Betrothed - Thor Odinson x Reader

Chapter 4: Bewildered.

The morning after your outburst at dinner, you simply wished to lay in your bed forever. A loud knock on the door startled you. "I wish to be alone, Hilde. Tell everyone I am sick." you shouted, hoping she could hear you. "It's not Hilde, it is I" a deep, loud voice replied. You quickly stood up from your bed and wrapped a silk robe around your body, only covered in a nightgown.

"Thor?" you asked, as you opened the door. The prince at your door was already an usual sight, but his nervous look was an even rarer one. "I wish to apologize, my lady. It has been brought to my attention that you have been lonely and I should have done more to make you feel welcome." he mumbled, twisting a signet ring around his finger and avoiding your gaze. "It has been brought to your attention?" you laughed coldly, earning you a confused look from the man. "So the mighty Thor of Asgard was unable to notice how miserable I have been? I wonder how you managed to win so many battles if you lack intuition. You must have truly clever strategists to compensate your..." you began you ramble.

"Do not forget your place!" he shouted, "I am Thor, prince of Asgard! I am to be your husband and your king!". "And I am to be your wife and your queen! It is you who forgets my place!" you responded, stomping your foot. If any servant were to walk past your chambers they would mistake you for two bickering children, you thought. Thor looked down and took a deep breath. "I wished to ask you to come riding with me this morning, to spend some time together and get to know each other." he sighed. "Well, it is not truly a request, is it?" you said, and continued when you saw him looking up at you and opening his mouth to reply, "Let me get dressed and I will join you at the stables."

Each step you took had you dreading the next. Once you reached Thor, he finally seemed to truly look at you. He observed your eyes, red and swollen from your crying, and couldn't help but feel guilty. You were beautiful, he had always thought so. Your braids were locked in a tight low bun to keep your hair from your eyes while riding and your usual gowns and heels had been replaced by a white shirt, brown pants and a pair of black riding boots. Asgardian ladies usually rode horses in dresses, but it looked like you prioritized comfort over appearance.

"I do not have a horse, my prince. Will I be riding with you?" you asked, uncomfortable with the idea of holding onto him. He shook his head and guided you towards a black mare. "This is Lagertha. She is quite young so none of my companions have claimed her. Do you wish to see if she likes you?" he asked, petting her head. "If she likes me?" you raised your eyebrows. "Have you never ridden a horse?" he questioned, surprised. He remembered you saying you had been taught to ride. "Of course I did. I have been riding my horse, Tyr, my whole life." you explained, crossing your arms. Had he truly never listened to a word you said?

"Oh, I see." he smiled, which made you furrow your brows. "May I ask what do you see?" you asked, confused. "Well, you were young when you started and you had one horse your whole life. You probably don't remember how to familiarize yourself with a horse. Here, I'll show you." he explained, gesturing you to come closer. At your hesitation, he laughed. "Come on, I don't bite! Lagertha might, though."

You sighed, obeying. He took some sugar cubes from his belt pouch and took your hand, placing them in your palm. You shivered at his touch. Never breaking contact, he raised the sugar cubes to the mare's mouth. She sniffed them and your hand for a while before starting to eat them. You smiled and looked up at Thor, who stood right behind you. He nodded at you with a soft look and took your other hand, raising it to pet Lagertha's mane. For a moment, you simply allowed yourself to enjoy Thor's arm almost embracing you. He smelled of something sweet, though you couldn't define it.

"Well," he cleared his throat after a moment and stepped away, "I will get Alvíss." You blushed aaa you led Lagertha outside the stables. You were not accustomed to men touching you, only having been held by your father and brothers before. Not a minute after, Thor approached, guiding a white horse. Silently, he reached for your hips and helped you straddle Lagertha. You were surprised by how easily he had lifted you. The tales of his strength had been right, you thought.

"Where are we going?" you asked once his horse started trotting, while you followed behind him. "I thought I could show you a place me and Loki used to go to when we were children, though perhaps he already has." he answered, his tone unsure. You looked around you. You had already surpassed the perimeter of the castle's gardens, heading into the woods you had seen through your bedroom's window. "I don't think he has." you reassured him. He looked at you, nodding with a tight lipped smile.

The ride was not long, but the tense silence between the two of you made you uncomfortable. You wished you could break it but didn't find anything to say. You knew nothing about each other, you thought once again. Thor had realized the same thing the night before. Your presence had not gone unnoticed by him, and that made the situation much worse. He did not forget about you, he simply wished you weren't there. The last thing he wanted was to get married and to become king.

The moment Odin had informed him of his decision the illusion of freedom he had lived in all his life had been shattered. He did not ask anything about it or about you, he had simply nodded and excused himself. The mere thought of you hurt him, so he had avoided you at all costs. He now realized how unfair it had been to you, who had probably experienced the same.

"Wow." was all you could say once you reached your destination. In the middle of the woods a river flowed. The water was clear and shallow enough that you could see the colorful rocks that laid on the riverbed. You enjoyed the peaceful sound of the water streaming and the birds chirping over the trees that surrounded you. Not too far from you was a small lake. "It is beautifully, isn't it?" Thor murmured, as if he was afraid to shatter the peace surrounding the both of you. You turned, wide eyed and smiling. Thor's grin broke into a smile.

He slowly reached for your hand, brushing his fingers against yours before interlacing them and leading you closer to the water. The two of you sat down and you took your shoes off to dip your toes in. As soon as the freezing water hit them you hissed and retreated your feet, causing him to let out a small, breathy laugh. "Do not make fun of me, I've never done this before!" you exclaimed, pretending to be outraged while fighting off a smile. "You've never touched water?" he joked, poking your foot with one of his fingers. You couldn't help but notice how big his hand was compared to your feet. "I've never seen a river, much less bathed in one." you murmured.

"How is that possible?" hestared at you in disbelief. "Well, I rarely left the castle growing up. The winters at home are freezing, the summers are hot and humid. My father was too scared for my health to let me risk getting sick from the cold or fainting because of the heat." you explained, now getting accustomed to the water's temperature. "You do not seem to have fickle health." he observed, his brows furrowed. You took a deep breath and looked down. You wished to know him, it was only fair to let him know you.

"My mother died while giving birth to me. I think that is why my father has always been protective of me." you sighed. When you looked up, he nodded for you to continue. He was truly listening to you, you realized. "I am grateful for it, do not get me wrong. I have seen many fathers resent their children for the same reason, and I am glad he does not. It can be a little overwhelming sometimes, though." you sighed. You expected to be scolded for your ungratefulness, to be reprimanded. What you did not expect, however, was for him to relate.

"My father is too." he whispered, "Overbearing, I mean. He expects me to be what he is. I should not complain, Loki has it worse. Our father neglects him, and it must hurt, but I envy him sometimes. He is free to do as he wishes. I am free to do as Odin wishes." The coldness of his chuckles only saddened you more. You reached for the same hand he had offered you before and squeezed it slightly, causing him to look up at you.

"We should not pretend with each other. You should not feel guilty for suffering just because your brother's sorrows are different than yours." you nodded, reassuringly. Thor looked in your eyes, disbelief painting his features. You felt yourself blush and looked down. "What is it?" you chuckled. He waited for you to meet his gaze again before whispering: "You are wise beyond your years."

The two of you stayed like that for a moment, looking into each other's eyes as if searching for something. Thor's gaze suddenly shifted over your shoulders and he gestured for you to turn around. You gasped, observing a small deer drinking from the river. It looked very young, its legs so frail they could barely hold its body up. Slowly, Thor rose to his feet. You turned with a panicked expression, afraid he would scare the poor beast away, but his smile was reassuring. He carefully reached into his belt pouch and offered a sugar cube to the deer that, much like Lagertha had done, sniffed it and started licking it. You laughed softly, bewildered. He acted so careful had managed not to scare the deer. He had done the same, you realized, with you.