Quandary – Chapter 10

~One Month Later~

Sigyn fidgeted nervously with her loose-fitting dress, worrying that many people would notice her growing abdomen now more than ever as she walked in the public's eyes. She was five months along now, and her son was growing rapidly inside of her, kicking and stretching and thriving. It thrilled her to no end when she felt his little feet or little hands press against her belly. And even though she had negative comments from Odin at meal times and servants who didn't want to serve her because they saw themselves as no less than her, she was beginning not to mind at all. She had her small, happy little circle – Loki, Thor, and sometimes her family, when they complied – and she couldn't have asked for more.

Loki had suggested that they stay in for the day, but she knew good and well that he had royal duties to take care of. He was offering because he wanted her to be comfortable, she learned, and because he didn't want to go and train with Thor for the entirety of the day. But he didn't have a choice, and she had to get out of the palace. She had been there for quite some time, what with her illness and weariness. But all of that seemed to be behind her.

And so she had decided to leave Loki to his princely duties and set off on her own journey to the market. Later that night she was going to use one of the palace's kitchen facilities to cook a small meal for she and Loki to share. It would be the first time she would cook for him, and even though she knew there was a meal prepared for the royal family that night, as per usual, she didn't want a repeat of the private royal meal they had shared the previous week. It was filled with an almost constant awkward silence, and when someone did speak, it was either an underhandedly rude comment by the All-Father or a failed attempt by Thor or the Queen to lighten the mood. Sigyn and Loki had found themselves in the middle of a battle, it seemed, and neither of them wanted to intervene. But all the same, she tried to look at the positives. For example, she thought of how thrilling it would be to buy food from the high-class market as opposed to the unscrupulous, lower-class market she was used to buying food from.

In all aspects of her day's plans, she was exceedingly excited.

Basket in hand, Sigyn made it to the bustling market within minutes due to the closeness of the market to the palace. She was fascinated by the brightly colored tents, fresh foods, laughing people, and the overall vibe of the place. It was so unlike the market she knew, the one full of shady figures and practically rotten food. She held her basket in front of her with both hands, incidentally tightening her dress around the roundness of her belly. The people leaving the market eyed her, but she thought nothing of it.

But as she took a few steps further into the large isle of tents and stands, she immediately started regretting her decision to go in the first place.

Now people weren't merely eying her. No, this time they were throwing glances at her as if she were a rat that they didn't want near their goods. They pursed their lips and raised their brows when she walked by them, and some of them even lifted their chins and turned their head away from her in... disgust? Hatred? She couldn't understand it.

Sigyn had already experienced people's shock and discomfort with the fact that a 'mere peasant' was carrying the child of one of the princes, but she had never seen anything like this. This was volatile and unforgiving, and nothing she had ever prepared herself for.

She spun around when she heard someone call out for her with an angry 'hey'. The voice belonged to a merchant, standing behind his stand of fruits, his lip curled in disgust.

"You're the roguish peasant, are you not? Well, I will not be selling you anything today, or tomorrow, or ever," he called out, loud enough for everyone around them to hear.

Sigyn tilted her head in confusion. How was she roguish? She turned to the man then, taking a step closer to him.

"I don't understand. Why am I roguish?" she said. She was trying to be brave, but she feared she was failing due to her frightened tone.

Before he had the chance to answer, another merchant called out. This time, it was a woman behind a vegetables stand.

"What do you mean you don't understand? You know good and well what you did, and what you're doing now," the woman said, though she was not quite as loud as the man had been.

People had started to watch them, though some shoppers still walked by and continued with their business. But as more people watched and more people stared, Sigyn found herself wishing for nothing more than to have Loki there with her, and for everyone to stop staring.

"I beg your pardon, but I do not understand what you speak of," Sigyn said quietly, now taking a few steps closer to the vegetable merchant.

She remembered something, then; they saw her as beneath them because of her low-class upbringing, even if they weren't much more than peasants themselves. She smiled just slightly, hoping to loosen the tension in the air. "I know I'm just a peasant, and our situation is anything but conventional... but we love each other, and the way we're living now is really no different from a married life, because—"

"Please spare us the misfortune of listening to your lies," the fruit seller called out bitterly again, causing Sigyn to turn to him. "We know the child is not the prince's."

Sigyn felt a coldness spread through her chest and arms, and she became light-headed. What were these lies that they spoke of? She had been warned of rumors about her that were sure to be spread around the city and villages, but this? Supposing their son wasn't Loki's was far away from anything Sigyn had ever thought possible for anyone to assume. Her throat went dry, and she struggled to speak for a moment. And when she finally did, her voice was unstable and shaky.

"I don't know where you received such information," Sigyn started, her braveness all but gone, "but you have been gravely misinformed. My baby is Lo—"

"Everyone knows about your scheming, peasant," the vegetable merchant chimed in again, sounding exhausted of Sigyn.

After turning yet again to face another accuser, Sigyn's face contorted in confusion. "Scheming?"

"Yes, scheming," she said, barely even tending to her stand anymore. She pointed at Sigyn with her knife as she spoke, as if to heighten the meaning in her words. "The truth has been made public. We all discovered how you conceived a peasant's child out of wedlock, and then gave yourself to the prince so that he would believe the bastard was his. Did you think it was a clever way to get fame and riches? A way into the royal family, a way to gain power? Well, now that the truth has been uncovered, you can say goodbye to that future."

The fruit seller man laughed. "Or any future, for that matter."

"No," Sigyn whispered. She cleared her throat in order to be heard. "That's not true. I—"

"Just leave, harlot," the fruit seller spat. "We will not sell you anything, anyway."

Tears sprung to Sigyn's eyes as she immediately turned away from them and started walking out of the wide isle, pulling her cloak tightly around herself. Once she was clear of the market, she began to walk much faster. People gawked and tried to help her, but she did not allow it. Moving as fast as her legs could take her as tears warmed her cheeks, she made her way back to the palace.

Loki took a step closer to the mirror, irritably trying to adjust his armor so that it would be straight. For some reason it was not cooperating, and it didn't help that his hands failed with the task; they shook and fumbled on the metal and cloth, causing the should-be easy movement to become futile.

"You're doing it all wrong, you know."

The young prince looked at his brother's reflection in the mirror, his jaw setting in annoyance. Thor had been standing behind him for the entire length of time that Loki had been there, watching him with playful judgment.

"Thank you, Thor," Loki said sarcastically. "How kind of you to point out."

Thor heaved a sigh and stepped closer to him, pulling Loki's shoulder so that he faced him. He started straightening Loki's chest plate and shoulder pieces, making sure that the many cloths and fabrics didn't wrinkle in the process. His hands were much sturdier than Loki's, and he finished the job within seconds. Loki nodded only slightly in thanks, but then his expression turned into a curious one at seeing Thor's odd countenance.

"Why are you pulling that face, brother?" Loki asked quietly, tightening the grips of his gauntlets in an attempt to stay calm.

"Because," Thor said, as if the reason were an obvious once. When Loki looked to him for an explanation, he continued. "You're my baby brother, Loki, and now look at you. You are to be a father!"

"Please, not this again," Loki complained, though if he was being honest, he felt oddly empowered by Thor's pride in him. His brother ofttimes had bouts of excitement, and Loki found it almost contagious.

"I can't help it," Thor defended. "And as if being a father was not enough, you are now—"

"Thor, stop. We don't know anything as of yet," Loki said, looking at him pointedly. Thor had always been one to make assumptions, especially when he thought himself to be correct.

His brother merely rolled his eyes. "You must seriously doubt Sigyn's love if you truly believe—"

The door opened then, causing them both to spin in its direction. Loki expected to see a guard that had been sent from the training arena to ask after them because they did not attend the training sessions for the day, but a second later, it was not a guard who entered. It was Sigyn who appeared in the room, looking far past distraught.

Loki had never seen her in such a state; her face was wet with tears and contorted slightly with the struggle to keep them in, her eyes were bloodshot and puffy and on the verge of spilling fresh tears onto her cheeks. She held an empty basket loosely in her hand, but a second later it fell to the ground almost silently as she took the last few steps to Loki.

"Sigyn," Loki said, surprising himself with a calm tone. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, his gut lurching from the worry of not knowing what could have possibly happened. But somehow he was able to lift his hands to caress the sides of her face and wipe her tears with his thumbs, even though they just kept flowing down her cheeks. Her eyes shut tightly in what looked to be another attempt to stop the tears from escaping. He continued quietly, though his mind was screaming with worry. "What is it?"

She sucked in an unsteady breath before reopening her eyes, glancing at Thor before answering. "I went to the market, as I had been planning to do since yesterday, and I was going to get the ingredients for the meal I was going to cook for us, but – but they..." Her voice trailed off, her gaze shifting from his face to his chest. Whatever it was that happened at the market, Loki realized, she didn't even want to relive by speaking of it.

Loki glanced at Thor and exchanged a concerned expression. His brother seemed more confused than anything despite the concern in his eyes, but Loki couldn't blame him; Thor barely knew Sigyn, and apart from the fact that she was with his brother and carrying his nephew, Thor had no real connection to her. He had never been friends with Sigyn when they were younger like Loki had.

But the reason that Loki was so distressed wasn't just because of her tears, but because of the fact that he saw more than just her sadness; there was terror there, too, and when he turned his head back to her, his heart nearly broke at the sight.

Loki began to lead Sigyn to the bed just a few feet away, and only continued once they were settled on the edge of the bed. "Who is this 'they' you speak of, Sigyn? Do you mean the people at the market?"

"Yes," she replied quietly, her voice quivering. "The merchants wouldn't sell me anything. They said they had learned the 'truth' about the baby, but I don't understand where they could have possibly received such lies."

Loki's heart rate rose. Tears had begun to fall down her cheeks again, and his arm found its way around her waist so that she would lean into them and his chin could rest on her head, setting them in a position that was fast becoming a habit for them. He wasn't sure he even wanted to know what kind of rumors and lies the residents of the villages had concocted. It seemed as though everyone was always looking for ways to disrupt the royal family in one way or another, mostly out of jealously and partly out of the hopes of payment to keep quiet. But now it was more personal for him, and it ate at his insides that someone had made her feel this way. Loki knew he had to ask, so he took a steadying breath to be sure his voice stayed far from a tone of anger or worry.

"What did they say?" He asked quietly, his thumb grazing the skin on her arm in an attempt to soothe her.

Sigyn seemed to become even more panic-stricken, however, and she moved to look into his eyes. "They said that the baby isn't yours. They think I conceived another man's child and then lied and made you think he's yours, and that I planned the whole thing to gain a position in the royal family."

Loki's whole body tensed. His gaze traveled away from her and to the ground as his breathing came to a halt, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Thor shift his weight angrily. He knew his brother's thoughts were probably not far from his own.

How could anyone have possibly come to such an outrageous conclusion? What could have led them to believe whoever said such a thing? Instead of feeling more shocked than anything, Loki felt angry. How dare someone start such a rumor about his child and spread it throughout the city as if Sigyn and their son were nothing more than a way to get what they wanted.

Thor spoke then, forcing Loki to stop imagining whoever started the rumor's head on a spike.

"I shall go straight to father," the thunderer proclaimed. "He will surely make certain that these people reap the consequences of their actions."

"No," Loki heard himself respond, though he wasn't in full control of himself. All he knew was that Odin would not help them; he would pretend to, yes, but not truly help them.

Thor seemed confused. "Why not? He can help, he can stop the ru—"

"Thor, listen," Loki said, standing from the bed. "Father would probably love nothing more than for this spurious story to be true. Don't you see? He undoubtedly wants an excuse for me to go back on the path he wants me to lead, to marry well and for the benefit of Asgard. He would not spread the rumors, but he surely wouldn't stop them."

His brother shook his head, defiant in the matter. "That's ridiculous, Loki. Our father wants the best for you and—"

"No, he doesn't," Loki interrupted, his voice louder than before. Thor never understood that their father's treatment of his sons was not equal. "Father is not in any mindset to help me with anything. He thinks me foolish for not ignoring this whole thing and pretending as if it never happened. This wasn't part of his plan, Thor. This isn't what he wanted me to do, so he won't support me. That's always been the case, be it a chosen hobby or a preferred weapon – if he isn't pleased with what I do, he makes damned well sure I know it."

Thor seemed offended, shocked. When he spoke, his voice was a clear reflection of what he felt.

"I've never seen him do anything of the sort," he defended, his own voice growing louder.

Loki's lips twitched in the attempt not to start some sort of fight. It would not end peacefully, he knew, and he had bigger problems. "I wish not to discuss this at the moment, brother. I only wish to stop the problem at hand without father's help."

Thor took a deep breath and nodded reluctantly, obviously very much still focused on Loki's previous words. "Very well, then. What do have in mind?"

Loki thought about it and turned to Sigyn, feeling a little guilty for veering so far off of what the original problem was and leaving her in the dust. He moved to sit next to her again, trying to calm himself for her.

"Have you any suggestions?" Loki asked, and then began to smirk at a new image in his mind. "Perhaps a public flogging or whipping for those who antagonized you?"

Sigyn smiled slightly, apparently thinking his suggestion was a jest. "All I want is to make sure everyone knows the truth. I do not wish for any more lies to circulate about him," she said, her hands beginning caress her belly. "I don't care what they say about me, I just don't want any rumors pertaining to him to spread."

Loki nodded understandingly, his eyebrows tightening with stress. "Nor do I. Though, I would prefer nothing is said about you, either."

Sigyn smiled, if only a little, and it brought some hope to Loki. His biggest worry, he realized, had been about her, and how they would begin to treat her now that this rumor had been started. She wasn't equipped for such occurrences like him and Thor were, and he worried that it would be too much for her. And then there was their son... If the rumor was not stopped, he would be raised in a hostile environment where everyone thought he was a bastard whose father was doing him a kindness by accepting him, when that was as far away from the truth as was possible.

Loki looked to Thor once again. He still wore the same saddened, confused expression that he wore when they argued, but Loki couldn't fathom why. All he had said was the truth, but he supposed Thor wasn't ready to come to terms with the fact that Odin wasn't exactly fair about how he loved his children.

"We should request the help of mother," Loki said, making sure it was more than a suggestion. "She has undoubtedly dealt with such a thing as this before, and will know how to go about it properly."

Thor nodded his agreement. "Indeed. I remember she always used to stop the spreading of lies about us when we were boys."

Sigyn looked at them both worriedly. "Are you sure we should bother her?"

The princes stared at her, confused. Loki spoke first.

"She will not see it as any sort of burden, Sigyn, this I can promise you. She offered to help in any way that she could, and if this is what she can do to do so, then so be it," he said, standing once again and helping Sigyn from the bed. "And besides, we haven't spoken with her in a long while. She will certainly want to know all the news of the pregnancy."

Sigyn gave a small smile once more, taking Loki's hand. "In which case I shall be happy to inform her of new developments. He is her first grandchild, after all."

Loki smiled, if only to hide his anger. His mind was far from the thought of grandchildren and pregnancy developments.

Those people, whoever started the rumor, deserved far less than whatever Frigga would have in mind for them. And yet he knew he had no other option than to go to her; it was either her or his father, and that was not an option at all.

But as they walked out of the room and in the direction of their mother's chambers, Loki thought of what she would do to help them. She would have the original culprits reprimanded, perhaps have them sent to the stocks or fined or whatever one does to punish such a thing, but it wouldn't be enough. Loki wanted to make sure none of them ever even thought of doing anything to Sigyn or their son ever again. Whether he wanted to succumb to violent thoughts or not he wasn't sure, but he certainly didn't feel far from taking action.

"Loki," Thor said, pulling Loki from his thoughts and causing him to look over to his brother as they continued walking. "Are you quite well?"

I'm just wonderful, Thor. What do you expect, you idiotic, witless oaf?

Loki kept his thoughts to himself, however.

He sighed irritably instead. "Why must everyone always ask me that? Yes, I am quite well. Can we please just walk the rest of the way in silence?"

Thor raised his hands in defense. "Fair enough, brother."

Sigyn reached out to hold and squeeze his hand comfortingly, and Loki felt a little calmer because of it. As he looked down at her, he found himself not thinking of the rumor, but contentedly observing the sight of her waddling along slightly beside him.

She was five months along now, and he could hardly believe it. Five months since she told him the news, and five months since they began to plan for their child's birth and all that came after. He couldn't say it felt like any sooner than that, however; the time dragged on with the stress of it all. But it was an amazing experience when he stopped to think about it. Like at night, when they were alone together and he could finally spend time with her and the baby, he had the chance to examine her belly and how it would move as he watched, and marvel at the feeling of the movement beneath his fingers. Her stomach was bigger than they had anticipated. The baby was already taking over her small frame, but they couldn't be too surprised; she was so small, and he was on the larger side, apparently. Loki had to admit he was terrified of it all; he didn't understand how the baby could get bigger, and Sigyn still be able to move around normally. But that was why the whole process was called a miracle, he supposed.

Loki didn't let go of Sigyn's hand, even when they arrived at Frigga's chambers. After one of the two guards that always stood at the door informed the queen that her sons were there to see her, they were allowed into the room by the same guard.

"Boys," Frigga said excitedly, ushering them further into the sitting room. "Please, come in."

She took both of her sons into her arms one by one, squeezing them as if she hadn't seen them in ages. Which, Loki realized with a bit of sadness, wasn't too far from the truth.

Frigga's smile brightened at the sight of Sigyn. "Oh, wonderful! You've brought Sigyn along with you."

"Hello, my queen," Sigyn said nervously, curtseying slightly.

Frigga waved her hand dismissively. "Please, darling. There is no need for such formalities, remember?"

Sigyn smiled somewhat bashfully. "Forgive me, I am still not accustomed to such company."

"Nonsense," Frigga said lightly, chuckling. "You have been a friend of Loki since you were children."

Loki was listening to the conversation with a growing amount of impatience. He knew his mother loved speaking with Sigyn and enjoyed spending time with her, but there was much to do, and he did not want to waste any time doing it.

"Mother," he started, his hand finding its way to the small of Sigyn's back, "I hate to interrupt, but there is a reason we've all gathered into your chambers."

Frigga smiled knowingly. She always seemed to be two steps ahead of everyone else. "I know, dear. It isn't everyday I get to see you."

Loki glanced at Sigyn just in time to see her smile fade. He looked back to Frigga then, whose smile was also fading. He didn't know how to start, honestly.

"Has something happened?" Frigga asked worriedly, looking at the three stressed faces in front of her.

"Yes," Loki said solemnly. He continued slowly. "We learned today that rumors have begun to spread about Sigyn and the baby."

Frigga seemed somewhat relieved, probably having assumed it had been something much worse. But Loki knew her stance on the subject would change once she heard what the rumor was.

Loki's gaze moved down to Sigyn, who seemed close to tears again. Later that night, he would have to ask her what exactly had happened in the market. He could tell it was more than just the rumor.

"What sort of rumors?" Frigga asked, looking at the three of them and waiting anxiously for an answer.

Loki looked to her again, taking a deep breath before speaking. "Some of the merchants at the market told Sigyn that they had 'found out' about the baby, and how I am not really his father. They said that this was her plan all along – to trick me into believing that she conceived my child so that she could gain a higher position, when all along it was another whose child she would bear."

Their mother was in disbelief, it seemed. Her mouth hung open slightly, and her eyebrows had tightened with concern. Loki's gaze searched her eyes when he saw something deep behind the shock flicker with life, something hidden by her well-practiced eyes. A secret of some sort, pertaining to what they were speaking of. But what secret knowledge of bastards and lies could she be hiding? It seemed preposterous. However, before he could question her, and before she could say anything, Thor spoke.

"We wish to halt the spreading of this rumor as soon as possible," he said, his tone full of the impatience that also plagued Loki. "And most importantly make sure that the people of Asgard know that it is a lie."

"Of course," she replied with a nod. She then turned her attention to Loki and Sigyn. "This must be so terrible for you. I am sorry, truly."

"Thank you, my queen," Sigyn said, before hesitating and continuing. "It isn't what they said about me that upsets me the most, though it was very difficult to hear... but it's the fact that our son has to be in the middle of it that hurts."

Frigga placed a hand on Sigyn's arm comfortingly, but it seemed to help her only a little. Loki knew there was more to the story than just the rumor, so he couldn't blame her for being unable to accept his mother's comfort. He took a step closer to Sigyn and placed a hand on her waist before looking back to his mother.

"So you know of some method that can eradicate the rumor?" Loki asked, trying to hide the anger that was still telling him to go to the market...

"Perhaps," Frigga replied hopefully. "I have dealt with rumors before, though not of this nature."

Loki nodded slightly, taking his mother's words not as a promise to fix the issue, but as a promise to try. He knew, then, that it may just end up being up to him to fix the predicament they were in.

But Loki dared not say such a thing in front of the present company; they would see it as an irrational plan, one brought on by anger and misguided thoughts. But was it, really? All Loki wanted to do was protect his family from the lies that others tried to tell. He failed to see the flaw in that.

Loki smiled gently, an act that was far from how he felt, and took his mother's hand and squeezed it slightly. "Let us hope your efforts are enough."

A/N: YIKES! It's been a very long while, hasn't it? I'm so sorry. I've been writing others things, and I had a bit of trouble with this chapter in the beginning. But it's longer than the others, so I hope that makes up for a little of the wait! A little bit of a sad chapter, and a bit of an ominous ending... hmm.

Will Loki be able to keep his anger under control, or will he break and take it to the market? UH OH. You'll have to wait and see!

In other news... HAVE YOU SEEN THOR 2 YET?! Are you freaking out as much as me?!

Thank you so much for continuing to read and review this story, I really appreciate it! Please please please keep the reviews coming. Honestly, truly, they really help me with so many things. Really. I hope you enjoyed it all the same! I plan to have the next chapter up faster than I did with this one :)

PS. Thank you Lady Viola, for everything - acting it out with your sis (that means a lot, actually, I feel so special!), reviewing, and for your friendship.