The days and months passed after the Bifrost had been destroyed. Thor himself told her the story of the battle with his brother, of the lies and of his plans to destroy Jotunheim. Unlike his brother, Thor was incapable of dishonesty, no matter how painful the truth may have been to her. He'd let go. Loki had resigned himself to the abyss. The bridge was broken and no one knew where he may have gone. She'd visited the gatekeeper many times to ask for any signs, but he had his own reasons for not wanting to help her. Loki had abused his position and betrayed Heimdall deeply.
It took some time before she could begin to accept his passing and mourn the loss. She took to wearing only black and became more reclusive over time. Frigga had tried to keep her close to the family, as she loved Sigyn and did not want to see her in pain. She could not help but blame herself, for her part in his undoing. Maybe if she'd accepted the proposal he would have been honest with her. Maybe she could have convinced him of a better path. Thor had assured her though, that it was not her fault. Loki had chosen his own path, and they could do nothing but love him and hope that he would do what was right.
Falling into her own personal darkness, Sigyn poured herself fully into the study of magic. She secretly pushed herself further and further in an attempt to strengthen her powers. Thinking that if she was able to unlock a deeper magic within herself, maybe she could reform the bond with Loki and feel him wherever he may be. She so desperately wanted to know if he was still alive, she would have given anything.
She got her wish, though not in the manner she had hoped. A secret power had been discovered to open the pathways amongst the realms again. Thor had fled to Midgard, in search of Loki who had been discovered there. She was overjoyed to hear that he was still alive, but the news of his return was not a welcome one. He'd set to earth in an attempt to gain control of the realm, taking it for his kingdom. Assistance from darker forces had given him new found power. A power-hungry conqueror was not the man she'd loved. How had he fallen so far?
His return to Asgard was bound in chains, Thor's prisoner for crimes unspeakable. He'd been locked in the most secure prison in Asgard, guarded day and night, with powerful magic keeping him locked away, unable to hurt anyone else. Sigyn went to Thor in desperation, she must Loki again.
"No," he replied sternly, "it is not possible. This is not the man you know, Sigyn."
They stood outside the gates of his holding cell, flanked by rows of guards. The door was large and golden, the room lined in layers of metal and magic barriers, suppressing his abilities. A small window in the door allowed for guards to look in, though Loki could not see out. Thor held her arm, not letting her get close enough to see inside.
"You must let me see him!" she demanded.
"Sigyn, I cannot. He is dangerous, even to you," he pleaded, eyes caring and true. He did not want to see her hurt by the man she loved. The things Loki had done while on Midgard were deplorable, the loss of life substantial. Thor had let his guard down for but a moment and Loki had taken the opportunity to stab him in the stomach, making yet another attempt on his brother's life. He could not be trusted. He could not be reasoned with or compelled with emotion. Thor worried that his brother was beyond all hope, but Odin had not yet decided on what his final punishment would be. The family that had loved him did not want to see him destroyed forever.
She grasped his hand that held her arm, attempting to force him to let go. He would not hurt her, but he would not let her go either.
"Please," she begged, tears beginning to stream down her face. "I love him still, Thor. You must let me go."
Thor's grip softened as did his heart. He did not want to see her in pain. Releasing her arm, he stood for a moment as she looked up at him, long dark hair trailing into her eyes. Her expression went cold for a moment.
"You know that I ask you this as a courtesy," she said bluntly to Thor, who was unaware of how powerful she'd become. "You can not keep me from him."
Surprised at her turn of phrase, he looked at Sigyn blankly for a moment. Her eyes never left his as she quietly waved a hand in front of him and in a flash of faint light, disappeared from view. Reappearing again on the inside of Loki's cell in a bright flash, she stood before him as he sat on the ground, bound in chains, mouth covered. Guards rushed toward the door but Thor stopped them from opening it. He looked inside to see Sigyn's form standing above that of his brother. Commanding the guards to hold, he waited to see what would transpire.
He looked like a faint memory of himself. Older, a battered and broken version of himself, face sullen, scars beginning to form across his face. She thought that he looked so unwell, unlike the beautiful man she'd loved. His eyes widened as he saw the woman appear before him, long black gown and dark hair trailing down her back. She stepped toward him slowly.
"Loki," she whispered softly, "my love."
He stared at her unmoving as she knelt before him. She couldn't tell if it was joy or fear in his eyes, if he was even capable of joy anymore. Reaching out to him, she gently swept hair out of his eyes and traced fingertips lovingly along his face. A slam at the door startled her and she turned back swiftly, the guards must be trying to get in. Waving a hand she cast a spell to bar the door from the inside, covering it with ice, obstructing the view in the window. The guards knew better than to bring down the door or the defenses of the room. Loki was too dangerous and if given the opportunity, may attempt to escape.
She turned back to him quickly, fumbling with the metal plate covering his mouth, trying to free him from it.
"Loki," she paused, slowly lowering it from his mouth, " what have you done?"
With the back of his hand, he wiped at his mouth. It had been so uncomfortable being bound. He coughed and spat on the ground next to himself, such an unbecoming act. She'd never seen him so utterly unkempt and clearly unhinged. After a moment, a familiar smile carved itself across his face.
"You've been practicing, haven't you?" he asked. She'd always been shy about using magic in the past, uncomfortable with it's power. It pleased him to see her embrace it now.
"Why can't I sense you? I didn't even know you'd returned until I was told. I was waiting for you this whole time, my love," she plead with him, choking back tears. He was an empty canvas, unfamiliar and distant. She could feel nothing from him, no emotions a tall. He was mysterious, unpredictable.
Wiping at his mouth again, he averted his eyes. She tried harder to read his emotions and still got nothing.
"Loki," she asked again, "What have you done?"
He paused for a moment, finally meeting her eyes. "You want to know what I've done? I have done nothing but claim my rightful place," he growled.
"Your rightful place was here, Loki... with me."
"You want to know what I've done?" he growled at her again, taking her hand and placing it on his forehead. Letting down the guard he'd so carefully built, a forceful wave of emotions flowed out from his memories. She felt the anger, terror, desperation and loneliness that drove him to the edge of madness. She felt the hate that allowed him to step over it. With a gasp she pushed him away and fell backwards, attempting to get away from him. The darkness had overshadowed the man she loved so completely. Swallowing her fear, she edged back toward him, looking deeply into his eyes, blue and cold as ice. He stared at her, a desperate man, lost and alone.
Another bang rang out from the door, as the guards tried to get past the ice. Picking herself up off the ground, she moved toward him slowly. Bending down, she kissed him on the forehead, as he lifted a hand to touch her face. He stared at her a moment, lost in memories of better days, the faint hint of remembering what it meant to love her. What it meant to feel safe and at home.
"I must go," she whispered with a faint forced smile, as she pulled herself away. "I will see you again."
With a quick motion of her hand, she disappeared as quickly from the cell as she'd appeared. The glimmer of her light in so much darkness. As she appeared outside of the cell, Thor rushed to her as the guards backed away from the door.
"Are you hurt?" Thor asked, afraid of what may have happened inside. She shook her head as he continued to scold "You should not have done that. You have no idea how dangerous..."
"Yes," she interrupted, placing a hand on Thor's chest. "Yes. I know. I am fine. I will take my leave now." She solemnly walked away, black skirt hem flowing at her feet. A hint of warmth filled her heart as she felt the presence of her love again, this time with but a glimmer of hope mixed in with all of his despair.
To be continued, maybe. Thanks for reading! Please feel free to review.