Chapter 3:

"Must they be so large, Bragi?"

"It is as custom. You've seen mine."

"But they look different on a man swelled with muscle." Iðunn ran her hands up her husband's chest, arms loosely wrapping around his neck as she kissed him, "They would encompass her!"

Bragi smiled, nuzzling her nose with his, "She would ask for nothing less, my love."

"At least let me try to talk some sense into her-"

"You're not going to convince me otherwise, Mother." Sigyn strode into the solar with Hati and Sköll slinking behind her. Dressed in a leather tunic over chainmail and brown leggings, sweating since she had been outside practicing her battle forms, she reveled in her mother's displeased expression, "I will proudly bear the sigils of Father's bloodline."

Iðunn shook her head with an exasperated sigh, "I am merely suggesting you allow them to be smaller." Reaching a hand out, she cupped her daughter's cheek, "You let scars and bruises, blood and grime mar your complexion. I am simply trying to keep another thing from ruining it."

Sigyn rolled her eyes, "Aren't I no less beautiful in a warrior's regalia? No less enchanting with sweat dripping from my forehead and my eyes blazing with a hunger for glory? No less your daughter when I speak of war as though it were my lover?"

"Those are all the reasons I fear I am losing you." Iðunn cast Bragi a woeful glance before leaving the solar.

Bragi cleared his throat, "You ought to be less harsh with your mother."

Sigyn scowled, "She's been trying to groom me into Asgard's next queen, and for what purpose? If she wanted it so badly why didn't she marry-?" She caught herself, flushing in embarrassment while her father sat down on a cushioned chair, "I'm sorry, Father. I spoke out of line."

"Your mother only wants to assure your safety." Bragi sighed deeply, rubbing the crease between his brows, "And who better to take care of our daughter than one of her closest companions?"

"They're practically my brothers!"

"That didn't stop you from kissing Thor…"

Her face turned a deep shade of red, "Why does everyone keep bringing that up!"

"Because you let half of Asgard witness it!" Bragi laughed.

"So I've sealed my fate by acquiescing to my first kiss?" Collapsing into a chair across from him, she slouched in as unladylike a position she could with her legs spread apart and her shoulders rolled forward, "It's not like I'm indulging in Thor's affections or the affections of any man for that matter!"

Bragi leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees and his chin propped up on his palms, "It would be a smart match, Sigyn. The Lord General's daughter and the AllFather's son."

"The AllFather has two sons."

"You know as well as I do that Thor will be named Odin's successor."

"So what you mean to say is Thor and I would be a smart match."

Bragi noticed a hesitation in his daughter's voice while he watched her stare off to the right as she wrinkled her nose, "Unless there's someone else you favor?"

Eyes tracing the patterned tapestry that hung on the wall, trying to put words to her conflicted emotions, she resigned herself to curtly replying, "I don't favor anyone, Father."

. . . .

Sucking in a shallow breath, her hands clenched into fists so tight her nails were cutting into the skin of her palms. The needle pressed harder into the skin of her back and earned a string of curse words, but she wouldn't scream. She focused on the thousands of ways she could die in battle, a fate much worse than enduring the ritual of Bragi's sigils being tattooed onto her back. Knees locking and the muscles of her shoulders twitching, she felt the leather straps holding her down onto the table tighten to keep her from moving.

She felt like she was suffocating from the incense burning and the candlelight slicking her skin with sweat. Pressing her forehead into the cold wooden table she laid across, she heard a woman's voice softly singing against the chanting of the sorcerers. With her eyes closed, she smiled at the sensation of water washing over her as the voice grew louder in her ears. It was a wistful sounding soprano, and it made the pain dull. No longer concerned about the sting of the needle as ink stained her skin, she dozed off.

When she came to, she was lying in her bedroom, sunk into the feather mattress and silken sheets. Sitting up weakly, grumbling from the numbing ache her back shot through her in protest, she pulled a blanket up against her bare breasts while wandering out into the hallway. She heard voices from her parents' antechamber, tiptoeing around the corner to peer through the crack in the door. It was difficult to make out their conversation, and when she went to knock she was pushed from behind. Head ricocheting off the door, she tumbled into the rug on the floor. She glanced over her shoulder to see Sköll's apologetic bow of his head as he slowly laid down.

"You're awake sooner than I expected." She allowed her father to pull her off the floor while still holding her blanket against herself, "How are you feeling?"

"Frail." Sigyn grimaced while lowering herself into a chair, careful not to lean back, "How long until they heal?"

"By tomorrow if you apply the salve I left you." Sigyn glanced to her left as a man draped in an indigo robe that appeared to have the constellations flickering each time she blinked. He had long black hair and beard that were peppered with gray. His eyes were dark as well, but held a kindness in them, "We have not met. I am Máni. My sister, Sól, and I orchestrated the ritual of your sigils being etched into your skin."

Sigyn bowed her head to him, just noticing that a delicate looking woman sat to his right. She had hair that looked to be spun from gold and eyes of bright emerald. She wore a blue long sleeved dress that shimmered with each shift of muscle as she adjusted the way she was sitting, "Thank you for blessing my rite of passage."

Sól smiled bright enough to blind her, "She's a sweet child. Were you not Bragi's daughter, I wouldn't have assumed you had a warrior's heart."

"You have your mother's beauty," Máni cooed before bringing his teacup to his lips and taking a sip. He chuckled to see her perturbed expression, "Do not mistake my compliment for ignorance of your skill in combat. I am merely insinuating the fortune you have for inheriting the redeeming features of your parents."

Sigyn flushed in embarrassment, glancing at her mother and father to offer them an apologetic glance, "What do the sigils stand for?"

Bragi leaned back and cradled his teacup in his hands, "You have been given a power far greater than you realize." He cast his eyes to Máni and Sól, almost sorrowfully, "With those markings you become the master of Sköll and Hati. You are their guardian, a guardian of Asgard to prevent Ragnarok."

"Prevent Ragnarok?" Sigyn's eyes were wide, "I don't understand."

"Perhaps I should explain, Lord Bragi?" Máni gave her a warm smile as he leaned forward in his chair, "Sköll and Hati have a long history with my sister and me. They will forever chase the sun and moon in a futile effort to catch us." He glanced sidelong at Sköll who was still lying by the door, "Should Ragnarok fall upon us, your wolves will succeed in devouring the sun and moon."

Sigyn nodded, "So I am to keep them at bay?"

"Precisely!" Máni flashed a crooked tooth smile, "With the sigils, they are bound to you. Should danger fall upon you, they will come to your aid. If the bond continues to grow strong, you can bring them to heel should Ragnarok attempt to end our world."

"That's easier with Hati than Sköll…" Sigyn narrowed her eyes on the wolf at the door, who buried his head beneath his paws in response, "Thank you for entrusting me with this responsibility."

Sól's eyes flickered with glee for a moment, "I daresay this shall be quite exciting!" She stood gracefully and bowed to Bragi and Iðunn, "My brother and I shall take our leave. Your hospitality was most generous."

Sigyn waited in the antechamber as her father led Máni and Sól to the front of their estate. Turning to face her mother, she noticed a faint tear trickling down her pale cheek, "What's wrong, Mother?"

"Just a mother's concern for the burden that my daughter must shoulder on her own." Iðunn stood and walked over to her, bending down to kiss her brow, "But I see in you a strength I didn't know existed until now."

Left by herself in the antechamber, Sigyn struggled to stand and waddled over to the standing mirror in the corner. Turning around and trying to look over her shoulder, she caught a glimpse of the tattoo that covered her entire back and extended over her hips. Her skin was an inflamed red, swollen and scabbed, but pride eased the wounds as she thought over the task entrusted to her. Her reflection was soon joined by her mother, who was holding a cream colored tunic in her hands.

"I suppose you'll want to share this occasion with your friends at the palace." Iðunn held the thin material up to her daughter, "Try this on."

Sigyn weakly held out her arms and slid into the sheer tunic, tying the front of it. She was a bit embarrassed that depending on how she stood in the light, her breasts could be seen. When she examined herself in the mirror, she smiled at the open back of the tunic that framed her new tattoo, "This is splendid, Mother!"

"If you would let me dress you every once and a while, you wouldn't be disappointed by what I have in my closet." Iðunn opened a top drawer of her dresser, pulling out a pair of pale green leggings, "Put these on. I'll be back momentarily."

Grimacing at the color, but softening at the notion that at least she hadn't picked purple, Sigyn struggled her muscular calves and thighs into them. She had to jump and wiggle around to assure they completely covered her behind, lunging a bit to test the range of mobility in them. Satisfied with her efforts, she inspected herself in the mirror, though became distracted upon her mother's return, "I suppose these are meant to be suffocating?"

Iðunn rolled her eyes, "Oh, hush and hold out your arms."

Sigyn did as she was told, jaw dropping when her mother began tying a pair of shiny vambraces onto her forearms. Eyes looping around the engravings of Yggdrasil, she was unaware of the smile that dimpled her cheeks, "Where did you get these?"

"They were my father's." Her mother fastened the second one and stepped back to examine her, "They are more decorative than functional in battle, but I don't suppose you'll be off sparring this evening."

"Thank you." Sigyn wrapped her mother in a hug, "I will cherish them."

Iðunn kissed her on the cheek, "Be careful riding to the palace. If it gets too late, I'd rather you spend the night there."

Sigyn promised to be safe, tugging on her boots in a hurry as she went to the stable. Saddling her gray Arabian, she noticed that Sköll and Hati had followed her outside. As she swung herself astride her horse, she smiled down at them, "I ride for Asgard's palace." She urged her mount out of the stables where the winding cobblestone path leading down from the mountains stretched below her, "Try to keep up!"

Spurring toward the sun as began to set, she leaned further into the mane of her mare. The wind tossed her long braided hair back and forth, unraveling wisps that flew around her eyes. She glanced to her right and left, grinning to see Sköll and Hati racing one another. They urged each other on, breaking ahead of her mount to dodge between the trees surrounding them. Watching them made her wish for that same freedom, that same chase into endlessness. They became a blur of black fur until she neared the palace gates.

Hopping down from her horse, Sköll and Hati ambled up beside her as she stated herself to the guards. She returned their polite greeting while handing the reins of her mare to the stable boy. Near bursting with excitement, though trying to walk at a steady pace rather than run, she was reminded of the soreness in her back as the adrenaline from riding left her. As she ascended the stairs into the palace, she found her steps less eager and her muscles fatigued. Reaching the top step, she waved off Sköll and Hati as she sat down, not wanting their wet noses pressing against her cheeks. She felt as though she had endured the Battle or Jotunheim a thousand times over, breathing heavily and a cold sweat breaking on her forehead.

She laughed when Sköll nudged his snout underneath her hand, "I am as frail as a foal!" Collecting herself, she gently ran her fingertips over the crease between his eyes, "But you have no reason to fret."

Humming to herself as she tried waited for the wave of exhaustion to pass over her. She laughed at having arrived unannounced, sitting at the top of the stairway. If she had at least reached the library, it wouldn't have been so odd an occurrence since that was her usual hiding place. She gestured for Sköll and Hati to stay put while she snuck around, wanting to test if they would come to her at a distance. With a glance between the spires of the railing, craning her neck to glance below her, her quiet singing was halted as she caught a glimpse of him trudging back and forth in the hallway below.

There was something distraught in his movements, with the sharp turn of his heel, his mouth moving to form muttered words, and his hands raking through his unkempt hair. His loose undershirt shrugged on his slouched shoulders, untucked from his pants. Struggling to stand, she grasped the railing tightly as she began to walk down to him. She wanted to know what ailed him, what drove him to near madness. She paused to catch her breath, trying to ignore the sting in her back, though the pain turned to numbness when he looked over his shoulder and caught her standing there.

His lips twitched at the corners, revealing the faintest smile that soon turned to a crooked smirk, "Can't keep away for long?" He circled around to the stairway and slouched against the railing, "There must be something about me that has you coming back with bewilderment in your eyes."

Her face flushed with heat as she sputtered out a reply, "You fl-flatter your-yourself."

"You're dressed with a feminine glow." His eyes lingered on her chest and he licked his lips, "Hoping I would notice?"

Stumbling down the next couple steps, nearly tripping but grabbing the railing with both hands to steady herself, she loomed over him and snarled, "I don't care if you notice. I don't care if you even like how I look! Because it has nothing to do with you-"

He cut her off by taking a step up the stairway, bringing his height over her while dragging his fingertips from her cheek to beneath her chin, "But it's a titillating notion that seeing you dressed to accent your curves makes a beggar of this prince."

She bounced up on her toes, wanting to breach that last bit of space between them, "I don't consider this begging…"

Loki's lips were such a wonder to her all the sudden, the way he left his bottom lip protruding so close to hers, but that near desperate gleam in his eyes twisted his mouth into the most wicked smirk that made her heart stop. She always imagined his was a cold kiss, icy as those blue eyes that she was afraid to stare too long into, for fear she would never return from those depths. His hand falling from her face ripped the last shred of warmth in her body as she watched him drop to one knee, then the other while his hands slid up her thighs to rest against her hips. Muscles tensing beneath his touch, she bit hard on her bottom lip in hopes that pain would distract the satisfaction she had from seeing him below her.

"Is this better, Lady Sigyn?"

Reaching a hand out, she ran her fingers through his tousled black hair before trekking down along his jaw. She crossed over his bottom lip, gasping as the tip of his tongue tickled her fingertips. Before she could pull away, he took her wrist, kissing her palm and each fate line. The quiet moan elicited from her throat seemed to echo off the walls while he drew one of her fingertips into his mouth, sucking it for a moment, teeth grazing the skin as he stopped his ministrations that had left her dumbfounded with wide eyes.

"I-I…" She shook her head, yanking her hand away with enough force to almost send her flying, "You said you wanted me to beg."

"There will come a time for that." Loki traced over the tensed muscles of her thighs, moving closer between her legs until she stepped back, "Do you want me to grovel before you? Fill your ears with the ways that I dream of making love to you? Kiss away all these scars until your skin is soft as a rose petal? Pleasure you with gentle curiosity until your writhing beneath me?" He grabbed her chin and forced her eyes back to his as she tried to look away, "That demure, uncertain gaze of yours threatens to unhinge me. Let me make a queen of you in my bedchambers, let me be the throne from which you sit upon and demand my services."

She wasn't sure what had gotten into her, but she wanted to silence his silver tongue as her head was spinning, her chest heaving, her heart pounding, her body sweating. Seizing him by the folds of his loose undershirt, she yanked him into a tight lipped kiss. It hurt at first, as though tiny icicles were prodding at her skin and she was left naked in the middle of a winter storm. She was frozen by her own gesture that condemned her to his mercy. Slowly relieved of tension as his hands swept around her waist, she closed her eyes and let his mouth meld into hers, his tongue darting out to lick the corners until she allowed him to explore the warm crevices inside. A muffled gasp escaped her as she tried to relax against the odd sensation of his tongue running overtop hers, but she occupied herself by burying her fingers in his hair.

He hadn't embraced her to rid them of any notion of where he ended and she began, though his fingers kept digging into her hips to keep her from running off. Pushing her chest against his in a desperate attempt to close the remaining distance between them, she nearly cried out as his lips fell from hers to chide her.

"Tsk, tsk." His thumbs dug into her hips, tensing her again until she fell limp against him, now clinging to his shoulders, "You want it that badly?"

She turned her eyes up to him, a storm of passion and pride swirling in her gaze, "I won't beg for it."

His laughter stung her ears, "You aren't going to like when my patience is tested."

He pushed her up onto the railing, the sensation of falling clutching her stomach as she desperately clasped her arms around his neck. His mouth hit hers before she could shout in protest, tongue and teeth clashing in frantic search for the taste of her. She wanted him to touch her, to coax the warmth between her legs, but he suffocated her beneath each furious kiss. His hands moved along the small of her back, but when his palms pressed against her sigils, she tore her lips from his and screamed.

She tumbled over the railing and onto the tiled floor just below, grimacing through the pain. Her hair fell over her face while she squinted her eyes, only aware of the sound of howling and Loki's shouts. Struggling to her feet, she flung herself around the corner to see Sköll and Hati cornering Loki. She yelled something unintelligible, but the sound alone brought them to heel. Pointing to the stairway, she ordered them to stay on the bottom step while she limped over to Loki.

"Are you alri-?" Before she could finish, she saw the tattered sleeve of his shirt and the bloody wound beneath. Tears stung her eyes, "Loki. I'm – I should have told you-"

"Shh." He pressed a finger to her lips to stop their tremor, "It's a scratch. As a son of Odin you'd think I could handle such a trivial thing."

She turned her back to him and sat on her heels, "I meant to show you this as soon as I arrived. It stings to the touch..."

"You don't say."

He reached a tentative hand forward, fingertips barely caressing the thick black lines that reminded him of flames as they knotted together to create the image of two wolves. They started down by her hips and danced up the sides of her back, their snouts ending at her shoulders. One was barring its teeth while the other was howling. Between them, encompassing the middle of her back, were the sun and the moon surrounded by similar knotted designs, though it reminded him more of a river gushing over jagged rocks, "This compliments your already wild beauty."

"What does that mean?" she scoffed through a sniffle.

"Your beauty isn't found in Valhalla's halls." He touched her chin, beckoning that teary eyed gaze to his, "Your curves are the valleys between the mountains that most men wouldn't trod, your eyes the storm clouds that spark lightning but can pour down rain, your skin is soft as the wildflowers by the shorelines, and your voice thunders like the roar of the mighty river." He kissed her forehead, which earned a growl from her wolves that was silenced by her glare, "And I am so sorry, Sigyn, for hurting you."

"Your words are enough to earn my forgiveness a hundred times over," she whispered.

He grinned as she leaned onto her hands, her face inches from his, "You have this uncanny ability to drive me to madness. Though you've sated my restlessness this one night, there will be plenty to come where I wander these halls thinking of you."

Just smiling back at him seemed to glean the remainder of her strength. She reached out to him to steady herself, but collapsed against his chest in a heap of deadweight. Eyes wide, Loki teetered backward, arms tentatively wrapping around her waist. He glanced over at her wolves, who were slowly inching toward him, so he laid her down on the cool tile floor before standing to search for his brother. He had a feeling neither Sköll nor Hati would let him carry her to a bed.

He called out for his brother while checking every usual place he would find him: the dining hall, the courtyard, his room, the kitchens. He circled back around to Sigyn every few minutes of fruitless wandering, but Sköll and Hati had laid beside her and barred their teeth at him. Tiptoeing around them while grabbing his stinging arm, he decided to glance into the library, though he couldn't ever remember a time he caught his brother in there. He crossed his arms when he was met with empty space and the glittering gold bookcases that flickered in the candlelight.

As he turned around, he nearly toppled into Thor, who had decided to stand directly behind him. He rolled his eyes at his brother's laughter, but was more surprised to see a book in his hands, "Since when did you start reading?"

Thor blushed as he muttered, "Well…Sigyn has read most the books in here…" He rubbed the back of his neck and stared off to his left, "I thought I'd do the same."

"Mimicry is the sheerest form of flattery," Loki drawled.

"What happened to your arm?"

"I'll explain later." Leading Thor towards the stairway, he pointed to where Sigyn lay asleep on the floor, "I need you to carry her to one of our guest chambers."

Thor laughed, handing his book to him and puffing his chest out, "It takes a strong man to rescue the noble maiden fair."

"Oh, shut it." Loki glanced down at her wolves, who stepped aside to let Thor sweep his arms under her and pick her up off the floor. He'd deal with them later, "They attacked me. So I couldn't get near enough to help her."

Thor lifted a brow as they wandered down the hallway, "Why would they attack you?"

"I said I would explain later."

Thor narrowed his eyes, rounding on him, "You hurt her didn't you?"

"No, I didn't-"

"I warned you that you would answer to me if you hurt her!"

"I didn't do it on purpose!" Loki pursed his lips, flustered that he became so defensive, "I accidently touched those markings on her back, and her wolves came running."

Thor continued walking toward a pair of mahogany doors, using his toe to push them open, "Then why aren't they attacking me."

"Probably because she's asleep." Loki pulled the blankets aside as Thor laid Sigyn down on the bed. Her wolves immediately leapt up to her side as he covered her, glaring at him until he held his arms up and began backing away, "This is rather cumbersome…"

"What were you doing in the hallway with Sigyn?"

Loki loved hearing that sound of jealousy in his brother's voice. His sly grin snuck across his face while his eyes flickered in amusement, "Oh, just entertaining a few curiosities." He tossed Thor's book at him, reveling in his small moment of victory.

"So you forced yourself on her."

Clenching his hands into fists, Loki narrowed his eyes on his brother. Thinking back on how they had gotten to that point of desperately kissing, finally sating the growing curiosity they had for each other. He needed to know she would be as willing with him as she was with Thor. He needed to know he could frustrate her long enough that something snapped inside of her. He needed to know she was mesmerized by that small demonstration of his sexual prowess. But even that wasn't satisfying enough, "She kissed me."

Thor's brow knitted together and he cast a quick glance at where Sigyn slept, "I don't believe you."

"Then ask her about it in the morning." Loki shrugged and turned on his heel, "I'm not going to waste my time trying to convince you otherwise."

Slipping further down the hallway, Loki stopped and leaned against the wall. He pressed his finger to his lips and closed his eyes, fighting through his memory to recall what it felt like when she yanked him into a kiss. His teasing had finally gotten the better of her, and the forcefulness with which she pressed her lips against his sent shiver down his spine. There was that feeling of his body being submerged in a frozen lake and she was the only bit of oxygen keeping him alive. He clung to that shred of warmth that was her body, afraid that if he let go he'd drown.

He wanted nothing more than to sleep beside her tonight, if even if just meant being near enough to her that he could smell the perfume of her skin and bask in the warmth she glowed in. That tender thought struck his chest as he dwelled on what it would feel like to wrap her in his arms as they slept, exhausted from a night of lovemaking and leaving the quiet of the night to lull away their worries. But he was brought back to his dreary world when his arm began to throb. Glancing down at it, he decided he needed to clean it as best he could tonight and see the healers in the morning.

As he slinked upstairs and to his chambers, he reminded himself to visit the library tomorrow to read into those wolves of hers.