Sigyn tried to sleep, but being wedged on a narrow bed with her two young nieces made it difficult. She found herself excited about her impending marriage to Xaver, and in the early hours of the morning, still wide awake she was making plans.
Luzia would be her matron of honor, that wasn't negotiable, she would wear her mother's wedding gown, her older brother would give her away (a lump formed in her throat), and she knew their wedding feast would last for days, so an abundance of food was a must.
She was the first one down to the kitchens that morning, she ventured outside to gather eggs from the coup (and received some nasty sidelong glares from its occupants, they didn't approve of the hour) and set to making breakfast. Luzia would be getting up soon, and she wanted her best friend there when she went to the market stalls to put the orders in for food.
"I'm so glad you were able to get away," Sigyn said to Luzia as they walked the well-worn path down the hub of their village, "I have no idea how to do this."
"It's not as hard as it sounds," Luzia assured her.
By the end of their trip, they had ordered hundreds of loaves of bread, dozens of pies and cakes, and what seemed like half of the village's livestock.
"I hear that someone is getting married." A man called from a stall, set away from the others.
"Yes, that would be me," Sigyn replied she had never seen the man before, and it was very rare for a stranger to set up shop in a place he was not familiar with.
"Perhaps then you would be interested in what I have to offer?" he gestured to the flowers that covered the stalls of his shop.
"Usually, the bride's flowers come from the gardens of the village," Luzia said suspiciously, eyeing the strange flowers, "What are these? I don't think they are grown around here."
"They are only found near my home."
Sigyn could have sworn she had seen him before, but couldn't place where. His long black hair was tied back with a simple leather strap and she noticed that his green eyes hadn't moved away from her.
"I think we are set on flowers." Sigyn fidgeted with her hands.
The man waved a hand, "No offence taken, but here, take one of these, as a way of congratulations on your marriage." He held a dark red flower on a long stem out to her, "It's called a Dahlia."
Sigyn thanked him quietly and took the flower, and almost instantly felt lightheaded.
"I have been warned about you, Loki God of Mischief," Sigyn said in a light voice, smiling at the dark haired boy following her as she walked the pathways in the gardens of Asgard.
"Oh? And what have they to say?" Loki's greens eyes flashed as he smirked.
"That all you care about is playing games and making people miserable. And you are in no way a fit husband for anyone."
She had heard this almost non-stop ever since she first told her best friend about her crush, but she didn't care. Sigyn had to have him.
"Hmmm," He put a finger to his lips, deep in thought, "That maybe so, but I think I could be a fit husband for someone." He smiled widely.
"Sigyn are you okay?" Luzia shook her shoulder.
"What?" Sigyn felt dazed and slightly nauseous.
"You were miles away." Luzia looked concerned, the strange man looked at Sigyn with curiosity.
"It…was nothing."
"You should go home and rest, it would be a shame for something to happen to you right before the wedding." The man smiled at her, a smile that seemed all too familiar….
Sigyn opened her mouth to speak but Luzia cut her off, "That's a good idea." And pulled her away.
"I don't like him," Luzia said when they were out of earshot.
"Why?"
"I don't know…something about him. I don't like the way he looks at you either."
"Oh, it's probably nothing."
They walked in silence for a while.
"So where did you go?"
"What do you mean?"
"Sigyn, you just stood there for almost two minutes, staring."
"Oh, I don't know…" She wondered if she should tell her friend about what she saw…about how the strange man was in her head when he handed her the flower; about how they seemed to be walking in a place, her parents told her about in fairy tales.
"If you say so." Luzia looked at her, clearly not convinced. "Look…just be careful okay?"
"I will," Sigyn said goodbye to Luzia as she ducked into her brother's house, thinking her best friend was clearly just over reacting.
"I hear this is a good spot to fish." A familiar voice made Sigyn's hair stand on end, which was saying something given the cool breeze coming off the river.
"It is." Sigyn said glancing at him, she couldn't help but think about the vision she had had a few days ago.
"Maybe if I catch enough, I'll send some to your wedding feast." He cast out a line.
"That would be kind of you." Sigyn looked at her baskets, she had only managed to bring in five large trout. She would need a lot more than that to feed the village, not including Xaver's people.
Within a few minutes, he had filled his basket and was bringing in another large fish.
"Are you using magic or something?" Sigyn laughed.
"Just lucky I guess," He handed her the basket, "I couldn't even begin to eat all these."
Sigyn thanked him and reached for the handle.
"Oh!" She let out a gasp when their fingers touched.
"Are you happy?" Loki asked Sigyn as they danced in the middle of the golden hall.
"I don't think they have invented a word for how I feel. Happy seems insignificant." Sigyn said beaming, the skirts of her wedding gown swirled as Loki twirled her around the room.
"I know what you mean." Loki placed a kiss on her lips as the crowd around them erupted into cheers.
"They can't believe it can they? The trickster god, tamed." She whispered in his ear.
"I don't think they can."
The song ended and Loki reached a hand to touch the pendant at the base of Sigyn's throat, the very same that he wore, "I love you, Sigyn."
"Are you okay?"
"What?"
"You look like you are about to fall over." The man had the same look on his face that he had the other day.
"I'm fine." Sigyn shook her head, her hand went to the pendant at her neck. The same on she had just seen in her vision.
"I think I should head back now." She began to wind up her line and picked up her baskets.
"I'll walk with you, you've gotten rather pale." Something in his face told her he was disappointed about something.
He didn't try to speak with her for most of their walk, and Sigyn was determined to not speak than more than absolutely necessary. That was until something caught your eye.
"Our pendants match!" She said when she caught sight of his necklace swinging with each step he took.
"I had noticed that," He replied simply. Sigyn's hand went to her neck and began to fidget with the pendant; fingers tracing the swirling, tangled snakes.
"Do you know what it's a symbol of?" He asked.
"No…my parents said someone brought it as a gift when I was nine days old. They didn't know who he was."
He chuckled, "Well some people say it's the symbol of Loki."
"Loki? The Trickster?"
"That's the one."
"Seems to be a strange gift for a child."
"Children sometimes get into mischief, no?"
"Yes they do, still it is strange." Sigyn walked a few more paces, "I've never seen anyone else have this pendant before. We have merchants that pass through here sometimes and even they don't have it for sale."
"Not many people would wear the symbol of someone who is such an annoyance to the gods."
Sigyn had a notion of taking the necklace off, but she had been wearing it for as long as she could remember.
The man seemed to sense her discomfort, "I wouldn't worry about it, though, if the gods seem fit to forgive Loki, they can see fit to forgive a couple of fools for wearing a pendant."
Sigyn swallowed hard and nodded, and said a quick goodbye as she reached her brother's home.
Luzia was right, the man was weird. And the visions she had been weirder, that she had married the god Loki in the palace of Asgard. She tried to ignore the fact that the man looked exactly like Loki….and that they both wore the same pendants. Her stomach churned uncomfortably.
No.
She would stay far away from him as she could, and push the thoughts of those visions or whatever they were out of her mind.
Besides, she had a wedding to prepare for.