I Will Follow You Into The Dark~ On Hold

Chapter 2

It had been weeks since that morning on the bridge. Somehow, it was as if the cosmos had it in for Sigyn. The woman had been tasked with helping both Princes with diplomatic meetings. She couldn't do anything but plaster on a smile whenever their allies would call on her for; and politely nodded a whatever the two brothers needed. She did however have a stroke of luck, Loki had insisted that his personal Tjener accompany them, a man named Eirik. That left her mainly by Thor's side, something that she had sadly gotten used to despite being the Queen's Tjener.

Whenever she had the chance, Sigyn would make herself scarce, something she learnt to regret deeply later on. It wasn't until they had returned to the city of gold, did things began to truly unfold and unravel. They weren't alone, as an act of alliance with the Ruler of Vanaheim they had allowed him daughter, Astrid to join them. Astrid's father had hoped that she would fall in love with someone or even better find her Själsfrände. It was obvious that Astrid had the hots for Loki, she was always brushing up against him to his apparent dislike. These acts burned at Sigyn's mind, and she couldn't have been happier when they arrived home.

However, Sigyn's respite and solitude didn't last for long. With Astrid now in the castle, there was much drama and all of it centred around the vanir woman. She was rude and downright nasty to all Tjener, but she was terrible to Sigyn and Eirik the worst. Sigyn wouldn't stupid, she knew why but she never let it get to her personally. She didn't trust Astrid as far as she could potentially through her, and she wasn't the only one. Neither Prince Thor nor the Allmother seemed to be impressed with Astrid, but the woman didn't care, she continued to abuse her 'rights' as a guest or as she viewed herself, the future wife of Prince Loki.

Sigyn often ran to her hideout to calm her nerves, to get some pace and quiet. But no not this day, this day she was crying something she had been doing often ever since the bridge. Sigyn sat alone in the alcove, her heart breaking in two. It wasn't often that she allowed her emotions to get the better of her; she was a Tjener for the royal family, she couldn't afford not to have thick skin. The Allfather had announced it that morning, Astrid of Vanaheim and his son Prince Loki were bonded by the light of the bridge and were to be wed at once. Sigyn knew it wasn't true, but how could she deny it to the royal family. The answer was, she couldn't.

Her heart was breaking, she couldn't believe that she was that unwanted that her bonded would go and fake another. But then when she caught sight of his eyes during the family's dinner where Odin announced the news privately- they weren't disgusted or blank like every other time they had caught one another since that morning; instead, they held such pain, heartbreak and anguish that the poor woman convinced herself that she had imagined being there. Shaking her head, she stared up at the sky when she heard the voices of the Allmother and Prince Thor; and hid herself further into the foliage until she was able to escape through the back of the bushes and ran back to her chambers in the palace.

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Loki had been walking around the palace his mind in shambles. Odin wanted him to marry Astrid, all because somehow the witch had made a bond mark appear. It was humanly impossible for Loki to have two mates and since he was there to witness the one on Sigyn's wrist appear; he knew that the one on Astrid was fake. How was he to tell his family, that they had been tricked by a woman who was indeed more suitable to him than his true Själsfrände? He didn't know what to do, it was only a few hours until the whole Asgard population knew of the upcoming wedding and a few hours until he would lose all rights that the bridge alighted to him.

He had to find a way to make his family see through the lies and illusions that the wrench had created but how could he when he didn't even know himself? There wasn't enough time to find out, there was no way he could trick or threaten her into revealing them as she had been taken in under his mother's wing all day to get ready to for the splendid events that were destined to be held in a few days. He didn't want to marry, not to her at least. On the nights since Odin had expressed his request, or in truth- order, Loki had dreamt of the wedding and every night it ended with Sigyn's face under the veil. Her lips, her eyes her beauty, not the fake that seeped as far into Astrid's aura; in the end of the day, he wanted his true alighted, his true Själsfrände; but he didn't know how he was going to get through all of this.