Sigyn stopped at the bottom of the stairs to catch her breath and fix her clothes, and then went to open the door.

"Sigyn dear! Are you alright? Mike told me what happened at the store between your friend and some other guy!" An old lady bombarded Sigyn with her questions and worries, and it took the young girl a minute to settle the older lady down.

"It's fine, Mrs. Hiddels. We're both fine. The other guy was just having a bad day."

"Well, thank the Lord. Oh, I almost forgot, I brought some Kjottkaker, for you and your...cousin." The old lady said with a wink and a big smile on her face. Sigyn's eyes grew and her cheeks fell.

"I...um...Thank you, so very much for the meat cakes, Mrs. Hiddels. And thank you for checking in on me. I should really go back inside and check up on my, ah, cousin-not cousin. The guy, staying at my home. And you have your, um, man to go home to. And it's really late, so we should both be heading home. I mean, you should be heading home, this is my home."

"Ah I understand completely. I like this, the new you. Well, I suppose I should leave the two of you alone. Good night."

"Good night."

Sigyn quickly walked back in and closed the door, resting against it as she released a heavy breath, and then head straight to the kitchen to warm up the meat cakes.

As the cakes warmed, Sigyn went to her wine rack and picked a bottle and two glasses and walked them over to the living room. She set them on the T.V. stand and unfolded the futon, then chose a movie to watch from her collection.

                                                                                _________________

The beeping of the warming machine-Microwave brought Loki down to the living room. Sigyn was sitting on the couch, snuggled in a blanket with a wine glass in hand. The black box thing was showing a girl sitting on a bed with an older woman as one by one, other kids filed into the room, their fear of thunder making him laugh.

"Hey, you're up." Sigyn finally noticed him standing there and paused the movie.

"I returned the room to its original standings."

"Thank you. Come and sit, the neighbor brought some cakes, and there's wine if you like."

Loki sat down, absorbing some of the cold so his host wouldn't freeze. She poured him a glass and snuggled back in the blanket, turning the movie back on. As the Norwegian delicacies reminded him of home, the Aesir royal found it odd to drink wine from a chalice made of glass rather than the bejeweled metal ones he was used to in Valhalla.

As the characters on screen broke into song about their favorite things, Sigyn caught him up with the story, which was about a, full of life, young trainee nun who becomes a governess to 7 children and brings new life to the house as their father decides on a life partner. The movie went on and Sigyn snuggled next to him, slowly falling asleep. Loki continued to watch The Sound of Music, intrigued by the dynamics of the relationship between Maria and Captain Von Trapp. He found himself associating with both, as the captain subtly fell for the governess, and she wondered if it was right for her to feel the way she felt. The captain trapped Maria in the gazebo to force her to face her feelings, and Loki turned his attention to Sigyn, who was fast asleep, snug in the crook of his arm.

Who was she, no, what was she? He was a soldier, a prince, a God, and, he had to admit, stubborn. And she was...she was broken yet strong, clear minded, kind, forgiving, beautiful. No, she was a mortal. She was breaking him, softening him, making him weak and vulnerable. No qualities fit for a king. But the, every king needed a queen. Someone to stand in his corner, someone to love him, someone to wait for him to come home. Like Frigga did for Odin. But she was human, and he was Jotun. He could live out thousands of years, which he had done so already, but she, she could be dead in no more than 70 years, which were a flash of light for him. She would die, leaving him alone, to mourn, to dwell in his pain, to follow further the yellow bricks he was already on. Mngh! He was evil! He was menacing, conquering, ruthless! He shouldn't think of her like this! Worry about her like this! Feel anything on the mere thought of her impending death.

Loki's mind was at war with his heart when his eyes suddenly fell on her face. Her sleeping, peaceful face, and his mind went blank. His hand grazed the smooth face, envying the peace displayed on it. Unconsciously, he lowered his head to hers, his lips closing near hers. He closed his eyes as Edelweiss played on the television. Just as he was about to kiss her, a militant on the screen loudly announced the family's disappearance, rousing Loki from his trance.

By the Norns, this mortal girl had more power on him than Lorelei could ever. Loki jolted back, cursing himself for being in the process of what he was going to do. He swung his legs off the reclined sofa, swiftly but careful to not wake his sleeping enchantress. As soon after he managed to stand up, Loki walked out of the house, leaving the door open in his wake.

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In this story, Valhalla is the name of the palace in Asgard, not their heaven or whatever