her ratty blond hair. She feverishly started to undo and redo sections of the braid. How she would have loved to see that smirk of his lower if it weren't for a troublesome knot.
He pointed crudely. "B-but you're a girl!"
She sat down on her heels, tugging her skirts down with her. She grumbled grouchily, "Would you rather I left you in with the Nykrs?" Looking up at him, she never would have thought a boy could pale so much as he did. It gave new definition to shell white. Seeing as her provocation caused him to reopen terror, she narrowed her eyes at his feet and then once to the side where the nykr pools looked enticing to dip in. "Nevermind,"
She made way to leave him and gods to hope to sneak back in the palace dry when the boy called her back.
"Wait!" She stopped but didn't make any move to turn her head. She listened to the softness of the silence. She expected an order of some kind to escape his mouth, not words of repent. "I'm sorry," he said first softly, then grew louder. "You were just being a good person and help me. I shouldn't have jumped at you like that,"
Sigyn readjusted the cloak around her shoulders as she gaped at him in astonishment. His face was like one of the children playing in the kitchens that she watched from a distance. He looked as if he stolen a loaf a bread, guilty and wanting to confess. "Honestly!"
The girl stepped forward, much closer to him than she allowed herself to be at. Her eyes furrowed as she watched intently at his actions. He bit his lip but showed no sign of trickery.
"How can I trust you?" she asked twisting her mouth into feign. "You could be a lie-smith for all I know," Her accusations weren't above her powers. His face construed a mixture of frustration and a sense of calm overcoming him. He sighed deeply and looked around at his surroundings. He shamed his head down as the girl studied his eyes.
He sighed deeply, knowing this girl's trust wouldn't so easily be won. "My name is Loki Odinson. I'm here on visit with my family," he spilt like it was a deep dark secret he held in for so long. In truth, she was surprised. She had saved a boy from outside her people.
Instead of a shock running through her like any other person, the prince noticed her stature remain tall and proud- not like any of the kneeling serfs that crossed his path.
"You're from Asgard?" she asked almost immediately. It threw the boy into confusion. Almost like he had forgotten where he had come from. Shouldn't that be an unnecessary question? His mouth opened like that of a mindless fish. "As in, outside of the realm?"
"Yes?" he answered unsurely, pursing his lips.
Sigyn broke out into a smile. Whatever reservations she held against his arrogance went with the wind as she questioned him excitedly. "What's it like? Asgard?" She nodded her head.
The prince of Asgard's hair fell in black slicks. He removed a hand to wipe some of the dripping water fall far from his chapped lips. Puckered, he smoothed down his damp tunic. He braced his most tender arm with the other from the pain the Nykrs inflicted on him.
He eyed the girl who awaited his answer. He rolled a smile. "Like a golden fantasy. Full of majesty and bravery," His eyes glazed over. Loki was welcomed with images of Asgard, in all its bounty and beauty. It was second to none and held an air of grace that can't be attained. How he wished to be enthralled by the latest book shipments, pouring his eyes over the written scrolls right now. The dry scent of paper was almost imagined. As are the smoky cloud of dust when he perused a certain tome. A sniffle from his nose broke his train of intense thought.
Her eyes crinkled as her braid flipped to her back. "Sounds like an adventure!" She held out a sandy hand out in front of her. "My name's Sigyn. Sigyn Vanaheimdóttir,"
The Asgardian prince would have rather dipped himself back into the Nykr pool than face the golden face in front of him. He could see clearly, like a cloud sweeping away the fog, the same misty eyes as the Fisher King. Her stance was proud even in the weak sand. Though young and with every trait bestowed upon her from the King, her inner self embraced a child-like attitude. So free and wild, that it was unimaginable the girl in front of him belonged to the king of the realm.
He kneeled down abruptly. He bowed his head down, eyes quivering to the young girl.
"You're the princess. Forgive me, Your Highness. I-I did not know it was you," He regained some control of his pride long enough to spit out words of mercy.
She stepped forward and kneeled in front of him. The prince gulped visibly as she came closer. "Why are you kneeling?" she whispered to him.
He lifted his head a bit more, straining the back of his neck. He was thankful the nykrs' claws didn't reach the sensitive skin on his neck. His breath coiled around their faces. Her eyes blinked in curiosity.
"I have wronged you," His eyes widened as she stood up.
She cocked her head to the side, eyebrows knitted. "But you're a Prince. A Prince doesn't kneel," She stated casually, as if his response was something completely foreign.
Loki limited his vision to his feet and the sticky sand underneath them. He waited with bated breath for respite , a threat of telling his father of the events that transpired. "I've insulted you and treated poorly after you kindly saved me from drowning,"
Sigyn shrugged her shoulders. "So? You didn't know who I was. Why should I be treated any different than someone who wasn't me?" she said casually.
Loki's lip thinned. He was caught in his own twisted web. Though amiable, he cursed the girl who seemed to outwit him even at his lowest point. He rose without a second thought and gazed at her curiously.
His eyes searched for some sort of deception- a curl of malice or a smirk that he often wore on his mischievous days. "Got me there,"
She brushed the sand off the edges of the cloak that trailed along wet sand. "If you wanted to swim, I suggest the Mirth pools," she said pointedly. Off not to far behind him was a set of rocks in a crescent shape facing towards the tide. It had no eerie green glow nor the call of Sirens. "They are shallow and hold barely any crustaceans," she explained.
The young prince darted his eyes away from the receding tide. He squared his shoulders and mentally scolded himself for lack of posture. HIs back cringed from the ruffling of drying clothes but he coped.
"I believe I'm through with my appetite for waters at the moment. If you could show me the way back, I should return to my Father," Ever the dutiful prince inclined his head at her in respect.
Sigyn nodded as her flamboyant tresses bounced in unison. "Yes," She made a half a step before realization shook her to the core. "Hold on," she said feverishly searching for something hidden within the fabric draped along her person.
She found immediate relief wash over her as her small hands enclosed around a magically concealed leather bound book. It's binding was slightly squashed but nothing a paperweight couldn't have fixed. The sheer size of the book was enough to lift weights but to the princess she carried it like a light rose. "Couldn't leave without it. Father would have my head should I bring another water-logged book," Memories passed over the princess as she remembered her reprimand all too recently.
If Loki had an inkling of his brother's brutish nature he would turn his nose up at the book. But the curiouser side of him, being a boy of luck and chance, brought his full attention towards the interested girl. She held the book in front of her delicately, almost enamored with the tome.
His eyes caught the runic title. "The Prose Edda. You read?" he stated eyes widening at the extraordinary rarity of otherworldly knowledge.
Sigyn's eyes alit. She never found a companion her age with interest in academics. She relished this sliver of an opportunity. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?" Her pearly white teeth peeped behind her lips.
Loki, ever the once firm and hesitant to new surroundings, itched to pour out all his hidden nights of sneaking into the library coiled into an armchair and swallowed into a book until the break of dawn. But, the little resistance that shaped him into the prince in training, he urged the feeling to dissipate.
"Pardon me," he started out politely. "It's just I'm the only one in the library at odd hours out of my family. It's below my brother's character to spend time in anything other than in the training field," He wrapped his arms behind his back and straightened his posture.
Sigyn loosened her mouth. "That's sad," Loki seemed taken back at her sympathy. Her eyes widened at the misinterpretation. The wave of her hand and the cringing of self reprimand. "Oh no, not that you spend your time in the library- that's admirable. Your brother doesn't like to read?" He nodded.
Not realizing proper manners, he let slip his silver tongue. "Yeah. He thinks it abnormal," If anyone would have overheard the prince gossiping as he was now, it would have been a strict telling and forbiddance to the library for an untold age.
Sigyn laughed merrily. "Then he's the abnormal one. Reading is the foundation of learning,"
A dip of a smile turned Loki from mannered prince to a regular boy. "Exactly," he said. "He doesn't see things eye to eye. Doesn't help he's a little bit taller- only a little bit, mind you." He waggled a finger in front of her, showing her whose dominant. He turned his eyes back the enchanted subject. "Do you only find interest in Midgardian literature?" he asked curiously.
Sigyn bit her lip and clutched the tale to her chest. "Well, it's not on my curriculum. I discovered a mentioning of it through one of my lessons and started to investigate on my own," Her shoulders shrugged out of habit. "It's remarkable how they remember stories of the universe, catalogue them, but don't believe in them," She became lost in her words with the incense of old paper and inked words.
Loki reached a hand out towards the book. She gave it to him to flip through. A sort of light exuberant from his eyes. She imagined it was the same light she had when she browsed the stocks.
He curled a finger around the edges, treating each piece like pure gold from the Nether Realms. "If you like to read the obscure, you would love the library in Asgard. It's extensive to every genre and subject every recorded. I could get lost in there for hours," He smiled.
Sigyn's smile faded. The sounds of the sea overlapped the immediate silence. Her arm cradled the other in sorrow. "I'm sure I would love to visit there one day," she wished.
Loki stopped his leafing through to gaze back at the princess. She fiddled with her hair once before plopping herself down on the drying sand. "Why not?" he said taking a place right beside her.
"I can't," Her eyes gazed hopelessly to the shoreline. "I'm bound here for duty. I'm a princess, not a traveller," Her fingers barely traced the surface of the beach.
He scratched the back of his neck with one hand and then the book with the other. "Maybe..." His eyes remained filled with a listless hope. "I could sneak you out. I've been practicing some cloaking spells-"
Her ears turned in the direction of spells. She interrupted, "You practice magic?"
The Asgardian knew not what to recover his tracks. Magic was not as welcomed as other practices. It was considered rare and lost in most. Those that still did are leery or worked under the catacombs from the King in the happenstance of such an occasion.
Loki held a hand out in between them, wandering if she too would disgrace the practice of magic. "I know what you're thinking. It's not a practice worth keeping,"
She shook her head. "No. It's as common to use it here or anywhere else in the Nine Realms," Sigyn gestured to the air around her.
Loki's surprise to the casual conversation between the two was remarkable. "Really?" he asked wearily. He didn't know the extent of her opinion. He looked for a reason out in the case the princess thought it was dangerous. "Mother always warned me not to rely on my talents. That I should broaden my physique as well as my mind,"
Sigyn stated, "She's a smart lady,"
Of everyone the prince knew, it was his mother that would never forsaken him. He was as much as the eye of his mother as Thor was to his father. The Queen was kind and looked to others as equals, not as subjugations. One day when he ruled, he wished to learn from the best- the shining moments of his mother.
"She is," he smiled lovingly. "I covet it as much as I can. Not everyone is fond of it," His eyes shifted as if he expected Thor to spook him or a guard to turn him in during one of his practical jokes.
The princess sat on her heels and grabbed the book back to show him specific pages. Their eyes wandered in joy at the drawings and ancient markings of yore. "Well I happen to find it inspiring. It's a beacon, a warmth for all who seeks it's protection and good will,"
Loki knitted his eyebrows in fascination. "I never thought about it that way," He digested this news.
She giggled toothily before she stood up, book in tow. "Come," She reached for his hand. "Your family must be worried about you," He took her offering and together they ran across the sands, avoiding the shadows of passing sentries on patrol.
Vanaheimr ordered for the lights to be kindled, burning brighter in the Hall of the Deep. The lanterns burned the ceilings color bronze and then brazened to a deeper brown as it was further away from the light. Whilst kings mumbled over old tales too foolish to remember of their younger years, the queens remained at the steps to the dais.
Freyja, ever vigilant, ever scared, paced to and fro. One of those nasty habits she had picked from her husband surely. Frigga watched patiently as her fellow friend wore out the mosaic steps with cause. Of course she was worried for her only child. The only one she would ever hold and call her own. Frigga remembered once a time she too felt the same. A mother's duty was never finished though as times it seems like time had finished it for her.
"Stop worrying, dear Freyja. I'm sure by now the guards have found them," she said calmly, embracing a smile on her face. Freyja broadened her bare shoulders and fixated her nervous antics to the tiny wrinkles she caused the red care held to the straps of the bodice. She fingered the ring made of precious metals too honorable to mention as she gazed at her husband from the steps. His look transcended away from the words of Odin's tales to the frown on his wife's face. He looked away and paid attention to his commander.
She answered to the queen, "It's not out of the norm for her to wander, Frigga," Her hand patted her side. "She's drawn to the elements as I once was," A trickle of a smile enveloped her at once. As she swished and turned at the different movements in the room, she felt the heat of the light gaze below her collar.
The light reflected onto the enchanted ruby necklace. Its teardrop shape gave the essence of a deep red blood color. Its rich design with other circles of studded rubies lines upwards on the curve of the necklace but none availed the quality of the largest and deepest teardrop in the center. It was said Vanaheimr bought the employment of four dwarves, Dwalin, Alfrik, Berling, and Greir to forge a necklace so that in the hallowed days of Raganrök, she would be forever protected by other's undoing.
She clasped it in remembrance. It was a wedding gift that was bestowed after the nuptials, a token of his loyalty and hers as well. Since that day forth she never turned an eye onto another man or King in that respect for her husband would grow to love.
She smiled internally. Nothing could have made her more at ease, more safe than the protection the necklace endowed. Even if the room were armed with fifty thousand of the dead reclaiming stolen lives, she would always feel the calloused hands that clasped the necklace on her neck and the love her gave her and only to her.
Freyja found conviction as her hope enlightened in her smile. Across from her the Sky Queen held her palm up, a symbol of good friendship and console.
She said, "Then have good faith." Frigga returned the smile. The clanging of the bolted doors groaned in pressure. "See, that must be them,"
As the kings stopped their muddling of old subjects, Freyja noticed the quivering of a flame rested on a wall mantle. It nearly snuffed at the wind of the opening double doors. Then Freyja screwed her head straight and realized whatever spell that enchanted her fears away, soon quivered like that of the flame. Her face fell in crestfallen.
She'd rather face an undead army than face whatever held behind those doors.
They scurried in like water logged rats, clinging to each other when a guard passed them. The little puddles in their covered soles squished and clicked against the marble flooring. Loki advised more than once in silent code to stick near the walls in between shifts. As they proceeded, the thrill of becoming caught enticed Sigyn. Her giggles beneath her chest were ready to implode for the suspense if it weren't for the semi-serious expression on the prince's face.
He concentrated his way back. He counted the number of wall decorations of coral lights on the way to. Numbers persisted in chanting in his mind, and itching to be counted on his fingers.
Sigyn looked in fascination. His cold, calculating eyes weighed risk and venture with every turn. Though her eyes could have been blinded and her ears muffled she would have known every cool breeze near the entrance ways, every stifling narrowed antechamber in the palace. But in her new companionship, every single thing he had done only intrigued the different possibilities: how to avoid certain guards, the merest pit-pattering on certain stones. Within his brief introduction he seemed to adapt his surroundings with the slightest of glances.
The princess pulled the prince under the arm as his books nearly squeaked their location.
"Come," she whispered. She gestured to the other side of the hall, rounding the pillars and creeping away from the looming shadows the torches burned into the opposing wall. "This way-" The princess became muffled as the prince tried to grab her back when a lanky body knocked into her around the bend.
She righted herself before taking a proper look at the boy in similar dressings as the prince. "Excuse us, we did not see you," She curtsied, hoping the boy's temper did not turn on a coin.
The boy, cloaked in a lengthy blue tunic and leather breeches with the royal stitchings, rubbed the goose egg on his forehead from her whiplash. He recovered, "That's alright. No harm," He stole attention to the lanky boy hiding behind her. Grinning, he cried jovially, "Ah, brother, there you are! The guards have been searching for us,"
Loki shuffled his feet around consciously. "I know. I was distracted," His eyes engaged with his brother, who thought nothing of his shifty behavior. His companion internally sighed that the other prince was oblivious to their unusual activities.
Thor nodded to the princess, who began to nervously place a stray hair back into the braid. "Who is she?"
Loki introduced with some permissive acknowledgement from her, "This is Sigyn, princess of her realm. Princess, this is my elder brother, Thor," He gestured to the proud, stagnant brother across from him.
She embraced his forearm, which caught him off guard. Her small hand completed the traditional greeting between warriors. "Just call me Sigyn," she said offhandedly.
"Call me Thor," he said. He let go of the arm embrace and bowed three quarters down. He returned to his stance only to find a snickering Loki and curious Sigyn.
She cocked her head. "Okay?"
There wasn't a moment for curiosity for Sigyn's sake. As she oped her mouth, her voice was replaced with one frantic nursemaid.
"Children! Thank the Norns you have returned!" The quickly steps of Frajonora pitter-pattered down the corridors until she towered over Sigyn, fretting over her appearance and reveling in the princes' presence. As she groomed the young mistress' hair, she corralled them back to the front entrance without much choice. "Your parents have been worried sick looking for you! Quickly,"
She ushered the young men who knew protocol of entering. They stood side by side as the hall opened in sight. Before Sigyn had half a mind to joing by their sides, Frajonora grasped her hand tightly. "Not you, young missy. You shall hold my hand," she lectured.
Sigyn sighed. If only she held the outtake of breath, then she might have lived longer to see something other than disappointment from her King and Queen.