Chapter Text
Once upon a time, there was a princess who chose to live with her father, in a very dark and misty kingdom. The princess was called Sigyn, and she was the most beautiful young lady in the Nine realms. She had long red hair and eyes as blue as the seas of Vanaheim. She was very kind too, always thinking of others before herself, and willing to help anyone that might need her.
Her father, Iwaldi, was a smith, brother to the king of Nidavellir. He had a good heart, though his temper was as fiery as his forges. From a first marriage with a dwarf lady, he had two sons, Daenne and Nabbi, while he had Sigyn a few centuries later, when he briefly married the queen of Vanaheim, Freya.
Daenne and Nabbi were strong and skillful smiths, but they were not very sociable, and often prone to violence. So they never worked in the shop, their father fearing they might scare the customers away.
Freya had promised Sigyn’s hand to an Asgardian warrior called Theoric, but the young lady did not care much for him. They were too different, and at the thought of living her whole life by his side, the princess shivered and felt nauseous.
The more Theoric insisted, the more she wanted to flee away. He did like swords and weapons, but was taken aback when she told him she made them. It was not appropriate for a lady to work in a forge, he said. When she was his wife, she would never have to work another day of her life, he said. But Sigyn did not want that. She loved working in her father forges, and create beautiful blades, or hammers, or magical trinkets. It made her feel useful and gave her a purpose. She was very proud of her work, and no one could take that from her. Not even her husband, and surely not Theoric.
No, she would find a way to avoid such a fate. She was sure Theoric could find another bride – many maidens lusted after him, even in presence of his supposed-to-be betrothed. He could pick one of them, but not her.
One day, her father was called away in a distant realm to create more commercial opportunities for the Dwarves. Iwaldi trusted Sigyn with the shop, and his sons with the forges, though his daughter also a skillful smith and jeweler.
He asked his children if there was something he could bring them from his travels. Daenne asked for gold, Nabbi for precious gems, while Sigyn asked for a rose. She loved Nidavellir, but there was no flowers in the Dwarven realm, and she missed them. Iwadli smiled at her simple request, and agreed to it.
However, days passed, and then weeks, but there was no news from their father. Daenne and Nabbi were too taken by their work to realize time had passed, so Sigyn decided to act by herself. She closed the shop, prepared her best horse, a sword in case she would meet bandits or trolls, and went looking after her father.
She looked for him in all the realms, but no one seemed to have seen Iwaldi. Once she reached Asgard, Theoric saw her, and once again, demanded she stayed by his side, as a good little wife was supposed to.
“I am not your wife yet, my Lord”, Sigyn reminded her betrothed, trying to escape his unwanted advances.
“But soon you shall be”, the Crimson Hawk reminded her, offering her his most dashing smile, “Your father should not have let you work in his forges, or read all those books on magic. It spoiled your mind, obviously. Bake me a pie, and join me in my rooms for dinner”
Sigyn had no experience in the matter of love, but as the daughter of Freya, she was no fool. She perfectly knew what her fiancé wanted from her, and she was far from ready for this kind of thing. Besides, she firmly believed sharing such intimacy should be sacred and only between two people who loved each other deeply. That was not the case with Theoric. She did not love him, and she was pretty sure he did not love her either. He just wanted a royal bride to show off to his friends, and give him children that would allow his family to brag about their royal blood. No romance or feelings were involved in this union.
What was her mother thinking, betrothing her to such an opportunistic fool? He was handsome, and a war hero, of course. But Sigyn wanted a bit more than this. Was she being too difficult? Maybe so. But she would throw herself from the Bifrost before becoming Theoric’s bride or sharing his bed.
“I am so sorry”, Sigyn apologized, trying to find an excuse to escape her fiancé’s grip, “Idunn asked my help for her harvest”
It was a lie. Her sister did not even know she was there. Yet, Sigyn smiled as if everything was perfectly normal, and she was just very busy.
“Ah yes”, Theoric replied, shrugging, “Well, you might want to talk to your sister about organizing our wedding. Hers and Bragi’s was quite nice”
Sigyn shivered again at the idea. Nope. That was not going to happen.
“Of course, dear”, Sigyn forced herself to remain courteous, “By the way, have you seen my father?”
“That old crazy goblin?”, the warrior asked crudely, “Why would I even care about him?”
Well, I don’t know, Sigyn thought bitterly, because you are supposed to become family? His blatant lack of respect for Iwaldi was another reason not to marry him.
And besides, she had much better things to do than losing her time with such a rude character. Her father was somewhere in the Nine realms, maybe in danger and in need of care. She had to find him as soon as possible. He was not in Nidavellir, or in Vanaheim, or in Midgard, or in Aflheim, … she had already checked. Only one realm was left. The frozen realm. The realm of the giants, Asgard’s most terrifying enemy: Jotunheim.
Though she was scared, her fear of never seeing her father again was more important, and so the princess crossed bravely the secret passage leading to Jotunheim. She had conjured for herself warmer clothes, knowing only snow and an icy blizzard would welcome her.
She walked in the snow for hours, the cold biting her skin and chilling her bones, until she perceived a little light at the end of the road. Laboriously, she walked towards it, before realizing it was a castle, tall and stark, towering the whole devasted landscape.
In any other circumstances, Sigyn would have fled the scene and never come back. However, she was about to catch her death, and some instinct told her her father might have found refuge in the palace.
Norns! What if he was prisoner to some terrible Frost giant, forcing him to create weapons so they could win the war against the AllFather? Would Odin blame him if that happened? It would be terribly unfair, but then again, the King of Asgard was known to be terribly cruel from time to time.
The doors of the castle were guarded by two trolls, as huge as mountains, grunting and sniffing around like bloodhounds. Sigyn bit her tongue to keep herself from screaming, before turning herself into a little mouse. Quickly, she ran between the two guards and sneaked inside the castle.
The place looked even bigger to the princess as she was now a little rodent, but it did not matter. She had to find her father, as quickly as possible. The possibility he was held prisoner in this castle terrified her, as Jotuns were said to be beastly savages, with no honor or morality, savages who would trick you by any means to get what they wanted.
At last, Sigyn reached the dungeons, and was rather surprised as they seemed empty, except for one cell, from which she could hear someone pester and cuss. She knew that voice! Swiftly, she turned herself back into her usual form and ran to her father.
“Child!”, Iwaldi said, seeing his daughter at the gate of his cell, “What are you doing in this cursed place? Go home and forget about me!”
But Sigyn was already conjuring some fire magic to melt away the lock.
“I will never abandon you, father”, she replied, opening the door before jumping into his arms.
“Is that so?”, a deep barytone voice asked behind them.
Sigyn turned around and saw the ruby eyes of a Frost giant shining in the dim light of the dungeons. The Jotun moved towards them, revealing his body, tall and athletic, though not in a brawny way, as Theoric’s was. His head was crowned by a horned helmet, unmissable and known by all nine kingdoms.
There were so many tales about Prince Loki, and the reasons that led to his sudden departure from Asgard. But most of them started like this: one night, a beautiful enchantress had come to the Prince’s door, but he had refused to help her, as he was too proud to admit his feelings for the lady. So, she had turned him into a beast – or rather, revealed his true ‘beastly’ nature. Sigyn doubted that anyone could change a person’s origins. Prince Loki must have been Jotnar from his birth, and seeing him closely now, the runes on his skins were no curse, but Laufey’s legacy.
Had Amora revealed to Loki the name of his true father on that fateful night, leading to the Prince’s self-exile to the frozen realm? That was most likely.
Sigyn had been far away from the fuss of the Aesir court, yet, as a concerned citizen, and seeing how enraged her mother had been about the whole affair, she could not stop herself from asking questions to her uncle Feyr. The King of Alfheim had been embarrassed and tried to change the conversation topic. A bit rude, but everyone was afraid of Odin, weren’t they? Her uncle knew the AllFather’s secrets and would risk his head if he talked too much, even to his own niece… even when the scandal in question had been revealed – or at least partially revealed.
Now, Prince Loki Laufeyson was standing in front of them, proudly wearing his people’s traditional clothes, and the princess had to admit they suited him quite well.
He was looking at her with something shining in his eyes that made Sigyn want to take a step back and find refuge in her father’s arms. However, she knew this was not the moment for cowardice. She had to stand her ground and show she was made of the strongest uru.
“Your highness Prince Loki”, the princess said, curtseying, “It is an honor to make your acquaintance, though the circumstances are not ideal…”
Though the Jotun Prince seemed to appreciate her courtesies, he interrupted her quite rudely.
“Not ideal indeed, Princess. Your father is a thief and I will keep him as my prisoner to pay for his crime”
Sigyn was taken aback by such accusations. Iwaldi was rich, he did not need to steal anything. It did not make any sense.
“Pray tell me, my Lord”, the lady asked, “what my father has stolen from you?”
The Jotnar approached dangerously, and Sigyn had to control herself from shivering from fear. She had never seen a Frost giant, and though this one had been raised among Aesirs, her mother’s warnings of their savage ways and the multiple attempted kidnappings, made her uneasy. Suddenly, the Prince conjured a rose, and showed it to the princess.
“My roses are the last gift from my moth…”, he stopped himself, “from Queen Frigga. You father tried to steal them from me”
“I did not know”, Iwaldi defended himself, “I never thought your bloody flowers were so damn important to you!”
Sigyn gasped and felt guilt gnawing at her heart. Her stupid gift! She had asked her father for a rose, and now, because of her and her silly ideas, he was Prince Loki’s prisoner. Falling on her knees, she joined her hands in prayer, her eyes already misty with tears.
“Your highness, the fault is mine, not my father’s”, she said, while she could sense Iwaldi’s words of protest, “Take me instead. I was the one who asked for a rose. I should be the one to be punished, not my father”
Prince Loki seemed to ponder for a moment, looking at her, once again, with this fire in his gaze that made her shiver and burn at the same time. He knelt in front of her, putting his fingers under her chin, forcing her to look at him, before smiling and helping her stand.
“Very well”, the Prince agreed, “You shall stay in my palace, as my bride, while your father is free to go home”
“This is out of the question!”, Iwaldi screamed, “I refuse! I’ll stay here, and Sigyn, you go home”
But Sigyn was half-dwarf and therefore, very stubborn. When she had taken a decision, nothing could make her change her mind.
“Father, you cannot stay here”, she pleaded softly, while wiping up his feverish brow, “Your health is unsteady here, as a flame facing the iciest blizzards. If you were to remain here, you would die”
Iwaldi stared at her for a moment, speechless, knowing she was right, and at the same time, refusing to abandon his daughter to such a dire fate. Sigyn’s will, however, was unshakable.
“Prince Loki was raised by the Good Queen Frigga, Father”, she reminded Iwaldi, trying to appease his fears, “He already promised to do the honorable thing and marry me. What more could you wish for?”
“For my daughter to marry some worthy high lord, not some Jotun beast!”, the dwarf spat between his teeth.
Sigyn took him in her arms, hugging him tightly, before letting him go. Loki then opened a portal leading to Nidavellir, and Sigyn gasped at his display of magic. Rumors said he was a powerful sorcerer, and for once, they were true. Would she ever be safe with such a man? She tried to calm herself. There was no point losing her cold blood now. Her father was sick and needed care. She could face Loki on her own.
“Go and rest, Father”, she kissed his cheek one last time, feeling Loki’s eyes on her, “You deserve it”
Iwaldi grunted, and nodded, defeated, before passing thought the portal, leaving Sigyn alone in the presence of her prince.
She had not wanted to marry Theoric, and always believed him to be too coarse and crude for her tastes. The Norns had quite a sense of humor, making her marry a Frost giant… Her mother would disown her the moment the news reached Vanaheim.
And Theoric? What would happen with him? Would he accept this betrayal without making a scandal? She was not sure… She was supposed to be Goddess of Fidelity, and here she was, marrying another man, without even announcing her fiancé the end of their betrothal. What shameless behavior, indeed. People would gossip about it for days, calling Sigyn “her mother’s worthy daughter”, though her mother would have rather died than to marry a Jotun.
Suddenly, she felt her husband’s strong arms lifting her from the ground and carrying her from the dungeons. Sigyn felt her heart pounding inside her chest, and her hands found their way around his neck, as she feared she would fall.
“Where are you taking me, my Lord?”, she asked, a little out of breath, and now unable to hid her fear.
Loki chuckled at her question, as they passed the palace’s halls and long corridors before reaching a door.
“Why, dear wife”, he called her with the smile of a predator, “Isn’t this our wedding night?”
He then laid her on the bed, Sigyn trying her best to calm her heart and her shaking. Her spouse seemed amused by her behavior, leaving his hands on her skin for longer than necessary.
“Are you afraid of the Jotun Beast, my sweet?”, he asked his wife, his cold fingers caressing her arms, before playing with the buttons of her dress.
However, Sigyn was the daughter of a former Valkyrie, and she had to be brave. This was her life now, this man would be her husband, the father of her children, and this place would be her home. The sooner she accepted it, the better it would be.
So when Loki’s lips claimed her mouth and started undressing her, she closed her eyes, ready to do her duty as his wife. Her whole body seemed to have a mind of his own, and while her heart was firmly closed to her new lord and master, it seemed the rest of her being did not mind belonging to him. A single caress from him earned a gasp from her; his kisses lit something deep inside her, some voracious fire that ravished her soul as his hands and mouth ravished her body, leaving her breathless and at his mercy.
But then, all of a sudden, he stopped, and left the bed, at the moment when she craved his touch the most. Sigyn felt cold and embarrassed, as her husband seemed amused by her reaction.
“I think I shall bid you goodnight, my sweet”, he said, as Sigyn tried and failed to cover her naked form with the woolen blankets laying on the bed. He gave her one last appreciative look, smiled, and then closed the door behind him.
Sigyn had never felt more humiliated in her whole life. Who did he think she was? Some lowly concubine he could use and abuse as he saw fit? She was a princess of two realms, she knew her worth. And yet, here she was, at his mercy, bonded to him, a mere toy for him to play with until he got bored of her?
Something deep inside Sigyn’s soul revolted at the idea. She was better than this. She had accepted to stay with him so he would let her father go… but her father was now free, and Loki had taken what he wanted from her, didn’t he? If he had wanted more, or something else, he would not have left her like this. Besides, he had called her his wife, but there had been no ceremonies, or witnesses. Was such an union legally binding? What were the Jotnar customs in such occasion? She did not know, but it was pretty obvious her mother and the AllFather would not recognize it. And what about Loki? Was she truly his lady wife or was this just one of his tricks so he could take liberties with her?
Sigyn felt her heart bleed at the thought, as she realized the second possibility was most likely… Loki was god of lies and mischief, wasn’t he? This wedding was just a lie to make her bend to his desires. Shame suddenly choked her, leaving her slightly nauseous and in tears. She needed air, but more than this, she needed her freedom back.
She chose this time to turn herself into a little bird. It would be easier to fly away from Loki’s palace, finding a small whole in the window’s shutters. Jotunheim’s air was chilly, but the two moons gave the night enough visibility for Sigyn to find her way back to the Bifrost. She could do it. She had to.
For one moment, she felt guilty, leaving the one who had called himself her husband, before remembering he did not love her, and neither did she… didn’t she? Of course, she did not. He was a beast, and a liar, and she would only be miserable by his side. She had promised to stay wit him, yes, it was true, and by running away, she was breaking this promise. However, such a terrible man never kept his promises either. Escaping him meant escaping more humiliation and abuse.
So, without a look back, Sigyn flew away, letting Jotunheim’s cold winds guide her towards a better future, or so she hoped.