Quandary – Chapter Eleven

The room was quiet. Not a strange thing to occur, but nevertheless something to revel in. With everything that had happened in the past week – what with the incident in the market, people continuing to whisper about the rumor and spread the lies, and the Queen's valiant but seemingly futile attempts at making the said rumor go away – the silence was a welcome sound. It provided a sense of peace that was becoming progressively difficult to find.

Shifting in the bed, Sigyn pulled the feathery duvet over her even further, feeling a chill creep into her again. That seemed to be happening a lot ever since the time she had been to the healing room for it. But still, she knew it had to be the weather; it was becoming colder outside, and she supposed that perhaps she was more susceptible to a chill with the pregnancy.

Looking to the other side of the bed, she smiled slightly at the sight of Loki sleeping, his neck at an angle on the pillow and his book open, facing pages-down on his chest. Under an hour earlier, he had claimed that he was not tired, and he insisted on reading instead of sleeping. Sigyn had tried to sleep, and succeeded, but only for a few minutes. She always woke often and slept restlessly.

With a slightly shaking hand, Sigyn gingerly took the book from Loki's limp grasp and placed it on her bedside table. She then adjusted his pillows so that his neck was no longer at an awkward angle, assuring that he would not be sore in the morning. He did not wake; he simply slept peacefully. All the usual signs of stress and worry were gone from his face, and he looked so very at rest. The small smile reappeared on her own features then, and she lied down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

Perhaps, she thought, being close to him would help the coldness.

The book before him was thousands of years old, perhaps even older, and at first he had respected that about it and had taken great care with every turn of a page or adjustment of the binding. But now, after well over an hour of reading its historical contents, it was no longer a game of respect. No, now it was a game of pure tedium, not to mention the resentment of the fact that he was being forced to study Asgard's history in the first place.

Thor, now uncaring and unthoughtful, shut the book with a slam. If Loki was excused from their weekly studying sessions, then by the gods, so was he. Granted, he did not have a child on the way and a rumor out to destroy the social structure of his life, but all the same. He deserved to be cut at least a little slack.

Standing from the chair and quickly exiting the library, Thor started on a path in the direction of the training arena, hoping to find a sparring partner in one of the structure's many accompanying battle-ready rooms.

When he arrived in the training room, however, Thor found only one person, and his brother did not seem to be a wise contender to challenge.

Loki was throwing his usual, small knives, one after the other – sparking Thor's long-lasting curiosity about where exactly he keeps all of them – at the tall, straw-filled dummies just over ten feet in front of him. He seemed to be angrily throwing them, not aiming entirely, and Thor worried that perhaps just then was not the time to speak with him – let alone fight him. Because after all, Loki could stand his own in a fight, to be sure; his magic had won him many battles against Thor himself. It was the hand-to-hand, sword-to-sword battles that his little brother had always struggled with.

Still, Thor knew he needed to be spoken to, if only for the dummy's sake. And, now that he had seen Loki in such a state, he couldn't help but wonder what had made him that way, and if there was anything he could do to help. Though, it was probably the obvious problem that was nagging at Loki's insides. The market rumor had been doing the same to him during the past couple of days.

"Loki," Thor said, walking closer to his brother as he turned around, glowering and panting. Once he saw that it was him, however, he calmed to a great extent.

"Yes?" His little brother's voice had an irritability in it, though Thor suspected it was not directly connected to him.

"I wish to speak with you, if you are quite finished laying waste to that poor dummy," Thor said lightheartedly, hoping to release the angry tension in the room.

Loki merely glanced at the dummy and the surrounding straw that had been sent to the floor with the force of every knife. "I suppose I could spare you a moment. He is, after all, already dead."

He smiled at Loki's returning jesting attitude. Thor then took a few steps to the rest bench to the left and took a seat upon it, and after an exasperated look from Loki, the younger prince followed his steps and sat next to him.

"I wondered," Thor started carefully, tiptoeing with his words in order not to touch a nerve, "what had caused your... outburst?"

Loki all but scoffed, almost sarcastically. "I was simply training, Thor. It is what is expected of us, yes?"

Thor nodded slowly. "Well, yes, but I know you well enough to notice when something is truly bothering you."

Loki's gaze turned downcast and his tone turned flat. "If you know me as well as you profess to, then you should know of all the ways in which I am ireful."

Thor's chin rose just slightly as his previous suspicions were proved to be correct. "I know that you fear the rumor will continue to spread, but given enough time, mother will—"

"You just don't understand, do you," Loki said, the pitch of his voice rising with his anger. That always happened when he became irritated. "Mother cannot help, father cannot help, they can't help. They may be the king and queen of Asgard, but they have no control over what people whisper about behind closed doors. Mother, despite her noble efforts of which I am most grateful, will not be able to stop the rumors. I know that now. She was simply trying to help us by trying. The rumors will continue to spread like fire, unless..." His voice trailed, and the silence that followed made Thor uncomfortable.

"Loki," Thor said delicately, though there was a warning in his tone. "You aren't thinking of doing anything foolish, are you?"

Loki turned his gaze to Thor. "I rarely act a fool, brother."

"I know, but—" Thor cut his own words off, trying desperately to find the right words to say, the words that would calm Loki from his inner rage and prevent him from doing something stupid to contain the rumor. "Listen, Loki. If you intervene with the rumor, or anyone that carries it, it may seem as though you are trying to hide the truth about it."

Loki tilted his head almost mockingly, obviously thinking Thor's warning was laughable. "So you're saying that if I... intervene with the rumor, that people will think that its meaning is true?"

Thor took a fast, impatient breath. "No. Well... sort of. I'm saying that if you challenge those who currently hold the power, they might use the rumor against you."

"But that's just it," Loki said, apparently trying to make Thor understand something obvious to him. "If I stop them now, then they will not have the chance to do such a thing. You think me so foolish, that I would simply go to them and somehow force them into silence. While, yes, I do plan on making them cease their dissemination of the rumor, I plan on doing it discreetly.Had you asked me about this a week ago, then yes, I would have said that I wanted nothing more than to go to them and physically – painfully – make them stop. But not now. I've had time to think it over."

Thor's mind worked through his brother's words. He seemed genuine about being discreet, though all the knife throwing he had seen just a few moments previous had told him somewhat of a different story. But Loki was always one for tricks and games, preferably those that somehow ended in his gain. And if this plan of his, whatever it was, worked – and from experience, Thor knew it probably would – then both Loki and Sigyn would gain something; peace, hope, and a chance of happiness that had been blurred by the slurs at the market.

And, Thor realized, he had promised to help them through their journey. And this was anything but a small mountain to climb alone. Plus, by including himself in the plan, he could make sure Loki didn't do anything he would regret.

"Well, then," Thor said, placing his hands on his knees with a slap. "I suppose we had better get started on this plan of yours."

Loki double-glanced him, his eyes reflecting nothing less than dread. "Oh, no. You mustn't think yourself included, Thor. I said discreet, not loud and oafish."

Thor scoffed, feigning offense. "I am going to pretend you did not just call me oafish, little brother."

"You can pretend all you want," Loki said quietly. "It's still remains true."

Thor, after promptly slapping Loki on the back of the head, stood from the bench. "Now, come and tell me of your existing plans. We shall want to get started as soon as possible."

Sigyn woke when she heard movement. She opened her eyes, thinking she would see Loki readying himself for the day, for she thought it was still early in the morning. But the sight of one of her handmaidens in the room told her otherwise; the servants tended to always come in the late morning hours, prompting Sigyn to believe that she had overslept quite a bit.

Sigyn had three handmaidens. She had asked for none, but she had nonetheless been given their services. Their names were Bera, Erna, and and Ida, and they were all from the same village in the outskirts of the city, and they were all very close to one another. Originally, they had all been kind, but as the days passed, they became progressively less so. Sigyn didn't blame them, though; they were acting as servants to a woman that had absolutely nothing above them. In fact, soon after they had been assigned to her, Sigyn had discovered that they all three came from families that had more power than hers. And so Sigyn had not told anyone of the snide remarks, or the dirty looks and quiet scoffs. She would allow them to do their jobs – which they did perfectly well despite their bitterness towards her – and move on with her own life.

Sigyn's hand held her distended stomach as she sat up in the bed, catching the attention of Erna, the dark-haired handmaiden who had previously been gathering items from Sigyn's vanity to prep her for the day.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Erna asked, though her words were not completely genuine.

Sigyn simply smiled kindly, deciding to play along nicely. "It's quite alright, Erna. Oh, and don't fuss about anything today. I don't plan on leaving the palace. I suppose my hair will be the only thing in need of attention."

Erna sighed and began placing the other skin care items that Sigyn had scarcely ever used back on the vanity, keeping only the hairbrush in her hand. She was mumbling something about how if Sigyn would brush her hair before she slept, she wouldn't have as much of a problem in the morning; and even though she was right, Sigyn could never make a habit out of it when she was so tired at night.

She stepped out of the surprisingly cold bed and moved to sit in the chair by the vanity, facing the mirror that was lined with engraved wood. Sigyn studied the animals and other creatures that had been etched into the dark wood, enjoying the sight until she felt Erna's firm hand begin to comb the brush's bristles through her white-blonde hair.

"Where is Ida today? She's usually who I see in the morning. I hope she's not ill," Sigyn said, though her curiosity was only the half of it. Mostly, Sigyn wanted to distract Erna in the hope that perhaps her grip would loosen.

"She had quite the turn last night about her services here. So much so that she refused to take the morning period today," Erna replied flatly, but there was a glimmer in her eyes that made it look as if she were envious of Ida.

"Oh," Sigyn said, eyebrows tightening in confusion as she looked up to see Erna through the reflection in front of her. "Why did she —"

"Because she isn't comfortable with caring for you," Erna said crossly, placing the brush down on the vanity with a solid clang. She began gathering a few silk ribbons from the vanity's drawer before starting to tie Sigyn's hair in the intricate knots that made up the hair style that was expected of her. "Neither am I, but I didn't have a choice since she refused. And Edda has to take the afternoon period because she takes care of a few noble women in the morning hours."

Sigyn's gaze traveled down to her hands, but Erna promptly tugged her head back up. Sigyn felt as if she was getting one of her mother's infamous posture lessons. "I apologize if I'm mistaken, but aren't handmaidens usually employed to one person at a time?"

After a slight roll of the eyes, Erna finished tying the strands of hair to the side of her head and looked at Sigyn through the mirror. "Yes. But we were given to you as a courtesy, if anything. We're not even palace handmaidens. We're usually employed to noble households."

Sigyn felt the sting of the underhanded insult, but ignored it. Again, Erna couldn't be blamed. In her eyes, Sigyn was below even her, and shouldn't be treated as noble; let alone a princess.

"I see," Sigyn said, nodding only slightly as Erna asked if that would be all.

She didn't say anything as Erna left the room in somewhat of a bustle. Her gaze shifted back to the mirror and observed her reflection: she looked tired due to the darkness beneath her eyes, but otherwise she seemed perfectly healthy; her cheeks were slightly reddened, which was always a good sign, and her eyes themselves seemed bright. She felt cold, though, and she couldn't shake the feeling that she was standing on a hypothetical cliff, teetering on the edge, and below her there loomed a darkness that was waiting to welcome her.

Perhaps, she thought, it was just the negative energy lingering from Erna's visit. Yes, that was it. Now all she needed to do was eat, perhaps visit the Queen, and try and prevent herself from needing to return to their chambers in the afternoon, as to avoid Edda's services.

"So, let me see if I'm understanding all of this correctly," Thor said, shifting his weight in the chair and leaning his elbows on the table. "You wish to stop the rumor, but your plan to do so includes no lies, and no treachery?"

Loki heaved a sigh and nodded, once again confirming what had been said; Thor had been practically repeating those same words for over ten minutes. "Indeed. I do not wish to make a mess of the situation by tangling myself in a web of lies, however useful they tend to be. Now is not the time to enlist the help my usual tactics." And he knew Thor would believe him.

Nonetheless, they should never have chosen a tavern to speak about these things. Not because people would hear, because Loki had chosen a table by which there were no others, but because of Thor's habitual drinking. He had downed three pints of strong mead already, and his words were progressively becoming more slowly spoken.

"Perhaps..." Loki started, pulling the cup away from Thor just as he was about to take another swig, "that will be enough mead for today. We have much more important things to do than drown ourselves in alcohol."

However, Loki thought, maybe Thor's drinking was something he could use to his advantage.

Thor didn't seem to mind having been stopped. "Fair enough. But wait – before we leave, we need to... go over the plan once more. I missed most of it when you explained it."

Loki ran a hand down his face slowly, slouching in his chair a little more. He had grown tired of repeating himself. "Very well. First, we will wait a while longer to see if mother gets anywhere with whatever plan she has in place. If her strategy proves successful, than we needn't worry about anything." Loki took a deep breath, now thankful for Thor's drinking, causing his thoughts to become obviously foggy; his brother would suspect nothing when he was under the influence. Loki leaned forward before continuing, choosing his words wisely in order to calm Thor's worries of him doing anything 'foolish'. "However, if her plan fails, I intend to ask father for help, just as you suggested."

Thor brightened considerably. "Finally! You're actually beginning to see sense."

Loki stopped a smirk from appearing on his lips. "Yes, I suppose so."

Thor took a deep, victorious breath and sunk back into his chair. "Well, I'm glad I was able to talk you out of doing anything reckless for the time being."

Nodding slightly, Loki slowly spun his untouched cup of mead. Again, he said what he knew Thor would want to hear. "As am I, brother. I wouldn't want to draw attention to the situation by doing something rash."

Thor seemed relieved. "Exactly! And besides, I know father will be able to help."

Loki continued to play along with ease. It was so simple to fool Thor. At this rate, he will have finished his actual plan within the next day. "Of course he can. I just wanted to prove to everyone that I could take care of the situation without him."

"Oh, please," Thor said, waving his hand dismissively. "Only people who don't know you think you're not willing to do whatever it takes to protect Sigyn and your son."

Loki smiled slightly. All lies and plotting aside, he hoped that that was true. It was to him, regardless of what anyone else thought. In his mind, he knew he would do anything for them. But if everyone else knew it too, then the attempts to ruin their happiness would all but vanish. That's he wanted. And once he finished what needed to be done, then he, Sigyn, and their son would be free of any rumors, and no one but Loki would be any the wiser.

"Yes," Loki said quietly. "That's very true."

A/N: Uh, oh. That doesn't seem promising, does it? But, then again, everything could go in Loki and Sigyn's favor... or not. But I do promise it won't be too depressing. Heh.

I know it's been quite a long while, but I had exams, the flu, and then Christmas happened so I couldn't write as much as I would have liked to. But anyway, this chapter was super fun to write. I love writing lies and plotting and treachery. Especially when only one character knows about it. [evil laughter in distance]

And most of all, THANK YOU to everyone who has supported this story for so long. It's almost been a whole year. I mean, that doesn't even seem natural. But every favorite, follow, and God knows reviews have been appreciated beyond your belief. No, really; I posted this story thinking no one would read it, and now look at everyone! You make me so happy every time you share your thoughts on the story. Thank you so much.