p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"Gudrun stroked her belly, now huge with child. She was sure it was a boy, what with the way she was carrying, and the strength of his kicks. "It's alright, little one," She said to him, after a particularly harsh kick "You'll be out soon." She knew that it would only be a matter of days until it was time for her little boy to be born. She could feel his weight pressing on her with every step, and he certainly was quite large. She wandered over gingerly to the desk, and began composing a letter to Volstagg – still away at battle. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"Her marriage to him still felt quite new, although they had been married for over 10 months now. She supposed it was because he was away so much, being one of the most renowned warriors in all the realms had its drawbacks, and as did being a close friend of Prince Thor, what with all the warriors three, Lady Sif and the princes all being dragged away on diplomatic and military trips at any given time. Of course, Volstagg adored what he did, so there was no question that he would keep doing it. Gudrun would simply have to learn to deal with it, but she knew that Volstagg's bright smile when he returned was worth it all. The light kisses he would bestow upon her as he lay beside her, recounting what he had done, and telling her the most amazing stories of what he had seen – that was worth it./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"She respected her husband immensely – everything from his physical strength, to the fact that he could even drink Prince Thor under the table. She had an image in her mind of what her baby boy would look like. He'd be big and strong right from the start, with fiery red hair and a good set of lungs on him. She'd love him and mother him for as long as she could, but this little boy she had conjured in her mind was much too much like his father – He'd want a sword as soon as he could walk, and he'd be everything that Volstagg wanted in an heir. She knew it./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"She knew she could give him this, after all the joy he had given her./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"Suddenly, she felt a sharp pang, that was nothing like a kick, and felt a dampness about her – she realised her waters had broken./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"***/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"The pain was horrible. The healers had done what they could but she felt weak, and tired and everything hurt./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"She pushed, as the healer asked, her mind settling on an image she had made up in her head – one of Volstagg, her darling husband, sitting with her, and cradling their child. She focused on that as she pushed once more./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"She sighed, her mind fading in and out of consciousness. At one point she thought she heard the nurses denying someone entry./span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""Mi'lord, you can't come in, It's not seemly-"/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""I don't care about seemly! My wife has just goven birth, and I'll be dammed to Hel if I can't sit with her!"/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"Volstagg? But he was away... She drifted off again./span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);" ***/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""Volstagg..."/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""I'm here." He smiled wrapping a hand over hers. /span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""But... how?" She said, frowning slightly. "You were on... Alfheim..."/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""It was the funniest thing," He said "but silvertou- I really should call him Prince Loki, shouldn't I? Well, he knew. Now I don't know how, but he said his mother told him. I asked Heimdall to open the Bifrost, and, well, I got here as soon as I could."/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""You came." She smiled at him, as brightly as she could, despite still being dazed from the pain medication./span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""Of course I did," He said, brushing a stray hair behind her ear "I don't think I'll be insulting Loki's tricks for quite a while yet. Now, do you want to meet your baby girl?"/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"Yes I- I... a girl?"/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""Yes, all healthy and hale, she is."/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""I'm sorry"/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""Don't be sorry, my dear lady – Why are you sorry?" Volstagg said with a frown./span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""I... thought you would wish for a boy. To be your heir..."/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""My wife, do not fret so – I am glad she is a girl" He chuckled./span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""... you are?"/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""Why of course, for she looks just like the most beautiful and brave woman I know."/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""I... The Lady Sif-"/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""You, my dearest. I meant you. She looks just like her mother." Volstagg said, as he leant over to press a kiss to her lips./span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"Gudrun smiled into the kiss – a little girl was perhaps exactly what she had wanted, she just hadn't known it./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"Her marriage to him still felt quite new, although they had been married for over 10 months now. She supposed it was because he was away so much, being one of the most renowned warriors in all the realms had its drawbacks, and as did being a close friend of Prince Thor, what with all the warriors three, Lady Sif and the princes all being dragged away on diplomatic and military trips at any given time. Of course, Volstagg adored what he did, so there was no question that he would keep doing it. Gudrun would simply have to learn to deal with it, but she knew that Volstagg's bright smile when he returned was worth it all. The light kisses he would bestow upon her as he lay beside her, recounting what he had done, and telling her the most amazing stories of what he had seen – that was worth it./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"She respected her husband immensely – everything from his physical strength, to the fact that he could even drink Prince Thor under the table. She had an image in her mind of what her baby boy would look like. He'd be big and strong right from the start, with fiery red hair and a good set of lungs on him. She'd love him and mother him for as long as she could, but this little boy she had conjured in her mind was much too much like his father – He'd want a sword as soon as he could walk, and he'd be everything that Volstagg wanted in an heir. She knew it./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"She knew she could give him this, after all the joy he had given her./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"Suddenly, she felt a sharp pang, that was nothing like a kick, and felt a dampness about her – she realised her waters had broken./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"***/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"The pain was horrible. The healers had done what they could but she felt weak, and tired and everything hurt./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"She pushed, as the healer asked, her mind settling on an image she had made up in her head – one of Volstagg, her darling husband, sitting with her, and cradling their child. She focused on that as she pushed once more./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"She sighed, her mind fading in and out of consciousness. At one point she thought she heard the nurses denying someone entry./span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""Mi'lord, you can't come in, It's not seemly-"/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""I don't care about seemly! My wife has just goven birth, and I'll be dammed to Hel if I can't sit with her!"/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"Volstagg? But he was away... She drifted off again./span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);" ***/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""Volstagg..."/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""I'm here." He smiled wrapping a hand over hers. /span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""But... how?" She said, frowning slightly. "You were on... Alfheim..."/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""It was the funniest thing," He said "but silvertou- I really should call him Prince Loki, shouldn't I? Well, he knew. Now I don't know how, but he said his mother told him. I asked Heimdall to open the Bifrost, and, well, I got here as soon as I could."/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""You came." She smiled at him, as brightly as she could, despite still being dazed from the pain medication./span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""Of course I did," He said, brushing a stray hair behind her ear "I don't think I'll be insulting Loki's tricks for quite a while yet. Now, do you want to meet your baby girl?"/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"Yes I- I... a girl?"/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""Yes, all healthy and hale, she is."/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""I'm sorry"/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""Don't be sorry, my dear lady – Why are you sorry?" Volstagg said with a frown./span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""I... thought you would wish for a boy. To be your heir..."/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""My wife, do not fret so – I am glad she is a girl" He chuckled./span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""... you are?"/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""Why of course, for she looks just like the most beautiful and brave woman I know."/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""I... The Lady Sif-"/span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""You, my dearest. I meant you. She looks just like her mother." Volstagg said, as he leant over to press a kiss to her lips./span/p
p style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"Gudrun smiled into the kiss – a little girl was perhaps exactly what she had wanted, she just hadn't known it./span/p