Second Chances

Loki and Sif took Sigyn straight to The Allfather, before her wounds started healing, before anything. He carried her across the throne room where Frigga was seated with Odin, but she was on her feet in seconds when she saw her son carrying the small, fragile, broken form.
‘Oh dear Gods, Sigyn.’ She breathed as she reached him, Sigyn’s eyes slightly out of focus as the blow to the head took hold. ‘What happened?’
‘Theoric happened.’ Loki said angrily as his father descended the stairs from his throne.
‘What is this?’ Odin frowned.
‘Theoric beat his bride-to-be.’ Loki said loudly. ‘She can barely stand.’
‘Where is he?’ Frigga asked angrily.
‘The Warriors Three have taken him to the dungeon, but you will charge him, you will incarcerate him, and you will cancel the contract between them.’ He glared at Odin as he approached.
‘He did this to her? Every wound?’
Sif bowed her head. ‘Every one you can see and more, I suspect, Allfather.’
‘Take her to Eir.’ Odin said. ‘I will speak with her father regarding the betrothal.’
‘You will stop it.’ Frigga demanded. ‘He cannot be allowed to do this. Release Sigyn from this torment. He will kill her if he weds her!’
‘And what of Sigyn? What would you have me do with her? Her father is determined to see her wed.’
‘Let her wed the man who loves her, who has always loved her.’ She pleaded, turning back to Loki who was looking at Sigyn with a pained expression. ‘It has always been the two of them, my love, you cannot be so blind as to not see it? Let them be happy, as we are.’
Odin looked them over. He knew, of course, that they had feelings for one another, he had hoped it would have been a mere infatuation that would have faded with time, but he knew it was not true. And while he had hoped the betrothal to Theoric would have put an end to it he knew deep down that it wouldn’t, only death would come between them, because he felt the same about his own wife, his queen. He sighed. ‘If her father will agree, you have my blessing.’
Loki’s head shot up at his words. ‘Father?’ He asked uncertainly.
‘Take her to Eir, my son, before your beloved is beyond repair.’ And he turned back to his throne. Loki was stunned and it was only Frigga’s hand on his arm that started him moving towards the doors just as Thor came running through them.
‘Fandral told me what happened. How is she?’
‘Hurt.’ Loki said simply.
‘See him to Eir with her.’ Frigga asked him and he nodded. ‘I need to speak with your father.’
‘Come, brother.’
Sigyn woke to find her head hurt, as did much of her body, but she could breathe and she was alive. There was always a bright side, if you looked hard enough. A pressure on her forehead let her know someone was there, mopping her brow, and she opened her eyes, expecting to see one of the healers, or her lady in waiting, but instead found Loki.
‘Easy, love.’ He said quietly, as he removed the cloth from her brow. ‘You had quite a knock to the head.’
She tried to speak but found her mouth dry and she swallowed, feeling as though razor blades lined her throat, then tried again. ‘Theoric?’
‘Incarcerated, like the animal he is, beloved.’
Her eyes drifted closed heavily but she forced them open again. ‘I can’t, Loki.’ She managed to whisper as he caressed her cheek softly. ‘I can’t stay. I won’t marry him.’
‘You won’t. Father is even now in conference with your father, brokering a new deal. You do not have to marry Theoric. No one will, if we have our way.’
‘I don’t want to marry anyone.’ She said, her voice breaking as a single tear slipped out of the corner of her eye.
‘Not even your prince?’
She closed her eyes and swallowed heavily. ‘We can’t. I love you, but we can’t.’
‘Love, we are the new deal our father’s are brokering.’ He said gently. ‘I told you I would marry you, and I meant every word.’
She figured she must have hit her head harder than she thought and she was hallucinating, but it was a nice dream all the same. ‘I wish we could.’
‘We can, and we will. Soon. Look.’ He raised her hand carefully, showing her the bracelet he had given her in place for all to see, no longer on her ankle.
‘Dreaming.’ She said, letting her eyes close.
‘Not a dream, sunbeam, a dream come true.’
She drifted into unconsciousness again and Loki stayed with her, eating at her bedside when his mother brought food and made him partake in it. Eir kept a close eye on her, she was to be the new princess and should be treated as such, and when she woke fully a little over twelve hours after the initial attack there was great relief, but none as much as that from Loki. When she was able to sit up he was there beside her, moving pillows, kissing her softly, and explaining to her again that it wasn’t in fact a dream, they were to be wed at the harvest. Loki was sure that his mother had more to do with the date being as close as it was and he made a point of thanking both his parents and her father for making it possible.
‘Oh my God, that’s a better love story than Titanic.’ Darcy whispered, her own tears staining her cheeks. Everyone had welled up, even Nat, as Sif and Sigyn told the full story.
‘And it’s true.’ Jane murmured. ‘I’ll never look at Loki the same again.’
‘I knew he had a softer side.’ Darcy threw a cushion at Jane. ‘He just needed a good woman.’
‘He got two.’ Sif said proudly as Sigyn wiped at her face.
‘I think that might just be to bring him back in line.’ Sigyn chuckled.
‘You do have a way of making him behave.’ Sif pointed out.
‘What happened to Theoric?’ Wanda asked, her own cheeks damp.
‘He was imprisoned and then banished. No one knew what happened to him after that but he lost all the credibility he had with the Crimson Hawks, no realm would willingly take him in. The man who beat King Odin’s daughter-in-law.’
‘Deserves his balls chopped off, at the least.’
‘To be fair I was having an affair.’ Sigyn pointed out. ‘I never let him so much as hold my hand, let alone anything else.’
‘There’s never an excuse to beat a woman.’ Nat said.
‘No, I know, I mean about him being suspicious. He was right.’
‘Well, Loki was there first, so he had dibs.’ Darcy said as she cleaned her glasses on her sleeve.
‘You can’t put dibs on a person.’ Nat laughed.
‘Sure you can, if they give you dibs back. Loki and Sigyn had dibs on each other years before.’
‘Finders keepers rules?’ Sigyn asked.
‘Works with the heart too, as long as it’s consensual.’ Darcy added.
‘Well, congratulations on your first girls night.’ Nat turned to Sigyn with a smile. ‘You brought us all to tears. I don’t think anyone has ever done that.’
‘It was a pleasure.’ She smiled back. ‘But now I want to ask a few questions of my own.’

Notes