CHAPTER 17
The day of her wedding Darcy awoke in her old chamber. She had decided to stay with tradition and not see the groom before the wedding. She got out of bed and went to the bathing chamber where two handmaidens were awaiting her. Once bathed they put a thin under-dress on her then sat her at the vanity in her room and began fixing her hair for the ceremony. They styled her hair half up and half down, the style in which all Light Elf brides wore their hair on their wedding day. Once her hair was done, Frigga came in with her dress.
The dress was styled in the Elven way and was golden in color trimmed in emerald green, as was the tradition on Asgard for the bride to wear her groom's colors. The dress reminded her of something out of the Lord of the Rings movies she had seen on Midgard during her stay there. Upon putting on the dress she found that it was made of silk.
"You look lovely, my dear," Frigga said, "Just as beautiful as your sister, in fact I think you will outshine her today," she finished cryptically.
Darcy wondered about that for a moment. How in the world would she outshine her sister? The thought was laughable at best since Darcy saw herself as rather plain when next to Jane. Shrugging the thought aside, she stood and stepped into the golden slippers that went with the dress. Frigga attached a golden veil to the back of her head then proclaimed her ready.
They stepped into the corridor and Frigga led her to a room not far from the great hall where the ceremony would be taking place. Stepping into the room, she saw her sister standing by the window that led to a balcony.
"Jane, you nervous?" Darcy asked as she walked up to her sister.
Jane turned to look at her sister. "No, not really. It's just I haven't told him yet Darcy. When Loki told me the other day and you and I realized what he meant I was so happy I wanted to shout it to the sky but I haven't told Thor that I am with child yet. I am still trying to figure out how Loki even knew unless it is because of my connection with you and he is sensing it that way but it's the only logical explanation I can come up with."
"Actually, you would be right about that Jane. He did sense it from our connection. You are my twin, our connection runs deep and he can sense certain things about you through me. I asked him that night how he knew you were pregnant since he had no connection to you and he told me that he might not have a connection to you but I do and as his mate he could sense things about those that I am connected with. Hence why he could sense your pregnancy."
"Well, I for one am happy that he could otherwise I would have gone through the Bifrost yet again pregnant and would have gone through the pain of losing a child for a second time. I am grateful to him Darcy, so very grateful."
"Well, let me look at you," Darcy finally said as she stood back to inspect her sister's wedding attire.
Like her, Jane's dress was in her bethrothen's chosen colors and the dress was the same style as hers. Where her dress was gold and green, Jane's was silver trimmed in red. Like her, Jane's hair was done up the same, half up half down with a silver veil covering the back of her head. Darcy could not see how she outshined her sister but she was going to have to take the queens word for it she guessed.
Moments later, Frigga reappeared with their father in tow.
"Father," they both said dropping into a small curtsy out of respect.
"My daughters, how I wish your mother were still alive to see this day. She would be so proud of both of you," he said embracing them both.
Jane and Darcy were saddened by the mention of the mother they never knew for she had died after she had given birth to them. They did know that Darcy looked exactly like their mother while Jane's features and coloring were those of their father.
"She is with us in spirit, Father."
"I know. However that is not what I came to tell you. Today one of you will be named my heir while the other the wife of the heir of Asgard. I know that you Darissa were named my heir years ago but things changed. So when Odin lets everyone know of his decision today I will let it be known who my heir will be as well. I just thought I would let you know."
"Father, I thought Thor was Odin's heir?" Jane said confused.
"He was my dear, but Odin has been doing some soul searching since the day you railed at him for his treatment of Loki. He has had to decide which son is more worthy of his throne. He will announce it during the ceremony; after your wedding vows but before the blessing."
Jane had not realized that her words to the Allfather would leave such an impact on him. She had been sure that he had not heard a single word she had said or ignored her. Yet, to know that she was the catalyst to his change of heart was alarming for her.
"Father, do you know who he has chosen to be his heir?" Jane asked after a moment of silence.
'Yes," was all Ashier would say.
"You will not tell us will you?"
"No, my daughter," he returned gently.
Shrugging and letting the subject drop, they watched as their father left to await their arrival in the hall. It was tradition that an elf maiden come to her betrothed on her own without accompaniment and so they would walk the aisle alone (well side by side but not on their father's arm).
They both would never admit it but they were nervous. This would mark the first time in a long while that they had used their native language and both were afraid of messing up. The words of the wedding ceremony had been drilled into them for the past week. Yet, neither was sure if they could rightly pronounce the difficult words when the time came. They knew that Thor and Loki had also been schooled on the Elven language, for they would have to repeat the vows in both the language of the Elves and that of Asgard, which meant for a very long ceremony.
A maiden appeared and signaled that it was time and the sisters took each other's hands and left the room.
Standing outside the great golden doors of the Great Hall of Odin they smiled and then nodded at the guard to open the door. They took a deep breath and together they walked into the hall their heads held high.
Everyone but the two grooms turned when the doors opened to reveal the two brides. The Avengers had been given a special spot to stand near the front of the gathered throng and could barely make out the brides as the started their slow procession down the center aisle. When Jane and Darcy were halfway up the aisle the Avengers spotted them finally and they all nearly gasped at the ethereal beauties that were making their way towards the front of the room. None of them had ever seen the two of them look so beautiful. Jane and Darcy offered a small smile to their friends before looking back to the two men, dressed in their formal armor sans helmets, that awaited them at the foot of Odin's Throne.
Thor was the first to turn to greet his bride as he was the eldest of the two brothers and it was tradition for him to greet his bride before that of his brother. He, too, was just as blown away by her ethereal beauty as everyone else in the room had been. The silver of her dress made her eyes shine and sparkle. Loki then turned to greet his soon to be wife and he too was shocked by what he saw. He had never seen her look more lovely than she did at that very moment.
Taking the hand of their respective bride they brought them to their side as the High Priest of the Light Elves stood to face them.
"Cairde, sa lá atá inniu go bhfuil muid anseo chun an finné a cheanglaíonn dhá theach ríoga. An teach ar Odin chuig teach na Ashier," the priest said in Elvish then repeated it in Asgardian, "Friends, today we are here to witness the joining of two royal houses. The house of Odin to the house of Ashier."
He then looked out over the crowd and asked again in Elvish first then in Asgardian, "Who here gives these two maidens away?"
Their father, the King of Alfheim, stepped forward and said in Elvish, "Mar sin a dhéanamh mé féin agus mo dhaoine a thabhairt ar an dá ar shiúl." (meaning I and my people do so give these two away.)
At the formal saying the priest nodded and the two couples knelt before him, preparing themselves for the vows they were about the give.
The priest addressed Jane first as she was the eldest, "An bhfuil tú Jarissa, Banphrionsa an tí de Ashier, an deis seo a fear a bheith ar do fear céile wedded? An bhfuil tú vow chun seasamh aige i ngach rud? An bhfuil tú vow a Grá, onóir, muinín agus obey dó i gach rud ó lá seo amach?" then repeated the question, "Do you Jarissa, Princess of the house of Ashier, take this man to be your wedded husband? Do you vow to stand by him in everything? Do you vow to love, honor, trust and obey him in all things from this day forward?"
Jane glanced at Thor then at the priest before taking a breath and praying hard that she would not mess up, "Mé, Jarissa, Banphrionsa an tí de Ashier, é sin a dhéanamh vow a ghlacadh Thor, an teach na Odin, a bheith ar mo fhear céile wedded. Vow mé go breá, onóir, muinín agus obey dó i gach rud ó lá seo amach. Vow mé chun seasamh ag a thaobh i ngach rudaí a siad go maith nó olc. Is é seo mo vow ar an lá seo agus go deo." then taking another breath repeated the vow, "I, Jarissa, Princess of the house of Ashier, do so vow to take Thor, of the house of Odin, to be my wedded husband. I vow to love, honor, trust and obey him in all things from this day forward. I vow to stand by his side in all things be they good or bad. This is my vow on this day and forever."
The priest then turned to Darcy and asked the same thing of her. Like her sister she took a deep calming breath before answering, "Mé, Darissa, Banphrionsa an tí de Ashier, é sin a dhéanamh vow a ghlacadh Loki, an teach na Odin, a bheith ar mo fhear céile wedded. Vow mé go breá, onóir, muinín agus obey dó i gach rud ó lá seo amach. Vow mé chun seasamh ag a thaobh i ngach rudaí a siad go maith nó olc. Is é seo mo vow ar an lá seo agus go deo." then repeated it again in Asgadian, "I, Darissa, Princess of the house of Ashier, do so vow to take Loki, of the house of Odin, to be my wedded husband. I vow to love, honor, trust and obey him in all things from this day forward. I vow to stand by his side in all things be they good or bad. This is my vow on this day and forever."
The priest turned then to Thor and asked, "An bhfuil tú Thor, Prionsa an tí de Odin, an deis seo a bhean a bheith ar do bean phósta? An bhfuil tú vow chun seasamh ag a i ngach rud? An bhfuil tú vow a Grá, onóir, muinín agus a chosaint i ngach rudaí ón lá seo amach?" and as before repeated it, "Do you Thor, Prince of the house of Odin, take this woman to be your wedded wife? Do you vow to stand by her in everything? Do you vow to Love, honor, trust and protect her in all things from this day forward?"
Thor looked at his bride who was smiling a watery smile and grinning said, "I, Thor, Prince of the house of Odin, do so vow to take Jarissa, of the house of Ashier, to be my wedded wife. I vow to love, honor, trust and protect her in all things from this day forward. I vow to stand by her side in all things be they good or bad. This is my vow on this day and forever." He then took a breath and repeated the vow in his brides native language, "Mé, Thor, Prionsa an tí de Odin, é sin a dhéanamh vow a ghlacadh Jarissa, ar an teach na Ashier, a bheith ar mo bhean phósta. Vow mé go breá, onóir, muinín agus a chosaint i ngach rudaí ón lá seo amach. Vow mé chun seasamh ag a thaobh i ngach rudaí a siad go maith nó olc. Is é seo mo vow ar an lá seo agus go deo."
Loki swallowed the lump that suddenly appeared in his throat as the priest addressed him. His response was slightly shaky but still strong, "I, Loki, Prince of the house of Odin, do so vow to take Darissa, of the house of Ashier, to be my wedded wife. I vow to love, honor, trust and protect her in all things from this day forward. I vow to stand by her side in all things be they good or bad. This is my vow on this day and forever." He looked at his bride and smiled before repeating the vow in Elvish. "Mé, Loki, Prionsa an tí de Odin, é sin a dhéanamh vow a ghlacadh Darissa, ar an teach na Ashier, a bheith ar mo bhean phósta. Vow mé go breá, onóir, muinín agus a chosaint i ngach rudaí ón lá seo amach. Vow mé chun seasamh ag a thaobh i ngach rudaí a siad go maith nó olc. Is é seo mo vow ar an lá seo agus go deo."
Loki who was still holding Darcy's hand gave her hand a light squeeze and smiled at her. They turned back as Odin came forward.
"Friends and noble guests, years ago I named who I thought would be the heir to my throne. Recent events though have had me questioning that decision. In the past two weeks I have had to decide which of my noble sons was more worthy of the throne of Asgard. But that was not the only thing that weighed upon me. I also had to decide which of their wives would make the better Queen. Would it be the Jarissa the Goddess of Reason and Intellect or Darissa the Goddess of Truth and Compassion? Both were good choices and both would serve Asgard as faithfully as they would Alfheim, but only one could I choose and with her so would my choice of heir also be chosen. So today, Asgard I proclaim and name your new heir."
Then he looked between the two couples before him knowing that he had made the right decision.
"Do you Prince Loki of Asgard and you Princess Darissa of Alfheim solemnly swear to guard the nine realms? Do you both swear to lay aside all selfish ambition for the good of the realms? Do you swear to keep the peace that has settled upon each of the Nine Realms?"
Loki and Darissa spared a glance of shock between the two of them before looking at the Allfather in total and complete shock. They were both at a loss for words but somehow managed to get the oath that was needed as confirmation out, "We swear!"
"Then I, Odin Allfather, name you Loki of Asgard, Prince of the Realm Eternal, my heir. Asgard, I give to you you're soon to be King and Queen!"
Then Odin stepped aside and Ashier took his place. "Do you Jarissa, Princess of Alfheim and you Thor, Prince of Asgard swear to defend Alfheim from all outside attacks, do you swear to be just in all your rulings. Do you swear to guard the people of Alfheim with your very lives if need be?"
Jane squeezed Thor's hand and they both answered, "We Swear!"
"Then I, Ashier, King of Alfheim, Do declare you Jarissa of Alfheim, Princess of the Light Elves, my heir. Alfheim, I give to you your future King and Queen!"
The priest then once again stepped forward and raised his hands high.
"Mar sin, mar tá na dhá lánúin i ngeall a gcroí dá chéile agus leis an réimse na n-rialú, inar glaodh air breith mé in ainm an chrainn Yggdrasil iontach go bhfuil na dhá lánúin fear céile agus bean chéile. Bealtaine iad a bheannaigh thar a thomhas agus a gcuid grá riamh bás." again repeating the blessing, "So as these two couples have pledged their hearts to each other and to the realm of their ruling, I pronounce in the name of the great tree Yggdrasil that these two couples are husband and wife. May they be blessed beyond measure and their love never die."
Loki and Thor then stood reaching down to bring their new wives to their feet they each spurred tradition and kissed before the gathered throng.