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It wasn't supposed to have gone this way. It was only meant to have been a diplomatic mission. No one was supposed to have started a fight and now...their friends was captured and were being held hostage in Nidavellir, home to the Dwarves and the occasional mob of Rock Trolls.
Sif blamed Loki. She blamed him and his stupid silvertongue. She didn't quite understand why Allfather kept this buffoon as Asgard's official court mage. Surely, there were others more qualified than Loki for this diplomatic mission, but no. She was stuck with him. She glared at him across the campfire that he had created. He didn't even look like he cared all that much about everything that had happened. Hel, she didn't even know why he had grabbed her arm and teleported her away from the Dwarves. Sif had demanded him to take her back but he ignored her and began to set up for the night. She had tried to go back for them but Loki had created a force field around them to keep out unwanted visitors. The force field also kept her within it.
"Keep staring. I won't drop dead just because you wish I would," Loki said to her. It was the first thing he had said since they had teleported away.
"If I had a sword, you would be dead before you could even blink," Sif growled at him as Loki continued to eat his own food.
"You should eat, my lady," Loki responded without acknowledging her threat.
"How can I eat when our friends are being held hostage? They could be suffering right now and you're stuffing your face!" Sif yelled angrily.
"They will be fine. The Dwarves will keep them alive. Most likely, they will want to use them for ransom," Loki argued nonchalantly. "We will tell Odin what has happened but first we will see what Heidmarr demands for their return."
"How do you know he will make a demand?" Sif asked him with a glare.
"I saw his son die. He will demand either revenge or reparation."
"Who killed him? Which son?" Sif inquired, picking up her fork and moving her food around on her plate.
Loki didn't speak as he turned back to his food. He grabbed his canteen of water and took a sip before answering, "In the midst of the fight, I killed Otr."
"You killed Otr? You killed Heidmarr's son?" Sif inquired in disbelief.
"It was an accident," Loki said quickly. "I was pinned beneath him. I didn't think about it when I conjured a knife. I was only trying to protect myself. Fafnir and Regin still live. The three of them were all fighting for their father's throne. They probably will not seek revenge for what I have done since it has helped eliminate one of the successors."
"If Heidmarr finds out that you kill Otr, he may want to kill you."
"Heidmarr is avaricious. If we offer him wealth, he'll take that instead of my life," Loki murmured.
"You expect me to talk to my father about giving him some of Asgard's wealth?" Sif asked in disbelief, setting her plate down on the ground.
"I'm sure the Allfather can spare-" Loki began to say something but Sif stopped him.
"I will not allow it." Sif interrupted.
"Now, Princess-" Loki set down his own plate and looked up at Sif.
"Do not 'Princess' me." Sif snapped. "You were the one who got us into this mess, not me. You will fix this yourself. I don't know what Father sees in you to let you get away with so much but I am not him." She grabbed the water bucket and threw it on the fire before stomping away to the tent that Loki had set up. Sif laid on the ground with her arms crossed. Loki pulled open the flap to the tent. "Go away! I don't want you here!"
Loki conjured a small flame to provide light in the dark tent. "I am here to watch over you."
"I don't need watching over! I can handle myself!" Sif sat up. "I don't understand why my father can't get that through his head.
"I volunteered to protect you," Loki admitted quietly as he sat down inside the tent. He grabbed a lantern and set the flame inside of it.
"You volunteered?" Sif raised an eyebrow at him.
Loki looked away from her and kept down the blush that threatened to rise to his cheeks. "I needed a way to see new lands, learn more about certain types of seidr. You and Thor go on quite a few quests so I thought if I offered my services than I could find out what I needed to know." Loki lied quite easily. He had prepared this statement in advanced. For a moment like this when the two of them were alone and she asked him that question.
Sif rolled her eyes. "Is that all you ever think about? Seidr? Surely you think of other things."
"I think about plenty of things, Princess. Not that you'll ever hear them from me." Loki smirked to himself.
Sif narrowed her eyes but a smile occupied her face. "I will get you to open up one way or another, Loki."
"Not a chance in Hel." Loki responded in a playful tone.
Sif lunged for him suddenly. The two of them tumbled out of the tent and into the mud. "Speak before I throughly kick your ass and humiliate you." Sif demanded as she wiped the mud away from her eyes. Loki was a short distance away doing the exact same thing.
"I will be a much harder opponent to beat, Princess, than your beloved brother." Loki laughed. Sif threw herself at him once again. She had managed to land atop of him but Loki struggled quite defiantly beneath her as she tried to get the upper hand. A flash of light blinded Sif and Loki threw her off of him. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head. He gave a short chuckle as he stared down at Sif. "Yield so we can continue on with this quest of ours." Sif squirmed beneath him.
Sif spat at his face. "I will not yield to you and you cannot make me. Release me. That is an order."
"As you wish, Princess." Loki growled and released her. He grabbed the overturned bucket and headed off into the woods.
Sif sat alone in the small camp and stayed awake all night until Loki finally returned at the break of dawn. She created her own fire and ignored the way the forest moved around her. His shoulder was bleeding, his cheek bruised, a cut on his upper lip. "Heidmarr found me." He told Sif. "He demanded payment as I knew he would. Help me pack."
"We are not going back to Asgard without Thor and the others." Sif hissed at him.
"I heard you loud and clear, Princess." Loki snapped. "My wounds are not from Heidmarr. It's from getting his payment." He tossed her a small leather pouch.
Sif opened the pouch and pulled out a ring. "A ring? You think that's enough for killing Heidmarr's son?"
"I believe it is called Andvaranaut. I wouldn't touch it. It's been cursed." Loki answered. Sif dropped the ring back into the pouch. "It causes misfortune to the one that possess it."
"You went to see Andvari and you stole his ring." Sif glared at Loki.
"His misfortune was possessing the ring on his person for me to steal it from him so easily." Loki muttered. "The dwarf can turn himself into a fish but doesn't understand how I caught him with a net."
"You really think that a ring will be enough for Heidmarr?" Sif muttered in disbelief as she threw back the pouch at him.
"It's a ring that makes its own gold. It will be enough." Loki answered. "We will pack up everything, give Heidmarr Andvari's gift, and bring you, your brother, and your friends home."
Sif sighed and began to help him. This was going to be a long day.
The journey back to the Dwarf village was indeed a long one and made the day seem longer. Loki's magic was running low from having to teleport the both of them such a far distance away, along with keeping the force field that protected them up all night. She supposed that whatever misfortune the ring had brought him had took its toll as well. He made it look like it wasn't affecting him but Sif could see the exhaustion in his eyes. The village was still a day's journey from their current location. Sif easily passed Loki and stopped him.
"We will make camp here," She announced.
Loki shook his head. "We keep going," he argued. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we get back your friends, the sooner you get away from me, and the sooner I can get back home." Loki shoved Sif aside and continued moving forward.
Sif caught up to him quickly. "You are tired. We need to stop and rest."
"When did you start caring about my well-being, Princess?" Loki asked rhetorically. "We move on."
"I command-" Loki covered her mouth quickly and shushed her quietly as she tried to protest. Sif noticed something about him had changed. He was tense and more alert. His eyes were wide and searching the area. His hand moved to his belt where his sword was kept but it was not typically used. She stilled her fighting against him and scanned the area as well.
Loki removed his hand and muttered a spell underneath his breath. "Be quiet and don't move at all. Stay perfectly still no matter what happens." He whispered just loud enough for her to barely hear. Loki moved forward into the clearing before them. Sif was about to speak again when a giant beast appeared in the clearing in front of Loki. "Fafnir." Loki greeted, tilting his head back to stare up at the beast. "You're looking well. Did you get stuck in that form again?"
"I chose this form," Fafnir answered, looking down at Loki with a wicked grin across his face. "Dragons are far more powerful than they seem."
"Quite so." Loki agreed but Sif could hear the lie in his words and wondered if Fafnir could too. "How's the family? Your brother and father are well, are they not?"
Fafnir growled before he spoke. "Father and Regin still live despite my best efforts. Father sent me to check up on you. Do you have what he asked for?" Fafnir inquired.
"I have something better." Loki answered, pulling the pouch from his pocket. He opened it and pulled out Andvaranaut.
"A ring?!" Fafnir laughed loudly. "Father will have your head when you bring him that!"
"Tsk. Tsk." Loki shook his head. "I thought you would have known Andvaranaut from first sight, Fafnir." Fafnir's laughter ceased and his wide yellow eyes stared at Loki. "To think that I almost trusted you to deliver such a priceless object to your father. You probably would have sold it to make a few coins without realizing how many coins this could really make for you."
"Give it here!" Fafnir demanded, showing a mouthful of sharp teeth.
"I require my companions back first." Loki dropped the ring back into the pouch. "If you deliver them to me as soon as possible, I will give Andvari's Gift to you for you to deliver to your father."
"And if I just killed you and took Andvaranaut from your cold dead hands?" Fafnir questioned.
Loki crossed his arms in front of him. "I have placed a curse upon the ring and it will remain there until I get my companions back. I am the only one who can lift the curse. If you kill me or any of my companions, I will not lift the curse for you and it will remain there forever."
Fafnir was quiet as he thought over his options. "Very well. Stay here and I will return with your friends." Fafnir spread his wings and took off in the blink of an eye.
Loki turned and walked toward Sif. "Now, we wait." He muttered to her as he sat beneath one of the trees.
Sif sat down next to him. "Is the ring really cursed or is that just a lie you came up to prevent anyone from stealing it?"
"Andvari placed a curse on it." Loki yawned tiredly. "It causes misfortune to its holder. Thus why we need to get rid of it as quickly as possible."
"Why?" Sif sighed. "Why did you go get Andvaranaut alone? We could have gone together and gotten it. You leave us out of your plans. You do things on a whim. You never tell us anything." Sif looked toward the clearing, away from him. "You expect us to trust you but you never do anything that helps us to trust you."
"Mm.... Fascinating." Loki replied.
Sif looked back at him with the intent of yelling at him but saw his eyes were closed. "Are you asleep?"
"Almost." Loki murmured without opening his eyes. Sif punched him in the arm very hard and Loki jerked awake. "What was that for?"
"I was trying to tell you something important and you're just sitting there half-asleep!" Sif exclaimed.
"Excuse me for being exhausted after saving you from the fate of your friends and going out of my way to save your friends." Loki snapped back angry that he had been prevented from getting his sleep.
"Then why don't you just give me Andvaranaut and leave?!" Sif yelled at him.
"Because I am here to watch over you!" Loki yelled back.
"You don't have to! I am a warrior! I can take care of myself!" Sif stood up and held out her hand. "Give me Andvaranaut!"
"I am not giving it to you." Loki answered, crossing his arms across his chest.
Sif growled. "Gods! You are so stubborn! This is why you have no friends! Give me Andvaranaut!!"
"No, give me Andvaranaut." Loki and Sif turned to look at the clearing. Fafnir stood with a claw extended toward them. Thor and the Warrior's Three were behind him.
Loki stood up quickly and pulled the pouch from his pocket. "They go free." Loki said, stepping toward Fafnir.
"Andvaranaut first." Fafnir hissed at him.
"So you can take the ring and kill us all? I think not." Loki argued. "They go free. I stay here until I feel that they are safe. Then the ring is yours."
Fafnir looked back at Thor and the Warrior's Three. "Proceed."
Loki kept his eyes on Fafnir as Thor and the Warrior's Three passed by him. "We can't just leave him here." He heard Thor say to the others.
Loki looked back at them and gave Sif a look, "Go. I'll be right behind you."
Sif grabbed Thor's arm and pulled him away. "Let's go. He'll be right behind us."
Loki looked to Fafnir. The dragon glared at him. "They've left." Fafnir growled at him.
Loki exhaled the breath he was holding in and pulled Andvaranaut form the pouch. He set in Fafnir's claw and backed away slowly. "Reparation has been paid."
"The curse has been lifted?" Fafnir asked Loki, watching him carefully.
"It has." Loki answered.
"Put another curse on it." Fafnir demanded, holding out Andvaranaut.
"You want me to put a curse on Andvaranaut?" Loki laughed in disbelief.
"So that I can deliver it to Regin to give to Father. The curse will affect them but not me." Fafnir gave him a grotesque smile.
Loki raised an eyebrow, "And what do I get out of it?"
"You get to keep your life." Fafnir laughed as he wrapped his claws around Loki. "Enchant it now or die here alone."
Loki muttered a harmless spell. "It's done." He answered once it was completed. Fafnir's grip did not recede but increased around him. "Let go."
"I said you got to keep your life. I never said how long." Fafnir replied.
"You liar." Loki hissed at him.
"I never lied." Fafnir laughed to himself as Loki's pain increased.
"Let him go!" Sif yelled at Fafnir. Her sword was pointed at Fafnir's throat. Yellow eyes trained themselves on her. "Let. Him. Go." Sif demanded.
"No...Sif, leave." Loki managed to say in struggled breaths.
Sif ignored Loki and pressed her sword against Fafnir's throat. "You have Andvari's Gift. Let Loki go and you can keep your life after we leave this realm." Fafnir let out a growl. "Or I can take your life now and pry Loki and Andvari's Gift from your cold dead claws. Your choice. I would make the right one."
Fafnir's grip increased on Loki. Loki clenched his teeth shut to prevent a cry of pain from being released and then, he hit the ground hard. Sif removed her sword from Fafnir's throat. "Take your court jester and leave, Princess." Fafnir roared at Sif before turning and flying off.
Loki took a moment to regain his breath. He looked up at Sif. Her hand was extended toward him and he stared at her in disbelief. "I thought you said you didn't care about what happened to me." Loki muttered as he grabbed her hand and pulled himself up.
"I never said that." Sif told him. "I said that you never do anything to makes us want to help you."
"What changed?" Loki straightened out his clothing. Sif said nothing to him. "So you just decided to save me on a whim? How unlike you, Princess."
"You changed." Sif answered, turning and beginning to walk away. "Are you coming or not?"
"As you wish...Sif." Loki murmured with a small smile on his face as he followed behind her.