(SIGYN)

Loki said to stay in our chamber. Stay in our chamber. Stay in our chamber. The sun went up, came down, went up, came down—no word. No news. No blessed lull in the constant fighting weaving its way through the balcony. The upper floors of the palace were all but deserted; if I didn't know my way around Asgard's kitchens, we wouldn't have been fed at all. Agony of waiting. I always hated waiting.

Vali and Narvi switched their attention from me to the cat, buying me some relief, letting me marinate in the worry over Loki, our lost home, and the pregnancy. Hela stirred, jarring my gut every so often with contagious hiccups. She was alright—but would the war even be over by the time she arrived?

Freyr sat at my side and took my hand after the third sunset on our own. "What are you feeling?"

"Hmm?" I acknowledged him, but escaping my waking dreamland was difficult. "Sorry, Freyr. I'm too distracted to feel much of anything."

"Have you sensed Loki at all? Heard him coming through?"

"No." I sighed, trying to ignore how hard my belly flipped. "I've never been much good at conduction without your help anyway. Pairing that with poor sleep, constant distractions, the dreadful wailing from people in the city once they catch news of their dead..."

He interrupted my rambling and lowered his wrinkled eyes to mine. "Sigyn, he's alright."

My tumbling insides gave way to wings. "Are you certain?"

"He's still fighting. But things are changing quickly."

I waited for him to elaborate on his own. His restraint was artificial. "What aren't you saying?"

Freyr peered over his shoulder to be sure the children were still closed in their room and out of earshot. "The Allfather is dead. He and Surtur ended one another, as prophesied."

My jaw hung open. An undefinable ache settled over my heart—Loki would be mourning, surely, but I had known no other leader as an Aesir. As Allfather, he was parent to all of us in a way, wasn't he? "Now what?"

"Thor has been declared King. He's ordered all citizens to gather in the basement shelter and await more instructions. We cannot remain here any longer."

Why wasn't I comforted to know we'd at least be surrounded by people in our same predicament? Couldn't we at least commiserate with other folks that way? The children could do with more distractions and space, yet it didn't feel right. Going lower felt like voluntarily entering the dungeon. If the enemy came from above, where else could we go?

Grid came to my other side and pressed on my shoulder. "You've told her?" she asked Freyr.

"Aye. And we should move quickly. Who knows if they intend to lock others out to keep the people safe inside. We wouldn't want to be left out on purpose."

"Everything needs to come with us. We might never be allowed to come back here." I stood as quickly as possible, denying Grid's help and heading for the boys' room. "Vali, Narvi, can you hear me?"

Before I even reached the door, Narvi opened it and tossed his full rucksack to the center of the room. "We're ready to move, Mum." He quickly twisted and caught Tiwaz mid-run so the cat couldn't get too far.

Vali brought out his bag as well, hoisting it over his shoulder while glaring at Narvi. "He said we had to pack. Didn't you say Father wanted us to stay here?"

I furrowed my brow and looked at Freyr. "You already told them?"

He and Grid traded glances. "No, I said nothing. Came straight to you just now."

"Father thinks it's safer to keep everyone together." Narvi whispered to the cat and buried his face in orange fluff.

"Your father?" I turned to Vali, who only shrugged. "What are you talking about, Narvi?"

"I dunno." He clutched the animal a bit tighter. "Can someone help me put him in the carry bag?"

Vali grumbled and helped his brother with the cat, while Grid touched my shoulder to remind me of the current task.

"We must get moving," she said, with more gravel in her throat than usual.

I nodded at her before rushing to collect the rest of our lives. If Narvi had another hidden gift, it could wait to be explored. Eternity beckoned. We'd have time elsewhere.

There were only a few other families still lingering in the palace and city from what I could tell, since the basement shelter was nearly full, but there weren't many folks loitering about looking for a spot to call their own. Most everything had already been claimed. Room after room spread in all directions, like a wide honeycomb, clearly once used as mass storage for whatever the palace needed in the past. Whether it had been emptied for this purpose, I wasn't certain and couldn't answer Vali or Narvi's questions about it. Never in my life had I been to this sunken place and wasn't even certain how to get there until we followed the hum of voices.

People grouped naturally with those from the same places; refugees from any peaceful realm, brought here by Bifrost or other magic, lumped together. For such a tragic occasion, the women and children took the opportunity to socialize. Asgardians made up most of the immediate area before the entrance, as if they were anxious to go back to their homes and didn't want to wait to leave once this was all over. We weren't as concerned with being by the main doors, so our troupe of five weaved through in search of a place to settle.

A plucky young girl with red hair, sitting on the floor amidst a hum of women, waived as we passed. "Hi, Vali."

He waived in return, but said nothing and looked away instead.

She tugged at the woman's sleeve beside her and pointed. "That's him, Mum. That's the boy I fought with Ragfrieda."

The woman turned to see us and gasped once her eyes met mine. "Sigyn?" Her blonde hair was distinctly more curly than I recalled it, though pregnancy had a way of changing such things. She stood to greet me properly and straightened her deep maroon frock. "Can it really be you?"

"Thyra?" I laughed and truly understood why so many people sounded joyful in their conversations, regardless of why we were all here. It was a reason to stay together and bond. Finding light through the dark. "Loki said he'd talked with Theoric, but I don't know why I haven't seen you until now."

"Me either. And look at you—" She didn't ask permission to pat my belly, but I didn't mind. Asgard's culture was a far cry from the heavy respect of the Vanir. "How long do you think for this one?"

"Hela won't be here for another few months at least." I smiled without thinking, unaware how badly I wished to reconnect with friends of the past until they appeared. "And who is this lovely one by you?"

"This is my Astrid." Thyra snapped at the child to stand. "She told me quite a tale a few days ago. Yours?"

Vali continued to hide his face. "Mum..."

"Yes. The one on my right is Narvi, and this one..."—I said, patting his head—"...is Vali. He enjoyed sparring very much. And, given her father, I am not one bit surprised that she bested him more than once."

Astrid giggled at my compliment. She shared her father's freckles and fierce spirit, though Thyra's delicate features were all over her, too. The magic of children was amplified when one could recognize how they'd been built from the best parts of their parents.

"Look. Modi," Narvi said, pointing through the crowd.

Thyra and Astrid groaned together and whispered in unison, "Modi."

Their annoyance—or downright disdain—seemed appropriate after watching the child bully those around him. Modi cackled with laughter as he went from camp to camp, terrorizing the exhausted families who didn't have the strength to retaliate against whatever havoc he was causing, either by rummaging through their belongings or attempting to frighten them by jumping unexpectedly into their view. He had an impish spirit, which I was quite used to at home, but it had an undertone that worried me.

Being loud, making messes, fraying the last nerves of these mothers, surely...where is your guardian?

Narvi waved for him. "Modi, over here! Our Nanny and uncle came from Vanaheim! Come meet them!"

Modi froze. The longer he looked at us, the more his face contorted into a grimace. He righted his spine, making himself look taller. Defensive. Ready to strike.

I tipped my head. "I wonder what's bothering him," I whispered, more to myself than anyone else.

"Be careful with that one," Thyra said. "His temper needs taming."

Narvi's face fell and didn't look away from Modi. "Why won't he join us, Mum?"

Vali muttered against my side. "Can we go now? Please?"

I sighed, unwilling to fight my boys just for the small luxury of conversation. So much for distractions. "Please excuse us, Thyra. It was so nice to see you. Let's find one another at a better time to catch up, yes?"

"Of course." She hugged me quickly and smiled with her whole face, creasing in places I hadn't seen before due to the age that plagued us both. "It's wonderful to see you. Stay safe down here. May both our men return."

"I pray they do." I ushered the boys forward and scanned the first room for Modi again; since Narvi called to him, the child vanished. Likely off to make his own game to cope, though I prayed he wasn't all alone. Thor wouldn't have left him without someone, would he?

We passed through a second set of doors. Then two more. By the fourth grand room, voices dampened. Many wept quietly—those who'd lost someone. Clothing changed like the people did, proving we'd crossed into an area for foreigners. They chattered in unknown tongues and, while friendly, were preoccupied with their own troubles.

Finally, we found people dressed in the same brown we were. Vanir. It wasn't our fortress, but it was home. Our people.

Nothing left to do but wait.