I don't own Thor, the Avengers, Agents of SHIELD... in few words, anything of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (they all are, as should be obvious, Marvel's). I don't own either shows/movies/books like HEX, X-Men, Wanted, Scandal, Fast and Furious, the Covenant, and any other that I might mention here, or its characters. It's just part of the mess of a crossover I turned my series into; each has its own owners. I'm not writing any of this for money, I'm not making a dime on it, though what reviews, kudos, etc., I may get are worth for me much more than any money; still, don't sue, I have nothing to pay you with!
So, having said that, please enjoy the final part of the Menel series!
Meneliel
(Part 4 of the Menel Series)
By: Lalaith Quetzalli
She's a Child of Chaos, one of those prophecized as Harbingers of Ragnarok... when the bell for the End of Days tolls, she will have to decide who she truly is, and where it is she truly belongs. How strong are the bonds of Family when the destiny of the universe is in the balance?
Chapter 1. Wife of Coul
At the end of June, a month after Phil's proposal, Skye was standing in the middle of their shared bedroom in the living quarters of the Playground, getting ready for the wedding that was about to begin. She was in a gorgeous perfectly white off-the shoulder, long-sleeved dress, with a several inch train. In fact the dress itself had two layers. A perfectly solid-white, silk one which was completely strapless and reached to the floor (even though she was wearing low heels); and on top of that was a translucent layer made of diaphanous material, it was also what the very loose sleeves were made of, and the train. The style was elvish, a reminder of her mother's traditions, it was also why she was wearing no veil; and on her feet were delicate silver sandals with delicate straps around her ankles. Her hair was mostly loose (how Phil liked it) except for a few locks twisted together to keep the rest in place, and to hold the mithril tiara with the blue diamond in the middle. Aside from her mother's necklace (which settled perfectly just above the dress), she wore only the Konstantin earring, no bracelets to show off the family tattoos on the inside of her wrists; and there was, of course, the engagement ring, made of the purest silver that could be found on Earth, with an odd blue-violet diamond on the top.
"So, do we have everything?" Darcy asked, from beside her.
She was wearing a blue-violet knee-length dress with short sleeves and a sweetheart neckline, silver pumps, and all silver jewelry, except for her wedding band. She was Skye's Matron of Honor. While Natalia, Jemma, Melinda, Wanda and Pepper were her bridesmaids (while Pepper had never been exactly close to Skye, Phil considered her a very dear friend), all wearing dresses of the same color, but with variations in the style to suit their figures.
Maggie was in the room too, in a dress of the same color only the style was more like that of a 'Disney-princess'. She was to be the flower-girl (which made the five-year-old really proud).
"Yes." Skye answered Darcy's question. "The dress is new, the necklace is old, the stone in the tiara is blue..."
"And the garter is borrowed." Darcy finished for her.
It was true; much as it might make the bride blush. Truth was, Skye had been focused so much on the elven tints the wedding ceremony would have, she had forgotten some of the more human ones (and while the ceremony itself would be an elven-styled handfasting, afterwards they would be signing a marriage certificate to make it legal on Earth, and would have a normal reception). Darcy though it was all extremely funny, she was also the one to insist most on the garter... and on Phil taking it off Skye with his teeth...
"I cannot believe you're getting married..." Jemma murmured emotionally.
"You've been married for years." Melinda pointed out.
"And you'll be married someday!" Jemma retorted brightly.
Melinda didn't answer, just turning away, discreetly playing with the sturdy chain that went from her neck and got lost in her cleavage, where no one could see the gold ring, in the form of a dragon reaching for its own tail as it circled around a perfect red diamond (Melinda's favorite stone, though few knew it). She thought it was completely secret, the fact that Wesley had asked her (more than once) to marry him, and the last time she'd finally allowed him to give her the ring. She loved it, the ring, the proposal, Wesley (of course), but after the failure that was her last marriage she just wasn't sure... And then she saw the people around her, Jemma and Leo had been married for four years already, Darcy and Clint for one, Hela and Azazeal... well they were a whole other matter entirely (500 years, really?). Even Tony Stark, after so many years being known all around the world as a playboy who probably would never settle down, he had, he was married to Pepper, completely loyal (and extraordinarily romantic when in private, if she was to be believed), he also had two daughters, whom he loved with all he was and was doing his best to spoil rotten at every opportunity! Maybe one day she'd finally give marriage another chance, until then, she and Wesley were happy enough as they were.
"And did you all finally decided who is going to walk you down the isle?" Pepper inquired.
That, had really been a mess. With both Thor and Dominic presenting very convincing cases; so much had changed after Thor learnt the truth about her:
It had been a few days since the battle and all the warriors were still around, having turned their focus to helping the city get back to normal, help the people get back on their feet. The X-Men specially, were gaining a lot of support, with the variety of things they could do to help; some like Nightcrawler or Shadowcat, who would get into places where people had been trapped and get them out without risk to anyone, not even themselves. Others had their own abilities, and even people like MJ (who was actually Gwen Stacy, whom everyone believed to have died almost five years before), while they did not have actual powers, she was trained to use her husband's web-shooters, and did so well-enough using them to create security webs before the rescuers went into half-collapsed buildings; that way, if rocks fell, the web would block them from falling onto any person walking by.
SHIELD had pretty much taken control of the situation, leading the different groups of rescuers, paramedics, firefighters and the like. Skye herself had dressed like a volunteer (she didn't want people to treat her like an Agent at the moment, all she wanted was to help). She mainly used her empathy to track down people who might be trapped and no one noticed before; while her telekinesis helped in moving debris around. Other psychics did the same, and when one sole person didn't have the necessary power, they would team up.
There were those like Quicksilver, who did not have the ability to help with any rescues himself, but he was instead working as a runner, getting paramedics what they needed in instants; he helped save a lot of lives like that.
Also, the Consortium had gotten the government to allow the Solomon drug for the time-being, it helped save many people who had been beyond the help of natural medicine already.
There were so many of them working that three days later reconstruction of the affected buildings began; mostly with sponsorship from the Consortium and some help from all the heroes involved. Even some of the children (especially mutants) who'd been too young to be involved in the battle, helped in the rescue and the rebuilding, allowing the humans to see the truth about them.
Trask Industries was out for the count, Josef had taken great glee in destroying the company, the same with the man and his reputation; even if, in the end, he had to share the task and pride with Alec and Tony. Their work those days 'sealed the deal' so-to-speak; as by the end of it the public simply loved mutants. Kids wanted to be like them, adults respected them, everything they did to help. It was Professor X's every wish come true (as hard as it was for Magneto to admit it).
Exactly one week after the battle had taken place the Consortium offered what for some looked like a city-wide party. Buildings in different areas from New York belonging to every company gave free food, drink, as well as boxes with the basics for everyone who went looking for them, all to help NY get back on his feet. It was a lot of money but, like Josef said: most of them had so much money that even living to be a thousand wouldn't be enough to spend it all, and considering that they wouldn't stop making money in all that time either... Everything they did would help cut their taxes, of course, but they were doing it to help, not for the benefit it would report them, and they knew that (even if some of the most cynic people in the world might never believe it).
In the end, it was a week later, Hela, being a mother herself, was one of the people in charge of the kids' area in Stark Tower. Ever since she'd arrived to Midgard, gotten to see her son, to live with both him and her match she'd been so happy; she didn't think anything before had filled her with so much joy as laying eyes on both Azazeal and Malachi every day, and the prospect of being able to do that for the rest of her life just made her happier.
In that moment Malachi was happily playing with some blocks, along with Maggie and Robbie, they seemed to be building a castle. Connor was nearby, sitting on the floor, working on his favorite coloring book, one about heroes like his Daddy, his uncles and aunts and his Mama Skye (he knew she was more an aunt than a mom -and he already had his daddy and his papa-, but it didn't matter, he loved her very much all the same).
Cassie and John were chatting, laughing and playing with a small flame in between their hands, manipulating it a little, to see who did the most extravagant tricks. The whole thing was keeping the attention of several of the older kids too. Bobby remained to the side, ready to extinguish the flame at a moment's notice if it became necessary, though it hadn't thus far. He still found it strange for there to be other people with abilities besides the mutants, and for them all to be able to use them so openly. For many it was liberating, but for a few (like him) it was so strange it didn't quite feel right yet.
Bobby was actually the first to notice the very tall, broad-shouldered blonde man in jeans and a red-plaid shirt with pulled-over sleeves. Bobby knew who he was, Thor Odinson, the norse god of thunder, and while few truly believe him to be a deity of any kind, he was at least an alien and with as much (if not more) power over weather as Storm. He didn't see anything wrong when he approached the raven-haired storm-eyed woman watching over the youngest kids; Agent Helena Avery, Bobby had heard her to be called; and then he noticed the way she tensed the moment the blonde demi-god touched her. A second later he noticed how Casarmi let go of the flame, making John gesture wildly for a couple of seconds in an attempt to get it back under his full control (they had begun getting so wild in their manipulations it was not an easy task) before finally vanishing it altogether.
"Hela..."
The moment she heard her birth-name, Hela knew something was really wrong. No one but her closest family knew her real name; and even those who did, they all called her Helena, mostly so as not to confuse the kids with several names (Skye was bad enough). So there was really only one person who would call her that in Stark Tower...
"Uncle Thor..." She whispered, without turning around.
It seemed like Thor did not like being ignored, he placed a hand on Hela's arm, intending to use it to pull her around, but before he could do it a blonde girl was suddenly there, she looked barely older then a teenager (which meant painfully young in Thor's eyes) but there was nothing childish about the look in her eyes, or the way she held a flame floating just above her hand, and in front of his face.
"Step back." She ordered, steel in her voice.
"This is not your business, little girl." Thor told her. "Leave."
"This is not Asgard, and you don't give me orders." The girl stated hardly. "Now take your hand off Helena and step back. If you don't cooperate I will force you."
"And do you think you have what is needed to force me, girl?" Thor couldn't help but challenge her, there was something about such a young girl acting like that...
"I might not be strong enough to take you, but I just need a little time..."
Thor didn't get the chance to ask what she meant, he didn't need to either, for a snap-second later a tall, dark-haired steel-eyed man in a stark-white shirt and dark-suit was standing right beside the blonde girl; Thor recognized him instantly.
"Azazeal..." The Asgardian prince was really shocked. "I thought you dead..."
"Why?" Azazeal couldn't help but taunt him a bit. "You didn't believe anyone could survive after being in exile for so long?" He snorted. "I imagine you couldn't have. No, you had it hard enough with just a few days, and even then you weren't alone, you had that pretty scientist to help you; whatever would you have done, deprived of the only home you know, of your family, for five hundred years?"
Thor had no answer for that and, thankfully, Azazeal wasn't expecting one.
"What do you really want Thor?" The leader of the 'Nephilim' asked in a tired tone.
"I want to know what Hela is doing in this world." Thor stated, as strongly as she could. "She should be in Helheim!"
"What do you think she's doing?" Azazeal asked, brow arched, before calling softly. "Malachi..."
The boy reacted the instant his name was called. He dropped the blocks, rushed to his feet and then ran around the small wall that was placed to mark the children's area to reach his parents.
"Papa! Mama! Auntie Cas!" He called excitedly.
Thor could only watch the boy as he held tightly onto Azazeal's legs. He had his mother's (and Loki's) eyes, his father's dark hair, and Thor could sense he was somehow also connected to the blonde girl who'd defended Hela.
"This is impossible..." Thor gasped, shocked.
"Why? Because Odin did everything in his power to make it that way?" A new voice challenged.
Thor couldn't help but stepping back at the presence of the new-arrival. She was young (though not quite as young as the blonde), with loose curls of honey brown hair to the middle of her back, dressed in a purple ¾ sleeved top with a dark-denim sleeveless vest, tight dark jeans and low black-leather boots.
It took Thor a few seconds to connect her to the Warrior-lady in the violet riding-dress who had fought, and eventually killed, Amora. Then, he noticed her eyes, the same stormy blue-green-gray as the little boy Malachi, Hela and, most importantly, Loki.
"Lady Meneliel Lokidottir..." Thor named her.
"That is one of my names yes, though not the one I'm most known for." Skye nodded. "Most call me Skye. Or you could call me Agent Astrid Avery, if you prefer; I know you've met my sister Helena, her husband Ian McBain, their son Malachi, and Ian's sister Casarmi."
She purposefully was using their 'human' names, and they all knew it.
"I know who they really are, Lady Meneliel." Thor insisted. "Though I've yet to understand how you figure in the picture. In any case, Hela shouldn't be here, it was decreed centuries ago that she was to remain in Helheim to the End of Days, for Yggdrassil's balance."
"I have not done you the disservice of pretending to be someone I'm not, or that you're blind and therefore unable to see the truth; please do not do me, do us all, the disservice of pretending like what Odin did was in any way meant to be for our benefit." Skye retorted stonily.
"I'm afraid I do not understand, my lady." Thor admitted.
"I know that almost everyone has been lead to believe that something happened that night, five hundred years ago, that lead to Fenrir and Jörmungandr being imprisoned, as well as Hela and Azazeal being exiled, to different realms mind you. Not to mention that no one seemed to mind that their son, my nephew, had just been killed, before he even had a chance to be born!" Skye hissed at him in a barely controlled tone, though anyone with the slightest degree of empathy would have been able to see through her facade quite easily. "Yet tell me, what exactly did they all do that was so bad? What's more, what could they have possibly done that was so evil as to deserve that, yet not so much as to end up executed? That would have to be something very specific, don't you think?"
"It was said they were using the black arts." Thor answered, almost automatically.
"Right... and what exactly are the black arts?" The brunette inquired next. "And if the next word out of mouth is: magic, might I remind you that your mother, Lady Frigga was well known for being the most accomplished Spell-weaver in all realms?"
"I have yet to understand how you enter the picture, lady." Thor chose to change the topic a bit, when lacking an answer to the last question. "You claim to be Loki's daughter, and I believe that, I can see your eyes... yet I've known my brother only to have one wife, and she was no elven-lady; as yours must have been, judging by your name and looks..."
Menel hadn't even noticed when she'd shifted her looks into those of her elven-self (though she hadn't shifted her clothes, leaving her still dressed as her human identity). However, that wasn't exactly important, so she ignored the detail and focused on the conversation with Thor.
"Shows how little you know about the man you insist on calling brother." She stated coldly. "My mother, Tawariel from the House of the Midnight Blossom is, indeed, an elven-lady, as well as wife and match to my father: Loki Friggason."
"My brother cannot possibly have married and us not known!" Thor insisted.
"That, at least, is true enough." Menel replied. "While I do not believe Lady Frigga was fully aware of things, the Allfather was. As a matter of fact, he did everything he could to stop the match from happening, and later on, to ruin all of our lives."
"How can you possibly say that!" Thor almost snarled. "My Father is a noble man..."
"Odin Allfather is a self-righteous, egotistical, evil bastard!" Menel didn't shout, in fact her voice got very low, and somehow, more powerful because of it. "And before you even try and say that is not true, let me tell you it is. And I know because that same bastard has been trying to kill me since before I was even born; he went as far as torturing both my parents, slaying almost two full SHIELD tactical teams and all the inhabitants of a small town in China, in an attempt to get to me. He failed, of course, but the threat remained."
"How could you possibly know that?" Thor refused to believe it, though he could see too much feeling in the brunette for it all to be a lie.
Menel knew she'd reached shaky ground. Thor did not know Loki had survived the battle in Svartalfheim, much less that he was pretending to be the Allfather and sitting on the throne of Asgard, and he couldn't, it was just too risky.
"One of the gifts I've inherited from my parents allows me to see into the past, and not only my own, but also that of those connected to me." She answered as honestly as she could. "I have seen Adar save your life, and the lives of your friends, time and again during your foolish quests, I mean, going after a dragon simply for some unknown treasure, really? And how about actually getting into the treasure without stopping to consider that it might be cursed, or worse?"
"But it wasn't!" Thor tried to defend himself.
"Yes it was!" Menel snapped. "Loki broke the enchantments!"
"He never said anything!"
"What for? You had already criticized him for not wanting to go on that so-called quest in the first place, for staying in the back of the group, for choosing to use his magic for shields rather than fight directly like the rest of you did... never mind that all of you would have become ashes if it weren't for his shields!"
"Dude, even I know that's stupid." John commented from the side.
"True, you never undermine someone else's powers, even when they are so completely different from yours you think they're useless, because sooner or later you might end up needing them, they might even end up saving your life." Bobby offered his own piece of knowledge.
"I..." Thor couldn't help but be truly embarrassed, how a pair of boys, little more than kids, could so easily understand and accept something that had taken him a thousand years... "Loki, he's just so different from all of us... I never understood him."
"You never even tried." Hela spoke, for the first time. "My father adored you, you know? You were his role model, his hero. Odin hardly ever paid attention to him, and almost always to berate him or belittle him in some way. When you were little you would always protect him, and he wanted nothing more than to make you proud... and then you began insulting his slight body, his magic, his choice of weapons, everything about him. Even when he saved your life, you never thanked him, you only found new ways of making fun of him!"
"There's one memory in particular I'll never forget." Menel spoke once again. "You and Adar were little, in the Weapon's Vault, and the Allfather had just finished telling you a story related to the inter-dimensional war with Jotunheim. Do you remember what you said then?" Thor watched her with mute horror, but she kept talking. "Let me remind you, you said, and I quote 'When I'm King I'll hunt the monsters down and slay them all!' End-quote."
At that point it was no longer just Thor who was left speechless and horrified, but everyone else too. Even Jane, who'd approached them at some point, curious about what they might all have been talking about.
"After hearing something like that, and after spending a thousand years hearing what everyone in Asgard had to say about Jotun, how do you think Adar felt the day he discovered he was one himself?" Menel asked, her voice so quiet it was actually scary. "Oh, and lets not forget he found out while in Jotunheim, fighting for his life and yours, and the rest of your friends... once again, something that happened because of your rash decisions and your pride!"
"None of that explains why the Allfather would attempt to hurt you." By that point Thor was pretty much grasping as straws in an attempt to defend his father.
"No, not hurting, my parents were hurt, pretty much tortured, he wanted to kill me!" Menel corrected. "Matter of fact, I'm quite sure he still does. The only reason more people haven't died in the crossfire is because he doesn't know I'm here, or even alive for that matter." Her eyes narrowed. "Which brings us back to you..."
"Me?" Thor asked, looking like a deer caught in the headlights.
"Yes you." Menel nodded solemnly. "I would rather know right now, instead of risking someone else, innocents. Will I have to run?" At Thor's uncomprehending look she specified. "Will I have to run before Odin sends his assassins after me and the people I love end up hurt because of it?! Already once hundreds of people died. Beginning with an old-lady and a fourteen-year-old girl whose only fault were to be kind-hearted enough to help my mother and I. I was a newborn back then, not even a week-old. But now, now it's different. I'm an adult, I know who and what I am. If assassins are sent after me, I'll fight them... though, all the same, I'd rather not put innocent civilians in danger."
For several seconds, not a word was said, as if Thor was thinking his answer carefully.
"If someone is ever sent after you, it will not be because of me, Lady Meneliel..." He vowed in his most solemn tone.
"Friends and family call me Skye." She declared, though with more warmth than before.
"I would like that, my niece." He nodded.
When he hugged her, tight and warm, it was like a piece of the puzzle finally fitting together, after so long missing. One more, though not the last one, not by a long shot. It made the young woman wonder if, some day, the puzzle of her life, of her self, would finally be complete.
Things had gotten relatively better after that day. Thor did not insist on Hela returning to Helheim or why he hadn't known about Loki's marriage to Tawar earlier, and he even made an effort to get to know Menel and Malachi (it would be hard, for anyone, to do or say anything that might risk such a sweet boy as little Malachi). It was how he eventually learnt of Casarmi's connection to the boy, of the ghost-girl Thelma, always by Cassie's side; and of Skye's connections: to the Son of Coul, the Avengers, SHIELD, the X-Men, other hero teams and world-wide organizations.
Then when the plans for the wedding were being made, a disagreement formed between him and Dom, regarding who should be the one to walk her down the aisle:
"This is absolutely ridiculous!" Skye practically snapped after nearly an hour of the same.
"I think it's perfectly understandable." Mia, who was visiting along with the rest of the Toretto family, offered. "Dom loves you, you're our little sister Cielo, regardless of the name you might use most of the time. He walked me down the aisle when I married Brian, and now he wants to do the same with you. It's tradition, it's what Papa taught us..."
"I know that, I don't think he's the one being ridiculous, Thor is!" Skye almost whined.
"He wants to connect with you." Jane commented. "You are twenty-nine, and only now he's learnt about you. Also, I think it's his way of showing that he will stand by you, whenever this mess with your family comes to a head..."
The half-elf didn't actually believe that, didn't think it was possible for Thor to choose her, her family, above his own father; but still, she had to admit it was nice to have more family who loved her, especially someone who could share with her memories, happy ones, about her Adar's past, about his own childhood... she had so many bad memories about him swimming in his head, it was nice to learn good things for a change.
"I am his uncle!" Thor's loud declaration called everyone's attention instantly.
"Yes you are her uncle, for how long?" Dom challenged. "A week? Two?" At the silence that answered his question he pushed on. "Cielo and I might not always see eye and to eye, but she's been my sister in every way that counts since she was sixteen, and while, for a variety of reasons, it was necessary for us to split for a while, we've been tighter than ever for the last three years." His voice turned abruptly quiet. "Papa loved that girl as much as he loved Mia and I, I promised him once I would be the best big brother I could. This, walking her down the aisle, it might seem like a silly tradition to you, one more thing your people know nothing of, but it's important to us, to our family."
"It is important to me as well." Thor answered, surprisingly polite. "Not because of Asgard, our our blood, but because it is important to her, and she's family, she's my niece. There's a lot about her I don't know, don't understand, including how she came to grew up in this realm instead of back at home; and if it's true that the Allfather hates her so, why; but that changes not the fact that she's my niece, and this is her wedding."
"Why don't you just both walk her down the aisle and be done with it?" Jemma blurted out.
The comment was so unexpected that, for several seconds, no one said a thing, until suddenly everyone was clapping and congratulating a very flushed scientist.
"You're a genius Jemma." Skye declared. "Absolute genius."
Skye still thought that it was absolutely ridiculous to get so worked up over something as small as walking her down the aisle; but at the same time she understood that not only the big things were important when it came to family... in fact, for family sometimes it was the small things that mattered most. One only got married once in their lives (or at least, that was her plan) so they better make the best out of it; and she also had to admit that the little girl inside her was delighted by the prospect of such a wedding.
It was that same part of her that could only look at her reflection in wonder. The wedding dress had been made from the best materials money could buy, exclusively designed and made just for her (never before, and probably never again, would such a dress exist).
"Here we go..." Darcy announced, offering her a bouquet.
The bouquet was unique too; formed mainly by an equal number of white and red roses meant to symbolize love, purity and unity; surrounded by forget-me-nots, for forever, and white asters, to show their contentment; while in the very center there was a single purple tulip, the only sign of royalty she'd allowed herself, a hint of her true self (which most would say she was constantly carrying around, with all the purple she wore, even her elven dress and similar battle attire were in shades of that color; truth was she simply liked that color -she liked the implications too, but they weren't the main reason why she wore it-.)
Darcy's bouquet was like hers, except the tulip was pink, to show her caring; while the rest carried more simply versions of the arrangement. The petals Maggie would be throwing would be those of red and white roses.
A knock on the door announced the time had come, Thor and Dom were waiting for her.
"Are you ready?" Darcy asked his friend, offering a hand to help her step off the stool.
"I think I've been waiting for this moment my whole life..." Skye answered honestly.
If anyone had asked the teen her, even the young adult her (at any point before meeting SHIELD, before meeting Phil), she would have said she never expected to marry. As much as she'd cared for Alec, Miles had seemed like proof that a steady, heart-felt relationship wasn't for her. Then Phil and Ward found her in her van, in a back-alley in LA, and everything changed...
"Then lets get going." Darcy smiled, before opening the doors.
And with that, she was on the way to a new chapter of her life, the beginning of the rest of her life, it sounded almost poetic...
xXx
Phil was in the middle of one of the rooms usually reserved to visitors, as he finished getting ready for his wedding (because the girls had claimed his and his lover's room for the bride and bridesmaids to get dressed). He was in a black tux, with a white shirt and black bow-tie. The flower in his lapel was a white and red rose (a mutant girl from the Xavier Institute had used her gift to mix the two roses into one); to it was tied a small purple ribbon, in honor of his bride and her royal heritage. The final detail were the shiny cuff-links with the Konstantin symbol, the same ones Josef Kostan had given him after he was 'brought into the Clan'. He could remember quite clearly what his beloved had said that day:
"Phil is the man I've chosen to be my match, my mate..."
Mate... even back then, barely six months after the start of their relationship, Skye had known what she wanted of their relationship: forever. It was true they'd said that more than once, most of the time they didn't even think about it, it was simply natural. Their love did not need thinking about. Why then had it taken them that long to get married? A good question, truth was Phil had never thought about it, and he didn't think Skye had either. They already worked together, lived together, slept together; they were committed to each other in every way that mattered, what difference would a paper make? None whatsoever; though on the same line he had to admit that a part of him had felt great joy and satisfaction when she'd said yes to his proposal, and when he was able to slid that ring onto her finger... maybe it was the possessive instinct in him; maybe it was simply the desire for everyone they knew to know how much they loved each other. In the end it did not matter, they were getting married and that was that.
To most people it apparently hadn't been much of a surprise. Everyone who knew them, knew how much the two loved each other; there had been Fury of course, but he'd hardly bee around since the beginning of the Civil War with Hydra, so maybe that was understandable. He still remembered the conversation the two of them had had just a week prior:
Phil was in the empty gym, doing some warm-up. He'd just finished with the final fitting for his wedding tux (most of the guys were still in the fitting for their suits); he was hoping James or Steve would be joining him sometime soon and they could spar, it was a good way to get rid of some tension; and standing in one place while someone poked and prodded at him with the excuse of getting perfect measurements could be cause for a lot of tension. What he wasn't expecting was when his senses alerted him of the presence of another man in the gym, one who wasn't from his family, or one of his Agents.
"Nick..." He called, instinctively realizing who the man must be. "It's been a long time..."
"It has." Nick Fury, Phil's predecessor as SHIELD's Director, agreed.
"What brings you here?" Phil couldn't help but ask the obvious question.
"Well I was in New York, talking to Maria about the recent battle in Manhattan, hearing the reports about the public's reaction to all those gifted individuals working together..." Nick began his explanation. "Was planning on coming here, see the place, the Agents, get an idea how much has changed in five years... and then I hear you were getting married! In all the years I've known you, you never seemed interest in marriage, not even with Audrey, who actually knew what you did for a living. And suddenly to hear you were not only planning but had already proposed and the ceremony was planned for the end of the month! And your bride is half your age too!"
"What is it that really throws you Nick?" Phil couldn't help but ask. "That Skye is half my age? That I'm getting married at all? Or that I did not invite you? And on the last one I can tell you quite honestly that's it's hard to issue and invitation when I haven't the slightest idea of where you're supposed to be. In the last five years I've hardly spoken to you every several months; ever since you made me your successor you only visited the Playground twice, and while I'm perfectly aware that our paths technically crossed more than once, you never approached us. How then should I have sent you an invitation to my wedding? And whatever would have made me believe you would come were I to invite you?"
Nick had no answer to those questions, he knew Phil was right. It was nothing against his successor, or even against the former Director. The simple, but very real, truth, was that Nick was so used to things remaining the same, that he really wasn't expecting it when change came. Even when Phil began dating Skye, he didn't expect it to get that far. He couldn't see the two of them having anything in common... Even after the mission in New Mexico, everything Phil and his team were able to achieve together, he hadn't realized how much his old friend was changing. He was no longer just an Agent, he'd become more. It was impossible to know what exactly was responsible for the change, maybe it was Stark, maybe the Avengers, maybe having died (and whatever happened to him on the other side), maybe his new team, or even the bride-to-be... in any case, his oldest friend had changed, and Nick was so busy 'playing spy' he didn't notice. So maybe it was no surprise that he hadn't been invited to the wedding.
"And about your other doubts." Phil spoke right then. "What Audrey and I had, was special, but unlike myself, it did not survive the Battle of New York. And not just because you kept from her the fact that I was back, and the way you tried to manipulate me into leaving everyone behind. Truth was, if I'd loved her as much as I once thought I did, as much as she deserved, I would have sought her out, and damned anyone who tried to stop me, yourself included. I did that for Clint and Natasha, after all. But once my head was clear, I knew I did not love Audrey the way a man ought to love the woman he intends to spend the rest of his life with. She's very special indeed, but simply not meant for me."
"She's married now." Nick offered the last he'd heard of her.
"I know, her husband is a famous composer called August Rush, Skye and I went to a concert they gave, along with the Philharmonic Orchestra in Central Park." Phil nodded. "Audrey is pregnant too, six months." He smiled softly. "I'm happy for her. She moved on, and is happy now with her life. As am I. I have everything I ever wished for..."
"You have everything... yet you're still marrying a woman half your age..."
"Skye is part of that everything Nick, I thought it would have been obvious. I've felt this... bond with her, this connection, for almost as long as we've known each other. Even before I knew I was in love with her, because I was convinced I could trust her, I knew she was meant to be there, in that team, to be with me." He got melancholic all of a sudden. "I still remember that day, after Raina kidnapped me, and that awful machine she tried to use to force my memories back. My mind wasn't ready for them yet, and the workings of that thing could have broken it in an attempt to force things. It hurt, just being there, the fragments I could see, it felt like I was being torn apart... and then she was there. Even before she spoke, before she touched me, I could feel her, I knew she was there. She'd come for me... and I couldn't disappoint her. I had to return, for her if for no one and nothing else."
Nick was speechless, never before had he heard his oldest friend talk like that, about anyone, not Audrey, and not any of his previous girlfriends, or friends, no one had ever meant as much to Phil as that hacker did...
"You keep focusing on the fact that she's half my age, but age matters very little in our line of work." Phil went on. "You know that as well as I do, Nick. So many Agents have lost their lives, many much younger than us. Age, experience, power, none of that is guarantee of success or even of survival. We've all seen moments when experience has given one an advantage, and others when age has worked against them. Doing what we do, death has become an integral part of our lives. I'm not going to let things like death, age, or anything else, get in the way of us having whatever happiness we can."
There was also the fact that with them being a half-elven half-jotun princess and a human-Eihenjar they were essentially immortal... Nick didn't need to know that kind of thing just yet. Maybe someday...
"I suppose all I can do then is wish you the best Phil." Nick offered eventually. "Truth is, so few of us Agents are capable of having a good, healthy relationship... but if anyone can do it, I'm sure you can. And I suppose if your relationship with this girl has survived this long..."
Nick would never know just how much his relationship with Skye had already survived, and that was probably for the best... maybe one day, maybe not; they would have to deal with the ever-present threat from Odin first, probably.
"Then I will be very happy to have you at my wedding Nick." Phil nodded with his usual smile.
He wasn't sure if the day would actually ever come, for him to be that honest with Nick. As much as the man might be his friend, might have been for longer than either of them had been a part of SHIELD, the man was also very set in his ways. He was the reason why the old SHIELD had lacked the kind of contacts the new one had, as he'd never been able to deal with individuals that possessed great gifts and refused to be under government control; he was also the one who had pushed forward the protocol that forbid family members and romantic partners from working together, stating that it was a risk because they would always put the people they loved first, rather than the mission (not that it had stopped Clint and Natasha during their brief affair, shortly after her arrival, or a few others; though it had stopped anything serious from being allowed to take place, like Maria's relationship with Victoria).
In the end Nick wasn't only going to be present in the wedding, he was one of those who would be marrying the couple; he was in charge of the legal version of the ceremony, while Hela and Azazeal would be leading the hand-fasting ceremony.
Aside from them Phil would have Clint standing with him as his Best-Man, while Steve, Leo, Wesley, James and Tony would be Groomsmen.
"Sirs, it is time." JARVIS's voice was heard from the small speakers that were scattered all around the base.
Phil rolled his eyes, not even surprised that Tony had taken the first opportunity to infiltrate the Playground's systems with JARVIS. In any case, it might even be helpful in the long run.
"Well, lets go, lets get moving, before little Skye realizes who it is she's marrying and runs for the hills!" Tony couldn't help but crack a joke.
"You mean like Pepper forgot to do the day of your wedding?" James asked with a smirk.
"I'll have you know that Pepper never so much as considered running away." Tony stated, looking half offended, and half... something else no one could quite grasp.
"I bet you were the one with the cold feet!" Wesley joked.
"Well, if you must know, yes." Tony's admittance surprised everyone. "Though not because I wanted anything other than to marry her. Pepper is the most wonderful woman I've ever met. And therein lies the problem. Because I'm a mess of a person, and someone who could never hope to deserve her, not in a thousand years..."
For several seconds no one said a word and then, surprisingly, it was Steve who did.
"I think none of us ever do." The captain commented quietly. "I believe that the more we love someone, the less we beieve we deserve them. And yet, trying to pull away would be punishing them as much as ourselves, so there's nothing we can do but stay."
"Stay and do our best to make sure they'll never regret marrying us!" Clint added.
"Well, now you've got us all somber... this is supposed to be a wedding!" Leo stated as brightly as he could.
It was the truth. All of them, in one way or another, had at least once felt they did not deserve the love of the women who had bestowed theirs upon them, who'd chosen to stand by them no matter what; and yet they couldn't just push them away, it wouldn't be right... that and, truth be told, they just loved them too much to even try that.
"We need to go now." James declared, being the first to recover. "Because while I know the Little Cloud would never run, she might get impatient enough to come seek us out herself."
Now that, definitely sounded like Skye.
"What are we waiting for then?" Clint inquired as we went to open the door. "Lets get this wedding on the way!"
xXx
The ceremony was celebrated on a hill, by the Western end of the island where the Playground was located, it ended on a cliff and, at that time of the day, the view was spectacular (the sun was just about to set; in fact, if they'd timed it right, it would be setting exactly as the ceremony reached the final part).
Like in a traditional wedding the Groom was standing by the altar, waiting for everyone else. What was different from usual wedding was the fact that in the altar, arranged in the cardinal points were a glass of water (representing its own element), a fistful of salt (earth), a candle (fire) and some incense (air). Nick Fury, standing on the opposite side of the altar had taken a look at it all, arched a brow, but said nothing. He had known already that the bride wasn't exactly normal, and as it had already been proved that Phil was more than a little crazy in love with her...
Hela and Azazeal began playing Mendelssohn's wedding march (she in violin, he in piano), as Natalia walked down the aisle, on Steve's arm, followed by Melinda and Wesley, Jemma and Leo, Wanda and James, Pepper and Tony, and finally Darcy and Clint. There was a slight change in melody and then Maggie began walking down the aisle, flanked by Connor and Malachi (they were there to escort the girl, as she had asked why all the older girls were being escorted by boys and not her, and since both boys had wanted to be part of their aunt's wedding); she moved slowly, throwing down petals the way she'd been taught by the others.
Finally, after one more change in the music, Skye appeared. She was a vision in her white dress, with Thor on one side and Dom in the other; both of them wearing completely black suits (to contrast her, without looking like the groom).
The moment the bride reached the front of the room Azazeal and Hela left their instruments and went to stand on their side of the altar (some people suspected they must have used magic, with how fast they moved).
"We have come together here in celebration of the joining together of Astrid Skye Avery and Philip James Coulson." Fury said his part with his usual solemnity. "Two people who we can count as agents, friends, and family."
Nick would probably deny it to his dying day, but he honestly meant every word he'd just said.
They were using that specific name for Skye because it combined her two most common names, it represented her more than any other name except Menel, and it was one that most of those present would understand better than any other.
"There are many things to say about marriage." Azazeal began the rite itself. "Much wisdom concerning the joining together of two souls has come our way through all paths of belief, and from many cultures."
"With each union, more knowledge is gained and more wisdom gathered." Hela continued smoothly. "Though we are unable to give all this knowledge to these two, who stand before us, we can hope to leave with them the knowledge of love and its strengths and the anticipation of the wisdom that comes with time."
"The law of life is love unto all beings." Azazeal went on. "Without love, life is nothing, without love, death has no redemption. Love is anterior to Life, posterior to Death, initial of Creation and the exponent of Earth."
"If we learn no more in life, let it be this:" Hela added. "Marriage is a bond to be entered into only after considerable thought and reflection. As with any aspect of life, it has its cycles, its ups and its downs, its trials and its triumphs."
"With full understanding of this, Philip and Skye have come here today to be joined as one in marriage." Azazeal declared.
"Others would ask, at this time, who gives the bride in marriage, but, as a woman is not property to be bought and sold, given and taken, we ask simply if she comes of her own will and if she has her family's blessing." Hela stated.
"Skye, is it true that you come of your own free will and accord?" Azazeal asked her.
"Yes, it is true." Skye nodded solemnly.
"With whom do you come and whose blessings accompany you?" Hela took over again.
"She comes with me, her brother..." Dominic began.
"And with me, her uncle..." Thor interjected.
"And is accompanied by all of her family's blessings." The two finished almost in unison.
The 'Aye' could be heard coming from almost every direction. So many people were present that Skye considered family: brothers, sisters, cousins, friends; humans, mutants, metas, vampires...
At a nod from Hela and Azazeal the two men went to take their places beside their wives.
"Please join hands with your betrothed and listen to that which I am about to say." Azazeal stated. "Above you are the stars, below you are the stones, as time doth pass, remember..."
The two began speaking in unison then, with a harmony of voices and motions that only two people who had known each other for as long as they had, and were as in tune with each other as they were, could achieve:
"Like a stone should your love be firm like a star should your love be constant. Let the powers of the mind and of the intellect guide you in your marriage, let the strength of your wills bind you together, let the power of love and desire make you happy, and the strength of your dedication make you inseparable. Be close, but not too close. Possess one another, yet be understanding. Have patience with one another, for storms will come, but they will pass quickly. Be free in giving affection and warmth. Have no fear and let not the ways of the unenlightened give you unease, for God is with you always."
"Philip, we have not the right to bind thee to Skye, only you have this right." Hela told him. "If it be your wish, say so at this time and place your ring in her hand."
"It is my wish." Phil nodded with a smile, reaching for the ring Clint was offering to him before handing it over to his lover.
It was different from what would be done in a normal ceremony, but they liked it. Offering themselves, for the other to bind themselves.
The band was of an alloy made of mithril and vibranium (to mix both their heritages); and it had only been achieved thanks to Erik Lehnsherr's help (Charles Xavier had helped convince him).
"Skye, if it be your wish for Philip to be bound to you, place the ring on his finger." Hela told her.
Skye did, a smile so bright on her face it was as if she could light up the sky (no pun intended).
"Skye, I have not the right to bind thee to Phil only you have this right." Azazeal continued with his part. "If it be your wish, say so at this time and place your ring in his hand."
"It is my wish." Skye nodded, offering her beloved the ring Darcy gave her.
"Phil, if it be your wish for Skye to be bound to you, place the ring on her finger." Azazeal said.
Phil did so, his hand never trembling, neither had hers for that matter. Regardless of any comment that may have been made, truth was that they wanted that wedding so much... and a part of them felt like they were already married, had been for years, which made the whole ceremony so easy, as if it was something they were always meant to do.
Ready for what came next, the two lovers stood facing each other, joining hands in silence, right to right and left to left, creating a figure eight, a symbol of eternity... forever, just like their union was meant to be:
"With this cord we now bind you." The couple acting as priest and priestess stated in unison. " However this binding is not tied, so that neither is restricted by the other, and the binding is only enforced by both their wills."
The cord was special, made by Mia and a few others who Skye called family, and blessed by everyone in the group who had magic. It went around the couple's joint wrists, carefully arranged in such a way it made the illusion of being tied, even when it wasn't.
Nick Fury stepped forward, to say his next part:
"Skye and Phil have chosen to say their own vows, part of a tradition older than either of theirs, than any in this world." He said what he'd been told to, even if he didn't fully understand it all.
It was true; while the traditional vows for the handfasting ceremony (of which they'd actually found a number of versions with small variations) were quite beautiful, the two couldn't help but want something more. Then Skye had dreamt her parent's own wedding... it seemed almost fated, though the idea was actually Phil's (he'd shared the dream). It seemed just perfect. When Hela had heard what they were planning, she'd explained to them that those particular vows were part of a very specific ceremony, older than any world, one meant only for lovers who were willing to be together till the end of time. Phil and Skye had only loved the idea all the more after that.
"From this day on, you will be my only one." Phil went first. "I shall look at no other the way I look at you, I shall think of no other the way I think about you, I shall talk to no other the way I talk to you, I shall desire no other the way I desire you, and I shall lay with no other the way I lay with you. I shall be with no other for you are now and forever shall be my one and only; my friend, my lover, my partner, my match…"
"From this day on, you will be my only one." Skye repeated the same. "I shall look at no other the way I look at you, I shall think of no other the way I think about you, I shall talk to no other the way I talk to you, I shall desire no other the way I desire you, and I shall lay with no other the way I lay with you. I shall be with no other for you are now and forever shall be my one and only; my friend, my lover, my partner, my match…"
The words were the same, pronounced by different mouths, and while to some they were nothing more than words, those who had the slightest supernatural senses (which were actually many of those present) could sense, some could almost see the ribbons of colorful light as they wound around the two lovers, binding them together to the end of time, in a manner more absolute than any rope or chain.
The two then finished their vows in unison, doing their best to join their voices and feelings the same way Hela and Azazeal did:
"Heart to thee, Soul to thee, Body to thee, Forever and always, So mote it be..."
"So mote it be." Hela and Azazeal echoed.
The rest of those present (even those that didn't fully understand the ceremony) followed.
Nick took that as a signal for the next part that corresponded to him, as he placed the marriage certificate on the table (the empty spot bellow the elements), offering an elegant fountain pen for Skye to sign, then Phil, and finally their witnesses.
"By the power vested in me by the United States, I now pronounce you Husband and Wife." Nick stated with no little satisfaction.
Phil was truly one of his dearest friends, probably the greatest he'd ever had; and even if he didn't exactly show it, it did him good to see how happy he was (even if the whole marriage ceremony had been far stranger than any Nick had witnessed before, and he'd seen some pretty strange things in his life and working with SHIELD).
"With the Lord and Lady as our witness, the blessing of the Higher Powers and by the power granted to us by those who Know and Believe, we now pronounce you, Husband and Wife." Azazeal and Hela chorused.
For a second nothing happened, no one move or spoke and then.
"You can kiss her now, you know?" Darcy quipped.
Laughter followed, though Phil did follow the advice and kissed his bride... his wife...
"Amin mela lle, Arwenamin..." Phil whispered quietly against her lips.
They were the very words delicately engraved in the inside of their wedding bands.
"Amin mela lle, Aratoamin..." Skye echoed the sentiment with the same fervor.
They kissed again, the second of many such expressions of love to come, for they were together then, a match, and would remain so to the end of time.
Yes, I started with the wedding... imagine what that means for the rest of the fic.
As always, full-sized poster and accompanying wallpaper can be found in my Deviant-Art account (Princess-Lalaith). I particularly like how these ones turned out!
Every story in this series, the chapter titles have had a constant: in Lokidottir they were all about the pieces of Skye's identity; in Avery they were about the end of the old SHIELD, the beginning of the new one and the pieces of the prophecy that announced the change; in Astrid it was about a phrase relevant to each fandom I was making crossovers with; this time we're going back to the basics, it's once again about Skye, her identity, though not her past but her present, and in some ways, her future too. It's all in the summary... who is she really? And where does she truly belong?
See ya next week!