Heart of an Asgardian

Chapter 9 Welcome to Asgard

Kagome smiled at the man, “Thank you…”

Thor stepped towards Kagome and wrapped his arm around her waist, “My love, this is Heimdall, the gatekeeper of Asgard.”

Kagome nodded, “Thank you, Heimdall. I'm Kagome. It's nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine, Kagome,” Heimdall said as he nodded towards Kagome.

Heimdall then turned towards Thor, “My Prince, the king, and queen, are waiting for you and the priestess in the throne room.”

Thor nodded, “Come, My Love, let us go to the palace.”

Guards were waiting to take Loki to the throne room to face the Allfather and receive his punishment. They took him into custody and led him out of the Observatory. Meanwhile, Thor and Kagome took another ship to the palace. Thor usually rode his horse, but he did not want to jostle Kagome too much in her condition. Thor expertly piloted the ship to the docking bay of the palace then helped Kagome off. From there, they made their way through the halls towards the throne room. Upon seeing Thor, the servants bowed, and Thor acknowledged each and everyone with a nod of his head.

When they arrived at the throne room door, Kagome pulled Thor to a stop. “Do you think your parents will like me?”

Thor pecked Kagome's lips, “They will love you. Do not worry.”

Kagome took a deep breath to steady her nerves, then nodded to Thor. The guards opened the Throne room doors, and Kagome and Thor entered. Kagome's mouth fell open as she looked around the room. The throne room was huge, and the nobles of Asgard filled the entire room. They were all lined up and waiting for Thor and Kagome to enter; at the other end of the room on a high dais sat Odin and Frigga. All eyes were on Thor and Kagome when they heard the doors open. Kagome swallowed thickly and hesitated, but Thor gripped her hand and gave her an encouraging smile. Kagome let out a breath, and they walked towards King Odin and Queen Frigga.

Odin stared coldly at Thor and his Priestess as they walked closer to the throne. His eyes immediately zeroed in on Kagome's pregnant belly. Though his expression didn't change, Odin was excited at the thought of having a grandchild running around the palace. The only thing that he did not like was that the baby was going to be born out of wedlock, and that was something Odin could not allow.

While Odin is thinking this, Frigga is sitting next to her husband, beaming at Thor and Kagome. She couldn't be happier for Thor. After so many centuries in meaningless relationships, not only had Thor found the love of his life, but they were going to have a child together. Frigga was so excited about being a grandmother. She couldn't wait to spoil her grandson or granddaughter. And even though Thor and Kagome had done things backward, she still couldn't wait for Kagome to become her daughter. ‘Thor and Kagome need to be married as soon as possible,’ Frigga thought.

When Thor and Kagome reach the dais's bottom, Thor helped Kagome kneel and then also kneeled in front of the Allfather. They kept their heads bowed until Odin acknowledged them. Odin waited a few moments, then addressed the couple.

“You may rise.”

Thor stood then helped Kagome to her feet.

“Welcome home, my son. I wish to congratulate you on a job well done on retrieving the tesseract and stopping the invasion.”

“Thank you, Father.”

“And welcome to you, Priestess Kagome. Heimdall informed us that you, too, fought bravely against the invasion. Though I would have our healers examine you to make sure that your child is well.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Odin nodded, “But before you go, there is something of great importance that we must discuss.”

Thor and Kagome looked at each other confused, “What do we need to discuss, Father.”

“We need to discuss your wedding to Priestess Kagome.”

Thor beamed at the thought.

“What?!” Kagome exclaimed.

“Surely you didn't think that you would give birth to Thor's heir without being married to him? That is something that we cannot have.”

Suddenly, Thor frowned and looked at Kagome, “You do not want to marry me?” He asked, taking her hands in his.

“Of course I want to marry you, Thor, but I didn't want it to be a royal command. I wanted it to be something you want, not something you have to do because I'm pregnant with your child.”

“Oh, my love, even if you were not pregnant, there is nothing in all the Nine Realms that would make me happier than marrying you. So,” Thor said and got down on one knee, “Kagome Higurashi, I love more than anything else in the universe. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Kagome smiled down at Thor, and with tears in her eyes, she answered him, “Yes, Thor, nothing would make me happier. But I have one request, Your Majesty.”

“You would like your mother and brother here for the wedding.”

“Yes, please.”

“Granted.”

Kagome squealed and hugged Thor, then made her way up the dais and kissed Odin on the cheek, “Thank you so much, Your Majesty!”

Odin's lip twitched, and he patted her hand, “You're welcome, my child. Now I'm sure you must be tired. Thor will take you to the healer and then to your chambers to rest. You are dismissed.”

Kagome nodded and was about to make her way down the dais when Frigga stopped her and hugged her, and welcomed Kagome to the family. Afterward, Kagome walked down and left with Thor. Once they left, the rest of the nobles left as well. When they were gone, Frigga stepped close to her husband, “Thank you, my love. You did a wonderful thing for that girl.”

“It is the least I can do for her. She deserves to have her family witness her wedding. I may not like Midgardians, but her family is the exception,” Odin said, then kissed Frigga on the lips.

Thor and Kagome walked down the hall towards the healers' chambers. Thor was beaming at Kagome and hugged her tightly to his side, “I am so happy that we are to be wed, my love.”

“So am I, Thor. There is nothing I want more than to be married to you.”

“Truly?”

“Yes, of course. You're the love of my life.”

Thor smiled and leaned down to kiss Kagome, “And you are mine.”

When they arrived at the healers' chamber, they entered, and Thor explained to the head healer that Kagome needed a scan to make sure their child was doing well after the battle, “Of course, My Prince. Priestess, if you would lie down, we will begin the scan.”

Kagome laid down on the table, and they used the soul forge to scan her body and the baby. They checked the baby's vitals and general health and ensured no trauma had happened to the fetus during the battle. Ingrid, the head healer, smiled, “The baby is in perfect health, My Prince. You have nothing to worry about. Would you like to know the sex of the baby?”

“No!” Kagome instantly said, “I want it to be a surprise.”

Ingrid nodded, and Thor looked at Kagome, disappointed, but he would respect her wishes. She turned off the soul forge and helped Kagome up. Thor helped Kagome off the table, then thanked Ingrid, and the couple left. They walked to the royal wing and went into Thor's chambers. Thor looked at Kagome and smiled, “I hope you do not mind sharing my chambers. But I do not want to be parted from you and our child.”

Kagome smiled at Thor and kissed him, “No, I don't mind at all. As long as your parents don't mind.”

“No, they will not. Would you care for something to eat, my love?”

Kagome yawned and stretched, “Not right, now, Thor. If you don't mind, I would like to take a nap.”

Thor nodded and helped Kagome into his bed. He took off her shoes and rubbed her swollen feet until Kagome relaxed and fell asleep. Then he crawled into bed with her and pulled her to him. Placing a hand on her baby bump, Thor sighed in contentment and closed his eyes. Instantly, he fell asleep with dreams filled with chasing his child around the gardens of Asgard.