"How is she?"

Loki looked up as Thor entered the healing room. He quickly put a finger to his lips, and his brother froze in the middle of the room, afraid to move any further. They both held their breath as Sigyn stirred, but she remained with huddled under the covers. Loki drew closer, finding she was still asleep, thank Odin.
Sigyn had woken up a few times during the night, crying and screaming in terror, her dreams filled with the dreadful memories of what had happened. At first, Loki had rocked his wife back to sleep with whispering words of comfort and love, but after the fourth time, he could no longer bear to witness her agony. He had prepared a sleeping draught, ensuring a dreamless slumber. It should have allowed Loki to rest as well, but his concern for Sigyn kept him awake, jerking toward her at the slightest stirring, the slightest change in her breathing. Frigga had returned shortly after dawn, but Loki had still refused to leave his beloved. 

Loki beckoned his brother to the window, so they could speak without disturbing Sigyn. He briefly peered outside. The sky was grey, packed clouds blocking out any sunlight, and the usual turbulent waters underneath the Bifrost were still. There was not a bird in sight, and the city below was silent. It seemed Asgard itself had joined him in his anguish.

"How fares she?" asked Thor again, trying to keep his voice low. 

"In pain," answered Loki, wearily. "The healers have done the best they could, but her body and her mind are broken. And..."

Loki pressed his lips together when he realised how hard it was to say it out loud. He averted and swallowed the lump in his throat before he continued in an almost inaudible murmur, "We lost our baby."

Thor gasped and glanced sadly at Sigyn's sleeping figure before putting a comforting hand on Loki's shoulder. "I am sorry, brother. Truly."

Loki shrugged him off. He did not care for apologies. Fortunately, Thor's limited attention span allowed for a change in the topic as his eyes searched the room. He asked, "Where is Astrid? I know the two of you are not the best of friends, but that should not have stopped her from coming here. Not with Sigyn hurt."

"Astrid is no longer with us."

Thor furrowed his brow at Loki's sudden bitter tone of voice. "What do you mean?"

"She was Lady's Sunna's spy in Asgard. She informed her of everything; Mother's search for a bride for you, your arguments, our marriage, of Sigyn being..."

Loki's voice constricted in his throat. It was too damn painful to speak of the child he would never know. He took a deep breath, willing himself to remain calm in front of his brother. But it seemed like Thor himself was about to lose his temper at the revelation. 

"Astrid should stand trial as well," he spoke with gritted teeth and balled fists. "Tell me where she has gone, and I will —"

"Thor, you are not hearing me. She is no longer with us."

His brother drew back a little, his eyes narrowed at Loki. Then he nodded, understanding without words what he truly meant. 

"How?" he asked. 

"Doesn't matter," said Loki. "She is dead; that is all you need to know. Please do not press the issue further. For Sigyn's sake."

He shot Thor an intense but pleading look. He couldn't let his brother discover the truth about Astrid. Thor could keep a secret most of the time, but no longer after drinking his fair share of mead. And if something were to slip out in his drunken state to Volstagg, the whole of Asgard would know in little less than an hour.

"Very well," consented Thor upon noting Loki's insistence. "But have a story ready when you next see Fandrall. Astrid finally answered his advances, and he will wonder where she is."

Loki groaned in annoyance. "Damn it all. Fine, I'll come up with something. Do not trouble yourself with it."

"We tell him the truth." The sudden sound of Sigyn's voice startled Loki and Thor. They turned to find her sitting up in the bed. Loki hastened to her, taking her into an embrace, and placed a soft kiss on her brow. She nudged him away but cupped his face. "We tell Fandrall the truth. He loved Astrid; he deserves to know."

"Sigyn..."

"Think about what you just went through, Loki. What thoughts rampaged through you as you searched for me? Imagine what Fandrall will think when Astrid doesn't return to him, especially if what Thor says is true and they were together this past week."

Loki sighed. She was right. A man in love would accept nothing else but the truth. He nodded, and Sigyn lightly brushed her lips against his cheek before letting go and facing Thor, who had lingered back to give them a moment. 

"Do you have news?" she asked.

Loki met his brother's gaze. Thor seemed reluctant to speak, for which Loki could not blame him. But delaying this conversation wouldn't do any good. Loki nodded to his brother and let some of his magic flow from his pendant to Sigyn's, hoping it would keep her calm as Thor spoke.

"Lady Sunna was executed this morning. The Allfather held only a brief trial to let some witnesses speak, myself and your father included. The sentence was carried out immediately afterwards. I asked for mercy for Thorin and Björn. They have both been imprisoned, but I have assured some comfort for them. Father will hold their trial once you have recovered."

"Set them free."

Both brothers looked at Sigyn in surprise. Loki had not expected his wife to say this. He would have thought Sigyn wanted her brothers locked away until the end of time for what they did. 

"Set my brothers free, Thor," repeated Sigyn when she caught their stares. "Let what little remains of my family go."

"Are you certain?" asked Thor, exchanging a quick glance with Loki.

"I am. Hopefully, my father and Björn will break free from my mother's spell now that she is dead."

"And Thorin?" Loki spat his name out in disgust. "Do you want him free as well?"

"I would have this end, Loki." Sigyn took his hand in hers. "There has been enough death."

He searched her eyes, but his wife appeared quite determined. While he abhorred the thought of releasing someone who hurt Sigyn, he would not go against her wishes.

"If any of them attempt to harm you again," he warned, "I will personally make sure they suffer. In this life and the next."

"Thank you. Thor, please do what you can to get them home today."

"Of course, dear sister." Thor stepped closer and pressed a kiss atop her head. "Feel better soon."

He left the healing room to make the necessary arrangements, leaving Loki once more with Sigyn. He pulled her close, wanting to hold her, kiss her, comfort her; but much to his astonishment, she pushed him away. 

"I would like some time alone," she said, "if you wouldn't mind."

"Sigyn..."

"Loki, please... Just a little while. I need to gather my thoughts. Besides, you haven't slept in nearly two days. Get some rest." 

"No, I won't leave you."

"You will never leave me." Sigyn touched her pendant and smiled weakly at Loki. "Go now. I'll be fine."

Loki leaned in. His lips grazed Sigyn's. She kept perfectly still.

"I love you," he whispered. 

There came no reply.

***

The Allfather was as surprised as Thor and Loki were at Sigyn's request to have her family released, but did not rule against it. Lord Völundr insisted on seeing his daughter, but Frigga convinced him not to. There was no certainty if Lady Sunna's spell was broken upon her death, and they were not inclined to test it out whilst Sigyn was still healing — though the spell seemed to have wavered, since both Völundr and Björn could speak and hear of Sigyn without feeling resentment or disgust. It was best to leave forthwith for Sigyn's safety, as well as their own, considering Loki's threat.
It took another day before Frigga allowed Sigyn to return to her and Loki's chambers. He'd hoped the familiar environment would help Sigyn lower the shield she appeared to have put up around herself, but instead, Sigyn isolated herself more. She barely left the bedchamber and closed the door to everyone, including Loki. 

The days slowly turned to weeks. No matter what they tried, Sigyn refused to speak to anyone. The Allfather, Frigga, Thor, even the Warriors Three, and Sif all came to see her, but the door remained shut. Eventually, only Loki remained, refusing to give up on his wife. 
He slept in their private study, sometimes on the settee, sometimes on the floor at the door, waking at the slightest noise out of sheer panic for his wife. He spoke to her and read stories from her favourite books, seated in the same spot at the wall until he was so stiff he could barely move. The magic which constantly flowed through the serpent pendants drained Loki. Even with the extra power he now held from the Urdarbrunn, he could not keep this up forever. 

Day after day, Loki begged Sigyn to open the door. The rare times she did, she opened it to nothing more than a small gap, making it impossible for him to see her properly. But what little Loki did see was more than enough to make his heart plummet further in sorrow. 
Sigyn was losing weight, eating but a bare minimum of the food Loki conjured into the room for her. Her porcelain skin was ashen, her eyes lifeless. And her hair, that beautiful red waterfall that usually framed her face so beautifully, hung loose and neglected around her shoulders, the colour darker than usual, barely shining at all. She was a spectre; a mere shade of the woman he knew her to truly be.
What she had endured, the truth about her family, the murder of her youngest brother, the betrayal of one she believed her friend, losing her baby... She was utterly destroyed. The only thing that kept her from giving up completely was Loki's love. But even he was at his limit.

***

"Is love a fancy or a feeling? No. 
It is immortal as immaculate Truth,
'Tis not a blossom shed as soon as youth,
Drops from the stem of life—for it will grow,
In barren regions, where no waters flow,
Nor rays of promise cheats the pensive gloom.
A darkling fire, faint hovering o'er a tomb,
That but itself and darkness nought doth show,
It is my love's being, yet it cannot die,
Nor will it change, though all be changed... beside..."

Loki threw the book aside, grunting in frustration. The sonnet by some sappy Midgardian poet was not helping at all. He leaned his head back against the door, hoping for the umpteenth time that today would be the day Sigyn would allow him in. But the door remained shut, and Loki grew ever more desperate. 

"Sigyn... please, I know you're in there. I'm right out here for you. Just let me in."

There was naught but silence within the chamber. Loki scrambled up, his body straining from the stiffness in his limbs. He put his hand against the cold wood, yearning for the warmth that lay behind it. 

"Sigyn, please, don't shut me out. We only have each other. It's just you and me, and I... I..."

Loki hung his head. What was the point? There was nothing else he could say. He had said it all a hundred, if not a thousand, times before. He could only repeat what was in his heart, reassuring Sigyn that it was still true.

"I love you." His voice broke. "Now and far longer than forever."

He waited with bated breath, hoping that their vow might prompt Sigyn to at the very least say something back to him. But the only thing Loki heard was the beating of his own heart. Despondently, he turned away and walked to the open window. He leaned his arm against the windowsill. His skin tingled as a light breeze blew against him.

"Winter is coming early this year," Loki spoke loud enough for Sigyn to hear. "I know it's strange, but I can always tell when it comes. I'm not really sure how."

His eyes gazed up to the greying sky. It seemed so long ago he saw the sun. It was almost as if, in her grief, the broken fire mage had made it go away. Yet another reason to not give up.

"You will like Asgard in winter. When the first snow falls, we go out in carriages drawn by grand black horses, and the smithies put blades on our boots to skate on the lake. And there are snowmen everywhere."

Loki grinned at the memory of the snowman he made when he was twelve. He'd cast a spell to make it come to life and follow Thor around wherever he went. His brother had believed he'd gone mad, seeing that same snowman appear at every turn. He'd destroyed it several times, but it just remade itself to continue its relentless torment of Thor. What fun that was.

"The Urdarbrunn will freeze as well. It always does. When the sun hits the waterfall just right, there's a shift in colours, dancing everywhere around the glen. Even I find it mesmerising. You will love it, I am sure. We should go there... when you're ready."

Loki fell silent when he thought of the place he and Sigyn had been to so many times. It seemed an eternity ago now. Even so, he remembered every moment so clearly. Every smile; every tear; every caress; every kiss...

"I never told you this, but I stole our first kiss," he confessed then. "It was just after you and Thor fought on the training grounds. I was alone with you in your chamber. You were still unconscious, and I... I kissed you. I still don't know what fell over me. I never meant for it to happen; it just... did. You stirred, and I almost believed I kissed you awake like in that insipid Midgardian fairy tale. I almost thought it was —"

"True love's kiss."

Loki spun round, believing his mind was playing tricks on him. After days, after weeks... the door was finally open.

***

Sigyn sat back against the door with her knees pulled up to her chest. Her fingers closed around her pendant when she heard Loki's pleading voice through the door again. She brushed her other hand over her face, feeling tears roll down her cheek. But there were none. Her tears had dried some time ago. 
The heartache that had gripped her entire being, keeping her in its murky grasp, was gone. All Sigyn was left with was a hollow emptiness. That sensation only grew as the days got shorter, allowing the nights to cast their darkness over Asgard and Sigyn's heart. The many footsteps and voices outside the bedchamber had dwindled until only one remained. It was the only one she could bear to hear.

Loki could have easily forced his way into their bedchamber. He could have projected himself inside the chamber to make Sigyn speak to him. But her husband remained outside, waiting for her. Patient... Understanding... Loving... 
Every day, Sigyn moved to open that door, only to still her hand. She kept seeing flashes of what had transpired over a month ago and recoiled then, knowing that Loki must still think of it, too. What she almost did to her mother... What she actually did to Astrid... She purposely killed someone out of vengeance and anger, and she could not shake the harrowing feeling clinging within her. After the first shock, after grasping what she had done, all Sigyn felt... was satisfaction. And this scared her more than anything. 

At night, she sometimes woke, her heart racing wild from the most horrific nightmare in which she killed Astrid all over again. The sound of her screams as she died, the smell of her flesh as she burned... and Sigyn looking at her own reflection in a mirror and seeing red eyes without a single emotion in them, except for when the wind behind her swept Astrid's ashes away. When that happened, Sigyn's reflection would smile wickedly, wanting more. More fire. More blood. More death.
The dream was a foreboding of what could come; Sigyn was sure of it. If she allowed anything like this to happen again, she would become the same terror the Asgardians had fought centuries ago. She could not bear the thought of that happening or of seeing fear in Loki's eyes. 
So, the door remained closed. It was best for everyone. If only Loki did not make it so damn difficult...

"I love you... Now and far longer than forever."

Sigyn's breath caught when she heard his vow of love. She turned sideways and placed a trembling hand against the wood. When he spoke again, he sounded further away. She listened to his enchanting voice. The scene he described of Asgard in winter... and snow. Sigyn had never made a snowman before, much less even walked in the snow. She had only ever seen it twirl down from the sky from her little window in her little room at home and through the looking glasses in her mirror world. 

"The Urdarbrunn will freeze as well. It always does. When the sun hits the waterfall just right, there's a shift in colours, dancing everywhere around the glen. Even I find it mesmerising."

Sigyn closed her eyes, trying to imagine it all. She detected the longing in Loki's voice when he spoke of winter and the Urdarbrunn. She, too, yearned to go back to the glen. Things had been better when it had just been the two of them in the place they had made their own. They had shared everything there together. Their magic, their bodies, their love... 

"I never told you this, but I stole our first kiss."

Sigyn's eyes shot open. She drew back a little from the door, believing she must have misheard. 

"It was just after you and Thor fought on the training grounds. I was alone with you in your chamber. You were still unconscious, and I... I kissed you. I still don't know what fell over me. I never meant for it to happen; it just... did."

That was what I... so I didn't... oh, Loki.

She pushed herself up from the floor. 

"You stirred, and I almost believed I had kissed you awake like in that insipid Midgardian fairy tale." 

Sigyn unlocked the door and pulled it open without a second's notice, no longer held back by fear and worry but pushed forward by profound, aching, and all-consuming love. 

"I almost thought it was —"

"True love's kiss."

Loki whirled around at the sound of her voice, and his eyes widened when he saw her emerge from the bedchamber. For a single heartbeat, time stood still. Then Sigyn opened her arms, and Loki ran towards her. They embraced; true love once more made vow. Their pendants touched, and the magic surged when it sensed the two halves of the same bond were at long last reunited once again. Two halves of the same soul. Two halves of the same heart. 

***

Winter did indeed come early. That very night, in fact. By the time the people of Asgard woke the next morning, the realm was covered in an enchanting tapestry of powder-white snow. Small ponds and creeks were frozen solid. It would not take long for the lake to freeze as well. The children, especially, were excited to take out their sledges and strap blades on their boots. 
Their merriment passed over to the adults, who celebrated the winter season with mulled ale and heated cinnamon wine — though Volstagg quickly joined the children at their game when a snowball hit him right across the face, to the great amusement of his comrades. Everyone got together and feasted. Everyone, but one couple who preferred to keep their own company for now rather than anyone else's. 

It was the first time in weeks Sigyn had slept through the night, only dreaming of good things. The hellish vision of the heartless creature she might become gave way to a wonderful dream of walking arm-in-arm with the man she loved in a snow-covered city or enjoying a sleigh ride together through a niveous landscape. 
When Loki woke her just before dawn, he pulled Sigyn out on the balcony, and she found her dream had already partly come true. His arms crept around her waist as Sigyn took in the sights before her. He kissed her cheek, and she leaned back against his body. Oh, how she had missed him. Yet despite their obvious aching the previous night, Loki had kept them from going too far since her body was still healing. Being in his embrace and kissing his lips would be enough... for now. 

"There's something I want to show you, my heart," Loki whispered in her ear. "Something at the Urdarbrunn."

Sigyn turned her head sideways and perceived her husband's mischievous grin. He led her back inside, walking straight to the mirror on her dresser. She put her hand against the glass at Loki's nod, and they were pulled into the mirror world. They went straight for the deep pond at the glen. Sigyn hesitated when she saw it frozen, but Loki urged her on. It was still water, after all. It was still a mirror of nature. There was no reason to think she could not pass through.
Encouraged by Loki's confidence in her, Sigyn took a deep breath and stepped onto the pond, her husband's hand in hers. She gasped when her body sank through the ice. Oddly enough, she could compare the sensation to what she felt when Loki's naked body was pressed against hers. It was titillating and... oddly comforting.
When the pair emerged in the glen, Sigyn's breath caught. The great waterfall was a most intricate sculpture of hanging icicles, crafted by nature's fickle hand. The first rays of sunlight peered into the glen, and the rock walls around them were painted in sparkling colours of green, blue, yellow and even pink, so vibrant it made the Bifrost bleak in comparison. It was just as Loki had described it — mesmerising. 

"Did I lie?" asked Loki as he helped Sigyn step into the snow. 

"No," she whispered in awe. "Loki, it's beautiful." 

She looked around, enthralled by the sights and the softness underneath her bare feet. The frost ridden branches and leaves of the weeping willow near the pond chimed as a soft breeze moved them into a symphony. And, at the very heart of the tree, growing all around the trunk, were white, crimson-edged roses with gold-glistening blue veins. 

"Loki," Sigyn's head whipped back to him, "are those truly...?"

"The Urdarbrunn lives with our love, my heart," Loki answered with a loving smile. "I guess it's starting to show."

He bent down to kiss Sigyn. She welcomed his lips and then embraced him, arms clasping his body, head resting against his chest. His heartbeat was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard. Yet she also perceived the tension in his body. Concerned, she looked up, finding his expression guilt-ridden. When Loki caught her gaze, he averted. 

"Forgive me," he said, barely audible. "Sigyn, what happened with... Astrid... and Ingrid..."

"Stop." Sigyn silenced him by putting the tip of her fingers to his mouth. She didn't want to hear those names ever again. "You don't have to say anything."

"Yes, I do. I demanded my mother reverse her spell, and I remember everything now. What I did... I still can't believe I would commit such atrocities, since I..." Loki bit his lip and shut his eyes. "What's worse is that I was planning to do the same thing to you!"

"But you didn't."

"It doesn't matter! I am to blame for what has happened! I am to blame for... everything."

The tears Loki hadn't shed for so long finally dropped. Sigyn's heart lurched at the sight of him falling apart like this. Never had she seen her husband in such a wretched state. She grabbed hold of Loki's face and made him look at her. "You listen to me, Loki Odinson. I do not blame you. And I do not forgive you, for there is nothing to forgive. You are not the man you were, and I will not hold your past against you. What matters is the now and the future. Our future."

Sigyn brought her husband down and kissed him passionately, not caring one bit about the saltiness of his lips. She kissed away his tears. She kissed away his pain. And the words she couldn't bear to utter because of the ruefulness that had held her in its thrall fell from her lips, at last.

"I love you with all my heart and soul, Loki. Now, and far longer than forever."

***

"Are you certain of this, brother? Perhaps you should wait until winter is over before you travel. Or at the very least, wait until Sigyn feels better."

"I appreciate your concern, Thor, but we have already discussed this at length. Sigyn feels strong enough to leave, and Mother and I both believe some time away might help her recover."

Thor sighed. He did not like the plans they'd made without informing anyone of their intent. Sigyn had finally come out of her bedchamber three days ago, but to everyone's great surprise, she and Loki subsequently announced at dinner that they would leave Asgard. Indefinitely.

"Where will you go?" inquired Thor. 

"Alfheim first," answered Loki as he stepped around Thor to strap the last travelling bag to his horse. "Queen Aelsa invited us some time ago. I think she took a shine to Sigyn when she was there with you. And her mother was also a fire mage, so she may be able to help Sigyn with some of her questions. After that... we'll see."

"You will let us know when you travel onward?"

"Yes, Mother."

"I mean it, Loki."

"We are travelling by Bifrost, so Heimdall will know when we move. I am sure he will tell you."

Thor very much doubted the Bifrost was the only way Loki and Sigyn would be travelling. He knew his brother well enough to know he would use one or two of his secret passageways. And he also knew there was nothing he could say or do to stop them. Nor should he.

"Just... promise you will take care."

Loki grinned at his words. "Why, brother, I'm touched."

Thor rolled his eyes but returned the grin. He would never claim he was not worried about them. Loki was his brother, and Sigyn his... sister. If anything were to happen to either of them, Thor would be beyond grief. Were it up to him, he would not allow them to leave without a proper escort. Yet considering what the recently married couple had been through, he would never force them to take someone along with them when all they really needed was each other.

The two Princes walked out of the stables together. Sigyn was already by her own horse, talking to Frigga. Odin had not deemed it necessary to say his goodbyes again after having done so last night at dinner, but the presence of his favourite raven, perched high atop the stable roof, proved the Allfather cared enough to at least watch them depart. 
Thor and Loki embraced, short but brotherly. As Loki stepped to their mother for a last farewell and her blessing, Thor locked eyes with Sigyn and said, "It is cruel of you to make me miss you again, sweet sister."

"And it is cruel of you to make me feel guilty about it, darling brother," Sigyn rebuffed. 

They smiled at each other. Sigyn beckoned Thor to come closer. He leaned in and felt her warm kiss on his cheek. 

"Thank you for understanding," she said. "I promise we won't be gone for too long."

"I shall hold you to that."

Loki came to Sigyn's side and helped her climb her horse before mounting his own. He threw his brother and mother one last look before spurring the horse on, Sigyn riding by his side.
Thor watched with a heavy heart as they rode away from the palace grounds and over the Bifrost to where Heimdall awaited them at the Himinbjörg. He hoped Aelsa would indeed help Sigyn. But he knew from his own personal experience the Elf Queen could not be trusted. She had a reason for all she did and all she said. The only person who might see through her deception was Loki. Yet despite the changes Thor had observed in his brother, Loki was, and would always be, a Trickster. 

Be careful, Sigyn... My Ysolde.