The feast had been arranged for some time; a wedding celebration for a couple that Sigyn had never met before. There were so many weddings. Sigyn hadn't realised how wrapped up in a bookish bubble that she had been before marrying Loki. But now she was obligated to attend every event, just as Loki was.
She didn't mind much. Certainly there were a lot of people, and it was noisy; but she was with Loki. And somehow they always managed to find a quiet place to slink off to; a place in the background where they could pass the time unnoticed. That was the way that they both preferred it really.
This time they were sat at a table at the back of the hall beside each other, away from the throng of excited guests. Sigyn leant her head on her husband's shoulder and her fingers lay on his lap entwined with his as they used their moment to relax. It was almost strange for other guests to see them so contented in silence while all others were noisy and raucous- but they were. That was until Thor took it upon himself to join them.
"Brother! Why is it that you two sit here so silently? This is a celebration!" he boomed, smiling as usual.
Loki shrugged a little and replied, "To each their own."
"Nonsense! You should be dancing!"
Sigyn tried to stop herself flinching back slightly at the volume of his voice, and she was quite impressed that she seemed to manage it.
"Dancing is not a requirement at these occasions," Loki commented.
Thor seemed to frown somewhat at his brother's observation. He may have been correct, but he hadn't come over to Loki and his wife to remind them of a requirement. He just wanted the two of them to at least look like they were having a good time.
"If you insist on remaining here, then I must ask Sigyn here for one dance. Then at least one of you will look like you're having fun tonight. What say you, lady Sigyn? Would you do me the honour of a dance?"
In truth, she wouldn't mind dancing, and she didn't mind Thor; she just wasn't sure that dancing with him was the best idea. She looked over to Loki; Sigyn wasn't sure if it would upset him. He seemed to have jealousy issues- particularly where his brother was concerned.
But, as smooth as ever, Loki nodded as if unconcerned by the matter. So she stood and accepted the hand that Thor held out for her. And as he led her off to dance, Sigyn could still feel Loki's eyes on her.
"You seem to have a calming effect on my brother," Thor said, after they began to dance.
She blinked.
"You think? I was under the impression that he's always having his fun playing tricks on me."
"Ah, but you see, with Loki focussing his tricks on you, he's given the rest of us a little break," Thor smiled.
She shot him a grin in return.
"Well, I'm sure he'll be back on form in no time."
"You're going to tell him what I said, aren't you?"
"What kind of wife would I be if I didn't?"
They both laughed for a moment, but when they stopped, Thor gave her a serious look.
"But truly, I have not seen him so contented- and we've been trying to figure out how to get him that way for years."
She smiled again. Thor bent his head down so that he could whisper into her ear, and Sigyn looked sideways at him questioningly.
"I never actually told you how grateful I am to have you as a sister."
She blinked and moved her head back away from him, so that she could look at him.
"Don't act so surprised. With my brother's like for unusual things, I was half worried about the wife he would choose if he ever did get married."
She stared. That was a little odd- even quite insulting, she felt.
"But, clearly, I had nothing to worry about. You're not that strange," he added with a wink.
She smiled, a little confused. Sigyn had a feeling that she was supposed to smile; like it was a joke that she was supposed to understand and she didn't. At the same time, she almost thought that she should be insulted a little. He'd basically said that he thought Loki was going to marry a troll or something and she was a step up... It was as if he had no faith in Loki's judgement...
"I did not mean to offend, I was only joking," Thor said after she did not reply.
She blinked. She didn't realise that her thoughts were so obvious.
"Oh, sorry; it's just that compliments and I don't go well together," she explained, trying to cover herself and her thoughts.
"Well, I am afraid that I must give you a few more."
She tilted her head to the side and replied, "I wish you would not."
He gave her a sideways smile, a boyish grin, as if he didn't understand why she didn't want him to compliment her. In truth, she had never been comfortable with the notion of compliments. She could still barely accept them from Loki, who she'd grown so close to, who she loved so dearly. But she was saved from receiving any more compliments though, when their dance ended.
She bowed her head to him, but as she was about to depart, Sigyn got caught to dance with Fandrall, Hogun and then Volstagg. Since she didn't know the Warriors Three too well, she found the dances a little awkward- mostly because of the conversation they tried to initiate. But she still danced with them anyway, feeling that it was too impolite to decline their invitations.
Eventually, when her dance with Volstagg had come to an end, Sigyn found her hand being taken by a familiar face- though not the one that she had expected. Her mother-in-law effectively stepped in to rescue her before another man could ask for her to dance, and Sigyn couldn't have been happier as she was led off, the Queen excusing her from having to say no to any other that asked her to dance.
"I think it's about time you had a rest, dear," Frigga remarked.
Sigyn gave her a thankful look. She was extremely glad to be off of that dance floor, and since she just didn't have the heart to refuse anyone that had the nerve to ask her to dance, this was her perfect way out.
"Honestly dear, you're going to have to learn some escape routes."
"Escape routes?" Sigyn asked, bemused.
"If I hadn't figured out ways to get out of dancing long ago, I'd never have lasted long as Queen."
Sigyn blinked.
"And I can't be here to rescue you all the time," Frigga added with a motherly smile.
"Oh, I see... Thank you for that, by the way."
"You're welcome, dear. Like I said, I am well aware of that feeling."
After a moment of silence, Sigyn enquired, "If you don't mind me asking, how am I supposed to learn that sort of thing?"
"Practice," Frigga smiled. "Now, I shall let you return to my son. He's surely missing you by now."
Sigyn smiled and thanked her mother-in-law once again. Then she turned to find Loki, who was still sitting where she had left him. She made her way over to him quickly, glad to be back to their little corner, and flumped down beside him. She leant her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes for a brief moment.
"I was beginning to think that you'd forgotten where I was," Loki commented.
She could only let out a long sigh.
"The next time that someone asks me to dance and I look at you; just say no."
His lips twitched as he fought back a smirk. He had absolutely no problem denying another the opportunity to dance with his wife and keeping her beside him instead.
"And what would my reasoning for declining such a question?"
She turned her head so that she could look up at him.
"You're the one they call Silvertongue, I'm sure you could come up with something. Use your imagination," she replied, batting her eyelashes at him.
Loki rolled his eyes and answered, "You'll have to do better than that, love."
"Oh, I don't know; why don't you just lie and say that you can't bear to be parted from me for so long," she suggested with a wry smile.
He smirked and lifted a hand to shift a curl behind her ear.
"That wouldn't really be a lie though, now would it?"
She smiled softly. That was sweet of him to say; then again, he always did know what to say to her. And then he shattered the moment with a single comment.
"Besides, how could I let you go again, when last time I left you alone for so little a time I see my brother whispering sweet nothings in your ear?"
Sigyn blinked. Loki's voice was strange; but strange in a clipped manner that she distinctly recognised. Not jealousy over his brother again? Surely he knows by now that Thor is no comparison to him in my eyes? she thought with a tiny frown.
"Sweet nothings?" she asked.
But Loki raised a brow and stared at her, not saying a word. He was clearly waiting for her to explain what had been said, and she knew that her honesty was key. If she tried to just dismiss the matter as she wanted to then she was sure that it would only make the situation worse.
"Thor told me that he was grateful to have me as a sister- because apparently I have a calming effect on you. I'm not quite sure where he got that idea though."
She'd added the last part in an attempt to distract him and change the subject. She didn't know if it had worked, but Loki seemed to relax a little so she continued.
"I haven't seen you let up with your mischievous ways at all since I married you in all honesty. Though you may want to treat your brother to a few more of your tricks; I think he may believe you're going soft."
A mischievous glint lit up Loki's eyes. And Sigyn couldn't help but think that perhaps she had succeeded in waylaying him from his jealousy. Perhaps he had forgotten it. She knew it wasn't true; but he had forgotten for now it seemed.
"Well, we must solve that. We can't have anyone believing that I've gone soft now, can we?"
"How could anyone dare?" she smiled.
He smirked and pressed a kiss to the corner of her jaw, making her grin. I am definitely getting better at this distracting business, she thought, satisfied with herself and her successful attempt at making him forget about his brother.
Author's Note: Soooo, here's a little oneshot because I wanted to do another one that had Thor in, therefore voila.
WELL; I am officially knackered 41 hours at work this week and I'm only 34 hours through... Only 7 hours left! So much work; so much pain from lifting things and standing up all day. D:
I've started noting my ideas for the next chaptered fic now by the way, and I will be posting another couple of oneshots before that one appears. :) Also, I'm planning a crossover oneshot with Loki and Sigyn and Jareth and Sarah (from Labyrinth) So, do look out for that if you're interested. :)
Anyway, I hope you liked the oneshot and will let me know what you think! :)
Kit xx