Chapter 7

'Time heals all wounds' Kari had heard that expression before. She wished to find the being that had said it and ring their neck. It does not get easier she maintained, it only makes you learn to tolerate them.

She and Thor got into a routine; they ate their meals together everyday, and every other day their evenings would consist of them playing chess together and talking. At public events, they always remained close to one another and smiled.

They became close as time continued to pass, learning how to read each others moods and how to rectify when the other was in foul humour. Thor took great pleasure in gifting Kari with trinkets and other tokens for no reason, and would beam brightly as she smiled in thanks every time. He noticed very quickly however that anything to do with art did not get used, her passion for the pastime destroyed since Loki had left.

Any time Thor went to the Bifrost he asked Heimdall for Loki, but usually there was little to report, though every so often the younger prince would allow the guardian to see him but only for a fleeting moment, and never on the same realm twice consecutively, though none know of how he was able to go from one to the other or the realms without the use of the Bifrost. Thor usually did not tell Kari of Loki's sighting, she had a tendency to go into a form of depression. So instead he would wait for her to ask, and over time she began to ask less and les, until she all but ceased asking at all.

Kari had taken to walking the castle grounds most days going different directions and learning different routes. On days where the weather was less permitting, she would do something similar within the palace, enjoying the art around her. She avoided any halls that had pictures that depicted Loki in them. It was not that she wished to forget him, but she noticed the hurt looks from Thor, the pity filled ones from Frigga and the irritated looks from Odin when she reacted to any mention of him, so she wanted to ensure that that did not happen. When she knew no one was paying any heed to her, she would enter his old chambers, which the queen had ordered be kept as he had left them. It was in there that she kept her art work, the different pieces she had made for him. The painting she gave him that caused them to declare their love for one another hanging from his personal library wall. She looked at it, sometimes for a few hours at a time, and wished she was with him.

It broke her heart that she could not be what Thor wanted. She realised not long after their wedding how he felt, the reason he knew so much about her. Part of her wanted to just give up on Loki and love him back, but she could not, Loki was the one she loved, she could not love another, could she?

One evening as she looked at the chessboard in front of them, she looked up to see Thor looking at her, the same adoring smile that he always had for her being donned on his bearded face. "You're not telling me something." She stated, sitting back in her chair.

"How can you get that from me simply looking at you?" He asked, not denying her statement.

"A century of marriage does that." She smiled back. "So what is it? You usually give me some sort of a gift and walk off when you don't want me to question." Thor stared back at her with his mouth open, causing her to laugh. "What do I do when I am tired?"

"You twiddle your hair and if you are only in my company, you tend to slump."

"How do act when I do not like someone?"

"You hide in against my arm."

"You see, we have learnt one another. So you simply asking me how I knew rather than really diverting means you plan on telling me."

"I will never get away with anything with you will I?"

"Probably not. So, what is it?"

"Father is stepping down." Kari's jaw clenched, ever since the change in her marriage arrangement, she had little time for the king, and often would do everything she could to avoid him. "My coronation is to take place after the harvest."

"It appears we are in for a few busy months so." She sighed. "Your mother will be in her element dictating to the realm how to best ready itself, I will be most occupied by that." Thor shifted slightly. "What else has he said?"

"Rambling on about different things, mostly about how I have to show that my reign will be a smooth transition and not to make the people be concerned."

"More superb parenting from the great Odin." Kari rolled her eyes. She rose to her feet and went over behind her husband, rubbing his shoulders. "You have been training for this all your life Thor, you will be fine."

"Kari…" He leant his head back enjoying the way she was massaging him.

"I have known of the weak spot for a while now." She grinned slyly.

"If this is a torture; I think I may like it." He chuckled back. When he looked up at her again, Kari was frowning slightly. "What is it?" He raised a hand to rub her cheek.

"Just thinking."

"Sounds dangerous." She stuck her tongue out at him. "That's mature."

"We need to show the realm stability."

"Yes, how though?" Kari began to chew her lip. "What is it Kari?"

"An heir."

Thor leant forward, turning his body to face her. "Kari…"

"Personally I would rather wait another century or so, but what better way to indicate stability under the rule of a new king than with the imminent arrival of an heir."

"Kari, if you rather wait, then we will wait. I do not want you to feel forced into this."

Kari stroked his bearded face. "You are the most patient and kindest man in all the realms." She leant down and kissed him gently. Though he was unsure for a moment, Thor reciprocated quickly.

Since their wedding, they had not been intimate; though on a few occasions, they almost were. As Thor deepened the kiss, he gently pulled Kari onto his lap. "We do not need to this my love."

Kari's eyes shot open at Thor calling her such, she knew he always tried to not call her a pet name. She thought of what they were about to do, but she knew it was required. They had been avoiding it for a century, but every king required heirs, she knew this even before she had been forced to marry him. She remembered the pleading she had done to Loki the night before the wedding, for Thor not to be her first, wanting to rid herself of the memory, she looked into her husbands eyes. "Thor." She pleaded desperately. Thankfully, Thor heard the desperation in a different manner, cradling the back of her head as he placed his other hand under her ass to lift her to their bed.

Thor's hand slid up her leg, bringing her dress with it as he leant over her, kissing her as her arms remained around his neck. "Kari." There was no denying the longing in his voice. Deciding it best to just allow herself to give into the pleasure as she had done before with him, she kissed him with as much passion as she could muster. He was a good husband who loved her dearly, she could do this for him, give him the child she knew he wanted.

Thor ensured her comfort and pleasure throughout, relishing in finally being able to take pleasure in his wife again, hoping for her to have enjoyed it as he had. She had began to sleep with her head on his chest of late, which he adored; her head so close to his heart. He hoped that she was finally able to accept what had happened, and was beginning to enjoy her life with him. Stroking her hair as she slept, he looked at Kari, his eyes filled with the adoration he tried so hard not to force on her as she mourned her circumstances with Loki. He recalled her being able to tell his moods, she had clearly spent time paying close attention to him, which made him feel a small jump of delight within his stomach. It was her idea to try for a child, she had initiated it; she said she would rather have waited a little longer, which meant she had considered it to begin with. Looking down at her again, her face peaceful and no longer marred by the frown she once wore as she slept, he hoped that this would begin their marriage anew, as he had always hoped it could be.