By the end of the day, Thor had finished the sword. He was pleased with the way the sword had turned out. It was firm yet elegant and light enough for Alina to hold comfortably, though Thor never expected her to use it in battle. It was only a symbol of his ability to protect her. Now that Thor's task was complete, Bruce led him into the palace and took him to his room so Thor could bathe. Thor was surprised that Bruce had a bedroom on Olympus; Bruce only shrugged
"Being best friends with the King of the god's youngest daughter has its perks," Bruce said dismissively.
Thor nodded and went into the washroom to bathe quickly.
While Thor was doing that, Hephestus examined the sword that Thor had made for his little sister. He took the sword from Bruce and eyed it critically. Hephestus would not allow Thor to give his sister a substandard weapon, even if it was only for show. After a few minutes, Hephestus nodded, "The Asgardian did well, considering that he's a novice."
"You think so?" Bruce asked.
"Yes, in fact, I think I'll make the sheath for the sword for him. It shouldn't take me that long to make it," Hephestus informed his little sister's friend.
Hephestus took the sword back to the forge to measure it and make the sheath. When Thor returned, Bruce informed him that Hephestus was making the sheath for the blade. Thor smiled at Bruce, "That is very kind of him."
Thor and Bruce went back into the forge to watch Hephestus work on the sheath. Thor watched intently as Hephestus worked the metal and shaped it to fit the sword he had made for his bride-to-be. It took Hephestus less time to finish the scabbard than for Thor to make the sword. When the metal had cooled, Hephestus slipped the blade into the sheath and handed it to Thor. Thor smiled at his future brother-in-law.
"My thank you, Hephestus, for your help."
Hephestus nodded, "No, thanks needed, Thor; consider this my contribution to my little sister's wedding present. And now that that's finished, I shall get started on the wedding bands for you and my sister," Hephestus informed Thor.
Thor brightened and began to tell Hephestus exactly how he wanted the bands to look and the runes he needed to be placed on them. Hephestus made notes of everything Thor was telling him and told him that once he was finished, he would take the rings to Hecate to bless them with her magic. Thor thanked Hephestus, and then he and Bruce left Olympus.
Meanwhile, back at Stark Tower, the girls had arrived from their shopping day. Pepper went to her bedroom and found Tony peacefully sleeping. She smiled down at her boyfriend, thankful to both Alina and her cousin Morpheus for helping Tony finally get the rest he needed. Once Pepper was satisfied that Tony was alright, she left their bedroom and went to the living room to help the women put the bags away. Pepper thought it best to keep Alina's wedding dress so that no one would risk seeing it before the wedding. After that, Pepper and Alina began to make dinner for everyone, and the Goddesses went back to Olympus.
While the women waited for dinner to cook, the rest of the Avengers, Thor, and Bruce, arrived home. Thor smiled when he saw his beloved and made a beeline for her. Alina stood, and Thor wrapped his arms around her, soundly kissing her, "I have missed you all day long, Little One." Thor said when he pulled away from the kiss.
"I've missed you too, my love," Alina answered.
"How was your shopping excursion, my dove?" Thor asked when he set Alina down.
"Great! We got my wedding dress and the bridesmaid dress for Pepper and Natasha, along with a few other things."
Thor smiled, "That's wonderful. May I see the dress?"
Alina gasped dramatically, "Of course not, Thor; you can't see the dress until the wedding day!"
Thor pouted, "Why not?"
Bruce chuckled, "It's a Midgardian tradition that the groom not see the wedding dress until the day of the wedding."
Thor looked at Bruce and nodded. Then he gave his bride-to-be a mischievous smile, "Fine, if I cannot see your dress, then you cannot see the wedding rings your brother made."
This time, Alina pouted, "That's not fair!"
"Of course it is; the only ring you can see is your new engagement ring."
Alina squealed when Thor got down on one knee and offered Alina an engagement ring, "Alina, with this ring, I would like to formally ask you to marry me."
"Yes, of course, my love," Alina said with tears slipping down her cheeks. Thor slid the engagement ring onto her finger, then stood and kissed her.
"Aw, that's so cute," Tony yawned when he walked into the room. Pepper elbowed him, and he grunted in pain.
After that, the women went into the kitchen to get dinner, and Steve went to help them. After dinner, Pepper asked about the invitations and who they would invite. She showed them invitations samples while Natasha wrote down who would be invited to the wedding. When Thor informed Natasha that he wanted to ask Darcy and Eric to attend the wedding, Natasha glanced at Alina. Nat wasn't sure it was a good idea to invite Jane's friends, but when Alina nodded, she wrote their names down. Once Alina and Thor picked out the invitations and Natasha gave Pepper the list, Pepper sent an email to make the cards. She added that those invited could bring a date.
The days went by, and the wedding preparations continued. Alina and Thor went cake tasting and picked out the chinaware, the decorations, and the menu. They decided on a DJ instead of a band. A few days later, the invitations arrived for Alina and Thor's inspection.
Together with their families
Alina Macleod and Thor Odinson
Invite you to share in the celebration of their wedding
Saturday the fourteenth of May at two o'clock in the afternoon
At the Mandarin Oriental, New York 80 Columbus Circle, New York, New York 10023
Dinner and Dancing to follow
Alina and Thor looked at each other and smiled; the invitations were perfect. Now that Pepper had their approval, she had them printed and mailed out.
Meanwhile, in New Mexico
Darcy was checking the mail and found two formal invitations addressed to her and Eric. She walked into the lab and handed the invitation to Eric. He looked at her curiously, "What's this?" He asked.
"It looks like a wedding invitation," Darcy answered.
She opened the invitation and read it. Her eyes widened when she read who the invitation was from. As she read her invitation, Eric did the same thing. They looked at each other and looked at Jane, who was working on her computer.
Feeling their stares, Jane looked at the duo with a questioning look, "What's up, you two?"
Darcy and Eric glanced at each other again
"Did the mail arrive?" Jane asked.
"Um, yeah, it did," Darcy answered.
"No, there were only two letters for Darcy and me," Eric commented.
"Oh, yeah? From whom?"
Darcy took a deep breath, "From Thor; he sent us invitations to his wedding."
Jane's eyes widened, "What?"
"Thor is getting married, Jane."
Her eyes glistened and she gave them a fake smile, "Oh, well, I'm happy for him."
Darcy raised her eyebrow, "Really?"
"Yes, of course. Would you excuse me a minute?" Jane asked then left the building.
She went to the roof and sat down. She stared up at the night sky and a lone tear fell from her eye.