A/N: Hello friends! I'm so so so so sorry for taking a month to update again! I just ended up being so beyond busy that I barely had any time to write.
However, I'm updating now, and I actually really like this chapter, so I hope you enjoy.
Also, I changed my on here to match my AO3 account! I used to be AsgardGuardian, now I'm a-ufo-party.
Anyway, happy reading...
Upon arriving on Asgardian soil, Sif was greeted by Fandral and Volstagg, both looking equally relieved to find her.
"Sif, you must come quickly, now!" The larger man prompted, quite out of breath.
"What is the urgency, friends?"
"There's been a confession."
"Of what? From whom?"
"Your lovely servant girl. She has come forward with her motive in exchange for her life." Fandral cut in, eyes bright with the gossip.
"And?"
He smirked, turning to his rotund friend. "She means to ask if it's Loki."
"Please, come out with it!"
"Rest easy, Sif." Volstagg placed a heavy hand on her shoulder. "She has denied any connection to our traitorous prince."
"Ancestors be praised." She breathed.
"I would not rejoice just yet. Your council has chosen to meet without you to discuss it," sighed Fandral.
Instantly, Sif's stomach churned with outrage. A shaky breath escaped her flaring nostrils. "When?"
"Almost this moment-"
Tossing her traveling cloak into the arms of the blond warrior, she swiveled and made off for the council chamber at a breakneck speed. This had gone far enough. She was the queen, archaic verses be damned!
Throwing open the heavy chamber doors, she stormed into the room with a look of pure venom in her already striking eyes.
"Elders." She spoke coldly, her words echoing throughout the rafters.
Upon hearing her, all the men turned and gaped at the queen, looks of surprise, guilt, and annoyance radiating from their faces.
The youngest Elder was the first to gain his composure. "Your majesty-"
"Not expecting me, were we?" She interrupted, approaching the table and falling into her throne at the head.
"Your highness, we thought it best to meet immediately after the confession, but we did send someone to look for you." Elder Tyr offered mildly.
Turning to the Einherjar lieutenant, she lifted an eyebrow. "Is this true? Do not lie to me."
"No, your grace." He replied.
"What a shame. Elder Tyr, why lie about this?" Her dagger gaze bore into the silver haired man.
He squirmed. "Your highness…"
"Your highness, it was the opinion of the council that it is best to meet without you on matters regarding Loki. As we have stated before, you are too close to the situation at hand-" said the youngest Elder.
"And as I have stated before, this opinion is utter foolishness. Now, we are going to carry on with this discussion, and I, as your queen, will be present and an active member. Be that understood?"
To her disappointment, rather than looking scared or humbled, the Elders all shared looks of annoyance and smugness.
Her blood boiled. "Now, I was informed that there has been a confession of motive?"
"Alleged motive, yes that is correct. But, forgive me your highness, had you been here instead of on Nornheim with your husband you would have heard first hand." A bearded Elder grumbled.
Sif glared in response. "Who was present during this?"
"Several Einherjar."
Turning to the lieutenant, she asked, "What exactly did the servant say?"
The tall man bowed. "After several hours of questioning, and a walk to the chopping block, the young girl was asked one final time why she had attempted to kill her queen. In response, she said this: 'They said if I killed her then a proper ruler could be placed on the throne. They said it would cleanse the crown of soiled Jotun blood. And that if I did this I would be given the title of Lady.' After making this statement, she then drained of color and fainted, your majesty."
An overwhelming urge to smile pulled at the corner of Sif's lips, but she maintained her composure. "There, you see, Elders? It is as I said. Loki is the motive, not the culprit."
The youngest Elder looked bored. "Now, now. Let's not be too hasty, your grace-"
"Pardon me, councilman, but this matter does require haste. During my visit this morning I observed Loki. The shackles you have forced upon him are killing him. And the longer you accuse him of this crime, the longer the real criminal has to scheme."
"Perhaps this confession is a misdirection."
"Are you completely ignorant to your own stubbornness, Elder? Loki is not behind this!" Slamming her fist onto the table, she bit her lip. This very unqueenly action prompted a pang of loneliness for Frigga. She longed for the older woman's wisdom, her calm in this storm.
"Perhaps not. But abandoning this theory altogether is foolish as well." Elder Tyr cut in, folding his hands. "I agree, your highness, that it is time to examine other leads. However, I believe the shackles should not be removed so quickly. We voted on a month, so we ought to stand by that."
"No." Sif shook her head.
"I'm afraid it's just not up to you, your highness. All in favor say aye."
A unanimous murmur sounded from the pompous men.
"I will not allow this!" Seethed Sif, rising from her chair. "I can only hope you will, in time, swallow your poisonous pride and see how your self assured delusion are inviting chaos. For the good of Asgard, and for my own life."
"Your majesty, we have only your best interest at heart." Elder Tyr droned after her as she marched out of the room.
Sif's heart thumped in her ears as she trekked the winding trail leading to the palace. Massive droplets of rain showered from the murky sky, drenching her completely before she had even reached the door. But somehow, she was almost oblivious to this. Her task fortified her determination, blocking out the world around her and focusing her mind on a single point: Loki.
Spite was the greatest fuel for resilience.
Her dripping hands burst open the palace doors, and she did not stop to remove her cloak. Taking great lunges down the now familiar wooden halls, she called out for the traitorous healer.
The woman appeared in a moment, face pinched with nerves. "Your highness, are you-"
"You are dismissed for the evening. Go to your private chambers and stay there until you are told you may leave." Sif spoke as she walked, relying on the woman to keep up with her strides.
"May I gather my things-"
"I said you are dismissed!"
"Yes your grace, a thousand apologies." Bowing, she scurried off like a frightened rat.
Sif continued on her trek until she had reached the door of Loki's chamber.
There, she paused momentarily. Her heartbeat pounded angrily in her ears as her blood sung. All of her council's defiance, all of their prejudice and dismissal, created a dark tunnel around her thoughts, and in the white light at the end stood her husband.
With a deep breath, she knocked on the stately entrance.
"Hm...come in?" Loki's voice sounded from the other side.
Throwing open the doors, she strode in purposefully.
The prince stood beside a bookshelf, thin fingers poised to turn the page of an aged volume. But, upon hearing the slam of the doors, his eyes grew wide.
"Sif, are you-" Loki started, looking up from the book he held.
Without saying a word, she crossed the room and gripped the shackles roughly. The metallic clanking filled the room as she unlocked the intricate device, before pulling them off of Loki's wrists.
"Sif, what are you-"
"Hush." She snapped, kicking the accursed shackle across the floor.
Then, looking up with the same determined, defiant glint in her eyes, she did something she had not planned.
She lunged forward and pressed her lips to his.
Freezing completely, the prince stumbled backwards until his back hit the bookshelves.
Sif closed her eyes, letting her frustration man her controls, and kissing the startled prince with a hunger, a need, so intense it nearly blinded her. Her hands ran up his lean chest to grip his smooth hair as she pressed forward.
But...he wasn't responding.
Why wasn't he responding?
Pulling back with heavy breath, she felt her stomach sink.
Loki's face was unreadable.
"Well?" She growled after a moment. "Say something!"
"What would you have me say, lady?" He spoke hollowly, gaze meeting hers unwaveringly.
Leaning forward and gripping his collar, she looked down at his lips. "Say that you want this."
"I want this."
That was enough for Sif. In a moment, her lips attacked his once more, with a newfound confidence.
However, Loki's hands were soon on her waist, pushing her away.
"What?" She sighed, annoyance embarrassingly obvious in her tone.
"Sif, you are the queen and I am a criminal. Should this be discovered-"
"No, not a criminal. I am the queen, and you..are...my...king." Between words, she trailed kisses down his neck, relishing the way he shuddered against her.
After a moment of resilience, a delicious sigh escaped his lips and his grip on her waist tightened.
"Sif." His voice was thick with conflicted struggle. "I do not want you to regret-"
"I will not." She spoke firmly, looking up at his face once more. "Please, Loki, I need this."
For a moment, a stab of worry sliced through her chest that he would refuse her.
However, a minute later, Loki's eyes grew resigned and impassioned.
"As do I." He whispered, touching her cheek.
And as her lips captured his once more, their feet stumbling to his bed, Sif knew she had passed the point of no return.
There was no coming back from this.
But she didn't want to.
Hands.
Lips.
Sighs.
Warmth.
The events of the past night raced through her mind in fragments, razor sharp shards of a whole evening, slowly piecing together in a jagged mosaic.
It was as though she had been drunk on anger, convincing herself that no other space in time existed outside of that one night. In the pale light of day, however, the foggy memories pounded in her head like a hangover.
Breathing deeply the rain scented air, Sif hugged her damp cloak around herself. She stood on the balcony of Loki's room, staring into the thick Norn forest. Moss covered trees stretched into the clouds, creating a fog which seemed to roll like ocean waves across every surface. Giant, ancient birds whose feathers hung like melting wax sailed through the drizzling rain, roaring out their calls to one another as they passed. As the sun was just rising, the perpetual storm clouds took on a slight golden hue, kissing the ground with honeyed light wherever the leaf canopy allowed it.
There was a calming stillness about the realm which Sif found addicting, as if it had been frozen in time. She knew not how long she stood there, staring into the scenic view, before Loki appeared.
For a long while he did not say anything, merely approaching the warrior and settling beside her in a mutual silence.
However, when he did speak, it was only to ask: "Do you regret it?"
"No." Sif responded at once, eyes not moving from the bird she was tracking.
No response had ever been so true, so automatic.
And yet she felt shame in her honesty.
Moving cautiously, Loki snaked his arms around her waist, cool lips grazing her neck. "Why did you come? What have I done to deserve your presence?"
"I hardly know." She sighed, leaning back against him.
A breathy laugh escaped him, vibrating in his chest.
The two stood motionless for a spell, neither wanting to break the blissful tance which covered them.
"You were not given permission to remove my shackles." Loki thought aloud, thin fingers tracing a pattern against her wrist.
"I am the queen. I do not require permission." She replied, sounding far more confident than she felt.
"All the same, you defied your council's wishes in favor of assisting a traitor-"
"You have more than earned the right to be rid of that title, Loki."
"I betrayed the crown and led an attack on a realm we are bound to protect. What other title would you give me?"
"The title of my husband, my friend-"
"Sif, I am a frost giant who has done nothing but cause turmoil for those I loved most-"
"By the Norns, why will you not just accept my forgiveness? My affection?" Sif asked, turning to face him with frustrated eyes. "You make things far more difficult for yourself than necessary, you know that?"
At her words, Loki froze. Opening his mouth to speak, his eyes betrayed a pained remembrance.
Frigga's final words ran through her mind instantly.
Biting her lip, Sif gently brushed a stray hair from the young man's face. "Please, Loki. Allow me to care for you as I did in our youth. Is it not my choice to decide who is deserving of my affection?"
With a sigh, his brow creased and he leaned forward, forehead touching hers. "This will not end well, we both know it."
"Perhaps." She nodded, stroking his cheek. "But I am willing to challenge fate once more. Are you?"
His shaky breath brushed against her lips.
"Say yes, Loki." She whispered after a moment.
And, pulling away to look at her face, he responded:
"As you wish, your highness."
"Congratulations, Sif. You have created quite the scandal." Fandral greeted her the moment she stepped through the Bifrost.
Heart sinking into her stomach, she tried to regain some of the carelessness she had felt the previous day. "Well, come out with it, then. What have I been accused of this time?"
"I'm afraid, my friend, it is nothing you have not done." Taking her arm, he stopped her from exiting the golden domed room.
"What do you mean?"
"While you were away with your husband for a full evening, the palace was bombed."
The blood which surged through her veins turned painfully cold. "Is...is anyone dead?"
"No, praise the ancestors. However, there is something you ought to know before you climb the palace steps."
"What is it, Fandral?"
"Your council held a public address this morning and chose their wording in a very unflattering manner. Hogan and I tried to convince them that this is foolishness, but they did not listen. And your absence did not go unnoticed-"
"I can tolerate insult."
"No, you don't understand, Sif. Your council had announced that Loki is behind these attacks."
"Oh…" She breathed, eyes flickering to the mob which was visibly forming around the palace.
"Indeed. And...I'm afraid the people are demanding his execution."
A/N: The slowburn has officially become a fire! Hope y'all are happy!
If you liked this chapter, reviews are always greatly appreciated!
As Thanksgiving break is this month, I am hopeful that I'll have more time to write, so I will try my best to update within the next two weeks.