Quandary – Chapter 7

Apparently being four months into one's pregnancy was a milestone. The baby was more obvious than ever; old dresses, all of which fit only with corsets, were now useless. Newer, bigger ones were worn now, but it was alright – they were better anyway. And most of all, people started noticing this mysterious "glow" that was becoming apparent – but only the beholder could see it, evidently.

Because Sigyn surely didn't feel as if she was "glowing beautifully" or had some sort of "lively aura" around her. She felt horrible, if she was to tell the honest truth. Both emotionally and physically, she did not feel like herself. She was anxious ninety nine percent of the time, and her energy had all but left her completely in the past two weeks.

Sigyn was reduced to an indisposed, nervous wreck, and it was becoming harder and harder to conceal it.

"No, no. Those won't do. Anything else, but of the same color?"

"Prince Loki, I do beg your pardons, but I am running out of options to display for you. I am low on inventory, the season has been cruel to me, very cruel, and others have nearly wiped out my summer choices, and—"

"Yes, alright. There's no need for excuses."

Loki sighed and took a step closer to the service counter that was close on coveredin different assortments of bouquets. Flowers of all shapes and sizes filled every ornately carved golden vase, sending a rather pleasant scent into the air. After heaving a sigh, he pointed at one of the flower-filled vases.

"Ah, the peony beauties... Very fine choice, I must say," the seller delighted, carefully taking the vase from the display counter and to the smaller counter near the door. "And don't worry, Prince Loki. I know picking flowers for one's sweetheart can be a difficult task, but I'm sure Sigyn will enjoy them immensely. Especially considering."

Loki tilted his head as he gave the man the correct amount of payment. "I'm not sure I understand."

"Well," the man shrugged bashfully, pushing the vase of peony beauties towards the prince, "I only meant that she might not be familiar with the feeling of having such fine flowers or vases, having come from a peasant village."

Loki couldn't disagree, necessarily; she probably didn't have such things in her home in the village, but that was no reason to call her out for it, especially in a public place.

Loki smiled pleasantly, taking the flowers in his arms. Just words. Just words.

He managed to make it out of the store without replying, which was quite the task; he was so used to being able to say whatever he wanted, as his title as Prince made people overlook it. But now he didn't just speak for himself, he spoke for Sigyn and the child growing inside of her, and he had to watch his words.

He saw the glimmering towers of the palace in the distance, standing over everything else in sight. Loki heaved a sigh and teleported rather than walked.

He appeared inside their chambers, where he found Sigyn sleeping atop the blankets and covers on the four-poster bed. A faint smile appeared on the god's lips as he walked to her, silently placing the vase on the nightstand. She would wake to see them, and undoubtedly know from whom they came. His job of brightening her mood was to be accomplished, and he had the time to go to the library before the last mealtime of the day arrived.

Or so he thought. Just as he walked through the threshold of the door, he heard Sigyn's quiet voice travel from the bed.

"Did you buy these for me, Loki?"

She sounded surprised, and that confused him. "Yes," he replied, a question hidden in the word. "You seemed dejected, so I thought they would cheer you. Why is that surprising?"

Sigyn was sitting up now, and she took a deep breath before replying. "It's not, it's just... I've never received flowers before."

Loki closed the door behind him and returned to the bedside, but sat beside her this time. He flashed a smile and leaned towards her. "First time for everything. We of all people should know that."

Sigyn laughed at that, and it was like music to Loki's ears; it had been weeks since she had felt well enough to have a jest or two.

"Thank you," she said, fiddling gently with on of the pedals of a particularly large peony beauty. "It truly means a great deal to me."

"I'm glad you like them," Loki said. He didn't exactly know how to go about the situation from there.

He took a moment to examine her. Twiddling with the stems of the flowers, she would look like a perfectly normal lady to anyone else, as long as their eyes didn't travel down to her swollen belly – which was noticeable through her dresses now. But Loki saw past just the shell; she was tired, and she still wasn't feeling well. Her hair was slightly tangled, and that told him that she hadn't had her handmaidens in for the day.

His arm moved almost unconsciously to wrap itself around her waist. She instinctively leaned into him in response.

"Sigyn," Loki started. "Are you feeling well?"

Sigyn adjusted her head to leaned on his shoulder. "Not really," she admitted. "But I'm better than I have been recently. The nausea is almost entirely gone, but I'm finding myself to be extraordinarily weary."

Loki couldn't help but laugh slightly. "Is he not treating you fairly?"

Sigyn tensed all of the sudden, moving to face him with her eyebrows knitted together. "He?"

Loki didn't catch on at first. But then he realized – he had referred to the baby as a he. Why had he done that? It was his eyebrows that knitted together then, confused by his own words.

"But why would I do that?" Loki all but mumbled, turning his head slightly in confusion.

Sigyn's laugh nearly startled him. Was something funny, had he missed something?

He looked at her, baffled. "What is it?"

"It's just," she paused to wipe her hair from her face, "you said he."

"By mistake," Loki clarified, inclining his head towards her. "I don't actually profess to know the gender of an unborn child."

"But you could be right," Sigyn proposed. "Many parents tend know the gender of their child before birth. It's sort of like... a connection, I suppose."

Loki's eyebrows further furrowed as he turned his head to face forward, even more perplexed. The thought that someone could have a connection with a being that wasn't even born yet... But, could he be right? He was highly practiced in the magical arts, he could delve into one's mind, if he truly wanted to, and had the strength; but could that ability contribute to this?

"I thought the same thing, if I'm being truthful," she remarked, picking one of the flowers from the vase and rolling it between her small fingers.

Loki watched the flower as is moved. "You did? About the gender, you mean?"

"Yes," she nodded, "but that was simply a deduction from the information my mother and the healers told me. For instance, they said that I was growing a little faster than what was expected, and that usually indicates that it's a boy because males are bigger, but it could also be that it's my first pregnancy, and first-time mothers always show sooner..." Her voice trailed off as she retreated into her thoughts on the matter.

Loki took all of it in as if he were a sponge under flowing water. It was all very new information to him, and it fascinated him, strangely enough. He had heard of fathers who scarcely took notice to their wife's pregnancy, only caring about the offspring, and if it would be a proper heir...

"But in any case, the fact that he or she is growing quickly is a sign of a healthy baby, and that's no news to criticize," Sigyn beamed, returning to her earlier position and leaning against him.

Wrapping his arm back around her, he sighed and nodded. "I agree wholeheartedly."

|| One Week Later ||

It was not difficult to find Thor, as it was a Sunday, and Thor almost always trained the entirety of that day. Fortunately for Loki, Thor was sitting on a bench outside of the training arena when he arrived cutting short any offers to spar.

"Thor," the younger Aesir greeted, sitting next to his brother.

"Loki!" Thor greeted happily, wrapping a strong arm around Loki and giving his shoulder a tight squeeze before returning to his previous position. "How are things?"

"Well," Loki reported. "Sigyn's doing well – she's resting, if you're wondering. Yesterday, the healer said the baby was where it needed to be with everything that it should at this stage."

"Wonderful news," Thor close to rejoiced. "Any word yet on the gender?"

Loki laughed at that. "Actually... yes. And not from the healer, mind you. I called the child a he the other day, without even realizing. Sigyn said she had suspected the same thing, due to the size of the baby."

Thor slapped Loki on the shoulder joyfully. "Asgard might have a third heir yet!"

Or a second, since I never really seem to matter.

Loki shook the thought from his head and smiled at Thor. "Not exactly the only reason to be pleased with a boy, but—"

"Oh, no, you misunderstand me! I was simply saying it's an odd thing, to have three heirs all at once. I care not of the gender. I'll be an uncle either way, and that's what I'm looking forward to."

Loki shook his head. "Uncle Thor."

"Yes, Uncle Thor. Have you issues with my new title?" Thor jested, feigning offense.

"No," Loki said sarcastically. "Not at all."

"Now then, your title will be father," Thor reminded him, as if that was worse than Uncle.

The God of Mischief tried not to ponder on that for long. "Strange, isn't it? It seems like that title could only belong to our father."

Thor nodded his agreement. "It does seem odd, but I'm sure it's an issue all first-time parents have. You'll get used to it, when the little one is calling you father twenty-four-seven, asking for favors and pardons."

"Oh," Loki assured him. "I have a feeling my child will need no pardons from me. Favors, yes, but I wouldn't be able to chastise it, I'm afraid. Although, if I'm anything like our father..."

Thor sighed. "Father only wants what's best for us, and however... strongly he follows through with his methods to do so, you know he loves us."

'Us' is an uneven term, since you always come first.

But Loki agreed outwardly. No need to cause drama, not now. Not when everything was going well.

A guard approached them then, as blank-faced as all of his heavily trained brothers. He didn't look at them as he spoke, but stared over them and straight forward instead.

"The healers of the south-wing healing room request your presence immediately, Prince Loki," he boomed, voice strong and loud.

Loki's chest seemed to go numb. It reached his arms, a surge of energy or numbness – he couldn't tell – ran through his entire body. He felt himself stand. "Why?" His voice was quiet.

"They request your presence," the guard repeated, as if unsure as to what else to say.

Loki was very near hyperventilation at this point. "But why? Is it Sigyn? Has something happened? Is it the baby?"

Thor had stood to stand next to him, gripping his shoulder from behind him. "We should just go, Loki. The answers are there, not here." His brother's voice was a fake kind of calmness, used only to try and aid Loki in staying composed.

But, of course, Thor was right. Questioning the guard would do him no good, and what if Sigyn needed him? What if their baby needed him?

There was no time to walk, or even run. Loki grabbed Thor's hand, which was still on his shoulder, and teleported them both to the south-wing healing room.

A/N: Dun dun DUN! Cliffhanger of doom! Sorry about it ;D But I enjoyed this chapter even without the cliffhanger, if only because of the brotherly fluff, and even a little Loki/Sigyn fluff in there, too! I would like to THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of the lovely reviews! I got so excited and happy and actually finished this chapter in technically one night! Not six weeks!

To answer a few questions...

Q: Troubles ahead?(Thanks, Ynath Esrith! Not sure if this was an question expecting an answer, but I want to answer it anyway xD)

A: Not too many, I promise!

Q: Are they going to be forced to marry or are they not going to be allowed to marry because of social status differences? (Thanks, Babs108!)

A: Weeeeell, I would think it's rather complicated, because it's a conflicting matter. I think it depends on who you ask; Frigga, for instance, would probably want marriage, and the same with Thor. But with Odin, he probably wouldn't like that one bit, now would he? He's so mean :( Meanwhile, the general public, having never seen a member of the royal family in such a situation, would treat it as another out of wedlock pregnancy, and expect marriage, I would say.

Q: Will there be any difficulties because the child is part Jotun part Aesir...? (Thanks, Enakhra!)

A: Ooooh, good question. I'm not sure if it will show as many signs as Loki, considering it's less Frost Giant and more Aesir, but I'm sure they'll be something ;D

Hope that covered everything! Keep them coming, and thank you so much again! I love you all :D