Unexpected

Chapter 1

The corridors of the palace were dark besides the neat row of lamps that hung from the ceiling, illuminating her path. Sif was on her way back to the dining hall after venturing to the washroom. The laughter and clanking of chalices echoed throughout the castle, calling to her. The long hallway came to an end with a spiral staircase leading back downstairs on the right and an open balcony opposite. As she rounded the dim corner she nearly collided with an intoxicated Loki.

"Oh hello, Sif. Fancy seeing you stray so far from your friends during a celebration such as this." He smirked and wobbled on the balls of his feet for a moment before grounding himself and fixing his gaze on her, cocking his head slightly. Confidence was seeping through his eyes.

He'd grown bored of drinking alone in the dining hall and even more bored by Thor recanting the same war stories loudly for anybody who would listen. He'd considered his options for the evening: go back to his study and be drunk and alone, go take a dip in the pools drunk and alone, go to bed drunk and alone or follow Sif and see what she was up to.

Sif had been drinking all night with her fellow warriors. Loki had been sitting in his reserved seat across from his brother and Warriors Three but had ended up across the room slumped in a throne-like chair, drinking alone. In his drunken boredom he'd been turning small pieces of food on people's plates into insects and causing them to scurry about their place settings. Almost nobody noticed considering how wasted they were, but the few who did let out shrieks and swatted at the creatures only to have them vanish under their palms.

His antics were juvenile even by his own standards. He felt empty and bored. He'd noticed Sif get up from her chair patting Thor on the head mockingly before exiting the room. His eyes followed her lazily for a moment, head slumped against his fist, then decided that with nothing better to do he'd see where she was going.

Unfortunately, Sif was clearly on the way to the bathrooms and Loki immediately regretted wasting his energy teleporting after her. He dropped his head backward and let out a long, irritated groan, knees buckling in defeat. He staggered to the side mildly, colliding with the wall and leaned his head against the cool stones. Now what?

Loki turned his face into the wall moaning in self-pity like a child, mildly knocking his boot against the wall. He turned again bringing his chalice back to his mouth absentmindedly as he stared down the long corridor Sif had just ventured down. He was irritated, tired and sad. There was nobody around him to see him in this state, so he indulged his pity a minute longer before pulling himself back together.

In the end, he decided to follow in Sif's wake. Detachment riddled his face as he ascended the spiral staircase but was quickly replaced by meek enthusiasm when he came face to face with her.

In Sif's eyes, Loki was normally no more irritating than a fly that was fixated on pestering her. She let out a huff, off the cuff she was in no mood to deal with him right now. She mustered a half-hearted smile and went to move past him.

"Even I must answer nature's call, same as you I presume."

Though she had stepped around him and he was now out of her sight, she continued around the spiraled corner, Loki reappeared in front of her. Her brows raised at the sight of him casually leaning against the wall as if he'd been there the whole time. He turned on his shoulder against the stone to face her better.

"I was actually going up to the balcony for some air before retiring for the evening. It seems I am rather full." He straightened with the last words, gaze drifting from her, a small chuckle getting caught behind closed lips. His eyes lazily wandered around the passageway for a moment before coming back to Sif's face. She was still standing on the steps above him, watching him with distant interest. She was rather intoxicated herself and curiosity was slowly taking the place of where annoyance would normally be.

"Ah, well it seems that it may be for the best." She said half-jokingly as she reached out to gently nudge his chest, testing his balance in this state. Her palm passed through his body, a dim green glow emitting from the convergence of their would-be contact. Loki's eye's fell down to her hand with a light chuckle. He disappeared from in front of her before she could really register what she saw.

Sounds of guests laughter drifted back up to Sif's ears. Her head felt like it was underwater for a moment before she regained her composer. She whipped her head around looking back up with stairs but found herself alone in the stairwell.

She was a bit taken aback by their interaction. She was used to seeing him inebriated, even watching as he'd become more mischievous, but never had they been caught alone together when in an altered state of mind. She didn't mind his presents so much then, even for a minute.

Putting it out of her mind, Sif reached the bottom of the stairs. The open corridor hallway led back to the dining hall while passing by the gardens. A soft breeze blew the sheer curtains that hung across each of the many archways leading outside. The numerous ales she'd been drinking prior to this excursion were finally hitting her and she came to a wobbly stop. Eye's slightly glazed, the moonlight just beyond the torch-lit hallways called to her louder than the distant laughs of her friends. She turned on her heel and walked through an archway and down the stone staircase toward the gardens.

Sif very much cherished her alone time and was no stranger to sitting with her thoughts for hours at a time. As much as she loved her friends, she was somewhat of an introvert and liked to find breaks in the day to get away from everybody and recharge. Before she reached the moonlit courtyard she slowed to a stop. The gardens were vast, filled with a large variety of trees, flowers and other flora and fauna. Different sounds popped up all around her: the gushing of the water fountain, the rustle of nearby trees, the alien chirps and whistles of insects. But there was something else in the distance, a voice.

Moving through the shadows, Sif found herself underneath a suspended balcony. She sat on a bench in the shade of the moonlight and gazed out into the garden. The same voice came back again, this time clearer. The acoustics of the space she was in complimented the voice quite nicely and she found herself humming along as her eyelids fell closed.

She now recognized his voice. It was a song; he was singing to himself. It was a Norwegian folk song that spoke of love and loss. It was a common mourning song that people would sing together in taverns after the passing of a loved one. He was singing it in its native Midgardian tongue, and she hummed along with the chords allowing her thoughts drifted to those lost in battle; friends and lovers now gone. She stayed like that for some time before opening her eyes and blinking away a mist of tears. She took a long, deep breath through her nose and rose to leave.

Loki had been sitting on the wide ledge of the balcony overlooking the gardens. He was swaying from side to side mildly, hands cupping a small chalice in his lap, head tilted back just enough to look at the stars. He gently clicked his heels against the stone railing as he continued his song to himself. Sif came into view on the patio below and looked up at him as he brought his head down in conclusion, taking another sip from his cup.

He didn't look surprised to see her which surprised her a bit. He simply watched her while she slowly backed away from the balcony toward the doors.

"Leaving so soon and without so much as an applause?" His voice, low and self-assured, fell down to her. She contemplated his question, a small smile on her face, "I didn't know you could sing. You have a lovely voice." She turned her back to him then and continued back toward the dining hall.

Loki stood up on the railing and watched her retreat indoors. He downed the last of his drink and stepped off the ledge back onto the balcony. He considered her response. A soft smile pulled at his mouth and with it he felt some of his irritation and sadness melt away too.