The Shadow Of Your Heart (Book I)

Ch.2: I can hear your heartbeat

Loki was ecstatic. He felt like skipping all the way to the throne room, shout out that he had a wife, that he loved his wife and his wife loved him. It took a hard squeeze on the hand from Sigyn to get him to behave as they reached the hall.

"Sigyn Iwaldisdottir." Odin's voice boomed in the great hall. "Step forward." Sigyn let go of Loki's hand, letting out a small groan when she saw her mother. Without words, she curtsied. "Well, child, it's time for you to voice what you have chosen. Since your marriage to Loki was a scam..." Sigyn watched Loki roll his eyes. "...and you haven't sealed it yet , I grant you this chance for an annulment. Will you take it or will you honor your vows?"

Sigyn took a deep breath. "I will honor my vows. I will stay married to Prince Loki."

Before Odin could say anything, Iwaldis spoke. "I need to talk to you in private." Clearly it was an order, so Sigyn simply followed her mother into the adjacent room.

Iwaldis wasted no time in listing all the reasons why it was a terrible idea for Sigyn to be married to Loki. But for her, most of those reason didn't make sense at all!

"He's not a warrior, he's a sorcerer" , meaning he wasn't Thor.
"He's a disgrace to his family and to Asgard." Okay, sometimes his jokes got a little out of control, but calling him a disgrace was too much.
"He sleeps around..." Not that she liked it, but Sigyn was aware of it.
"He's an immature, hot headed, violent, unpredictable fool who will end up killing you!"

"Okay just let me stop you there." Sigyn was running out of patience. "I know Loki better than anyone on this floating piece of rock. There's no way he could ever hurt me." She stated.

Her mother gave her a weird look. "So how long have you been together?" Sigyn swallowed. "Oh, don't play the fool now. There's a reason youconveniently recognized he wasn't Theoric when you kissed!"

"Sorcery school." Sigyn muttered, as her mother started ranting again. It was making her head hurt. "I'm not a virgin!" She suddenly blurted out, just to make her shut up.

Iwaldis stopped dead cold. "What did you say?"

"I am not a virgin. There's your reason to leave me alone with what I've chosen to do." Sigyn repeated. Knowing it was impossible that they actually did anything before being summoned on the throne room, Iwaldis lowered her tone.

"Does he know that?"

Sigyn scoffed. "Of course he knows. He was there." She took one look at her mother and explained all the questions she could read on her face. "It was right after my engagement to Theoric was announced. Loki didn't take the news very well, and... he paid me a visit that night."

"Spare me the details." Iwaldis stormed off back to the throne room and started attacking Loki with every curse she could remember.

"Mother, please, behave yourself!" Sigyn conjured a shield between Loki and Iwaldis to make her stop, but it wasn't until the palace guards restrained her that she actually calmed down.

Knowing she couldn't repeat what her daughter had revealed, Iwaldis gathered herself and left the throne room with nothing more that a stiff curtsy to her King and Queen.

Odin rubbed his temple. "So, Sigyn."

"Yes, All-father."

"Is your decision final?"

"Yes, it is." Sigyn walked to Loki and took his hand.

"Great!" Odin said, though there wasn't any joy in it. "We'll start making the arrangements for the appropriate celebration." Loki groaned. "Just to make it official. Besides, you are now a princess, Sigyn. Tradition demands that you are properly introduced to the people."

Loki hated those balls with a passion , but he wouldn't let that put a damper in his mood. "Is there anything else you need from us, Father?" Odin shook his head and dismissed them with his hand.

As soon as both were back in now their chambers, Loki picked Sigyn up and carried her to the bed. "I should've done that earlier."

She giggled as he placed her on the covers. "Cause it's not cheesy at all."

Loki shrugged. "Honestly, I don't care." He sprawled his limbs across the bed, placing his head on her abdomen. "Why did you mother attack me?"

"I sort of blurted out what happened when you found out about my engagement." She started playing with his hair. Loki laughed knowingly. "She had many opinions about you."

"Well, you're not the only one who got a lecture." Loki added, quite amused.

"Why do I get the feeling that you just rolled your eyes at your parents? I can see it in my head." Sigyn giggled. "I'd like to know what you mother had to say. I'm guessing Odin was being Odin."

"My mother was surprisingly calm and happy about it. She believes it's a good thing for me to settle ."

" Settle with me? That is slightly offensive." Sigyn rolled her eyes.

Loki giggled. "She likes you, though. She was extremely crossed with me when she heard about your engagement." He said, playing with her fingers. "In a way, you have to blame, or thank, her for today. Also, she takes great pleasure in organizing celebrations and dinners and balls, half of her happiness was just the fact she'd get one of those in her hands."

"Oh, the ball ... How do you wanna play that one?" She said, taking a deep breath, looking less than pleased with the prospect.

"What do you mean?"

"People all over us? Your reputation ." She spat with contempt. "Are we playing the miserable couple or what?"

Loki propped himself on one elbow and stared at her. "I... I hadn't thought about that."

"Well, you have five days to think about it." Any trace of a smile was gone now, as Sigyn stared at the ceiling.

"What do you wanna do?"

"Me?" She looked at him, surprised. "I..." Biting her lip, she sighed. "I don't wanna hide this. That we are actually happy ? It would be a shock foreveryone !" Sigyn rolled to her side, facing her husband. "You know I don't really care about what they think, and the presentation ball is going to be a drag anyway. Why make it even more complicated by having us hate each other?"

"Well, it will be fun to shock everyone." Loki took her hand, linking their fingers together. "We'll do it your way."

Sigyn leaned in and kissed him deeply.

"Sooooo... what do you say if we- consummate our marriage now?" Loki whispered, pushing her on her back and hovering over her.

In a quick flash of gold, Sigyn made her robes disappear, displaying her silky undergarments. Loki took that as a yes.