Eirlys hesitated before finally asking, "Who in the evil hell is Jane? What thing is she to him… Thor?"
The name seemed to catch Sif off guard. Eirlys watched her carefully as Sif explained that Jane Foster was a mortal woman Thor had met on Earth. She spoke of Thor's time in Midgard, of how he had grown close to her, and of how important she had apparently become to him. Every word landed harder than she expected. She cleared her throat and asked how Thor had ended up on Earth in the first place. Sif's expression changed as she seemed to realize that Eirlys truly knew nothing. She explained Thor's banishment, the failed coronation, his anger, even the Frost Giant, and Odin stripping him of his powers and sending him to Midgard.
Eirlys slowly turned toward her. None of this had been told to her. Not by Thor, no one. Sif continued, assuming Eirlys knew at least the rest of what had happened. She told her about Thor discovering the truth of Loki's birth, about the confrontation between the brothers, and about Loki's attempt to prevent Thor from ever returning to Asgard. Then came the part Eirlys least expected, Loki had tried to kill Thor. He had manipulated the Frost Giants into coming to Asgard. He had taken the throne while Odin lay unconscious. He had tried to destroy Jotunheim entirely, believing it would prove his worth to Odin. And when Thor returned, Loki had tried to stop him. Eirlys stood completely still. The words seemed to echo around her even after Sif had finished speaking.
Her mind returned to the previous evening, to Loki sitting before her with that wounded expression, telling her about Jane as though he were merely warning her about something she deserved to know. He had never told her any of this. Not one word. Instead, he had chosen the one truth that would hurt her most and presented it as though he were protecting her. Eirlys looked down at her hands, the ring on her finger suddenly felt heavier. She remembered the way Loki had spoken to her. The sympathy in his voice. The way he had allowed her to believe Thor had simply chosen another woman and left her behind. It had been calculated, of course it had, he was Loki. The God of Mischief.
She had known that since childhood, yet somehow she had allowed herself to forget just how dangerous he could be when he wanted something. Sif noticed the change in her expression. She asked whether Loki had told her something different. Eirlys gave a small, humourless smile. He had. And suddenly, pieces that had never made sense began falling into place. Thor's anger when he learned of the engagement, the heartbreak in his eyes, and the way he had held her when she told him she would have chosen him. He had not rejected her, be had just believed he had lost her. Eirlys closed her eyes for a moment. She had spent hours thinking Thor had another woman in his heart. She had convinced herself that Loki's words had merely confirmed what she already feared.
But Loki had known exactly what he was doing. He had taken a wound Thor had never intended to give her and pressed his fingers into it. When Eirlys opened her eyes again, Sif was watching her carefully. There was no accusation in her expression, only concern. Eirlys looked back toward the closed door. Somewhere inside those walls, Loki was sitting with their families, wearing the ring she had just placed on his finger. Eirlys felt something other than confusion, she felt clarity. She had been manipulated. But Loki had made one mistake, he had assumed that because she was gentle, she was easy to deceive. He had forgotten that Eirlys had spent her entire life surrounded by people far more powerful than herself. And she had learned how to listen. She turned toward Sif, her expression calm again. Whatever Loki thought he had won, Eirlys was no longer playing the game according to his rules.
Eirlys could not seem to make her feet move. Sif's words had left her standing in a silence that felt almost unreal, her mind desperately trying to rearrange everything she had believed since arriving in Asgard. Thor had been exiled and Loki had betrayed him. Loki had taken the throne while Odin lay unconscious. Loki had tried to prevent Thor from returning. And somehow, in the middle of all of it, she had been brought to Asgard without being told a thing.
Guilt settled over her slowly. She had been angry with Thor, looked into his eyes and believed that he had chosen another woman over her. She had let herself believe that his hesitation when their marriage was mentioned meant something different from what it actually had. Worse, she had listened to Loki when he told her about Jane, allowing his carefully chosen words to shape her understanding of Thor. She felt ashamed of that. But beneath the guilt was something harder to swallow, Thor had Jane and that remained true.
Whatever had happened between them, whatever Loki had lied about, Thor had met someone on Midgard who had found a place in his heart. Eirlys could not simply pretend that knowledge did not exist. She remembered the way Thor had looked at her when he admitted that he would have chosen her. She remembered the warmth in his arms when he had lifted her from the ground, the familiarity of him, the tenderness that had suddenly felt like something neither of them could hide anymore. And still, he had another woman in his heart, that was what hurt most.
Thor had known her for almost her entire life. He had grown beside her, laughed with her, fought with her, trusted her. He had been there for nearly every important moment she could remember. If he had truly loved her all those years, as he claimed, then why had he waited until there was another woman before saying it? Why had he allowed her to spend years believing she was simply his oldest friend?
Eirlys's fingers curled against the stone railing. For one brief, painful moment, she wondered whether Thor had played her without even realizing it. Perhaps he had always known what she felt. Perhaps he had enjoyed having her there, certain that she would never leave, never ask for anything, never demand an answer. Then, when she was finally promised to someone else, he had suddenly discovered that he loved her. The thought made something inside her harden.
She had given Thor countless chances without ever asking him for anything in return. Now he would have to live with the consequences of being too late. Eirlys looked down at the ring on her finger. Loki had manipulated her, yes. She would never forget that. But she had made her decision after hearing his words, and she would not now throw that decision away simply because the truth had become more complicated. If Thor truly loved her, then perhaps he should have told her before another woman entered his life.
If he had played with her heart, even unintentionally, then she would no longer make it easy for him. She would accept the engagement, stand beside Loki, let Thor watch her do it, and perhaps, one day, when he saw her wearing another man's ring and understood that the girl who had always been waiting for him had finally stopped waiting, he would regret every moment he had taken her for granted. Eirlys lifted her head, her expression settling into a calmness that concealed the storm underneath. She was hurt angry and guilty but she was no longer confused. If Thor wanted to believe he had loved her all along, then she would make him understand exactly what it meant to realize that love when it was already too late.
Sif remained silent for a while, studying Eirlys as though trying to understand the decision forming behind her calm expression. She knew Eirlys well enough to recognize when she had stopped questioning herself.
Eirlys finally turned toward Sif, and with a sigh. "I am going to marry Loki. Not because Odin had commanded it, or my father had agreed, but because I want to. I am willing to."
Sif's expression tightened with concern. She asked her, "Are you certain? This isn't the anger speaking, right?"
Eirlys shook her head. Her anger had certainly brought her here, but the decision belonged to her now. She knew what Loki and Thor had done, and what they had failed to do. None of it could be undone. She would not allow either brother to decide what she felt next. Sif looked toward the palace, already understanding what Eirlys was asking of her. Thor would need to know.
Eirlys lowered her gaze for a moment before quietly asking Sif, "Please, tell Thor about my decision. I can't, I don't want to."
She did not want to be the one standing before Thor and watching his face change again. She had already seen enough hurt in his eyes. More importantly, she did not trust herself to say it without revealing too much. Sif hesitated, but Eirlys gave her a small, tired smile. She wanted Thor to hear that she had chosen Loki. From Sif and not from her. Sif finally nodded. Eirlys turned back toward the gardens, her hand resting unconsciously over the ring on her finger. Whatever came next, she had made her choice. And this time, no one could tell her that it had been made for her.
Thor found Sif waiting for him near the training hall. One look at her face told him that something was wrong. He straightened, already expecting another piece of bad news. There had been little else lately.
Sif did not soften the blow. "Eirlys had made her decision and she said that she has chosen Loki, willingly, and she wanted you to hear it from me rather than from her."
For a moment, Thor simply stared at her because the words refused to make sense. Willingly. His chest tightened as though someone had struck him. He had known the engagement was coming, had seen the ring on Eirlys's hand, had watched her stand beside Loki while their families celebrated. But somewhere inside him, a foolish part had continued to believe that she might change her mind. Now that small hope was gone.
He looked away, jaw tightening and he thought of Eirlys running toward him when she had first arrived, throwing her arms around him without hesitation. He remembered carrying her when they were children, racing through Vanaheim's forests, listening to her laugh whenever he did something reckless. He remembered her telling him that she would have chosen him. And now she had chosen his brother.
Thor swallowed hard. He wanted to be angry with her. It would have been easier if he could blame her. Instead, all he could feel was the terrible weight of his own mistake. He had loved her for years without understanding what that love meant. Then, when she was finally slipping away, he had found the courage to say it. Too late.
Sif watched him carefully, but Thor could not meet her eyes. He wondered whether Eirlys would ever know how much this hurt. Perhaps she did and that was why she had sent Sif instead. Thor finally turned toward the window, staring out at the kingdom he was meant to inherit. For the first and only time, the throne meant nothing to him. He had lost the one person who had always felt like home.