Sig shied a little toward Loki when she realized the mark was lighting up. She and Loki were drawing a lot of attention from the people passing them in the palace. She certainly didn't fit in as an Asgardian anymore: she was too short and her coloring was all wrong. She wasn't sure the story had completely spread yet about what had happened to her as a child and how she had come back. The palace could be as bad about gossip as a Midgardian high school.

The story of the soulbond marks on Loki's arm would spread soon. He was one of the princes of Asgard, and while soulbonds were much more common on Asgard than elsewhere in the nine realms, they still weren't that common. It was also strange for him to have a lady on his arm, apparently. He'd never truly gotten over Sigyn's loss.

"I missed you so much," she told Loki softly as she looked up at him. Even though she'd blocked her memories of him, she knew she had been missing something and someone. And Loki had been her family.

Loki had such a kind and carefree smile on his face that it was drawing attention too. No one expected that from the reserved prince. The prince who fancied himself the dark prince of Asgard at that. "I missed you as well, so very much,"

"I'm assuming we're expected for dinner," she started softly, noting the attention they were getting and wanting to get away from it. "Maybe we can find somewhere where fewer people will stare at us to spend our time until then?" she suggested with a smirk. Loki liked hanging out with people about as much as she wanted to be on display for the citizens of Asgard.

Loki nodded. "We are expected for dinner. Why don't we just head to my chambers for now? No one will bother us there. Most people don't bother me," he said and sounded a bit mournful at that.

"Sounds like a plan," she replied warmly and Loki escorted her straight back to his chambers. He didn't want to deal with the onlookers either. Though his carefree loving expression and the soulbond marks on their arms shocked everyone who saw them. Sig was shy when there was too much attention on her. Her unnatural red hair was drawing way too much attention, plus she was walking with Loki.

Loki hadn't been seen with a lady since... Lady Sigyn.

/It's alright. They won't do anything while you're with me. Most people here consider me the Dark Prince of Asgard/ Loki reminded her when he noticed that she was shying closer to his side.

/You? A dark prince? But you're Loki/ she replied, confused as if it were obvious that Loki was as gentle and sweet as she remembered. /Besides, I'm pretty sure they're staring at me. Sidhe-red isn't exactly a common hair color here, or tri-colored eyes, or pointed ears/ she reminded him. In point of fact, she completely stuck out like a sore thumb, though this used to be her home. The fact hurt her, but she tried not to let it show.

/You have not been on Asgard long since your absence. The people's opinions of me have changed drastically. And you are beautiful, fae or Asgardian. There is no difference to me. Do not let their stares bother you./ he told her warmly and she heard in his telepathic voice how much he cared.

/Well, that's stupid of them/ she grumbled. They used to like the polite young bookworm of a prince. Until they ended up on the wrong side of tricks anyway. /I should be used to being stared at by now.../ she continued her grumbles. The pair finally reached Loki's suite and he held the door open for Sig so they could both slip inside away from all of the staring.

"Better?" Loki asked when they were safely alone, the door closed behind them and his shields firmly in place.

Sig sighed in relief and relaxed in the gentle quiet of his cool room. "Much better," she agreed. She gave him a warm smile and kicked off her shoes, curling on the couch in his sitting room with her feet tucked under her, just as she had constantly as a child. It was a second home to her and still felt as such. She waited a moment to see if he was going to choose asking questions or quiet reading for the afternoon's entertainment.

He sat on the other side of the couch and looked her over. Apparently, he chose asking questions. She wasn't surprised, they had a lot to catch up on. "What happened in Underhill that called for your escape?" He asked her softly, seeming to finally find the words he was looking for.

Sig tried to think of how best to explain, especially to someone who wasn't born or raised among the fae. "Do you know anything about fae marriage customs?" she asked instead of jumping right into the explanation.

Loki's eyebrows furrowed. He shook his head. "I never had reason to study the fae before now," he finally said. That made sense, most wouldn't study them without need and no one had known Sig had been taken by the fae.

"Unless a lady has an arranged marriage, she has to marry the man who gets her pregnant. Whether the pregnancy was by her choice or no," she explained softly, looking down at her lap. "I became considered an adult and fair game for marriage and since they wanted to see if one of the changelings turned fae would breed true... I stuck it out for as long as I could, but the queen was pressuring the men of the court, so... it seemed imperative to leave." She risked looking up for Loki' reaction. His eyes widened and she could see the shock on his face and he didn't seem capable of finding words. "So I found one of the doors out of underhill and have hidden from the fae since,"

He pondered that for a minute before he asked. "What would happen if they found you?" He asked her gently

She sighed. She hadn't wanted to tell him this part. "Well, until earlier this afternoon they would have dragged me back to underhill kicking and screaming," she told him softly, hesitant to explain, and she wouldn't have explained at all until he'd accepted the soulbond on his own. She didn't want her safety to be a deciding factor on whether he accepted the soulbond.

He gave her a look since that wasn't really an answer and they both knew it. "What does that mean?" He demanded.

She sighed again. "I wasn't going to tell you," she hedged. "I... didn't want to influence your decision on whether to accept the soulbond..."

"Sigyn, tell me," his voice was firm, the commanding tone of a prince who expected his orders to be obeyed.

She didn't look up at him, but raised her arm with the soulbond marks on it. "This will keep me safe from them," she told him softly. "Even if we never marry, it's enough of a bond for the fae to consider me married and off limits..." she explained, refusing to look at him.

At the edge of her vision, she could see him nodding in acceptance. He seemed to nearly sigh in relief. "At least being bound to me will keep you safe, old friend," he told her warmly, and again she heard the true caring in his tone.

"I didn't want to seem like I was using you," she tried to explain. She hadn't wanted to put any pressure on him.

He moved and took her hands in his. "Sigyn, it's alright. Don't fret over this," he reassured her gently, calmly.

She gave him a small smile. "I just didn't want you to think that the only reason I wanted to keep the soulbond was my own selfish one..."

He gave her a reassuring smile. "You do not have a selfish bone in your body. Don't worry so much," he told her with a grin, looking much like the boy she remembered.

She gave him a small smile in return, then her expression fell. "How much did Mama Frigga lecture you and Thor after I was taken?" she asked him softly. She remembered that day well. The three of them had been told to go into the forest to find potion ingredients for Mama Frigga. Thor and Loki had gotten distracted by beating each other up over something and had promised to catch up once their argument was over. Sigyn had been taken by the fae before they'd finished their argument.

Loki sighed heavily. "A lot. I don't remember mother ever being that angry before or since,"

"I don't think I've ever seen Mama Frigga angry..." she replied, trying to remember. She had been upset and disappointed with them before, but never angry.

"It is not a pretty sight. My mother is frightening when she's angry," he shuddered at the memory. "Though we deserved it. If my oaf of a brother and I hadn't been fighting, you would not have been taken from us,"

"Or we would've all been taken. They slipped past Heimdall and the Einherjar," she reminded him logically.

"They would have gotten what they wanted. They could have taken me rather than you," he told her firmly and she saw the guilt he'd been carrying for centuries. He blamed himself that she'd been taken. But the royal forest was supposed to be safe. It had been regularly patrolled and cleared out of dangers so the princelings and their companions could play there safely.

Sig shook her head firmly. "That would have just been worse for everyone, especially you. I've already told you that you would not have fared well among the fae, not when your true heritage was revealed, and it would have been revealed a lot faster," she reminded him that she'd been able to break his illusions with just one sentence. Not many could do anything similar, but they would have managed.

It was his turn to shake his head. "I would have preferred it rather than have you taken. You didn't deserve that,"

"No one does," she replied. "And I wouldn't have wished it on my worst enemy, less on my best friend,"

She saw his warm smile at being called her best friend. "I would have done anything to keep you safe. Even if it meant becoming fae,"

"I'm still glad you didn't have to live through that," she told him softly. Her eyes glazed as she remembered something. "Did anyone ever find the door to underhill?" she asked, not remembering how little he knew about the fae or underhill, but needing to know if that doorway was still open.

Loki shook his head. "Many tried to find out where you were taken. It seems the fae magic can hide itself from even Asgardian eyes,"

She thought through her options quickly and cursed softly when she came to the obvious conclusion. "I should go seal it..." she finally said softly.