"-and then -" meant Loki fully intended to put me through my paces - over and over, until I once again collapsed into my chair for the next meal. Forced to sip and NOT gulp down the goblet he filled for me, reminding myself that I wasn't a common wench after all, even as I wondered if cutting all my hair off at my scalp wouldn't make it more bearable if I were to become a dagger wielding maniac.
"Don't cut your hair," he murmured, taking a drink from his own cup. My eyes flashed to his face and his shook his head. "You aren't on task to become a member of my brother's Warriors, Sigyn, the lessons are far more difficult than what you'll be dealt with normally."
"Then why -" I sighed, wishing I could strip to my undergarments, or something less heavy than this damn gown I had to wear. Anything that would give me less pain and suffering during my forced tutoring in the combative arts that Loki was insistent upon teaching me.
His soft laughter told me he was reading me like a book again. "I won't stop you if you want to lose a few layers," I couldn't hold back my eye roll. "It might make the lessons more entertaining for both of us."
I'd finally had my fill of drink, so putting down my cup, I studied him. "I was under the impression that you enjoy putting me through this -" what would be the best word for it, "rhythmless dance. You always have a smirk on your face, my prince."
"Do I?" Loki was finding the offerings of our meal quite fascinating. "How strange," light blue gaze flicking back to me, I swore they were twinkling with mirth. "I've been so focused on making certain you don't end up filleted by an unexpected attacker that I haven't noticed."
"How altruistic of you, my prince." Taking a bite out of my own food, I had to admit, it tasted far better after the exercise and I must have made an appreciative sound because his jaw clenched again.
Loki ran me through the dance patterns that included sharp objects until the light of day started dipping below the horizon. I refused to plead with him for a break or an end, knowing now that he expected it of me - I went until he said we were finished for the day.
"So soon?" I was panting, my hair was damp from the fruits of my labor, and my face was flushed and hot. He, on the contrary, looked as if he had only just begun. It wasn't fair, or was it? Since he'd been taught the same tactics since he was a child.
Smiling at the cobbles that made up the balcony, Loki shook his head. "Your mouth will get you in far more trouble than any other part of you," his smile held, as his head rose to look into my face. "I would have laid odds on -" A huff of breath and a harsh chuckle, but he didn't finish - I wanted to know what he would have bet on being more the cause of my troubles.
"What?" My head tilted, biting my lip, I waited for him to tell me.
"I should take you back to your rooms, so you can sneak out to the gardens, where I'll be waiting -" another sigh. "We have a routine to uphold."
"I promised I wouldn't," I reminded him, chagrined that he didn't trust my word. "You asked and I gave my word." Our gazes were locked and I sighed. "You don't trust me."
"You weren't supposed to -" I stopped him with a raised hand.
"You said that once I knew how to handle myself with one of these," holding up one of the knives we'd been training with I shook it. "I could go ANYWHERE ALONE." He opened his mouth to argue, but I stopped him. "Trust goes both ways, Loki. You told me one thing, and then you showed up and -" I stopped, shaking my head. "It doesn't matter. I don't plan on going to the gardens alone - if I want to go, I'll ask you to accompany me, or -" I stopped. "How DO you know that I'm going there?"
The look on his face showed an expression of a person who had hoped that I wouldn't hone in on that one question. "Sigyn," he took a deep breath and appeared to be trying to find the right words - silver tongue failing him for once. "I told you that when you wanted me to leave -"
"Yes, that's when you were in the garden and so was I, but HOW did you know to come in the first place, Loki?" How, unless he'd been watching me all these years?
"You have to understand," I wanted to, it's why I asked. "It's not something I asked for - or something I -" He stopped again, taking another deep breath. "The first time you came here, with your parents?" Frigga had said - I shut my eyes and it came back to me -
"I wasn't the only member of my family who noticed your glow, Sigyn."
"She was talking about you," it came out hushed, before he could say anything else. My eyes opened and he was staring at me trying to gauge my reaction, and I hoped he could because I was having trouble with it. "Frigga said I glowed."
Loki nodded, licking his lips. "You still do, even when I'm nowhere near you." He was keeping his distance, which I was thankful for, at least for the moment. "I can be here, in my rooms, and KNOW that you're heading to the gardens alone. And I have to go - to be there to keep you safe."
"I see," I was trying to, at least. "What does this -" the air felt heavy and my gown weighed too much. "Am I missing anything else?"
He stared at me and I thought that he might want to say something, but he shook his head. "No, nothing else." Liar, I thought, but it would come in time. "Let me walk you back to your rooms?"
Loki tucked my hand into his arm, reverting back to his charming self, and matched my pace as he walked me back to my rooms. We didn't speak, lost in our own thoughts, my mind circling this new information - I hadn't really considered which member of Frigga's family she'd spoke of when she mentioned my first visit, perhaps Odin if I had put thought to it - but knowing she'd meant Loki left me confused by so much. Arriving too soon, I wasn't ready for the day to be over, but I wasn't sure how to draw it out without insisting on a visit to the gardens and after - I couldn't.
"Our trip to Midgard -" latching onto the first topic that came to mind, I grasped it with both mental hands. His brow furrowed as he waited for me to ask whatever was the cause for my outburst. "Are we to pack for it, or will we be -"
Loki's countenance cleared, and his smile returned. "Ah, yes." Following me into my rooms, my wish for prolonging our day grew closer to coming true. "Pack lightly," I watched as he settled in the window seat, which he claimed for his own. "Only those things which bring you serenity or security -" squinting at him in uncertainty, he chuckled. "Jewelry that has sentimental value, a favorite book -" ah, the dawning of understanding came over me. "We can grow our wardrobe upon arrival."
"Is that wise?" I wasn't challenging him, I was simply curious. Sitting upon my bed, I listened as he explained how often Midgardians changed their fashions, and how dependent it was also upon where we chose to journey and tour. "So we'll arrive and then change our garment to suit our surroundings." A curt nod showing I was catching on and his smirk gave me heart that I wasn't a complete idiot. "And what will we do while we're there?"
"Midgard has plenty of diversions, Sigyn," his smile hinted at nostalgia for past visits. "And they constantly add to them."
"Such as?" I wanted an idea of what to expect.
Loki sighed, but it didn't sound like it came from a place of irritation. "If I tell you, then I'll be robbed of your surprise when you see the sights for the first time." Like a child who would be refused his favorite toy or trick, I had to smile. "Let me have that much, please?"
"You don't trust my word, my prince," I reminded him, eyes meeting the floor. "If I agree, you'll only think that I do so to appease you for now - and expect -" I didn't expect that cool, long finger of his to tip my chin up again, to force my face up to his. "You moved," I accused.
"I did," he agreed, not the least bit ashamed. "I want to trust you," the sincerity was heavy in his words. "I do, but you have a propensity for doing what you want."
"I won't," I promised, maintaining eye contact and instilling my words with the same genuine honesty that his held. "Not if you don't wish me to, Loki."
"You give me a great deal of power with that promise, Sigyn." His thumb was tracing my lower lip again, the air went out of the room and everything was still and silent. "I hope I deserve it."
