Desolate Beauty {Pure Illusion Series: Book 5}

Chapter 12

A/N: So it's been awhile. To say the least, I'm in the midst of heartbreak and turmoil and of course that's the best time to write. Without crazy details, the guy I was talking to got a new job and had to move to another state that's hundreds of miles from me, thus breaking the possible dating momentum. To say the least, we had become super close and it's been brutal. 

That being said, I've churned out a few more chapters and I'll be releasing them this week, especially as school ends. However, sit back and relax and enjoy the next installment - it's sure to be a doozie. 

❦

"I do wish Sif and Hogun would be a bit more inconspicuous." Sigyn muttered under her breath, walking next to Eméra through one of the closer towns to the palace..

"My Lady, they are being as subtle as they can be, but they are under the King's orders."

"Which is surprising." The Queen said just above a whisper, to which Eméra ignored and began to look at some of the fruit and vegetables that were for sale.

For many, especially Sigyn, it was surprising that Sif had so easily followed the decrees that Loki had set forth. Whether she was doing it willingly or because Thor had asked, she wasn't entirely sure. There was no secret that Sif did not care much for Loki or his relationship with Sigyn. However, Hogun was fond of both of them, which put the blonde maiden at ease as they walked through the streets of Asgard.

Stopping at a nearby merchant cart, she began to pick through some of the fresh berries. Among them were berries from Vanaheim, some of which she had seen in her own village.

"Five copper pieces for a bushel." The merchant replied, fixing the rest of his crop. Sigyn merely nodded and began to look for some ripe ones. There was a dish her mother used to make when she was younger that she had been learning when the Asgardians had arrived. Shaking that thought from her head, she thought of trying to make the dish for her and Loki. It had been a while since she had attempted to cook and with Loki under some type of stressful situation, perhaps attempting to create this dish would help him relax and unwind.

"Marix, do you have it?"

A customer from seemingly nowhere whispered in a rush to the merchant, who in return hastily replied. "Yes of course. Have you any others to recruit for our cause?"

"About five more households wish to display the banner. Do you have enough?"

Once again, the merchant, Marix, nodded and handed over a cloth wound up to which the customer hurriedly shoved it into his bag. He said nothing else but disappeared from sight, noticeably ducking down an alleyway to avoid Hogun and Sif, who were sticking out like a sore thumb in the crowd.

"Good Sir," Sigyn spoke up, curious what materials were being exchanged. "Might I inquire what cause you speak of?"

The merchant's eyes shifted from Sigyn to Eméra then back to Sigyn. "Perhaps, but I must ask – what do you think of the 'King' of Asgard?" The noticeable distaste in his mouth rolled off his tongue at the mention of "king".

"The same as you sir." The Vanir replied, curious as to what he had to say.

"Very well." He turned and pulled out a piece of fabric. It wasn't very big, but just big enough that she could clearly see what appeared to be Odin's face in red overlapping the banner she knew to be the image they used of Loki's silhouette for the coronation and wedding.

"There are many such as us that do not believe that the King is right for Asgard. Odin was a good King, a man we could trust but this... Frost Giant? He knows nothing of our customs, nothing of what it means to be Asgardian. Not even his whore of a Queen is Asgardian. He is attempting to strip away the customs and traditions of Asgard and must be stopped."