Thor and Loki returned to Asgard in all haste after leaving the Warriors Three and Sif to secure transport for the prisoners and see to their fallen and wounded comrades. Frigga immediately took Loki and Sigyn to the healing room, while Thor sought out the Allfather. 
Odin stood atop the balcony overlooking the courtyard. His ravens flew overhead, their shadows appearing like dark spectres on the ground in the torchlight's glow. The night slowly wrapped Asgard in its embrace, the waning moon appearing low in the sky.

"Did you find her?" Odin inquired of his son when he joined him.

"Aye, we did. Mother and the healers are tending to her now. She... went through a lot." His father's eye settled upon him at that answer, but Thor was glad Odin asked no further. Sigyn's injuries had been hard to look at, let alone speak of them. He cleared his throat before continuing, "We have Lady Sunna and her sons, Thorin and Björn."

"And the other two?"

"Dead. Loki defeated Ivar in battle, and Aeric... he was killed by his mother."

"Hm, I will not waste much time on her then," spoke Odin. "Only one sentence seems appropriate for Lady Sunna's crimes. As for her surviving sons —"

"I would ask mercy," interrupted Thor hastily.

His father quirked a brow. "Those men attacked you and your brother. They almost declared war on us. You normally would not hesitate to destroy your enemies. Why the sudden change of mind?"

"It is more a change of heart. I ask it for Sigyn. She is the one who suffered the most; she should have a say in their fates. At the very least, wait to pass judgment until she has recovered."

Odin regarded Thor with mild curiosity. A raven came to sit on his shoulder. He paid no heed to the bird and instead looked out over his domain. 

"You speak reasonably," he said after a moment of silent contemplation. "I will postpone the trial of Sigyn's brothers until she is well again. Perhaps Lord Völundr may wish to have a say in this as well."

"Sigyn's father?" asked Thor in surprise. "He is here?"

"Yes, he joined his youngest son through the Bifrost and surrendered freely. We have him in a holding cell. Frigga was able to lower the enchantment placed upon Lord Völundr long enough for him to speak to us. Lady Sunna holds a vast and intricate knowledge of sorcery despite losing her fire. The spell is quite ingenious; one look at Sigyn, or even the mention of her name, and Völundr feels only disdain, impeding him from taking any action that would have a direct effect on the improvement of her life."

"I do not understand. For what purpose?"

"Lady Sunna wanted Sigyn to lose hope. To lose her very will, so she would concede her fire to her mother. Had Lord Völundr not agreed to Frigga's proposal to send Sigyn a year ahead under the ploy that your... sometimes coarse behaviour would only bring her down further, Lady Sunna would have demanded your wedding take place immediately. When Sigyn married Loki, they unknowingly thwarted those plans and forced her to act now."

"Because she feared my brother would have his own plans for Sigyn."

Thor's fists balled in anger. That someone could sink so low in their depravity, to use and harm their own family in such a way... It sickened him to even think of it. Not even Loki would dare to do such a thing, and he was the God of Mischief. Wickedness had seeped into his nature. Or at least, that's how he used to be. Sigyn's love was changing Loki already. If she was lost to him... Thor didn't dare imagine what could happen.

***

The second-born Prince of Asgard sat dejectedly on the ground, his head lowered, his arm resting on his knee. Frigga had promised she would let him back in the healing room as soon as Sigyn was stable, but that had been three hours ago. It was taking far too long.

I came too late. I should never have waited on the army, or Thor, or anyone else, and just searched for her myself. Then maybe I could have... Oh, Sigyn, please forgive me.

The soft rustle of skirts perturbed Loki's thoughts then. Astrid was pacing in front of the closed doors again. She hadn't said a word to Loki, which was fine by him, since he had nothing to say to her either. Quietly, he observed Astrid with narrowed eyes, recalling what Aeric had revealed to him. Someone had been sending messages to Sigyn's mother. Someone close to them.
A servant seemed the most likely culprit. Servants were often overlooked by their masters. They knew more secrets than anyone. But it seemed absurd anyone from the palace would betray the royal family like this. So that left only one suspect.
Astrid was Asgardian. Her father had faithfully served in the Einherjar until his death, and she'd been under Lady Sunna's employ for years. Yet to think she would betray Sigyn like this, when she was always so protective of her... Then again, maybe that protectiveness came from needing to ensure Sigyn played along with her mother's plan without knowing about it.

The door of the healing room suddenly opened. Astrid hastened toward the healers as they streamed out, their heads solemnly bowed. None looked at her or Loki. The tightness in his chest grew worse. Fearfully, he clutched his pendant, praying with all his might. 
At least, the Queen herself appeared on the threshold. Her kind eyes were filled with sorrow. They settled on Loki, who felt the floor give way underneath him. But before either mother or son could speak, Astrid forced herself between them, breaking their eye contact. 

"How is she?" the handmaiden frantically asked. "Is she awake? May I see her? Only a moment, my Queen, please."

Frigga glanced at Loki before answering. When he merely averted his eyes, she replied, "Only a moment. Sigyn was hurt badly and lost a lot of blood."

Astrid nodded and darted past the Queen, closing the door behind her. Loki stayed seated as his mother approached and knelt beside him. She place her hand on top of his and asked, "Are you wounded?" 

"No, I'm fine," he said. "Mother... Was Sigyn... I mean, is she still...?"

Loki couldn't say it. But he didn't need to. His mother pressed her lips together and shook her head, understanding perfectly well what he'd meant to ask. A strangled sob escaped Loki. He leaned back against the wall. Tears stung his eyes, but he hurriedly wiped them away. It seemed so ridiculous to be sad over something that wasn't even born yet, but his heart still twisted. A part of him and Sigyn, the product of their love, was just gone... as if it had never been.

"I am so sorry, my boy." Frigga kissed his brow. 

"I asked Sigyn the night we were wed if... She said nothing of it, and I... I assumed..."

"She wasn't certain then. She came to me a couple of days after the wedding after missing her course. I performed some tests to be certain and told Sigyn of my findings two days ago."

Two days ago... The way she kissed me then, and the way she led me to our bed... She seemed so happy. I should have known... I should never have left her side that wretched morning!

"Do not blame yourself for what has happened, Loki." Frigga pinched his hand gently. "You have no fault in this and did all you could. Don't think it was a waste of time to get stronger before engaging Sigyn's family. Had you gone as you were, her mother would have captured you and used you to get what she wanted from Sigyn and us, and then killed you."

Loki glimpsed at his mother. Did she know what he had done?

"Did you believe I wouldn't notice?" She smirked upon noticing his look. "Your powers have grown significantly. So either you have learned to use Sigyn's through your bond, or you drew energy from another source. A hidden glen at the centre of Asgard, perhaps?"

"You know of the true Urdarbrunn?" he asked.

"I've never been there myself, but yes, I know of it. I also know you discovered it some years ago. It gladdened me when you shared it with Sigyn. The Urdarbrunn was born out of the most powerful force in the universe, and your union has awakened that force once more. You have both been blessed by the magic at the glen."

"Blessed? Mother, how can you say we are blessed after all that has happened? Why did Sigyn and our unborn child have to pay the price for what I did?"

"Loki, you are wrong to think what occurred resulted from your actions. You know as well as I do the natural law demands a balance. Power for power, blood for blood, a life for a life. But neither you nor Sigyn will ever need to pay that sort of price to the Urdarbrunn. Quite the opposite, in fact; it is the ancient magic that is indebted to you. The Urdarbrunn drew in your essences and love every time you were together there. That makes it so powerful, what keeps it alive, even. Let me ask you something; when you took the magic, did it resist at first? Did you feel it pull at you and then give way?"

Loki thought back to that moment. The feeling his mother described was accurate, but he dared say it'd been more than that. It'd been as if his very soul had threatened to be ripped from him in a magical tug-of-war, and only by sheer force of will and his desire to save Sigyn did he flip the table on the Urdarbrunn.

"So," Loki looked at Frigga, "are you saying it was a test of some sort?"

"Exactly," she said. "The magic wanted to see if you were truly ready to face whatever was needed to retrieve your loved one. Had you given way for even the slightest moment, you would not have been able to draw its power. But you were deemed worthy, as I knew you would be."

Frigga's fingers lovingly caressed Loki's cheek. She then rose from the floor and offered a hand. But as she pulled Loki up, he staggered back against the wall. A scorching pain against his chest made him gasp for breath. His eyes widened at the sensation, and his hand reached for his pendant on instinct. The jewel was set ablaze from within. Sigyn was using her fire magic.

***

Gone. It was really gone. Sigyn had dared to hold on to an inkling of hope, but it had been in vain. The injuries she sustained at the hands of her brothers had killed the life she'd carried. It was but a small mercy that it was the only part of her mother's plan to have succeeded.
Despite insisting Sigyn should rest, Frigga recounted how Loki and Thor had worked together and had mustered the Asgardian army to fight the Marauders and the Norn to save her. It seemed incredible people would actually risk so much for her...

Her memories of the past hours were hazy, but Sigyn recalled seeing Loki in the cave. She remembered his voice as he stopped her from killing her mother. Though Sigyn understood why her husband had done so, she still felt she deserved vengeance for the suffering her mother put her through, for the spells she cast on her own family, all the lies... Why should she be deprived of her revenge? It was only fair. It was justice. Justice for her baby and her youngest brother.
Aeric... Why had he come back? If he had stayed away, he would have lived. Instead, he would soon enter the halls of Valhalla, a fate Sigyn hoped he did not share with Ivar. Her eldest brother had been killed by none other than her husband. It would be a cruel twist indeed, should that bastard be allowed into those sacred halls as well.

Thanks to Frigga and the other healers, Sigyn could already move more freely, no longer constricted by her own body. Any physical pain she still felt was bearable. As for her mind and heart, there was only one cure.
Sigyn needed Loki now more than ever. And he desperately needed her. He was near; she felt his presence on the other side of the door. She sensed his distress for her. His guilt. Sigyn tried to get up, but Frigga, who was washing the last of the blood and dirt away from her hair, made her lie back down.

"I want to see Loki," insisted Sigyn.

"No. Rest now, Sigyn."

"Frigga, I feel what he feels. Loki blames himself for what has happened, but none of this is his fault. He has to know that. Please, I beg of you; let me see my husband."

The Queen pinched her lips in thought, then sighed her consent, much to Sigyn's relief. She sank into her pillow as Frigga ordered the healers to leave the room. When she rose as well, Sigyn hurriedly halted her with a hand to hers.

"Wait, I... Frigga, I did not have the chance to tell Loki about... H-How do I tell him I'm no longer...?" She couldn't bear to say it.

"I will speak with him first."

Frigga leaned in to kiss Sigyn atop her head before taking her leave. The bruised and battered Princess turned to her side, a silent tear rolling down her cheek. The light from the hall poured into the room as the door opened. Shadows played on the wall. Sigyn watched them move before the door closed, and the room once more fell into a dim glow. 
Faint footsteps drew near. They halted halfway across the room, prompting Sigyn to glance over her shoulder. Astrid stood a few feet away. Once their eyes locked, the handmaiden ran to her mistress and friend, almost throwing herself on her knees beside the bed.

"I was so worried for you," she cried. "I feared the worst. Sigyn, I am so sorry for leaving you alone. I promise I will never do so again."

Again... Sigyn frowned. Why did one word ring through her minds like a tolling bell?

"Everything will be okay, you'll see," continued Astrid. "Your mother is imprisoned, as are your father, Thorin, and Björn. And Ivar and Aeric are dead. Nobody will hurt you ever again."

Again... What was it?

"I will take care of you. And when you are better, we can leave for a while. Just the two of us, and we can —"

"You said again."

Astrid fell silent at Sigyn's mumbled interruption. She cocked her head in confusion. "Pardon?" 

Sigyn recalled the last time she'd looked into her companion's hazel eyes. She recalled her mother's words. She pushed herself up, straining against her protesting limbs, and pulled back the covers to reveal the bruises on the visible parts of her body.

"Sigyn, what are you doing?" Astrid jumped to her feet. "Lie back down before you hurt yourself!"

But Sigyn ignored her and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her knees buckled, but she would not have Astrid help her and pushed her away, as the memory took full shape. 

"When we fought the eve of my wedding," she said, "you said you would not stand by again and watch someone else you cared for lose it all because of Loki. What did you mean when you said again?"

Her friend's face grew pale. There was no hiding the sudden panic reflecting in her eyes. "I... I did not... I-It meant nothing."

"Don't lie to me, Astrid. Tell me what you meant."

"Sigyn, y-you are not making any sense." Astrid smiled nervously. "You have been through so much with your family and your baby, you must be exhausted. I will leave you to rest, and we can speak more in the morning. Here, let me help you."

Astrid tried to get Sigyn back into bed, but the latter slapped her hand away. She glared at the woman who had been her trusted friend and companion for so long and asked, "How do you know about my baby?"

"I... I must have overheard the servants —"

"Only Frigga knew I was with child, Astrid. Nobody else knew, not even Loki. I was going to tell him the day my mother and brothers came to Asgard. So, I ask again; how did you know?"

The past minute had revealed the answer to something Sigyn had wondered about during her captivity. Only six persons had been aware that Sigyn's relationship with Loki long pre-dated the wedding. But of those six, only one knew Lady Sunna personally. Only one had been in her employ for years. That same person was also the only one with full access to the Princess' private rooms at any time. Astrid would have known Sigyn had missed her course when she found no blood on her underskirts or bed sheets and the pads lay untouched. A slip of the tongue and a refusal to respond to a simple question had confirmed Sigyn's suspicion and sealed the handmaiden's fate.

"It would seem my mother was right about one thing." Sigyn drew closer, her eyes holding a menacing glare. "Betrayal does not come from outside."

Astrid swiftly drew a small dagger from her wrist, its scabbard hidden by her dress' sleeve. She cried out as great white blisters appeared on her palm, her skin burned by the heated hilt of her weapon. It dropped to the ground with a loud clang.
No longer did she face the broken Princess who had been so brutally beaten mere hours ago, but a red-eyed fury with two fire serpents slithering down her body. When the snakes touched the ground, they slithered to circle Astrid, the flames dancing up and down their long bodies. She huddled on the ground, desperate to protect herself.

"Sigyn, please." Astrid's voice quivered in fear. "I-I am your friend. We have known each other for so long."

The door to the healing room burst open, and Loki and Frigga stormed in. Sigyn pushed down the cool burst of magic she sensed within her pendant, focusing solely on her flame. One serpent rapidly moved in front of them, so Loki and Frigga could not come closer. Nobody would stop the fire mage this time.

"Sigyn, don't!" shouted Loki.

She ignored him, her attention fully on Astrid. "It was you, wasn't it? You were the one who kept my mother informed of what happened here. They came for me because of you!"

"I did not believe your family would hurt you like this!" exclaimed Astrid. "Please, Sigyn, you must believe me!"

"Believe you? Aeric and my baby are dead because of you!"

"Aeric would still be alive if you had only listened to me! The child you carried would have been Thor's if you had heeded my counsel!"

"You betrayed me!"

"I saved you! I saved you from Loki and from yourself! You were so besotted you could no longer see the truth! You could not see what I saw! Loki only wants you for your magic! He is incapable of love, which he proved to me years ago!"

Astrid spun round to Loki. The snakes hissed, embers spitting from their mouths, but she was too caught up in her anger to fear them anymore.

"Tell her!" she shouted. "Tell her what you did and let her see what you truly are!"

Loki stared at her in bewilderment. "What in blazes are you talking about? I've done nothing. What we had was only ever what it was. I did not want more, and neither did you."

"I do not speak of me!"

"Then who —?"

"My sister! Ingrid!"

"Ingrid?"

"Your actions destroyed our family! My mother has locked herself away since Ingrid took her own life! You made her believe you loved her, and she gave herself to you! You took her innocence, her virtue, her telekinetic powers, everything! And then you turned her away the moment you had what you wanted, leaving her shamed! She tried to return to you so many times, but you refused to even see her! You refused to see the woman who carried your child! Had Lady Sunna allowed it, I would have carved your beating black heart out the moment she sent me back here!"

Loki was at a complete loss, left utterly dumbstruck at Astrid's heart-rending rant. His eyes travelled from her to Sigyn, then settled again on the grief-stricken woman before him. "Astrid, I... I don't know Ingrid, I..."

His words fell away when Frigga put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her in confusion, silently asking for an explanation, but the Queen offered none.  

'Loki does not know the girl is dead. Nor that she was carrying his child. He does not even remember her.'

Odin's words resonated through Sigyn then. The missing pieces were finally coming together.

"My mother said Loki unwittingly killed her spy several years ago," she spoke. "But he never actually killed the spy, did he? He was only accountable for the spy's death. For Ingrid's."

Astrid turned back to her, eyes and cheeks puffy. "She was like you; born with magic, but she never learned how to use it properly. Your mother offered lessons, but only in exchange for Ingrid becoming her spy in Asgard. I helped her as best I could, but I wasn't allowed to leave you. By the time I joined her, my sister had already fallen under Loki's spell. I tried to get Ingrid to focus back on her task, but she only wanted to please Loki. I went as far as sharing his bed, all to keep him away from her, but Ingrid still found ways to be with him. And when he was done with her, she was discarded like a used toy. Shamed and ridiculed, as if she were nothing but a common wench. Sigyn, I swear, everything I have done, I have done for you. You are my dearest friend, and I only wanted to protect your from sharing my sister's fate. I could not lose you the way I... I lost Ingrid."

The handmaiden furiously rubbed at her eyes and lowered her head. Had it been any other day, Sigyn would have pitied Astrid. She would have comforted her and done all in her power to help. But this night, after all that happened... 
Sigyn made the snakes return to her. Once they slithered up her body, reverting into the pendant, she approached Astrid and knelt before her. Her arms enveloped the young woman, pulling her close to her own body. Astrid clutched her, crying onto her shoulder. Briefly, Sigyn met Loki's gaze. He watched her with bated breath. 

"Don't," he mouthed.

"I understand your reasons," whispered Sigyn in Astrid's ear. "I understand your pain and your sorrow. And I understand why you feared I would suffer like Ingrid. But I am not her, Astrid. I am you; someone whose loved one was ripped from this world by the actions of another. And I will do what you could not."

She tightened her hold on Astrid, not allowing any escape. Her pendant glowed brightly. Her magic surged. And her fire, at last released in full desire, burned stronger than the sun itself.

***

"SIGYN, NO!"

Sigyn's entire body burst into flames. The fire engulfed Astrid, her bloodcurdling scream echoing through the night. Loki quickly grabbed hold of his mother to shield her from the enormous explosion. But the fire did not touch them. They could barely even feel the heat.
When Loki looked up, Sigyn sat forlorn on the floor, her eyes emerald green once more and her skin pale as moonlight. She reached for Astrid's charred body with a trembling hand. It crumbled at a single touch. Frigga hurriedly flicked her hand, and the ashes disappeared before they could be swept away by the breeze from the open window. Where they had gone, Loki did not know. Nor did he care.

The Prince hurried over to his wife. He pulled her up and carried her to the bed. Sigyn's paralysing sorrow was overwhelming. Loki felt it as if it were his own with every fibre of his being. He sat with her in silence, just waiting for Sigyn to drift away, exhausted by the mental and physical fatigue. Only then did his eyes wander to where the ashes had lain on the floor.
All this time, he believed Astrid had hated him out of some form of jealousy. He thought she wanted to be with him or with Sigyn, even. Why could he not remember this other girl, this Ingrid? The name sounded familiar, yet he could not picture her. It was as if he had completely forgotten about her. As if his memories of her had been... erased.

"You." Loki's head jerked towards his mother. "You made me forgot about that girl, didn't you?"

Frigga sighed. "You seduced and deceived Ingrid, making her believe you wanted to bind your magic together. But as soon as she agreed, you stole her power and left her with nothing. Ingrid tried to speak to you so many times, but you ignored her pleas and turned her away. She was heartbroken and drowned herself in the river. I discovered she was with child when I examined her body."

Loki gasped in horror. Surely he couldn't have. But deep within himself, he knew it to be true. Telekinesis wasn't one of his natural powers. It had always mystified him how he'd obtained that skill from one day to the next without even training for it. Frigga told him it'd been a gift from the ancestors and that he should use it wisely. Now the truth was out.
Everything he'd planned to do to Sigyn... Loki was horrified at realising he'd already done it once before. He'd been acting on forgotten memories, their residue yet lingering in the back of his mind. If he hadn't fallen for Sigyn, if he'd stolen her flame and shamed her and Thor as he'd planned... 

"Why would you not tell me?" he demanded of Frigga. "How could you just erase my memories of Ingrid?"

"Because I know you, Loki. Despite putting up that facade of indifference and mischief, you care more about people than you like to admit. You would have gone mad with guilt had I told you about what had befallen Ingrid. I wanted to protect you from that. But if I had known Astrid was Ingrid's sister..."

Her words faltered, but her meaning was obvious. Had Frigga known about Astrid, she would have altered or even erased her memories too. Then the events which had made Loki the villain in Astrid's eyes would have been forgotten, and she might have been less inclined to keep Sigyn away from him. Loki gritted his teeth at the thought that it could have all been different had his mother been honest with him. But then... the first fault lay with him.

"Can you cast your spell again?" he asked. "Can you cast it on everyone who ever knew Astrid and Ingrid? Make them all forget like you did with me?"

"The spell is not meant to be used on multiple minds at once. It would take months, perhaps years, to track down everyone and put them under enchantment."

"What if I helped? I hold the power of the Urdarbrunn now, so surely it can work then."

"No, Loki. Erasing memories is far more intricate than changing them, you know that. It took me decades to master, and you have barely grasped alteration. If we attempt this, we could do more harm than good. We could erase every memory, not only those involving Ingrid and Astrid, and leave people as nothing more than empty shells, without purpose or sense. That is a fate worse than death. Would you really do that to them? Would Sigyn allow you to do that?"

Loki pressed his lips together. No, his wife wouldn't allow any spell to be cast at all. Not on herself or anyone else. Though... perhaps there was one she would want to save from grief.

"Astrid's mother yet lives," said Loki. "Can you place her under the spell?"

"You would make a mother forget her daughters?" questioned Frigga, surprised at his request.

"I would have her sorrow end. Whether she forgets her daughters or believes they both live happily in some remote world, I don't care. Either way, she will be free of pain."

"You believe this is what Sigyn would ask of you?"

"I believe she would do it herself if she were able. She knows what it is like to suffer... now even more so."

"Very well then. I will make the preparations. The sooner the enchantment takes hold, the better. We cannot let Astrid's mother hear about her disappearance. It would only complicate matters."

"Thank you."

"Loki... I am sorry. For everything."

"I know. Me too."

The Queen left her son with his beloved wife. Once the door shut behind Frigga, Loki gently cupped Sigyn's face and kissed her lips. He let his magic flow freely from his pendant to hers. Loki hoped Sigyn sensed it and prayed her dreams were filled with thoughts of the good in her life. He did not move from her side and did not let go of her hand. He sat there for the rest of the night, keeping watch over his sleeping Princess, waiting patiently for the dawn to come and for the terrible nightmare to end.