《Sigyn's Revenge》


 A Prison in a Cave

    The cave is dark and gloomy, with only a tiny glimmer of natural light sneaking in, just enough to be able to almost see. Outside the sea rushes, cashing against the tall cliff walls in deafening clashes that throws the taste of salt into the air and leaves everything constantly feeling damp. The cave walls are rough, the sun never quite reaches the inmost depths of the cave, and the only sound there is, is the echo of the monstrous sea outside.


    In the middle of the cave lies a naked man, tied to the walls of the cave by long, thin chains. He looks old. His hair is grey, his face is wrinkled, his hands are boney and his fingers limp, but it¡¯s more than that. It¡¯s not his body or his face as much as it is him. There is no hope left in his eyes, no life left in his hands, no strength in his legs. He is not just old, he is all but dead inside.


    Next to him stands a woman. She has long, white hair which falls in a braid down her back. But the braid is messy, with loose strands here and there, and yet the hairs seem to have been bent into shape, as if it has been years since the braid has been loosened. Her clothes are grey and dusty, as if she hasn¡¯t moved in ages. Her arms are stretched up, holding a bowl above the man¡¯s head. A soft, dripping sound echoes around the cave as a new drop lands in the bowl. Perched on a shelf above the man lies a giant snake, its venom dripping slowly, but steadily, into the bowl. The sound of the drip is hollow, as if the bowl is almost full.


    The chained-up man is Loki, the Jotun blood brother of Odin of Asgard, chained up and tortured for his involvement in the death of Baldur, Odin¡¯s most beloved son. The woman is Sigyn, Loki¡¯s wife, who has stood by him, holding the bowl to catch the venom, for a thousand years - or however long it has been, no one quite knows.


    An earthshattering howl resonates within the cave walls. Sigyn has lowered her bowl and is stepping away from her husband. The myth states that every once in a while, she has to leave the cave to empty out the bowl before it overflows. In theory, a simple task, but as the ground shakes and a scream so seared with pain and agony echoes in the cave walls, one has to wonder if the task really is so simple after all. The earth rumbles and Loki¡¯s cries become like a sea of pain washing over and engulfing everything it touches. For a thousand years it has been like this, first the damp quiet of the cave, a hush so intense it feels almost like drowning, and then the shrieks, the screams, the tormented, choked sobs. They keep coming. Scream after scream, until the whole world seems nothing but the projected agony of the withering man in the cave, until the shrieks drown out even the crashing waves and paint the whole of existence in their horror red. And still Sigyn doesn¡¯t come back. The earth keeps shaking, the screams wash over one another like a constant flood, and there is no end to it. How long can it take to empty a bowl? Certainly not this long. All sense of time is washed away by the shrieks. All there is left of it is ¡°long¡± and soon ¡°too long¡±. And then, finally, a shadow blocks out what little light the cave walls allow in. She is back. But when she steps into the cave one thing is clear: her hands are empty. She has no bowl of any kind with her.


    But the shadow on the entrance stays, even as she enters. Never before has a shadow awoken such hope as now, and yet, it hesitates. For agonizing seconds, it waits at the entrance. Sigyn does not seem bothered by her husband¡¯s shrieks. I suppose, after a thousand years, one shriek more or less doesn¡¯t register.


    A heavy footstep, and then another, carries the shadow down into the cave. Now is the time, it is certain, change is brewing.


    The shadow turns out to be two men, both young and handsome, fit and athletic. The shorter one, Ian, looks about ready to pass out at the sounds coming from Loki, held up only by the steadying hand of the taller, ginger man, named Max. As soon as their eyes adjust to the dim light, as soon as the scene in front of them becomes clear, both men jump into action to remove the chains. In a matter of minutes all four chains are undone and tossed aside, and Loki is pulled off the stone that has been his bed since the day he was caught. The next drop of venom falls on the stone, and a hiss of smoke rises up.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Barbaric,¡± Max mumbles, but even his quiet words are drowned out by the deafening silence, as if Loki¡¯s screams have lost everyone their ability to hear. Even the crashing waves outside, so deafening before, seem mute now. For a moment that is all that matters. The quiet, the peace.


    ¡°Loki,¡± Sigyn says, her voice a mixture of commanding and worried. The seemingly half dead man raises his head just off the ground, but offers no other response. ¡°Time is short.¡± She offers no other words of explanation, but Loki seems to understand her. He hold up a palm, as if to say ¡°just give me a moment to get my bearings again.¡± Max looks to Ian with a raised eyebrow. Five minutes ago, a crazy old woman had come running up to them, begging them to help free her husband, promising even eternal youth as payment. They had thought her out of her mind, but had agreed to go with her, just in case someone really was in need of aid. But now, standing in a cave prison, with a man who responds to the name Loki¡­ there is something eerie about those two, something that doesn¡¯t quite fit, or maybe just something that doesn¡¯t quite fit this world.


    Is it possible, could it be, that they just freed the actual Loki, god of mischief?


    Neither of the men speak a word of this out loud, but in the gloomy, damp cave, it seems not just possible, somehow it seems likely, seems true. Max quietly reaches out and takes Ian¡¯s hand. Ian gives a squeeze, probably meant to reassure, but not doing much to relieve the gloom of the single thought lingering between them: Did they just free the trickster god of his prison?


    But then Loki moves. He pushes himself up to a sitting position, not fully standing up yet, and reaches up a hand. Sigyn walks around the stone bed and takes his hand in hers. Loki pulls her down to him, and she wraps her arms around him, as if to sooth a crying child.


    ¡°Who are you people?¡± Ian demands in wonder, seemingly asking the universe as much as the actual people in front of him.


    ¡°Loki,¡± a rasp voice says, barely audible. ¡°Of Jotunheim.¡± The second time the voice is a bit louder, bit clearer, bit stronger.


    ¡°Sigyn,¡± the crazy woman says. ¡°Of Asgard. And yourselves?¡± The two men look at each other again, a glint in both their eyes, as if this unbelievable thing happening in front of them is really kinda cool.


    ¡°Ian Cornwell,¡± Ian says. ¡°Of Texas.¡±


    ¡°Max Cornwell,¡± Max replies. ¡°Of New York, Midgard.¡± Ian can¡¯t help but smile at that addition.


    ¡°Such strange names,¡± Loki rasps. ¡°Has time passed so far they have made new cities and run out of names for them?¡±


    ¡°Never you mind that, we won¡¯t be staying here for long,¡± Sigyn interrupts. ¡°As for you two, your reward lies ahead, if you will walk to it.¡±


    ¡°Reward?¡± Max asks, for a moment forgetting everything outside the cave.


    ¡°Youth,¡± Ian replies. Their eyes meet, and though not as old or married as long as Sigyn and Loki, they understand each other. Eternal youth. There is no way they are passing that up. Not unless¡­ But Loki can barely stand, he is so weak, and Sigyn did not have the strength to undo his chains herself - there is little chance Max and Ian won¡¯t be able to fight them off, should ¡°eternal youth¡± turn out to be death. Even if it is, the chance is worth the risk.


    ¡°We will walk with you,¡± Max says and Ian nods. It is like a gift from the gods, this chance - even if it is from the trickster god, it is worth taking.


    ¡°Can you transform?¡± Sigyn asks. Loki straightens up so he is no longer leaned against her, and with a groan of effort the naked man disappears. Sigyn stands up and looks around the cave. With a delicate care she picks up the chains that once bound her husband and rolls them up neatly. For a second, she presses the cold metal to her lips. ¡°I will make this right,¡± she whispers. ¡°I will set it straight.¡± Then, with as great care as a mother putting her infant in the crib, she lays the chains down on the stone and straightens up. ¡°Soon,¡± she promises, her voice no longer a whisper. She turns back to where Loki was moments ago, and crouching down picks up a small snake and lets it slither up her sleeve.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she says, determination blocking out everything else from her voice.


    ¡°Where to?¡± Max asks cautiously.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± she answers. ¡°You never know who might be listening in down here.¡± Heimdall is said to be able to hear the grass grow and see a flee on a dog in Midgard. If he were to turn his attentions towards the cave, their plan would be far less likely to succeed.

 Helheim

    Leaving behind the cave, leaving behind the sea, leaving Midgard, Sigyn and the two humans walked along Helvegr, across the bridge Gjallarbr¨² over the roaring river of Gj?ll, past the giantess M¨®eguer, until finally, they arrived in the vast hall of Hel, ruler of Helheim and the dead that live there.


    There is no sun here to light up the place, but unlike the cave by the cliffs, it is not damp at least. It is quite nice, actually. Peaceful, in a way. Candles are lined up on every perch in the walls, their wax running down the sides and giving the walls a soft, white look, of almost being alive. In huge piles scattered along the back wall lies jewelry of all kinds. Amber, clay, bone, bronze; arm bands, belt buckles, necklaces, cloak clasps; large and rich, small and plain, from great warriors, from small children. The flickering light of the candle makes the color of the amber dance in red golden shades across the wax white walls, and the bronze glints happily in small flashes that cannot help but draw the eye. It is a magical sight to behold, for sure, but the people here ignore it completely, as if they have grown accustomed to the softly flickering lights.


    The people are as varied as the jewelry in the piles, old and young, rich and poor, all of them now sit side by side at the long table laden with all types of food, from the honey glazed, whole roasted wild boar, to simple eggs - and, of course, though Heidrun is grassing peacefully on the roof of Valhalla, mead a plenty, for it is no use being dead if you cannot enjoy it.


    At the center of the table sits a woman with half a face. By that I mean half of her face is an actual face, with an eye and an ear and everything else belonging to half a face, but the other half is dead and rotted and no longer resembles what any sane person would describe as a face. This is Hel, goddess of death and ruler of Helheim, daughter of Loki and Angrboda.


    Next to her sits her exact opposite: a young man with a head full of lively curls, a charming, full smile, and most noticeable, of course, and intact face. This is Baldur, god of light, son of Odin and Frigg. A thousand years ago he had a nightmare that he was going to die. Long story short, his mother went to all the realms and begged a promise from every living thing that they would never hurt Baldur, and every living thing agreed - or, almost every living thing. For some reason, whether it was forgetfulness of disregard, the Mistletoe, a harmless little plant, was never asked, and therefore never gave its promise. The gods made a new game to amuse themselves, in which they threw or short objects at Baldur, each object changing its path before it could hit Baldur, and therefore no harm ever befell him. That is, until the day where an old woman came and asked the blind Hodr, Baldur¡¯s brother, why he was not participating in the fun. She handed him a bow and arrow and helped him aim it. When the arrow, made of mistletoe, pierced Baldur¡¯s heart and killed him, the gods concluded that the old woman had been none other than Loki in disguise. For this crime Loki was imprisoned in the cave by the sea.


    This is the scene that Sigyn, Max and Ian now walk into (Loki, being a snake, and being tied around Sigyn¡¯s arm, doesn¡¯t walk anywhere, of course.)


    For someone still alive to walk into Helheim is quite a feat. Last man who did it was Hermod, when he came to plead with Hel to let Baldur go back to the land of the living. This Hel agreed to, if all living things would cry a tear for Baldur. As is evident from Baldur¡¯s continued presence here, this did not happen. One Jotun woman, by the name of Tokk, refused to shed a single tear. This woman, of course, is widely believed to, once again, be none other than Loki himself in disguise. Of course, Loki being the master of disguise, the gods had no proof that it was really him behind it, but that hadn¡¯t stopped them from capturing him and chaining him up in the cave.


    ¡°I seek an audience with the queen of Helheim,¡± Sigyn says loudly, though she could have whispered and still be heard, so quite is the hall at the sight of the newcomers. One could hope that the politeness of the request would leave Hel more likely to grant it, perhaps that is even what Sigyn hoped, but there is still the matter of Sigyn being an Asgardian and married to Loki - something which was denied Angrboda.


    As one could possibly expect, Hel laughs scornfully.


    ¡°You? Seek an audience? With me?¡± she laughs, and an unnatural, fearful even, hush falls over the hall. ¡°Surely such a display could only mean Ragnar?k is upon us!¡± Hel states scornfully. Now, of course, there is no mention of Sigyn in the foretelling of Ragnar?k, nor many mentions of Hel in regard to it - in that time her brothers will play far more important roles than her, Fenrir eating Odin and Jormungandr killing Thor. It is true though, that Sigyn and Hel in one room does seem as close to the end of the world as anything. I for one cannot blame Hel for her disbelief, nor do I think Sigyn does.


    ¡°I have come to strike a bargain with you,¡± Sigyn elaborates. Hel tilts her head, wondering at the woman in front of her.


    ¡°So the day has finally come. The loyal Sigyn, the woman who stood by her husband for a thousand years, has finally come to beg for the lives of her children?¡± A young man with jet black hair sitting halfway down the right side of the long table turns around to look behind him, the wolf at his feet mimicking his interest. Sigyn catches the eye of her son and sends him a soft, loving smile. A thousand years ago, when Loki was captured after the death of Baldur, Odin turned Vali into a wolf and let him eat his brother Nari, after which the gods butchered Vali and turned his intestines into the chains that were used to bind Loki.


    Hel carries an almost mocking expression on her face, but it seems put there deliberately, almost like a defense, or like someone trying to prove themselves superior. ¡°I shall give you the same deal I gave Baldur¡¯s family,¡± she says. ¡°If you can persuade every living thing to cry for your sons, I shall give them back to you.¡± The man and the wolf both look back at their queen. They don¡¯t look all that surprised, nor do they look very invested in the idea of leaving. They look¡­ content. Perhaps they would have preferred a simple visit from their mother, not a fool hearted rescue mission. But Sigyn isn¡¯t backing down, she looks Hel straight in the eyes, both the regular, brown one, and the empty eye socket, and she doesn¡¯t flinch.


    Frigg almost succeeded in the task, but Baldur was beloved by all, whether they had met him on not. There were none as kind, loving, and generous as he. He was the epitome of beauty, both inside and out. Vali and Nari on the other hand¡­ Well, for one thing, the humans barely remember the old gods anymore, and even when they did, Nari and Vali would not have been high on their list of priorities, no child of Loki¡¯s would. For another, none of the gods raised a finger to stop Odin from killing them in the first place, so why would any of them help now? And, of course, Sigyn would be hard pressed to convince any of the Jotun¡¯s to help bring two Asgardians back to life, not even if they were technically half Jotuns, on their father¡¯s side. The dwarfs would be indifferent too, as would the plants and the animals most likely. It seems like Sigyn was more likely to achieve the opposite of Frigg - instead of only one living thing refusing, Sigyn would have only one living thing crying: herself. One would, under any circumstances, be hard pressed to get a tear out of Loki.


    ¡°That is not the deal I want,¡± Sigyn proclaims calmly. Hel looks up with a smile, now clearly astonished, and yet still with that mocking hint.


    ¡°It is the deal I offered, you may take it or leave it,¡± she replies with an air of indifference, and yet there¡¯s a hint of curiosity playing in her good eye now.


    ¡°Here is my deal,¡± Sigyn replies calmly, taking no note of Hel¡¯s put-on airs. ¡°I help you free your brother, and make sure no Asgardian ever harms any of you again, and you shall give me my sons back.¡± Hel¡¯s mouth falls open in shock.


    ¡°Your plan is to free Fenrir? But that would start Ragnar?k, the end of the world!¡±


    ¡°Asgard will never allow this,¡± Balder says with calm conviction.


    ¡°What Asgard doesn¡¯t know, they cannot stop,¡± Sigyn argues.


    ¡°Odin will know,¡± Balder assures her.


    ¡°A thousand years have passed. Odin has no reason to send Hugin and Mugin to spy on the cave, not as long as Heimdall occasionally hears Loki scream. As long as Loki screams and the earth shakes, they will assume everything is good - as it has been since they locked him in there.¡±


    ¡°But Loki doesn¡¯t scream, and the earth doesn¡¯t shake, and yet you are here,¡± Hel states as if she has located the paradox that will undo them all.


    ¡°I know,¡± Sigyn says simply without offering an explanation. Hel leans back in her chair, her eye gliding over Sigyn as if she is a puzzle to solve, a secret to unlock.


    ¡°You are mad,¡± she states in the end. ¡°No one can free Fenrir, it isn¡¯t possible.¡± When Loki¡¯s three children by Angrboda started to become too big, too threatening to Asgard, Odin had Hel exiled to Helheim, Jormungandr cast in the sea where he has now grown long enough to reach all the way around earth and bite himself in the tail, and Fenrir he had chained - though, not easily. Fenrir is his father¡¯s son in the best possible way - he has Loki¡¯s wits. The Asgardians told him it was a game, to see whether Fenrir or Thor was the strongest. They had a chain made that even Thor himself could not break, and they wanted to put it around Fenrir¡¯s neck to see if he could. Fenrir agreed, and the first chain he broke easily. When they came with the second chain, he was suspicious. He had already proven once that he was stronger than Thor, why did he need to do it again? But the Asgardians promised that if he couldn¡¯t break it, they would let him right out. Fenrir agreed, and they put the chain around his neck. This chain was harder, but it too broke. The third time they came to him, it was with a chain so small it was like sewing thread. Fenrir refused to let them tie him up, saying he had already proven himself twice now. But the Asgardians laughed and asked if he was really afraid of so small a chain? After much back and forth, Fenrir finally agreed - but only if they gave him collateral. He would wear the chain and try to break it, but he wanted Tyr¡¯s arm in his mouth as he did it, as insurance that if he could not break it, the Asgardians would let him out of it. Tyr was the one Asgardian Fenrir trusted; he had been almost like a father figure to him - Loki having no interest in fatherhood except for the good times that occasionally led to it. Tyr agreed, and that was how he lost his arm. The dwarfs had fashioned the chain from the roots of the mountains, the breath of a fish, the sound a cat makes when it moves, and other such things which no longer exist. Since that day, Fenrir has stood chained on a hill outside Valhalla.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Odin took my sons, he took your brothers, he took my husband and your father, and for what?¡± Sigyn calls loudly, her voice ringing clearly through the hall. ¡°Because he wanted to. He feared Fenrir, so he chained him up. He thought you a monstrosity, so he cast you out. He didn¡¯t like Jormungandr, so he threw him in the ocean. He was mad at Loki, so he killed my sons. Odin has gone too far, and for too long he has ruled. It is time someone put a stop to him, and if not you and I, I don¡¯t know who.¡± A deliberating hush falls over the ruler of Helheim, almost as if she is actually considering the madness presented to her.


    ¡°You want to go to war with Odin?¡± Baldur asks bewildered. He leans forward in his chair, resting his arm on the table. ¡°I can see wanting to protect your husband, your loyalty is amiable, even if misdirected. But to go against all of Asgard, to risk starting Ragnar?k. Are you sure you have thought this through, Sigyn?¡±


    ¡°I have had a thousand years to think about it. I have had a thousand years to feel the pain, and a thousand years to realize where the true blame lies. I am going to Asgard, with or without assistance, and you cannot stop me.¡±


    ¡°The wife everyone discounted,¡± Hel says with a smile. ¡°The woman who was merely loyal to a man who could never return the feeling, you, of all people, are going to start Ragnar?k.¡± She sounds pleased, happy even.


    ¡°I want revenge,¡± Sigyn replies coolly. ¡°If I have to start Ragnar?k to get it, I will, but I will not sit back and do nothing anymore.¡± Time has done what heartache alone could not. Turned sorrow into fury, heartache into determination, and now finally, the brew is complete, and left in the wake of sorrow crushed helplessness is action. A smile plays on Hel¡¯s face as she leans forward in her chair.


    ¡°You are mad,¡± she says, and now there is a hint of admiration in her voice.


    ¡°Your father taught me well,¡± Sigyn replies. ¡°So, do we have a deal?¡± Hel smiles, seemingly ready to take the offered partnership - consequences be damned. But then her eyes fall on the two men, and the smile fades.


    ¡°You are here for your sons, why are they here?¡± Hel nods to Max and Ian.


    ¡°I promised them each one of Idun¡¯s apples, eternal youth is just what newly weds all dream of.¡± Baldur laughs, a sweet, honied laugh, that soon spreads among all the assembled dead.


    ¡°Oh, well,¡± Hel laughs. ¡°If you are on a suicide mission anyways, why not piss of Idun too.¡± The hall laughs, but the two men look at each other. Did they just make a huge mistake? Between Sigyn the Loyal and Loki the Mischievous, it didn¡¯t seem so far fetched to get the apples. But now¡­ maybe they got tricked. How foolish do you have to be to trust Loki, of all people? Of all gods? And, yet, Odin himself has done it multiple times - and it hasn¡¯t always turned out half bad for him in the end. Maybe they can somehow still turn this around to their side, you never know when you are dealing with Loki.


    ¡°You go get your apples, I will wait here till you¡­ well, till you look a little bit more capable. Those years in that cave sure did a number on you.¡±


    ¡°No, I shall not travel back here,¡± Sigyn responds. ¡°The journey is long and perilous, and I have things to do. If you agree with my deal, meet me on the field outside Valhalla in a month¡¯s time. If you are too scared to face Asgard, stay here and wait for Ragnar?k.¡± No one in the hall laughs at that, but Sigyn turns around slowly to walk back out, having said her piece. Hel considers her for a moment, unable to stop herself being just a little impressed by the courage of the woman she always thought a fool before. To marry Loki could be nothing but foolishness, but perhaps that time in the cave with him has changed her. She is brave, at least, dumb, perhaps, and foolhardy, but brave none the less. And who knows, maybe foolhardiness works for her, just like last minute solutions work for Loki.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Hel calls, her voice not so much commanding and queen like, but more requesting. Sigyn¡¯s bold proposal has made an impact on her, that much is clear. She is no longer just Loki¡¯s loyal wife, no, Sigyn is a force to be reckoned with, and Odin better watch out. ¡°Where is Loki? I don¡¯t suppose the loyal Sigyn would leave him behind to suffer the cave on his own?¡±


    ¡°He is at hand,¡± Sigyn replies with a sly smile that reminds Hel of Loki. ¡°For when he is needed.¡± Hel does not laugh.


    ¡°You brought my father into my realm?¡± As she speaks, she stands up, and all around her the dead shudder. The flames of the candles rise up in huge spikes, the wax on the walls runs more than drips, and every dead person, including Baldur, slides quietly away from her on the benches.


    ¡°And I shall take him with me out again,¡± Sigyn says quietly, as if the display of anger could not matter less to her. After a thousand years, one would think she had learned patience, if not at least to bear with Loki (and by extension, his genes), but after a thousand years one could also understand why she wouldn¡¯t have time to waste on her husband¡¯s illegitimate daughter¡¯s temper tantrums and daddy issues.


    ¡°I refuse to be a part of any plan that involves that treacherous, two-faced, lying, scheming, man-whore!¡± Apart from the irony of Hel calling someone two-faced, the description is rather accurate. Well, apart from the lying bit.


    ¡°Then you may stay here and rot, I am not so foolish as to walk into an unknown and dangerous situation without the one man who has proven himself capable of getting out of them again.¡± Hel heaves in anger with her every breath.


    ¡°You do know he was a part of the team who chained up Fenrir, right?¡± she calls in indignation. ¡°His own son! Told Tyr Fenrir wasn¡¯t his problem, that they should deal with him themselves!¡± Sigyn stops up halfway back to the door.


    ¡°You forget, dear Hel,¡± she says without turning around. ¡°I had two sons with him too. Do you think he ever cried for them? Do you think he ever mourned them? Loki might have fathered children, might even have given birth, but he has never been a parent. He willingly gave Sleipnir to Odin.¡± She turns around slowly. ¡°There were a lot of things Loki never was, probably never will be. He is a man of his word, though only ever his literal word. You can never trust him to be on your side, but he always come through when it really matters. He might be treacherous, but how often has Odin been the one to betray him first? Like the time he got the wall around Asgard built. They all agreed that his logic was reasonable, there was no way that man could finish building that wall in the time they allowed, so it was safe to agree to his bet, to promise that Freya would marry him if he succeeded. They all agreed. Then it turned out that maybe he could actually finish, and all of a sudden everything was Loki¡¯s fault. Odin threatened to kill Loki if he didn¡¯t put a stop to it.


    ¡°But no, Loki is the bad one. No one ever blames Thor for killing that dwarf at Baldur¡¯s funeral, even though everyone else was perfectly capable of not murdering anyone despite their grief, Thor had to kick Lit onto the grave ship and let him burn. But is Thor punished for that? No. Was Loki given any sort of praise for keeping Thor in line when they went to Jotunheim to get Mjollnir back? No. Did anyone even notice when Loki defeated Skrymsli after both Odin and H?ner gave up? No. Loki is the trickster, and that makes him evil, even when his tricks get Asgard the greatest weapon they have ever seen, like Mjollnir and Gungnir. Loki is treacherous, because he doesn¡¯t align himself with people who treat him like scum. Loki is two faced because no one can ever figure out which side he will be on - well, wake up and smell the mead, he is on the one side that never betrays him or casts him out: his own. No, he isn¡¯t a liar, he just never gives more than the bare meaning of a promise. Yes, he schemes, but we have all benefited from that. And yes, he is a two-timing man-whore, but if anyone has any right to be mad about that, it is certainly not you!¡± Max and Ian watch in quiet wonder as Sigyn rants, as does everyone else. Only Hel looks indignant.


    ¡°She has a point,¡± whispers Baldur. Hel turns on him in a fury. ¡°Well,¡± he defends himself. ¡°I¡¯m not saying he isn¡¯t a bad guy, or a bad father, but she does have a point about him getting all the blame all the time.¡± Sweet Baldur, sweet, loving Baldur whose heart is so good he sees the good even in Loki. Hel continues to heave in angry breaths, but she does not speak. Sigyn waits patiently. Max looks at Ian, sharing a single thought: maybe trusting Sigyn wasn¡¯t such a bad idea after all. If she can put the goddess of death in her place like this, maybe there is still a chance. Getting those apples would mean everything. They could stop worrying about the future - for any apple that could grant eternal youth must surely be powerful enough to cure a brain tumor, right? Even at stage five.


    ¡°Count,¡± Hel says slowly through gritted teeth. ¡°Me. Out.¡± Sigyn shrugs.


    ¡°If you are willing to let your hatred of your father cloud your love of your brother, maybe Fenrir is better off chained up outside Valhalla.¡± And with that she leaves, crosses the remainder of the room before Hel can collect herself enough from the indignation to argue.


    Safely hidden in Sigyn¡¯s sleeve, Loki has heard all of it. How his children hate him, how his wife mistrusts him, and how it fell on Baldur of all people to defend him to his only daughter. Perhaps he should have known, or suspected at least, Sigyn was right, he did give Sleipnir to Odin quite freely. Hel was right, he did nothing for Fenrir. But Sleipnir was¡­ Well, it wasn¡¯t the foals fault, but Loki hadn¡¯t exactly wanted any of that, he had only transformed into a horse and lured Svadilfari away from the work on the wall because Odin had promised to kill him if he hadn¡¯t fixed it, and Loki had tried everything he could to outrun Svadilfari, it just hadn¡¯t been enough. It wasn¡¯t Sleipnir¡¯s fault what happened, no, but after all that, Loki had thought it better to let someone else look after the foal. As for Fenrir, he had tried to hide him, all three of them actually, but Odin had still found them. If Loki hadn¡¯t let them tie up Fenrir, what would the alternative have been? How many of his children would have survived Odin¡¯s mistrust? Vali and Nari though, that¡­ Their deaths were his greatest regret. It should never have come to that, he should have stopped it long before.

 An Apple a Day

    In Asgard stands a tree with a thousand branches, all with brilliantly, surreally, green leaves, and scattered with golden apples. The tree belongs to Idun, and its fruit restores youth. Sigyn might have embellished a little when she promised eternal youth, that would require regularly eating the apples, but right now, just getting the energy of a young body back will be enough for Sigyn.


    A little way away from this tree, a fair bit actually, really, so far away in fact, that they can not even see it, stands the little party of four - Loki still hiding out in his wife¡¯s sleeve, and the other three walking on their own legs. So far, the fact that Heimdall would have heard Loki¡¯s screams as the venom dripped down on him has been their cover, but now, with the long journey to and from Helheim, time is running out. Soon, the bowl should be emptied again, but when Loki is no longer there to scream and shake the earth, the Asgardians will know something is up. Heimdall will start searching for them, and the fact alone that Sigyn is traveling with two men will not be enough to dissuade the gods that Loki isn¡¯t at least one of them. But though still strong, age is wearing on Sigyn, and she needs those apples before she can move on to the next step of the plan.


    ¡°Time to earn your keep,¡± she whispers. ¡°Before it is too late.¡± Loki obediently slithers out and lands on the ground.


    ¡°Are you sure that is a good idea?¡± Max asks tentatively. ¡°I mean, can we¡­¡± One could understand, after the spiel Hel received for speaking ill of Loki, that Max might be careful what he says, but one could also understand, giving his condition and the faint hope that now seemingly relies on a trickster god, that Ian holds no such reservations.


    ¡°Are you sure we can trust him?¡± he demands with no hesitation.


    ¡°He¡¯s done it before,¡± Sigyn says simply. ¡°And that time, he stole both Idun and her apples, this time he only needs four apples.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± Max says, not too daringly. ¡°You would have gone here even if you hadn¡¯t needed apples for us too? Like, you need the apples yourself? To survive?¡±


    ¡°To survive, no, but it is nice to have a young and healthy body.¡± Both Max and Ian nod. To be young, healthy, and in love. What more could man ask for? Slowly, treacherously one might even say, the hope is creeping in. They might, after all, get to live a full life together. A hasty marriage and a quick, daring honeymoon, all pressed together to fit in before the surgery, a surgery which has only a 4 percent survival rate past one year¡­ that had been their expectation. Now, well, now maybe there¡¯s a chance they can have something more. Something better. Granted, of course, now they have also risked it all on some mythological long shot. The surgery date has passed them by, and by now it may very well be too late to schedule a new one. Some types of cancer, they have been told, can spread very fast, and the symptoms can be near impossible to detect before it is too late. By now, an operation might no longer be a possibility.


    And yet, a 4% chance, that wasn¡¯t much to begin with. 4% chance of survival past one year, or the trip of a lifetime, searching for an impossible miracle cure, allying with gods and goddesses to take down the Allfather - a rational couple might have taken more time to consider it, but Max and Ian were on board almost from the get go. Sure, a crazy woman asking them for help to release her husband, that was strange, and offering them eternal youth in return, that was the talk of a madwoman, but at the time they had felt sure they could take her, if she turned violent, and if there really was some sort of truth to her words, that there was a man chained up somewhere, they owed it to their own consciouses to check it out. Once they had done that, actually gone to the magically hidden cave with her, once they had traveled to Helheim, seen the dead for themselves, well, it was all looking real now. Now they were here, and all those hopes that had somehow snuck in and festered, they were all riding on the trickster god who no one but his wife had any trust in, if indeed you could claim that Sigyn trusts Loki.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t¡­¡± Max starts out. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t maybe one of us go with him? I mean, he can¡¯t even carry the apples in that form.¡±


    ¡°Where there is a way, Loki will find it, and where there is none, Loki will make one,¡± is all she dains reply with. Great. O, how they wished they could follow him, see the apples themselves, see the goddess even, anything, really, except sitting here, waiting. They were not the waiting type, they were active. Last week, they were river-rafting in the amazons, the week before that it was sky diving. This week, it was supposed to be jumping off cliffs into the sea - or, well, I suppose that was last month, really. The journey to Helheim had taken them 20 days each way. Hermod had done it in 9 days, Sigyn had told them, but he had had Sleipnir to ride on, and they had only their legs to get them going. 20 days was really quite impressive to be honest.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Ian reaches out and takes Max by the hand.


    ¡°It will be alright,¡± he says. ¡°Have a little faith.¡± Faith in a raft to hold is one thing, this kind of faith is a whole other story. Ian leans his head against Max¡¯s shoulder, and Max reciprocates by touching his cheek to the top of Ian¡¯s head.


    ¡°How long?¡± Sigyn asks quietly. Both Ian and Max look over at her, not sure what she means. Ian immediately assumes she is asking how long he has left before the cancer kills him, and Max is so preoccupied with Loki that he thinks she¡¯s asking whether he has been gone too long. ¡°How long have you been married?¡± she asks. The way they hold each other, lean on one another, there¡¯s something magical in that, something that only the magic of love can create. She remembers when it was like that with Loki. Before Nari and Vali were killed, before they were even born. Back when she was young and in love, and she could imagine no one better than her husband. No one smarter, no one half as witty, of half as fast thinking. Back then, she hadn¡¯t cared when Freya laughed at her, or when Sif claimed Loki was just playing games with her. If you ask her now, she might say that she was never foolish enough to believe that he would change for her, that he would give up his mischief, but had you asked her then, back before she found out about Angrboda, she might have let herself believe it just a little bit, just enough to think he would be faithful. But putting any kind of limit on Loki, any kind of restrictions to what he is or isn¡¯t allowed to do, that is asking to get hurt.


    ¡°Two months now, I suppose,¡± Max answers. Time flies when you travel with gods - or when you search for impossible cancer cures, whichever part did the trick, the trick was done.


    ¡°Almost to the day,¡± Ian mumbles. Max turns his head and looks at him. ¡°Tomorrow, it will be two months exactly.¡± Wow, how time flies. Having no better reply, Max leans down and kisses his husband. An old, faint memory and how it felt to be kissed like that, stirs within Sigyn. Even before Baldur¡¯s death, it had been a long time since Loki had kissed her like that.


    She wasn¡¯t a fool, even back then. She knew who Loki was, and she knew he wasn¡¯t some beast you could tame, that he would always be wild, always do whatever suited him. The thing was, he suited her. There was a freedom in his way of living, in the way he didn¡¯t care what the others thought about him, in the way he was just himself. She wished sometimes that he would expand his world just a little, just enough to let her in, but then, of course, Vali and Nari would have been left outside. No, it was okay, the way it was. She was still the closest one to him, and he was still hers, even when he ran of to procreate with a jotun, and this way, she, Vali and Nari, could be there for each other. At least that was the case back then. Now¡­ Well, now Loki was as distant as ever, a thousand years with no company but each other had not managed to bring them back together, and of course, her sons were lost, and the Asgardians had seen her loyalty to her husband as treachery to them, as if standing by Loki meant that she hadn¡¯t loved Baldur as much as the rest of them.


    She lets out a deep sigh. ¡°I wish their eternal youth proves a blessing,¡± she thinks to herself. ¡°And that their love never fades.¡± At that moment a very bulky snake comes slithering back to the others. It coughs up four perfect, golden apples, and then transforms back into the naked man from the cave.


    ¡°Eat up,¡± he says brightly. Sigyn doesn¡¯t think twice before picking up the apple and taking a bite, and Loki himself bends down and takes one too. Ian and Max look at each other for a second. This seems a bit¡­ unhygienic. By the time they look back, a mere blink of an eye later, they are faced with two entirely new people. There¡¯s still something familiar about them, but their hair is now strong and vibrant, no longer flat and dead, and their skin has regained the glow of youth.


    ¡°There you are, my beautiful bride!¡± Loki says enthusiastically and throws his arms around Sigyn. In no way, shape or form, had she expected this. He pulls her close and kisses her lips. Ian and Max look sideways at each other, both thinking the same thing - or, well, both assuming they are thinking the same thing. In reality Max is thinking that maybe the naked trickster would like an hour alone with his wife, and Ian is thinking what a shame it was that Loki didn¡¯t do that earlier, before turning Sigyn young and beautiful again. Sigyn might have thought the same, had there been room for any thought in her head.


    Max leans down, mainly to not see anything else, and picks up the two remaining apples. He pulls Ian a little away from Loki and Sigyn and holds out the apples.


    ¡°Well, here goes,¡± he whispers.


    ¡°Here goes,¡± Ian says and takes one. They both wipe the apples off on their shirts before biting into them.


    ¡°Well?¡± Max asks, still chewing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Ian replies and swallows. ¡°I don¡¯t feel any different, but I also didn¡¯t feel sick before.¡± Some vision problems and headaches had been the first, and so far, only symptom of the brain tumor, and those had been taken care of with contact lenses and aspirin.


    ¡°Let me know if you get any more headaches,¡± Max requests sternly. Ian silently thinks that maybe he won¡¯t. Either the apple worked, and the tumor is gone, or it didn¡¯t, and there¡¯s no need to worry Max with it. But the thought disappears as quickly as it came. Max has been by his side through all of this, he can¡¯t start lying to him now. It wouldn¡¯t make it any easier on Max, only delay the inevitable grief.


    ¡°I promise,¡± Ian says, and both he and Max are sure he means it.

 On a Field in Asgard

    30 days have now passed since the party left Helheim, and they are just coming up to the wide field spread before the single hill, upon which the great wolf Fenrir stands. Son of Loki, brother of Hel, and destined to swallow Odin in the great battle of Ragnar?k. But the sight is not entirely what they had expected, because next to Fenrir stands none other than Hel herself, lovingly stroking the fur of the wolf so big it could rest its jaw on top of her head without lifting its chin. Ian and Max join hands before beginning the climb up the slope, but Loki is back in snake form and hidden once more around Sigyn¡¯s arm. Two out of three of his bastard children are there. Even they have each other. Somehow, that kiss in the forest has left Sigyn feeling even more alone than before. Why in the world did Loki ever marry her? What was in it for him?


    The kiss had been nice, exciting even, but exciting wasn¡¯t enough to feel loved. Exciting wasn¡¯t what she wanted from him - he was plenty capable of that, everyone knew that, but to actually love, to actually give his heart to someone¡­


    He had done it once, trusted another completely. It was ages ago now, eons, but he had once trusted Odin enough to mix blood with him. Was it that trust, that brotherhood, between him and Odin, that had left him like this? Unable to commit even to his children? Unable to choose any side but his own?


    He had never opened up to her about it, never told her what possessed him to do it in the first place. In fact, he hadn¡¯t really opened up about much of any importance. Sure, he had told her stuff, but always about the adventures he had had, like when he dressed up as a bridesmaid back when Thor dressed up as Freya to get Mjolnir back. Stories like that were great, they were entertaining, and anyone who listened to him tell them were enchanted, but the stories themselves weren¡¯t revealing. Sure, they revealed his brilliant mind, but they never touched his heart.


    Her heart and wrist heavy with those thoughts, Sigyn marches slowly up the hill, ready to face the outcomes of her husbands lack of loyalty.


    ¡°So,¡± Hel initiates the interaction. ¡°What is your plan? The humans might have been able to untie Loki, but they won¡¯t get this one up. The sons of Ivaldi made it themselves, from the roots of the mountains and the breath of a fish. You can¡¯t unlock it, Fenrir can¡¯t break it, what is your plan?¡± Sigyn doesn¡¯t answer, but rather kneels down and lets Loki out of her sleeve.


    ¡°I see you changed your mind,¡± Sigyn says quietly.


    ¡°Baldur,¡± Hel states, almost annoyed at the name itself. ¡°He can be¡­ persuasive.¡± It takes every ounce of will power Max has left in him to not laugh at this, the idea that pure and innocent Baldur could wrap the goddess of death around his finger like that. Ian, however, doesn¡¯t quite manage to keep the snigger in, and for his trouble he receives a deadly cold stare from Hel. Sigyn ignores them all, rather reaching out and taking a hold of the chain that bind Fenrir. With her hands clasped firmly around the chain she pulls to each side. Now it is Hel¡¯s turn to laugh.


    ¡°If Fenrir can¡¯t break it, what makes you think you can?¡± But the chain breaks between Sigyn¡¯s hands. Both Hel and Fenrir look down in astonishment. Max and Ian look towards each other again, and this time they actually are thinking the same thing: They bet on the right horse.


    ¡°One thousand years,¡± Sigyn says. ¡°I held that bowl up in stretched arms for one thousand years.¡± And that explains everything - or at least she seems to think so.


    ¡°No one has strength like Sigyn,¡± Loki says behind her. The sad thing is, everyone except Sigyn can hear the pride in his voice. All Sigyn hears is the smile. It is a charming smile, to be sure, and one that has persuaded a hundred gods a hundred times to listen to that voice, but charming, like exciting, is not what she is looking for. Loki smiles to himself, but the smile is forced and uncommonly sad for his face. She doesn¡¯t look at him with those big, bright eyes anymore. She doesn¡¯t light up when he tells her stories. Even before the whole ordeal with Baldur. But she was too loyal to leave, even in the cave. Too loyal to leave, and yet no longer in love with him. It was plain for all to see, she wasn¡¯t here today to save her love, she was here because her unique sense of loyalty and justice told her this was the only way she could leave him.  At this moment, he wants nothing more than to reach out and touch her, just to assure himself that she is still there, still real, for now at least, that he didn¡¯t dream her up. But he doesn¡¯t reach out, and she doesn¡¯t turn around.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°Eh, guys,¡± Max says unsurely. Loki looks away from his wife with a heavy heart and sees the flock of Asgardians coming towards them, weapons raised. At the very front is Thor in his wagon, pulling steadily ahead of the others. Loki recognizes the glint in his eyes, even from this distance, and before Mjolnir has even left Thor¡¯s gloved hand, Loki has changed into an eagle and is soaring towards the skies, Mjolnir headed straight for him.


    ¡°Typical,¡± Sigyn thinks to herself. ¡°I get him out of the cave, I get him to Idun, and first chance he gets, he abandons me all over again.¡± Her heart hardens as she watches him soar above her. ¡°This is it. Once we are done here, once Odin has gotten what is coming to him, I am leaving. Hel will give me back Vali and Nari, and I will take them far away from here, far away from any Asgardians, far away from any Jotuns, and far, far away from Loki.¡± She grits her teeth in determination. But right now, there is work to do. Once again, she takes a firm grip on Fenrir¡¯s chain, this time at his neck where the chain parts into the three strands. With every ounce of strength the years in the cave have given her, and every milligram of energy the apple infused back into her body, she tears the chain once more. Fenrir crouches down and snarls at the Asgardian party coming towards them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Sigyn says, her voice sounding almost bored, as if fighting them is beneath her. ¡°No bloodshed, not if we can avoid it.¡± The wolf turns its giant head and stares at her.


    ¡°No bloodshed? Do you have any idea how long I have been standing here, tied up like a beast? Barely able to stretch my legs?¡±


    ¡°Slightly longer than I was in that cave,¡± she replies without a hint of emotion in her voice. ¡°But if we shed blood now, it will turn into Ragnar?k in no time. You do know what happens if Ragnar?k breaks loose, don¡¯t you?¡± The wolf hangs its head and sulks.


    ¡°I die,¡± he says, a hint of annoyance in his voice.


    ¡°You, your brother, half of everyone else. Bloodshed turns to bloodbath, and the world ends.¡± Fenrir looks down and mumbles to himself.


    ¡°Be worth it, it would,¡± he says.


    ¡°To you, maybe, but I have other plans. You can always take comfort that one day, eventually, you will get to kill Odin once and for all.¡± She looks up at Loki flying in acrobatic figures to dodge Mjolnir which is in fast pursuit of him. ¡°Just. Not. Today.¡± As she speaks, she takes careful aim, and when the timing is just right, she throws the chain up in the air, holding on to only one end. The chain wraps itself around Mjolnir, which was still trying to stay true to its promise of never missing its target. As the hammer feels the pull of the chain it resists. Sigyn digs in her heels to stand her ground. The struggle is real, but in the end, her thousand years of none stop weightlifting grants her the victory. Mjolnir falls to the ground at her feet. Thor stops midtrack. This has never happened before. Sure, Mjolnir has been stolen before, but never in active battle. The rest of the Asgardians stop up too, staring wonderingly at the scene before them. It looks like Sigyn, but she is with Loki, Hel, and Fenrir. Loki, who was supposed to be tied up in his cave until Ragnar?k where he will attack Asgard with an army of Jotuns. But there is no Jotun army there, not unless you count Hel and Fenrir as an army in and of their own. Of course, Heimdall also hasn¡¯t blown his horn yet, so no Jotun¡¯s have walked across the Bifrost. The strangest of it all though, is the figure of Sigyn. For one, what is she doing standing side by side with Hel? For another, how did she stop Mjolnir midflight? Something is really wrong here, eerily wrong.

 Face to Face with Odin

    The field is silent, not a chirp of a bird, not a hum of a bee. On the small hill stands two humans hand in hand, sure that this is a dangerous place to be, but not sure where else they could go. Next to them is the goddess of death, half rotted and with a murderous glint in her one good eye. Fenrir has barred his teeth in a snarl that could have made even the greatest legend-hero run for cover. At the back of the party, Loki lands softly and shifts back to his human form. At Sigyn¡¯s feet lies Mjolnir, the greatest weapon the Asgardians have ever had, brough down but a woman who was no more than a footnote in the old stories.


    A few paces away stands Thor in his wagon, Tonngrisnir and Tanngjostr ready and impatient to pull again, to run headfirst at the woman who freed Fenrir with her bare hands. Behind him is Odin on Sleipnir, Freya with her cat drawn wagon and her wings strapped to her back, one armed Tyr on his own two legs but no less frightening for it, Vidar who is matched in strength only by Thor, Frigg, Baldur¡¯s mother and Odin¡¯s wife, Frej, Sif, Idun - who looks particularly pissed - and Bragi, her husband, Eir, Baldur¡¯s son Forseti, Baldur¡¯s brother Hermod, Thor¡¯s sons Magni and Mod and daughter Thrud, Saga, Sjofn, Skadi, even Syn is there to witness the trial of Odin. All of them have turned out to witness what Sigyn has in mind next, and to join in the battle.


    Sigyn takes a single step forward. Thor, having never backed down from a fight, even before he had Mjolnir, urges his goats forward again. Sigyn sets off in a run. A few steps past the bottom of the hill they meet. Sigyn is not as spry or quick as she once was, back when she used her muscles regularly, but she is strong. She grabs a hold of one horn from each goat and with all her might she pushes against them. At the very bottom of the hill, the wagon which had been in full speed just seconds before, comes to a complete standstill, and Thor is thrown over the railing. Fenrir is quick to take his chance, and before Thor has had time to realize what is going on, his head is trapped between the mighty jaws of the great wolf.


    ¡°What is this!¡± hollows Odin in shock. ¡°That is supposed to be me! Fenrir is supposed to eat me!¡± But Fenrir doesn¡¯t bite down, he only just holds Thor there.


    ¡°Your time is over, Odin,¡± Sigyn calls plainly, her voice carrying easily across the field. ¡°This is not Ragnar?k, not unless you push us, and you may live on, if you wish, but not till you bow before us. Bow, and in humility accept the blame that rightfully belongs on you.¡± Odin¡¯s face hardens at the accusation.


    ¡°You threaten me?¡± Odin calls in a voice so loud it shakes the two humans. Max and Ian look at each other, but they do not flee, even from a battle of gods. To be fair, they are as safe there, next to Hel and behind Sigyn, as they could possibly be in this realm, and even a fool would see that. Of course, survival instincts and all, one has to give them probs for remaining clear headed enough to stay put. ¡°You, who are nothing more than¡­¡±


    ¡°Than Loki¡¯s wife,¡± Sigyn interrupts, her voice loud and soaring, like a free eagle. ¡°I know. To you I am no more than the woman who thought Loki could love, I am but a pawn in your games. But you, Odin, son of Bor, you have been a thorn in my side for too long. You took my sons, without a second thought, and you expected me to be fine with it. You expected me to continue as if nothing had happened, but tell me, what did you do when you lost your son? You set all the realms in motion to try to get him back, you, who had willingly used him for target practice just days before! You lost Baldur, and so you had Hod killed, your own son, for the crime of joining in a game! You killed my sons for the crime of being Loki¡¯s children and of no use to you! You kill on a whim, and yet expect us all to bow down before your wisdom.¡± All calmness has vanished from her voice now. One might call her hysterical and not be too far off. But it works. ¡°My children were not yours to take!¡± Sigyn shouts with tears in her eyes. ¡°My children were not pawns in your fight with their father! And neither am I!¡± With a great yank of the chain still in her hand she sends Mjolnir back into the air, soaring high and proud, and then falling, having been aimed at no real target. She yanks the chain back again, making sure the hammer buries itself in the ground and not in someone¡¯s forehead. Bloodshed will only lead to a bloodbath. That much, she knows, is certain.


    ¡°If no one else has the courage to stand against you, we will. The people who you have wronged the most, all in the name of Odin the Wise! Well, no more. Your time has come, old man, come and gone, and now you face the music.¡± And with that she sets off in a run, straight for the army of Asgardians ready to face her.


    ¡°She¡¯s mad,¡± Hel whispers to herself. One woman against all of Asgard.


    ¡°She¡¯s fierce,¡± Fenrir growls almost incoherently. He moves his head to the right, as far back as it goes, and then he tosses Thor as far left as he can. He spits a few times to get the leftover of the ginger beard out of his mouth. ¡°I like her,¡± he says in the end and leaps forward.


    By that time, Sigyn has reached Tyr who, despite the loss of his arm to Fenrir, has not grown any less threatening. But Sigyn ducks his fist punch and grabs a hold of his shirt. She pulls him forward, like a rag doll, and with a small apology (for Tyr really is a decent guy, he never wanted to tie up Fenrir - he is just, unfortunately, loyal to Odin) she throws him as far as she can. He lands but a few meters away, but it is enough to make the Asgardians drop their jaws in surprise.


    ¡°You are out of your mind!¡± Sif shouts, an almost panic like quality to her voice. ¡°You have been ever since you laid eyes on Loki the first time! An infatuated little girl, and you never grew out of it. You really think you can do this? That it is somehow worth it?¡± Sigyn stands dead still in the middle of the field, the remaining of the Asgardian army just meters in front of her, her own party so far behind her now. Fenrir stops up too, unsure if he should still attack or not. Sif¡¯s voice loses the panic and turns firm, self-assured. ¡°All of this, for his sake? Grow up, Sigyn, he doesn¡¯t love you. You were a distraction to him, a fun little toy, but you seized to be fun years ago. The proof is right next to you, and you are allying with them over your own people.¡± Behind Sigyn, where she can¡¯t see him, Loki tenses up at the accusation. He stole Sif¡¯s hair once, at Sigyn¡¯s request, but Sigyn never told him why. Was it the same banter as this? Was this what Sigyn had to deal with from the others, day in and day out? The ridicule, just for marrying him. He never cared about that stuff himself, he had grown used to it over the years, but to hear it now, rain down on his wife.


    But no, he cannot allow himself to step in. This time, it is Sigyn¡¯s story, and this time, she is acting it out herself, not asking him to do it for her. His heart swells with pride at the thought. She has come so far.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    But Sigyn doesn¡¯t move. She doesn¡¯t respond to the taunts. At first, Loki thinks maybe the inaction is her response, but Sif continues to hail down insults on her, and still, she just stands there, frozen to the spot. The other gods start noticing, and the fear fades off their faces, replaced by a smugness that Loki can¡¯t stand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let her talk to you this way,¡± he says softly, like a prayer almost, even though she is too far away for her ears to pick up his words. ¡°She was out of her mind when I took her hair, she knew Thor would lose interest the second she was no longer beautiful.¡±


    ¡°You have the most beautiful hair, Sif,¡± Sigyn says, her voice soft with admiration. Loki looks down at her, almost disappointed. What happened to that beautifully fierce woman who came to him in the night, not a thread on her body, and kissed him without a word - simply because she wanted to. The woman who, though she would never admit it openly, did not care one bit what the others expected of her, what they wanted from her, or what she was supposed to do. That woman had held him, his heart, his attention, his imagination, all of him. Was she really gone? For good?


    ¡°But you forget who gave it to you,¡± Sigyn continues. ¡°As do the rest of you. Mjolnir, Skibblandnir, Gungnir, Gullinbursti, Draupnir, all of it, you have it because of Loki. The wall behind which you cower, that was rebuild because of Loki.¡±


    ¡°And I almost had to pay the price for it!¡± Freya screams back at her.


    ¡°Boohoo, so you almost had to marry someone what wasn¡¯t as beautiful as you. You always do this, whenever something regarding Loki goes almost wrong, you blame him as if it had actually gone wrong. But if he stops one of you from messing up, like he did countless times with Thor, assuring the Jotuns that ¡°Freya¡± hadn¡¯t eaten in days, and that was why she was eating like a wild animal at the wedding, when he cleans up your messes like that, you simply pretend there was never any mess to begin with, and I won¡¯t stand for it anymore.¡± Loki stares open jawed at his wife.


    ¡°He suffered a thousand years, that is enough. He didn¡¯t kill Baldur, Baldur would still be alive if you guys hadn¡¯t all thought it an excellent sport to use him for target practice. It is time you admit your own faults in matters too, and it is time you stop punishing people just for being associated with Loki. And that goes for all his children, whoever their mother be. Sleipnir too. They all go free, today.¡±


    ¡°And then what?¡± Odin shouts. No one talks to the king of Asgard like that. ¡°Then the wolf eats me and the worm kills Thor? You would love that, would you not?¡± This time, he rides forward himself, brandishing his sword. But Sigyn does something utterly unexpected. Rather than try to fight Odin, she merely steps forward and strokes Sleipnir.


    ¡°You are his firstborn,¡± she whispers gently. ¡°You are more than a dumb horse, you are more than what Odin made you into.¡± The big, dark eyes of the eight-legged horse look into hers. She strokes his neck. Odin digs his heels into Sleipnir¡¯s flanks. Sleipnir stands up on his four hind legs, brandishing his front legs in the air, but not once hitting Sigyn, though she is right in front of him. Sigyn smiles. Odin looks in horror at the steed who has betrayed him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what Loki said,¡± Sigyn says loudly. ¡°Sleipnir is not yours to own, he is his own being.¡± As if on command, Sleipnir falls back to the ground and stands on all eight legs again. He gently muzzles Sigyn, and she strokes him kindly, with the loving touch of a mother. In a fury Odin shouts at his army to ¡°Take her down!¡± As if on que, Fenrir takes a single great leap and stands right next to her. There is a slight hesitation in the crowd, but Asgardians live to fight, and a wolf isn¡¯t gonna make any of them back down. Freya rises up in the sky on her wings, Vidar leaps forward, Frigg draws her sword. Fenrir snarls, Hel, drawing her own sword, begins the descent of the hill. Left behind is only Max, Ian, and the naked, dumbfounded Loki. He had never, not even for a second, thought it would come to this, to an all out fight between Sigyn and the Asgardians. They were her people, her family, and now she is standing in opposition to them.


    Fenrir leaps on Vidar, but Vidar is not caught off guard as Thor was, and an all-out battle ensues between them. Hel blocks Frigg¡¯s sword with her own before it can hit Sigyn.


    ¡°Are you sure about this bloodshed rule?¡± Hel asks through gritted teeth. Sigyn doesn¡¯t reply. If they want to start Ragnar?k now, then so be it.


    Sleipnir bends his knees and lies down on the grass, Odin still mounted on top of him. Sigyn steps around to Odin¡¯s left side where his sword won¡¯t easily reach. He tries to lunge at her, but the angle of the sword thrust gives her plenty of warning, and so she evades easily. When her closed fist comes flying towards his chin, he is not as fast as her. Her knuckles collide with his unprotected jaw, and his head if forced back. Utilizing the moment, Sigyn grabs a hold of Odin¡¯s right hand, his sword hand, and squeezes till she hears bones breaking. The sword falls to the ground. A giant wolf - though compared to Fenrir, tiny - leaps up at her. Geri and Ferki have joined the fight. Geri pins Sigyn to the ground as Ferki leaps in and closes his jaws around her arm. She howls in pain. Above her something glimmers in the sun. The tread thin chain falls from the sky and lands lightly on top of her. The eagle¡¯s talons reach out for Freya¡¯s wings, but she is too quick and evades Loki easily. Sigyn closes her hand around the chain and grits her teeth. Before Geri can bite down on her, the chain is wrapped around his jaws. He scratches at her with his claws, but with a hard yank on the chain which continues into a hit to Ferki¡¯s temple she manages to rob Geri of his balance and Ferki of his hold on her. A moment later, both wolves are lumped together in one mess of limbs and chain, and Sigyn ties a masterful knot Loki taught her. Who is on her next, she could not say for certain, but whoever it is gets a forceful punch in the stomach. Not long after that an ear piercing scream tells the party that Freya no longer is airborne. The great eagle sweeps down and picks up Odin by the collar of his tunic.


    Sigyn sees none of this. She hits someone in the guts, kicks someone else in the knee, and elbows yet another someone in the throat. The Asgardians notice though, one by one, and one by one they stop the earthbound fight. The battlefield becomes eerily quiet. Eventually even Sigyn notices that no one is attacking her anymore.


    Loki never wanted to take away from her glorious battle, never wanted to interfere in her big fight, but that bite from Ferki¡­ He knows she will be pissed at him, but maybe that is a good thing. Maybe that will be what it takes to finally break her, to finally make her leave him. At the very least, this way, perhaps she will leave the battle field in the end with all her limbs still intact. The blood is already dripping from the bite marks on her arm.


    But Sigyn smiles. Up there, soaring far above all the weapons, all the muscles at play, is her husband, once again thinking up the smart way out.


    ¡°You want your king back?¡± she asks calmly though her heart is still beating frantically. At first no one responds, all of them waiting for an ultimatum. Sigyn knows what the silence means, but she doesn¡¯t know which ultimatum to give. Everything she wants, the freedom of her husband, the safety of his children, only Odin can grant any of that. ¡°Cast away your weapons,¡± she says. What else could she ask of them than a temporary ceasefire while she bargains with Odin. Reluctantly, very reluctantly, all the Asgardian weapons are thrown into a pile which Fenrir gladly guards.


    ¡°What now?¡± Hermod asks. Sigyn ignores him. She walks back to the small hill, to where Max and Ian are still standing, and Loki follows her, Odin dangling from his claws.


    ¡°Here,¡± Max says and reaches out for her arm. Before she has time to fully realize what is going on, he has tied his shirt around her wounded arm, tightly and expertly. ¡°That should stop the bleeding for now,¡± he says with a soft smile. Sigyn smiles back. The humans at least seem to still be decent folk.

 Sigyns Revenge

    The Asgardians all look on in a mixture of fear and bewilderment. On any other day, the idea that Loki, Sigyn, and a couple of humans could ever be a match for Odin would have been ridiculous, but today everything seems turned upside down. Loki is free, but it isn¡¯t Ragnar?k. Fenrir is loose, but he went after Thor, not Odin. Even Hel is walking among them, and yet Jormungandr is nowhere to be seen. Nothing is as it should be, and there seems to be nothing they can do about it.


    As they watch, eagle Loki slowly lowers Odin to the hill, placing him in front of Sigyn, and then turning back to human form. Odin stands up at once, as if ready to thrust his sword straight through her - but his sword still lies on the field with all the other weapons. Only Mjolnir lies close at hand, and Sigyn already stopped that once.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Odin hisses.


    ¡°Same as you, I suppose. My family safe.¡± Odin snarls.


    ¡°And this is what you call your family? Loki¡¯s band of misfits?¡± Sigyn¡¯s jaw clenches.


    ¡°You took my family,¡± she says through gritted teeth. ¡°You took my sons from me, for no other reason than Loki being their father. You harass and you rule as if no one but you matter, as if we are merely pawns for you to play with. You all mock me for my loyalty to Loki, and maybe you are right, maybe he doesn¡¯t deserve it, maybe I can¡¯t trust him, but I should rather be this than be like you. You have no loyalty to anyone, you kill on a whim and serve no one but yourself. You cared nothing for Hod¡¯s death, but wept like a baby for Baldur. What was Hod¡¯s crime, other than being like you? You shot at Baldur yourself, and you¡¯ve been fooled by Loki yourself. Hod committed no crime but mistakenly believing that Frigg, that your wife, had actually done what she said she had, that she had gained a promise from every living thing that none of them would harm Baldur.


    ¡°I am sick and tired of your rule, Odin Borson. It is time for a change. Right now, the only thing standing between you and the end of times is me. Fenrir refrains from killing you only as long as I ask him to, and there is nothing you can do to change that, there is no way you can escape Ragnar?k. But you can prolong your life, the lives of the people you claim to love. If you admit your own guilt, if you admit that you killed my sons out of petty vengeance to Loki, and that you were wrong in doing so, if you admit this in front of everyone, then we shall leave, and you may continue to draw breath another day.¡± Odin grits his teeth. She is asking him to humiliate himself, in front of everyone, for the sake of two dead kids, Loki¡¯s kids. But when she is done talking Sigyn looks away from him, almost as if she passed on her message, and now she has other, more important things to do. For the first time in seemingly forever, she looks her husband in the eyes. A small smile plays on his lips, shines in his ever-charming eyes.


    ¡°You are wonderful,¡± he says, almost as if he could not hold the words back for one more second, even though he knows he shouldn¡¯t speak them. Sigyn blinks. Not now, not after all this time. She had finally made up her mind to leave, to get away while she still could, all she needed was to make sure he was safe, make sure she didn¡¯t have to worry about him anymore, and then¡­ and then she could leave. She could take Nari and Vali and make a life for herself someplace else. Midgard, perhaps. It isn¡¯t fair that he should do this now.


    But that is Loki, she reminds herself. He never does anything until the very last second, he always has to see how far he can push something, how much he can risk and yet never lose. It was like this when he made his bet with the dwarfs too. He offered up his head in a bet he knew, he must have known, that he would lose. And then he did lose, and what did he do? When the dwarfs came to collect, when they came to chop off his head, he told them that his head was theirs to do with as they please, but his neck was still his own, and he did not consent to that being cut. They sewed his mouth shut for a good long while, but that was all they could do to him. It had, however, made for an interesting time - with Loki unable to speak, he had found certain other ways to keep that marriage alive. Sigyn almost smiles at the memory. Loki was inventive, no one could ever claim otherwise.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°And what of your¡­ husband?¡± Odin asks, all but spitting out the ¡°husband¡± with such disdain one would think it was literal poison in his mouth. Sigyn looks away from Loki, her eyes falling to Odin once again.


    ¡°I am not saying what he did wasn¡¯t wrong, I am saying a thousand years is punishment enough. Loki goes free now.¡±


    ¡°And what about next time he kills one of ours?¡± Odin spites.


    ¡°Well, what about next time you kill one of your own?¡± Sigyn exasperates. ¡°Once Hod¡¯s killer is brought to justice, once you take responsibility for your part in his death, you may assign whatever punishment you want to Loki if he kills one of you again. Until then, you have no right to judge him.¡± Odin grits his teeth. He doesn¡¯t have much to bargain with, except if he can win over Sigyn to his own plight.


    ¡°He killed my son,¡± he says, now a soft plead creeping into his voice under the anger.


    ¡°And you killed both of mine,¡± she counters before he can go on. He bites his tongue. ¡°I will not argue with you, Odin, my offer stands. I will allow you time to think it over, if that is necessary, but I will not change my demands. Loki goes free, as does Fenrir, Hel is allowed to walk freely too, she isn¡¯t bound to Helheim, Sleipnir is no longer in your service, but free to go where ever he pleases, and no child of Loki¡¯s shall ever be punished merely for being a child of Loki¡¯s ever again. We will be allowed to live peacefully, without your interruptions from now on. Those are my demands, and those will not change.¡±


    ¡°You demand and you threaten,¡± Odin replies. ¡°But if Ragnar?k truly does ensue, you lose your beloved husband too. He won¡¯t survive the final battle anymore than I will.¡±


    ¡°Better death than that cave,¡± Sigyn replies as calmly as if she was debating Pepsi versus Coca Cola - or, indeed, more calmly, for humans have an interesting knack for getting riled up about things like that.


    Max and Ian don¡¯t say a word, but they follow along with the negotiations intently. Loki too, watches every move Sigyn makes, imprints every word of hers in his mind, but does not speak again out of fear of saying the wrong thing. The Asgardians are right, she is loyal to a fault, and loyal to him for some reason. He cannot take advantage of that, he cannot say the things he wants to say, for if he did, she would surely never leave him. And she needs to, she needs to leave. For her own sake, for Nari and Vali¡¯s sakes, if indeed Hel keeps her word and lets them come back to life.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Odin says finally. Loki looks down in shock. He agreed? ¡°But the next time he steps out of line, and we will not have long to wait for that to happen, Loki doesn¡¯t do well with boredom, and he has been locked up for a thousand years, so next time he crosses the line, we will come for him. You can get him a pardon for sins past, but not a free pass for the future.¡± Odin looks almost pleased with himself, Sigyn notices. As if he¡¯s taking her offered deal and amending it to suit his own needs.


    ¡°And his children?¡± she asks.


    ¡°His children won¡¯t be charged with his crimes,¡± Odin concedes. Loki¡¯s face splits into a smile. She did it. Can it be? She actually did it? His children, all of them, are safe now?


    ¡°Then we have a deal,¡± Sigyn says. ¡°As soon as you agree to these terms in front of everybody.¡± She nods towards the Asgardians, all watching them intently, prepared to attack at a moment¡¯s notice if it looks like Odin is in any real danger. Sigyn breathes out a sigh of relief.

 An Admission of Intent

    Odin takes the walk of shame back to the other Asgardians in the company of Ian and Max, but Loki and Sigyn remain on the hill a little while longer. Sigyn looks out over what could have become a true battlefield. Somehow, it all worked out in the end, and no one got truly hurt. Somehow, that mad plan that had formed in her mind over the years, mostly as a fantasy to pass away the time, a dream of justice to keep up her spirits, had worked.


    Loki cannot tear his eyes off her. She did it, the impossible task. Somehow, the woman everyone discounted, brought Odin to his knees in front of all of Asgard. There was a time where she would sneak around in the darkness if there was something she wanted, something she knew she should not want, like the night she first came to him. Today, she took what she wanted, by force if necessary, and she did it in front of all of Asgard. And yet, she had still somehow managed to make sure no one got hurt. Except herself, cause Odin hadn¡¯t shown such consideration in sending his wolves on her.


    With fingers as gentle as a summer¡¯s breeze he reaches out and strokes her arm, just to let her know he is there and to not frighten her, she seems so engulfed in her own thoughts. Gently, delicately, he unties the shirt around her arm. It doesn¡¯t look too bad. Well, that is a lie, it does look bad, with deep gashes and blood everywhere, but the blood is running slowly, and that is the best sign he could have asked for. As gently as he can, he ties the shirt around her arm again, tightening it as much as the odd fabric allows. She hasn¡¯t moved or even acknowledged him.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he whispers.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it for you,¡± she replies, her voice so firm it almost sounds cold.


    ¡°I know,¡± he assures her. ¡°Thank you for them, for saving them when I could not.¡± He hadn¡¯t even considered that maybe Sleipnir would need saving as well as Fenrir, but Sigyn had. He had seen it in her from the get go, that some day she would pass him by, the student becoming the master, and now that day has come. She has no need of him anymore. She is capable of going after what she wants for herself now, and no one will be able to, or dare try, to stand in her way. He almost reaches out, just to one last time stroke the hair away from her face, to one last time feel her skin against his. She turns around, almost as if sensing his thoughts.


    ¡°What do you mean, saving them when you couldn¡¯t?¡± she demands. ¡°Loki, when have you ever in your life tried to save anyone but yourself?¡± She doesn¡¯t shout, that would have been easier to take, she isn¡¯t lashing out in anger, that he could have survived, but now, she asks in earnest, and it tears him up. He doesn¡¯t know what to reply, so he does the only thing he can still do for her.


    ¡°I wish you all the best, Sigyn,¡± he says and turns his back on her, forcing his feet to carry him away.


    ¡°Loki Leaufeyson, don¡¯t you dare walk away from me!¡± The sheer nerve on that man! After everything she has done for him, he is just going to leave her? No, not like this, not as if they were mere friends parting ways after a joined journey. Not like this, like none of it meant anything.


    Loki halts, but he doesn¡¯t turn around, he can¡¯t face her.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need me anymore.¡± He has to force the words over his lips. ¡°You can take care of yourself now. Let me go.¡± Sigyn stands there in pure shock.


    ¡°So that¡¯s it, is it? Just like that, you¡¯ll be leaving? For how long? Forever? What is it? What did I do? What didn¡¯t I do? Am I just not entertaining enough anymore?¡± Her words cut through him like sharpened steel, and before he can think it through, convince himself not to do it, he has turned around, pulled her close, and pressed his lips to hers. She doesn¡¯t melt like she used to, and she doesn¡¯t shove him away, it¡¯s more like¡­ Like she tolerates it. He lets her go. It is done, their bond broken, the spell dissolved.


    ¡°Promise me one thing,¡± he begs, his eyes boring into hers, looking for any part of her that is still the woman he fell in love with. ¡°Whatever Sif or anyone else says, never believe that this was your fault. You¡­ You are the light of my world, everything good about me lives in you.¡± He reaches up and digs his fingers into her braid, holding on tightly one last time. ¡°But you don¡¯t need me anymore. You, our sons, all my children, none of you need me, and all of you are better off with me gone.¡± The tear he had been holding back breaks through. Even if just this once, he has to go through with it, he has to be selfless. She did it for him for a thousand years, never wavering in her loyalty, no matter what he did. Just this once, he has to do the same for her.


    Her hand collides with his cheek without warning.


    ¡°You don¡¯t decide for me,¡± she whispers, a fury to rival Thor¡¯s rasping in her voice. ¡°After all these years, lifetimes, and you choose the moment you are leaving me to tell me that you care?¡± She puts a hand on his chest and shoves him back. The force sends him to the ground. ¡°You can leave, if that¡¯s what you want, but own up to it, admit what you are doing, and don¡¯t you dare blame me for it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not blaming you!¡± he insists. ¡°Didn¡¯t I just say, just now, that this isn¡¯t your fault, no matter what Sif might say?¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Yeah, you did, in the same breath you used to tell me I am too weak to handle you, too fragile.¡± Loki gets to his feet again.


    ¡°I never said you were weak, not once.¡± He walks up to her and wraps his hand around both her wrists. He won¡¯t be able to hold her back, but this way at least he will know if she decides to let her anger loose on him again. ¡°You are stronger than anyone I know, far stronger than you should need to be.¡± Her eyes are filled with anger, with a sense of betrayal, but he recognizes her now, like this, with all her emotions bubbling to the surface. He strokes the hair from her face. ¡°Don¡¯t you see it? Without me, Vali and Nari would still be alive. I did what I always do, I came up with a scheme, and it all went wrong, nothing went as I had planned. It never occurred to me that I might be putting them in danger, I thought¡­ I thought I could keep them save, keep you save, and as always, it all went wrong.¡± She looks back at him with big, scared, uncomprehending eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you don¡¯t see, what you¡¯ve never seen. You think I make these great plans, and everything goes just like I predicted it would. Most of the time I just come up with something on the spot, having no idea how it will play out. It was fine when it was just me, when it was only my head on the chopping block, but it doesn¡¯t work anymore. I tried being someone else, I tried predicting the outcomes, but everything I do just turns to chaos, and I can¡¯t keep you safe like that. I thought I could. I thought killing Baldur¡­ Odin would be sure to know it was me, he would be sure to take me out of the picture. I never for a second imagined¡­ You loved Baldur as much as anyone else, you see the good in everyone, and he is nothing but good - I figured even you couldn¡¯t forgive such an act.¡± She stares up at him in shocked horror.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°After they tied up Fenrir I knew it was only a matter of time before something happened to you or Nari or Vali. I never imagined it could backfire like this, that Odin would take his anger at me out on Vali and Nari. And I never dreamt that you¡­ that you could possibly stand by me after that.¡± Sigyn looks at him in horror. This is not¡­ he¡­ no¡­


    ¡°You¡­¡± He killed Baldur¡­ well, she had known he was the reason behind Baldur¡¯s death for a thousand years, and she had always assumed that he¡­ well, that his twisted logic had some kind of reason for it, or maybe that he did it because he was bored, Odin was right in that regard, Loki doesn¡¯t do well with boredom. But to hear this¡­ this confession¡­ Baldur died because of her? ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just walk away?¡± she pleads. ¡°You didn¡¯t need to¡­ he didn¡¯t need to die, you could have just walked away, left me.¡± He looks down, too ashamed to meet her eyes, his hands now limp by his sides, no longer holding on to her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not like you,¡± he mumbles. ¡°I¡¯m not selfless or loyal or kindhearted, I look out for myself, always have, always will. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to leave you, I didn¡¯t have that strength. I needed something that would force you to leave me, take the choice, the temptation, out of my hands.¡± And now she knows. She stood by him for a thousand years, but she won¡¯t stay now. He should have told her back then, he should have suffered the cave, the snake, on his own, never relying on her, never allowing her to stay. But self-sacrifice was her forte. It had occurred to him over the years, his conscious nagging at him to make her leave, to make her go out and find a life of her own again, but he had never spoken the words. He is a coward at heart, he knows that. But know she knows, now it is done.


    ¡°You¡­¡± she takes in a deep breath. Loki holds his breath, waiting for the verbal blow that will hit him in a second. But when she speaks again it is with a calm voice, which is so much worse. ¡°You did all of that, to try to manipulate me?¡± He doesn¡¯t know what to say. It¡¯s not like he can deny it, she knows now, he told her, and he knows that this is the worst thing he could have possibly done to her.


    Sigyn just stares at him. His shoulders are hunched, as if in shame, and his head is bowed, as if in fear or what she will unleash on him. This is a betrayal like no other. Angrboda she could forgive, to some extent, she knew Loki wasn¡¯t to be tied down, and if all the mighty men of Asgard, Thor and Odin, for example, could not stick to one woman, she had no right to expect anything more of Loki. Or maybe she had. If she is quite honest, the affair with Angrboda still hurts, probably always will. Loki was supposed to be different from the men of Asgard, he was supposed to be better. But Angrboda was a long time ago, and hurt though it might, she had found that it was not worth losing Loki over.


    But Baldur, that is something else. A thousand years ago she had argued that death and life weren¡¯t so different after all, it¡¯s not like as if Baldur was suffering. He had a nice home in Helheim, and if his parents truly wanted to, they could have just visited him. It was really less like murder and more like forcing him to move. That, at least, was what she had told herself back then. And, to be fair, the whole ¡°Baldur is so perfect¡± spiel could get a little irksome after a while, she hadn¡¯t really blamed Loki for wanted to put a stop to that.


    A thousand years ago, she had blamed everyone else. Frigg could have just done her job right, asked the mistletoe not to hurt her son, and it would all have been fine. Actually, she could have left her overreaction at home and not moved heaven and earth to make sure her precious son would never die. Even gods die, and no one can escape their destiny. Frigg was as much to blame for this as Loki was. As was Odin and his stupid game of live target darts. That was what she had thought, and now¡­ Loki had planned it, all of it, to get rid of her. He would say ¡°for her own good¡±, no doubt, but that still doesn¡¯t change the fact that he tried to take the choice away from her.


    ¡°How could you do that to me?¡± She isn¡¯t sure she really wants an answer, or if there is any answer he could give that would satisfy her, but the question is over her lips before she can decide not to ask it. She looks down at the grass on the hill, and Loki looks down at a different patch of grass. Maybe he won¡¯t even answer. That thought somehow infuriates her even more, to be refused the dignity of an answer.


    ¡°Everything I touch breaks. I couldn¡¯t stand to watch that happen to you too.¡± That isn¡¯t really an answer, it¡¯s a justification if anything. Sigyn shakes her head at the ground.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just go, get this over with.¡± And with that she walks away, down the hill, across the field to where the Asgardians are waiting to hear Odin¡¯s confession and promise.

 What is Love

    Anyone with eyes in their head - even Odin with his one eye - could see immediately that something was up between Loki and Sigyn. Sif gave a satisfied smile, Frigg a slow nod as if an event she had been waiting for had finally taken place to her satisfaction, even Odin seemed rather pleased - perhaps mostly because this likely meant that Sigyn would not be likely to come to Loki¡¯s aid ever again. Out of everyone assembled on the field, only two people seemed to really care. Max and Ian had shared one look once they saw the defeated hunch of Loki¡¯s shoulders and the determination with which Sigyn avoided looking at him. As soon as Odin had given his promises and Sigyn was satisfied, Loki had taken off, Max close on his tail. Ian had hung back to walk with Sigyn. This is how we find them now, the whole party split up and ripped apart.


    ¡°Freya could take you back to Midgard,¡± Sigyn says, her voice broken, and her gaze turned downwards.


    ¡°I am good right here,¡± Ian replies simply and takes her hand firmly in his own. She doesn¡¯t look up, she doesn¡¯t acknowledge his friendly gesture in any way, but she also doesn¡¯t pull her hand away.


    ¡°You are a good woman, Sigyn,¡± Hel tells her. ¡°My mother would despise the words out of my mouth, but they are true, and Loki is not worth your tears.¡± Fenrir gives her a loving nudge, but doesn¡¯t speak.


    ¡°You guys go ahead,¡± Sigyn replies, she doesn¡¯t want an audience right now. Hel nods.


    ¡°I will send your sons to meet you on the way,¡± she agrees. ¡°I did not think you could do it, but you held up your end of the bargain, and more too. Your sons are free to return to the living.¡±


    Fenrir lies down on the plain to allow his sister a piggy bag ride. She climbs up, but only a few steps along the path Fenrir stops and turns.


    ¡°She¡¯s right you know, he isn¡¯t worth your tears.¡± Sigyn nods her understanding at the ground. Logically speaking, they might be right. She closes her eyes and forces back the tears. She will under no circumstance bow under and cry right here in the open where all of Asgard can see her. Fenrir turns back and sets off at full speed, stretching his legs, making full use of his muscles for the first time in a thousand years. Ian gives Sigyn¡¯s hand a reassuring squeeze, but he waits until they are in the cover of a forest before he speaks again.


    ¡°They are right, those two, no man is worth your tears, not ever.¡± He pauses briefly to let the statement sink in. ¡°But you don¡¯t cry for their sake, you do it for yourself.¡± With that small permission from a virtual stranger, Sigyn breaks down. Ian wraps an arm around her and lets her cry into his shoulder, never once trying to shush her or telling her to get over it. A part of him wishes he had a tub of ice cream to offer her, maybe an old movie or a greasy pizza, but those things don¡¯t exist in Asgard, so he simply lets her cry until she runs out of tears.


    ¡°Do you wanna tell me what happened?¡± he asks softly, sitting down on the forest floor. She follows him down. Somehow, she doesn¡¯t mind telling him, not Ian. Ian is somehow both safe, a friend, and yet a stranger with a clear, unbiased view. So she tells him everything. Part of him wants to freak out at the mention of cold blooded murder, but Sigyn doesn¡¯t seem as obsessed about that part as the whole ¡°he tried to manipulate me¡± thing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do,¡± she finally admits. ¡°It¡¯s been¡­ I can barely remember my life before him, I was so young when I first saw him¡­ He has been my whole life for so long, I don¡¯t know who I would be without him.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Ian says, almost smiling. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say Loki exactly did a lot on this whole quest. I mean, sure, he went and fetched the apples from Idun, but that was about it. You got him free, you walked all the way to Helheim, you recruited Hel, you freed Fenrir. You caught Mjolnir, you defeated Odin. You did all that.¡±


    ¡°He plucked Odin from the field before anyone got hurt,¡± Sigyn argues.


    ¡°Well, after you got hurt,¡± Ian corrects. Sigyn looks down at her torn-up arm as if she had forgotten all about it. She shrugs, as if a wolf bite is nothing to cry over. ¡°Without Loki you are still you, he doesn¡¯t define you. You are fierce, strong, loyal, intelligent, brave. I have known you for only a short while in your long life, but I know those things about you. Anyone who meets you will know those things about you. They didn¡¯t come from Loki, they came from you, and you still have them.¡± She pulls her legs up and rests her chin on her knees, her arms wrapping around her legs as if to hold herself together.


    ¡°He made me smile,¡± she whispers. Made. She tastes the word on her tongue. There hasn¡¯t been much to laugh about these past thousand years. ¡°He believed in me,¡± she says, her voice a little stronger, little more sure. ¡°Believes in me. Even when no one else would dare.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t give him a right to you, or a right to treat you like this.¡± She opens her mouth to argue, but closes it again. What is she gonna say? It¡¯s not like as if Loki has been a model husband, Hel alone is proof of that. But he was her husband. Angrboda never had that, at least. Loki chose her, out of everyone, he chose her, and he loved her. He loves her. And she loves him, she can¡¯t get around that. No matter what logic wants to dictate, or how many flaws Ian can name, Loki is still¡­ well, he¡¯s Loki. She knew who he was when she married him. She knew he was impulsive, but that had been the great adventure about him. He was selfish, yes, but more often than not that selfishness had been extended to include her, the two of them being more important to Loki than all of Asgard. He is still the man who, without asking questions, without fearing the consequences, snug in and cut of Sif¡¯s hair in her sleep because Sigyn had requested it. His is still the man who¡¯s home she had snuck into in the middle of the night, the man who had seen her clad only in moon light, and rather than laugh or ask what she was thinking, he had smiled, like she was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen, and he had held out a hand to her, an invitation. He is Loki, simple as that, and he is etched into her heart, and he will never leave it. Not even if he leaves her.


    But he was also the man who had showed her how to think for herself, who had indulged her, nurtured her, showed her a whole new world, a world free of judgment from others, free from worry about what Sif or Freya might be saying about her. Loki was her freedom, her right to choose whatever path she wanted, regardless of what others wanted or expected from her. It was why she had fallen in love with him in the first place. And he had broken that. He had given her the option to choose, and then he had taken it away when he saw fit. She had chosen him, and she had chosen to stay with him, and he had decided that was the wrong choice. He had decided, and he hadn¡¯t consulted her.


    Is love enough to make a marriage work? Or is there no way to get the broken trust back?


    In the opposite direction, about a day¡¯s journey away, Max is halfway running to keep up with Loki.


    ¡°Come on man,¡± he pants. Usually, he would consider himself fairly fit, if not more than fairly, but today that old, skinny god is giving him a proper race.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need your advice or whatever it is you are here to give me, you should go back to your husband, enjoy every minute your small human lives will afford you.¡± It is tempting, to just let the trickster god alone, but he is still in human form, and that, despite his rapid pace, means he does want to talk. Max takes two running steps and wraps a hand around Loki¡¯s bicep. The trickster god stops up and looks at him.


    ¡°Come on man, you don¡¯t just walk away from a woman like that. Talk to me, what happened?¡±


    ¡°For the last time, it doesn¡¯t concern you,¡± Loki assures him and makes a half-hearted attempt to pull his arm free. Max tilts his head in disbelief. ¡°Look, she¡¯s better off without me,¡± Loki says stubbornly.


    ¡°Oh really?¡± Max interjects. ¡°She didn¡¯t look too happy to me when you walked away.¡±


    ¡°She will be, trust me. In a month she will be happy to be free of me.¡± Max shakes his head in disbelief.


    ¡°She loves you, man. She stood by your side for a thousand years, that is not casual, that is not a relationship you just get over like that. She loves you. Are you really gonna force her to live out the rest of her days, how ever long those might be, without her one true love?¡± Something flashes in Loki¡¯s eyes, it almost looks like¡­ anger.


    ¡°At least she will get to live that way,¡± he hisses and pulls his arm free before marching off with determined steps. Max laughs.


    ¡°Did you and I witness the same thing just now? Dude, your wife legitimately beat all of Asgard today, she can do just fine on her own, she doesn¡¯t need your fake protection.¡± Loki turns on his heels and storms back. He¡¯s not a short guy, but neither is Max, and right now, Max is towering half a head above Loki who is looking smaller and smaller with each angry breath.


    ¡°And do you know what happened last time she faced up against those guys?¡± Loki shouts, his hair and spit flying wild.


    ¡°Yeah, I think I¡¯ve gotten the gist of it by now,¡± Max assures him. ¡°A thousand years in a cave, holding a bowl, your sons killed and fashioned into chains to bind you. Did I miss anything?¡± Loki breathes in deeply.


    ¡°Then how can you possibly say she isn¡¯t better off without me?¡± he demands, his demeanor slightly calmer, but the ferocity still bubbling just under the surface, reminding Max that he is in fact arguing with a very angry god. Loki is by no means harmless, but somehow, Max feels quite certain that he won¡¯t harm him.


    ¡°Because that is an old fear,¡± Max replies with the patience of a kinder garden teacher. ¡°That all happened a thousand years ago. What happened today is that your wife, your amazingly fierce, incredibly strong, unbelievably loyal wife, beat all of Asgard. She took them on, and she came out on top. That is today, that is what matters, not some thousand-year-old fear.¡± Loki clenches his jaw. Even if he were to go back, he betrayed her, she would never take him back now.


    ¡°It is too late,¡± he tells Max. ¡°Go, find your husband, get back home, and don¡¯t make the same mistakes I did.¡± His voice is almost calm now, as if he¡¯s forcing himself to find peace in the status quo.


    ¡°And what exactly were those?¡± Max asks softly as Loki once again walks away from him. The trickster stops in his tracks, but this time he doesn¡¯t turn around.


    ¡°I betrayed her,¡± he mumbles.


    ¡°I think she¡¯s known that for a while man,¡± Max reminds him. ¡°She seemed well aware of your illegitimate children.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not¡­ Well, I did that too, I can¡¯t deny that either. I was freaking out, I didn¡¯t know how I could have possibly imagined I could do marriage, so I went out to let of some steam.¡± Max looks down. It¡¯s not like he doesn¡¯t know the feeling, the panic when looking at the rest of your life tied to one person, the momentary panic, but that is not an excuse for infidelity.


    ¡°How about next time you try to just talk to your wife? She¡¯s a very understanding woman, I mean, she stood by you even after you killed that Baldur guy.¡± Loki almost smiles. ¡°That Baldur guy,¡± what a refreshing description.


    ¡°I did,¡± he whispers. ¡°Just now, I told her everything.¡± He looks down at the grass at his feet. He should just change into the eagle and fly away, never come back here. He should just stay in Jotunheim until Ragnar?k. ¡°She¡¯s not coming back, there is no returning from this.¡± Max steps forward, closing the distance between them one hesitant step at a time.


    ¡°What did you do to her?¡± he asks, his voice quite and low.


    ¡°The one thing that even she can¡¯t forgive,¡± Loki mumbles at his feet. ¡°I tried to take her choice from her.¡± There, he said it, he admitted it - and no excuses, no explanations. He did what he did, and his reasons didn¡¯t make it any less horrible. He did the worst thing he could possibly do to Sigyn, and he hadn¡¯t even realized it at the same. He had thought his plan so smart, almost fool proof. It just hadn¡¯t been Loki proof. Max stops up, still a few steps behind Loki. What choice had he tried to take from her? What choice could those two possibly have a differing opinion on, and to such a degree that Loki would go to such extreme lengths to get his way?


    ¡°Have you tried asking her?¡± Max asks instead. Loki turns slowly around to face the human.


    ¡°Asking her what?¡±


    ¡°Asking her forgiveness, of course. Admitting you were wrong, saying you¡¯re sorry.¡± Something flashes over Loki¡¯s face, just for a second, but it was anger. ¡°You do admit that you were wrong, don¡¯t you? I mean, if it caused her this much pain, surely you can¡¯t still think you acted in her best interest, whatever it was that you did.¡± Loki shakes his head angrily.


    ¡°What¡¯s the point?¡± he demands. ¡°It is over, she won¡¯t ever see my face again.¡± Max bites his lip. Loki is too stubborn for his own good, and seems determined not to communicate in any healthy or significant way.


    ¡°Well, that might be true,¡± Mas says, ponderingly. ¡°But you still hurt her. Don¡¯t you think you should apologize for that, let her know that you didn¡¯t mean for her to get hurt, that you are sorry.¡±


    ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t mean for her to get hurt!¡±


    ¡°I know, and she likely knows as well, but there¡¯s a healing power in hearing someone admit they did wrong by you, and ask for your forgiveness.¡± Loki looks utterly lost, uncomprehending. ¡°Honestly man, have you two ever communicated? You don¡¯t tell her you love her, you don¡¯t tell her when you screw up, you don¡¯t ask for forgiveness¡­ What kind of husband are you?¡±


    ¡°She knew who I was when she married me,¡± Loki defends himself. Max throws his head back and laughs up at the sky.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you have to stay that way,¡± he says loudly. ¡°People evolve, they learn from past mistakes, and they try to do better next time. That is life, and that is regardless of whether you are a god of Asgard or a human from Midgard.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a Jotun, actually,¡± Loki corrects.


    ¡°Jotun, sure,¡± Max accepts, not sure what else to do. ¡°Look, man, you can either give up on a thousand year old marriage, give up on the perfect woman who somehow is crazy enough to care about you, or you can go back to her, tail between your legs, admit you were wrong in what you did, and hope that she can find it in her heart to forgive you. Which one is it, are you gonna give it a try, or are you gonna resign the both of you to a life alone?¡±


    They have almost reached the halfway mark to Helheim by the time Loki and Max catch up with them. Sigyn swallows and hardens her face, willing herself to be ready for whatever he else he could throw at her. Loki just stares at her. It would be so much easier if he could just pull her close and kiss her and that would make everything alright.


    ¡°Just remember,¡± Max whispers. ¡°Don¡¯t explain, don¡¯t justify, just tell her you are sorry for what you did.¡± He gives Loki a gentle nudge in the back and the trickster god takes a stumbling, unwilling step forward, his long, slim limbs making him look like an uncoordinated teenager after a growth spurt. Sigyn raises an eyebrow at him. Loki swallows hard. She doesn¡¯t want him here, that much is clear. Why did he ever let Max talk him into this? She is better off hating him, this is just being selfish again. Loki turns on his heels to walk away, but is stopped by the insistent hands of Max grabbing a hold of his arms and blocking his way. Loki hesitates, looking at the human who dares order him around, but then he, slowly and timidly, turns back around and faces his wife. He raises his eyes off the ground and find hers. She is angry, and closed off, not a new look for her, Loki has seen her this way often enough, but never directed at him - most often, in fact, directed at whoever disrespected him. He can feel his knees weaken under that stare, like he¡¯s being reduced to a whimpering mess unable to stand on his own legs. He swallows hard. Two little words, he owes her that, two little words and then he can go, then he can leave her alone forever. Two words.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he whispers, his voice broken and barely audible. Sigyn just stares at him, as if expecting more, but he doesn¡¯t know what else to say. Max told him not at explain, not to justify - so what more is there to say?


    ¡°What?¡± she asks, raising her eyebrow. She has never known Loki to mumble like that, nor look so timid. He looks more like a child than her husband. She watches him glance away, swallow hard, force himself to stand straight, and when his eyes find hers again he is almost recognizable.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he repeats, forcing his voice to be strong - for her. She needs to know he means it. ¡°For what I did, all of it, for killing Baldur, for getting our sons killed, for never being there when they were alive¡­¡± he pauses, letting the sentence trail off, not hesitating, not searching for words, but allowing what he says next to be it¡¯s own, to be separate. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I went behind your back, that I tried to force your hand.¡± He keeps eye contract with her, even when she blinks in bewilderment, even when she leans back on her heels, even when her mouth opens as if she lost the strength to keep her jaw closed. Loki keeps eye contact, and Sigyn can¡¯t force herself to look away. ¡°I should never have assumed my way was the only way. I am sorry.¡±


    This can¡¯t be real. Loki doesn¡¯t admit fault. Loki doesn¡¯t apologize. Loki doesn¡¯t open up like this, he tells stories and makes your heart laugh with him, but he doesn¡¯t¡­ he¡¯s never¡­ Loki, trickster god, man-whore, untrustworthy, two faced, selfish Loki, apologizing? And it is no trick. He is standing in front of her, flesh and blood, no tricks, no second wave witty words to undo the first, nothing asked for, nothing on the line, nothing in it for him. Except Sigyn.


    She takes a step back. Loki automatically reaches out a hand, as if to catch her, to pull her close, but he doesn¡¯t touch her, he lets her leave him. Her choice. She stares back at him, his hand slowly falling back to his side. He isn¡¯t the Loki she knows, and yet he is Loki. But is he her Loki? Her eyes dart to the humans standing together a little removed from them, watching, but not intruding. What did Max say to Loki? What prompted this change?


    Loki keeps looking at his wife, not sure what he is waiting for - he doesn¡¯t expect anything from her, not an acceptance of his apology, not forgiveness, not a second chance. He turned on her, tried to manipulate her, and it didn¡¯t even occur to him that that was what he was doing, taking away her choice, until it was too late. He knows he doesn¡¯t deserve anything from her - never have. Pure, loyal, loving Sigyn, she owes nothing to the lying, scheming, cheating Loki. But he can¡¯t just walk away. Maybe he should. He said what he came to say, what Max told him he owed to Sigyn to tell her, he should be done here now. But he can¡¯t walk away. No, if anyone turns their back and walks away, it will be Sigyn this time. Her choice. Plus, she is the strong one, Loki would much rather pull her close and forget any of it ever happened than actually walk away again.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± is the only, softly murmured, thing she can think to say. Loki looks down and shuffles his foot on the forest floor, unable to bear the look in her eyes, confused and uncertain of him.


    ¡°I¡­ I was told I should¡­ that I owed¡­¡± he abandons the sentence and looks up at her again. ¡°Max said I needed to tell you, to speak the words out loud.¡± Is that a human thing? Does she think he¡¯s a freak now? No, unlikely, she forced an apology out of Odin.


    ¡°Sigyn?¡± Ian asks softly when the silence gets too awkward even for him to bear.


    ¡°I¡­¡± she starts out, but falters and falls back to simply staring.


    ¡°Just say whatever is on your mind,¡± Ian encourages simply. ¡°You two can¡¯t end up worse than you are right now.¡± There is truth in that.


    ¡°Does this mean you want to come back?¡± she asks desperately. The world is crumbling around her, everything she knew suddenly shifting, and she has nothing to hold on to.


    ¡°I¡­¡± It is Loki¡¯s turn to falter now. Max sighs and shakes his head at the ground.


    ¡°Of course, he wants to come back,¡± he translates, hoping to move this along, get past the awkwardness before it kills them all. ¡°He loves you, of course he doesn¡¯t want to be without you. He only ever wanted to keep you safe, that¡¯s the only reason he ever thought about leaving. Just¡­¡± but here Loki cuts him short.


    ¡°It is your choice. If you want me to go, I¡¯ll go, you can be free.¡± Ian reaches out and gives Max¡¯s hand a squeeze. She won¡¯t leave. They are crazy and dysfunctional, and logically speaking there is nothing that should glue them together like this, they are as opposite as it is possible to be, but Loki worships the ground Sigyn walks on, and Sigyn is mesmerized by every word that passes over Loki¡¯s lips. Perhaps she deserves to be treated better than this, but no one could ever love her more than Loki does. Somehow, they both make each other better people.


    ¡°Leave Asgard?¡± she whispers, her voice uncertain and weak, as if sure she is asking too much of him, that her ¡°choice¡± has limits. Loki¡¯s head drops and he closes his eyes firmly, forcing himself to not let her know how much that hurt, his pain isn¡¯t her burden. He gave her the choice, and she made the right one. He nods slowly, still not able to look up.


    ¡°You won¡¯t see me here again,¡± he agrees. Now all that¡¯s left is to walk away, it is what she wants.


    ¡°With me,¡± she whispers. His head snaps up. What? ¡°Leave with me. Leave Asgard, leave Odin behind, let them clean up their own messes from now on, just¡­ just come away with me, start over, without any of them to interfere.¡± A soft, single laugh of relief escapes Loki¡¯s throat as his face drops into a smile. Leave with her? That¡­ His face cracks open with an uncontainable smile. She smiles nervously at him. He laughs, like bubbles of happiness are forming in his chest and rising up, transforming into laughter as they reach the air.


    ¡°Where?¡± he asks, excitement in his voice. He really wants to stay with her, Sigyn has no trouble reading that in his face. He hasn¡¯t grown tired of her, he doesn¡¯t think she is too weak to make her own choices or that he should somehow be in charge of or responsible for her. Her face cracks into a complete and giddy smile.


    ¡°Midgard?¡± she asks. He shakes his head lightly.


    ¡°I¡¯d live in Niflheim if it meant being with you,¡± he laughs. Max and Ian send each other a half worried, half excited look. The trickster god living among humans in Midgard? That could either go very, very wrong, or it could be one hell of a ride. Max is the first to crack a smile, and not a second later Ian is softly laughing, leaning against his husband to keep from falling over. Max lets go of his hand to throw his arm around him instead, and Ian buries his head in Max¡¯s should to muffle his laugh. Loki has his arms around Sigyn and his head buried in her hair, just holding her, breathing her in, assuring himself this is real. A little further back stands a young man and a small looking wolf (small compared to his half-brother at any rate). Nari doesn¡¯t speak to interrupt the scene, but rather waits for it to be over. Loki is the first to spot him, looking up from Sigyn for a moment and finding his son¡¯s eyes. For a long time, the two men just look at each other, neither of them moving. Then Nari gives Loki a short nod. Not forgiveness, per say, but acceptance, and at this point Loki can ask for nothing more from the son he got killed. He looks at the wolf, and it too nods. He loosens his grip on Sigyn and gently turns her around. She spots her sons, and she doesn¡¯t miss a beat but runs straight to them, falling to her knees and stroking back the fur on Vali¡¯s face. Nari puts a hand on his mother¡¯s shoulder and kneels down next to her.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he whispers softly, and she wraps her free arm around him, pulling both her sons into a tight hug. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you could do it,¡± he admits with a nervous laugh. Sigyn smiles. She knew she was gonna be with her sons again, either she would get them back to the living, or she would die trying - either way, they would be reunited at last. She pulls him closer, her arm almost crushing him, her face buried in Vali¡¯s shoulder. Nari throws his arms around his brother and mother. Loki watches them, a soft pang of some emotion in his heart, but whether it is guilt for his sons, or pride in his wife, he can¡¯t quite tell. Perhaps it is both. Perhaps, he will get a chance to change things from now on - after all, Ragnar?k is a long way off, it won¡¯t happen until the day he realigns with the Jotun¡¯s and invades Asgard. He has time, and this time, he will do better, he will do right by them. All of them.

 The Reunion

    Six months have passed, the snow lies thick on the green plains stretching out at the top of the cliffs, but on the beach where the ever roaring waves still crash and wash, the snow has no foothold. Loki¡¯s hand is intwined in Sigyn¡¯s, as if he¡¯s still reluctant to let her go for even a moment. Vali is getting a real hang of wolf life by now, mainly due to the excellent guidance of older brother Fenrir. Nari has recovered quite well too, although being eaten by your brother is a trauma, it¡¯s not exactly strange for a child of Loki¡¯s - or even for an Asgardian, to be fair. With the help of Sleipnir he can even keep up with Vali and Fenrir, and the four of them run up and down the beach chasing each other. They might be a bit too old to play like this, but, of course, it was the Asgardians who thought throwing weapons at Baldur was the peak of entertainment, so one cannot really blame them. What is the point of coming back to life if you cannot have a little fun?


    Behind them, on the narrow pathway down the cliffs come Ian and Max. The beach is deserted by all but the little party of misfits, it being an unusually stormy and cold day. Not even the seagulls have dared venture out.


    ¡°So, how¡¯s the head?¡± Sigyn asks when the two humans make it all the way down to the beach.


    ¡°Clear scans, and symptom free,¡± Ian says, lightly knocking his knuckles to his temple. Sigyn raises an eyebrow.


    ¡°He¡¯s fine,¡± Max translates. Loki nods as if he totally understood Ian¡¯s answer. Both the men smile. They told their families they were going on a second honeymoon, to celebrate the clear scans, but after having disappeared for almost two months last time they were at this beach, they neglected to tell their families exactly where they were going - there was no need to worry them. Out of nowhere a giant wave erupts in the middle of the sea.


    ¡°Ah, just in time,¡± Sigyn says. Loki cracks a smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you two have met the last member of the family?¡± Loki adds mischievously. The wave moves closer and closer to the shore, as if aimed directly at them. It crashes down just a few meters out, drenching them all in sea water. When the water has finally cleared the air, and human eyes can see again, Ian and Max stare in bewilderment at the newcomer: A giant snake, it¡¯s body as thick as the Round Tower in Denmark, it¡¯s eyes the size of cars, and it¡¯s fangs¡­ like¡­ like two meter long broadswords, all lined up side by side, filling the whole of the mouth of the beast. And next to it, soaking wet and still half dead, Hel, barely as tall as one of its teeth.


    ¡°Hii,¡± Max tries hesitantly. They had read up on their new friends before coming here again, but reading about Jormungandr and seeing him in real life, those were two quite different things. Jormungandr gives a happy splash in the sea as a greeting, and then two wolves - one giant, and one more average sized - jump up and latch onto him. With a glint in his eye unmistakably Loki-like, he pretends to writher in pain as he tries to throw off his brothers. The Loki-clan have their fair share of troubles, their fair share of daddy-issues, but one cannot deny that together, they are not only stronger, they are happier. True, Loki will never be the perfect father, but Sigyn is an excellent mother, and at least that is something. And, though by no standards the perfect husband either, both Ian and Max can agree that he might just be the perfect man for Sigyn at least.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°So,¡± Loki starts. ¡°Have I ever told you about the time Jor here bested Thor?¡± Max and Ian look at each other knowingly. They did read up on the family and the old myths, so they do know about the time Thor was challenged to lift Jormungandr, disguised as a simple house cat, off the floor, and how one paw always remained firmly planted no matter what he did. It is one thing though, to have read about a story, it is quite another to hear it told from Loki himself.


    ¡°No,¡± they say in unison. Sigyn laughs softly. What more could she ask for than this? The whole family together, their new friends safe and happy, and Loki back to his old, bragging self.


    It doesn¡¯t take long till Loki has told them all about Thor¡¯s pilgrimage to get married to the Jotun Thyrm and how, in Utgard, they had to pass the three tests where Loki himself competed against fire about who could eat the fastest - and just barely lost. A few stories in, even Ian has to beg to be excused from hearing anymore.


    ¡°There¡¯s plenty of time,¡± he assures Loki. ¡°We don¡¯t need to hear every story all at once.¡± For a while now, both Ian and Max have been eyeing Jormungandr and the other Lokisons. Nari, with the help of Fenrir, will climb onto Jormungandr¡¯s nose, and Jormungandr will rise high up in the air, so high, had it not been for the mist created by the constant dampness and water splashes that seems to be a steady feature with Jormungandr, a human might have been able to spot them. Once up there, Jormungandr will tilt his head forward, and Nari will slide right off, falling for meters and meters, before landing with a giant splash in the water. What could ever have been more tempting to two extreme sport lovers than to dive off the nose of Jormungandr? Not even Sigyn, the voice of reason, is hard to convince, as long as Jormungandr keeps in mind that humans are more fragile than gods and promises not to go too high up. That warning is soon forgotten though, and a competition ensues between Ian and Max on one side, and Nari on the other side, about who will dare go the highest. Jormungandr, luckily, is excellent at moving just right to create the perfect waves, so even though they go higher and higher up, the water they land in is never actually that far down - and the waves wash them ashore again before they can drown.


    ¡°Did I ever tell you the story,¡± Loki says quietly while Vali and Sleipnir are busy racing and Hel and Fenrir are busy judging the competitions. ¡°About the underrated, forgotten goddess, who singlehandedly brough Odin to his knees?¡± Sigyn smiles.


    ¡°No,¡± she replies. ¡°I think not.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Loki starts. ¡°Imagine, if you will, a goddess stronger than Thor himself, fiercer than Frigg on her worst day, a heart more beautiful that Siff on her best.¡± He pulls her in close till her head is rested on his shoulder. ¡°Wiser than Odin and Mirmir together, and fairer than Freya on any day.¡± He kisses the top of her head. ¡°Truly, the best of them all.¡±