Loki held the door open for Sarah as she stepped from the lower landing pad to the main pad at the roof of the building. The wind buffeted her violently and she turned away from the wind, putting her face against Loki's chest, wrapping her jacket tighter around Fen. Fury stood waiting for them, the wind whipping his black leather jacket like a war torn flag. Thor had set the two bags she had brought down on the pad between them and stood waiting for the word to be given. "You gotta know you guys look like some crazy ass lost tourists don't you." Fury yelled above the wind, looked around at the skyline, then nodded. Sarah glanced up at Loki, "Is it going to be as bad as that damn scepter?" who shook his head and pulled her in closer to him. "Heimdall!" Thor shouted grabbing the bags back up in his hands, "Open the Bifrost!"
Sarah watched above her as the clouds started to swirl like a tornado amidst which a blinding multicolored light was forming, dipping further until it enveloped them and she felt herself being pulled hard, only watching the skyline for a second as it dropped away almost immediately and she closed her eyes, a moment later, feeling solid floor beneath her feet as she stumbled a bit but caught herself and looked about her at an immense dome with silver and gold wrought work with a stepped platform in the middle of it and Heimdall taking his sword from a tall sheath built into the floor. She bowed to him as they walked away from the portal entrance. "I will look upon the child." His commanding voice stopped her in her tracks as the giant of a man stood and looked down at Fen who had awakened during the trip and seemed now to return Heimdall's gaze. Fen's mouth opened in a yawn and ended in a shudder. "He has a pure soul with the heart of a god. Welcome, Asgardian." He straightened up and returned to the platform where he resumed his stance standing sentinel at the portal.
Frigga was standing at the entrance to the living quarters when they came down the corridor, now brightly lit with braziers to ward off the cold winter air. "Oh, let me see him!" She cried, walking up to Sarah, who handed Fen over to her. "Oh Loki, he looks just like you when you were a baby." Just then Fen let a squeak and started to fuss a little. "Oh my goodness, you used to do the same thing." Frigga laughed, "Of course it was usually followed by hiccups." Loki looked at Sarah, "Come into our rooms, I have something special for you."
She followed him inside his room where more braziers stood burning brightly around a large bed carved with the standard that appeared on her necklace. He steered her to one side and then she saw it, a tall cradle made of a golden wood, polished till it reflected the firelight, the hood of the cradle was carved with vines and leaves that trailed down to wind over the sides and the curved legs at the bottom to the footboard. The interior of the hood above where Fen's head would lie, was carved as a tree trunk, branches reaching all around the hood, the bedding itself was pale blue and appeared to be silk with a miniature down coverlet atop it. "I'm no great hand at carving but I did design it and made sure only our top wood carver was ever to touch it, I did help him polish it though, helped me to work through my exile." "Loki," Sarah breathed, "It's an heirloom, it's almost too beautiful to use, I've never seen workmanship like this in my life." Loki smiled at his mother over Sarah's head, "Now do you see why I told you to leave the bassinet on Midgard?" Sarah slipped her hand into his and held it tight. Fen let out another squeak then started to cry. "Well it's either one or the other. I'll check and see if he's wet." Sarah said holding out her hands for the baby, "Oh please let me help you, it's been such a long time since we've had a baby to fuss over." Sarah glanced at Loki, who nodded and bowed as they brought Fen to the bed and Sarah began to unwrap him as Loki sat the diaper bag down on the floor beside her.
She undid the Velcro straps of the diaper and slid it out from under Fen while Frigga watched in amazement, "You don't use cloth nappies?" she mused. "No, I know people who do though, they have a service that comes and gets the diapers, washes them and brings them back…seems like a waste of money as much as this does." She set the dirty diaper on the floor where a servant was instantly there to pick it up, and she was soon fastening the new diaper on. "But if I run out while I'm here, I can bet there's no grocery store to buy them in. I might just try cloth yet." She knelt on the floor watching her son as his hands opened and closed, arms moving about, learning, building pathways in his brain and she was struck by how strong and deep she had bonded with him in only a week's time.
"We will have the welcoming tomorrow afternoon," Frigga said as she stroked Fen's brow, her eyes shining in the firelight. "You will want to get settled in, afterwards, please visit me in my chambers, my dear. I would love to talk with you." Sarah agreed that she would do so, Frigga bidding them goodbye as she left the room. Loki drew off the long sleeved shirt he'd been wearing. "If you don't mind, I'm going to get into some proper dress," He said as he crossed the room to a large wardrobe, pulling out a pair of breeches and a tunic, undoing his jeans and dropping them to the floor, stepping out of them, eliciting a wolf whistle from Sarah as she sat there on the bed, feeding Fen. "Methinks you doth tease me, M'lady." He said, amusement in his voice. "Now you're sounding like your brother," She laughed, looked down at Fen, Loki grinning at the thought, "Funny thing, I was more the scholar than him."
Sarah wiped a bit of milk from the corner of Fen's mouth, "But I wasn't teasing, you look quite fine." So fine, Sarah thought to herself, that she was entirely confused as to what he saw in her. Loki pulled on his breeches, walked to the bed, took her face between his palms and kissed her until they were both breathless, Fen starting to fuss as he lost his hold on her nipple. "Sorry, squeaks, mommy got carried away." Sarah said as she repositioned him to latch on. "So tell me how the ceremony goes." Loki sat on the bed beside her, "Well we will enter the throne room together," Sarah thought of the casual clothes she'd brought with her and wished she'd packed a nice dress, "Then you will stop at the bottom of the steps to the throne and I will take Fen up to Odin and Frigga to be marked and recognized." "Marked and recognized, what is that?" Sarah asked, "Odin will recognize him as a citizen of the realm of Asgard and present him to the court and when he is old enough, he will be able to summon the Bifrost like we do, then he will mark his shoulder with my standard."
Sarah's eyes went wide, "Like a tattoo?" Loki nodded but before Sarah could protest, said, "It will not hurt him, dearest heart. It will be but a small mark and will enable him to call on the Aesir for help should he ever need it." "And then," Sarah asked, "Then Odin will ask who also claims this child, then you will answer, I do, he will ask you your name, though he already knows it, don't go thinking he's gone off, you will tell him your name and he will call you up to be recognized as well." Sarah took a sleeping Fen from her breast, walked over and laid him in the cradle, caressing the wood for a moment before coming back to sit beside Loki. "And then?" "Of course we will have a celebration feast, we wouldn't want to disappoint Volstagg, the great glutton." Sarah curled her arm around his and sighed, "You know I'm afraid that I'm going to start liking it here." Loki put his hand over hers, "I'm counting on it."
Sarah had left Loki with Fen and was now following a servant girl to the Queen's chambers. Even if Frigga had been most accommodating, Sarah was still feeling nervous as she let the servant open the chamber doors to find Frigga sitting by an immense fireplace throwing heat and light throughout the room, knitting needles in her hand and a basket of yarn that looked to be fine mohair. She stuck the needles in the basket and rose from her chair. "Come my child, sit." She waved her hand to a chair beside hers and Sarah sat down. Frigga regained her seat as well and clapped her hands, sending two more servants to stand before them with a number of dresses over their arms. "I took the liberty of having a wardrobe made as a gift for you when I knew you were coming, Why don't you try on a few of the dresses, my dear? I would love to see how well my seamstresses have done their work. Sarah obliged hoping Fen wouldn't wake up and give Loki too much trouble.
After several gowns, each more beautiful than the next, she had found her favorite, a floor length tunic with a crossed bodice, floor length drapes at the arms, with a wide belt at the waist the gown a dark green that she imagined would smartly match Loki's court dress. She sat back down in the chair beside Frigga after she'd changed back to her own clothes, fingering the material of the green dress she held in her lap. After a short time, Frigga sighed, "Sarah, we had lost all hope for Loki a short time ago until he met you." Sarah stared into the fire, "I know about what he's done." Frigga picked up her needles again, "And yet you still allowed yourself to love him." Sarah glanced at Frigga, "I loved him before I knew, it's kind of hard to reverse it then.", though she had tried soon after he'd been sent back with no luck whatsoever. "He has allowed himself to love as well, perhaps this is what it has taken to bring him back from the brink of madness." Sarah stroked the silk gown beneath her fingers for a minute then stood up, "I've got to get back to my room and check on Fen, your majesty. Please forgive me." She bowed and was almost to the door, the servants following her with the other gowns, when Frigga spoke up, "He is a good boy, a little mischievous, mind you, but his heart lies with you, that will prove him in the end."
Sarah turned, smiled and continued to her chambers.
She found Loki asleep, Fen likewise on his chest and remembered Tony's jibe about taking a camera, now wishing she had. She lifted Fen from his chest and placed him in the cradle, undressed, slipped on a long dressing gown with a narrow rope tie about the waist, then crawled into bed beside Loki who moved his arm outward to pull her to him. She didn't sleep right away though, the dream keeping her awake, for fear of having another one and she watched the fires from the braziers, thinking of what tomorrow was going to be like until her eyes refused to do her bidding and closed until the first light of the sun streamed into the room.
She had just finished feeding Fen when Loki came out of the bathroom in his court dress, carrying the helmet by one horn. "Is he finished?" He asked, walking across the room past the braziers to the outer railing where she could see his breath frosty in the cold air and she looked away, pushing the dream from her mind. She set Fen down on the bed and took the little gown that Frigga had sent to the room for Fen to wear, all Sarah could think of was a christening gown though she supposed this was sort of what it was. "I'm just getting him dressed." She had given him a bath that morning in a silver basin in the bathroom, after his first feeding, Loki standing beside her, helping to hold him upright and still as he cried in anger at being treated in such a way.
Loki looked into the room at Sarah, as she wrapped the baby in a white blanket and lifted him to her shoulder to pat his back and decided against telling her about his latest dream last night, and the reason he was so tense. He walked into the room again and separated the helmet, putting it together on his head, then offered a grinning Sarah his arm, stopping when he saw her expression, "What?" She took his arm and said, "Nothing, I told you, I love a man in uniform."
They stood in the darkness at the end of the throne room waiting for Odin to take his seat on the throne. Fen had started to wiggle a little but seemed to be simply testing his reflexes, cooing and squeaking as Sarah bounced him gently in her arms. Loki put a hand to his back and rubbed, eliciting a burp, Sarah wiping his mouth with a small cloth she'd tucked behind her belt as she tried to still the butterflies in her stomach. A small tap at her elbow from Loki made her jump and then she was walking beside him up the middle of the room, people bowing on both sides as they passed until they'd reached the bottom of the stairs and Odin stood, striking his staff against the floor, the sound ringing through the room. Loki turned to Sarah and took Fen from her arms, then proceeded up the stairs to where Odin stood. "Allfather, I present to you to be recognized, my son, Fenris Daniel Laufeyson." Loki held Fen up to Odin, Fen seeming to return the gaze of this great man with tears glittering in his eyes. "Fenris Daniel, son of my son, I recognize you as a citizen of Asgard and as such I grant you the power to call upon the Bifrost to bring you to this realm at any time you see fit." He placed a hand on Fen's forehead, "And I mark you with the standard of Loki," Loki had pulled the gown from Fen's shoulder and Odin now touched it lightly with his fingers, Loki watching the two intertwined snakes appear, blood red against Fen's skin, then fade until they were no longer visible.
Sarah had been standing at the bottom of the steps, feeling all eyes on her as she waited and suddenly she heard Odin, "Who also claims this child?" Sarah looked up at the dais, almost forgetting what to do until she saw Loki smile at her, "I do" Odin nodded, "What is your name?" "Sarah Ann Miller" she replied and started up the steps as Odin motioned for her, stopping beside Loki. "Sarah Ann Miller, mother of Fenris," Odin put a hand on her shoulder, "I proclaim you a citizen of Asgard by right of lineage." At this. Odin leaned in to her, "I ask you to teach him well both worlds for he will have a place in each one. He is truly blessed." "I will" Sarah said softly and Odin smiled. Loki took her elbow with his free hand and turned her towards the people lining the room, then placing Fen in her arms. "What I have marked and recognized, may never be undone by another." Odin's voice thundered through the hall as the crowd murmured, "Your will be done, Allfather." And Loki was leading her down the steps to a line of people at the bottom, some of who she knew and she stopped at the first person, Thor, who smiled at Loki, put his hand upon Fen's head and said, "I wish upon you power and a gentle heart with which to wield it," Next to Thor stood Volstagg, who touched Fen's head gently, "I wish upon you strength," Here he looked at Loki, "And a better appetite than your father." Sarah tried to suppress a grin as she moved down the line to Fandral, "I wish upon you to be fair of face and strong to defeat your enemies." Next in line was Sif and Sarah shrank back a bit under her glare which abruptly changed as she touched the baby's brow, to a warm gaze, "I wish upon you goodness and honesty." She cast a glance at Loki and looked away, Sarah moving to Hogun, a short, fierce looking man, "I wish upon you wisdom, and great knowledge." And on she went down the line of warriors until they were at the end and they turned to await Odin's command to proceed to the great hall which he summarily gave, everyone milling around them, people touching Fen, blessing him, congratulating Loki.
She had at first been a little shy of feeding Fen at the feast table but Sif, hearing her protest to Loki, stood up and walked over to her, picking up the baby and standing before her, "Take it out, come on, the little warrior is hungry." Sarah pulled the side of her dress to release her breast and Sif laid him in her arms, knelt by the side of her chair and gave her perhaps the warmest words she'd heard from her, "Never be afraid Sarah, even if you are inside, never let anyone know it. It will be your greatest strength when you need it." And she stood, striding back to her seat, retrieving her goblet of mead. "Is she always angry?" Sarah whispered to Loki who looked down the table at Sif, catching her eye and grinning against her glare, "Um, yeah she is, or has been for as long as I've known her." Frigga caught her eye at the end of the table after a while and motioned to her to come sit beside her. She took Fen from Loki's arms, knowing Frigga wished to see him as well and sat down beside her. "He's asleep, I'm afraid, All the excitement is too much for him." Frigga stroked his tiny hand with a finger, "I would be asleep too." Then to Sarah, "You did wonderfully tonight, Loki should be proud of you. I know he is," Frigga could see Loki down the table staring at Sarah, excluding all else from his gaze. "You should get the little warrior to bed. It's been a long day for you." Sarah nodded and yawned. "Indeed it has, thank you, your majesty." Frigga put her hand on Sarah's arm, "That's for the court, please call me mother." Sarah smiled, stood and bowed then walked to where Loki was sitting. "I'm going to retire for the evening." Loki rose from his chair and bowed to Frigga, who nodded in return, "Shall we, then?"
She changed Fen for bed and put him in the cradle, rocking it gently with her foot. She had changed as well, folding the beautiful dress and placing it in the wardrobe, replacing it with the dressing gown, tying the thin rope loosely around her. Loki had long since gotten into bed and was lying on his side, eyes closed. She sat there for a minute studying his profile, the regal slope of his nose, the arch of his brow, the high fine cheekbones she'd so admired, the curve of his jaw, and suddenly he was smiling, "Why are you staring at me?" He opened his eyes and looked up at Sarah. "I was admiring, not staring," she raised the covers and slid beneath them shivering even though the braziers had been built up to warm the room. She laid on her side facing away from him, luxuriating in the heavy feel of the comforter. Loki reached for her and pulled her to him, his arm draped around her waist until she heard him whisper in her ear, "I long to swell your belly again, Sarah." She could feel him, hard between her thighs, his hand stealing under her nightdress to cup her breast and she pushed back against him, eliciting a shuddering breath in her ear, nearly driving all reason from her, she felt him shift position, his hand drifting down between her legs, pressing her harder to him, kissing her shoulder, the back of her neck, her earlobe, whispering "I hunger for you."
She was starting to perspire under the heavy covers now and she threw off the top comforter, now arching back against him, trying to afford him entry even though she knew they should be waiting, it being so soon after the baby, but she moved to accept him, surrendering as he put an arm around her waist and slid inside her, his arm now crossed between her breasts as he held her to him, murmuring against her back, words of love. She lifted her leg and draped it backwards over his, feeling his heartbeat wild against her back as he began to move within her. "So long," he said, his voice low and hoarse with desire, "So long I've waited to be with you again." She arched forward, letting him in further, feeling his fingers press into her hips as he moved her, took her, she reaching down to cover his hand with hers, his breath coming in short harsh gasps as he pulled her back to his chest, his hips bucking against her in slow gentle thrusts, her breath matching his until his movements became more insistent, his hands around her shoulders, his muscles quivering with the effort, she glanced back at him and he rose from the bed to steal a kiss, sweet and passionate as he stiffened in release, finally drowning his cry of ecstasy against her back, holding her for a long time after his heart had slowed, only withdrawing from her when they heard Fen shift in the cradle with a sigh. After a long while, Sarah whispered, "It's kind of a bad idea to do it so soon after you've had a baby, it tends to make other babies." She felt him kiss the back of her neck and she shivered, letting herself be pulled into his arms. "I love you, Sarah," He whispered and was soon asleep. She stayed awake a bit longer, listening to his slow even breathing, staring once again at the braziers around her, glowing…
Fen's squeak woke her up but the braziers had burnt down so low that the cold was starting to creep in to the room. She sat up, turning to look at Loki who had turned away from her, facing into the room. She put her feet on the floor and winced at the cold, picking Fen up from the cradle and walking towards the brazier that was glowing the brightest, grabbing the diaper bag on the way. "I'm going to have to ask the servants to get those braziers going again." She whispered to herself as she felt Fen's diaper to see if it was wet and reaching into the bag for a diaper when the brazier before her dwindled and died suddenly and all she had to see by were glowing coals and starshine. She looked onto the portico, a sudden movement catching her eye, and she reached deep into the diaper bag, putting her fingers against the barrel of the revolver and drawing it into her hands. Fen let out another squeak. The light changed on the portico until it was alit with blue flame. Sarah shoved the revolver into the belt tied at her waist and stood up with Fen in her arms as the same figure she'd seen in Loki's quarters stepped onto the marble floor holding the scariest thing she'd ever seen in her life, the scepter.
She turned to Loki who hadn't moved and was about to shout his name when the figure spoke. "It is time for retribution." The figure chuckled, "And lest you think this is another dream, I would gladly show you otherwise." The figure held up the scepter and pointed it straight at Loki, the blue cube at the end glowing and pulsing, Sarah trying to will him to waken. "How can you be using the scepter?" Sarah whispered in disbelief, "The Tesseract and the scepter are one and the same. Those that held it were ignorant of its workings." The figure stepped closer to her and held out his hand. "You will come with me now," It growled and Sarah made to lay Fen back in his cradle, "No, the child comes with you." Sarah shook her head, the blue glow increasing as he stepped towards her, "Please, no" and finally the figure had his fingers around her wrist, she felt searing pain like dry ice against her skin and felt the all too familiar wrenching tug of the scepter as the blue light enveloped her and Fen and the room disappeared before her eyes.