"Play it again?" Fandral asked, still giggling from the last time Cedric showed him the recording on his phone. They were sitting together, squished in one large chair, both blond heads close together as they watched the screen on Cedric's phone.
"So here is the Asgardian choir practising…" Cerdic narrated gleefully. "Here an unhappy-looking Loki walks in and…" they were both quiet for a second. I could hear Loki's scathing voice on the recording, even if I couldn't hear what he was saying.
"And there it is!" Cedric and Fandral burst out in peals of laughter.
"It's magnificent!" Fandral giggled. "Never before have I seen someone reduce a whole choir to tears at the same time with one sentence! It is glorious!"
"It is pretty amazing, right? I'm so glad I got my phone out just in time to record it!" Cedric wiped tears of laughter from his eyes.
"Play it again!"

I glared at them in annoyance.
Any other day, I would have loved seeing those two giggling together, and my romantic little heart would have wondered how long this thing between the two of them had been going on. They were far too comfortable sitting closely together in the same chair, and surely any other time I would have been curious about what I had missed in the weeks I had locked myself away to grieve.
But that day was not today, not when there was only one more day left before my grand state wedding in front of not just the rulers of various realms and nations, but of the gods themselves.

"Don't you two have anything better to do?"
It was not an unreasonable question. It was very early in the morning and I was in the middle of being fitted (yet again) for my wedding dress by what felt like an army of seamstresses.
In the end, the dress had been designed not based on one of Loki's designs, but on my own ideas. I wanted a dress that would remind people of all three realms that would be joined by our marriage. Thus the design had elements of Midgardian, Asgardian and Jotunn fashion combined.
The dress was being made of lustrous snow-white Asgardian fabric, with long billowing skirts that would be flowing out around me as I moved. The fabric was embroidered with snowflakes made out of silver thread. If one looked closely, each snowflake was made out of entwining runes that made up our names when put together. The sleeves were so long and voluminous that they draped unto the floor. The seamstresses were measuring out the fabric for the 20-foot-long train that would be trailing behind me as I walked down the isle of Odin's throne room.
"It would be easier if we…" the Mistress of Seamstresses began again, with an argument we had already had before.
"No!" I snapped impatiently, "the dress needs to be made to my exact specifications, or it won't be suited for purpose!"
"As her Majesty wishes…" the seamstress mumbled. I instantly felt guilty. It was a monumental task to have to create a royal wedding gown in under three days but for that, she could blame Odin and not me, I thought grimly.

"Play at again!" Fandral laughed.
"What are you two even doing here?!" I snapped.
"Being fitted for groomsmen outfits," Cedric replied innocently.
"No, you are not! You are just sitting there, watching that video over and over again! The seamstresses are busy, find something else to do!"
"Like what?" Fandral made the mistake of asking.
"I DON'T KNOW! FIND LOKI! HE'S THE ONE WITH THE PLAN!"
I was quickly losing my temper.
Cedric and Fandral jumped up and began moving towards the door.
"I am not going to find Loki, he scares me to death right now. He just made a whole choir cry," Fandral whispered loud enough for me to hear.
"And you think your odds of survival are any better if we disobey her? She obliterated a whole undead army all by herself a few weeks ago." Cedric reminded him.
"OUT! GET OUT!" I yelled at them.
"Probably not, Loki it is…" Fandral agreed morosely as they walked out of the door.
I'd rather face Hel's whole undead army again than try and get through today, I thought grumpily to myself.

A few minutes after the two left, Sif walked in. My face brightened.
"Ah, there you are! I was just about to send a servant looking for you, I have a question to ask," I smiled.
Sif had been an amazing help during it all. She had practically grown up in the palace and lived here with Thor for the past century, she knew the politics of the place just as well as Loki, and had been taking care of a thousand little things we were too busy to deal with ourselves.
"I have something for you," she smiled back.
In her hands, she held an elaborately decorated lacquered box.
"I know in Midgard you have the custom for the bride to wear 'something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue', is that right?"
I nodded, I hadn't even thought of getting that organised.
"I assume you have your 'something new' covered with your dress, but I think that what I have in this box might just cover the other three."
Sif slowly opened the box. Inside was a delicate tiara, wrought of silvery metal and decorated with diamonds and blue topaz gemstones.
"Oh, Sif! It is beautiful," I gasped.
"A few months before the Queen passed, she requested my presence in her rooms, " Sif explained. "She gave me this box and told me she had worn this on the day she wed Odin, and that she wanted me to wear it on the day I married Thor.
I scoffed, at the time thinking that wasn't likely to happen. I was convinced Thor would never see me that way. But she just smiled and asked me to take it with me anyway.
The queen was known to have the power of Premonition, and afterwards, I can not help but wonder if she had foreseen what would happen. Perhaps she did, or perhaps she simply knew her son better than he knew himself."
Sif smiled.
"I thanked her, of course. Just as I was about to leave the room she called me back. Loki might have need of it one day too, she told me hesitantly. She asked me to make sure it would reach the right hands if and when the time came, and I promised her I would.
So here is something old, borrowed and blue, if you want to wear it," Sif handed me the box.
"I'd love to! I'd be honoured!" I swallowed at the lump in my throat.
"I'll need it back afterwards, it belongs here in Asgard. But it is Jessie's to wear when she gets married. She is part of the family now as well."
Wordlessly I embraced Sif, at a complete loss for what to say.
"You have plenty to do, I'll leave you to it," Sif turned around to walk out of the door.
"Wait!" I called her back. "I almost forgot to ask you. Would you be my Maid of Honour?"
Sif looked surprised. "I'd be honoured, but I'm not so much of a 'maid' anymore."
I grinned back. "It's okay, the Best Man won't be disappointed, I'm certain of that. Loki should be asking Thor as we speak."
"That's why I heard him whooping from the other side of the palace a few moments ago, I was about to find him next to see what that was about!
I would be honoured, truly, but wouldn't you rather ask Jessie?"
I shook my head. "The day will be stressful enough for her without being in the spotlight like that. She needs to be able to leave and find a quiet place if it all gets too much for her. I would love it if you would."
"Then it would be my pleasure. I'll make sure to return for a dress fitting in a little while," Sif promised as she hurried out of the room.

Once I wasn't needed anymore I left my dress in capable hands and made my way to the throne room. The large hall was being decorated by dozens of servants on ladders, hanging up flowers and bunting according to Loki's direction. We had decided on white roses and lilacs bound together with sage-coloured ribbons of silk, the delicate hues combining both of our favourite colours into one beautiful arrangement.
Loki was standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by people, giving orders as he bent over a mockup of the dining hall to study the seating arrangements.
A smile broke out as his eyes met mine.
"There you are!" The frown he had worn on his face melted away like snow before the sun, his eyes warm and loving.
My heart skipped a beat. I had known who he was, of course, I had always known. But here in Asgard, watching this beautiful prince amongst gods in his natural environment, it had hit home all the more. Loki, god of Mischief. Prince of Asgard. Son of Odin. And my husband, as hard as it was to believe.
I could not help but smile back. He was mine, all mine, he was still alive and wanted to marry me, again, in front of all of our friends and family. Before the gods themselves.

"Could you take a look at these arrangements and see if it is to your liking?" Loki was all business, too preoccupied to be aware of how my heart had filled with love at the mere sight of him.
I obediently looked at the arrangement, the names written both in Asgardian runes and in English for my benefit.
My mood changed instantly.
"No! No, absolutely not! Not him! Or him! And not them either!" My voice rose rapidly to a screech.
Loki sighed, having seen my reaction coming from a mile away.
"Darling, none of these people's invitations are negotiable. As a matter of fact, invitations went out yesterday. May I remind you again that this is a royal wedding and heads of state from all realms, including Midgard, will be expected to be present? We can not alienate half of Midgard because you don't agree with their leader's politics, " Loki said reasonably.
"THEIR POLITICS?" I took a deep breath, everyone in the great hall was looking at me. "You think I object to their politics? I'll tell you what I think of their politics…"
"...another time. And I'll promise to listen to your rant for as long as you wish, I do adore a good rant. But not right now, when we are racing against the clock."
"Can't you kill them? Stick a dagger in their back while they are here? Assassinate them? I'm sure you could do it without anyone noticing… the world would be a better place for it!" I asked in a whisper.
Loki eyed me for a second, his eyebrows high, his eyes darting around as if considering it.
Then he grinned helplessly.
"My dear deranged darling, please do not ask me to be the voice of reason! We long ago established that was your place in our relationship.
But, seeing I must: No, as tempting as it is, I am not going to assassinate a bunch of dictators on our wedding day! Are you out of your mind?"
I suppose I was. There were just some people on the list I really didn't want at my wedding, who had committed acts so heinous and awful I couldn't bear the thought of them being there. But, as Loki pointed out, it wasn't up to me, there were proprieties to observe.
"Just place them as far away from me as possible," I muttered in defeat.
"That's my girl," Loki patted me on the shoulder with a sympathetic smile.
I took another look at the arrangements.
"Where are the people from the island?" I asked suddenly. I know Carter was going to be there, seeing she was one of my bridesmaids, but I didn't see the others.
Loki blinked.
"They are forbidden from leaving the island, no?" he asked. Then his face brightened. "No, technically they are forbidden from entering the rest of Midgard, out of fear their dormant Filth infection might go viral… But Asgard isn't Midgard!
We can bring them here via Bifrost and back when the wedding is done! Add your names to the list and I'll make certain they are seated, and I'll send one of our Bee friends over with appropriate clothing beforehand."
Loki's grin widened.
"We would have to warn certain Midgardian dignitaries of course, and wouldn't it be a shame if they made an excuse not to come out of fear?" he winked at me.
I knew several of the people I had objected to were known germaphobes, they'd never risk getting into contact with someone infected with a strain of Filth, even a dormant one.
"And won't your Father object?" I asked.
"Father is leaving the arrangements to me, and it's easier to ask for his forgiveness than permission in my experience. It will be fine." Loki hesitated.
"Unless the strain suddenly activates during our wedding. Now wouldn't that be fun?"
I looked at him in horror.
"I jest, I jest, what are the chances of that? I'm certain we'll be okay."
I sighed with relief, he was right of course.
"Although, with my luck… you'll never know," Loki added pensively.
"Just jesting again!" he said hastily, seeing my face.
"Have you slept at all?" I asked. I had a quick nap in his room in the small hours of the night, and while Loki had promised to join me I had never noticed him coming into bed. He hadn't been there when I had woken up either.
"I'll sleep after the wedding, promise. I don't have time right now."
Loki wasn't wrong, people were queueing up around us to speak to him as we spoke.
"Have you at least eaten?"
"You mean in the past thousand years of my life…" Loki began evasively.
"That means no," I interrupted him.
"You, go and fetch the prince some food! NOW!" I ordered a random person standing nearby. The poor man jumped and ran towards the kitchen.
"That was the Royal Master of the Horse, in charge of the stables," Loki giggled. "I've never seen him jump before!"
"Well, he's getting you some food and you'll better eat it or I'll force-feed you myself!"
Loki's eyes lit up.
"Oh, that could be fun! Do you promise?"
I giggled despite myself. "Will you quit it, we have work to do!"
Loki pulled me close and kissed me, not caring that half of Asgard was standing around us by now, waiting to get their orders from him.
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too," I smiled.
For a moment we got lost in each other's eyes until a polite cough brought us back onto our feet.
"Yes, I'd better go," I blushed.
"Me too, I'd better talk to these people," Loki said hoarsely after clearing his throat.

The rest of the day went by in a haze. At least a dozen people were clamouring for my attention at every moment, and for every problem I solved a new one seemed to appear. There were multiple dress fittings and wine, food and cake tastings, my walk down the aisle had to be timed so that the choir would not stop singing while I was only halfway down the endless seeming hall and there were a hundred other things that needed my personal presence or attention.
Loki and I communicated via servant, managing to miss each other by a moment, one of us exiting the room as the other entered or so it seemed.
It was almost sundown when we ran into each other in one of the hallways by accident.

"You have to help me!" Loki was looking wild-eyed and rather frazzled.
"What is wrong? You look exhausted," I said sympathetically.
I was beginning to feel rather frayed myself. Before running into Loki it had seemed like I had reached the end of my tasks and the last preparations could be done by the servants and cooks, who admittedly would probably be working away through the night but should be alright without our supervision. I had hoped to be able to take Loki home for a few hours and get some rest, but from the look on his face, a new problem had arisen.
"Thor has gone insane! You have to save me!"
"Okay, what do you need me to do?" I had no idea what Loki was talking about, but I was willing to help.
"He wants to throw me a bachelor party tonight! I'm exhausted, if I go I'll fall asleep at the altar tomorrow, you have to forbid it! " Loki pleaded with me.
"Sif was suggesting the same, grabbing a few of the Valkyrie and some of our other friends and going for drinks," I sighed. "I've been avoiding her since."
It was not that Loki and I minded a good party, but it had been a rather eventful few days. Only two days ago I thought Loki was dead until I read his letter. After reviving him in his new body, we had gone to release the anima back into Midgard only for Odin to demand we present ourselves to him in Asgard. Odin has announced our wedding without our permission and we'd been rushed off our feet trying to organise a huge wedding since.
"Please, forbid me from going and I'll be all yours for the night to have your wicked way with, as long as that means tucking me in under a pile of blankets with a glass of warm milk," Loki begged.
"Oh, that sounds fantastic," I sighed, "I'd love that."
We looked at each other and hearing ourselves, we began to laugh helplessly.
"I just want to veg out and watch Netflix and relax before getting a few hours of sleep.."
"I just wish to be boring for the night and get some rest…"
We both spoke at the same time.
"Yes! That is it! Watch Netflix and relax! You are brilliant! Beautiful, adorable and completely absurd, but absolutely brilliant!" Loki practically bounced up and down in delight.
"This is the perfect solution and will make everyone happy!" Fully cheered up, he ran off.
"Loki! Where are you going?"
"To find Cedric! Grab a servant and tell them to put rows of chairs out on the south lawn, then go and gather the others!"
Loki bounded back and gave me a quick kiss on top of my head. "You are amazing!"
And off he ran again, leaving me to wonder what he was up to now, and where he was finding the energy.

A little while later I found myself waiting on the south lawn, with a group of our friends and family, while servants finished putting down a last row of chairs.
Thor, Sif, Odin and Jessie were there, of course, Carter, Richard, Matt, Calinda, the Warriors Three, Val and several of the others as well.
"What are we waiting for?" Odin asked rather peevishly, unimpressed by Loki's latest shenanigans.
"We're here!" Loki announced cheerfully before I was forced to admit I had no idea either.
Loki and Cedric were carrying a large rolled-up projection screen and a movie projector. With the help of the others, it was set up in no time.
"What is this nonsense?" Odin asked me, as he looked at the unfamiliar technology.
"It is a screen for moving pictures," I began to explain. I wasn't sure if Odin knew what those were.
"It's okay, I've explained movies to grandfather before," Jessie interrupted. "I think Loki and Cedric brought a movie with them for us to watch, grandfather."
"Oh well, why didn't you just say so in the first place?" Odin grumbled.
I didn't know how to answer that, since I hadn't been aware myself up until a few moments ago.
"Sit down, sit down!" Loki ordered us around cheerfully. "Servants will be here with some popcorn soon!"
He grinned at me.
"I had to explain what to do with it to the cook who wasn't impressed, but I think he got the gist of it!"
I felt sorry for the poor head cook who had enough to do the night before the wedding without having to supply us all with popcorn.

Eventually, we were all seated, servants started to arrive with the popcorn and Loki started the movie.
"What movie did you choose anyway?" I whispered curiously.
"You'll see," Loki winked.
The moment the first scene started playing I buried my head in my hands and groaned.
"I know this movie!" Thor proclaimed cheerfully. "I love it!"
"You really thought this was a good idea?" I hissed at Loki as I watched Jane Foster and Erik Selvig study the stars.
"It will be fun!" Loki grinned.
"Swap seats, now!" I glared at him. "You do not want to sit next to your father during the first Thor movie, you muppet!"
"Why not?" Loki asked but swapped seats with me anyway.
"Is that... supposed to be me?" Odin asked incredulously as Sir Antony Hopkins appeared on the screen, facing off against an army of Frost Giants.
"It is a fictional story loosely based upon legends," I explained, resigned to my lot.
Loki soon realised what I had realised the moment the movie had started: Odin was thoroughly confused by the movie that resembled reality enough to be recognisable but was too different to be an accurate portrayal of events.
Soon he was asking a hundred questions about each scene. I did my best to explain what was happening, but while I was explaining one scene the movie had already moved on to the next. And thus I found myself explaining each scene after it happened, always one scene behind, while Loki was sitting on my other side seething at the interruptions. It was a good thing Thor had watched the movie on an almost weekly basis while he lived with us, or I would have gotten confused myself.

"What? You invited a Frost Giant into Asgard?" Odin asked Loki angrily as we got to that part.
"That isn't me!" Loki defended himself. "That's Tom Hiddleston!"
"Bring this Tom Hiddleston to me, this is treason of the worst kind!" Odin barked, temporarily forgetting it was fiction.
Jessie swapped seats with Thor and sat down on Odin's other side, quietly explaining to him who Tom Hiddleston was and why Odin should not be calling for his head just yet.
"I'm starting to see why you called me a muppet," Loki sank deeper into his chair and leaned his head into his hands as he realised his mistake.

Odin was not the only one unhappy with what was happening on the big screen. Sif was loudly complaining every time Jane Foster was on the screen.
"Just look at that milksop and her mopey big eyes! I could take her with one hand bound behind my back! Two hands tied behind my back and I'd still be able to take her easily!"
And Thor got a solid punch on the shoulder as his movie counterpart kissed Jane.
"Ouch! Flowerpetal, but why? That wasn't even me!" Thor said sadly while rubbing his arm.

The movie wasn't a complete failure. The Warriors Three cheered every time they were on the screen, and everyone loved the part where Thor weighed down Loki with Mjolnir.
"I hate that part," Loki mumbled grumpily.
"You are the one who chose the movie," I reminded him.
"I should have gone with Ragnarok, at least I'm the one who saved the day in the end in that one," he grumbled back.
While it hadn't been quite the relaxing evening I had hoped for, it had been enjoyable enough to watch a movie with our family and friends. We hadn't seen some of them since the big battle at Jotunnhold, and none of us had thought we'd ever get the pleasure of Loki's company again.
Once the movie was over, we made our way to the Bifrost in the hope to get a few hours of sleep before we had to get up again for our big day.
"Aren't we supposed to spend the night before the wedding apart for good luck?" I asked Loki, teasingly.
"I'm not spending another night without you in my arms," his blue eyes sparkled into mine. "Besides, we are already married, remember?"
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his head down for a kiss.
"I still can't believe that is true sometimes," I admitted softly.
"You'd better get used to the thought," Loki smiled, "because I'm planning to spend the rest of my life by your side. And after the spectacle I have planned for you tomorrow, no one will ever doubt that again. Not even you, my dearest darling Sorcha."