And here we are. After a very long, very insane journey. The final installment to the main timeline of Nightingale (yes, there will still be AUs, quite a few of them in fact; but this marks the end to the main storyline). I hope you've enjoyed things, and will enjoy what's to come in this piece. A few reminders: don't expect things to be like they probably will in Infinity War, no epic wars here, nothing bigger than what we already saw in Finite Harmony. Also remember that my Thanos is very different from any version of canon you might know.
I don't own the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or any of the other fandoms involved here (too many to enlist them all). I do own the ideas behind this verse. Though, if anyone's ever interested in translating, podficcing, remixing, creating fanart, or anything really, you're more than welcome, just let me know about it.
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT NOTES: As must be obvious by now, the Nightingale verse has become a huge crossover, I've mixed many fandoms, each with their own mythos, not to mention actual mythologies (Roman, Greek, Nordic and Prehispanic to name a few). You don't need to know any of that to understand and hopefully enjoy the story, but you do need to keep in mind that I've twisted some things in order to fit them together, so don't expect everything to be exactly as it should. Also, I've created an 'Origin mythos' for this verse, that borrows heavily from Tolkien's own, things from the Silmarillion and other books of his. Again, you don't need to have read any of them, the parts that matter will be explained by one character or another as needed. Just keep an open mind and don't try to remind me how things don't fit with Marvel, because I'll then remind you I'm not Marvel and I'm quite alright with that.
Dreamcast for this verse (yes, all of them, just so you know them): Emily Browning as Silbhé/Nightingale, Georgie Henley as Rose Alfdis, Katie McGrath as Helena/Hel, Skandar Keynes as Hakon, Karen Gillan as young Willow Anya, Jessica Chastain as older Willow Anya, Josh Hartnett as Johann, Sarah Bolger as Tinúviel (Nightingale's past life), Hugo Weaving as Erynion, Cate Blanchett as Thenidiel, Amanda Seyfried as Ylva, Shiloh Fernandez as Fenrir, Dakota Fanning as a young Irene/Destiny, Julianne Moore as old Irene/Destiny, Lily Collins as Nina Raisa, Alicia Vikander as Siri, Rosamund Pike as Harry/Harriet, Margot Robbie as Lorna/Polaris, Taraneh Alidoosti as Kendra Hall, Emayatzy Corinealdi as Shuri, Sophie Oda as Sachiko, Eva Mendes as Maureen Pangborn, Gong Li as Yelan Li, Daniel Day-Lewis as Master Turner, Jane Seymour as Tamara Walker, Jensen Ackles as Esteban Burke.
There have probably been more through the story but some characters never seemed important enough for me to give them an actual actor. Sorry if you wanted more. Also, I gave you an actress for Princess Shuri because my version of her is older, somewhere between five and ten years younger than T'Challa, no less (meaning she isn't a teenager).
On that topic, this fic was written before Black Panther came out, same as anything Infinity War related except the first trailer, so don't expect anything from that. And... my Spider-Man and everything related to it comes from Amazing Spider-Man (the first movie only, I wrote also a fic called "The Return" that had my version of the first of the Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, changed to fit Webb's version), meaning nothing to do with Spider-Man Homecoming. My apologies to the ones who actually liked that movie. I wrote this before that was even an idea, and when there had been a few rumors that ASM might be the one joining things so... yeah.
This fic has five chapters and I will be updating weekly, hope you'll enjoy it.
Finally, for this chapter the song is "Mirrors" as sung by Boyce Avenue and Fifth Harmony (except imagine it sung by one man and one woman only... I saw it so clearly in my mind as I was writing that scene... it fits perfectly with my concept for matches).
So, that's that. On with the chapter!
Infinite Starlight
(Sequel to Finite Harmony)
By: Lalaith Quetzalli
Many things are said of the stars: about the destinies written in them, the matches gifted by them, some believe spirits form them, or divinities; much is said but little is truly known, stars are the greatest mystery in the universe. A mystery that shall last forever, as for every star that falls, a new one shall always be born…
Aries
Some individuals are born to be Kings… others, to be more than that.
The first of the 'foreign visitors' Thor and Jane had warned The Avengers and their family about arrived not two weeks after the battle against Thanos's army; and they weren't exactly strangers: Erynion and Thenidiel headed the group formed by three more Protectors (as Erynion was the High Lord Protector) and one more spell-weaver (Thenidiel was part of the coven, the most powerful and the former head… she'd had to step down years prior when marrying her match: Erynion); they were all escorting Princess Tawariell, the youngest member of the Sisterhood, who'd volunteered to act as Ambassador to Midgard, and her personal handmaiden: Lassiel.
The UN had no idea what to do with such visitors, until someone slipped up and revealed that Lady Nightingale, Loki's wife, and member of the Avengers (because, finally, those two had given up and agreed to officially become members of the team) was the reincarnation of an elven princess herself. While the concept was quite the headache for some of them, most did not care for how such a thing was supposed to be possible, all they cared about was having someone who could handle the situation. So Nightingale and Loki were officially tasked with serving as Earth's own Ambassadors with any off-planet visitors.
Thor couldn't help but find it extremely funny, how his brother and sister had ended with exactly the same position they'd held nine hundred years prior, if for a different Realm (he also warned them what was waiting for them once he and Jane took the throne).
Nightingale chose a floor-length scoop-necked, sleeveless, ultra-violet dress, not as elaborate as an evening gown, as she didn't want to be too over-the-top, but still dressy enough to show her position to their visitors. Also, it was the kind of design that was nothing like the gowns from either Alfheim or Asgard, so no one would forget which realm she was representing. Her match was in his green long tunic and black breeches; which still wasn't traditional attire for either realm, though it was what he'd been wearing for many, many years, even in Asgard.
The day of the visitors' arrival, everything was ready in the Stark mansion in Northern New York, something Tony had insisted on (after much contemplation it had been decided it'd be better not to throw their visitors directly onto the mess that was Manhattan; the mansion had been sitting empty for a long while but was still in good condition, big, surrounded on two sides by a forested area and on the third by a cliff, so it was as close to nature as any of them could get). He had put the place, and a small staff, and FRIDAY at the disposal of Loki, Nightingale, Jane and Thor (who'd be living there for the time being) pointing out (only half-jokingly) that Nightingale was as entitled to using the place as him, being a Stark and all (even if it was hardly ever mentioned, none of them had forgotten about Arianna Stark-Serrure…)
The UN had still insisted on having people there on the day of arrival, to make sure everything went well. And so Phil Coulson, Darcy Lewis-Coulson, Everett Ross and a Task Force team were there.
The first thing everyone noticed was the beauty of all the newcomers, and the way they looked almost ethereal, in a way. They also noticed the very elaborate hairdos of all but one of the women (and even that woman, who they later learned was the handmaiden, had her own fixed in several braids of different sizes and with a specific design); also, their dresses were heavy and elaborate. The princess was easily recognizable by the circlet of flowers on her head.
Nightingale stepped forward then, in slow, measured steps, she'd just opened her mouth to speak when the other woman did so ahead of her.
"Elen sîla lúmenn' omentielvo." She stated, twisting her hands in very specific patterns.
"Saesa omentien lle." Nightingale replied, without missing a beat, she too twisting her hands in the correct form.
Each of the women then proceeded to introduce those on their sides, before an offer was made to head inside for refreshments.
"Why does Silbhé look so disconcerted?" Darcy asked Loki very, very quietly, once she was sure enough their elven companions were well ahead.
"We explained to you all what to expect of this first meeting." Loki reminded them. "One detail we didn't go into, as it didn't seem that important. During important meeting such a this, it's always the person of lower rank who salutes first, to acknowledge their position in relation to the other… it's a show of respect. Nightingale was going to present her greeting first."
"Because the other gal's a princess… but she's one too, isn't she?" Everett inquired.
He was the one who knew the least about it all, but he did know Loki was a prince, and as his wife, that technically made the lady a princess, didn't it? Unless they had a system as complex as the British Royalty, but he wasn't sure anyone could have as complex a system as theirs, really.
"Perhaps, but this is not Asgard." Loki went on. "Here both Nightingale and I are but guests. And it was also a show of respect."
"And when speaking first, she showed you respect instead." Phil understood, somewhat. "It could be simply because she considers herself and her entourage as guests, and she's acknowledging you as representing their hosts."
"That, or it could be because she's acknowledging Nightingale as Tinúviel still..." Loki muttered under his breath.
It wouldn't have been the first time. It always made him tense, when the elves insisted on seeing who his love had been, rather than who she was now. It wasn't that he'd anything against her past as Tinúviel, because of course he didn't. He loved her, she was his match, whatever face and name she might have; it was their refusal to acknowledge her presence that rankled him.
"What about the words used?" Phil asked then. "We knew nothing about those."
"That because neither of us imagined they would be used." Loki admitted. "Those words… they're the highest form of greeting Ljósalfár have. The kind of words that are only used by the highest ranked, and even then only mostly during ceremonial occasions."
Bottom line, the elves were making a big deal of their meeting; and they hadn't any idea if that was a good thing, or a bad one.
Things actually came to a head very quickly, the very next day. As the insistent deference began rubbing Nightingale the wrong way and she reacted in a manner that surprised no one except their visitors (except Erynion and Thenidiel, those two weren't the slightest bit surprised):
"Stop it!" Nightingale snapped.
"Quimellë ninya (My Lady)..." Princess Tawariell began, evidently confused by Nightingale's sudden attitude.
"That right there." Nightingale cut her off. "I know I'm not being the most polite person right now. But you need to understand, I'm not Tinúviel anymore, I'm not your princess, and I certainly was never your queen! You cannot call me that, and with such archaic words… that's not right. Not for me, and not for your Queen..."
"No, you're not our Queen." Tawariell nodded, seemingly understanding what the problem was. "You're so much more..."
That threw Nightingale for a loop, she opened her mouth to object, only to practically swallow her tongue at the next words that were said.
"You're a Valië." It was Lassiel who said them.
Nightingale froze at that word, completely. Without being quite aware of it she turned her eyes towards her left hand. There was nothing to see there, or more like, nothing that could be seen, as she was wearing fingerless gloves, the very ones that were part of her battle attire, they fit with her dress just fine. Still, even without seeing it in that moment, she knew exactly what was beneath them, the marking and runes that adorned the back of her left hand, in a glowing blue color. The reincarnated she-elf turned her eyes to her love then, the expression in both their eyes was exactly the same, and she could see the way he clenched his own gloved left hand almost convulsively.
"Son of Coul, I believe you were to be part of this proceedings so we might discuss the manner in which our two Realms may aid each other." Erynion spoke right then, clearly noticing the topic of conversation had deeply affected his 'sister' and her match and choosing to draw the conversation in order to give them time to recover.
If the Midgardians noticed anything was off they didn't say (Darcy, being who she was, probably did, but for that same reason she chose to say nothing and instead helped Erynion change the conversation for the time being).
Thankfully, no one brought the topic up again. Eventually the matter of the upcoming wedding of Asgard's Crown prince was brought up, Princess Tawariell and her entourage were delighted to stay until then, to serve as witnesses for their union, and perhaps get to see more of a Realm that until just a few years earlier had been seen as little more than a primitive land with a primitive race. They had been so wrong about both.
xXx
The next visitors to arrive were Asgardians. A group that included the Warriors Three, Ylva and Fenrir. They all brought tidings from the Allfather and his wife, formal thank yous to the Midgardian Warriors who had so aided in the battle against Thanos, and a promise of alliance when (not if) the next attack came. One of them also carried a private message to Thor, something that disturbed him more than a bit, though he refused to share, even with his brother. Loki didn't insist, they were way too busy already with everything going on (and he'd so much of his mind he didn't really insist); soon enough he'd forgotten all about it.
Loki and Nightingale were both absolutely delighted at seen Fenrir free, and with Ylva by his side. It was something they'd all been waiting for, for a very long time. The first thing Loki and Nightingale did the moment they had a free day was get the two to Romania, to meet Vivian and her pack. It was the first time Fenrir spent time with others who had anything at all in common with him. Even if they weren't exactly the same (he was almost twice the size of Vivian, and since becoming the alpha she'd grown to the size of the biggest race of wolves on Earth). Still, the loup-garou pack received him and Ylva with open arms (or paws), and they all had a great time. Even Ylva did not feel left out at all, while not many loup-garou had human mates, there were enough of those, starting with Aiden himself, for her to be in good company.
The only trouble perhaps came from Fandral who true to himself, began flirting with every single female he laid eyes on two days in. By the time he bedded the third girl and then abandoned her like she was nothing, word had gotten out about what he was doing. Next time he tried the same, he was rebuffed. It went on from there. He was actually making an attempt on Darcy of all people when he finally got tired of it. He insisted, and pressed, until Darcy snapped, quite literally, and dropped him hard on his ass with a couple of moves. Then, right as he was about to jump on his feet (and quite possibly on her) she pulled out her gun and pointed it straight at his head.
"Just give me a reason pal." She hissed at him. "I've dropped guys for much less."
"My lady, I was but paying you a compliment and..." He began.
"You were harassing me, and quite close to molesting me." Darcy cut him off. "I understand you're not from around here, but if you cannot be respectful, cannot accept when a girl tells you no, then we're gonna have trouble. In fact, we already do, because right now I'm not sure if you're going to stop next time someone says no to you; you didn't stop when I did. And the next girl might not be as capable of defending herself. So you better give me a very good reason not to tase your ass to kingdom come and tell Thor to send you back to your nifty little kingdom."
"You would dishonor me thus?!" Fandral demanded. "We came here because you needed us!"
"Oh no, don't confuse things dude." Darcy laughed in his face. "We don't need you. We never have. Don't you know? We fought back on our own. It was one of our own who closed the freaking portal and saved all the worlds!"
"He's our prince!" Volstagg intervened for the first time, probably trying to help.
"Still one of us." Darcy insisted, refusing to stand down. "And you? You're not one of us. I don't trust you. In fact, right now I'd rather you leave. We already have enough trouble to have to deal with your shit as well."
It was quite obvious none of them knew what was going on. And then Sif arrived. She looked at Fandral, still on the floor, at Volstagg and Hogun, and then at Darcy, still holding her gun. She let out a tired sigh.
"Not even a week in this realm and you're already causing trouble Fandral." She exhaled.
"But Sif, I..." Fandral began.
"It's okay Darcy." The Goddess of War ignored him completely. "You may put your gun down. I promise if he does anything I'll handle it."
"He fucked around with Gina, Kim and Rae." Darcy informed her as she put the safety back on and stepped back. "They're all agents, and tough as nails. Kim and Rae sort of were expecting him to be an asshole already. Gina… she's not taking it personally, but she's also the one who let everyone else know what he was doing. It's why he hasn't gotten any for the last five days. The last one he tried it on with was Mia, Pepper's PA Mia… do you have any idea what Pep would have done to this loser if he'd tried with her what he tried with me? Forget about putting him on his ass, she'd have put his ass on fire. Literally!"
Fandral was going to scoff, until he saw Sif's expression and James (he knew nothing of the man, except that he was Sif's lover, and very strong) wince. Whoever 'Pepper' was, it wasn't good. Fandral didn't like it. He was a handsome man, and with a very healthy libido, how was he supposed to have fun if the ladies refused him? Suddenly going to a new planet didn't seem as such a good idea. He'd thought it was the perfect plan, new girls to have fun with, they would be fascinated with him (in a world that had no one like him, how could they not?), they would all be falling over themselves to please him. Except not, they weren't. Midgard was nothing like their stories said. Humans didn't see them as gods, didn't worship them. What was he supposed to do until the time came for their glorious battle?
Sif just sighed. She'd known Thor's friends were going to be a problem. She didn't call them her own because… when the spell holding back the memories about Tinúviel had broken, that changed her. She was reminded of who she'd been before, Loki's friend, Tinúviel's friend, the Goddess of War… that was more important to him that the half-companionship she had shared with Thor and the Warriors Three. Yes, the later might have lasted longer, but she had been happier before, and she also believed she'd been a better person then. Fandral for his part… he'd liked more who they'd been later on, and didn't understand when others changed. He'd refused to see there were changes happening at all, and perhaps that had been easy at first, with them in different Realms, with Thor so busy with Jane and getting ready for his birthright… it was time he woke up. Before Darcy, Pepper, Sif herself, or someone else really put him in his place. It wouldn't be pretty.
xXx
Thor wasn't happy, when he found out what had happened, what Darcy had had to do, and with it being something both he and Loki practically saw as a sister… well, it was probably a good thing he decided to do something about it, before Loki got it into his head to do it. Fandral was sufficiently cowed and swore to learn restraint, otherwise he'd be sent back to Asgard, his rank stripped off him in dishonor (there was nothing worse for an Aesir warrior); also, he knew Loki enough to at least suspect worse would come at him from that end if he ever looked at any of the ladies wrong.
Things got really interesting when the dwarven entourage from Nidavellir arrived. Like with the other two, Nightingale and Loki were there to greet them, unlike with the elves, she did not use their language, but what was known through the Realms as the Common Tongue. Which sounded a bit like many different human languages put together.
Introductions were made then: there was Prince Cáel, younger brother of King Filip from the House of Erebor… those things meant next to nothing to the humans, and very little to the other races, but still, they took notice. He was accompanied only by two warriors, as it was said the prince was a warrior himself and quite capable of defending himself. Jane was the first to notice there were no females in his entourage. She said nothing about it, but something must have shown in her face, for the Prince answered the unasked question anyway.
"Our females are few in number, and as such we treasure them more than even our most outstanding creations." Prince Caél explained. "We wouldn't allow them to travel to another Realm unless we could guarantee their safety."
There was no need to say that there could be no such guarantees at the time, and probably not for a long while yet. That was okay.
"If His Highness will follow me." Nightingale decided it was time to move inside. "We can proceed to the first part of negotiations inside."
"Of course, Your Grace." The Prince bowed his head and signaled for the reincarnate she-elf to lead the way, which she did.
Loki and the humans marched behind them, keeping an eye on things but staying out of the way.
"Why didn't she greet them in their own language like with the elves?" Darcy asked Loki very quietly, as the group began walking inside.
"Khuzdul, the language of the dwarves, is… I guess the best way to put it is 'sacred' to them. Few outsiders are allowed to listen to it, much less learn it." Loki did his best to explain. "While Tinúviel certainly qualified, and they've extended that same honor to Nightingale, well..."
"We aren't." Phil finished for him.
Loki just shrugged. He had never truly understood dwarves and their obsession with keeping their language so private. From what he knew they hadn't allowed more than a handful of 'outsiders' to learn their language, in the thousands of years since their world had existed as such. Even Loki himself, he knew the language, could speak it technically; he was even fairly confident he wouldn't have been in trouble, as the dwarves held matches in the same reverence as elves (even if their mythology behind their origin wasn't the same), still, he'd never used the language out-loud, and wouldn't unless necessary or directly allowed.
The truly interesting part, though, was what happened when dwarves and elves met.
Simply put, the two races did not have the best of relationships. They were so diametrically different that it seemed almost impossible. Princess Tinúviel had been an oddity in that she managed to not only deal with them when it came to trade, but learned and understood enough of their protocols and traditions, to earn their respect in turn. Her successors had tried to maintain such relations, but aside from the confirmation of the trade agreements settled during Tinúviel's term as Princess, nothing had come from those efforts.
Then the two entourages met each other, and in less than three days Princess Tawariell, and Prince Cáel were confirmed as a Match.
"This is impossible..." Beriothien, the eldest of the Princess's protectors muttered.
"Not quite." Nightingale was less surprised than she probably should have been, than everyone expected her to be.
The look of disbelief practically everyone in both the elven and dwarven contingent shot her way showed their absolute disbelief, at both the situation and her reaction to it.
"Nightingale?" Erynion called.
"I've been wondering for a while now, actually." The human-born princess admitted. "I know it is Ljósalfár tradition for the Queen to be married to Alfheim, all her people are her children. It was one of the reasons it would have never worked out with me."
"Because you found your match." Tawariell finished for her.
Yes, Tinúviel's story was well-known in Alfheim, or at least pieces of it. More had been made public in the years since Nightingale had been revealed as her reincarnation; though she knew there were still things few knew, mostly the kind of things the Elders refused to allow to be public (like the fact that she'd trained in arms, before ever meeting Loki, that she'd demonstrated her skill in one of the tests…), they'd rather she be the kind of legend they could use to 'guide' young royals down the path they considered right, rather than incite 'rebellion'. Of course, Nightingale's and Loki's visit just before leaving for their trip through space had thrown a rather big spanner into that plan. The fact that one of the princesses had actually volunteered to travel to Midgard as an Ambassador, and that she was open-minded enough she was probably the only one (aside from Thenidiel) who hadn't complained about the possibility of being matched to a dwarven prince, was telling. Even Erynion was having a hard time grasping it, and he'd had previous experience with Tinúviel herself.
"Because if I'd been meant to be Queen, then I shouldn't have had a match at all." Loki's match clarified serenely. "And while some might argue that I wasn't supposed to be a princess, much less Queen, as I wasn't really chosen, but offered myself… I don't think it's just that. I mean, I don't think it's an accident that we keep finding our matches in other Realms. That might just be a sign."
"One, or even two don't mean anything..." Beriothien tried to deny.
"There's Princess Merenwen too, granted Prince Helblindi wasn't her match, but there was enough of a connection and compatibility there for her to bear his child." Even if it ended killing her. "Besides, how can you be sure? How many Sisters, aside from Tawariell, Merenwen and myself have even left Alfheim in the last millennia?"
No one answered, but it wasn't really necessary, Nightingale knew it was most likely none. Alfheim had really become too used to its own isolation. Tinúviel had tried to put a stop to it, by making trade agreements, and forming alliances with other Realms, but in the end her time in power had been too little, and her successors either hadn't been interested enough, or been brave enough to break such barriers. While the treaties technically still stood and were valid, they hadn't seen much use in a very, very long time.
"So what? You think that the Princesses and Queen have matches, they just haven't met them because, what? They live in another Realm?" Erynion arched a brow.
It was a far-fetched theory, and everyone knew it. Then again, there was as much proof in favor of it, as there was against (in other words: next to nothing at all either way).
"Perhaps not all of them, but some at least." The hazel-eyed woman replied. "I'm not saying they should go and try to find them. I'm not saying they should do anything about it at all, except not close their minds to the possibility. For them, but especially for Princess Tawariell and Prince Caél. Those two are already going to have a hard time moving forward with this relationship." And there was no doubt in any of their minds that they'd do it, matches were too much of a blessing for it to be ignored. "They deserve to have their people support them, even if they don't really understand what's going on, or why."
Erynion nodded, he'd make sure of that much at least.
Nightingale smiled at him, knowing that, even without saying a thing, her almost-brother had mentally committed himself to seeing it through. That was good. Hopefully more Ljósalfár would take that same attitude. Perhaps in the future no one would have to go through the same kind of ordeal she did, having to choose between her people, and her love, knowing that whichever one she chose, she'd be betraying a part of herself. That hadn't been an easy decision to make, and while she certainly didn't regret it, and never would, she still wouldn't wish such a conundrum on anyone else.
The only realm that had been part of the battle and didn't send an envoy was Jotunheim; though that was perfectly understandable, as they were prohibited by treaty from setting foot in Midgard since the end of the War. They still send their respects, though, and that was enough.
xXx
Jane Foster, Doctor in Astrophysics, the creator of the Foster Theory (in Einstein-Rosen Bridges and Travel Between Realms), winner of the Nobel Prize, married Thor Odinson, Crown Prince of Asgard, on September 30th of 2019. Dr. Eric Selvig, the closest thing she had to a father since the passing of both her parents, gave her away; Darcy Lewis-Coulson, the closest thing she had to a sister, was her Matron of Honor, with Betty Banner, Pepper Potts-Stark and Sif as her bridesmaids.
They were married, surprisingly enough, by a Priest; one who, despite everything the universe had thrown at them, at him and his religion, in the past decade or so (longer if you included mutants) remained stalwart on his faith, and not only that, but he believed that every being in the universe, even so-called gods, were God's creations and part of His Plan. Jane herself wasn't the most religious person, but she knew it had been important for her parents; so she did it.
They were married on the huge yard of the Yinsen Academy for Gifted. What had once been a set of abandoned SI warehouses had been cleaned out and retrofitted to hold many young gifted (metas, inhumans, enhanced, anything); there they would be tutored by older gifted so they might gain control of their abilities; then they could choose to stay and pass on what they'd learned to others, or move on with their lives. It was all sponsored by SI and supervised by the UN and the Pax Accords. And it wasn't even the only such place, in Metropolis, Kansas, Veritas already served the same purpose; and on the West Coast was the Magik School, which the Warren Bloodline was in charge of. Many other such institutions were opening around the world, or simply revealing themselves.
The reason why the wedding took place in Midgard/Earth in the first place, was because it was apparently Asgardian tradition (and, as Nightingale pointed out eventually, it had once been tradition of several cultures in their own world as well) for the wedding to take place in the land the bride hailed from, as it was a ceremony for her family to deliver her to her husband, who would then take her away. A few of the girls found the notion yet another example of machismo, but as it allowed Jane to have everyone she cared for present, there were no actual complaints. It was technically still against Asgard's rules for mortals to set eyes on the Realm Eternal; not that that had stopped Jane from being there for the past four years, since being recognized as Thor's intended.
What few (no one outside family for the time being) knew, was that Jane was pregnant for the first time. She wasn't even sure how it'd happened, she was taking pills! It was pretty much routine for her since before even meeting Thor, and while she'd tried to explain condoms to her lover, that one hadn't worked out. It wasn't that she didn't want to have children with him, she just hadn't planned on it happening so soon, especially when the thing with Thanos was still hanging over all of them. She wasn't sure which she hated most: the thought of something possibly happening to her baby, or Thor outright sending her away in a misguided attempt to keep them safe…
The ceremony was beautiful and as private as they could make it. There was some press presence and the UN was being allowed to take pictures and announce the news, after all, they were royalty, and with Jane still technically human. It was like Prince William's wedding to Kate Middleton times ten (or more!).
The reception took place in the mansion, and there was no press there. It was why they'd allowed them to be at the ceremony, had answered a few questions and even posed for a few pictures, the rest of the night was just theirs. They would be celebrating, before Jane and Thor retired for the night, in the morning they'd be traveling to Asgard for the rest of the celebration. It was Nightingale actually who warned Jane that Asgardian weddings took days (she still remembered her own, or rather Tinúviel's since, aside from a banquet where their union was recognized she and Loki hadn't had much in way of a wedding in her current life… which was just fine with both of them!), in fact, with Thor being Crown Prince it wouldn't surprise her if it went on for a whole week. Jane was stupefied at the prospect but was willing enough to see it as nothing more than a minor inconvenience to being with the man she loved (there was a time when she feared it would never happen, that Odin would never let them be together…).
While Jane and Thor had managed to convince Nightingale to sing something for their first dance. And she agreed easily enough (having already decided that the song she'd first performed for John's and Sherlock's wedding several years prior would work well with them). Thor asked her to perform one more song though, before the dance, and to do so with Loki.
"Neither of us may be Ljósalfár." Thor had tried to explain when making the request. "And neither of us may truly understand how your magic works… but we do know that there is magic in your voices when you sing. And a duet… a duet is supposed to be a representation of love, isn't it? Perhaps if you will it, it might serve as blessing for us both, and for our marriage."
Neither Loki nor Nightingale had the slightest idea of how such a thing had ever occurred to Thor, though they knew he wasn't reaching for straws, what he was asking for it was quite possible, they'd been through it already, after all, with Ylva's and Fenrir's own union, a lifetime ago. So they agreed.
There was actually a duet Nightingale and Loki had been working on together for quite a while, though they never found a reason to sing it. Perhaps, just perhaps, they'd instinctively been waiting for that very day…
The music was easy enough, they'd done such spells so many times they were almost second nature by then. Loki and Nightingale stood in the middle of the Ballroom, staring right at each other, as if trying to divine the secrets of the universe from the other's eyes. It was Loki who began singing:
"Aren't you something to admire, cause your shine is something like a mirror?
And I can't help but notice, you reflect in this heart of mine
If you ever feel alone and the glare makes me hard to find
Just know that I'm always parallel on the other side"
Their hands held in the air, almost but not quite touching, Nightingale took over for the next verse:
"Cause with your hand in my hand and a pocket full of soul
I can tell you there's no place we couldn't go
Just put your hand on the glass, I'll be tryna pull you through
You just gotta be strong"
And then came the time for an actual duet, there was no hesitation, they both began singing, their voices mixing perfectly, not a single note off. Then again, that was the staple of a match like theirs:
"Cause I don't wanna lose you now
I'm looking right at the other half of me
The vacancy that sat in my heart
Is a space, but now you're home
Show me how to fight for now
And I'll tell you baby, it was easy
Coming back into you once I figured it out
You were right here all along
It's like you're my mirror
My mirror staring back at me
I couldn't get any bigger
With anyone else beside of me
And now it's clear as this promise
That were making two reflections into one
Cause it's like you're my mirror
My mirror staring back at me, staring back at me"
The two spun around some, in elegant, smooth motions, reflecting each other all the time. They ended on the other side from where they'd begun, still not quite touching, never letting go of each other's eyes. Everyone in the room could feel it then, the bond that united them, as the match they were, and they could tell that it was a power that didn't unite just them, there were many other couples connected by such bonds as well, some had known it before, some hadn't, but there was no doubt in that moment, no doubt at all. Loki's smile was warm and sincere, as he sang the next part:
"Aren't you something, an original, cause it doesn't seem really as simple?
And I can't help but stare cause I see truth somewhere in your eyes
I can't ever change without you, you reflect me, I love that about you
And if I could, I would look at us all the time"
Nightingale was smiling, almost laughing, she just loved her match so much, and that song showed it in ways she sometimes couldn't find the best words to do so, in normal-speech. Then again, with the bond they shared, words tended to be unnecessary anyway. Still, every so often it was nice to say it, and when that same song might help others find their own other half? All the more reason for her:
"Cause with your hand in my hand and a pocket full of soul
I can tell you there's no place we couldn't go
Just put your hand on the glass, I'll be here tryna pull you through
You just gotta be strong"
The chorus came up for the second time, and again the two began dancing around each other; almost but never quite touching. A visual representation of so many who might find their other half yet not see it, not acknowledge it. Something for those listening to them to think over for a while, perhaps…
"Cause I don't wanna lose you now
I'm looking right at the other half of me
The vacancy that sat in my heart
Is a space, but now you're home
Show me how to fight for now
And I'll tell you baby, it was easy
Coming back into you once I figured it out
You were right here all along
It's like you're my mirror
My mirror staring back at me
I couldn't get any bigger
With anyone else beside of me
And now it's clear as this promise
That were making two reflections into one
Cause it's like you're my mirror
My mirror staring back at me, staring back at me"
They both stopped moving at the same time, arms and feet seemingly frozen in place, like images paused in time. It made the next verse sung by Nightingale somehow seem all the more powerful:
"Yesterday is history, oh woah
And tomorrow's a mystery, mystery, hey
I can see you looking back at me
Keep your eyes on me, yeah
Keep your eyes on me"
Then, like some kind of spell had finally broken the two of them came together. They danced, this time without letting go of each other even for a moment, while singing the chorus one more time:
"Cause I don't wanna lose you now
I'm looking right at the other half of me
The vacancy that sat in my heart
Is a space, but now you're home
Show me how to fight for now
And I'll tell you baby, it was easy
Coming back into you once I figured it out
You were right here all along
It's like you're my mirror
My mirror staring back at me
I couldn't get any bigger
With anyone else beside of me
And now it's clear as this promise
That were making two reflections into one
Cause it's like you're my mirror
My mirror staring back at me, staring back at me"
Loki's arms were wound tight around Nightingale's waist, and while she inclined her body back just enough for people to focus on her, she didn't step away, nor did she let go from where her own arms were linked around his neck, as she sang the final part of the song, his own voice echoing hers on the very last line. It was truly the perfect ending to a perfect duet, the truest show of a match's love:
"Show me how to fight for now
Cause I don't wanna lose you now
It's like you're my mirror"
xXx
Rose woke up panting, drenched in cold sweat and almost trembling, Pietro's arms around her. She wasn't even surprised anymore. While she didn't actually wake up with such a reaction from visions in her dreams every night, it wasn't exactly a rare occurrence either. Still, most time they weren't so bad. In that moment… Well, at least the whole thing had waited until they were done with Thor and Jane's wedding. The two were off on their honeymoon and, following Asgardian tradition, wouldn't be bothered for a full moon-cycle. That was alright, they had time.
"Ves'tacha?" Pietro called, he always said that when she woke up in such a state after a vision, hoping it might help ground her back in reality.
"Neshama." She replied automatically, turning to look at him.
Her parents were the same, she'd seen it. Even if neither of them had the Sight, they had both been through enough to sometimes get 'lost' inside their own heads. Also, when bad things happened to one or both of them. Rose, just like her siblings, had seen the way they would either call each other by their elven terms of endearment, or more simply use the words 'Mo Anam Chara'. Back when first seeing them she hadn't understood, what it all really meant to them, didn't seen it as anything more than a somewhat odd ritual. Then she'd learned. For most they might be nothing more than words, but the voice pronouncing them, the feel in them, they grounded her, grounded them both.
"It's nothing urgent, not yet." She explained to him eventually.
"So… Thor and Jane will not be getting interrupted." Pietro nodded, a smirk adorning his face. "Good, don't wanna imagine how the way would get if we were to interrupt their private time."
Rose almost snorted. Not because she thought he was wrong… but still, she didn't need that kind of image in her head! Though, all things said, it was probably better than what had been there just a minute before… which was probably why Pietro had said it. She just smiled at him, kissing the edge of his mouth and didn't resist at all when he pulled her on top of him. Yes, they had some time, after all, it would be six months yet before Thanos and his army got to Midgard…
After the extremely long initial ANs I decided to take it easy here. If you have any questions concerning the story, what the hell I'm doing mixing so many fandoms and mythos... you may ask, I'll do my best to answer, flames will be summarily ignored.
Like was said before, this fic has five parts, will be updated weekly. Each chapter is named after a constellation, and the intro-line more or less explains how it fits with the theme of the chapter. I chose the five I thought worked best (there are hundreds!).
As always, full-sized poster and set of wallpapers can be found in my DA account, I'm Princess-Lalaith there. Please don't forget to review!
See ya next week!