Glass Wolf
Sigyn straightened the Queen’s sitting room, taking care that every detail was perfect and to her mother’s standards. She had fluffed pillows, dusted shelves, mopped floors, organized desks. The last step was rearranging glass figures on a table in the center of the space. Honestly, she was playing more than working, but no one could tell. The straightening was just to keep her occupied anyways, and playing completed the same goal.
The figures were all different objects and animals. There was a crown, a hammer, a snake, a sword, a lion, and a book. All made of glass, all carefully and beautifully painted. Sigyn moved them around the table innocently, muttering stories to herself about magical talismans and enchanted creatures.
A sound made her look up somewhat guiltily from her game. No one was there, but she noticed another figure on the bookshelf. It was a black wolf. The figurine was beautiful enough to warrant getting up. She crossed the room to grab it and bring it over to the others. She was pretty sure the crown just might fit on its head.
She had barely reached the edge of the blue and gold carpet when the figure shifted in her hands. Loki sprang out of her grip, screaming nonsense in her face. Sigyn stumbled back in surprise, a cry leaving her lips. She tripped on the leg of a sofa and fell hard on the uncovered marble floor. Chest heaving with adrenaline, she shook her hair from her face and glared furiously up at the mischief maker above her.
Her least favorite person grinned cruelly back down at her. “I thought about stabbing you but mother doesn’t like blood on her carpets,” Loki said.
“Didn’t stop you from stabbing Thor. Maybe you just don’t want peasant blood dirtying your knife.” The words were out before she could stop them. Her hands clapped themselves to her mouth like they could take it back. She lowered them. She was tired of behaving anyways.
“Talking back now?” Loki looked positively delighted. “Maybe you’re right. You’re not worth getting my hands dirty.” She remembered the shift in his eyes when she had released Thor from his jar against his direct order not to.
“Your hands are always dirty. You can wash them, but I know your cruelty,” Sigyn retorted. “Fitting how our princes are color coded. The evil in black and green and the good in gold and red.”
His expression was cold, his green eyes frozen over. She should’ve been scared but all she could see was his stupid slicked back hair and the sense of entitlement that made him think he could push her around. Technically he could, but she was sick of it.
“So you think Thor’s better than me,” he asked, voice calm. He smiled as he said it, but Sigyn knew it wasn’t friendly. It was a wolf’s smile, all teeth.
“Everyone’s better than you,” she declared. “You’re mean. You’re not funny or mischievous, you’re just mean.”
“I’d watch your mouth. I am the prince.”
“And I am tired of your teasing.” she froze as she said it. He had played the prince card and she had ignored it, had blatantly discarded it and played a card of her own. She had a feeling he cheated at card games. And all games. She had a feeling she was about to pay for it.
Loki extended a hand. She regarded it, startled and suspicious, “I’m helping you up,” he drawled, as though she was stupid and he was having to take great pains to break it down slowly for her. She took his hand with a glare. His fingers were cold as he pulled her to her feet, “See, no tricks.”
“You always have a trick– My Lord,” she added hastily.
He just smirked, “Would you like to be friends, Sigyn?”
“No,” she answered quietly but firmly.
His grin widened, “Then I’d watch your back. Where there is a wolf’s ears, a wolf’s teeth are near.”
“You’re a snake.” she replied.
Loki dropped her hand. “Always a predator.” He bowed low and left her in the wide sitting room by herself, feeling more on edge than if he had openly threatened her.