The next morning I awoke to the sound of Kelda singing a song that I didn't recognize. I heard her bustling around the room, and the swishing of curtains in between her steps. I lay still, and pretended that I was still asleep, vainly hoping that she was only present to open the curtains then be off on her merry way. However, I knew that this wasn't the case, as she soon came over and began shaking my shoulder gently.

"Miss? Miss, 'tis time to wake up now. The preparations for your wedding this evening have already begun! We must get you ready."

I groaned back at her in response. I was getting married today. How had I already forgotten?

"These preparations shouldn't begin so early," I complained, slowly opening my eyes only to shut them again from the dazzling sunlight. "In Vanahemir they only last a few hours, not all day."

"Yes, well, marriage is as sacred as any union in Asgard, and since this is the wedding of a Prince of Asgard… You can imagine the readiness that must be taken. Many symbolic events are to take hold from now until your wedding, miss." Kelda informed me, while whisking the warm covers away from my body. I blinked a few times, allowing for my eyes to get used to the brilliant sunlight and lazily got out of the soft bed that was welcoming me.

Kelda grinned at me, and I kindly returned her smile. Before either of us could say another word, we heard a knocking at the door. Kelda briskly ran over to the door, and opened it enough for her heard to poke through. I waited anxiously, and after a moment where words were spoken at the door, Frigga walked in with four women trailing behind her. I did not recognize any of the women, who appeared to be at the same age of Frigga, apart from one; the Lady Sif. She was dressed in a fine, golden gown and she held her head high, though I could sense her irritation for being a part of this long and unnecessary project. I quickly curtsied to all the women, and they curtsied back. In an instant, all their thoughts came rushing into my mind.

…Her hips are not wide enough to support a child! Though perhaps the child will be slender like her husband. How will such a small child protect the realms?...

…Look at that hair, what an unusual girl! And a mind reader at that, I imagine she can hear us all now…

…She isn't standing tall enough; it makes her neck poke forward!

My eyes suddenly flicked to Sif, and all I could hear was her.

…She can read minds. Loki would use her to plot more tricks and debauchery, no doubt. She'd be at his advantage, too, being his wife. He could easily sway her to his side… What is the Allfather thinking? He already has all of Asgard whispering behind closed doors… It is too unorthodox, marrying off one's youngest son before the eldest. Thor has easily proven himself worthy of a wife, not Loki…

My eavesdropping was interrupted, as Frigga gracefully made her way toward me, a grin on her beautiful face. I quickly broke off my gaze with Sif, and I couldn't help but feel slightly hurt at what she had thought.

"My dear," Frigga said, warmth radiating in her golden eyes, "Today is the beginning of a new, exciting adventure for you."

I did my best to reassure her of my excitement that I was expected to have, yet I could not do it. I knew that she could feel my nervousness and my doubt, yet she still smiled at me encouragingly.

"Rowen," she said, gesturing to the ladies behind her, "These ladies are of my counsel. They have helped me though many difficult times and have always been there through the best,"-she smiled fondly at them-"It is custom, in Asgard, to have the mother of the groom and the ladies in her most inner circle assist the bride with all of the rituals she will go through before her wedding." Many of the ladies gave me judgmental looks, but I kept my gaze on Frigga, taking in her every word.

"While you get ready, we will be here to answer any questions you may have about the life of a new wife, or of being a mother, as we have all done so. Any wisdom or advice we have shall be given to you. Except for Lady Sif,"-Sif straightened herself slightly at the mention of her name-"While she is unwed and without child, she is still here to assist, as she has been a close friend of both Loki and Thor since childhood. I'm sure you two will become good friends." She flashed me a smile that made me think that Sif and I were to become friends no matter how one felt about the other.

I took a deep breath and looked around at all the ladies present. Kelda stood in the corner of the room, twisting her hands together in slight nervousness at Frigga's presence. The Ladies of Frigga's court all appeared to be the same age of the Great Mother, and all were dressed finely in golden gowns. I could see golden wedding bands on the fourth finger of their left hands, and could feel their confidence in themselves and their "wisdom".

"Which is first?" I asked, almost dreading the answer.

"The bath houses." She simply replied. I swallowed, nervously. Loki did not show me where these "bath houses" were when he gave me the tour of the palace, perhaps they were not in it? On top of that, I rapidly grew self conscious and nervous, praying to any who would listen that I would not be forced to expose myself in the company of these women.

With a swish of her gown, Frigga turned, and led us all out of the room. We followed her up twisting stairwells and golden halls, yet I could see no sign of an area that held bath houses. I was walking a few steps behind the entire group, as Kelda was right next to the Great Mother, begging for her attention. I noticed that Sif seemed to be walking rather slowly, which put me on edge. I listened to her.

I shouldn't think such things. I can not be so quick to judge, after all, Frigga is a Vanir, and she has proven to be the definition of trusting. Who am I fooling, I know where my bitterness lies, it lies with Loki, not Rowen. While Rowen may be trusted, he is not. He's not evil, he's just-

"Sif?"

Her thoughts shifted rapidly to brace herself for any reason I may throw at her for saying her name. Her posture stiffened, and her eyes shifted around.

"My Lady-"

"Please," I said, smiling at her, hoping to ease the tension, "Don't call me that." She curtly nodded. "I was only wondering, as I have just met him, what is Loki like?"

I took this opportunity to test Sif's character. I knew of two things: one, she would tell me her true thoughts, and warn me. Or two, she would lie. Morally, I suppose this was unfair, yet I was born with such gifts, and it seemed a waste to not use them. Sif looked uncertain, as I heard her argue with herself in her head about what to tell me. She fabricated some grand story in a matter of seconds, of how Loki was quiet, and did nothing to disturb anyone. Yet I could hear her conscious scolding her, telling her to tell me the truth.

She heaved a sigh, "My La-. Rowen," as we walked, she took a step closer to me and dropped her voice, "It is no secret in Asgard that the Princes are complete opposites. While they are greatly so in outward appearance, the same lies true with their personalities." I processed this, and wondered which course of action she would take. "Thor is rather extroverted, and well, loud. He's confidant, and strong: a true warrior,"-I couldn't help but notice the strong affection that coated her voice when she spoke of him-"Loki, on the other hand, is quiet. He keeps to himself most of the time, and is very mysterious. He does love his brother dearly, of that I have no doubt, yet it seems that he does not really enjoy the company of others to much. When goes on quests and battles with us, he rarely speaks, and if he does, it's either to Thor or to come up with an elaborate escape or aid."

"He fights with you?" I asked.

"Oh, yes. The Allfather saw fit to train Thor and Loki in battle. And again, more differences were evident when we would fight. Thor likes to get in the center of a battle, and fight off as many demons as he can with Mjolnir. Loki, rather, uses his daggers, and his sorcery to fight. He is very intelligent, I must admit, he is always thinking ten steps a head, while Thor does things more spur of the moment."

I could hear her recollection of battles fought, and instantly scenes of Loki in battle flashed before my inner eyes. While I took all that she said very strongly in to account, she was not yet telling me the thing which I desired most to find out. We were silent for a moment, with only the sound of ours and the Ladies footsteps clacking down the massive halls. When I thought I could bare it no longer, I finally asked her.

"Look, Sif," I began, dropping my voice even lower, "It's true: I can read minds."-Sif swallowed-"I have heard what all in my company have been thinking, most notably about my future husband," I did my best to sound sincere, yet also as defenseless as I could, as to not anger Sif or get her raise her suspicions.. "Thoughts of him have included words like 'mischief' and 'trickster.' Why the Allfather left me in the dark of these supposed accusations, is a mystery to us all, but"-we began to walk slower-"I must know the truth, Sif. I am to be bound forever to this man no matter what action is taken. If I am to fully accept this, there are things I need to know. Sif, what is Loki?"

"He is the God of Mischief, Rowen," she said, rather fast. "Now, before you worry, do not, for he is not evil. He just… He has a certain talent for trouble. He's always been one for mischief, as far back as I can remember, he was always doing something to disturb the peace, or distract him form the norm of life."

"What has he done?" I asked. My eyes automatically flicked to Sif's raven hair.

"Nothing condemnable, just small things, I suppose. He shape shifted into a snake once, to startle me. He's shape shifted into Thor or Fandral to try and coax secrets out of others, he's even made copies of himself to be in his stead when he was supposed to be in some place of importance."

My mind instantly took note of her last statement, and panic quickly spread through my body, "You don't think…?" I asked her.

"No," she said, flatly, "Through the years, the Allfather has had Heimdall keep a watchful eye over Loki, most especially when a great celebration or instance of important happens. The real Loki shall be present at your wedding, I promise you."

My mind turned over all that she had said while we walked. I wasn't even aware of how long we had been walking, all that mattered to me was knowing the truth, to prepare myself on what to expect. I glanced at Sif, who looked incredibly nervous. She thought that I would accuse her of lying, and grow protective over Loki.

"Sif… Thank you." I said. She looked shocked, and blinked. "For telling me the truth. I hate that the Allfather has kept me in such darkness, it's nice to be shown some light." I smiled, softly at her, and she slowly returned it.

"I have the benefit," I continued, "If Loki plans on pulling any tricks on me; I'll be the first to know about it." At this, Sif smiled, and gave a soft chuckle. I heard her make a final assessment about me: that she would at least give me a chance.

Finally, we stopped. The small crowd of women instantly parted away, as Frigga came over to where I stood.

"Follow me," she said a smile on her lips.

I did as I was told, and suddenly gasped at the appearance of the room I was in. As all was in Asgard, this room was massive, and open, as I could see the open sky and hear birds singing. There were about a dozen large, golden tubs full of hot, steaming water set about it. Two women were bustling around, making sure that all was in readiness. Frigga softly cleared her throat to announce our presence, and the two ladies quickly left the room, and shortly returned, wheeling out on a golden cart many vials and bottles of clear, oily looking liquid. Small jars of flowers sat next to the bottles, as did many brushes and sponges. The ladies presented Frigga with the cart, and curtsied themselves out of the room. She reached from the bottom of the cart, and handed me a long, golden cloth.

"Undress, then cover yourself with this until you are in the tub. When you are, let us know."

I took the cloth from her, and they all turned their backs to me. I wished more than anything that I could have at least been by myself, and I honestly saw no reasonable purpose for their presence while I bathed myself. Clutching the golden cloth to my skin, I slowly climbed the steps leading up to the tub, and sat in the water, after removing the cloth. As if she had eyes in the back of her head, Frigga turned as soon as I sat, and the other ladies followed suit.

One of the ladies, who had her golden hair in a tight, braided bun, ran over to the cart, excitedly.

"Which scents shall we give her?" She asked, turning to the other ladies. They all quickly became engrossed in searching for the proper scents, unscrewing all the tops to the bottles and vials and taking deep sniffs from them. Sif stood on my right, well away from all the other ladies. I instinctively pulled my knees as close to my chest as I could, and gave Sif an apologetic look.

"Jasmine, definitely," I heard one of the ladies say, "But what to mix with it?"

I tried my best to allow the hot water to relax my mind the way it had my muscles, but I knew it wouldn't work. I hated being waited on with all my being, yet here I was, to be given a bath by three strange women and the Queen of Asgard.

Finally, Frigga made her way over to the tub, two bottles in her hands. "Jasmine and lavender will definitely do the trick,' she said, sweetly, as she poured an even amount of both liquids into the tub. The aroma of the mixed oils was very pleasing and relaxing, as they both commented each other.

"The bathing and cleansing is symbolic of the removal of your maiden status, Rowen," Frigga told me, "Come, and let us help you."

I uneasily glided over to the side of the tub where the ladies sat, and silently blessed my long, black hair, as it successfully covered my breasts while I sat in the water. One of the ladies on my right reached into the tub and grabbed my right arm and began vigorously scrubbing it with a soaped up sponge. A woman followed suit on my left.

"Marriage is not for the timid," the Lady scrubbing my left arm said, "It is a partnership of two halves of the same person joined together." Many of the Ladies nodded and murmured in agreement, and I did my best to look interested.

Many other Ladies took this opportunity to give me advice on how to be a pleasing wife to Loki. I was just about to ask Frigga what the next step in my preparations would be, when suddenly someone dumped a bucket of warm water over my head, and I felt two pairs of hands working shampoo into my hair. It smelt strongly of the lavender and jasmine mixture, and I felt my checks turn scarlet as they bunched my long hair together in a soapy knot at the back of my head. It was difficult to hear their advice and forebodings over the sound of them scratching away at my scalp, but finally, they seemed satisfied and rinsed my hair thoroughly.

I could not get a word in at all, as I was then told to stand up, and wrap myself in a wool robe, and follow the ladies over to another golden tub, yet I could see no steam rising from it. I was told to remove my robe and sit for two minutes in a tub of cold water, as this was to close the pours on my skin. This water also smelt of the jasmine and lavender mixture that the ladies favored so well, yet it was absolutely miserable. My teeth chattered together, loudly and I hugged my body tightly in the water, attempting to warm myself. When that nightmare ended, I was placed in another wool robe, and taken into a small room.

The ladies continued to chatter on endlessly, and Sif looked both incredibly bored and amused. I silently envied her, as she did not have to be put through this invasive hell. I was still in my robe, and then was instructed to sit on a chair in the center of the room, while the ladies came at my long, thick hair with many towels, attempting to dry it as best as they could. Frigga seemed to be acting more as a moderator and observer now, as she stood away from the circle of ladies surrounding me, and took in the scene in front of her with a smile on her lips.

Once they seemed satisfied enough with my hair, they all took combs and began to gently work out all the tangles made by their drying of my hair. It was at this moment, when the subject I had been dreading came up: reproduction.

"Childbirth is not as bad as it seems, really," One of the Ladies said, "Of course, there is pain, but it is worth it to see your child, alive and healthy. And of course, the act of creating the child is the best part." A fit of giggles erupted from all the women present, including Sif, but I imagined that she was laughing at my own embarrassment.

I cringed, but played it off as pain from a stubborn tangle. Having children was the last thing on my mind, as I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I was getting married in a matter of hours. I still couldn't believe that yesterday I had only found out of my long planned union to the unusual Prince of Asgard.

At long last, the constant chirping of the Ladies was hushed by Frigga, as she held a finger to her lips then made her way over to me.

"You are almost finished, Rowen. Now, you are to be dressed." Her eyes were gleaming with excitement and wisdom, and I knew that she could look through my façade and see how utterly nervous I was.

I was rather dreading what my wedding gown would look like, as I imagined it to be a great and complicated gown, as all seemed to be so in Asgard. Frigga glanced around at all her ladies, and they seemed to understand what she had told them with the look in her eyes. At once, they all gave a final curtsy, and bustled out of the room, leaving me and Frigga completely alone.

When the door shut, she did not speak, rather looked at me with what I thought may have been pride, but I was surely just imagining it. She turned to me, still keeping silent, which prompted me to await and speak until I was spoken to first. There was a large, full length mirror in front of me, which I used to carefully monitor Frigga's movements with. She stood, observing me for a brief moment, then left out of a hidden door in the back of the room.

As soon as I the door closed, I let out a deep sigh and looked myself over in the mirror. Fear was shining in my round, grey eyes and my damp hair was beginning to curl. This all felt so surreal. I traced back time and realized that at this precise time yesterday, I was just learning about my betrothal to Loki. My thoughts drifted to my parents and my sisters, as I wondered what they all were doing now. Were they carrying on with life, as if I had never been in Vanahemir in the first place? Or were they mourning my absence?

Before I could ponder any further, Frigga emerged from the hidden room with a white garment cradled in her arms.

"And here," she said, unfolding the garment before me, "Is your wedding gown."

I gasped, and marveled at the simplistic beauty of the gown. It was all as white as a cloud, and looked to be made of silk. It was quite long, and an even longer train followed it as it all flowed gracefully down to the floor. The bodice seemed to be form fitting, and a beautiful Asgardian design was embroidered in golden string in the center of it. It wound its way down to the waist and towards the shoulders. The straps of the gown looked to fit over my shoulders, and long pieces of fabric flowed out from behind them. After a minute of gazing at the beautiful gown, I noticed that my mouth was slightly open.

Frigga let out a soft laugh, "Yes, it is very beautiful. It was all hand made, you know. It is a fit gown for a princess."

I winced slightly at the term, yet kept gazing upon the dress. "It's magnificent." I said, softly. Frigga gave me a grin, and moved right next to me. I stood, nervously, and looked upon the gown even closer. I was in awe of the fine detail that was etched into the embroidery on the bodice, and with the graceful way the garment moved.

I met eye contact with Frigga, and suddenly heard her voice echo through out my head.

The Allfather would not haven chosen you if you were not worthy of his son. We both sense the strong courage that lies within you, Rowen. You must acknowledge its strength.

My eyes slowly filled with salty tears at her kind words, and I gave her a genuine smile, which she returned. It was then time for me to dress in my gown.

After all the garments were fitted on to me, and at last my wedding gown was placed on top of them, I stood in front of the full length mirror, staring back at my reflection. By now, the majority of my hair was dry and wavy, and fell about an inch above my pelvic bone. The snowy white material of my gown complimented my ivory skin, and the bodice fitted my hips perfectly. While I did look beautiful in the dress, I also did not look like myself. I was used to wearing such simple, silver gowns, not something as lovely and elegant as this wedding gown. I quickly felt very awkward in the dress, as I did not know how to move to make it look so fluid and divine as it should have been.

Once my insecurities reached a level that was too high for me to handle any further, I turned to Frigga.

"What happens now?" I asked her. I absent mindedly began to wrap the ends of my hair around my index finger, as I wondered if they would be doing some grand and complicated style to my hair.

Reading my actions perfectly, Frigga smiled and said, "It is a tradition in Asgard to let the bride's hair unbound. Normally your hair will be braided, or have some style done to it, but for the wedding day, we allow the hair to flow freely."

A rush of relief washed over me.

Frigga allowed me to admire myself in the mirror for a few more minutes, but before long we were off to the destination of my wedding. Frigga told me that it was another tradition in Asgard for a couple to be married outdoors, and after a few moments of being lost in the palace, I realized that she was leading me to the elegant gardens of the palace. All of a sudden, a panic flooded through my veins as I wondered just how many people would be present at this event, and I prayed that it wasn't many.

When we finally reached the gardens, Frigga lead me to the side, away from the spectacle and gave me the instructions for the ritual.

"Loki and the priest will be waiting for you down the isle, as will the Allfather, Thor and myself. The lady Sif will be your escort. Now, before you walk, Sif will present you with a sword, this is your wedding gift to Loki.' I opened my mouth to ask her why, but she proceeded.

"Loki will also have a sword to present to you; his is a sword that he made by hand. Loki shall give you his sword first, and then you are to present yours to him. This symbolizes his protection over you and also a sort of trust that you two will give to each other. Next, you two will exchange rings, and say your oaths to each other. Then a final ritual will be held, and then you will be off to the feast!" She said all this very quickly, and I was in a panic that I would not remember it all.

"I have a sword, Loki and I exchange swords, then rings, say our vows and then a final ritual?"

"Precisely! Now, I must make sure all is in readiness. Sif will join you, shortly."

Just as Frigga's footsteps were out of earshot, I began to pace back and forth, rapidly. This was all happening way too fast. This had to be some sort of dream... Some sort of nightmare, even. Was I even mature enough to handle marriage? Could I handle the responsibilities of being a wife? And eventually being a mother? My brain began to flurry with all sorts of dreadful thoughts, all ending in a horrendous marriage.

"You may want to relax," said a soft voice behind me, "You have a big day a head of you."

I turned on my heel and found Sif standing, dressed in a breathtaking gown, and her raven hair unbound and flowing. "Sif! Sorry, I, um, I-"

"You're nervous," she finished for me, smiling. "I quite understand. I would be petrified if I were in your situation."

I snorted, "That's not even the half of it. I feel like my mind is going to rip in two. Frigga just now told me the ritual that is supposed to take place here, and I mean, I just met the man yesterday. I still can't believe that this is all happening."

Sif looked at me sympathetically and I could hear her empathetic thoughts towards me and my unfortunate situation. "If it helps, you look very beautiful."

"Thank you," I said, smiling sheepishly at her.

"That reminds me," she said, "Here." She handed me a silver sword, with green emeralds etched into the hilt. It wasn't as heavy as I was expecting, and was very beautiful, for a sword. I admired it for a while, until Sif suddenly spoke.

"That's the signal," she said, standing on her tip-toes, looking out into the gardens. "It's time."

My stomach flipped and my pulse beat rapidly in my chest. This was it. I took the sword and held it with both hands, and gently rested it in front of me. Sif gave me an encouraging smile, which I did not return, and she led me out into the gardens.

There were people everywhere. It looked as if all of Asgard had come to the wedding, which they probably had. Instantly, thousands upon thousands of voices streamed through my mind. Almost every thought I heard was judgmental in some way or another, and most sounded as apprehensive as I was about my union. I desperately wanted to look around at the faces of all the Asgardians, but I knew that would only distract me, so I kept my gaze fixed in front of me, on Sif's back. No music played, and all I could hear was the occasional chirping of birds and the distant roar of the sea. The sky was a lovely blue, and not a single cloud was in the sky. Every once in a while, a breeze would pass through, blowing the jasmine and lavender scent from my hair and body into the wind.

Almost as quickly as it had begun, Sif stopped as we reached the end of the isle. She bowed, turned to her left and walked off to join the crowd. As soon as she left, I saw an elderly looking man, with long white hair and dressed in a fine robe standing in front of me. To his left, stood Frigga, Odin and Thor. Frigga smiled optimistically at me, as did the Allfather, yet Thor looked absolutely gleeful as excitement seemed to radiate off of him. I turned my head to the right, and there stood Loki. He was dressed full in his armor (as were the Allfather and Thor) with his long, emerald cape draping from his shoulders. Perched on top of his head, was an elegant golden and emerald helmet. It was very unusual, as it covered most of his head, and had two long horns erupting from the top of it. Our gazes met, and my cheeks burned. He offered a hand for me, which I took as I held the sword in my left hand.

We stood facing each other, and the priest suddenly spoke. He welcomed the audience that had traveled to witness our union, then went on to talk of the importance and sacred act of marriage. As he spoke, Loki did not let go of my hand and kept his gaze firmly on me. He was an incredibly difficult man to read, based off of his facial expressions. His mind however...

Loki abruptly let go of my hand, and gripped his own sword with both if his hands. He held it out for me to take, which I did. The entire hilt of the sword was emerald green, the exact shade of his eyes. After I accepted his sword, he bowed to me, not breaking our gaze. I held his sword with my left hand, and presented my own sword with my right. After he accepted it, I bowed to him.

The elderly man then gestured to Thor, who came bounding over to us. He took both of our swords from us, in exchange for what I assumed were to be our wedding bands. Thor winked at me, as he handed me Loki's wedding band, then went back over to stand next to Odin. I glanced down at Loki's wedding band, resting in the palm of my hand. It was pure gold, and was a continuous circle of the Asgardian love knot.

The priest then turned to Loki, and had him recite his oaths to me.

"Loki Odinson," he began. Loki blinked. "Do you swear to take this woman as your only wife so long as you both shall live?"

"I swear." Loki said, his eyes burning into mine.

"Do you swear to protect her, from any and all forces of evil so long as you both shall live?"

"I swear."

"Do you swear, before the Allfather and all present, to honor and keep her, forsaking all others, faithfully keep to her alone so long as you both shall life?"

Loki leaned forward a centimeter, "I swear."

"Place her ring on to her finger." Commanded the priest.

Loki gingerly took my left hand into his long fingers, and slid the ring into the fourth finger. He seemed to do this very slowly, and carefully, and once the ring was placed, he held my hand in his longer than was necessary. As soon as his touch left the ring, I felt it magically tighten itself around my finger, sealing his bond to me. I flicked my eyes up to his, and found him smiling at me. If it was genuine or a smile of mockery, I did not know, yet it fascinated me to no end. I was brought back to reality when the priest recited for me the same oaths which he read to Loki.

Once I placed the ring onto Loki's finger, the priest then called Sif forward. In her hands, she carried a tiny, silver dagger. This both sparked my interest and instant panic. What was the purpose of this? This must be the final ritual that Frigga told me about. Why were the King and Queen of Asgard so fond of keeping me in the dark on the happenings in my life?

She handed the dagger to the Priest, who held it up into the sky and blessed it. He then handed it over to Loki, who cradled my right hand into his left hand. He looked me deep in the eyes and mouthed, "Relax." His cool breath reached my fingertips and I did as he said. I felt the point of the dagger collide with my skin, and I snapped my eyes shut. As carefully as he could, Loki pushed the dagger into my hand and drug it across the length of my palm. Once he stopped, I slowly opened one eye to inspect the blood, then opened the other. Crimson blood began to pool where the incision was made, while Loki handed the dagger to the priest. He once again blessed it, and then handed it to me. Careful not to drip too much blood on to the handle of the dagger, I made the same incision on the palm of Loki's right hand. He winced for a second on the entry of the dagger into his skin, but kept his face strong afterwords. Once I handed the dagger back to the priest, he held his arms up in front of him.

"I, Audun, high priest of Asgard, do proclaim these two people to be husband and wife. Sworn by oath to each other from this day forward!" He slowly lowered his hands, and then nodded at both of us.

Loki grabbed my right hand in his and began to squeeze it. I squeezed back, and kept my gray eyes burning into his emerald ones. We stood there, gazing upon each other as our blood mixed in our veins, binding us together forever. There was an abrupt and loud cheering and applause from the audience, and especially from Thor, when after a while, Loki released my hand. Our gaze remained upon each other, and I felt a sudden feeling of relief. It was as if the strong weight that had been on my shoulders since my arrival in Asgard was suddenly lifted. Loki and I were married now. At least the hard part was over. Or so I thought.

AN: I apologize for the very long delay, I had final exams to take and all that jazz. But since it's summer now, expect more frequent updates! I did some research on the customs of Germanic marriages, and to the extent of my knowledge, my findings we're correct. There were a few tweaks I added here and there to the ceremony itself, but that's because this is fiction and my story so I could do that. Thank you to all the encouraging reviews! I really appreciate them. I have pictures of Rowen's wedding dress and Loki & Rowen's wedding rings on my profile!