Warrior's Heart |Thor|

Epilogue

 Esme could not believe how her beating heart was betraying her. She had faced aliens, the Goddess of Death, even certain death! And yet this, among other things, had her entire body trembling with anxiety.

Well, it wasn't everyday one married a god.

Esme bounced in place. While she hadn't been too familiar with Asgardian customs when it came to weddings, she was more than happy to adopt Earth's culture when it came to the event. Rather than having the event at their new house—which they had moved into a few months after the proposal—Pepper had immediately offered hers up. The ladies, as usual, had taken everything into their hands provided they had suggestions and approval from the groom and bride to go along with.

Esme remained inside the cabin, the small party in attendance waiting outside by the lake for her. She scratched lightly at the top of her hands.

"You look pretty, Auntie Esme," Morgan tittered shyly. Esme smiled down at the brunette, who was to be the flower girl for the event.

"Well, nobody can look as pretty as you, little Stark," Esme told the girl fondly. "You'll have all the boys you want at your feet."

Morgan wrinkled her nose. "They're gross."

Esme chuckled. "Give it time, you'll see them in a different light."

"Like Mommy did with Daddy, and like you with Uncle Thor?"

Esme nodded. "You'll realize it when you're older."

"Are you trying to give my daughter the birds and the bees talk?" Pepper asked in mock horror. Esme straightened up, smoothing down her dress.

"Not at all."

"Let's get you married."

Morgan went with her mother, who was giving her instructions. Esme remained behind the two, bouncing lightly on her feet from nerves. This was truly happening. In little time, she was to be married to Thor Odinson.

When music started and Pepper had disappeared outside, Morgan started her slow walk, throwing petals in her path. Esme's heart jumped into her throat. At the end, through the aisle, she saw Bruce, the officiator, and then her husband-to-be. Thank the gods his suit did not seem tight, she already swooned at the prospect of being his wife. She did not need more reason to feel lightheaded on this day.

When Esme found her musical cue, she took her slow time. While she was upset that her father could not hand her off as it was the custom on Earth, she felt her parents' presence in spirit. She knew that wherever they were in their next life they were most certainly watching.

Being that the lake was the most prominent feature, decoration was subtle. The altar was simple, adorned with various flowers of various colors.

Once at the end of the aisle, Thor offered her a hand, which she greatly accepted. The music stopped, and Bruce greeted the guests as such. Once the formality was completed, he looked between the two Asgardians. The lake babbled calmly nearby.

"Have you prepared vows for one another?" Bruce asked.

Esme could not speak for her other half, but she certainly had. Though, she had to think them up on the fly. She had attempted numerous times to write something down and go from there but nothing ever sounded right.

"I suppose I'll go first," Esme said timidly. She cleared her throat a few times, hoping it would shake the nerves out of her. "By the gods did I ever believe I'd be so fortunate to find someone has kind-hearted and strong-willed as you, my love. I suppose us meeting as children started us on a path that neither of us could shake, no matter how many times we strayed from it. We've been through so much, and while it was chaotic, I cannot wait to see what the tamed version of our life is going to look like."

Thor looked as nervous as Esme did, and it was not a look she often saw on her soon-to-be-husband's face. But the anxiety lifted from his features as he squared his shoulders. "In all my time of living, perhaps one of the last things on my mind was finding my other half. I supposed I was going to spend most of my life doing kingly duties and saving other realms from peril. I hadn't known it then, when we were children, and I didn't fully know it until after the Dark Elves were taken care of. You stood by me through it all, even if I wasn't the most cooperative of people. I have never met someone so fierce, so determined, in such a small package."

As if I'm really that small, he's as tall as a tree. Esme snorted at the tiny joke which got some of the audience in small laughter.

"I'm glad that now is the right time, that now is the time for us to live our lives as we want," Thor continued sincerely. "I, too, cannot wait to see where our lives take us in this new chapter."

Bruce wrapped up the ceremony, and the newlyweds shared their first kiss as husband and wife. Applause and a few whistles ran through the air and Esme felt blush rise in her cheeks. Her face grew hotter when Thor threw up their clasped hands almost as if in victory.

While it was no ceremony on Asgard, Esme knew this was where she was meant to be. On Earth, with her husband at her side, with a new place of their own to call home.