FicWad

As Sif gazed out of the window, she saw a small blue wolf playing between some shrugs. How odd, she never saw that colour on a wolf before. Wolves usually were grey, white or black. All of a sudden, the little wolf conjured up some snow balls and threw them around by chucking them with its nose. It made Sif chuckle a bit, but worry as well. If the small beast was able to make snow appear…there was a chance it was Jotun. She heard of some Jotuns being born with special powers, such as the power to shape-shift. Loki possessed those powers as well. Would Loki know about this little wolf? And would her hunch be correct?

All of this took Sifs mind off what was really going on. The woman had been locked up in the tower, for seeing Thor during the masquerade ball. While Martopher brought her to the tower, as he was ordered to, he filled Sif in on what happened. He had done a fine job in keeping the king busy, introducing him to guests and such, but at one point Loki had demanded to dance with his wife. The servant girl came over as she was gestured to and made a curtsy before engaging into a dance. Sif felt awful, but she forgot to mention to both Martopher and the girl that she was a terrible dancer. After three steps Loki saw through their charade and ripped the mask off her face. Martopher ensured Sif that Loki did not cause a scene, he merely excused himself with the announcement that he had fallen ill and the guests left early out of respect. Sif was able to convince Loki that the guard and the girl had no part in her plan. She had put the girl up to wearing her dress and Martopher was not in on her plan at all. It did not seem to matter much to the king, he had found himself a reason to punish her and he relished in it.

The sound of a loud bang on the door boomed through the tiny room and Loki came in with a glare.

“Well…how is my unyielding wife enjoying her new quarters?” Alright, Sif. Time to grovel.

“I do not enjoy them, my lord, but I understand why I am here.” She retorted as she kept her eyes to the floor and her voice no louder than a mere whisper.

“I do hope that it did not hurt your pretty little head, coming up with all this wisdom.” He sneered and Sif glared at him for a split second. It was enough. Again he backhanded her and Sif clenched up her fists as they trembled heavily.

“You dare not give me that look again before I strike you down so hard you will have trouble getting back up!” The king snarled. Sif grabbed her cheek and a tear escaped her eye as she did her best not to burst out in crying. Not that her face hurt that much, but all the grief, pain and punishment was getting to her more than she liked. Loki wiped the tear off her face with his thumb and licked the fluid off with a sardonic smile.

“How I love your pain..” The god cooed as he stepped closer. Sif took a step back and felt the cold, hard wall against her back. Loki pressed his body against hers and brought his lips close to Sif’s. To avoid having to kiss him, Sif turned her head to the side.

“I would not expect a harlot like yourself to be picky.” He hissed and licked a trail from her collarbone to her neck, sending shivers down her spine. “You will be punished in front of the entire kingdom and you will regret ever being a whore for your pathetic stable boy.”

Punished in front of the entire kingdom? Well, seeing as things could not get any worse, Sif decided to act out. Yes, reader, I agree. It is rather foolish indeed.

“I rather be his whore than your wife!” Sif growls and Loki glares at her as he calls in the guards.

“It seems our prisoner is not contrite yet and wishes her punishment to be administered at once! You shall throw her in the dungeon now and assemble the house-hold and residents of the realm. When that is arranged, this harlot and her stable boy shall be taken to the royal square to receive what is coming to them!” Wait, Thor was to be punished as well? No! That was not what she wanted!

“No, Loki! Do not hurt Thor! Let me take his punishment, but do not hurt him!” The entire house-hold of the castle heard Sif scream as the guards took her down to the dungeon. She even managed to break the nose of one of the guards and leave a huge bite-mark on the shoulder of the other before they were able to chain her up in a cell. They stood panting and groaning in front of her and shook their heads.

“Why does the king insist on ‘aving such a stubborn goat as ‘is wench?” One of them asked the others as they left.

“Because he is incapable of seeing others happy!” Sif growled before she burst out in tears. Thor punished…this truly was a nightmare. If they would both come through this..she would obey every step of the way from now on!

After an hour, Sif was retrieved from the dungeons. This time, she did not fight the guards. Meekly the woman allowed them to guide her to the square. Almost the entire realm attended the punishment of the queen and the son of Odin. Two wooden blocks were placed across from the other and Loki stood in-between and had his hands clasped behind his back with a dark look in his eyes.

“Bring the prisoners forth and put them in position!” He commanded and Sif looked around in despair. Was Thor here already? When she saw him, Sif had to look away. Her lover looked awful. One eye was swollen, as if it were hit repeatedly and there was dried blood around his mouth. They were both placed on a block and faced each other.

“Thor, please forgive me, I did not mean for this to happen!”Sif managed to yell out before a piece of cloth was bound around her mouth, making her incapable of speaking.

“Tis not your fault, Sif, he is a monster!” Thor growled and was muzzled as well. Sif frowned. Loki looked down and seemed…hurt…What was that about? He was able to torment them, but not able to be confronted? The image of this cruel man having his feelings hurt was a haunting one and it made Sif contemplate her thoughts about him.

As soon as a guard ripped open her dress and the first lash with the whip was given, this image evaporated and was replaced by a blood-red haze. The woman cried out in pain as the first lash already broke her skin. The warm feeling of her own blood trickling down her back made her shudder and the sight of Thor receiving an equal treatment, was even more tormenting.

The lasing went on and on as if it lasted for hours. Loki locked gazes with them alternately and savoured the sounds of their torment. The crowd grew restless, uneasy at the sight of their queen and the fallen son being treated like this, but his cruel streak terrified the realm. Sif noticed that the sounds of the crowd were muffled somehow, as if the blood ended up in her ears, clogging them. Her sight seemed altered as well, black spots were covering her view.

Thor was getting lashed again but his cry was no longer heard by the queen. She slipped out of consciousness and her body grew limp on the wooden block. The black cloud that imprisoned her brain for as long as it could, started to dissolve as a voice tore through her thoughts.

“My lady? Please wake up, you are safe now. My lady?” The pain in her head felt like it would split her skull and as soon as the cloud vanished, the stinging of the wounds on her back set in. A groan left her throat and the servant girl that posed at her at the masquerade was tending to her wounds.

“What happened?” Sif asked in a raspy voice.

“You fainted, my lady. The lashing became too much for you.” The girl leaned in and reduced her voice to a whisper.

“The king is a cruel man, ma’am and I think you deserve better.” She said with a serious face and Sif could not help but to chuckle a bit. Shame, however, overtook her.

“I fainted? The whole realm saw my feebleness?” The girl gasped at her remark.

“My lady! Feeble, you? Never! I think you are most brave to stand up against him like that!”

A voice boomed against the walls all of a sudden and it made Sif flinch in fear.

“Well, it seems the staff seems to be approving of treason against the king! Be gone, vile wench, before I bestow an equal treatment upon you!” The girl rushed off in tears and the king stepped closer to the helpless Sif.

He gazed down at her and narrowed his eyes. “I assume you learned your lesson?” The liesmith asked in a hushed tone, almost giving the impression of being remorseful of his acts.

“Yes, Loki.” It made her stomach turn to be this compliant, but Thor’s safety was in danger as long as she did not obey his every whim. Sif could not endure his piercing gaze and hid her face behind her hands, sobbing softly at the pain and her fate. It was not possible for Sif to see, but guilt came over Loki’s face.

The king murmured a spell as he held his hand above her lacerated back and her wounds started to heal. Surprised at the enlightenment of her suffering, Sif removed her hands from her face and stared into Loki’s eyes.

“I only do this to keep the beauty of your body intact, no other reason!” The sly one growled at her as he saw her astonished face. Sif looks the other way and simply nods. The king trots off and Sif could not help herself.

“Wait..Thor..is he…” Loki turned around and sent her a deadly stare.

“I am munificent enough to heal the wounds you have brought upon yourself and you dare ask about the oaf that tarnished you?!” With a wave of his hand, the pain came rushing back and Sif started to sob again.

“The wounds did not come back, merely the pain. It shall remain for as long as I see fit, reminding you of your faults.”

No longer bleeding, Sif was able to put her garments on again after Loki had left her. She figured she was now free to go where she chose to go, as he did not give her any further instructions. The gardens always soothed her foul moods so Sif decided to go there.

As she arrived there, the little wolf she saw earlier was lurking around. Sif did not want to scare it, so she walked up to the small beast very carefully. A little branch was overlooked by the woman and as she stepped on it, so a cracking sound was heard. The wolf looked back in surprise and looked like it was going to flee.

“Oh, I did not mean to startle you..” Sif said with a frown and the wolf seemed to understand her. It tilted its little blue head, making one ear flap backwards.

“I know, I am just being careful.” The wolf said with a chuckle and Sif gasped.

“You are a Jotun, are you not?” This appeared to frighten the wolf slightly and it started to back away.

“Do not fear, my friend, I shall not harm you.” Sif assured it. “I just figured you must be a Jotun with the ability to shape-shift, seeing as you are blue and able to talk. I saw you playing earlier, you are also able to make snow and ice appear, are you not?”

The wolf turned into a young girl with icy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Her skin was a light-blue color as well, her dress contrasting with it, as that was white as the snow she played with earlier.

“Yes, I am Jotun. My name is Kristi. I was afraid you would want to kill me if you knew my nature.” Sif shook her head. In the past, I might have been so short-sighted, but I am glad to say that I know better now. Welcome to the realm.”

A sad look came over the girl as Sif welcomed her.

“It’s not as great as it used to be, huh? That guy that is king now…he seems pretty cruel!” Sif nodded her head. “He is indeed very cruel, Kristi. But sadly Loki is king and there is nothing we can do about it. Odin is in the Odin-sleep and Frigga…she passed on. After she died, Loki became even more recluse than before. He challenged me and Thor for a fight. The throne would be the prize. Foolish as we were, we figured there was no way we could ever lose. Little did we know that he had poisoned our wine. We were weak…and we were defeated. Loki took the throne and banished Thor to the stables. I was forced to become his wife. I do not fool myself into thinking that he loves me. It was merely an act of cruelty to make sure Thor and I would not be together anymore.”

The Jotun girl listened to Sif’s story of woe and shook her head.

“Why is he so unhappy?” Sif raised a brow at her new friend.

“Unhappy? I..never thought of the option that he could be unhappy. I know he has much to be unhappy about..but…well, whatever it is, he should not make those that care for him suffer so!” Kristi held her hands up.

“I know, I am just thinking out loud. Thor…he is the blonde guy, right? I saw him earlier, he was lashed for some reason.” Sif’s eyes tear up at hearing this.

“We are being punished for loving each other! Loki had me lashes as well! He took my wounds away but the pain is still there.” Kristi smiled.

“I can help you with that!” She said happily as she pointed at the floor. Lay down, I will make some ice to put on your back. Sif bared her back and did as the girl asked. Kristi made ice appear in her hands and soother Sif’s aching back with it. Although the pain came from magic, the ice brought instant relief.

“Did you see where they took Thor?” The goddess asked in a worried tone.

“Yes, they brought him back to the stable, but a couple of servants went after the guards and they took care of his wounds. I helped my making some ice for Thor as well, after they all left! He is very friendly. There, all done!”

Sif sighed thankfully and fixed her garments.

“Thank you so much for helping us both, it means a great deal to me. As far as I’m concerned, you are always welcome in this realm and you shall always have a friend in Thor and myself.” Kristi smiled and bowed.

“Thank you, your majesty.” Sif gasped.

“My child, please do not call me that. Forgive my rudeness, my name is Sif.” This made the girl chuckle a bit.

“Very well, then I will call you Sif. See you, Sif, I am going to play some more…or would you like to play with me?” Kristi asked as she turned back into a little blue wolf.

“Of course I would! That sounds a lot more fun than hang around the palace all day with his grumpiness!” They both laughed and moved to a more open spot of the gardens. Kristi made a snowball with her powers, chucked it at Sif and Sif hit it as far away as she could with a big branch that they found nearby. Hogun was running towards them and Sif got an idea. She gestured to the little wolf girl to stay quiet and close to the ground as she crouched down herself. When Hogun got close enough, the wolf chucked a snowball and Sif smacked in his direction.

Hogun was struck in the face with the snowball and blinked in surprise for a couple of seconds. Sif and the girl laughed out loud, Sif held her stomach and the wolf rolled around on her back.

“Sif! You know better than this! What if the king sees you? Are you not in enough trouble?” The grim warrior lectured her and she looked down as she put her hands behind her back. Out of the blue she looked back up with a slight glare as she put her hands on her hips.

“And you, Hogun, should know better than to lecture the goddess of war! Now speak about what you are running from and dare not to tell what do to ever again!” This time, it was the man’s turn to look ashamed. Of course he could not tell a fierce warrior like herself what to do or how to act. It was hard enough on her to take such actions from the king, but from a friend, no, that was too humiliating. The grim warrior composed himself and took her hands in his hands.

“Sif, you are the queen of the realm and so I must protect you with my life.” Hogun started and as Sif wanted to shake her head in protest, he held up his hand. “Do not even try telling me that you are not a queen, because you are. Even without the crown, I would willingly risk my life for you. But now I must ask you to come with me, for I need your help.” Sif did not hesitate for a single second but agreed even before Hogun was done speaking. She turned to the little wolf and stroked over her furry head.

“My friend, I must ask you to go and hide and do not meddle in any battles that might ensue. I do not want the king or any other residents to see you, for not all are kind and understanding. Do you understand?”

Later on, Loki entered their chambers with a deadly glare on his face. Sif sat up from the window she was sitting in, hiding something in her frock before Loki could see what it was. Keeping his poisonous gaze locked with hers, he started to circle her.

“Why were you not present for dinner? I have been kind enough to take your wounds away and you repay me by making a fool out of me?” Sif crossed her arms and glared back. Her actions of this afternoon had ignited something inside of her. Something that was extinguished ever since her and Thor were torn apart.

“I was training with Hogun, I miss the activities of the battle field and wish to be part of the army once again.” Loki stood there bewildered for a couple of seconds before backhanding her to the floor.

“Clearly you are not a very good warrior, otherwise you would have seen that coming! You are a poor excuse for a wife but was even a poorer excuse for a shieldmaiden! You shall accompany me for dinner and apologize to our guests! There will be no more talk of joining the army, you pathetic wench! Your only duty is to please the king of Asgard!” Sif took a deep breath and wiped the blood of her mouth that seeped out the wound he inflicted.

“And here I thought the king was pretty pleased with himself already.” The woman retorted in a mocking tone, making the king growl and dragging her across the hallway.

“I do not know why I put up with you! My kindness knows no bounds!”

With a growl he tossed her to the floor in the middle of the dining hall, between the dining guests and he stared angrily down at her.

“The queen shall be forced to watch us dine tonight, without being allowed to dine herself. Let us all hope this shall cure her off her insolence. I have had enough of her uncivil behavior! Making us all wait on her like this! Guards!” A couple of guards picked Sif up from the ground and took her to the chair next to the throne. A cloth was tied around her mouth and her hands were tied behind the chair so she was forced to stay put.

“Now let us all finally dine and forget this horrid display of…” Loki stopped mid-sentence as he saw that Hogun, Fandral and Volstagg stepped forward and knelt in front of the king’s table.

“Your majesty, if Sif is not allowed then we shall remain without food as well. A troll came to the grounds and was on its way to the palace. I asked for Sif’s help and had she not agreed…we all would have been ended.” Loki stood up, walked around the table and growled at the warriors.

“You are all pathetic excuses for warriors! Bringing the queen in danger because you are too feeble to deal with a mere troll! You will be shipped off to the dungeons and remain there until I feel you have been punished enough!” A loud snap echoed through the room. They all looked in the direction where it came from and saw Sif holding the leftovers of her binds. She tore them apart in a flare of anger and glared at Loki.

“I protected this realm today, as did they and you cannot even say ‘thank you’! You measly, foul monster! I insist on joining them in the dungeons and refuse to ever dine in your presence again!” Sif shouted through the dining hall.