"Sorcery!!!" My father exclaims. 

Loki gets ready to charge at him his eyes a dark forest green. 

"Will the two of you calm down!" I exclaim rushing round my father to stand in between him and Loki. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself! Carrying on like that! This is serious and it should not be a fighting matter!"

The knifes disappear from Loki's hands and I hear a dull thud from where my father's axe hits the ground. 

"Thank you!" I huff. "Now the two of you sit down and discuss this logically and like real men!"

Loki huffs and walks back over to us.

"What do you recommend we do?" My father asks brokenly. 

"You have three days, arm yourselves." Loki replies. 

My father nods and leaves us in the cabin together with the door open.

"Where is he going?" Loki asks me.

"Probably to talk to Theoric." I reply. 

"Ah, Theoric... your..."

"Betrothed." I state simply.

There is an awkward pause as Loki scuffs his foot against the ground.

"Loki?"

"Hmm?"

"If these Jotuns are as awful as you say they are... do we stand much of a chance?" I ask looking into his eyes.

He opens his mouth.

"And don't lie to me."

"Not much... but more of a chance than you would if I had not come... Besides you have me." He replies with a charming smile. 

"Well then thank the gods we're saved!" I exclaim sarcastically.

He laughs at me... this time his smile reaching into his eyes.  

"We should go talk to dad." I smile.

"Sigyn?"

"Yeah??"

"Never mind." Loki replies seeming to lose his nerve.

I open my mouth again to prompt him but the words leave my head as Hilde my step mother enters the room. 

"Sigyn!?" She snaps. 

"Hello Mother." I reply wearily. 

"Hello, who is this?" She asks pointing at Loki with one hand, while the other rests on her swollen belly. 

"Mother this is Loki son of Odin." I reply.

"Son of ODIN?!" She scoffs.

"Yes."

"Sigyn, lets not make up stories... Where are those berries I asked you to grab?" She states accusingly. 

"I...I forgot them mother." I reply hanging my head.

"Well you'd better go get them while you still have the light... The gods only know what lurks in the forest at night..." She says as the blood rushes to my face.  "Well what are you waiting for girl? Go on."

"I think I will accompany her ma'am." 

"I suppose you may." She sniffed. "Oh and Sigyn on your way home, give some berries to the Volva."

I grabbed my basket and one for Loki and we headed off over the hill.

"So...your mother... Charming lady." Loki states facetiously.  

"She's not my mother." I snap. 

Loki holds his hands up defensively. "Sorry." he says softly. 

"My mother is dead..." I whisper.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asks compassionately. 

"Not really." I replied shortly and tromped down the hill in silence.

Loki jogged up to me. He was quiet for a moment, then he broke the silence.

"I know how it feels to be talked down to... Where I'm from everyone cares more about my brother than I..." he says trying to catch my eye. 

"I just know that when Hilde has her child I'll be forgotten... No matter, I'll be out of the house by then anyways." I remark bitterly. 

"Oh?"

"I will be wed to Theoric soon."

"You don't sound too happy about that."

"My happiness is irrelevant."

Loki  raises an eyebrow at me.

"This isn't about me this is about my village. As I'm sure you noticed, ours is a smaller village than Theoric's. and what you may not know is that Theoric's people are savage. they go viking so often... Look my people are peaceful compared to him. we just want to raise our sheep and our children in peace. So if, for my people I have to sacrifice my own joy. then so be it." I reply as the berry bushes come into view.

"Sigyn of midgard, you are unlike any woman I've ever met." Loki marveled. 

"I'll bet that." I smiled. "Now get to work." I replied throwing a basket at him.