Choices

Chapter 34 Thor watched her from afar, Sif was stood on his balcony taking in the sights of Aggard. The moons shone off her silky black hair and it made him remember how she came to have such dark locks. Much had changed in the past years, Loki wasn't that maliciously mischievous boy anymore, and Thor had, for once, settled down.
Sif was a wonderful companion to him. He was more than happy he'd given her a chance to be with him. The shy girl was no more, Sif was blossoming into a self-assured, strong-minded woman. Thor stopped his watching and made his way out to the balcony behind her. His naked form didn't stop him from stepping out into the open, Thor was never shy nor modest.
"What has you out here thinking for so long?" He asked his paramour, wrapping his arms around her shoulders from behind.
"In truth, Loki and Amora." She replied. Thor furrowed his brow in confusion.
"What do you mean?" He asked. Sif sighed.
"I knew Amora and her sister growing up, and neither of them does anything that doesn't gain them something in return." She replied. "Myself and Loki have had our differences, but I fear for his sanity." Thor grinned. Her concern touched him.
"Loki is fine. He can handle himself." Thor replied nuzzling his face against her hair. "Every day we are together, I cannot help but dream of something more," Thor said and Sif turned in his embrace.
"What more could there be?" She tilted her head, eyebrows furrowed.
"Marriage." He responded. Sif's eyes grew wide and Thor was amused. He'd been mulling it over for a while. He felt she was a fine choice, and his father -- who was hard enough to impress -- would approve of the match. Sif faltered back a step, or rather, she would have if not for Thor's arms.
"You cannot mean it?" She said in disbelief.
"I do. We should marry, it's the obvious option. I've never been so content with just one woman for so long. You intrigue me still years after our first courting. It is a fine match." Thor told her kissing the tip of her nose. "What say you?"
Sif's eyes flittered away toward the floor and back up. He could see the excitement on her face, but couldn't understand her hesitation. Finally, her eyes came to rest back on his own and she smiled. "Yes, it would be a great honor to live forever at your side." She replied before pressing upward and kissing him. Thor grinned against the kiss.
He wrapped his arms around her waist, feeling the curves there through the thin fabric of her robe and thinking that he would never bore of this woman.
(Sif)
Thor didn't waste time boasting of his proposal, he told the warriors three as soon as they met up early the next day. Fandral stared before spouting a very hesitant congratulations. Hogun rubbed a hand on his forehead without saying a word and Volstagg choked on his ham. Sif was underwhelmed by there clear disapproval.
This was a natural thing, to marry the person you love.
"Imagine the celebration." Thor was saying, having completely remained blind to the lack of excitement coming from his friends.
"I imagine in the next century it will be a fine wedding and even finer feast." Fandral declared. Sif remained quiet while Thor stared at his dashing friend.
"Century, why would I wait till then?" Thor pondered, shaking his head. "No, no. The sooner the better, the world can get to know and see their new princess flourish into a wise woman fit to be a queen, if I should gain the crown.
"Of course, how silly of me." Fandral near rolled his eyes. Thor slapped Fandral on the upper back rather hard.
"No worries my friend." Thor told him with a laugh.
"When do you tell your parents?" Hogun asked.
"As soon as father is done with his court meeting for this morning," he said. Sif saw the half smiles, but nothing radiated the happy nature people usually had from these things. Was she not liked? Did they not think her worthy of him? Perhaps, they could see through her lies, she had after all been lying to Thor. It was exactly as her mother said it would be. Become the queen he would want now, and gain his hand in marriage.
But was this what she really wanted? When he'd brought it up, Sif had been surprised and saddened. She felt no excitement herself for it because her own lies haunted her. But it was too late now, she'd come too far to lose him now and she'd already agreed to the match. This was after all her biggest dream... right?
***
"Marriage?" Odin pondered stroking his beard in thought. Frigga stood to the side with her soft smile.
"Yes, I feel I am old enough to decide now. I have been courting Sif for near a decade, she is a fine woman from an exceptional family."
"She is," Frigga said her eyes sparking with hidden words. "You are also both so young with plenty more years ahead of you. Why the rush?" Even though her words cried more disapproval, her demeanour and tone did not. The queen was good that way. She always knew how to defuse a situation by her mannerism and tone. She chose her words with care. Sif admired her, most every woman did.
"I am eager to have her at my side always." Thor admitted. "I feel the sooner the better," he said.
"Marriage is not something I take lightly. If I agree, and you marry Lady Sif... If you realize you both feel differently in a centuries time I will not annul this marriage. Such a beautiful and honouring ritual is not something I am willing to just throw away. We live thousands of years and you have lived for less than a mere 300 and even smaller has your courtship been. I feel this match is coming from young adoration and blinded dreams of a future one cannot predict." Odin was not so nice with his words, though he seemed to have been trying.
Thor stepped forward his face a deep red. "With all due respect father I believe you are wrong. I am certain of this match." Odin looked from Thor to Sif and his eyes remained on her.
"Do you agree with him? Do you also feel the need to marry so soon?" Putting Sif on the spot, she shifted uncomfortably.
"I love your son and it would be a great honor to have him for my husband. Whether now or later, I am sure our desires to marry will remain the same." It was a half neutral answer. Not directly saying yes or no kept her from angering Thor further, or her mother when she should find out.
"I cannot agree." Odin told them. "I declare that you wait another decade and if you should remain feeling the same, I will marry you." Thor had his hands balled into fists, he gave a very stiff and forced bow before he stalked from the room. Sif was about to follow when the queen spoke up.
"Sif, I would like it very much if we could get to know each other better considering the circumstance. Join me for a late night stroll tomorrow. Meet me at the front steps as the suns set." Sif hadn't spent any time alone with the queen, it hadn't occurred to her that she should.
"Of course." Sif replied, a grateful smile releasing her tension a tiny bit.
(Cephera)
Cephera sat straight while Frigga pulled another section of hair into the second braid meant to finish crowing her head. "What do you think of marriage?" The queen asked. She always did this. Whenever she showed up at Cephera's room early, offering to do her hair, she would spend that time asking questions about the Mechanovians. Cephera was happy to tell her anything.
"We call a marriage, a Union and we rarely have them. Most cases our kind is out for children to expand our dying race. That and outsiders are only permitted to visit our realm, not live there. Anyone who falls in love and is united usually move off Mechanova altogether."
"No outsiders?" Frigga pondered out loud.
"Yes, once upon a time we allowed outsiders, like my mother, to live with us. But people who were hungry for power ruined it. They waged a war in hopes of gaining our power source. We lost a lot of people, but the war ended easily enough. After that my father passed the law." Cephera frowned. It always saddened her how the act of a few could change so many things.
"And your personal view on a Union?" The queen continued grinning as Cephera caught her gaze in the mirror.
"Despite our troubleships with children and the fact that love isn't normally our first priority... I've decided to step outside the norm. I'd love to find love and marry. Granted, I could wait until I'm 500 or so." She smiled.
"It's hard being different." She told her. She knew many things about Cephera already.
"It is, but my family supports me." Cephera was grateful for that. She wasn't pressured to be like the rest of them.
"How goes things with Loki?" Cephera didn't think is was a coincidence that the queen asked that question with that underlying tone. She had been asking odd things like that for a long time and Cephera had come to know the queen had a sharp sense of what goes on around her, even if she didn't express it outright.
"He's drifting away from me. His new blossoming relationship takes up near all his time, when he's not concentrating on his own studies. He makes time for my training twice a week and even then Amora finds ways to distract him or lure him away." Cephera sighed. Reminding herself that she should be happy he found love... Or was it just lust? Blind lust?
"I had many suitors before meeting my husband," Frigga said. "Many people go through all the wrong ones before finding the right one, but once they find the right one they cherish them so much more knowing what they went through to get there." Cephera knew she'd blushed. She didn't know if she was reading into it, but she felt that the queen was hinting at Cephera being that right one. She tried to shake off that thought, but it occurred to her that if she was right, then what Seraphina said was also true. That Cephera should just wait it out.
"You think he doesn't want me as a friend anymore?" Cephera asked, her insecurities showing through.
"Have you ever seen a child play with a new toy and later discard it and go back to the old one, I know its a little odd compassion but I feel that Loki's relationship, should it end, will bring his loyalties back to you. He wants and enjoys being your friends, but this relationship is new and exciting." Cephera nodded.
"I guess then, if the relationship lasts, that it will become less exciting and he will finally return to the normal Loki." Her tone was hopeful and when the queen nodded Cephera felt relief. She wouldn't lose him completely.
"Do you like it?" Frigga asked gesturing to Cephera's hair.
Cephera examined the coif of two braids going from the back of her neck and up around her head to create a crown. The tail ends flowing to meld with the rest of her long, wavy hair. "It's beautiful." Cephera told her. "You remind me of my mother, gentle and kind."
"I'm glad you feel that way. It must have been hard losing her."
"It wasn't the losing her that was hard, it was watching her grow old and not being able to do anything about it. In the end, she died happy though, and that's what counts." Frigga touched Cephera's face in a gentle caress.
"It is a wonderful thing when one can die happy and without regret." Cephera nodded again before standing and brushing out the winkles set in her skirt. "I will see you at the midday meal," Frigga said.
"As always." Cephera watched the queen leave and thought again about her own mother.

Notes