"...If you wish," says Odin. "Mind that you remember where to stand when you call the Bifrost to return you to Asgard."

"I will be able to find it by the stars even if I become completely lost," Loki assures her.

Thor greets her with a hug. "Well fought, sister!"

"Likewise! I like this world, and have asked Mother's leave to stay a while. She granted it," she adds. "It will not be long, though, only two or three years."

"I will miss you, sister!" This is grounds for another hug. "I hope you have many interesting adventures!"

"Does wandering around watching the humans go about their business count as an adventure?" inquires Loki, hugging back.

"It could, I suppose."

"Then I almost certainly shall have a prolonged and lovely adventure. I'll tell you all about it when I get back."

Thor beams. "I look forward to hearing the tale!"

"It will probably go like this. 'I met a great many mortals, and their entertaining little soul-animals, and traded stories for what of my dinner I did not hunt down myself, and in this way I passed the years since I last saw you.'"

She giggles. "You are so strange sometimes."

Thor hugs her again, then waves and traipses off at the sound of a distant shout from their mother.

Heimdall nods again, and stands aside to give Loki a clear path to the door.

Her father, predictably, can be found at his loom.

"I'm home, Father," she says.

"So I gathered. No matter. Did you enjoy yourself?"

"Immensely. And I learned many things. But I am ready to be back home now."

"Good." Frigg kisses his daughter's forehead and hugs her again.

At first sight, Thor runs to Loki and hugs her, lifting her right off the ground in the process. "Sister! You're back! How was Midgard?"

"It was lovely! I wandered around and hunted and told stories, mostly imaginary, but it's possible that even now someone is telling their children about, oh, you for example."

"Good things, I hope!"

"Mostly. One of the anecdotes about myself came out a bit garbled. I told them that I named Sleipnir - guess what that turned into."

"Apparently the only reason anyone could think of why I might name Mother's future mount involves my having given birth to it."

"I know."

"It is good to see you again. What have I missed?"

"Little enough. Volstagg has changed weapons again - she favours sword and shield now. Hogun got a new mace. Fandral has discovered the unfathomable charms of boys and talks of hardly one thing else once you get her started."

"Oh, boys. Has she simultaneously discovered choosiness and the fact that boys have personalities, or will arbitrary ones do, I wonder?"

"Their personalities go largely unmentioned," says Thor, giggling.

"Hopefully she at least returns them undamaged whence they came. Is she the only one out of your circle who has discovered the marvels of the gentle sex?"

"If Hogun has, she's quiet about it, but then she is Hogun and never not quiet. Volstagg I doubt would notice a man did he not first cook her a good meal or three. I have not yet found one whose charms sway me."

"Nor I, but then I have been among people invariably followed by miscellaneous animals for the past three years, and by invariably I mean invariably, so it is possible something will change soon."

"Midgardians are strange."

"Quite."

It has been too long since hug. Hug!

Hug!

Very hug. Thor missed her sister.

"I was just on my way to meet the Warriors Three in the practice halls. Perhaps it would please you to join us!"

"I would like that. Have you been practicing anything in particular of late? The last thing I remember was Volstagg lagging behind the rest of you in rolling with a fall."

"She's much better now. This year we mainly spar with one another, and with whoever may dare to challenge us. Of whom there have been regrettably few in recent weeks. Have you learned anything on Midgard you could demonstrate? Or was it all hunting and singing and giving birth to horses?"

"I have learned one or two things, although I admit that giving birth to horses is very time consuming."

Thor giggles uproariously.

"Midgardians have a much different style, being weaker than we are and having less time to practice. What I have seen may be good for one or two surprises but will probably not suit for long-term repertoire."

"Well, then, I look forward to being surprised."

"An hour?" asks Loki. "I would believe maybe half that, if you turned invisible."

"Not invisible, just quiet. I came to see how a Princess of Asgard fights," she says. "Very well, it seems."

"Thank you. And who is it who is so keen to supervise us?"

"Well, visible spectator," says Loki, "now what?"

"I seldom beat her," remarks Loki, taking a seat and reducing Lævateinn to a convenient size. "You may have made a strategic error."

That is very interesting. She should teach a class on Not Being In The Same Place As Pointy Things.

Thor applauds.

So does Loki.

"I'll fight you if you tell us your name," Thor offers in an effort to solve this dispute. "You're good enough to be worth a match, without question."

"Will you really?" she says, delighted. "Do you promise?"

"Aye, why not!"

Loki stifles a giggle, looks apologetically at Fandral - and then laughs out loud.

"You said yourself I'm a worthy opponent," Sigyn reminds her.

"That was before I knew!"

"Is my sword slower because a man's hand wields it? You have seen for yourselves it is not," he says logically. "And you promised."

"You did promise, sister," Loki echoes. "If I say I'll fight him too - and you know I'm nearly certain to lose - will that spread your embarrassment around sufficiently?"

"...fine," grumbles Thor. She hefts her mace (Mjolnir is best left out of the practice halls). "Come and try your skill against a princess, boy."

"I won't give you as good a workout as she will," Loki says, rolling to her feet and expanding Lævateinn into a scythe. "But it'll be different. If you're game."

Loki keeps her distance - her weapon is, or can be, long enough to let her try for more tripping and spearing maneuvers than either Fandral or Thor tend to. She is trying to win, and she's seen him fight twice, but she knows how this is probably going to end.

Loki tilts her head politely and sits too. "Well done. I would take lessons if you offered them."

"Would you now."

"Why not?"

"And this deplorable situation will be improved how by my refusing to steal your tricks should you offer them up?"

Sigyn laughs.

"...Is this one of your boys, Fandral?"

"Much to her current regret, yes."

"And I can't imagine you had tremendous fun either or you wouldn't be toying with her now. Unless there are things I do not know and do not care to know about her proclivities."

"Oh, of course I had fun."

"But not long-lasting affectionate feelings. You are getting back at Fandral for leaving her socks in your living room, perhaps."

"What a curious error."

"Am I going to get my lessons or is this sniping match going to continue for a decade?"

"Far be it from me to deny you your lessons."

"How adaptable are your tricks to wielders of non-swords? My Lævateinn can be a sword but I am less practiced with it that way."

"Oh, perfectly. The sword is not my only weapon. I do admit I've never tried to teach them before, however. An unaccountable scarcity of students."

"I can't imagine why, unless you demonstrate your appreciation for their learning by telling bards rude stories about them or perhaps poisoning their mead; it has been established that you have trouble identifying affectionate behavior." She turns Lævateinn into her usual glaive. "Will this do or should I start with something else?"

He shrugs. "We'll see, won't we? What exactly do you want to learn?"

"If I already knew exactly what you were doing I'd be halfway to knowing it myself. You are good at dodging and feinting in particular, obviously."

"Perhaps you could break this advice into smaller pieces," suggests Loki.

"Mm? What do you mean?"

"Obviously at some point in the process I must cease to believe that I am going to aim where I'm feinting. When? Where should I expect a failure to believe my lies to leave a tell - am I making mistakes in my facial expressions, my posture, my grip, the exact length of my weapon at the moment, my speed? When I do change directions, what can I do to make this more abrupt and difficult to compensate for - how do you choose a feinting target to match your real aim, and how do you change directions from one to the other?"

"I don't have a spare Loki in my back pocket."

"Then you might have some trouble learning how to feint like I do."

"Alas. It was worth a try."

"I'll demonstrate any time you like, of course."

"I didn't imagine demonstrations to be in short supply, but it doesn't seem likely to be very efficient."

Sigyn shrugs.

"Where did you learn all this, then?" wonders Thor.

"Ah, well, that would be telling," says Sigyn.

"From someone with an extra brain in their pocket, obviously," snorts Loki, "where else."

He giggles.

"Well, visible participant. If you can't teach - what now?"

"Do you sneak into practice halls in disguise to fight your paramours regularly or is this a new thing you're trying?"

"Very new."

"How do you like your results?"

"Fandral, how did you even meet him?"

Loki giggles.

"And that is how we met," Sigyn concludes.