You jolted awake at the sound of the double doors to the throne room burst open. You sat up and Loki growled that your nap and healing rest were interrupted. He surged to his feet, setting you on the throne behind him as he rose. "What is the meaning of this interruption?" he demanded of the young-looking guard who ran up to the steps to the throne.

"Sir, I apologize for the interruption, but there are giants attacking the palace," the guard wheezed as he bowed, his hand over his heart in a fist.

You saw Loki's mind whirl as he thought out the plan ahead. You stood next to him, willing and ready to help however you could. "Sif!" he called. She rushed forward.

"My King?" she asked.

"Sig, go with Sif, defend my parents," Loki ordered quickly. You nodded and touched his cheek on your way down the steps to where Sif was waiting. He grabbed you before you passed and kissed you. "Keep my mother safe," he bid you urgently. He knew that even without your powers, you weren't helpless. You knew what he was doing and didn't fault him for it. He was giving you a job in this fight, an important one. His mother's safety was more important to him even than yours. "Sig, if the healing wing is breeched, you know what to do," Loki reminded you. You knew the backup plan and you'd do it, no matter the cost, you'd protect Frigga.

You nodded. "We'll keep her safe. You stay safe too, my king,"

"I have survived how many battles and still my queen worries over me," he commented warmly.

"It is because I worry about you that you have survived," you replied and stuck your tongue out at him. Even in these circumstances, you couldn't help flirting with him during battle. "Give us a lift?" you asked when you reached Sif. He nodded and banged Gungir on the floor once. Green magic shimmered around you and you were suddenly in the healing wing.

"I really hate when he does that," Sif growled, looking a little green around the edges. Nonmagic folk often didn't take well to teleporting. You looked around the healing wing which had become your domain.

The healers were being terrified sheep. Great. Just what you didn't need. "Ninnies, help us barracade the entrance," you snapped the order to them. Once they had clear orders, they could stop being sheep and actually do something. They rushed to obey, pushing whatever heavy objects they could in front of the door. "Ingris, keep the patients calm and quiet, use potions where you can. Save your magic for after the battle." You ordered. You were the strongest healer in the realm and you were out of commission. Sif stayed by the barrier, bladed staff already out to defend the already ill and wounded.

"Sif, call me if there's trouble," you told her. She nodded and you rushed to Odin's room.

Frigga looked up as you burst in. "What's wrong?" she asked, getting to her feet.

"Giants are attacking the palace," you told her calmly. "Sif and I are here to defend the healing wing. Everything will be alright, Mother. Loki is in charge of the defense, he will keep our people safe,"

She gave you a look. "You do not worry for him?"

"Of course I worry, but I have a job to do too. We trust in each other to do our jobs and survive. Neither of us are weak, even without my powers, I'm an Aesir trained warrior, and Loki has over a thousand more years of combat experience than I do. He will be fine, my worrying will do him no good, but preparing our defenses here will," she smiled warmly at your reply. So you risked a little snark. "And if he is injured, I'll kick his ass myself to remind him not to do it again,"

She laughed aloud at that. "The answer of an Asgardian lady if I have ever heard one," she told you warmly. "What do you require of me, Daughter?" she asked.

"Your preparation. I have my orders from the king, and I will follow them, no matter the cost. If the healing wing is breached, we are escaping, even if that means leaving Odin behind," you told her firmly. She blanched and looked to Odin.

"I can't-"

"You can and you will. It will not be any easier for me to run and leave Loki behind if things go that poorly," you told her. You couldn't believe you were speaking this way to the proper queen, but she had to be prepared. Loki's orders trumped her desires at the moment. She looked like she was about to argue. "Loki is king until such time as Odin awakes. His orders are clear," you reminded her firmly, with the straight spine and regal air you'd had to acquire to deal with the ninnies who were the healers.

She paused, but eventually gave you a warm, proud smile. "You are correct, Daughter. You have grown into a proper Queen, though you do not yet bear the title officially," she was proud of you for standing up to her, for doing your duty though it was difficult. You nodded, accepting the praise and returned to the main room of the healing wing.

"Any news?" you asked Sif. She shook her head. The healers had gotten the patients quiet. "Ingris, Astra, Flora, stay back. With my powers out of comission, you three are the only magical healers we have. We don't know what we'll be dealing with once this is over, so I want you three at full strength. The rest of you, I expect that if our barrier is breached, that you will protect your patients with the ferocity of any shield maiden in our history," you told them all, looking over your crowd of ninnies. They tightened their grips on their knives, scissors, and brooms and nodded to you, prepared to do their duty, just as any Asgardian warrior would be. You drew your dagger from the sheath at your side.

Things were quiet for a long while until a pair of giants came clamboring through your makeshift barrier. It didn't matter that you were in pain of cramps. It didn't matter that you were weak and exhausted without your powers. What mattered is that your home and loved ones were in danger. You could rest when you were safe. You and Sif leapt into action, fighting well together. She knew exactly how you fought, since you fought like Loki, which made sense since he had taught you most of your fighting skills. You'd also fought with Sif before on previous visits to Asgard. "Did you just kick that giant's legs out from under him and slice his manhood off?" Sif asked watching in awe as you slit the giant's throat.

You looked up at her and wiped the blood that had splattered on your face. "Um...it appears I did," you told her sheepishly. The giant she was working on was dead on the ground as well.

"Viciously brutal. Loki would be proud, though not what I would expect from a healer," she told you with a grin. You smirked back at her.

"So would Lady Natasha on Midgard. She's the one who taught me that particular move, and I'm not just a healer. I'm a Lady of Asgard, and currently acting Queen." Sif nodded her approval at those words and you worked together to put the barrier back together. You whirled when you felt magic behind you and raised your blade.

"Sig!" Loki called and rushed forward, but stopped just before he touched you. Illusion.

"I'm fine. We're fine," you reassured him quickly.

"You're covered in blood," he commented dryly.

You gestured to the giants dead at the doorway. "Theirs, not mine." He sighed in relief.

"We're doing one last sweep of the palace, but we think we've killed or repelled them all. That will teach the giants to think the palace is undefended just because the Allfather is not on the throne," Loki told you, proud of his accomplishment of defending the people. "Hold out here a little longer. I'll let you know when it's safe," he told you warmly. He hesitated for a moment before he added. "Mother?"

"Safe with Odin," you told him. He nodded and vanished as the illusion pressed his lips against your forehead. You hadn't asked if he was ok. He wouldn't have told you anyway. His illusion hadn't looked injured, but that didn't mean anything. He could cast an illusion that appeared uninjured even if he was gravily injured. You wanted to run and find him, but knew that duty demanded that you stay here.

He returned a few minutes later, still an illusion. "The palace is clear. I ordered guards down there to clear the healer's wing," he told you while you sighed in relief. You nodded and sheathed your blad. "Have Sif walk you back up to the throne room," he added.

"I'll see you soon," you told him with a smile. He nodded and vanished. Your first stop was to inform Frigga that everything was alright, the giants had been defeated. She was relieved as well and sheathed her own blade. She'd been ready to fight as well, though she wasn't a warrior, even less of one than you were. She would only fight if there was no other option available. She thanked you again and told you how proud she was of both of you.

After that was taken care of, you gave a couple orders to the ninnies for cleaning up the healing wing, and went back to Sif. "Sorry you have to babysit," you told her as you walked back up to the throne room with her.

"Loki is protective. Moreso when you're without your powers. I can't say I'm surprised, though you can obviously take care of yourself. There's no reason to take chances. Besides, the throne room is near our sitting room, and I'm totally stealing some of Volstagg's prized ale as soon as you're safely delivered back to Loki," she told you with a grin. You nodded and smiled in return.

"Tell him I ordered you be allowed to have it," you replied. Her grin broadened. She left you at the doors to the throne room and you went inside, striding right up to the throne. The people saw you covered in blood and you noted their approval that even in your state you would defend your people. You saw blood dripping down Loki's arm and rushed the rest of the way up to the throne, pulling a stray roll of bandage from the pocket of your gown as you ran. You seemed to always have bandages in your pockets since you took over the healing wing.

Loki gave you a warm smile as you ran up to his side and looked over the gash on his arm. "Trickster's blessing," you growled, a blessing from the trickster wasn't a blessing at all. Loki smirked, amused that you were cursing by him. "I wish I had my powers," you growled as you pulled the tiny emergency first aid kit from your other pocket. Your pockets had acquired a lot of random shit since you took over in the healing wing. He sat in the thron again and you perched on the wide arm of the throne, your feet in his lap, his arm across your lap and got to work, cleaning, then stitching the deep gash in his arm while he went about his court business and the job of cleaning the palace and strangethening the defenses as if nothing strange was going on. No one commented at your work. They didn't think it strange that the king was being stitched up by his lady while he continued with the court and ruling as if nothing had happened, as if he weren't being worked on.

It was impressive to the people that you were here helping and just as impressive to them that he continued his duties while you did. You wrapped the wound in a bandage when you were fiished stitching it up. "Was that it?" you looked him over with a healer's eye, but was at a disadvantage wihtout your powers. He looked over at you and kissed you.

"That was it, darling. Thank you," he told you warmly. "Was that everything?" he asked the head of the guards.

"Yes, sir," the guard replied.

"Send word if anything else urgent comes up," Loki told them and stood, drawing you to your feet as well. The assembled group bowed as Loki wrapped an arm around you, pulling you close to his side. He teleported you both back to his suite. "Come along, witchling, that was more than enough excitement for you without your powers," he bid you, and with a little magic, you were clean and in soft fluffy pajamas. Since you were alone, you could sag against him, whimpering in pain and exhaustion. He made soft soothing noises as he swept you into his arms so he could tuck you into bed with too many blankets, fluffy novels, and healing tea. He kissed your forehead when you were settled safely and as comfortably as possible. "Way too much excitement for little witchlings," he told you warmly.

"Don't you have work to do?" you asked him. It was only the middle of the afternoon.

"They know where to find me if I'm needed. You need me more, my queen. You have done more than a warrior's work, especially in your current state," he told you warmly and settled next to you in the bed, letting you lay your head on his chest. He kissed the top of your head.

"I love you, Loki," you murmured as his healing tea took effect, brewed stronger than usual because of the excitement, because he knew that more exertion would make your condition worse.

"And I you, my Sigyn," his lips brushed your hair as he spoke.