Betrothed - Thor Odinson x Reader

Chapter 3: Nostalgia.

Spring was approaching, which meant the weather was finally more similar to the one you were accustomed to. After days of begging, Loki agreed to abandon the library in favor of accompanying you to the gardens. With your hand on his elbow, the two of you opened the main hall door, only to find an unexpected view. Thor was sparring with a brunette woman, while three men cheered on them. The sound of your boots hitting the stone pavement startled them.

"Brother!" Thor greeted, only looking at you for a moment, "I did not expect for you to join us."
"I was just about to show Y/n the gardens, I thought you would be on the training grounds." he explained, noticing how you avoided his brother's gaze, "Do you not wish to introduce her to your friends?"

When you lifted your head up, you found everyone's gaze trained on you. Thor's companions were clearly confused and you wondered if he had ever spoken about you. "This is my future wife, Y/n. These are Lady Sif and the Warriors Three." Thor explained, breaking the silence. One of the three men, tall and blond, stood up and approached you. "I am Fandral, my lady. It's a pleasure to meet you." he whispered softly, taking your hand and placing a light kiss on its knuckles, "Those brutes are Volstagg and Hogun. Forgive their manners."

Loki and Thor rolled their eyes while you giggled, earning a smile from Fandral. He was certainly a charmer. "Well, we'll take our leave. Excuse us." Loki scowled. The two of you didn't talk about them while strolling through the gardens. Loki taught you about some of the flowers from realms you knew little about and you did the same with those native to yours. The prince probably knew what you were explaining, you thought, but he let you talk, enjoying how your eyes would light up while talking about your home. You rarely spoke of your nostalgia, fearing you would appear ungrateful, but he had sensed it. You were expected to leave everything behind and make Asgard your home but you couldn't find it in yourself.

"Loki, what do you think of Lady Sif?" you asked once you reached the door to your chambers. "Why are you so curious, dear?" he furrowed his eyebrows. "I do not wish to sound ungrateful, I appreciate your company, but..." you started, but he cut you off. "But you wish to make other friends. I understand, darling. I have duties that keep me from spending much time with you. You should not fear admitting you are lonely." he spoke softly, raising his hand to caress your cheek.

Encouraged by Loki, you wandered into the training grounds after lunch. There, you found her and the Warriors Three, sparring. Once she heard you coming, she spoke without adverting her gaze from the man she was challenging, whose name you remembered to be Volstagg. "If you are looking for Thor, he is in a private meeting with the king."

"Oh, I was actually..." you began, but she disarmed Volstagg, turned around and interrupted you. "Are you lost, then? What would a princess be doing here?" she spat, eyeing your expensive gown and your heels. You clearly did not belong there. Your cheeks were bright red and your eyes were glazed, so you lowered your head to hide it. "Be nice, Sif. Her Highness must have missed my company." Fandral added, smirking. You took a deep breath, reminding yourself of your status. You were the princess of Vanaheim and the soon to be queen of Asgard. You would not be disrespected. "As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," you started, your voice still shaking but now louder, "I came here to ask Lady Sif to join me for tea before dinner, but I now understand my company is unwanted. I wish you a good afternoon." You turned your back on them and walked back up to your chambers, your heels loudly stomping on the pavement. Once you reached your destination, you allowed yourself to slump against the door and silently sob. Not even the dumbfounded look on their faces after your response were enough to overpower the humiliation they had caused.

In the following days, you ignored them when you encountered them while on your daily strolls with Loki. You had not told him what had happened in detailed, but he seemed to understand. Sometimes you wondered if he could read your mind. Thor was often with them. Sif and the Warriors Three bowed their heads and acted sheepish when you walked past them, but he ignored you completely. You were not surprised: unless the circumstances required it, he had never even spared you a glance since your arrival. He was civil, but impolite. You kept reminding yourself of what Loki had told you about him, that he would just need time, but as the weeks passed you started feeling hopeless. The rumors you kept hearing from the servants about the maids he bedded only worsened your situation.

Your friendship with Loki, Frigga's polite conversation, the books and the gardens could only distract you for so long. You could not forget why you were here. It would be a matter of months until Odin would announce the day of the ceremony. Thor was to be your husband. A handsome, strong husband. A cruel, absent husband. You couldn't bear the thought of what your life would be. Hilde and Loki, the only people who seemed to truly care about you, were only a reminder of the fact that you were stuck between your past and your future, your loving home and your cold prison, your family's warmth and your husband's coldness, your close bonds and your distant acquaintances.

They had both noticed your sour mood, you could tell. Hilde caressed your temples while brushing your hair and would sing you lullabies from your childhood. Loki would ask you questions about your realm's flowers every time you walked past them in the gardens, even though you both knew he knew all about them. You could not hide it from them, but you could hide it from everyone else. Until you couldn't.

That evening you had not yet excused yourself from the dinner table. You were lost in thought and hadn't eaten much, but thought no one at the table seemed to have noticed. In truth, Frigga had exchanged worried looks with Loki all evening. She had noticed how you seemed more lost every day, but she had never seen you quite like this. You were pale, your eyes were vacant, your hands were moving the silverware but you weren't touching your food. She had noticed how you were much closer to Loki than to her other son, but assumed it was simply due to your kindred spirits. Thor, however, looked completely disinterested in pursuing any kind of relationship with you, and she couldn't allow that. She would not ignore it and trap the both of you into a miserable marriage.

"Y/n, dear, do you feel unwell?" she asked, reaching for your hand. Her touch startled you. "I feel perfectly fine, Frigga." you smiled, but your eyes were blank. "I do not mean to offend you, but you seem tired these days. If there is anything I can do to help you, do not hesitate to ask." she whispered, and your walls finally crumbled. Maybe it was her soft voice, her kind words or it was simply a matter of time before it happened. You quickly stood up, your eyes stinging and your sight blurry, not caring about everyone's startled reaction. "If you'll excuse me." you said and, without waiting for permission, you ran back to your chambers. That night, you cried yourself to sleep.

Back in the dining hall, Frigga saw red. "Are you satisfied? Is this what you wanted, Thor?" she turned to her eldest son and yelled. Thor seemed confused. His mother had rarely ever raised her voice at him, she would only scold her sons with a disappointed but quiet tone. "I do not know what you are talking about, mother." he said calmly, hoping to avoid his mother's rage. "You do not know?"

This time, the words were spoken by his brother, who was gripping the side of his chair so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. "Did you even notice your future wife leaving? Did you even notice her at all? I knew you were dumb, brother, but I did not believe you to be such an idiot! Or maybe you are not, in which case you are just cruel!" he hissed. "Loki!" his father shouted, "Don't you dare speak to your brother this way!".

Frigga was known to be a patient woman, especially with her husband. This is why Odin shut up when she yelled again, this time at him. "He needs to hear it!" she started, then took a deep breath and relaxed a bit, "Thor, I do not know what happened to you before Y/n came here, but she is not to blame. Did you ever try to talk to her, to make her feel welcome?".

Thor simply sighed and left the dinner table. He would not hear one more word of this.