Lady Sif was not unused to being looked down upon. Even her title was something of an insult that she was forced to silently bear. She was not known as Sif the Warrior. Nor was she known, as she secretly longed for in her darker moments, as Sif the Valkyrie.
No, for all that she'd proven to embody the warrior spirit of Asgard time and time again over the centuries, she was still referred to as Lady Sif. A constant reminder that she was a woman first and a warrior second, even in the eyes of her closest friends.
After all, Thor did not address Fandral, Volstagg, or Hogun as 'Lord' did he? And while they sometimes addressed him as Prince, it was often more than acceptable for them to simply call him 'Thor' when they were alone.
Only Sif was referred to as 'Lady Sif' most of the time. It wasn't Thor and his Warriors Four, but Thor along with Lady Sif and the Warriors Three. Forever an outsider because of what lay between her legs.
Still, it was an irritation that Sif bore with quiet dignity and grace… most of the time. If it wasn't for Thor, she would not even have been allowed to train with a blade. The Valkyries were ancient history after all, and some on Asgard considered them little more than myth. Sif knew better, of course. She knew they were real, and she strove to follow their example in all that she did, even if she would never be able to count herself among their number. This was all to say, as much as Sif would happily duel anyone who truly questioned her honor as a warrior, there were subtler insults that she was forced to bear with as a matter of course, simply because she chose a more martial path than most Asgardian women in this day and age.
However, taking such subtle insults from a Midgardian of all things… that was something Sif was currently struggling to come to terms with. As well as the fact that the man was apparently already Thor's friend.
It had been some time since Sif had come to Midgard, but she did not remember Midgardians being quite so strong. And indeed, once Thor and this 'Tony Stark' introduced her and the Warriors Three to the other Midgardians in the 'base', Sif could tell something was fishy.
Some of the Midgardians did not believe Thor to actually be who he said he was. Tony Stark believed, and so did his lady wife Pepper Stark. As well, some of the others seemed on the fence. But then there were those who were apparently still quite doubtful, and who even suspected her and Thor 's shield-brothers of being little more than forgeries.
They had put this matter to rest once and for all by revealing their strength of arms to these naysayers and nonbelievers. Tony Stark had granted them permission to put holes in his concrete (whatever that was) walls with their bare fists to show how strong they were. Frankly, Sif almost wished he hadn't given them permission. She would have liked doing it against his wishes even more.
Still, the strength of her and her fellow Asgardians had unsettled the Midgardians, even those who had already believed that Thor was who he said he was. And that didn't make much sense because… because Thor's new Midgardian friend was at least as strong as Sif herself. She had felt it when she'd shaken Tony Stark's hand. It wasn't like Sif had planned to break any of the Midgardian' s bones. Really. She'd merely intended to teach him a lesson about unwanted ' compliments ' . She was not to be addressed as'gorgeous'. She was to be addressed as Lady Sif or nothing.
However, before she could lay down the law so to speak, Sif had been shocked when her attempt at squeezing Tony Stark' s hand to the point of pain had been met with impossible resistance. He'd squeezed right back and as they'd shaken hands, he'd matched her strength for strength, even as she' d increased her grip to something that should have pulverized a Midgardian's bones and turned them to little more than dust.
Initially she had wondered if Midgardians as a whole had gotten stronger in the centuries since she'd last visited their Realm. But now, seeing the other Midgardians react to Asgardian strength, Sif realized that it wasn't Midgardians in general, but Tony Stark in particular. He was stronger than he should have been and that… that was most curious. Especially since Sif suspected from the way the others interacted with him that they didn't know. None of the other Midgardians showed the same unsettled fear towards Tony Stark as they did towards Sif and the Warriors Three. Instead, it was a mixture of different emotions, from exasperation to annoyance to affection.
After introductions are said and done and the Warriors Three have the attention of the Midgardians, Sif makes sure to sidle up alongside Thor and gets his attention.
"Thor."
Her Prince looks at her curiously.
"Yes? Look, if this is about going back to Asgard to fight Loki… I'm worthless as I am now. Until I prove myself worthy, I must remain here where father put me." Sif just shakes her head, still a bit irritated at his refusal to return with them, but at the same time understanding where he's coming from. It's just still hard to wrap her head around the idea of a powerless Thor. He's always been larger than life. Always been strong and powerful. Now… now he's barely better than a Midgardian. And an average one at that, not one like Tony Stark.
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