Trigger Warning: Mentions of Rape, Torture and War Crimes

Chapter 41 –Everything Comes Around

There was a moment when Loki stood frozen behind the doors, mouth hanging open in disbelief. He was waiting for Sigyn to speak, to say Enfys was out of his mind, but that never happened.

"It's not an invasion," said Sigyn calmly.

Several things happened at once.

"What?" barked Berach.

"You-!" Enfys roared.

Loki turned to find his clothes, his elbow caught right between the two sliding doors and knocked one away. Everyone in the other room turned to look at him, standing there in nothing but a sheet wrapped around his hips. And, Loki realised as his cheeks coloured, he was probably covered in love bites. He reached out and calmly closed the door again, not before spotting Aetril's broad grin, then set about finding his clothes. He could still hear the argument on the other side and scrambled to get dressed.

"So you admit your soldiers have attacked my people!" Enfys shouted.

"I admit my soldiers were rounding up certain people on your realm, but they were instructed not to use force unless they met with resistance," said Sigyn, still so calm and cool. Loki dragged his tunic over his head, ran his fingers through his knotted hair and opened the doors again. He knew he must look ridiculous, but this was not the moment to worry about that.

"So you did order soldiers into Svartalfheim?" asked Berach, sounding bewildered.

"I did," said Sigyn, sipping a glass of water. She had not risen from the comfy couch she had been sharing with Rogers, who looked uneasy.

"So you are invading!" said Enfys.

"I'd have thought given your recent history, that, just because you were on the invader's side you would know the difference between invasion and arrests," Sigyn replied. She had been waiting for this, and it suddenly explained her jubilant mood last night. She had not just made the Reset happen, she had fooled all of them.

"Arrests? What arrests?" demanded Enfys.

"Well, generally speaking you're arrested when there's evidence you've committed a crime," said Sigyn, a little grin breaking free. There was no doubt she was enjoying this.

"What crime do you imagine thousands of my people have committed?"

"Is your memory that short?" asked Sigyn, her amusement vanishing at once. "Have you forgotten what you did?"

"So this is about the invasion?" asked Berach before Enfys could yell again.

"Of course it is," said Sigyn, not taking her eyes off Enfys.

"You're arresting the soldiers who invaded Vanaheim?" asked Loki in disbelief. He had never heard of such a thing.

"Yes," said Sigyn, running her fingertip over the rim of her glass.

"You lunatic whore!" snarled Enfys, "You cannot arrest soldiers for obeying orders!"

There was a nasty silence during which Berach turned to Enfys, shoving him back, Rogers jumped to his feet and Loki bared his teeth in a malicious grin. Sigyn was still calm, setting down her glass, which clinked loudly on the table, then she stood up and walked over to one of her travelling cases. Everyone watched her open it, take something small and grey out, close the case and come back, setting the item on the table.

"Do you know what this is?" she asked quietly.

Loki stared at the thing. It was a capsule shaped box, dull grey in colour, that would fit neatly in two hands. He had no idea what its significance was meant to be, neither did Aetril or Berach by their confused frowns. Enfys' expression suggested he recognised it, but did not understand.

"It's a medical pack," he said, shaking his head to match his 'so what' tone.

"Yes it is," said Sigyn, "You probably saw a lot of these during the invasion. You were there, after all, as a part of Malekith's invasion strategists."

"What?" Berach grabbed the front of Enfys' shirt, "You little-"

"No." Sigyn's voice cut across him, bringing them all to a standstill. She had not shouted, or even raised her voice, but the commanding tone was unnerving. Berach let Enfys go, glaring at him but stepping aside. Enfys inhaled nervously, apparently realising he was very much outnumbered,

"I saw many of them. They were… they were everywhere we looked. We never could figure out where they came from."

"They were probably very inconvenient to you, considering they kept us fit and healthy," said Sigyn, resting her chin on her linked fingers.

"What does this have to do with your arrests?" demanded Enfys.

"I'm glad you asked," said Sigyn, reaching out and opening the box, revealing the contents. Loki saw bandages, various packets that seemed to contain antiseptic and medication, a few other things. He was glad the others looked as confused as he did. When no one said anything Sigyn continued,

"You see, whenever a Vanir baby was born, one of these was made for them, and taken home. When someone died they weren't reassigned, if they were used, they were replaced, so there was always a surplus. By the time you invaded there was an estimated 2.7 of these for every person on Vanaheim. To avoid clutter, extras were collected annually, and added to hidden surplus stashes all over the planet. They were everywhere, so even when your kind rained fire down on my cities, there was still more than enough of these. That's why we never disposed of them. Better to have extra when you need them."

Still, no one else spoke, but Loki was sure that was what Sigyn wanted. Every action, every word, every blink of her eyes, was planned out. She must have been rehearsing this moment in her head for years.

Had she planned to sleep with him so he would be in the position he was now? His biased nature exposed for all to see?

"These packs don't just hold bandages for scratches, and medicine for fevers. They're about healing, and some healing cannot be done to the body. It must be done to the mind."

Sigyn drew out a small, black rectangle, rather like a tiny version of the Starkphones they all had.

"This is a picture and footage recorder, with the longest lasting battery we could invent, but it's also solar rechargeable." She held it out to Enfys, watching his face, "Every one of my people had one two days after you invaded. We have recorded everything you did to us. The murders, the tortures, the enslavements, the rapes. They're all recorded, and we saved them into our databases, databases you never touched because we hid them long ago, in places no invader would ever look."

Enfys' skin was going grey, Aetril was so tense she was trembling slightly, catching Loki's eye he saw she was genuinely distressed. He realised he was holding his breath, waiting for Sigyn to finish what she had to say. Sigyn lifted out a packet, held it next to the recording.

"Now, of course, what good is a recorded crime, if the perpetrator wears a mask? Well, it may hide their face, but we don't need their face if we have their genes. This little thing is called a rape pack. It contains the basic tools needed to collect evidence from a rape victim, especially genetic evidence. However, the principle applies to all crimes, it's just that genetic evidence tends to come from rape. Did you never notice that my people were constantly scratching you? It was to collect your skin, your blood, under their nails.

"So you see, I'm not arresting those soldiers for invading my realm. As you say, it's not feasible to do that. But I can arrest every, single, one of you that I have a rape pack for. How did we identify them? Your lord Malekith provided us with that."

Sigyn set the two small items on the table reverently, then stood up, pacing around the couch and leaning on her hands on the back of it, further away from Enfys, but looming over him with malicious pleasure.

"Malekith liked his records didn't he Enfys? He liked to know who every soldier in his army was, the better to ensure he could enforce their loyalty. He had everything down to the last detail… including their genes."

Loki felt like he had been punched in the gut as he comprehended everything.

"Thanks to Malekith's fondness for details, my people were able to process the rape packs, cross reference the genes on his database, and acquire every name to match the evidence we have. So no, Enfys, I'm not invading you. I am simply rounding up the soldiers who committed atrocities against my people. I realised very quickly that I couldn't protect the individuals from your kind, I couldn't stop every mutilation, violation, deprivation, that you inflicted. So I told my people to gather the evidence, because I would seek justice for every single one of them that I could. For every man, woman or child that was raped, for every daughter whose father had to gather the evidence of her terrible end, for every mother whose son was worked to death in the camps you tried to corral us into. I had all the names. Now I have all the criminals, and I promise you, they will all pay for what they have done. Including you."

Sigyn clicked her fingers and two Vanir men appeared in the room wearing armour and carrying weapons. They strode over to Enfys before he knew they were there and seized him.

"What-?" Enfys yelped, but Sigyn's voice overpowered his,

"Ambassador Enfys, I hereby order your arrest for the rape of Alfhidr Aghadóttir, Folki Gullasson, Eyvindr Eyvindasson, Rúna Myrgjol, the mutilation of Vígi Tryggvasson, Tófa Thyradóttir, Svantepolk of the Snow Priesthood, and the murder of Steinn, Ketill, Jarl, Ingvildr and Ingibjorg of the Sacred Spray Temple. You will be brought back to Vanaheim and charged with these crimes and brought to trial alongside your compatriots."

"No!" roared Enfys, thrashing against the Vanir guards' hold on him, but they quickly had him in restraints. "Stop her, she is insane!" he barked to the rest of them. "She cannot do this, the pact of peace prevents-"

"Actually you'll find the pact you signed to me made no mention of protecting individuals for their individual crimes on my realm," said Sigyn, her smile razor sharp.

"You cannot prosecute soldiers for following orders!" Enfys shouted.

"No, but Malekith never gave the order to rape, or to torture, or to enslave, or even to murder. He gave you the order to subdue. How you chose to interpret that order was entirely at your discretion. No one made you or any other soldier do those things, you just did them for your own gratification. I have spoken with the people who were forced to serve Malekith while he preened in my current palace, and from their testimony I can tell you that the only person Malekith ever tried to rape was me."

The last words seemed to kill Enfys' indignant rage, and he deflated in the Guards' hold. He stared at Sigyn in abject horror, and she regarded him with nothing but contempt.

"Get him out of my sight," she ordered. Enfys was dragged from her rooms, and the door was politely shut behind them.

No one spoke. No one even moved, except Sigyn, who walked back around the couch, sat down, put the rape pack and recorder back in the case, picked up her water and sat back, looking tired. Loki exhaled, feeling winded, and looked at the others. Aetril had a hand on her chest, looking shaken and upset, while Berach was looking at Sigyn with an air of disbelief and fierce pride. Rogers was looking at his shoes, clearly wishing he had been anywhere else.

"You planned this," said Berach, "You planned this from the minute you made contact with us."

Sigyn looked up at him, looking almost petulant,

"I planned this the third day of the invasion. I just needed the Reset to work first."

Berach seemed lost for words. Loki was sure he was torn between a lecture about the next steps she ought to take, and outright hugging her. Aetril made the decision for him by touching his arm and saying quietly,

"We should go."

Then she bowed a little to Sigyn, something Loki couldn't recall her doing before, and led her son out. Loki watched Rogers turn to Sigyn, perch on the edge of the couch, and rested his hand near hers.

"Are you OK?" he asked quietly. Sigyn looked at him, surprised, then she nodded,

"I'm fine. Really."

Rogers moved his hand a little closer, glancing down. Loki followed his gaze, and he saw Sigyn's hands were shaking. Sigyn noticed and curled her hands up to hide it.

"That was very brave, what you did," said Rogers. Sigyn frowned at him.

"Was it? It didn't feel like bravery, it just… it had to be done."

"It was," said Rogers firmly. "You didn't have to confront the man that way, but you did, because it was the right thing to do."

Sigyn let out a relieved sigh, then tilted towards Rogers, resting her head on his shoulder. Rogers threw Loki a slightly flustered look, but he still wrapped his arm around her shoulders and rested his cheek on her hair. Sigyn seemed to melt into him, chin wobbling as she tried to control her emotions. Loki wanted to go to her, he wanted to reassure her, but he held back. This was her moment, her moment of triumph and her moment of vulnerability. What they had shared last night was nothing to do with right now.

Loki walked back into the bedroom, gathering his boots and pulling his overcoat on. He came back, finding Sigyn quietly wiping at her eyes, and Rogers whispering to her. Loki found that the intimacy did not infuriate him as it might have done before. Maybe because he realised, in that moment, that one relationship did not have to have intimacy at the expense of another.

Loki crossed the room to the two, dropping down on one knee before Sigyn. She looked at him suspiciously, but let him take her hand and kiss the back of it.

"You just did an amazing thing, don't doubt that. No one will ever underestimate you again."

Sigyn gave him a sad smile,

"I didn't do it for that. It was just the only thing I could do to make amends for the fact that I couldn't stop all those terrible things from happening to them in the first place. And it may end up harming Vanaheim politically in the long run."

"If it does, you'll overcome that too," said Loki with absolute confidence. He squeezed her hand gently, kissing it again, and said quietly, "Don't worry, I'm not expecting anything from you. As you said last night, don't overthink it."

"I'm not sure either of us managed that," said Sigyn archly. Loki's lips quirked up and he shrugged a little,

"Maybe we just need more practise."

Sigyn chuckled, still leaning against Steve, but Loki did not feel competitive with him. Rather he felt the support Steve was lending her, and that was something he could only hope she got more of. He straightened up,

"I should go get cleaned up, I need to get back to my sons and assess Asgard's experience with the Reset. But if you need my support for the trials, just send me word. I will help you."

Sigyn's eyes searched his face, looking for something. She must have found it, because she smiled.

"I will," she murmured, and she stood up toe to toe with him, kissed him gently and headed for the bathroom. Loki watched her go dreamily, then gave himself a shake, glancing at Steve. Steve was watching her go as well, admiration in his expression, and so he did not see Loki's stupid expression.

Not bothering to say anything to the man, Loki hurried to his own suite, slipping in with thoughts of a shower. He came to a halt when he found Sverrir sitting on the couch, grinning at him. Loki held his coat to his chest like a shield, clearing his throat as his cheeks flushed.

"Morning," he said, realising he had never been caught in this sort of situation before. Sverrir's eyes swept over him, the grin widening, and he said,

"Did she… try to eat you?" He waved his hand to indicate Loki's neck and Loki blushed harder. Still he grinned a little and said,

"Well, it was more the other way around, but-"

"Yes, thank you!" Sverrir held up his hand to halt Loki's next words. "Well, now I know why you always wear high collars, by the Norns!"

Loki's grin widened in amusement. That was indeed why he favoured high collars. Although Sigyn's love bites healed as fast as any other, it still meant he had to be careful.

"I need to wash up, and then I've to tell you about Enfys."

"What about him?" asked Sverrir curiously.

"Shower first, but you will love this!" said Loki, feeling excessively jubilant. "Wait there!"

As Loki made himself more presentable to the world, and Sigyn curled up on the floor of her shower and hugged herself, in Asgard someone else was preparing to face the world again.

In the dark hush of the gilded room, underneath the glimmering shield that protected him, Odin's hand twitched. His deep, slow breathing changed, and, finally, Odin Allfather opened his eye.

The Reset had done its work well.

To Be Continued…

So if you're surprised at this being the end of this story, don't worry, so was I.

I was struggling so much with the next chapter, and had a long hash out with a close friend and writing buddy, and came to the conclusion that this series is a trilogy. This is the natural end of this part of the story, and now it's time to begin the next phase.

I've no real idea what the next part will be about, I know the goals, but the path is as yet unclear. Then again, I'm pretty sure this was how I went into No More and that turned out ok.

So hopefully you'll be up for one more launch into this universe with me. And if you are interested in telling me what you think will happen/what you would like to see/theories and ideas. I'm always eager to talk to people about writing, so please come and chat on tumblr.