The following short story was submitted by a friend. They asked if I could post this for them and of course I had to agree! I always love their stories so this made me so happy! I hope you enjoy it as much I did!

“Blinded by the Light. A retelling of the cutting of Sif’s hair” by Loki’s Hornbag

It was driving me crazy. The way Thor was carrying on about how wonderful his wife’s long golden locks were. He never said anything positive about her body but well I did… anyway. That’s another story. Again the red beard was shouting about it in the hall as Sif flicked it over both her shoulders and Thor had the hide to take a handful and inhale deeply.

I rolled my eyes and decided to slouch over my chair thusly while casually sipping my mead.

“Problem, Loki?” Thor belted, as all eyes fell on me.

“You really can’t love a woman for her hair, can you?” I replied, sitting straight up and setting the goblet on the table. “If so, you’re pretty shallow. Sif has other amazing features.”

Sif took that as an insult and grunted almost using her hair as a shield and so did Thor.

“You watch your tongue.” He growled.

Yeah. I was used to that insult.

“I’ll hold you to that. If you truly love Sif, how about echo some of her finer qualities? Her personality mayhap?” I raised a brow and took another sip as Odin sighed.

“Must you?” Odin said slyly.

“I must.” I replied with a smirk.

“If I may speak…” Sif said, although she was beautiful her voice was tragically like her husband singing drunkenly. “…I might retire actually.”

“Me too.” I stretched as I felt all eyes upon me again. “What?”

“..exactly are you up to?” my blood brother replied quietly.

“Shh.” I drew a finger to my lips, then quickly shoved it in my mouth acting as if I was licking the final savourings of the meat for that evening. I watched with my deep emerald eyes as Sif passionately kissed Thor, it was excruciating to watch. He’d rather caress her hair than her body.

She left the hall.

Bragi stood up and cleared his throat as Idunn gently touched his arm and I too stood up.

“Okay! Time to go. Bragi, send me a footnote of your poem.” I let out a breath of relief as the stench of the hall filled my lungs.

I knew Thor would spend the remainder of the evening until the early morning eating and drinking whatever was left and boasting about Sif’s beautiful hair. I was lying in my bed, tossing my knife up and down in the air. A lesson was to be taught but at what cost? No. Sif was too beautiful to be harmed with blood drawn – but her hair?

I sat up on the edge of my bed and focused on the energy of the people walking around. They were all going to the hall. I opened my door and peered to the left and then the right, my knife secured in my sash.

I knew I was going to be blamed for this. Because I did it. But I had to prove to THEM that Sif was more than her hair.

Exhaling I wandered down the hallway to Thor and Sif’s chambers. I mimicked the shadows of the flames flickering in the hallway so my shadow didn’t give an obvious glare. No one ever questioned my ability to shift and they daren’t.

I quickly turned the knob of the door and it opened.

I wasn’t familiar to their chambers. I knew every creak of the floorboards, every light the shadow offered. But Sif was lying there so perfectly on that bed. Her hair was like a golden blanket.

I got beside her, quietly.

My knife glinted in the moonlight as I whispered “He has to love you for you.” in her ear.

Then I cut off her hair as carefully as I could without harming her scalp. How she did not move I can’t recall. It might have been because of my gentle touch calming her. I meant her no harm. I wished her to sleep when her head was bald and gathered her locks and retired to my room for the night.

I was planning on burning them on the fire for the next meal. But then it felt too wrong. I sighed and shoved the locks in a chest near by my bed and then went to sleep.

One emerald eye opened the next morning. I heard those footsteps.

“LOKI!” Thor roared, smashing my door open as I yawned and stretched. “WHY DID YOU CUT OFF SIF’S HAIR?!”

“Gimme a minute.” I rubbed my eyes and yawned.

“I’ll give your bones a minute…” As Thor lunged for my throat.

“No no… hang on. Look. I’m only trying to prove a point here. Ok. I cut off her hair. You’re bragging about it like it’s the only part that makes her beautiful and…” I started choking as he grabbed my throat. “…Thor…I can give her better hair if you’re that desperate.”

I was dropped on my bed. I heaved for air. I knew how pessimistic this response would be.

“She’s crying.”

“Why?” I asked, rubbing my throat and coughing.

“It was the only thing about her that made her feel beautiful about herself.” Thor sat at the end of my bed. “You can fix it, right?”

Making several choking noises I got to my feet. “Then why don’t you tell her she’s beautiful without her hair?”

“She keeps screaming at me.” Thor’s shoulders slumped.

I grumbled, rolling my eyes and then patted his shoulder gently. “Fine. I’ll fix it. But… keep telling her she’s beautiful. Without hair. Ok?”

Thor sniffled. “She hit my nose.”

“Ok…” I sighed. “I’ll fix it. But um. Do me a favour. I think she’s gonna leave you anyway.”

Then everything went blank as the last thing I saw was his fist to my face.