The Lost Asgardian (Loki)

Blossoming Feelings

"Virgin" by Manchester Orchestra
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SIGYN

Many weeks passed after the incident regarding Lady Sif's hair being sheared before permanently destroyed. Had the lovely golden locks only been cut, they could have been reattached with a simple spell by a healer. But after they were boiled in manure, it made them unable to be reattached without Lady Sif's head smelling as if it were a horse's bottom.

Sigyn only heard Loki was seeking retribution from the twin sons of Odin. According to rumors of the commoners, the tale was that Loki was so very envious of his elder brother Thor and his fiancé, he sheared Lady Sif's golden mane as an act of pettiness. Sigyn did not believe such a tale. Still, what happened was true. Lady Sif's hair was shorn so very short, it touched her scalp like a newborn babe. Sigyn did not believe the story that Loki did such an act out of jealousy; she did not feel Loki desired the girl in such a way. Instead, she believed the twins had said it best that one afternoon; Loki felt he was righting a wrong. Even still, his act did not stop his father from whipping him severely. The tale fluttering around the castle was that the young prince was beaten to the point he was unable to properly walk for a whole fortnight. His back was now laced with bloody scars. Sigyn did not wish to believe the king was this cruel to his own son, but that was naive to believe considering King Odin often fastened his enemies in cages and allowed rats to feed on them while they were still alive. Beating his children was civilized in comparison.

Eventually, it was decided by the royal council that Loki was to travel to the land of the elves to collect thick strands of gold. He was to bring back a certain number of objects for a spell that would help Lady Sif's hair regrow before her winter wedding to Prince Thor.

Weeks passed where Sigyn found herself wishing she could speak to Prince Loki. She felt she now owed him for it was her honor that he took a rough thrashing. But the teenage prince did not converse with Sigyn again, nor would he look at her to give even the slightest hint of recognition. She always wished to speak to him, but there was never a moment that was appropriate. When she occasionally came across him in the stables, he was usually around one of his many brothers. There was no real moment Sigyn could ask him about the incident when he was surrounded by others. She could not ask him when she occasionally passed him in the hallways. It was not proper for a commoner of low value to converse with a member of royalty. Sigyn found she received steely glares simply for when Prince Thor would spare her a wink!

By the time seven whole weeks passed before Prince Loki was to begin his lengthy journey to the west, Sigyn finally found a moment where there were only the two of them. Loki was placing the finishing touches on his horse's pack, securing the pouches of food and a wool blanket to travel with. Sigyn stood idly by a large barrel of hay in the corner of the stables, unsure of whether to say something.

She had played over what to possibly say numerous times in the comforts of her head. Each time she did, the conversation went swimmingly. Now that she was here and facing the moment, Sigyn was lacking the ability to know what to say to him. Moment after moment trickled past in silence. Sigyn willed herself to say something, anything, but she was coming up empty. Her voice was lost in her throat as her palms began to sweat.
"Is there a reason you are still in the vicinity...?" said Loki, his voice curt. He did not turn around to meet her gaze.

"Yes." Sigyn winced upon her answer. Her feet and her beating heart willed herself to run from the stables. Even willing words to come from her mouth did nothing to save Sigyn from the horrid uncomfortable silence. All she could do was stare at Loki's back, trying and failing to find words.

"Are you going to reveal your reasoning or are you going to continue to gape at me like a fool?"

"My apologies," Sigyn murmured, bowing her too blonde of head. The bow was unneeded given he wasn't looking at her, but it was nerves propelling her forward. She didn't know how to behave around him. A warm blush heated Sigyn's cheeks as she momentarily thought that he should not have had the ability to know she was watching him. That meant the young prince was already quite powerful in the craft of magic; he could sense things that one shouldn't.

"I do not want your apologies, slave. I want to know why you are still here. You said you have a reason, so get on with it."

"Why did he sound so hostile?" Sigyn thought. Slave? That was a new insult. She nervously stood in place, unsure of what to do. Sigyn contemplated running away, but that would be rather childish, and her mother would not deem it ladylike. Then again, her mother would not deem it acceptable that Sigyn was speaking to a prince either. That was not proper for commoners.

"I'm WAITING," Loki said, raising the volume at the end of his sentence.

"Why are you being so very mean?"

This caused the prince to whirl around with an incredulous expression saturating his face. His blue eyes widened. "Did you truly accuse me of being mean? Do you hold the mental capacity of an infant...?"

"Your tongue just seems to be a little more wicked than usual."

"Perhaps you are so soft in the head you cannot bother to simply understand royals do not wish to speak to the HELP," he said through gritted teeth, his icy eyes narrowing. Sigyn's bottom lip trembled as she tried not to let her sudden anger get the best of her. She bowed her head and started to exit the stables before Loki's taunts halted her.

"Run along, child. Perhaps that head of yours can gain some-"

"You dare say I am soft in the head?" Sigyn shot back in a heated whisper. "I am not the one who foolishly tore off Lady Sif's hair simply because you..." She paused; certain she should not say more. She went to leave before Loki suddenly appeared before her eyes. The act took her breath away; he could now teleport.

"Do not dare act as though you know why I committed these actions," Loki spat in a growl. He glowered down at her with strong hatred.

"You felt you were righting a wrong," the girl replied briskly, daring to look back at the prince.

Celery-green eyes and icy blue ones locked intently. Loki's eyes gently widened as he looked her straight in the eye. He looked more than surprised. "Why would you say such a thing?"

"Tis what you said, is it not?" Sigyn pushed, her eyes wide as she realized his facial expression just revealed what she felt she knew in her heart these many weeks. Loki cut off Lady Sif's hair as retribution for her getting Sigyn struck in the face. Sigyn simply never had real proof of such a thing until this moment.

"You hold no idea what you are talking about," Loki replied icily.

"I feel I do."

"YOU DO NOT," said Loki very loudly, his face flushed. He glared at her as though she were as vile as a crow eating a harvest of fresh corn. He started to walk away, and even being only fifteen years young, Sigyn knew if she let him walk away without saying something more, she might very well regret it. "
"Thank you," she admitted breathlessly, shaking her head in dismay at her own words. Why was she saying such a thing? Her bottom lip continued to tremble as she mentally urged herself to continue. It was only when she caught Loki's puzzled expression that she pushed forward. "What you did was very, very wrong." She nodded. "But you did it for me, and I find-"

"I do not pity you, Sigyn," Loki intervened, looking quite disgusted she reached such a conclusion. His eyes were beautiful yet haunted. Sigyn always felt this prince, in particular, often looked wiser beyond his years, but seeing him now reinstated that powerful feeling. He looked far older than Thor, and maybe even his father Odin.

"Then why did you do it?" asked Sigyn, surprised by his answer.

Loki diverted his eyes to the dirt beneath their feet, looking as though he were looking for the answer to such a question down below. Heavy silence passed where Sigyn wondered if he was ever going to answer her. After a long moment where no words were shared, he finally spoke in a barely audible voice. "It distressed me to see you in pain."

As the young prince stalked away in the opposite direction upon this hasty reveal, it caused Sigyn to feel a strong sadness. A strange feeling fluttered throughout her. She found she felt the same way regarding the idea of the young prince being whipped on her behalf; the idea of him ever being in harm's way pained her greatly.

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