Sifki Week, Day 5- Gifts
In which Loki is moping and Sif cheers him up.
The feast in celebration of the anniversary of Loki's birth was impressive, as all palace feasts were. There was much food and drink, dancing and merriment, but the younger prince did not seem to be partaking. Loki sat sullenly at the table, idly swirling the mead in his chalice, watching the guests enjoy themselves.
Sif watched him from across the table, curious as to why he was not celebrating like everyone else. Indeed, Thor and Volstagg had been 'celebrating' for hours now, presently chanting another drinking song, as if they needed the encouragement. Fandral and Hogun were engaged in some heated discussion, which only ended when Fandral was distracted by a group of passing women. Sif herself had been relishing in the festivities earlier, enjoying the delicacies they had been served, though not nearly so much as Volstagg, and even allowing Thor and Fandral to drag her out for a few dances. But now her thoughts were solely on the recipient of the celebration, who seemed to be moping.
As she thought back on the evening, Sif could not recall Loki participating in any of the fun her and her companions had enjoyed. In fact, she was now sure he had not once left his seat at the table. Sif frowned as she continued to watch him, idly wondering if perhaps the prince before her was merely one of his illusions, when Loki silently rose from the table and headed towards the balcony. Not one to let things lie, Sif followed him.
Loki did not turn from the railing where he stood when she exited the palace and walked out onto the balcony, though she knew he was aware of her presence.
"Loki?" she called softly, question clear in her voice. "Is something the matter?"
She heard him sigh deeply before turning around, a smile that she had come to know as false on his face.
"What could possibly be the matter on a night of celebration such as this?" he asked, the sarcasm in his tone barely detectable as he gestured to their surroundings.
Sif frowned, shaking her head. "Come now, Loki, there is no reason to lie to me. Tell me what is wrong," she said sincerely, stepping closer.
He sighed once more, shoulders drooping as he dropped the fascade. "It is no matter," he said, waving it off. "Truly, do not worry yourself," he insisted when he saw the disbelieving look on her face. "Let us speak of happier things. Are you enjoying yourself tonight, Lady Sif?"
She frowned at the swift change in topic, not fooled for a second by Loki's tactics to throw her off. "Mmm, well I was until I noticed you sulking," she said as she crossed her arms over her chest, looking pointedly at him.
Loki shot her a glare, displeased she had not just let it drop. When the warrior did not back down, merely raising an eyebrow at him, he flung his hands down to his sides in irritated resignation. "Fine!" he said exasperatedly. "I overheard Mother discussing who would take over the throne with Father today," he admitted, not meeting her eyes. "And of course their choice was perfect Thor. Honestly, are you sure you are not the Goddess of Prying? I think you truly missed your calling, Sif," he added, scowling as he mimicked her stance, arms crossed and back stiff.
Sif let her arms drop as she looked at the younger prince sympathetically, ignoring his jibes; he was clearly only trying to rile her up so she would get mad and storm off, leaving him alone. "I'm sorry, Loki," she said honestly, truly meaning it. She was not exactly surprised, she had always assumed Thor would be named Odin's successor, but for Loki to find out in this way must have been devastating for him.
Sif was not blind to the princes' rivalry, sometimes feeling like she was caught up in the middle of it. Loki always seemed like he felt like he had something to prove; to Thor, to his father, to Asgard, but mainly to himself. And gaining the throne would have been the best way to demonstrate his worthiness. And to have all hope of attaining that ripped away…
"I don't need your pity," he bit out, glaring at her again.
She could tell he was closing himself off again, she was quite familiar with the signs after all these hundreds of years. And she knew she couldn't let that happen, especially not today of all days.
"Well, it is a good thing you do not have it then," she said, raising her chin as she spoke, showing him she was not going to back down. "You have my sympathy, and my compassion for having found out in the way that you did," she told him, looking into his eyes, willing him to see that she was being sincere.
After a moment of continued glaring, Loki sighed and closed his eyes, accepting her words. "Thank you," he mumbled, shocking her.
She chose to play it off, however, hoping to lighten the mood. "The great Prince Loki, thanking me? Is it Ragnarok already?" she gasped, laughing when he scrunched his face in annoyance.
"Yes, hilarious," he groused, although Sif noticed the corners of his mouth curling slightly.
"Come now, it is a happy day! Let us rejoin the feast," she tried, holding out her hand, giving him a reassuring smile.
Loki stared at her outstretched hand for a moment before looking back up at her. "I don't know if I feel up to it right now," he admitted, frowning slightly.
Sif frowned as well, dropping her hand sadly. Suddenly, she had a thought. "I think I have an idea as to how to cheer you up," she said, her voice excited as she reached into a pocket in her cloak, pulling out a bundle wrapped in green cloth.
The prince had looked up at her eager tone and watched curiously as she handed him the object.
"It is your birth day gift," she clarified, trying to contain the smile that threatened to spread across her face. "I know it is tradition to wait until later, but I think you could use some happiness right now. Open it!" she insisted when he just stood there looking at it awkwardly.
"Sif, you didn't have to-"
The warrior snorted. As if she wouldn't give a gift to her friend on the anniversary of his birth, let alone to her prince. "Just open it before I take it back," she threatened, pointing a finger at him sternly.
Loki rolled his eyes at her threat before he unwrapped the cloth wrapping. Inside the soft green fabric he found two identical silver daggers. Each dagger had a curved blade attached to the silver hilt, where two smaller blades extended back, giving the dagger three blades in total. It was a simple, yet elegant design; one he was quite familiar with, actually, seeing as how these were his daggers!
Loki looked up in puzzlement at the grinning face of Sif. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked, quite confused.
"It's a gift," she answered simply, still smiling.
"But these daggers were already mine," he insisted, brow furrowed as he continued to stare at her like she had gone mad. "You cannot gift me my own property, Sif."
"Ah, but they became mine once I stole them," she replied, giving him a wink.
"You-" Loki began, but just shook his head, knowing it was futile to argue.
True, Sif had stolen these daggers from him, many times in fact. It had become like a game between them, seeing who could hold onto them the longest. Sif had been winning, keeping them from him for almost an entire year this last round. But here she was, giving them back to him, basically admitting defeat, something the Goddess of War never did. It was truly peculiar.
"It is my gift to you," Sif said, as if she could read his mind. "The one and only time I will ever yield, I give to you, Loki," she said, her smile gone, face serious now.
To say he was stunned would be an understatement. The gravity of her words hit him hard. Loki understood what this meant for her, and it was perhaps the most precious gift he had ever been given. "Thank you, Sif," he managed to stay, still shocked.
She gave him a smile, "Now if you don't come back with me to your own party, my prince, I will have to steal them back again."
Loki could not tell if she was joking, but he guessed she probably was not, so he placed his daggers in his belt and smiled at her as he gestured back towards the festivities, allowing her to precede him. Perhaps this would not turn out to be one of his worst birth days after all.