Chapter 6

The day after their wedding Kari and Thor remained in their now shared chambers. Even though it consisted of a number of very spacious rooms, it felt as though they were on top of one another to the both of them.

Neither of them spoke of the consummation, both knowing that had they been sober, they would not have been able to force themselves to attempt it. Kari had risen first and had put in one of her nightdresses before Thor had a chance to see her naked. He on the other hand, seemed to decide not to be so modest when he arose, though as it was to trundle to the bathroom groggily, she was unsure if he was even aware of her as he went. Thor was indeed a slight bit ill from his overconsumption of ale the day before and Kari found herself nursing an aching head. Frigga seemed to have predicted such ailments and had a maid arrive with the appropriate remedies.

That afternoon they ate together in silence, Thor looking as Kari only played with the food on her plate. "You really should eat."

"I should." She acknowledged, but only continued to toy with the food.

"Kari please, I know you are unhappy, but making yourself ill will not better the situation." Thor pleaded.

"I know, but I cannot force myself to eat if I am in no way hungry. At present the idea of food to me is repulsive."

"It is in your mind. You ate nothing yesterday and it is passed noon today, so there is no way that you are not hungry." He stated factually.

"Why do I remember a shrimp?" Kari asked, slightly worried. The latter part of the evening was a blur until she got to her rooms only to be told all her belongings were now in Thor's chambers, and then she sobered enough to recall, though that was the part of the evening she wished most to forget.

Thor chuckled slightly. "Because you held one up and rambled to me for a few minutes about who ever thought for us to cook and eat them."

"Probably best I do not recall too much if that is some of the content of the evening." Thor's laugh had her smiling for a few moments. Looking at the food in front of her again, she placed some on her fork, looking up, she saw Thor looking back at her hopefully before forcing herself to eat it. Her stomach quickly reminded her of just how hungry she was, but it also felt heavy with how much the past two days had destroyed her happiness.

"It will get better Kari." Thor tried to reassure her. Kari did not share his enthusiasm.

The following day Kari woke again to being encased in Thor's strong arms, though this time they were clothed, having not done anything other than sleep the night before. Thor's body was however reacting to having something rubbing against it, and the ever common male issue of 'morning wood'. She gently escaped his grasp before anything more could happen and got up to face the day.

Newlyweds were supposed to remain in their quarters got a few days after the wedding so to celebrate it intimately, but neither Kari nor Thor pushed to do so again. Instead for the most part they simply sat in silence in different rooms. By the third day, Thor, who by nature was a highly social being was beginning to pace and fidget. Kari knew the reason for his torment and began to get incredibly guilt ridden. So she decided to forego her own misery for a small time. Thor had not pushed her to speak with him, or even for her to stay in his company so clearly he was making sacrifices for her, she could do the same for him.

When she next heard him move around, she left the room she had been hiding in and went to the one that he had inhabited for the vast majority of their time, slightly surprised not to see him there though a moment later, she heard the sound of the lavatory so she sat and waited.

When Thor came out of the bathroom, he stared at Kari who was sitting at the table they usually ate at, giving him a small smile. "Are you alright?"

"I saw this morning that you have a chess set here, do you play?" she asked.

"Yes, we are taught it as part of battle training to learn strategy, why do you ask?" he looked at her, still unsure as to why she was in the room.

"Could you…could you teach me? I have always wanted to learn."

Thor was utterly bewildered by her change in character, but desperate for company and interaction; he agreed willingly and got the chess set before sitting across from her. He watched as she took the different pieces and set them up correctly. "You already know how to plat." He eyed her suspiciously.

"No, I know how to set up the board. I know that this." She held up on of the many small pieces. "Is a pawn. And that these." She pointed to the two centre back pieces. "Are the king and queen, though I do not know which one is which, I do not know what the other pieces are called, nor do I know how any of them move." She explained.

Thor began by telling her the rules, the names and the way to make each piece move, then the began to play. It became very clear, very quickly to Thor, that Kari was telling the truth that she knew little of chess. But he remained patient, enjoying her frown and the manner in which she wrinkled her nose in thought, as well as her reactions to when he won within fifteen moves.

"I'm terrible." She conceded, throwing down her knight to her lap.

"You are new to it." He smiled. "I have practised for many years."

"How many exactly?" She queried.

"Couple of hundred." Kari raised a brow. "Fine, seven."

"I actually don't feel so bad now." Thor laughed at her. "So other than chess and training, what else do you enjoy?"

Thor's eyes lit up as he began to speak about different aspects of his life as Kari listened silently, only speaking again when she wished to hear more on a certain subject, but other than that she simply listened. Once or twice Thor's stories involved Loki, causing her to wince slightly, but overall, she was able to forget about the situation at hand.

She had expected Thor to have some questions for her, but was surprised that for the most part, he knew most everything about her. "How do you know all of this? If I ever mentioned them, I did so for but a fleeting moment."

Thor shrugged. "I just listened." Though he could not meet her eye. "I have always enjoyed what time you and I spent in each others company since your arrival to the palace, and I have had great time for the conversations we had also."

Kari blushed at his admission. She did not realise she was drifting off to sleep until she felt Thor lift her and bring her to their bed, only taking off her shoes as he placed her in it. She kept her eyes closed, grateful to Thor for his kindness, but was shocked to hear him speak quietly. "Thank you for today Kari, I know it was hard for you. I hope you will learn to enjoy my company as I do yours." He placed some of her hair off her face as he spoke. As sleep began to take her, she was not sure if she imagined it, but she was almost certain that she felt Thor press his lips gently to her hair as he too began to fall asleep.