The Tower: Happily Ever After

Weapons

When the rubble from the battle with Cul had been completely cleared away and construction had begun to the degree that scaffolding was up and safety features were in place, the palace decided to hold the feast to celebrate the victory over the would-be king.

We started with a kind of parade from the rainbow bridge through the city. 'Parade' wasn't quite the right word for it. It was just us, minus Thor who was waiting at the throne for us to arrive. We were unarmed though Asgardian guards and some Valkyrie walked ahead and behind us in case of trouble. No one was expecting it though. The people were happy and as we walked through the city in a loose group people would come and speak to us or hand us gifts. They were food, and drink mostly but also small trinkets, clothing for the little ones, flowers, and even the occasional weapon. The people were always excited to see the children, especially the little ones, and they all stopped to pat the Vulparev and thank them for protecting the babies. The streets were lined with stalls giving out pastries, mead, and punch. There were spits with full animals roasting anywhere there was room to build the fire. The whole city smelled like roasting meat and baking bread. It was mouth-watering.

We walked with no hurry. For much of the way, Thour and Nova toddled along holding someone's hand. They still could not walk unassisted but they happily ran along with support. It was a long walk and long before we even reached the shadow of the palace the little ones grew tired of walking. "Dadadadada..." Thour babbled, holding her free hand up to Bucky who was holding her hand.

"You want your daddy?" Bucky asked, scooping her up into his arms.

She kicked her feet and nuzzled her head under his chin.

"Did she just say dada?" Tony asked, moving up beside Bucky.

"Yep. I got the dada first. Suck it," Bucky teased.

"I'm pretty sure what she said was dadadadadada and not dada," Natasha corrected.

"She also held her hands up for me to pick her up," Bucky said. "That counts."

"You want to come to dada, Thourey?" Tony asked, holding out his hands.

"Dadadadada," she babbled and held out her hands to Tony.

He took her and raised his eyebrows. "Seems like I'm the dada now," Tony teased.

"Alright," I smirked, stepping closer to him. "Thourey, you want to come to dada?" I asked, holding out my hands.

"Dadadadada," she babbled, reaching for me this time and kicking her legs.

Natasha smirked and quirked her eyebrows. "Guess that solves that," she teased.

"God damn it," Tony said, putting Thour in my arms.

"She'll say it eventually," I assured him. "Now stop arguing about who's the dad."

By the time we reached the steps of the palace, we'd fanned out into a V pattern with me at the front and then the kids and grandchildren gathered behind us. People began cheering and stopped approaching us. Everything began to feel more official and less like we were celebrating with the people.

When we reached the throne room, which had been opened up to the grounds, Sif and Fandral came and took Thour, Nova, and the grandchildren away, and led the spouses of the other children to the side. The rest of us walked up to the throne.

Thor was lazing back on the throne with his legs spread, and he stood as we approached. "People of Asgard!" he boomed as we reached him. "We come together in celebration. My uncle has been vanquished thanks to the good work of the people of our city, particularly the army of Asgard and the Valkyrie. However, there are some who stand out today and I think it is important to acknowledge that. Loki who projected the portal to send our uncle back and who placed the spells to bind him there for eternity."