This time, I will save you

Rebirth

Second chances were both a blessing and a curse. It was wonderful to be able to see all the people she loved, well and safe. It was not so wonderful to risk making things worse by changing the events.

How could it get worse that Ragnarok, Sigyn pondered. Well, there was always a possibility, and she was not sure she wanted to try her luck – the Norns knew she did not have much to start with.

At first, she had wondered if this was not all a dream. Maybe she was stuck between life and death, and some deity was offering her a look at better, happier days before going to Valhalla? But then, in a dream, she could be the master of the events, change the narrative, make people like her when in the real world, they had not. Seeing the look of discontent on her mother's face whenever Sigyn was around, she realized quicky this was not the product of her imagination, but the real world.

Damn. Had she travelled in time? She knew her magic worked in mysterious ways sometimes, giving her glimpses of the future through dreams or visions, but not enough for her to actually understand what was going on, before it was too late.

Had her powers allowed her this second chance? Was she actually going to relive all the events of her life? If so, changing some little things would not alter too much the timeline, would it?

Sigyn decided to carefully attempt a few small changes: the way she arranged her hair, the color of her clothes, going to her aunt's house instead of her father's forges...

But nothing happened. No monster appeared to devour her. No ghost ascending from Hel to carry her back into the realm of the dead, no trumpet announcing Ragnarok centuries ahead.

Was she actually allowed to change things then?

Wouldn't there be a price to pay?

But even if there was... Sweet Norns. Wouldn't it be worth it?

There were so many things she wanted to improve : Vanaheim and the marauders, Nidavellir and Thanos.... Loki... She could save Loki. Her Prince had suffered so much.

If she could... If she truly had a chance to make things better, then, maybe she could go to him, try to befriend him, actually be there for him...

There was little chance he would ever fall in love with her, however he had sort of flirted with her, under that soldier's disguise? And he had held her as she died. Sigyn tried to remember the feeling of his arms around her and sighed happily. She longed to feel this again – not the dying part, obviously. But for Loki to hold her again, caress her cheek and whisper sweet words into her ear, what wouldn't she do?

She looked at herself in the mirror. She was still a young child, she should not have all of those thoughts. But with her adult memories, it was difficult not to. She had tried not to sound too bright or too knowledgeable in class, not to attract too much attention or questions about her sudden changes. However, maybe this was the way.

During her first life, she had always been smart, but she had never wanted to be noticed, except by one very special person, the one her heart belonged to... the one she had finally met, but much too late. But now, she had a second chance, didn't she?

During her first life, the AllMother had come one day, with her two sons, on Vanaheim, to visit her mother, Freya. All her sisters had wanted to meet Thor, but Sigyn, much too shy, had stayed hidden during their whole stay. She was not interesting enough to stand out, anyway. She would have just been there, as useful and noticeable as a plant – not even a pretty plant, something green, without any sweet-smelling flower to ornate it. Common and invisible.

This time around, she had to be ready. She had to catch the Queen's eye, so maybe, she might think of her as a potential playmate for her children? Yes, that was a perfectly attainable goal. Once she was an official companion for the young princes, she would be close enough to protect Loki, support him, give him her advice when the truth would come out and comfort him, if he needed to... and she knew he would.