Chapter 6
Frigga vanished the dirty bedclothes on the empty bed. Thor sat in a chair, drumming his fingers on his knee. Odin and Sigyn stood leaning against the wall.
No one spoke.
The male journeyman healer, Vidarr, emerged from the surgery with a tiny bundle in his arms. Behind him came Aslaug, also carrying a newborn.
"My babies!" Sigyn cried excitedly. She rushed up to Vidarr and Aslaug, followed closely by the rest of the royal family. They surrounded the two healers, trying to get a glimpse of the little princes.
"They're perfect," smiled the female healer.
"Oooh, come here, precious one!" Frigga practically purred. She took the tiny boy from the female healer and kissed his soft, round cheek. Grinning, she turned to show him to Odin.
"Even now, Princess Sigyn is being placed in the Soul Forge," Vidarr informed.
"Will she heal?" asked Sigyn urgently.
"Oh, yes. She's very weak. Her strength had given out. But Healer Eir says she will be fine eventually."
"Eventually? H-how long is eventually?" Sigyn said. She was barely aware that she was stroking her new son's cheek with a fingertip.
"Eir is not quite sure," said Vidarr. "But I feel it won't be very long. I am not the Master, though. Prince Loki, would you like to hold your son?"
Sigyn laughed and nodded. She took the babe (he was so small!) and cradled him in her arms. She studied the baby. His little eyes were firmly shut. She noticed that he had her lips. The thin thatch of black hair on top of his head was the exact color of Loki's. His hands rested on his chest, drawn into little fists. He was absolutely perfect.
The new mother placed a kiss very lightly on his brow, then turned to show him off to the rest of the family.
Thor declared the babies were both just as handsome as their uncle, and that they would surely become fine warriors of Asgard. Sigyn had never heard Odin coo over anything before. Frigga wouldn't relinquish the twin she had. The other one was being passed around.
Quietly, Sigyn told them, "I want to show them to Sigyn as soon as possible."
She was so sick of pretending to be Loki! The royal family had nearly lost their youngest prince, and Thor and Odin didn't even know.
Sigyn ran to the Soul Forge when Eir told her she could see Loki. Thor was holding one baby, Frigga the other, so they were safe enough. Sigyn would introduce Loki to their children the instant her husband was awake.
Loki was surrounded by the honeycomb-gold glow of the Soul Forge. He lay utterly still as the Forge healed him slowly. Much too slowly.
"Wake soon, my heart," Sigyn encouraged. "Our babies are here! You did it. You saved them. They are healthy and beautiful. They can't wait to meet their father."
Sigyn stared at Loki's face, feeling silly for expecting him to respond.
"And I want my body back," she added, just because. "So wake up."
Odin and Frigga sat side by side in chairs in the healing room. Each held a baby who lay on their backs in the laps of their grandparents; the infants, in the brief instances when their eyes were open, could look up and see two blurry faces grinning at them. Odin had the smaller one while Frigga held the bigger twin.
"Oh, my special, precious boys!" the queen gushed. She held the baby's wrists lightly. "How beautiful you are! Yes, you are!"
Odin chuckled. He liked babies, he really did. It was the main reason he plucked Loki off of that frozen rock on Jótunheimr those many centuries ago. But he would never be quite as enthusiastic as Frigga, goddess of marriage and motherhood.
Frigga was gently making the baby wave his arms whether he wanted to or not. He blinked at her, then decided to fall asleep. Frigga then reached over and traced the eyebrow of the one on Odin's lap with her fingertip. Then she smoothed the hair of the one she held.
"Aren't they beautiful, Allfather?" she almost hummed.
"Yes, they are," said Odin slowly. "Why is that, my queen?"
Frigga was confused. Without looking away from the babies, she said, "Why is what, Allfather Odin?"
Then her voice went up an octave and a half as she spoke to the unconscious baby in her lap. "I meant to say Grandfather Odin! Yes, that's your grandfather!"
The baby couldn't care less. Odin rolled his only eye. "Why are they so beautiful, my dear? What did you do?"
Fearful that they'd be overheard, Frigga checked the room. Thor had left after kissing each baby. The healers were nowhere in sight. Eir had gone to join Sigyn at the Soul Forge. The royal couple were all alone.
"Odin, I have no idea what you mean," Frigga lied.
The allfather lifted "his" baby off of his lap and rested him on his shoulder. The child gave a tiny grunt at being disturbed, so Odin began to rub his back.
"These children are half Vanir, half Jótunn*," said Odin quietly. "Why do they look Asgardian?"
"Ssh, Odin," Frigga whispered loudly. "I placed them under a glamour. A very strong glamour."
"When?" Odin practically yelled.
The baby on his shoulder fussed, then let out a stuttering cry.
"Switch," said Frigga, holding out her hands.
Odin reluctantly gave her the smaller child and took the one off of Frigga's lap. The queen spent a couple of minutes shushing the fussing twin. He calmed down and went back to sleep. Newborns were not very exciting.
"When did you perform this glamour, Frigg?" Odin asked, employing his wife's nickname. "You were not in the room when they were born."
"No, I was not. Sigyn happened to fall asleep on the settee whilst I was in the room. She was three and a half months along. I saw what would likely be my only opportunity and I took it."
Frigga stared at the little boy in front of her with a wistful expression on her face. She was tired, having been at Loki's side for twenty hours. But that was not why she felt bad. She told herself that she had to disguise the babies. Loki didn't know about his true parentage yet, nor did Sigyn. It would have been a nightmare for them to find out about it because Loki gave birth to two blue babies.
Odin watched her incredulously. Of course he was too dense to pick up on Frigga's distress. Like Thor, he could be incredibly insensitive at times.
"I wasn't aware you could do that," he said proudly. "I am impressed."
"Thank you," the exhausted queen sighed.
She kissed "her" twin's brow. So sweet.