Apologies - this chapter fought me tooth and nail for almost a week until yesterday when it finally capitulated, and turned into probably the longest single update that I've published so far...

I've had a brilliant response to these stories, for which I thank all those that have favourited, followed and reviewed. With pressures from RL I've really fallen badly behind on answering those reviews for which I apologise from the bottom of my heart, but just because I haven't replied, please don't think I don't read and appreciate every single one

Now we have Part Two of Thor and Jane's Wedding. In which a wizard dances, Sif is surprised and Steve Rogers learns rather more about Loki...

Merrick x


Pomp and Circumstance Part 2:

Being at what was probably the biggest event in the entire Nine Realms for the next four to five thousand years was certainly something to brag about thought Harry, but all things being equal he'd take Hermione and Loki's wedding over Thor and Jane's any day. The tiny little official from Alfheim whose name he didn't have a cat in hell's chance of pronouncing, let alone spelling, and who was apparently the only person in the Nine Realms important enough to marry the King of Asgard, was also afflicted with a major case of verbal diarrhoea. To add to his discomfort, the late summer day was punishingly hot and he must have been standing in leather, armour and a heavy cloak in the oppressively crowded and stuffy Throne Room for at least two hours – and they hadn't even got to Jane's coronation yet. There were some benefits to magic though, he thought smugly. Cooling charms made it all a bit more bearable, and from the cool unruffled appearance of the Bride and Groom, Loki or Hermione must have cast something on them before they started the ceremony – unlike some of the guests who were beginning to look alarmingly hot under the collar. Even cooling charms couldn't do anything to prevent sore feet or aching backs though.

As if sensing his distraction, Hermione's eyes slid sideways, shooting him a disapproving look as he fidgeted. Opposite her Loki was a statue in black trimmed with blood red and gold, centuries of princely training standing him in good stead – ruefully Harry wished for his friend's self discipline as he tried to discretely ease the pins and needles in his left foot.

At last, to his utter relief the droning voice drew to a close, and Thor and Jane were finally making their vows to one another. Unlike Hermione and Loki, this was no magical binding, simply the traditional handfasting with silken cords of blue and rose for Jane and the inevitable scarlet and gold for Thor. Finally Loki stepped forward, passing Idun's Apple to his brother to give to Jane and the first part of the ceremony was complete.

In comparison, Jane's coronation as Queen of Asgard, was relatively brief. By tradition no spouse of a monarch could be crowned without the approbation of the people, which was why royal marriages were always such enormous occasions. Turning, Thor took his bride's hand, and drew her forward to the edge of the steps.

"My friends, people of Asgard, honoured guests from the Nine Realms, I present to you my bride the Lady Jane Foster of Midgard. She is a woman of great honour, intelligence and strength, and she already holds my heart in her hands. Will you now have her as your Queen?"

Such was the people's love for their golden king, Harry thought, that they would have given their approval to Bellatrix Lestrange had he asked, but Jane, beautiful, softly spoken Jane, wide-eyed at the place that a chance meeting in the desert had brought her to, was a shoe-in, and the roar of approval, from both inside and outside the palace, left no doubt at all.

Hermione stepped forward carrying the Queen's coronet on a scarlet velvet cushion.

Jane knelt, dark head bowed, surrounded by the billowing skirts of her heavily embroidered cloth of gold gown. Thor took the coronet in hands which, Harry and Hermione could see, were not entirely steady.

"Jane Foster, Lady of Midgard and my beloved bride. I crown you Queen of Asgard and Guardian, besoe me, of the Nine Realms, by right of marriage, and by popular assent" He lowered the delicately crafted coronet onto her glossy dark hair, before raising her to her feet once more. Harry knew from watching rehearsals, that he was supposed to kiss her formally on both cheeks before presenting her to the people. Instead he pulled her spontaneously into his arms, lifting her clear off her feet, shimmering skirts flying as he spun her around, kissing her soundly.

It was a guaranteed crowd pleaser and the spectators erupted into roars of approval. But more than that, it was the joy of the couple before them that they truly responded to, both young, beautiful and a symbol of their people's hope for the future. As the royal party, Thor and Jane at the centre, Loki and Hermione to their left, and Frigga to their right moved to the balcony to make the customary appearance to the citizens of Asgard who had gathered below, Harry couldn't help but compare the sight before him to what he had heard of the days of Odin Allfather. It was no wonder that the people roared their approval for the King and Queen, that had brought the sunshine back to their city.

ooo0ooo

The night had drawn in – the truly spectacular feast was over and the guests had changed out of their armour and formal gowns into something more appropriate for the drinking and dancing that were to follow. Harry had happily shed his cloak and armour in favour of a silver grey silk tunic with black embroidery, and was feeling considerably more comfortable. He had already danced with Hermione, Jane, Lucilla and even Frigga – now, with a goblet of wine in his hand, what he really needed was some fresh air.

The summer air was cool and soft on his face, as Harry wandered slowly across the large curved balcony, enjoying the spectacular views. There were a few knots of people chatting quietly, and in a darkened corner, he was fairly sure he could see Fandral attempting to work his not inconsiderable charms on one of the ladies of the court. If it was the lady he suspected it was, Harry wished him luck. She was very lovely, but very very married, to a man notorious for both his possessive nature, and his skill with a sword – Fandral should watch his back. Leaving them discretely to it, Harry turned to move further down the balustrade, idly looking down into the garden, where Loki and a small group of specialists were finalising the details of a spectacular firework display, which would take place in about an hour. It had been Loki's pet project, and was likely to be the most spectacular in the memory of even the longest lived Aesir – after all Loki had a reputation to protect. Such had been his recent obsession with fireworks, that Hermione had started to call him Gandalf, which made Jane and Harry laugh, but which was lost on Thor.

Believing himself to be alone at the far end of the balcony, Harry perched sideways on the balustrade, leaning back against one of the marble pillars, enjoying the peace and quiet after the frantic whirl of the last few days, when a small movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Someone else was sharing his end of the balcony. Someone with long dark hair which gleamed in the lamplight. Her dress, which left her arms and much of her smooth back bare, was just discernible as the deep and dreaming blue of the evening sky. Quietly, Harry left his spot to stand nearer to her. Even in profile the lovely face was tense and closed, the rigidity of her shoulders betraying her rigorously repressed emotions, as did the tightly clenched fists, resting on the balustrade.

"...A lovely sight"

Sif sighed, but didn't look around. "Yes. The principal balconies and terraces of the palace were deliberately positioned to give the best views across the city and the sea."

Harry smiled. "Really - that's impressive. Although I wasn't actually talking about the view of the city – spectacular though it is. I was looking at something a little closer." He paused to find a convenient ledge for his drink "...Why is the bravest and most beautiful lady in Asgard out here alone, instead of inside, with a long queue of men clamouring to dance with her?"

Sif turned slightly. "I do not care to dance"

"No" said Harry softly – greatly daring. "Because the man you gave your heart to dances with his bride tonight."

Her chin came up – blue eyes narrowed "You forget yourself – mortal" hissed Sif angrily. "Whether I do or do not dance is no concern of yours."

"You're right, it is no concern of mine. But when a friend is unhappy – that is my concern. When a woman like yourself encloses her heart and soul in ice to prevent it being hurt again – that too is my concern."

"And what? Mortal." She had turned away from him once again "... you believe that you can fill his place in my heart and in my bed? You think far too much of yourself." Beneath the anger her pain was clear to see.

Behind him, the music had started again. Harry risked a step closer.

"Will you dance with me Lady Sif?"

"What?"

His smile was warm and a little mischievous. "Will you dance with me Lady Sif?"

"Did you hear any of my words? Or are you too deafened by your own arrogance?"

Harry took one small, work roughened hand from the balustrade. "Sif. I asked you to dance with me. Not to marry me, just to dance. The evening is young, and it would be a terrible shame to waste that lovely dress, hiding out here." When her expression softened just a little, he drew her gently back towards the hall, his voice conspiratorial and unthreatening. "And beside. I overheard that creepy red haired guy in the bright purple robe saying that he was going to try to find you – at least if I do tread on your toes, you can guarantee I'll be an awful lot lighter – he could surely give Volstagg a run for his money"

His patience was rewarded by a reluctant chuckle as they stepped back into the hall.

ooo0ooo

Frigga was having a wonderful evening, ecstatic to finally see both of her beloved sons so settled and happy, and had been celebrating by dancing the soles from her shoes all evening. Jane and Hermione had finally lured her back to a table for a few minutes respite, while they looked back on the events of the day. Thor was pinned down under friendly fire by a princess from Vanaheim who was definitely several centuries past her best, and Loki was still down in the gardens dealing with fireworks. Jane and Hermione were giggling quietly over Thor's paralysed expression when Frigga gave a small exclamation of satisfaction.

Frigga had been concerned to see Sif's expression become increasingly frozen over the course of the celebrations, until she finally retreated out onto the balcony to lick her wounds in relative privacy. Now it appeared that Harry had succeeded in luring her back into the hall and onto the dancefloor.

"Young Harry is quite the dancer – and quite the charmer it seems"

Hermione let out a gurgle of laughter. "He's come a long way since school clearly. He used to blush furiously if a pretty girl so much as looked at him – and he would've rather cut his legs off than take one onto the dance floor – where he had two left feet. And look at him now."

Frigga smiled. "He certainly seems to be enjoying himself – and so is Sif. She used to love to dance, but I haven't seen her on the dancefloor for – centuries maybe"

"Hmm," Hermione frowned. "She's not my favourite person I must admit. But hey..." she looked at Jane "from what I've heard, your husband was an arrogant prat and mine was definitely a wannabe megalomaniac, so I suppose there's plenty of scope for Sif to change. I just hope she does it sooner rather than later. Unlike Jane and I, Harry doesn't have five thousand years...

ooo0ooo

Harry and Sif slipped quietly away from the party sometime after the newlyweds but long before the serious drinkers were likely to call it quits. Much to Sif's chagrin Harry had insisted on walking her back to her chambers. "I know - you're more capable of taking care of yourself than anyone I know - but you're tired and you're not exactly dressed for a fight, so just humour me for once...ok" Sif had agreed with a sigh that was only partially feigned; now she led him through an unfamiliar maze of corridors. By now Harry was quite familiar with the wing that constituted the Royal apartments but this was new to him.

Sif smiled a little at his confusion. "These are the Court apartments. I have one of the nicest on the lower floors, but the ones higher up are smaller. Will you find your way back alone?"

"Wizard remember? If I'd known where you lived I could've saved you the walk, but apparating blind, carrying a passenger when you're this tired is a very bad idea."

They turned right into a side corridor and Sif finally stopped at one of the doors with a resigned expression. Harry suspected that this was the point where she was expecting to have to fight him off - but doing the unexpected had served him well so far.

Stepping closer, he bent to brush the lightest of kisses onto her fingers. "Goodnight Sif. I had a lovely evening, thank you. Sleep well"

Then he left her.

As he turned left out of her corridor he paused to look back. She was still standing by her door, watching him. Clearly she had not expected that. With a final wave, Harry apparated back to his room...

ooo0ooo

Harry woke bright and early the following morning with little inclination to stay in bed. Grabbing coffee and a hasty breakfast he followed his nose down to the training grounds, hoping that he might bump into Sif. Unfortunately she was nowhere to be seen, but he did find a sizeable crowd watching Loki in hand to hand combat with Dalan. The burly Captain of the Guard was almost as tall as Loki, and significantly broader and heavier, but this didn't appear to cause Loki any problems whatsoever as he was just pulling Dalan up from the ground after a particularly bruising throw. After a few minutes Harry realised that the man standing next to him, watching with interest was none other than Captain America himself. Harry nodded curtly, before turning back to the two combatants.

"Mr Potter...?"

"Harry"

"Harry. I apologise if Stark offended you the other day in the carriage. He has a tendency to speak without considering the consequences and causing offence is what he does best..." Rogers was silent for a moment before adding "...although to be fair, Loki did throw him through a window"

Harry shrugged, unimpressed "I would have expected one of Earth's mightiest heroes would be unfazed by something as minor as being tossed through a window"

Rogers cleared his throat. "It was on the 92nd floor of Stark Tower. He wasn't wearing a suit at the time."

Harry had the grace to look abashed. "Ah. I see. Who caught him?"

"Jarvis, his AI. Stark was wearing tracking bracelets at the time, which enabled Jarvis to send a suit down after him, but it was a close run thing – and the repulsors firing to push him back up nearly took out half a dozen civilians. Of course we realised afterwards that Loki was as controlled as Dr Selvig and Barton – but that kind of thing doesn't endear you y'kn..." Rogers' voice tailed off in shock.

In the course of the bout it appeared that Loki's lightweight linen shirt had been ripped, leaving it flapping distractingly around his right arm. Having snagged it once already, he had clearly lost patience and was in the process of pulling the ruined garment over his head.

Harry knew of Loki's scars, he had even caught a brief glimpse of them when they were changing for Loki's wedding. But he had never seen them so clearly - in the bright morning sunshine, the mass of melted distorted, discoloured flesh running from his shoulders to the waist of his trousers stood out with appalling ferocity.

"What the fuck...?" Steve's eyes were wide in horror.

Harry glared at him. "D'you remember how I told you that you should leave Loki alone? That he'd been punished enough."

Steve Rogers was white as his tee shirt, his eyes never leaving Loki's ruined back. "That was for...? What the hell did they do to him?"

Harry drew him away from the crowd surrounding the combatants, away from prying ears.

"Odin sentenced him to death for what he did in New York."

"Odin? As in the King of Asgard? Their father?"

Harry shrugged. "Loki's adopted father if we're going to be strictly accurate."

"Didn't he know about the whole mind control thing? It must've come up at the trial."

Harry's face was grim. "Oh he knew alright. And to be fair I don't think that being hauled up in front of a room full of your greatest enemies, still muzzled and with no one to speak for you quite counts as a trial. Fundamentally Loki's greatest crime was not attempting to take over the world , but embarrassing Odin once too often."

Steve slumped weakly onto a nearby bench. "Dear God"

"He stripped him of his rank and his magic and sent him to the cave of the World Serpant, five days journey from here. The snake is dead now, but apparently it was trapped in the rock high in the roof of the cave, and dripped concentrated acid from its fangs on whichever poor bastard they choose to chain up beneath it."

Steve was positively green by now, shaking his head mutely.

Harry pressed on, sensing that this may be the only chance anyone would have to tell this tale. "Remember, even without his magic, Loki is Jotun, and like the Aesir, as tough as Grandad's boots. The venom would have had to actually made contact with his heart before it killed him.."

"...how long?" Steve's voice was little more than a strained whisper.

"Well no-one's actually certain, but months definitely – years if he was really unlucky."

Rogers frowned suddenly. "Did Thor know...?"

Harry shook his head, glad to set that record straight. "No – he would never have allowed it to happen. And Frigga – I remember Thor saying that she would rather have seen Odin dead and Asgard in ashes around him. They were the only two that never lost faith in him. No Odin made sure that they were both well out of the way before he passed sentence, then fed Frigga a pack of lies when she got back."

"So what happened...?"

"Thor was chasing his tail around Asgard trying to get a straight answer from the moment he got back but everyone was more afraid of Odin than they were of him. Except for one man. The red haired guy that Loki's wrestling with? He was one of the soldiers that escorted Loki – but it didn't sit right with him, what Odin did to his son, so when Thor came back, he told him."

"And Thor rescued him?"

"Oh yes. He'd been in the cave itself for nearly a week by then. Aside from the venom, he'd been viciously beaten several times by the guards, in addition to some older, half healed injuries..." Steve winced remembering the hole in Stark's floor. "Anyway, Thor found him, killed the serpent, and took them both to Earth. He took him to a - safe place – I can't tell you where, but even Odin's eyes couldn't reach him there. And that was where he met Hermione..."

"His wife? She seems really nice. Stark says Pepper was really taken with her, they spent some time talking yesterday"

Harry smiled warmly. "Hermione's the best. She nursed him back to health physically, and put him back together mentally..." he shook his head "...he was a mess man. Not long after that Thor seized the throne of Asgard, but Loki knew he wasn't ready to come back - stayed on Earth with Hermione – working alongside her, for two years until Odin died, and they were able to finally talk about returning. That was this spring."

Steve's eyes were still on the training yard, but he was trying to wrap his head around the idea that Loki had been on Earth for pretty much the whole of the last two years without anyone appearing to be aware of it.. "He seems – better."

Harry nodded, smiling. "Oh yeah. He's great y'know. Wickedly smart – like – genius smart. Brilliant tactician, more politically savvy than anyone I've ever met, charm by the bucketload and snarky as hell."

"He sounds too good to be true"

Harry laughed. "Oh Gods no. He's the most sarcastic bugger I've ever met in my life, and believe me, he comes with a shit load of baggage. Not only does he not suffer fools gladly – he doesn't suffer them at all; and he can hold a grudge longer than anyone I've ever met."

Steve looked at him steadily. "You're very fond of him?"

"He's the big brother I always wanted but never had."

"How does Thor feel about that?"

Harry shrugged. "I was worried y'know, but Thor seems to've adopted me too, as his other bratty baby brother. Now Loki has a role and an identity beyond that of Thor's weedy annoying little brother, finally feels like he's good at something for a change – nothing he did for Odin was ever good enough... and of course, he really really loves Hermione..." He turned to face Rogers. "Look - I've probably said far more than I should but - I really wanted you to see the other side of him you know. Just - discretion please - ok?

Both men became aware that the bout had finished, and Loki was heading their way. Rogers clapped Harry on the shoulder as he rose to leave, nodding curtly at Loki. "Thanks for that Harry – I'll see you around..."