"My precious grandchild," Theus' warm voice soothed the fussy child as he held Frigga close, "my hope is that you never forget you are a part of us." He waved his arm over the crowd of Kree men, women, and children who gathered to witness the Kree baptism of Ronan's first child.

Merry and Ronan stood to the side looking over their child as Theus cradled the infant. She was weeks old and Ronan and Theus insisted on doing the birthing ritual to honor her Kree heritage; of course Merry did not refuse. The elder warrior began to say something in the Kree language and soon the rest of them chanted along with him.

"What is he saying?" Merry whispered to Ronan as she clasped his arm close to her. She felt a bit silly, feeling anxiety over not having her daughter in her arms.

Holding her close, Ronan placed his lips on the crown of her head, "He is wishing Frigga great health, virility, and acknowledging her contributions to the Kree dynasty."

"Oh," she murmured. Her eyes followed Theus as he picked up a gold powder and dusted it all over Frigga's skin; the gold mixed with blue was reminiscent of the night sky. "What is the powder for?"

"Power," Ronan stated simply. The same powder was used when Theus was in the healing pools on the Dark Aster. At her confused look, Ronan gave her a reassuring grin, "Power in all things. Life, love…"

She nodded and turned her attention back to the ceremony. The last few weeks had been stressful but in the end it was all worth it. Frigga was healthy and not only captured her parents' hearts but those of her grandfather, uncle, and vast extended family. While neither Merry nor Frigga displayed any signs that the Stone's power still lived inside them, they were still unsure of the cause.

"Wife," Ronan whispered in her ear, "I can hear you thinking."

"Sorry," she whispered back, "I haven't been able to be alone with my thoughts, I was overdoing it," she added humorously.

Chuckling lightly, Ronan kept her close to his side as his father finished the ceremony and then presented the babe to the crowd, who all roared their jubilee. After a moment, they died down and Theus handed Frigga over to Lea who cooed at the baby. Shocked and confused, Merry looked up at Ronan who was looking intently at his father who was walking toward them.

"Merry," he held out his hand and she apprehensively took it as he tugged her along to stand in front of the joyous Kree. "You have proven to be not only a wonderful, beautiful woman but a gentle, kind mate to my son. You have shown us that not all outsiders are ruthless and as a result we have been able to endure once more." Hoots and hollers rattled throughout the ceremony hall.

Letting go of her hand, Theus picked up the bowl of gold powder. Turning to face her, he smiled down at her gently. "While the Kree have embraced you, we have not yet baptized you in the name of our ancestors; doing so, you will always be accepted by the Kree, no matter what."

Merry fought back tears as she nodded and Theus threw the powder on her. It caught on her skin and she felt invigorated as her family cheered and chanted along with Theus. Over and over, Theus and his people chanted as he threw the sacred powder on her, staining flesh and fabric but it was no concern of hers. After a life of darkness, she welcomed the colors that now colored her world: stark gold powder, the vibrant flash of blue that was distinctly Kree, and the violet glow of Ronan's eyes.

Suddenly, she felt heat and Ronan was next to her and caught her lips with his in a kiss that had everyone howling. Then, kneeling as he did on their wedding day, he looked up at his wife. Her silver hair was speckled with gold, as was her white skin; green eyes stood out from the color that streaked her face, upon her lips was a glorious smile. "Merry, wife," he started as he clasped her small hands in his, "I came into this marriage out of duty and honor to my father. Shamefully, I have to admit that I was against it because I did not wish to align myself with the Xadnarian people," his eyes cast down. "I wanted to bathe the stars with the blood of my enemies but instead fell in love. Now, I protect those who I wished dead and the blood that I wished to spill flows through my child's veins." Ronan gripped her hands tighter, "You have cured me, Merry."

"Just as you cured me, Ronan," Merry said back, as the tears that threatened to fall earlier begun to trail down her cheeks. "I never belonged, nor have I ever had a family," she sniffed, "now I am so overwhelmed with happiness, I could burst." She smiled was wide that her cheeks hurt.

Standing up, Ronan gathered her up in his strong arms, "I plan to keep you that way." He then gave her a most dazzling kiss, one that the Kree would talk about for decades to come.

As the years went on, Ronan and Merry had two more children, sons Kaehn and Emmerick. Due to Kree customs, second child and first born son Kaehn was named Ronan's heir. The Krees flourished on Xandar and eventually Nova Prime offered the chance to make their settlement a sovereign state. One more, the Krees became a powerful empire with Ronan and Merry ruling over their people with strength, compassion, and resilience. As time went on, Merry and her children soon discovered that the stone's power still remained, embedded in their cells; an advantage they used to protect their people.

Thanos was eventually defeated, thanks to the Avengers and the Guardians. While Thanos was gone, that left no shortage of other threats.

Frigga grew up to be a beautiful maiden, with clear blue skin with black and silver hair cascading down her long back. A fierce warrior, she earned the title Frigga the Fair, for both her beauty and thirst for justice.

Kaehn, heir to the Kree throne, was ruthless and a force to be reckoned with in battle but cared deeply for his family, his people, and his home. While his moral compass was sometimes questionable, with his sister at his side they fought for those who couldn't and made others answer to their crimes.

Emmerick, the youngest child of Ronan and Merry, a well-trained warrior but preferred his books revolutionized Kree medicine, machinery, farming, among many other things. Serving as his older siblings' counselor, they vowed to follow in their parents footsteps and stand ready for any attacks that would come their way.

All three children joined together, along with friends, to create the next generation of Guardians but that's a tale for another time.