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The Vow, a story of Loki & Sigyn Pt. 1Setting:Starts prior to "Thor" (2011) and ends with the beginning of "The Avengers" (2012).Summary/Blurb:Sigyn Freyadottir, the daughter of an Asgardian nobleman of the noble House of Iwaldi, has known the two sons of King Odin the Allfather, Prince Thor and Prince Loki, ever since they were children. Of the two princes, it was Loki who she was around the most, as she would sometimes receive instruction in magic by Loki's mother, Queen Frigga, with him by her side. However, the two are separated after Sigyn and her family relocate to the Asgardian countryside following a family tragedy.The years pass and Sigyn grows up into a lovely, clever, endearing young lady of sweetness, charm, grace, gentleness, warmth, humility, and devotion. She is also about to be betrothed to Theoric, a handsome young warrior who is a new recruit to an elite guard of warriors called the Crimson Hawks. As for Loki, he becomes a mischievous, clever, sly, silver-tongued, but nevertheless debonair, charismatic, handsome man, a master of magic, a skilled fighter, and the infamous God of Mischief of the Nine Worlds. When the two of them finally cross paths once again in Asgard after spending years growing up apart, they are struck and captivated by one another's transformation and by a surprising kindredness in spirit that they share as adults. In short time, a special bond and connection forms between them.One day, while on a visit to the neighboring realm of Vanaheim, Sigyn gets into trouble when she becomes caught in the crossfires of a longtime grudge held by the current ruling house of Vanaheim, the royal House of Njord, towards her father's household, and is subsequently sentenced to prison as recompense for a crime one of her forefathers committed. What was supposed to be a brief, uneventful trip to Vanaheim goes horribly wrong and leaves Sigyn imprisoned and trapped in Vanaheim with absolutely no way of returning to Asgard, causing her family distress when she fails to return home.In response, Allfather Odin sends Thor, Loki, the Lady Sif, and Hogun, Fandral, and Volstagg – the Warriors Three – to Vanaheim under diplomatic orders to find Sigyn and bring her back to Asgard. When they fail to find her within the time they are permitted to stay in Vanaheim and are forced to return to Asgard, only Loki, bent on finding his new friend, stays behind and continues to search for her. Eventually, he does find Sigyn, scared, alone, afraid, and imprisoned.Determined to help Sigyn and unwilling to return to Asgard without her, Loki approaches the royal House of Njord to plead for Sigyn's release and learns from them that the grudge the House of Njord bears against Sigyn's father's household prevents her from earning her freedom…unless she marries out of her father's household and into another one. Taking advantage of this loophole, Loki formulates a plan: he will secure Sigyn's freedom by getting her married out of her household and into a new household. That new household that Loki plans on getting Sigyn married into is none other than his own – the royal House of Odin. And he plans on achieving that by marrying Sigyn himself.Although initially aghast upon learning that a marriage of convenience to Loki is the only way she will be released from prison and allowed to return to Asgard, Sigyn agrees to Loki's plan and consents to become his wife under the conditions that they find a way to void their marriage once they return home, keep their marriage a secret from their friends and families, and put distance between one another to avert suspicions of a relationship between them.However, after they return to Asgard, Loki and Sigyn soon find out that it's not voiding their marriage that is the most difficult challenge they face – it's staying away from each other, resisting becoming attached, and getting each other out of their minds that proves to be their biggest challenge, especially after Sigyn moves into the royal palace in order to become a teaching assistant for Frigga. What's more, Sigyn, being half Vanir, begins to have premonitions of her new husband descending into a madness and darkness unlike himself that threatens to tear his family apart and jeopardize the safety of the Nine Realms.Motivated by an underlying sense of duty, loyalty, and devotion to help and stand by those who are dear to her, Sigyn is faced with a choice: should she keep her distance from her new husband – as she ought to – and leave him to his own devices for the sake of voiding a marriage she never planned to be in and for her impending marriage with Theoric? Or should she, against her better judgement, stay by her husband's side and stand by, help, and protect him – as she vowed she would do when she married him and became his wife – from a dark fate she has no idea how to stop while knowing very well that if she does, she runs the risk of falling in love with him, and that her marriage to Loki threatens her arranged marriage with Theoric?This is the first part of a 2 or 3-part story about the [unknown] relationship between Marvel Cinematic Universe's infamous, villainous, but beloved God of Mischief – and the woman with a heart of unconditional faithfulness and love who he made his bride.Starring Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Rene Russo as Frigga, Patrick Godfrey as Njord, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Frey, Diane Kruger as Freyja, Jeremy Irons as Ivaldi, Max Irons as Theoric, and Tamzin Merchant as Sigyn.
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It was a custom in Asgard for a family to hold a christening ceremony for a newborn child to after the ninth day of the child's birth. Once they had undergone this rite of passage, the newborn would formally be recognized as an official member of the family and household and be conferred with any rights of inheritance. Truly, a christening was a momentous, significant event in the life of any newborn of Asgard and their families and one that was to be celebrated with joy and gaiety - and that was exactly the case among the relatives, friends, and other guests who had come to attend the christening ceremony that day for the newest member of the noble House of Iwaldi.The Lord Ivaldi, head of the household and bearing the namesake of his family's foremost forefather, and his family were one of many families in Asgard who had the privilege and good fortune of belonging to Asgard's nobility. But the Noble House of Iwaldi was unique and unlike most Asgardian noble families, for this noble family – in fact – was the only noble family among Asgard's nobility to boast of a mixed heritage that stemmed from three of the races of the World Tree, Yggdrasil. The House of Iwaldi's eponymous founding father, Iwaldi, was a native of the world Nidavellir – better known as the realm of the Dwarves. The Dwarves of Nidavellir had long shared a close and harmonious relationship with Asgard and its people, and they were unarguably the most superior makers and craftsmen of weaponry in all the Nine Realms of Yggdrasil. Although he himself a dwarf, in time, according to the stories of the family's history, Iwaldi would find himself a wife among the Aesir – the people of Asgard – and have with her four sons who would carry on the family line and their dwarven heritage to their descendants.Ivaldi's wife, the exquisite Lady Freya, also contributed to the family's mixed roots, for the Lady Freya, in fact, was not of Asgard, but from the neighboring world of Vanaheim – Asgard's sister realm. She was a Vanir –– a race of people that were widely famous and renowned for their innate abilities and powers in the use of magic and sorcery, as well as the ability of premonition. But alas, not every man, woman, or child of the Vanir were to have such famous, powerful, ethereal abilities bestowed into them at birth; Freya was among the non-magical Vanir population. Yet, in spite of this, Freya was content, for no amount of magical talent or blood could have ever made her happier or satisfied than the blessings of being married to Ivaldi and having him as her husband, and being the mother of the little brood of children that she and Ivaldi had together.Ivaldi and Freya were the proud parents of four lovely girls who were more precious to them than perhaps anything else in the Nine Realms. Their firstborn and eldest child – a daughter – was born some few years after they had married, and it was this daughter who Ivaldi and Freya named Nanna. Nanna was a beautiful child, with sun-gold hair and vibrant blue eyes the color of the sky that she clearly inherited from her grandmother, Ivaldi's mother. Only a year had passed following Nanna's birth when another child joined the House of Iwaldi, also a daughter, who Ivaldi and Freya named Snotra. Snotra shared her elder sister's beautiful features, from her sun-gold hair to her grandmother's vibrant blue eyes the color of the sky. Another year later, the couple added a third child to their family – another girl, just as fair and perfect as her older sisters – whom they named Lofn. And just like her sisters, Lofn possessed a fair maiden's beauty with her sun blonde hair and sky blue eyes. Finally, after two more years had come to pass, just when their family and friends thought that they would bear no more children, Ivaldi and Freya welcomed their fourth and last child and daughter to their family. Only ten days old, it was this child who was to undergo the christening ceremony that her father and mother were preparing for that day, and be received as an official member of their family and household. And this daughter, they decided, was to be given the name Sigyn.Following Sigyn's birth, Ivaldi and Freya sent word to their families, relatives, and to their friends inviting them to their daughter's christening where they could bestow unto her their well wishes and good tidings. But being members of the nobility, however, the couple was privileged to rub shoulders with some of Asgard's most distinguished and important people, and they had invited several of these individuals to the christening. But among the many distinguished guests who they had invited and would expect at Sigyn's christening that day was the most important and powerful family and household in all of Asgard.In the banquet hall of the family's home that served as a space for social occasions, a scattered crowd of no more than 40 people had gathered for the christening of Lord Ivaldi's newborn child and were enjoying casual, friendly conversations, goblets of mead and ale, and small, finger-sized servings of food when two men garbed in plates of metal armor, horned helmets, and capes in the color of filigree gold appeared and stationed themselves by the entrance of the hall. Both carried circular shields and held long, thick spears, the latter of which one of the men used to strike the floor of the banquet hall thrice, emitting a loud, hollow sound that garnered everyone's attention."His royal majesty, the Allfather, King Odin Borson, and her royal majesty, the Allmother, Queen Frigga, have arrived."A mighty, dignified, and imposing figure emerged from the entrance and stepped into the hall. He was garbed in golden armor from head to toe, a cape the color of dark crimson flowed behind his back, and his face was nearly masked by the horned helmet he wore and his silvering beard. A gilded patch covered his right eye. Walking beside him with her arm linked with his was a woman who was nothing short of beautiful. She had hair the color of honey gold mixed with pale ginger that fell below her shoulders in soft, abundant curls. She was clothed in a fine long dress made of flowing silk that was the color of pale sea green. She cast a much less intimidating figure than her husband, for her eyes were warm and twinkled with cordial felicity and her lips were pressed together into a pleasant and gentle smile.The arrival of the Allfather and his queen prompted eager and cheerful smiles and murmured greetings from all those present in the banquet hall. Every knee and head in the room then bent low in respect at the royal couple's presence, in a motion that swept across the banquet hall space like a wave. Seeing this, Odin stopped in his tracks, with Frigga following suit, and he raised his palm up to acknowledge and thank his subjects for their courtesy, smiling as he did. However, the imperial decorum cast by the royal couple's presence came to an unexpected end as peals of sharp, raucous, childlike laughter erupted and rang through the air, causing eyes to shift from the Allfather and the Queen to the banquet hall entrance where the armored men were stationed. It was through there that two young boys, one of them golden haired and the other one darker haired, came bursting into the room, laughing and grinning at each other boisterously as they ran past the guards by the entrance, both of whom remained expressionless and unfettered as the young rascals zoomed past them."And…their sons," added the guard, who paused to quickly liberate an awkward cough before resuming in an audible, if not awkward, slow tone, "…their royal highnesses…Princes Thor… and Loki."Having accommodated the late entry of the young princes, the guard rapped on the floor to signal he had finished his announcement while simultaneously asking himself mentally whether or not he probably should have held his tongue. The other guard eyed him questioningly, wondering the same thing.As for the young princes, they were carelessly enjoying themselves in their antics until they looked up into their parents' eyes and saw Odin's peeved countenance. The bigger and elder of the princes, the golden haired Thor, a young boy of six years, abruptly froze in his tracks as he caught the stern gaze of his aged father. The younger prince, Loki, followed suit and immediately stopped in his tracks too, but not without clumsily bumping into his older brother of physically two years his senior as his feet skidded to a halt. The elder prince let out a softened exclamation of surprised, fleeting pain as his younger brother collided into him, and afterwards rubbed the spot on his back where he had felt his brother's elbow assail him.As their father's stern eyes bore into their own, the young princes muttered a quiet chorus of "Sorry" and "Sorry father," before retreating to their mother's side and seizing her hands for relief.With a nod and wave of the Allfather's hand the celebration resumed. Moments afterwards the lord Ivaldi, a tall man with dark hair and eyes and a short beard to match, accompanied by a woman with pale blond hair and dressed in a long, billowing teal blue gown and silk shawl to match, approached the royal couple and stopped in front of them to cross his hand over his breast and bow his head low before them, with the woman following suit."Allfather Odin," the nobleman began to say, "It is a tremendous and great honor to have you and your family here with us today for my child's christening."Odin's lips spread wide with mirth as he took Ivaldi's hand in one of his own while the other took his shoulder in a friendly pat."The pleasure is mine, old friend," said the Allfather cordially. The blue in his eyes twinkled with delight as he shook the lord Ivaldi's hand. "And must I once again remind you that there is no need for formalities between us?" Odin added, before pulling him in for a friendly, and quick hug and a pat on his back. "I've known you for years now. And Lady Freya – " Odin gestured towards the woman by Ivaldi's side, offering his hand out to her which she took gratefully, "My sincere and hearty congratulations to you on this happy occasion. The Norns have been kind to you and Ivaldi most kindly."Freya beamed brightly, and nodded in gratitude. "Thank you, Allfather. And yes, the Norns have blessed us abundantly."It was then that Queen Frigga, who had been holding herself back in silent politeness as she watched her husband receive their hosts' welcome and greetings, stepped forward and warmly took both of Freya's hands into her own, smiling as she did."Words cannot convey how delighted and overjoyed I am for you and your family, Freya dear," said Frigga before she withdrew to receive Ivaldi and accept the courteous kiss he placed on her fingers. "And you as well, Ivaldi.""Thank you, my queen," Ivaldi replied.Still smiling, Frigga then looked over her shoulder and glanced at her two sons who had refrained from uttering a single word since the commotion they had caused mere moments ago."Thor, Loki."The two princes obediently stepped forward from behind their mother and walked up to her side.Ivaldi and Freya made a curt bow before the princes. "Prince Thor and Prince Loki," said Ivaldi as he bent and took his turn shaking the hands of each of Odin's sons. "It is a delight to have you with us today."Young Thor smiled toothily at the bearded nobleman while young Loki, not saying anything, bowed his head in respect.Odin stepped behind his sons and clasped a hand on each of their shoulders. "My sons and Frigga have brought a gift that we would like to give to your daughter."Freya drew a hand to her chest in surprise. "You shouldn't have!" she exclaimed. "How kind and generous of you, young princes!""Where might your child be at this moment, Freya dear?" asked Frigga."She is with my mother, my queen Frigga," answered Lord Ivaldi as he extended his hand to Frigga, who accepted it and the courteous kiss that he placed on it. "Would you and the Allfather like to see her before the christening rites are performed?""We most certainly would," Frigga answered in delight. "And Ivaldi, dear friend, must we keep reminding you that there is no need for formalities among us four?""Ah, but my queen," the Lord Ivaldi began to apologize while turning a pale shade of crimson. "You must forgive me, for I am a noble, I must show you my utmost courtesy. But do come and follow me, my mother and child are not too far away from us."Ivaldi then led the royal couple and their sons to the front of the banquet hall where a low platform no more than a foot high lay. A small crowd of people were congregated around a small canopied cradle where beside it stood an elderly, sprightly woman with gentle sky blue eyes and a warm smile. She was clothed in a long lavender gown, her shoulders were draped with a pale golden shawl, and her long silvery hair was tied behind her head in a knot. In her arms there lay a small bundle wrapped in a snow-white linen blanket from which a tiny head and two pairs of little arms stuck out from. Gathered and clamoring around the woman were three little girls with fair blonde hair and the same sky-blue eyes dressed in their finest pastel frocks. A young nursemaid who tended to them stood among the girls, trying to get them to settle down. Also gathered was a man and a woman clothed in long sweeping robes of fine silk who were watching over two young dark-haired boys who appeared to be around Thor and Loki's ages."Mother."The sound of the Lord Ivaldi's voice caused the old woman to look over her shoulder. The others in her company followed suit. "Son," she replied."Allfather, Frigga, perhaps you remember my mother, the Lady Ragna?"The old woman quickly laid the blanketed bundle she held in her arms in the cradle and subsequently bent her head in a brief bow before the royal couple. "My lord Odin," said Ragna. "It is an honor to see you once again."Odin smiled cordially and held out his hand for the Lady Ragna to take, which she did with a pleasant smile. "Lady Ragna," began Odin, "You look well. It is good to see you once again as well."Ivaldi then gestured to the couple in his mother's company. "And of course, surely you must remember my brother and his wife, the Lord Egil and the Lady Ylva?"Frigga extended her hand to Lord Egil, who smiled as he took it and courteously placed his lips on her fingers before retracting. "Delighted to see you and Ylva again, Egil," Frigga said pleasantly."Thank you, Queen Frigga," Egil replied in gratitude. After Frigga and the Lady Ylva had exchanged their own pleasantries, Ylva turned to the pair of young boys standing idly beside their father. "My king and queen, I do not believe our sons, Stefn and Jonn, have been introduced to you yet." Egil placed his hands on his two boys' shoulders, "Stefn. Jonn," he coaxed. "What do you say to their majesties?"Young Stefn, the eldest of the two, prostrated in a bow while trying hard not to stare at the gold eyepatch that hid the Allfather's right eye. "Pleased to meet you, your majesties," he said timidly. His brother Jonn did the same, and was just as shy as his older brother was.Odin chuckled and smiled gently at the youngsters. "What fine boys you have, Egil," said Odin. He then cast a glance at his own boys who stood meekly apart from Ivaldi's nephews. "I should think Thor and Loki have found themselves new playmates, haven't they, Frigga dear?""Oh why of course!" she answered. "The boys just adore meeting new people, especially our Thor." She then looked down into the face of her eldest son and gently pushed him forward. "Thor, sweetheart, come meet Stefn and Jonn.""Hullo," said the golden-haired prince, "I'm Thor. And this is my brother Loki."The darker haired prince clung unto his mother's hand and smiled timidly at the other two boys, both of whom grinned back at the two princes. Frigga prostrated to her knees and gently took her youngest son by his shoulders. "Loki's a little shy," she said kindly to Stefn and Jonn. "But you'll like him, you'll see."Young Loki smiled in relief at his mother."Frigga, my queen," Freya stepped in, "Would Thor and Loki like to meet Sigyn?"Why, of course they would!" Frigga said cheerfully. "Thor, Loki, come with me dears," and following Freya, she gently ushered them towards the small canopied cradle not too far away. Odin joined his sons and wife after engaging in some small talk with Lord Ivaldi and Lady Ragna, both of whom beckoned the boys to come hither to the cradle."Thor, Loki," said Freya. "This is Sigyn, the newest member of our household."Leaning against the sides of the cradle, Thor and Loki peered inside with their small faces. Their pale eyes fell upon an infant girl lying comfortably at the bottom of the cradle, swaddled in the snow white blanket she was wrapped in. Small thin tufts of light hair clung to her head, and her eyes were closed, seemingly asleep.Thor chortled. "She's so small!"Odin knelt down and placed a hand on young Thor's shoulder, prompting their gazes to meet. "But she'll get older, my boy," he reminded him softly. "And one day she'll grow bigger, just like you and Loki."Thor turned his attention back to the cradle and its slumbering, inert occupant. "Hello Sigyn!" Thor said in a loud, exuberant voice that earned his mother's chiding warning."Hush, Thor, dear. Not so loud, she's sleeping. You mustn't disturb her."A faint whimper passed through the child's lips and moments later, everyone watched breathlessly as little Sigyn's tiny eyes slowly flipped open, unveiling a pair of beautiful, charming, sparkling irises the color of spring violets."She has your eyes, dear," said Ivaldi as he took Freya's arm into his.Freya beamed affectionately back at her husband.Sigyn's eyes scanned all the faces that were peering down at her, unsure of who they belonged to, but her eyes halted when she met the gazes of Odin's two sons. The child stared at the two young princes with expressionless, fathomless, glasslike eyes, ensnaring them in a silent, breathless trance. Then, without any warning, her jaw suddenly twitched and her brow crumpled into folds. Freya suppressed a gasp of motherly worry as she noticed these movements in her newborn's face and recognized them as the precursors of the face of a wailing, upset child whom she would have to console.But Freya, it would turn out, was mistaken. For what began as seemingly provoked nuances and wrinkles in Sigyn's visage suddenly metamorphosed and lit up with an animated sunniness that nobody was prepared for. Her beautiful violet eyes had delight and wonder dancing in her irises and the corners of her petite mouth turned northward as her enthralled rosy lips fanned from pudgy cheek to pudgy cheek.A story was circulating among the Noble House of Iwaldi and those close to them that Ivaldi and Freya's newborn child came into the world with joy and delight radiating all throughout her features. But whether or not the story was true (it was), Sigyn's vivacious, beaming, toothless countenance was one that one could not help but succumb to its overwhelming, infectious sweetness and charm and reciprocate with parallel warmth.And, it was a smile that, upon penetrating into the depths of their eyes, caused little Thor and Loki's lips to melt into fuzzy, warm, toothy grins that spread from ear to ear. For in an instant, this tiny, sweet, precious being whose existence both young Thor and Loki had been unaware of until that very day, and of who they had only laid eyes on for the first time barely five minutes earlier, now claimed the two sons of Odin utterly and completely in heart and soul. And Sigyn, sensing the glee and warmth that was blanketing the young princes' faces, instinctively responded by lifting one of her petite pudgy arms up and reaching out for the two of them with tiny unfurled fingers as if to say, "I want."It was a precious gesture that elicited a soft gasp from young Loki, who had scarcely uttered a word since his and his brother's noisy entrance at Ivaldi and Freya's home for the christening."Sigyn."Loki spoke her name softly under his breath, uttering the syllables and sounds that composed it slowly. It was the first time he said her name since meeting her. Loki then broke his gaze from the little girl to look up at his older brother's face. He tugged on the sleeve of his brother's dark gray tunic."Thor."Thor's eyes shifted and turned attentively to his brother, who moved his lips close to the golden-haired prince's ears and whispered in a not-so-furtive manner of childlike amazement and awe, "She likes us!"It was a comment that caused young, boisterous Thor to burst out in a fit of noisy giggles that Loki soon joined with his own.Frigga, who had been watching this intimate encounter between the infant and her sons, laughed softly and with delight. "She's a sweet, darling child, Freya dear," said Frigga, "And she'll love the gift we brought for her!" Frigga then turned towards her husband, who was on his knee craning to take a closer look at Sigyn inside the cradle with his sons and the rest of Sigyn's family. "Odin?"Odin looked over his shoulder as he heard his wife call out to him. "Yes, my dear?""Why don't you and the boys show Ivaldi and Freya our gift for Sigyn?" asked Frigga"Ah, but of course! Thor, Loki, come along with me."The princes followed their father as he walked over to where his wife, Ivaldi, and Freya were huddled. The Allfather raised his hand in front of him and soon enough, a faint glow of light and sparks began to materialize within his grasp. Thor and Loki watched their father in awe as he used his magic to summon in his hand a small, shiny box the color of metallic bronze that was flourished and engraved with beautiful, ornate metal weaves, lattices, and knots of the Old Norse tradition that one could find all throughout Asgard, including the Royal Palace. The shiny box, with was small enough to be held in one hand, no more than 3 inches in height, and formed in the shape of a stunted cylinder, had a lid latched shut on the box where engraved on it was the image of Yggdrasil, the World Tree, formed by intricate metal weaves and lattices in its shape and likeness."Thor," said Odin as he handed the small box to the golden-haired prince, "why don't you give this box to Lady Freya?"Thor bobbed his head vigorously in obedience and turned towards Freya and Ivaldi. Cupping the small box in his hands, he presented it to Freya, who thanked him as she took it."It's beautiful, Allfather," Freya marveled as she turned the tiny box in her hands, leaving no surface of it unnoticed with her violet eyes that were shimmering in gratitude. "Thank you so much.""What is it?" asked Ivaldi."Open it, dears," coaxed Frigga, "and you'll see."Ivaldi gently unlatched the lid of the box with his fingers as his wife held it in her cupped hands. As soon as he gingerly lifted the lid out of the way with his fingers, he and Freya's eyes flooded with charm and awe as from within the box ascended two metal figurines of a man and a woman garbed in fine clothing, hands held in one another's, rotating in the center of the box in the manner of a dance. The figurines themselves were crafted with such fine detail that one could make out the sharp features that each figurine possessed, from the intimate and affectionate gazes etched in each of the figurines' faces, to the details and textures on their clothing and hair. As Ivaldi lifted the box's lid out of the way upon opening it, music began to play. The music was a tune that was as gentle, sweet, and charming as little Sigyn herself, and was composed with a tempo and rhythm of liveliness that at the same time retained a timbre of serenity void of harshness and dissonance. There was a kind of lovely and sweet softness in the music's timbre that also possessed a sentimentality and mild catharsis that could bring warmth, comfort, and peace, and enchantment to anyone who listened to it."A music box," Freya murmured.Odin smiled pleasantly. "We commissioned one of the best craftsmen dwarves in Nidavellir to make it for us. He completed the finishing touches to it shortly before your child was born. The dwarf used a special magic to craft the box, so because of that magic, the box shall never break from age or usage, and the music will always play, never to stop even after time."Ivaldi beamed as he shut the lid of the music box back down. "Thank you for such a thoughtful gift, Allfather. Our Sigyn will adore it, I am sure.""Why don't we let Sigyn see it, dear?" suggested Freya. The noblewoman walked back to the cradle, followed by her husband and the royal family, where Sigyn lay still surrounded by her uncle and aunt, her cousins, her grandmother and older sisters, and other admiring guests who gathered to dote on the child. The small cluster of guests stepped aside to let Freya through and she reached into the cradle and took Sigyn in her arms. Mother and infant exchanged a affectionate smiles as Freya comfortably cradled Sigyn.Lord Ivaldi, holding the music box in his hands, glanced to his left where young prince Loki stood beside him."Prince Loki."Loki's eyes promptly met Ivaldi's. The nobleman knelt down to the floor and deposited the music box in the young prince's small hands. "Would you like to present Sigyn's gift to her?"Frigga, having overheard Ivaldi's request, gently coaxed her son to accept the nobleman's offer.Carefully holding the music box in his hands, the dark-haired prince, accompanied by the Allmother, walked over to where Lady Freya stood with Sigyn. Freya knelt down on the floor to make it easier for the little prince to show the gift to her daughter. Loki's eyes met once more with Sigyn's and he smiled softly at her. He shuffled as close as he could to Freya before he proceeded to daintily lift open the box's lid, prompting the metal figurines of the couple crafted inside the box to emerge from the inside and inciting the sweet and charming tune of the box to begin playing.Almost immediately, young Sigyn made what sounded like utterances of delight and enchantment as she watched the metal figurines "dance" in the center of the box. The child smiled and cooed as the music played, and even began to reach out for her gift wanting to hold it herself, only to be chided softly by her mother. As for Loki, he could only grin and giggle at little Sigyn as she followed the movements of the figurines inside the box and enjoyed the charming music emanating from it.It was a precious, special moment between the infant girl and the young prince, and one that as precious as it was, had to come to an end as a servingman of the House of Iwaldi informed his lord and master that the appointed time for the christening rites to begin had come. With that, Loki closed the music box and returned it to Lord Ivaldi, who placed it among the many other gifts that he had received from his guests.As everyone gathered for the christening rites, Ivaldi took Sigyn from Freya into his arms and positioned himself before the small assembly of family and friends who had gathered for the happy occasion. The christening itself was not a long procedure; Lord Ivaldi began by thanking everyone present for coming, and acknowledged the presence of the Allfather and his family, before breaking into a short speech about how happy he was to welcome Sigyn into the House of Iwaldi, and how he and Freya came to call the child "Sigyn". Upon the conclusion of his speech, Ivaldi gestured for Freya and a servingmen of his house who held a basin of water with a small vessel to scoop the water into to come forward. Still holding Sigyn above the basin, but now with the support of his wife's arms, Ivaldi took the small vessel and filled with basin water. In a loud and confident voice, Ivaldi lightly sprinkled water from the vessel over Sigyn – who, as any infant would do if something cold and wet was introduced to their clad heads, began to wail – and concluded the christening rites with the words, "I declare this child as my daughter, Sigyn Ivaldadottir, of the Noble House of Iwaldi of Asgard, on this day."And with her father's declaration, Sigyn was formally made a member of the House of Iwaldi and conferred with the all the rights of inheritance as a member of her father's household. The sound of applause roared throughout the banquet hall as Sigyn was taken away by a nurse to be dried, comforted, and returned to her quarters to rest in peace as Lord Ivaldi declared for the banquet feast and other festivities that followed the christening to commence.In the nursery room that she shared with her sisters, Sigyn slept soundly in her cradle, undisturbed by the celebration occurring below stairs. It had been quite a momentous day, and it was one that left everyone pleased and confident that this child would grow up, join the ranks of Asgard's noblewomen, and follow in their footsteps of eventually marrying into another eminent household of Asgard, and continue the family name.Yet, no one there, not one of the people who loved her, not the Allfather, not Queen Frigga, not their sons, not any of the Numbered gods and goddesses of Asgard, not even little Sigyn herself sleeping soundly in her cradle, could foresee that this girl of the House of Iwaldi was destined to become much more than a mere nobleman of Asgard's daughter. No, the Norns had something far grander and deviant planned in store for this child – a destiny that they intended would one day in the distant future earn her the honor of being recognized as one of the bravest, strongest, and greatest women of all the Nine Realms – whether she would enjoy it or not. Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured here except the original ones I made. I don't own Marvel, the films, Thor, Loki, and other Marvel characters featured here. But I wish I did.
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Asgardians are famous for being capable of living very long lives – give or take 5000 or so years, perhaps more. Nevertheless, in the many years that passed in the human realm of Midgard, in Asgard, Sigyn metamorphosed from a tiny cooing infant into a young girl who was charming, endearing, and full of energy and life.Sigyn had always been an enchanting and lovely child since birth. The delightful smile that she wore on her lips when she was born showed itself at least once every day. Her violet eyes still lit up like firelight with each smile, and her honey-blonde hair, when it had finally grown out, was sometimes mistaken for a light ginger and tumbled from her head in loose waves – waves that just fell short of being the bouncy, attractive golden curls that her older sisters, Nanna, Snotra, and Lofn, had attained as they grew.The great difference in her physical features that made her stand out among her sisters should have been the first sign for her parents that there was something very different about their youngest daughter, but Ivaldi and Freya were not alarmed at the very least. Sure, Sigyn's eyes weren't the vivid sky blue eyes of her grandmother's that her older daughters possessed for themselves, and indeed, her hair did have a tint of honey gold in it that looked like ginger from afar unlike the vibrant sunny blond hair of her sisters, but these were innocuous in her parents' eyes – they did not matter. But it was only when the child could pass off as a Midgardian of the age of four that the Lord Ivaldi started to notice oddities about his youngest daughter.The first of these oddities began with the servants. Ivaldi and Freya were fortunate to have a fine crew of servingmen and servingwomen who helped around the household, who received good wages from his lordship in return for their services, and were treated cordially and well by the noble couple and their family. But for the noble members of the House of Ivaldi to regularly consort with their servants as intimate, trusted friends of their would have been absolutely unheard of among the noble community of Asgard. Having a member of the nobility find companionship among the servants of the household was just simply not how things worked in Asgard.And yet, young Sigyn saw the servingmen and women of her household as her friends and comrades and adored them with her whole heart – and they, in turn, adored and loved the child too. The "little mistress" was the affectionate pet name that they bestowed on Sigyn, who could be found below stairs where the servants lived and spent their time when the day's work was done.For his youngest daughter to make companions out of his servants did not go lightly with Lord Ivaldi, who had his own say on the matter. "I don't deny that I can't stop her from adoring them and certainly they are like family to her but she's a lady," Ivaldi would say, "A lady of Asgard is not supposed to be spending her time among the servants. She should find friends among those of or above her standing and station – not below. "The Lady Freya, however, simply said in reply, "And who is to tell her who is permitted to be her companions and who isn't? Let the child choose her friends."The second surprise that Sigyn's transformation brought was the discovery that the girl belied a spirit for adventure. Noble ladies and girls of Asgard were not, in any way, adventurers. Perhaps girls of the common populace of Asgard could be adventurous, but not a girl of the nobility, and most certainly not the daughters of Ivaldi. But Sigyn, once again, defied those norms.At least once every month, Ivaldi would take his family out of the capital to the stately home in the Asgardian countryside where he grew up in as a boy, and where his mother, brother, and his brother's family permanently resided in that the family called Arnarhvall. Arnarhvall was a large, handsome building, a manor house made of stone and marble that stood atop a shallow hill backed by a natural forested area located in the outskirts of a large, bustling town called Hafrafell. The home itself was the ancestral seat of the House of Iwaldi and built by the eponymous foremost forefather himself many moons ago. But with its beautiful location brought sights and places unseen and unknown for Sigyn, and she yearned to see and explore as much of it as possible. Sigyn was not the kind of girl who could be confined to the indoors; with every visit to Arnarhvall she took it upon herself to go adventuring in the area, especially in the forested area that lay behind the estate. The fun and bliss she had in her little adventures were her favourite part of her family visits to Arnarhvall, and almost always she would discover something new that the forest behind the home hid. On one such adventure she discovered a small glade where wild starlillies, rosehearts, and bellblooms grew among the grass. That afternoon following her discovery, she returned to Arnarhvall with an iridescent bouquet of wildflowers from the glade for the house. On another occasion she came across a beautiful cedarelm tree not too far away from the manor and managed to – in a very unladylike feat – climb up one of its limbs and fashion a swing onto it that she enjoyed riding on. Sometimes, in the autumn, when the cedarelm would shed its leaves, Sigyn would gather the fallen leaves into a pile, ride on the swing, and launch herself into the leaf pile. But of course, her father, ever so concerned with traditions of the nobility, objected to such a daring activity and adventurous spirit"You will get hurt, child," Ivaldi would scold, "And must I remind you once again that you are not an adventurer, but a future lady of Asgard?"Sigyn disliked such snubs, and often ended up in tears from them, which went unnoticed by Freya who told the young girl as she comforted her, "Sigyn, my child, it is a gift to have a spirit of adventure."Then there was the matter of knowledge and books. As Sigyn grew, her elders began to notice and comment that if there were any strong points that Sigyn possessed, it was that she was immensely clever and intelligent. When she was old enough to finally get a governess to school her, Sigyn demonstrated an eruditeness and aptitude that, at her age, was notably superior. "She is a very bright individual, and one of the smartest I have ever taught," said her governess. "It marvels me so much that I wonder where she has gotten it from. Perhaps it must be all those books that she reads."Sigyn was a voracious reader and there was scarcely a day where anyone would not be able to find Sigyn with her nose in a book. Her mind expanded with each book completed, and her thirst for knowledge grew as her mind did. She was hungry as a wolf for books and wanted to know things – things, ideas, philosophies, thoughts, facts about life, the world, truth, existence, the universe – anything that could be found in a book. But more than anything, books instilled in her a love for stories – stories of adventure, drama, fables, sagas, skalds, epic battles, history, comedy, romance – whatever the genre, she loved them all. In fact, by the time she had read more books than any child her age normally read, Sigyn naively decided that she wanted to become a storyteller when she was grown up.But Ivaldi, upon hearing this, made it a point to dissuade his daughter from such a fanciful notion of her idealized future. "My child, I am afraid it is time for you to get your head out of those books and pay attention to the future that is meant for you already. As a future noblewoman and lady of a manor, you have but one destiny: to marry, raise children, and help your husband run his household and affairs. You will have no time for a trade such as storytelling." His words stung, but Sigyn paid no attention to him. He could not tell her that she should stop reading or thirsting for knowledge. But Sigyn was a child – she did not know that a woman of the nobility had no sway over the influence of her father. It was a father who determined hiss daughter's destiny, and Ivaldi was no different.However, the one surprise that came from Sigyn's growth that sealed her existence as a fish out of water among the nobility, was that she had a gift for magic.The day the House of Iwaldi discovered that Sigyn had magical talents started out as an uneventful day: the Lord Ivaldi was conducting his lordly affairs in his study, the Lady Freya was entertaining guests in the drawing room, and the servants were hard at work running the household. But a high and shrill scream of a girl broke the unfettered decorum of the household and in short time feet were scampering towards the site of the commotion – the nursery where the four daughters of Ivaldi played. Ivaldi hadn't even stepped into the room when out from the nursery's door tore Sigyn's sister Nanna, shrieking hysterically in fear. The poor girl was attended to by the elders who had arrived at the scene and when she had finally calmed her down, her father asked her what was the matter, to which Nanna blurted, "Sigyn is making purple from her hands!"Children had the wildest of imaginations, but Nanna was not lying. For when the grownups finally entered the nursery, there they stumbled upon young Sigyn, who sat in the middle of the nursery floor with her frock's skirt poofed up around her waist and legs, holding her hands out in front of her, with her other two older sisters, Snotra and Lofn, trembling in fright with their backs against a wall. And in the space between the palms of Sigyn's hands floated a ball of glowing bright light the color of lavender. Such a sight brought quite a shock to the Lord Ivaldi and the others who had accompanied him to the nursery to investigate the commotion, but Sigyn, on the other hand, was not the least frightened by the spectacle she was creating. If anything, she thought the little purple light she had summoned with her hands was actually quite beautiful. "Look papa!" Sigyn cried out in elation, "Look at the pretty light I made! Isn't it pretty?!"Lady Freya was the first person to realize that the magic her youngest daughter possessed came from the Vanir part of her heritage. Being of Vanaheim and of its non-magical population, the discovery that Sigyn could produce the kind of magic that the Vanir were famous for was something that thrilled Freya rather than frightened her as it did to her husband and older daughters."We have a mage in the family!" Freya said excitedly. "Oh this is wonderful!" Then to her daughter: "Sigyn, sweetheart I am so, so happy and proud of you. There is so much you can do with magic – why, you must be the only soul in the realm outside of the gods and goddesses who can use magic. That, child, is a gift – don't you forget that!"But Ivaldi felt the opposite. "But magic?!" he exclaimed in bewilderment to his wife that evening. "Freya she is a future lady of Asgard's nobility! She can't play with magic and do tricks – people will talk!"Of course, Freya and her gentle side knew how to respond to her husband's remarks."Now, now, Ivaldi, love. If it were I and not our daughter who discovered that we possessed magic talents, you would not have stopped me from seeking to become well-versed in it now, would you?"Ivaldi was left struggling to find the right words to say. Between the two of them, Freya was known for her free spirit, her gentleness, and mild-mannered, accepting attitude. She loved her husband and family, and knew what was expected of her as a noblewoman and lady of Asgard. But Freya, in a way, was a kind of force to be reckoned with. Yes, she was a member of a distinguished noble family of Asgard, but she was also a Vanir – and in Vanaheim, if one could do magic, it was an extraordinary gift to be proud of and cherished, and one that, if it were to be further developed and learned in, could raise one up to a level of greatness and honor that was on par with that of an Aesir warrior's.Knowing this, Ivaldi came to see that it was almost a futile effort to argue with his lady wife over the subject of what should be done with their youngest daughter's gift. Nevertheless, he put his foot down when it came to deciding when the right time was for Sigyn to be allowed to start learning how to use her magical gifts."She's still quite young," he said. "When she's older and understands the responsibilities and implications that come with being a mage and using magic, only then shall I give her my blessing to begin learning how to use magic. The last thing I want is for her to accidentally turn her sisters into bilgesnipes."Despite the revelation that there was a mage among the House of Iwaldi, life for the family and its household went on, and Sigyn continued to read her books and quench her curiosity, grow in her cleverness, spend time with the servants, set out on her little adventures.But as Sigyn got older, so did the magnitude of her peculiarities that set her apart from most Asgardian noblemen's daughters such that other people who crossed paths with the House of Iwaldi began to notice and remark about them – just as Ivaldi had been concerned."Daughters of the nobility should not be left running wild and free in the outdoors. They're meant to be kept inside, learning the ways of noblewomen," one middle-aged Aesir lady who the Lady Freya interacted with frequently remarked following a banquet that the House of Iwaldi hosted."What an unusual individual your daughter is … at least, for a nobleman's daughter," said a gentlemen who Ivaldi regularly conducted administrative affairs with."Magic?! Norns help us, does she know that magic is not a child's toy?" another nobleman exclaimed."Fret not, perhaps she's just going through a phase. All children do at some point in their youth. One day she'll realize just how preposterous it is for a nobleman's daughter to act or live in such a way and become a lady of Asgard at the same time!" assured a visiting nobleman's wife.And: "I pray that the Norns will help that daughter of yours find a husband of your station who won't mind her oddities."Such remarks of course, did not go lightly with either the Lord Ivaldi and Lady Freya. Ivaldi was strict and favored traditions, but to hear others talk so disparagingly of Sigyn not just upset him, it also worried him too. Because, to a certain extent, knew there was truth in the words of his fellow nobles. As for the Lady Freya, although mild-mannered and gentle as she was, when it came to her daughters she was fiercely protective of them, particularly Sigyn. Now Freya loved each of her children with her whole heart, but it was Sigyn who was her favorite among all her children – not because of the fact that she was the only child of hers to use Vanir magic, but because she saw herself vividly in her daughter. And Freya was not going to allow such snubs on her child to occur."I beg your pardon, Lady Vandrad," Freya said in response to the ignorant noblewoman who had commented on her youngest daughter's marriageability, "I believe my daughter is capable of finding a spouse. And I pray that you would watch that tongue of yours the next time you speak so low of my child, even the gods know how to flyte with class."Sigyn, of course, was not immune to the acerbity of her noble elders' comments. Indeed, sometimes she was able to endure the sting of their remarks without complaint, but yet there were times when the bite in their words wounded her young pride such that bearing these verbal arrows was simply too much for her."Why am I different?" Sigyn asked while looking up into the Lady Freya's empathic, comforting eyes with a bleary, rueful visage following the incident with Vandrad."Sigyn, sweetheart," her mother spoke with a placating timbre while pushing aside the curtains of misbehaving hair that fell in front of her daughter's face as if to hide the hurt in her countenance, "Pay no attention to what the Lady Vandrad said today. Her comments were by no means – ""Is what she said true, mama?," Sigyn interjected. "No one will marry me because I'm odd?"Freya's lips twitched into a thin hard line. "Sigyn, my child, just because people are different doesn't mean that they are odd or unlikable. There is beauty, goodness, and loveliness in all things, and in every person, even in the things that make them different. If you pay attention to the good, beauty, and and loveliness in yourself and in others, I promise you, you will never have to feel like you are unlikable - to your future husband and anyone else. I want you to always remember that, do you promise me?.""Yes Mama."A comforting word from her mother always made Sigyn feel better. Still though, it didn't do much to ease the concern and worry her parents had about her, her future, and whether or not she could fit in with the other members of Asgard's nobility."What shall we do?" Freya asked her husband. "This can't go on."Ivaldi and Freya knew that they couldn't let their fellow nobles continue to pick on their daughter and her quirks. Something had to be done – and fast. They knew that Sigyn, as a member of the House of Ivaldi and Asgard's nobility, by tradition had to learn how to be and act like a proper lady of Asgard whether she wanted to or not. But how could they tame their daughter and the peculiarities she possessed?An idea soon surfaced in Ivaldi's mind."I think I know someone who might be able to help us."