Chapter Text
Loki yawned contentedly, then winced. He had slept in an awkward position, plus the added weight of Vali lying across himself and Sigyn was cutting off circulation to his left arm. Carefully, he sat upright by supporting himself on his other arm, and nudged the four-year-old off his abdomen, and over to Sigyn, who, unlike him, was sleeping with a small smile on her soft face, slightly red hair spread over her pillow. She looked lovely, but the Prince of Mischief wasn’t able to fully appreciate her that night, due to Vali knocking tentatively on the door just when things were about to get really… mischievous.
Sigyn, of course, had beckoned their son closer as he sniffled about a nightmare involving a wolf, and tucked the lad right between him and her. This made Loki feel guilty over being about to advise Vali to go stay with his elder siblings.
Vali looked so innocent now, mouth agape, dark russet hair wild, snoring. Still his baby. Just like Narvi…No no no, he didn’t feel like crying first thing in the morning. What was wrong with him these days? First being annoyed, then weepy. Worse than Sigyn when she was pregnant. She looked so delicious and- Loki remembered his innocent youngest son was in the room before he could become absorbed in his fantasizing. That thought made him feel annoyed and weepy all over again. Damn, it was time to get up anyway.
Rising up and going to the bathroom, he came out impeccably groomed as usual. Vali was still curled up over the blankets, but Sigyn had already went out to start cooking. Walking down the short hall of their little cottage-and he never, ever expected in his whole life he’d be living in a little cottage in Vanaheim with five kids- he heard noise, laughing noise. Sigyn had been playfully engaging the kids, without him. Again.
Loki hurried into the kitchen, and was instantly headbutted by Fenrir rocketing into him. “Watch where you’re going, boy!” he, gasped, and took Fen by his broad shoulders. “What a way to greet your father.” Fenrir appeared unfazed. “Sorry Papa,” he practically shouted, then ran off past Loki to go chase something down the hall. Loki snorted, recovering his composure.
“Good morning love. It seems like you're a magnet for our children this morning,” Sigyn said innocently. A smile tugged at Loki’s unwilling lips, but he hid it as he leaned in to press them against his wife’s, then he peered over her shoulder, at Vali. “Papa,” Vali said, reaching out his hands, sticky with orange juice, looking sad. Sigyn nudged him and gave him a meaningful look. Loki smiled gently, but didn’t handle the boy. "Talk to him, Loki." urged Sigyn. 'You two barely interact." Before Loki could deny this- after all, the little lad had used his belly as a personal pillow last night- Hela, who had been sitting beside her brother, spoke up. >
“Step-mother, look at this,” the girl said in her whispery voice, and held up what appeared to be small white twig, until Loki took a closer look. If Sigyn was disgusted, she hid it well. “What kind of bone is it, honey?”
“The finger bone, from the littlest finger.” the girl said, beaming. Loki knew she was assembling a complete skeleton in her room for whatever reason. “I’m glad you found it, Hela,” he said. And he was glad, glad that she wouldn’t be roaming around the house looking through his things trying to find it.
“And can I wear this to the wedding?” she cast an illusion of a skimpy black sleeveless dress. Loki immediately dissipated the dress that wasn’t hanging in his daughter’s closet yet, but the mere idea of it doing so was bad enough. “When you’re one thousand, Hela.” he declared. ‘Wait-what wedding?”
“I’ve already got a nice dress for her to wear to King Laufey and the Allmother’s wedding, Loki.”
“What?”
“What?”
“What wedding, Sigyn?” he asked, instantly on high alert, as Sigyn’s light brown eyes were glittering, which was either a very good or very bad sign, depending on whether they were in bed or not.
“You remember, Loki. We got the letter during dinner yesterday. It’s the most exciting news.”
No, he did not recall. Then again, he had left the table to get back to his studies when Sigyn started talking about some mundane nice things. “Well, refresh my memory. Who’s getting married again?”
Sigyn sighed, in that way that always made him feel ashamed of himself for some reason. “Loki, it’s your father and mother.”
Loki spat out the hot cereal he had just taken a mouthful of, and began instantly rummaging through his mental archives. He had of course known about his father and mother’s relationship, ever since Odin's passing, and the return of the Casket, relations between Asgard and Jotunheim had been reestablished, with the rulers of each realm even making occasional visits between each other between Allthings. That acquaintanceship had blossomed into more, but was it that much more?
Then again, Loki remembered that when he discussed Frigga with Laufey on his visits to Jotunheim, or Laufey with Frigga on his visits to Asgard, each had sat up straighter, or smiled at the mention of the other’s name. With Laufey, his admiration of her was expected. Most Jotuns adored Frigga/Freyja.
But when Mother had begun speaking Laufey’s name in that lyrical tone she used when Loki and Thor were young children, and to hear her use it to flirt with his biological father without even realizing it was… disturbing, to say the least. But it was then that he had put two and two together, that Queen Frigga Njorddottir of Vanaheim, current Allmother of Asgard, was with King Laufey Bergelmirson, King of Jotunheim, and chief of the tribe of Utgard.
There were many tribes and subtribes, as he had been immediately educated by his younger brothers, Helblindi and Byleistr.
There was of course Jarnvidr, in Jotunheim’s Far East, Angrboda hailedfrom there, so that made their kids half Jarnvidjur.
Then there was the large tribe of the Wave Jotun, a subrace of Jotun with a more aquamarine hue to their skin and webbed digits, based in equatorial Jotunheim, which was ruled by Ran and Aegir, where Thor’s second child, Magni, came from.
There were of course, other subraces: the Mountain Jotnar with their more gray-green skin, and the Storm Jotnar, who had immigrated to Asgard, and mixed with the people there, including Odin’s mother, Bestia.
So Odin was never the ‘pure blood’ he insisted he was, at least not according to the facts. Loki was unsurprised. Him anymore when it came to the old Allfather’s decisions. Especially after everything….
Loki watched his children play, Fen and Jorm chasing each other, Hela giggling with Vali clapping his hands beside her. Sleipnir ambled into the kitchen, hoofsteps pattering heavily. It was a good thing they had wide doorways. While Fenrir and Jormungandr were Jotnar born in animal form thanks to Loki and Angrboda’s magic, Sleipnir truly was half horse. Odin had arranged for Sleipnir to be his personal steed, due to the foal’s many fast legs. Loki hadn’t been badly upset by this, as a mount of the king would likely live better off than many Asgardian citizens. However, he also knew that Sleipnir possessed an intelligence much like any man’s and had even used abilities to teleport, back during the chaos of Ragnarok.
Sigyn kissed him on the cheek, then laughed with Fenrir about something. Some women wouldn’t appreciate living reminders of their husband’s affairs with other lovers, but Sigyn wasn’t petty like that. She knew that Loki’s kids were their own beings, and she loved them for that, taking care of each child just as she would take care of Vali. Hela was taught many healing spells by her, Jormun liked to curl up with her and read, and even Fenrir calmed down when she was around.
A surge of protectiveness, that instinctive paternal need, ignited Loki’s old hate towards Odin, for what that tyrannnical monster had taken from them. Loki didn’t realize it was showing on his face until Sigyn came over. Or perhaps she could just read him that well by that point.
You look so tense this morning, husband,” she pointed out quietly, her teasing turning to concern in smoothly. That was one of the things Loki loved about her. Sigyn always knew just what he needed.
“I’m just…thinking,” he admitted, keeping it vague.
“Frigga and Laufey will make a good pair of grandparents.”
“They already are, love. They already are.” It was true. Loki tried to let his mood brighten. Laufey was always good to the children on their visits to the Citadel of Utgard, and he made sure that they had safe passage to Jarnvidr, Hela, Fenrir, and Jorm’s home tribe.
Frigga especially, was overjoyed to be a grandmother, and spent indulgent time with them whenever she could. She also warned Loki that when raising children, quiet was always suspicious, as the trickster would learn whenever Fenrir or Jormungand pranked him, much to his intense annoyance and intense pride.
Yes, he much loved, and had begun to love, his surviving parents, but the concept of them as a unit, like himself and Sigyn, would take some getting used to. Or perhaps they would be more like Jane and Thor, as each had a realm to rule. Loki smirked. “What would Odin think, that his obedient wife is about to wed his worst enemy?” he couldn’t resist saying.
“That now peace will grow between the realms? I imagine he’d be furious,” Sigyn said, sharing a dark chuckle with her husband. When had she started chuckling darkly? After she had met Loki, that much was sure.
“Mama, Papa, what’s so funny?” Loki’s eyes met Vali’s. “Nothing, dear, just… boring politics. Finish your breakfast, and don’t hang all over Sleipnir.”