Lokasenna
Olrin
'Sigyn…'
'Yes.'
Loki released her, took a step back and looked at her for a moment as if to see whether her name fitted the rest of her. 'And you wonder how it is that I can do magic, even though I am -as you say- so incredibly self-centred?'
'…Yes.'
His lip curled into a little smile. Suddenly his eyes darted to the fire underneath the tub, which had been left unattended for too long and seemed to have died. 'Fire's out.' he pointed out. 'Time to perform your little trick again.'
Sig gave him a contemptuous look and walked over to the tub. He followed her and as she bent down to pile some fresh chips of wood in the grate he watched her closely. She hesitated for a moment, feeling his stare on her back, then concentrated hard. Nothing happened. Sig shook her head, as if to shake out any distracting thoughts and tried again but the second time was no better. Behind her, Loki was chuckling softly. She shot an irritated look at him over her shoulder.
'Would you like to see how it's done?' he asked.
'I know how it's done.'
'Apparently not.'
'I'm not taking those off,' she said with a gesture to the bracelets around his wrists.
'Why not?'
'You know why.'
He smirked and she turned her attention to the fire again. She managed to ignite it in the normal way, internally cursing her nervousness while she got up again and left the room.
Half an hour later they were back in the cell and Loki extended his hands to have the bracelets removed. 'How long have you been in Frigga's service?' he asked her, watching her curiously as she made to open the first bracelet. 'Nine years,' she replied without looking up. 'How old were you when you started?'
'I was eleven when I started. I worked in the kitchens first, but then Frigga noticed me and took me in as one of her ladies in waiting.'
'Eleven? Why so young, what happened to your parents?'
'They died when I was nine. I have no other relatives to take care of me, so I lived on the streets for two years before a kitchen maid from the palace took pity on me and brought me here.'
He looked at her, something like pity in his eyes. 'That must have been hard,' he said, frowning a little.
'It was the way it was, things are different now. And I turned out alright, so I can't complain.'
'You would have every right to do so. It is very graceful of you not to.'
'There is no point in dwelling on the past, you cannot change the things that happened to you, but you can change how you handle your future.'
He nodded and she took off the other bracelet. 'Will you require anything before I leave?' she asked. He shook his head distractedly and she left.
Sig sat at the table in the niche, staring at the candle. She made the flame dance, die and reignite a couple of times, still frustrated that she wasn't able to do it earlier when Loki was watching. His angry outburst about his youth was still ringing in her head and her questions about Frigga and the magic books kept haunting her the rest of the day.
A few days passed. When she made her way to the kitchens one evening she ran into one of Frigga's other chambermaids, Olrin, whom Sig had worked with very often. When Sig asked her how things were she answered her rather indifferently. And when she inquired after the other girls Olrin told her: 'They are doing as well as ever, all the girls seem to be in harmony with each other and we feel more united than ever. I think it is proper for us ladies in waiting to know our place, and who we serve, and to ask for nothing more than what is due to us. It is definitely a comforting thought that none of us are now the personal lackey of a traitor to the Allfather's family.'
Olrin did not wait for Sigyn to respond: she had her say, gathered up her dress a little and left hastily in the direction of the servants' quarters.
Sig was a little taken aback at her coldness.
She had always thought that she and the other chambermaids had got on well. With no family to care for her and no home to return to every now and then, the palace and its inhabitants had always felt like her family and her home. Frigga had always been warm and kind, and so had her fellow maids that served with her. It had almost been like having a mother and sisters, who were always there for her and who respected her and cared for her.
It seemed that the fact that Sig had taken on a different position to her fellow ladies in waiting was not regarded as a positive development. However, she could not comprehend Olrin's hostility: was it because she now serviced a man who was so widely regarded as pure evil? Or was it contempt towards her being singled out by Frigga to take care of her favourite son? From Olrin's tone, she gathered it was likely to be the latter. But why would Olrin, or any of the other maids, begrudge her in her position?
At first it had seemed like an honour, being singled out by Frigga to look after her favourite child and to have a little more distinction from her fellow ladies in waiting. But quite quickly it had become apparent that her job was highly dangerous and required quite some strength in both mind an character.
She was alone, completely alone, with a dangerous criminal who had already killed hundreds of innocent people, betrayed his own brother and killed one other of his guards. She spent her days in the prison, watching him, listening to him, doing little else in her free time than reading, eating and bathing, just like him. The only exceptions for her to leave the dungeons were to get Loki and herself food, or ask Frigga for permission to his requests, and to return to the servants' quarters at night to sleep.
She realised then that she was a prisoner too.
For a moment she paused against a wall, leaning back on the cold marble. How was it possible that Olrin, or any of the other maids, thought she was in any way more fortunate than they were. If anything, her situation was terribly grave. How could anyone think it was a privilege to serve Loki in prison. How could anyone put a person they seemed to care for in such a predicament?
While she was still leaning gathering her thoughts against the wall, a couple of guards passed her in the hallway. Quickly, she straightened herself out and resumed her way to the kitchens to fetch dinner for Loki and herself.
'Yes.'
Loki released her, took a step back and looked at her for a moment as if to see whether her name fitted the rest of her. 'And you wonder how it is that I can do magic, even though I am -as you say- so incredibly self-centred?'
'…Yes.'
His lip curled into a little smile. Suddenly his eyes darted to the fire underneath the tub, which had been left unattended for too long and seemed to have died. 'Fire's out.' he pointed out. 'Time to perform your little trick again.'
Sig gave him a contemptuous look and walked over to the tub. He followed her and as she bent down to pile some fresh chips of wood in the grate he watched her closely. She hesitated for a moment, feeling his stare on her back, then concentrated hard. Nothing happened. Sig shook her head, as if to shake out any distracting thoughts and tried again but the second time was no better. Behind her, Loki was chuckling softly. She shot an irritated look at him over her shoulder.
'Would you like to see how it's done?' he asked.
'I know how it's done.'
'Apparently not.'
'I'm not taking those off,' she said with a gesture to the bracelets around his wrists.
'Why not?'
'You know why.'
He smirked and she turned her attention to the fire again. She managed to ignite it in the normal way, internally cursing her nervousness while she got up again and left the room.
Half an hour later they were back in the cell and Loki extended his hands to have the bracelets removed. 'How long have you been in Frigga's service?' he asked her, watching her curiously as she made to open the first bracelet. 'Nine years,' she replied without looking up. 'How old were you when you started?'
'I was eleven when I started. I worked in the kitchens first, but then Frigga noticed me and took me in as one of her ladies in waiting.'
'Eleven? Why so young, what happened to your parents?'
'They died when I was nine. I have no other relatives to take care of me, so I lived on the streets for two years before a kitchen maid from the palace took pity on me and brought me here.'
He looked at her, something like pity in his eyes. 'That must have been hard,' he said, frowning a little.
'It was the way it was, things are different now. And I turned out alright, so I can't complain.'
'You would have every right to do so. It is very graceful of you not to.'
'There is no point in dwelling on the past, you cannot change the things that happened to you, but you can change how you handle your future.'
He nodded and she took off the other bracelet. 'Will you require anything before I leave?' she asked. He shook his head distractedly and she left.
Sig sat at the table in the niche, staring at the candle. She made the flame dance, die and reignite a couple of times, still frustrated that she wasn't able to do it earlier when Loki was watching. His angry outburst about his youth was still ringing in her head and her questions about Frigga and the magic books kept haunting her the rest of the day.
A few days passed. When she made her way to the kitchens one evening she ran into one of Frigga's other chambermaids, Olrin, whom Sig had worked with very often. When Sig asked her how things were she answered her rather indifferently. And when she inquired after the other girls Olrin told her: 'They are doing as well as ever, all the girls seem to be in harmony with each other and we feel more united than ever. I think it is proper for us ladies in waiting to know our place, and who we serve, and to ask for nothing more than what is due to us. It is definitely a comforting thought that none of us are now the personal lackey of a traitor to the Allfather's family.'
Olrin did not wait for Sigyn to respond: she had her say, gathered up her dress a little and left hastily in the direction of the servants' quarters.
Sig was a little taken aback at her coldness.
She had always thought that she and the other chambermaids had got on well. With no family to care for her and no home to return to every now and then, the palace and its inhabitants had always felt like her family and her home. Frigga had always been warm and kind, and so had her fellow maids that served with her. It had almost been like having a mother and sisters, who were always there for her and who respected her and cared for her.
It seemed that the fact that Sig had taken on a different position to her fellow ladies in waiting was not regarded as a positive development. However, she could not comprehend Olrin's hostility: was it because she now serviced a man who was so widely regarded as pure evil? Or was it contempt towards her being singled out by Frigga to take care of her favourite son? From Olrin's tone, she gathered it was likely to be the latter. But why would Olrin, or any of the other maids, begrudge her in her position?
At first it had seemed like an honour, being singled out by Frigga to look after her favourite child and to have a little more distinction from her fellow ladies in waiting. But quite quickly it had become apparent that her job was highly dangerous and required quite some strength in both mind an character.
She was alone, completely alone, with a dangerous criminal who had already killed hundreds of innocent people, betrayed his own brother and killed one other of his guards. She spent her days in the prison, watching him, listening to him, doing little else in her free time than reading, eating and bathing, just like him. The only exceptions for her to leave the dungeons were to get Loki and herself food, or ask Frigga for permission to his requests, and to return to the servants' quarters at night to sleep.
She realised then that she was a prisoner too.
For a moment she paused against a wall, leaning back on the cold marble. How was it possible that Olrin, or any of the other maids, thought she was in any way more fortunate than they were. If anything, her situation was terribly grave. How could anyone think it was a privilege to serve Loki in prison. How could anyone put a person they seemed to care for in such a predicament?
While she was still leaning gathering her thoughts against the wall, a couple of guards passed her in the hallway. Quickly, she straightened herself out and resumed her way to the kitchens to fetch dinner for Loki and herself.