Road to Jotunheim

Asgard was celebrating after the victory of its brave warriors against some bandits in Vanaheim. Victory awarded to Prince Thor and his faithful friends. It was a fierce battle and the first in which the mighty Thor used his Mjolnir, a unique weapon gifted by his father just a couple of moons ago.

While Thor's group enjoyed the attention and praise of the partygoers, Lady Sif, his loyal battle partner, decided to sneak out to talk to Thor alone. Who, she guessed, had gone for more mead after Volstagg consumed the last of the barrels they had. After crossing the great room where several couples were dancing she finally found him. He was not alone he was accompanied by a beautiful young blonde whom he was passionately kissing, the mead barrels were to one side completely ignored.

Tears were starting to run down her cheeks as she walked away from such a scene, heading quickly towards the exit of the party room. She wanted to be alone, to get away from everything and that is how she came to wander through the lower area of the palace. She felt like a fool, she really believed that this time it would be different. It was not unusual for Thor to flirt with women from other realms, but Sif thought that after their experience together in Vanaheim he would see her in a new light. She believed that perhaps he would begin to see her as a woman as well but he did not. Nothing had changed, it would never be different.

Lost in her grief, she did not realize how far she had come and that she was very close to King Odin's treasure vault. The passage she was in was poorly lit and too quiet. She began to feel a strange sensation. She quickly wiped the tears from her and looked around her, alert. And she then saw it, it was partially hidden by a column, it was something she could never have foreseen.

Loki was very excited. He was so close to obtaining the Casket of Ancient Winters, he could feel it. All that powerful winter magic called to him, it was such an alluring and irresistible force. He would have to be more careful from now on, he did not know what kind of protection the vault that guarded it would have. He knew that after the victory of the Asgardians at Vanaheim, they would celebrate like barbarians for weeks, the parties they threw had a reputation for being pompous and opulent. They would be slow to realize that one of their relics was stolen until long after the attack. Peeking his face out of the column he was hiding in he smiled at the path that led him to the vault. He just had to turn one more corner.

He did not notice the maiden behind him creeping closer and closer. He heard soft footsteps that seemed far away and tried to hide again in the shadows of the column, but it was too late. Whoever it was was too close, he could hear her breathing.

"Damn."

He started running in the opposite direction from his target and noticed that he was being followed closely by that person.

"Stop" she yelled. He did not expect a maiden to be the one to discover his presence, nor to be able to keep up with him. He increased his speed as much as he could and just as he was about to cross the hidden portal that brought him here, Sif lunged towards him and they ended up on the other side of the portal together.

"Let go of me, you crazy wench!" he berated her, trying to get out of her strong grip while she kept him pushed against the floor. The portal was sealed behind them and began to disappear.

"You! Monster! Intruder!"

In the heat of the moment, Sif was unaware of the sudden change in temperature, or the dark cobalt color of the floor. She pulled out a dagger hidden in the top of her dress and pressed it against his neck.

"Why are you in the palace? What is your dirty purpose? Were you trying to steal any of the king's treasures?"

Loki struggled beneath her to no avail, opening the portal had consumed much of his strength. The maiden's dagger was dangerously close to him, one wrong move would be too risky. Sif began to notice the unusual cold and cobalt blue floor, as well as the peculiar design of it.

"What is this?!" she exclaimed in dismay “What kind of trick is this? Where are we?" she began to despair at his silence "Answer me!"

He began to laugh slightly, amused by her confusion. "Don't you recognize this place, wench?" he told her with a condescending tone.

"This is my kingdom, you are in Jotunheim."

"No," she whispered.

"Welcome."

"It is impossible."

Loki regretted not being able to see her expression of panic and horror from his position on the ground. He wanted to turn his face away so he could see her better, but the dagger against his neck reminded him not to push his limits.

"There are many other ways to travel between worlds, your precious Bifrost is only one path among many." He said she did not answer him. It seemed that her bravery was completely gone. He smiled to himself, it was his chance to play with her a bit. “If you let me go right now, I coul-”

"You will come with me," she interrupted him, her voice not showing an iota of uncertainty.

His smile disappeared.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"You will come with me, now!" she cautiously rose from on top of him and then pulled him up by the strange cape he was wearing. She pushed him towards a giant door that seemed to be the exit, keeping her dagger against his neck at all times. "You will answer for your crimes."

"My crimes?" she was starting to make him nervous “you're crazy! Also, how do you think-”

"Move on!" she interrupted him again, furious "if you don't want me to cut your throat right now."

Loki did not want to test her patience and carried out her command "If you leave here dressed like that you will freeze to death" he didn't know exactly what she was wearing, but he doubted that she would wear a thick coat, the cold weather of Asgard was nothing compared to the eternal winter of Jotunheim. As he opened the door, he tried to reason with her again "besides, some of the other Jotnar will notice your presence and they won't be as benevolent as me."

"Stop talking." Sif considered his words, but she decided to take the risk. Hopefully Heimdall would quickly activate the Bifrost and she would return home.

"Fine, but you won't accomplish anything other than getting into trouble" he warned, "you'll regret doing this."

Once the door was open they left the fort and with just a few steps outside Sif began to freeze. There was a strong blizzard that chilled to her bones. The dress she was wearing didn't protect her at all against this fierce weather, but she wasn't going to back down.

As soon as they were a few meters away from the fort, Sif started yelling "Heimdall, I need you, open the Bifrost!" but her words were lost in the wind and she got no answer.

"Heimdall!" she tried again, as hard as she could "please, open the Bifrost!"

And she went on like this, calling him over and over again, until her throat started to burn. The strong wind whipped the fabric of her dress and her body began to collect snowflakes. Loki shuddered a little next to her, her screams were too loud. He looked around with concern. Generally no one would go to see him in his rebuilt fort, but he wasn't sure that some other Jotun who happened to pass by would not hear her. Hopefully they would mistake her for some hurt or deceitful creature, you never knew in Jotunheim.

The maiden was beginning to neglect her tight control towards him, it would be easy to knock her out now if he weren't so exhausted. From the moment she left the fort he made her invisible and inaudible to her guardian Heimdall as a precaution, he had not the slightest enthusiasm about being dragged to Asgard. But that action added to the fact that he had opened a portal twice, and had consumed almost all his strength. He slowly moved away from her and finally turned around so he could see her clearly.  She was a young maiden, around his age if he had to guess. She wore a tight silver dress, the snowflakes that had settled on her long hair and her body did not minimize her beauty. He fixed his gaze on her symmetrical face, and he could see hints of despair and fear seeping into her expression.

"My lady" he said delicately "that Heimdall is probably resting in a bar, enjoying some root beers" she wasn't paying attention, she seemed lost in thought, he continued anyway "we should go back to my fort, a strong blizzard is starting and if you keep exposed to this cold dressed like this you will die."

"It can't be," she stammered fearfully, "how can he not hear me?"

"Let's go into the fort" he insisted "it's very dangerous to stay out here, totally exposed."

‘You Jo-" she interrupted herself because she began to feel numbness in her limbs and little cramps. He was right, if she was still exposed like that she would freeze to death. Without many options available, she returned with Loki to the front. It was much warmer inside than it was outside, it must have had some kind of thermal insulation system.

She began to worry, if Heimdall didn't answer her how would she get home? She didn't know any other way to travel between worlds. Except using the currents of energy from the branches of Yggdrasil, but she would need an Asgardian skiff for that and that journey would take too long. Besides she had no provisions, nor a crew for it. She couldn't trust anyone here, she didn't even know any other frost giant besides…. Of course, him! There was someone who had been able to travel between realms without a skiff or using the Bifrost and he was right in front of her now.

"Here" Loki threw her a thin skin of an unknown animal for her "dry yourself with this or you will catch a cold." 

She took it and put it on her shoulder, discarding it for now.

"You're going to take me back to Asgard, frost giant" she ordered pointing at him with her dagger that she held weakly, she was exhausted.

"Pardon me?" Loki was puzzled. Even in her weakened state practically shivering with cold, she did not lose her courage.

"You are going to open one of your secret paths between worlds and take me back to Asgard" she trembled slightly, the snow that was impregnated in her body began to affect her "or-”

"Or what?" He replied, beginning to get exasperated "Are you going to kill me? You can barely stand!” he paused and then cunningly added "Besides, doing so would leave you stranded here and you will die too."

Sif couldn't deny that. She wanted so badly to erase that smug expression from his ugly face. But for now she should be cautious, after all he seemed to be her only option to return home.

"I propose a deal, my lady," Loki said without taking his eyes off her. He analyzed each of her expressions and movements, she was like an open book for him. "I'll take you back if you promise me two things."

Sif glared at him but didn't say anything prompting him to continue.

“You will not tell anyone that you saw me in the vault, we will pretend that it never happened and” he approached her a bit “you will tell me what kind of protection the Odin's vault has. You will share with me any kind of useful information you have about it. Don't worry, if you lie…I’ll know."

"Well" Loki held out a hand "do we have a deal?" 

"I won't tell you anything, monster," she ignored his outstretched blue hand. "If you think I'm going to betray my kingdom you're very wrong."

"Then you will die here" Loki stated

And after saying that, he disappeared. Only the skin that he had conjured earlier was left as proof of his presence there. She was left alone in that wide silent and cold place far from home, in the enemy kingdom. Her treacherous eyes started to go glassy.