The War Within A War

Sif stood in front of a massive golden double door, intricately carved and framed in dark red curtains. Lavish Asgaurdian script, illuminated by the flickering light of the iron torches mounted on either side of the corridor read: Room of Seeing.

She was not supposed to be here. The semi-darkness filled her with foreboding and though she had long been welcome to wander freely within the palace, she had respected her boundaries. There were some places only the king could go. But Odin wasn't here and the man who sat upon the throne was not her king, would never be her king.

She clenched and unclenched her fists, firming her resolve, finding it grimly ironic that the same honor that had her obey all of the All-Father's commands before now drove her to break them.

'Forgive me All-Father'

Sucking in a deep breath she pushed the door open. It was surprisingly light, swinging open a crack at the gentle motivation of her fingertips. She peered inside.

It was a large dome shaped room, its beveled walls a dusky pale gold color. There were no decorations, unlike most of the palace. In fact there was nothing at all except for a huge basin that hovered completely still in the centre of the room.

She cast one last glance over her shoulder before pressing on. Her steps echoed softly on the hard floor and she cursed them under her breath, even her heartbeat sounded loud in the stillness.

She circled the basin letting her fingertips drag upon the stony edge. The water within was placid and mirror-like flowing all the way to brim without spilling over.

She placed her palm on the surface of the water and it remained still. Taking a deep breath she let it out slowly. She reminded herself why she was here.

"Show me Thor."

For a moment nothing happened, had she done it wrong? She closed her eyes and concentrated, forcing herself to think of the banished prince and nothing else. The water rippled violently . There was a rushing sound in her ears and her eyes flew open. She felt as though she were falling through space though her feet remained firmly planted as a rush of stars and nebulae swirled through the basin. It zoomed towards Midgard, through the atmosphere, and the clouds, past cities and trees until finally it stopped causing Sif to inadvertently jerk forward.

And there he was. Relief flooded though her to see her oldest friend and his warm, honest smile. She smiled in return. He looked exactly the same as he had before his banishment, though he wore plain human clothing. But something seemed amiss. She had expected Thor to look haggard, even desperate, trying to find a way back to Asgard. The Thor she knew would have despised Midgard and its soft, weak residents yet here he looked at peace, even elated.

The vision in the basin shifted and it felt like the wind had been knocked out of her chest. Nestled in the strong arms of her beloved golden haired prince was a woman, a Midgardian woman.

Confusion overwhelmed her. Shaking her head she refused to believe it.

Had he turned his back on Asgard, on her, all for the sake of complacency with some human woman? Would he betray his people, his kingdom to live a dull peaceful life on earth? Had he forgotten her? Didn't he know?

Her face reddened in shame. She supposed she hadn't been overly forward with her affections, she had never actually told Thor how she felt but she had always thought they had shared something, that it was unspoken.

She stared into the vision for a long moments letting the silence and remoteness of this place envelope her and her pain.

A single sound shattered her trance making her breath catch in her throat and the color drain from her face.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk you should not be here m'lady." Loki's voice was barely above a whispher yet it carried well in the cavernous room.

Sif spun around quickly, clutching the edge of the basin for support for her knees felt very very weak. He hadn't entered through the door, she had been facing it as a precaution lest she be disturbed, little good that it did. Her eyes strayed to Gungnir in his hand and wondered what the punishment for breaking into the Room of Seeing was. Banishment if she was lucky, death if she wasn't. She swallowed hard and straitened her back. She would have a warriors death at the very least.

Loki circled the room, Gungnir echoing harshly with every step, a smile stretched on his lips.

"So fickle, my brother…" His voice was soft and mocking. "Nothing ever interests him for long."

Sifs eyes followed his movements, he was like a hunter stalking prey. He was relishing in her fear and discomfort and a part of her wished he would just get it over with, whatever punishment awaited her.

Yet none came.

"The simpleton has always had so much" He bit into the words as he spoke them. "And he squandered it."

"You always have been the jealous type Loki" Her anger gave her courage but he continued as if uninterrupted.

"And have you always been so naïve? All of Thor's friends are so because he would be king."

"Thor earned what he had by being good and kind!" Despite her present situation she felt her temper rising.

He stopped his pacing and a hollow laugh escaped his lips. He turned to face her and if ever Sif had felt like a cornered animal, it was now.

"Dear Sif, with what kindness did he abandon you, the woman who loves him?"

"What would you know of love!" Her shriek echoed. His words had pierced her as surely as if they were a blade and in her pain she cried out. Her head sank, it was over now, she had been abandoned by the only hope she had. She would die a cowards death, like a common thief and there would be no tales of the valiant Lady Sif. Shame brought tears to her eyes, she wished for the end.

Yet still it did not come.

The smirk vanished slowly from his face. His voice was soft and sad.

"I know how it hurts."

Sif choked back more tears that threatened to overwhelm her. She was broken, lost. Squeezing her eyes tight she refused to dwell on the thoughts creeping up from the back of her mind.

'I had it wrong, I have nothing'

Vision blurred she did not see him, she heard no footsteps but she felt a cool hand slide around the back of her neck and warms lips press against her forehead. It happened so fast she would later come to doubt if it had ever happened at all.

It brought a fresh wave of shame and guilt and she sobbed. She felt like a fool, a child. She wanted to cry in his arms and try desperately to forget the whole world.

When she opened her eyes he was almost at the door. He looked over his shoulder at her.

"Meet me in the throne room…when you are ready."

And she was alone.