Chapter 5
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"Sigyn, get your lazy, flabby self to the shelves!" The Librarian called loud enough for anyone in the Library to hear. My cheeks and ears burned from embarrassment. I hurried meekly to the specified area and approached the Librarian cautiously.
"You did this wrong." He gestured impatiently to the shelved books, "You do it like I've done. The right way." He growled and stomped away. I was left to figure out what exactly the right way was simply by how his shelving looked compared to mine. They appeared the same. It always happened this way, he'd tell me I was wrong and expect me to know exactly how. I sighed, straightened the books a little, and walked back to my broom. It was my job to sweep every day, but I had only to do the places that needed it. I was exhausted. My days were full of constant work and I expected perfection of myself. It was incredibly tiring.
"You let him treat you like that?" I heard the silver smooth voice behind me and my heart skipped involuntarily. I turned and he was there. Naturally, he couldn't be real, it must be a projection. But he was still the most infuriating and yet calming person I'd seen all day. He looked impeccable, not as though he'd been locked up in the dungeon these past days. I couldn't say anything to him, just briefly nodded before returning to my task. I couldn't show my emotions, it was a hereditary quirk I had. I terrible quirk.
"Oh, you're not talking to me now. I understand that's a great habit of angry women." He mocked. I bristled.
"You're speaking to me now? After the things you told me earlier? That hurt me, Loki. You hurt me." I admonished. How could I trust him? I should have seen that he was not the man I knew before. I was simply too delusional to see it in front of me, "Leave me be."
"Oh, well since you asked so nicely." He jeered and faked a bow in leave. Waited for my rebuttal. I was the only one who could ever be as silver-tongued as he. But only when I was in the mood.
"Please, Loki. Just evaporate." My tone warned him of my unwillingness to be coy.
"Why do you always sound so distraught and frustrated with me? It's almost as if you wish not to speak." His voice held that irksome, know-it-all lilt that he knew I found annoying.
"Do I really sound like that? Please forgive me. It must be so terrible to listen to my whining voice, which is why I'll not make you hear one more word." I bit with a victors smile and turned on my heel, a pile of books still in my arms. As I left the aisle, I prayed fervently that he would leave me be. I tossed a pointed glare back at him, just to make sure he knew my feelings.
But alas, as I turned the corner I saw his figure standing in the way before me. I sighed and shifted the weight of my books.
"Oh, was your leaving suddenly supposed to be a subtle hint?" He smirked. I smiled back as though he'd just inquired about my hobbies.
"I didn't know you possessed the ability to decipher such a thing!" I passed closely to his shoulder and glared as meaningfully as I could, "Your time on Midgard served you well." I raised an eyebrow in an expression that conveyed my confidence. Loki could hurt me all he wanted. I could always get my revenge.
He grimaced at me, eyes full of something I couldn't quite decipher.
"Don't ever speak of Midgard." He threatened deeply. I smirked at him.
"I don't believe you can stop me. You should know I talk of whatever I desire." I admonished him gaily. I cared not what he said. I could be dramatic if I wished. Although the less than happy reunion of ours did annoy me, once I had resolved to not let it affect me, it wouldn't. I would not let him see it hurt me.
"You're not as different as Frigga told me." His words were somber, but his tone was teasing.
"You should pay more heed to Frigga." I smiled minutely.
"How is your gentlemanly suitor?" He ignored my comment and made one of his own.
"I don't know what you're talking about." I cocked an eyebrow and turned away from him.
"Agmund, was it? Quite the masculine name, is it not? Rumors are spreading all over the dungeons. I had my neighbors to my humble home for tea and tittle-tattle. It was very enlightening." He mocked.
"I do hope it was earl grey. I never could stand green tea and I'm sure your fellow inmates would prefer it, also. Did you have crumpets?" I smiled arily.
"No, we chose scones instead." He growled. "But that doesn't change the topic of our discussion. Agmund and Sigyn."
"Yes, which of course is your business."
"Everything is my business. Especially when it effects the future of Asgard."
"Everything? That will be hard to come by in the dungeons." I mocked him in return and heaped more books from tables in my arms.
"What do you know of Agmund, Sigyn?" He asked lowly. I turned back to his reflection and smiled.
"I know that he is a gentleman and a scholar. He follows the decrees of the King. I'm not sure you would get along with him." I had won. He looked at me with the regretful look that was always enough to melt me. "Good-bye, Prince."
I shifted the books in my arms and reached a hand to touch his face. As soon as my fingers would have made contact with his phantom cheek, his form disappeared with a sorrowful gaze until he was nothing more than a dusting of gold magic flittering down to my feet. Winning was not always in my best interest.
"Sigyn! Sigyn!" A woman's voice called after me as I walked home through the drifting snow in Asgard. I turned to see Malyn hurrying after me. hugging her violet cloak tighter around herself and grinning with pearly teeth. I waved jauntily and waited for her to pick her way through the fresh snow. I watched as she slid on a sheet of ice covering the road. Laughing, I went to join her. She had become preoccupied with her small skating pond and beckoned me to join her. I giggled and stepped onto the sheet of ice. It was no more than the size of my gelding's stall in the barn, but it was enough.
"We can skate!" Malyn laughed and skidded towards me.
"Normal people will think you're insane." I crossed my arms and gave her a disapproving glare.
"Normal people aren't any fun." She tossed over her shoulder as she skated away from me. "Except for you, of course!"
I rolled my eyes and tossed my hair over my shoulder. I glanced surreptitiously about me to ascertain that nobody was watching and carefully slid my right foot along the ice. I followed with the left. Soon enough I was sliding along beside Malyn in the growing darkness. We giggled and made fools of ourselves like young schoolgirls. Then I noticed that the darkness was growing.
"Oh, Malyn! I have to go!" I cried. It wouldn't be safe to return home in the dark, there were wolves and highwaymen lurking about. I glided to the edge of the ice and scooped up my satchel. "I'll see you on the morrow! Goodnight!" I called as I ran into the snowy night. Running soon proved too exhausting, so I slowed to a fast walk through the short stretch of woods separating the city from my house.
For the second time that night I heard someone calling my name, in syncopation with the howl of a night creature. The thunder of hoof beats assailed my ears as I turned in the direction of the voice. The wolf called again, closer this time.
"Hello?" I called nervously. I kept walking briskly. It wouldn't do to freeze and be an immobile target for wolves. Someone called my name again. I could see the outline of a rider close-by. But I also saw two wolves emerging from the darkness of the tree line. "Help me!" I shrieked and ran as fast as I could to the rider. Now, perhaps that wasn't the optimal reaction when faced with the massive Asgardian beasts of the forest, but instinct took over.
I could hear them behind me and knew that they'd overtake me faster than the rider and I would meet. I reached into the inner pocket of my cloak and pulled a dagger from it's sewn in sheath. I whipped around to meet the first wolf head on. It charged me and I stepped away as it launched into the air, its' jaws opened where my neck had been. I thrust my dagger into it's heart and it fell instantly. The second was close, but I still had time to run. There were others quickly behind. I stumbled over the first wolf and ran once more to the rider. He was so close. The second wolf was on my heels. I gripped the dagger tightly as it expanded into a full hilted sword. I turned and fluidly struck the beast in it's neck. It didn't die so quickly. The rider was upon me. I felt a pang of pity and stabbed the wolf in the chest, then contracted my sword into the dagger once again, wiping the blood on the wolf's pelt.
The rider was Agmund. He seemed surprised, but he helped me to mount behind him all the same. The rest of the hungry pack was still further off. He spun the horse in a haunch turn and we raced into the horizon.
Please, please don't tell my mother, I pleaded with him in my imagination. As it was, my heart and the horses hooves were pounding too loudly for a proper statement to be made. But I kept my mantra the entire ride home.
"Sigyn, you're not supposed to have that rusty knife still, let alone be killing things with it!" My mother cried in despair. Agmund had been decent enough to buy me time to race to my room, clean the blood from my hands and change my clothes, and emerge looking like a lady. Mother shouldn't have to see me covered in death. But as I came downstairs I heard Agmund describing all he had witnessed. I was tired and fragile, but mother deserved an explanation.
"They attacked me, mother. I would have died had I not defended myself."
"There are city guards for this sort of thing!"
"If there was one close by me he wouldn't have been there in time. Trust me mother. This was the only option for me to survive. I only killed two of them. The wolf population has hardly been crippled." I shouldn't have joked about such things, but that was just my nature, I suppose.
"Sigyn! You know you should have been home before dark. You could have died!" She stumbled toward me, handkerchief to her eyes, and fell into my arms. I hugged her back as Agmund stepped out, shutting the doors behind himself.
"I'm so sorry, mother. I was foolish." I cried into her shoulder. She pulled away from me and held my face in her hands.
"You have done nothing wrong, darling. I was merely worried for you."
"Thank you, mother." I smiled through my teary eyes. She pushed me to arms length and resumed a look of busyness.
"Now, we must introduce you to my old friend, Borghild." She walked to the door and beckoned someone just outside to enter. Agmund came first, with a short, matronly woman on his arm. She had fiery hair that had been faded by many years in the sun, and the kindest green eyes I had ever seen. She was the sort of woman you could trust easily. The sort of woman I go out of my way to please. I glided towards her, employing my most ladylike graces.
"I am so pleased to meet you! I am Sigyn. We welcome you to our home." I dropped into my deepest curtsy and smiled at the floor. She stepped towards me and took my hands, raising me up.
"Please, there is no need to stand upon occasion here! I am honored to meet you, Lady Sigyn. Thank you and your mother for your kind hospitality." She grinned toothily at me.
"Of course! Would you like to sit down?" I asked as a perfect hostess. My mother stepped forward to usurp me.
"Why don't we all go to sleep? It's been a trying day for all of us and I'm sure a good nights rest would do us well. We can catch up in the morning." She suggested.
"Of course, mother. That is a wonderful idea." I smiled and gestured for the guests to leave the room first. Agmund, of course, bid me through the door before him. I smiled and passed through gaily. It's amazing what stabbing things can do for a persons' mood.
"I'm sorry I told your mother. I felt she needed to know." He whispered from behind me. I smiled softly and turned to him.
"All is well. I could not have kept it from her, and I'd rather she heard it from an outside source. I'm sure I would have been more dramatic, and such a story doesn't need that." I turned back to climb the stairs to my room. We parted in the hall and I went in my room, shut the door and leaned my forehead on the cool wood. Mother could never know the things I'd done. She was nearly in hysterics from my killing two wolves. Little did she know I had killed much more than she would ever think to worry about.
A/N: Hope you liked! Thank you to Queen Serenity for your tip! I fixed it. :)