Remember not our rusty pieces, remember not our faulty parts
It's not the petty imperfections that define us, but the way we hold our hearts.

Nine.

Asgard was absolutely breathtaking. The view was more vivid than any picture imagination could have fashioned from stories. Rivers and clouds were painted colors not known to any other realms. The bridge led us back to a darkly lit room with a lone man in golden armor with focused eyes. He spoke lowly, much like the messengers had. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Lady Althea. I am the gatekeeper, Heimdall." His expression was very bland, but I had curtsied to him in recognition.

"The pleasure is all mine, Heimdall."

"There is no need to address me as a higher power to you. I am well aware of the situations at hand." The messengers intervened, announcing that the prince demanded my presence immediately. I bid farewell to Heimdall, allowing him to return his focuses to watching over the realms.

We continued through Asgard, making our way towards the royal chambers and Valhalla. Many of the Aesir population that I had passed by granted me curious looks. I tried to pay no mind to it and tried to focus more on the glorious aesthetics of the place. "Here we are." The messengers chimed in their deep, bass voices.

They had turned to leave, leaving me with one other woman. I assumed her to be the Vanir that was selected just as I was. She approached me, her long auburn hair swaying with the movement. Her violet eyes were perked with curiosity. "Hello there, I am Veleda. Are you the chosen one from Alvheim?"

"Um, yes. I am Althea." She clapped, bounding closer to me.

"Lovely, lovely! Have you met with the princes yet? They're just lovely." There was something about her attitude that had immediately brightened my mood. She seemed so sunny and optimistic.

"Yes, I have. Though, that was a few weeks ago. I haven't seen either of them since." Double doors drew open with heavy footsteps approaching. Thor walked in, bright as ever. Though Loki, who trailed in after, did not seem as thoroughly pleased.

"Welcome to Asgard!" Thor's voice boomed, thoroughly alerting me. His burly arms wrapped around both mine and Veleda's shoulders, talking of how proud he was of us for being chosen. Thor's joyous behavior, as well as Veleda's from earlier, was too infectious to resist. I could not help the laughter that escaped my lips. Thor pressed a welcoming kiss to my cheek. "I never had that dance with you, Lady Althea."

I looked up to him briefly, a coy smile playing on my features. "Perhaps I shall go through with my promise. I make no guarantees." With the faux shock that crossed Thor, I escaped from under his warming grip. As soon as the opportunity presented itself, Veleda flitted under Thor's eye for attention.

Loki, on the other hand, had his eyes downcast with bitterness seeping through his pores as he took a seat along the golden steps. I was gingerly stepping on the balls of my feet to be stealthy, though the attempt was vain due to the platforms of my heeled boots clicking along the floor. "What has you down, Prince Loki?" At the sound of his name, his eyes shifted up though his body hadn't moved. The faint of smirk twisted his thin lips.

"If anything, a light has appeared in my life." I took a seat beside him on the steps, watching the playfulness exchange between Veleda and Thor. Loki's gaze followed mine, watching the two as well. As their laughter dissipated, Thor turned towards to the two of us.

"Come, Althea! Allow me to give you and Veleda a grand tour of Asgard!" The infectious smile was back. I stood up, flattening out the hem of my gown before beginning to follow Thor out. Veleda was on one side, I on the other, as he took us through the castle. It was just as extravagant as the rest of Asgard was, if not even more. "Tonight, we will feast and introduce you both to the rest of Asgard."

"I beg your pardon, Prince Thor, but we were selected to wed you or Prince Loki, correct?" Veleda asked, her bubbly persona being filled with sincere curiosity. "How will we know whom we are betrothed to?" Thor had a sly smile, gently flicking her nose with a finger and tossing a wink.

"That's a secret, my dear." Veleda laughed at this, and I myself had the faintest smile.

"If you'll excuse me, Prince Thor," I said as politely as possible. "Would it be possible for me to rest in my chambers for a while? I'd like to be rejuvenated for the feast tonight." Thor's bright blue eyes lit up, as if he'd suddenly forgotten something.

"Yes, yes, of course! My sincerest apologies; let me lead you both to your temporary quarters." After winding through lengthy hallways, up the grand staircase, and through another hall, we came across our rooms. Mine was on the left, directly across from Veleda's. "You will both need to ring for a seamstress for proper garments. They will have to rush to have something ready for you this evening. You're both free to roam about the castle." As he bid us farewell, Thor pressed a kiss to my cheek bone and did the same to Veleda before heading off.

I rang for a seamstress immediately, wanting to have something pleasant to wear rather than reusing my current garb. They were up in no time at all with measuring tape, swatches of fabric, etcetera. While one took my measurements, the other was arguing which color would suit my complexion best.

"Could we go with a dark turquoise, maybe?" At my suggestion, they rummaged through their swatches, trying to find a suitable shade. A rich, heavy aquamarine was selected and, after my given consent, they had gone to work on it right away. They also said after this work was complete, they'd focus on building up my wardrobe. They had told me that my wardrobe currently consisted of nightgowns and undergarments for the time being.

I walked into the conjoined bathroom, lavishing in the luxurious furnishings I'd been provided. They really did spoil their guests it would seem. Then again, I couldn't imagine the princes' rooms in comparison to these. I drew hot water in the large golden bath before stripping off my undergarments and dipping into the tub.

My muscles instantly loosened from the stressed state I didn't even know they were in. My head lulled back with eyes closed, mouth stringing melodic poetry of my father's lullaby on its own accord. I once recall on the church steps, when I moved to kiss your chest, how we paid such close attention to each sweet and stuttered breath. I should have stopped to paint our picture, captured honest pure affection. Just to document the difference between attraction and connection. The stream of jets began to push into knots along my spine as well as my thighs and calves, lulling me farther into fatigue. Words continued to ring in my head before taking over my thoughts entirely and I could hear estranged bells and the whispers of my father.

A knock at the door alerted me of another presence, making me peel my eyelids back and reconnect with my surroundings. I supposed I should remove myself from the tub anyway, considering had I relaxed any further, I probably would have drowned myself. "Just a moment!" I called out, grasping for one of the fluffy towels on the rack. After covering myself with a robe found in the linen closet and wrapping my hair with the towel, I headed back towards my bedroom to see Thor sitting patiently on the bench at the foot of my bed.

"Such a beautiful song had fallen from the lips of a siren," Was all he said at first, the faintest smile on his face.

"Oh. You heard that?" Embarrassment suddenly washed over me as I felt the need to burrow into my bathrobe a tad more. My arms were folded over my chest as I made my way towards my near empty wardrobe to grab undergarments. It didn't necessarily bother me that I had a royal guest in the room. I figured that if I were to marry either of them, I'd need to be comfortable around them doing menial tasks such as dressing my bare body.

"I did. It was like nothing I had heard before." The comment made the most miniscule laugh escape my lungs.

"It was the lullaby my father used to sing to me every night." I toweled off my hair, letting the damp, blonde locks free. I took the brush I had found in my vanity, gently working my way from the ends to the roots.

"You speak of him fondly, yet your features are unpleasant." Thor was very observant, much to my surprise. Normally, those with brutish stature were not necessarily analytic. A sigh escaped me. I pulled myself away from the vanity, brush still weaving its way through my hair, and sat beside Thor on the bench.

"I loved my father dearly, as my mother, but more so my father. When he had passed, I had only hoped to follow in not only his footsteps, but in the path he had laid out for me to bring up my family."

"What happened to him?"

"He, along with my mother, were both numbers in Freyr's royal guard during the Aesir-Vanir war." A look of realization crossed his slightly stubbled face. Guilt washed over him and, in turn, washed over me for mentioning such a topic. Thor muttered his apologies, though I had shrugged them off. "If not for the war, I would not be here. Keep that in mind." He looked at me, his crystal blue eyes lightening in the slightest relief.

"That is true. Thank you, Lady Althea." With that, his arm wrapped around my waist and his lips pressed to my forehead before leaving me to dress in peace.

Disclaimer: I own no publicly recognizable characters - specifically the summons recognized as Final Fantasy 10's aeons.i thought they fit perfectly but take no credit for their creation. Only Althea, Everett, Elvira, and Rika.

AN: I have a knack for updating for when I'm severely depressed. That being said, I'll probably be updating a lot. Not just this story either, most likely rewriting my older, crappier stories along with updating this one. Enjoy!