"Darling, come out and show us the dress!"

Maeve smiled at Frigga's warm voice but she still hesitated. All morning, anxiety had been building up inside of her for an unknown reason. She suspected it was just the wedding in general, and everyone continuously reassured the girl that it was just nerves. Perfectly normal.

"Go ahead, my lady," Katla said, nudging her forward.

Shyly, Maeve stepped out from behind the small screen, biting her smiling lower lip. Sif and Frigga were immediately upon her, all smiles and compliments as they adjusted strands of hair and pieces of fabric.

"Look at yourself, Maeve!" Sif said, turning her friend so that she finally faced the mirror. The princess saw herself for the first time in hours and gasped. "Gorgeous!"

Because of the warmth of Asgardian summers, she had chosen a sleeveless white ballgown with a sweetheart neckline. As with absolutely everything for the wedding, the dress needed to be approved by Odin's Royal Court. They deemed it acceptable, although they demanded that the bride wear something to cover her shoulders. At this, Maeve rolled her eyes, but an understanding Frigga found a stunning sheer cape accented with blush-colored flowers. The two women agreed that it matched the dress and the princess well. Katla spent hours twisting her golden curls into an updo, letting a few pieces frame her face. Earlier in the morning, Maeve snuck into the gardens and found a bush of miniature roses that were now in her hair.

"Wow," Maeve whispered. Sif grinned excitedly, her hand resting on Maeve's shoulder. "I- thank you. Thank you all so much."

Frigga smiled at the girl she had grown to think of as a daughter. Embracing her carefully, she said, "thank you for making my son happier than I've ever seen him."

Maeve's eyes wandered to the mirror again, wondering if she actually looked pretty enough to marry a prince. Was she really good enough for someone like him?

Before she could delve deeper into these thoughts, a knock startled the four women. Katla scurried over to the door and peeked out, conversing quietly before coming back in.

"It's your father, miss. Should I let him in?"

Maeve involuntarily stiffened. In the year since her engagement, their relationship had been one of neglect on both sides. She felt safer in Asgard, and safer around Loki for that matter, than she had for a long time. Part of her wanted to say no and shut the door on his face.

The kind heart beating rapidly in her chest due to nervousness, however, believed in forgiveness and reconciliation. It believed in family. It believed, above all, in love.

"Yes, go ahead."

Frey entered her bedroom, wearing his traditional robes of sky blue. He seemed happier than their last visit, which put her at ease.

"My, lass, aren't you something? Beautiful, just like your mother."

Her lips lifted upwards at his praise. "Thank you, Papa."

Frigga gave the princess an encouraging nod. "We'll leave you two alone. Maeve, when you've finished, darling, the guards outside will escort the two of you to the throne room as a security precaution. Sif, Katla, this way."

The three women exited quickly, Sif winking as she left. Maeve twirled a piece of hair and stared at her reflection again, still unsure.

"Dearest, while I do think you look wonderful, I think a smile would look even better." When she didn't respond, he continued. "What's on your mind?"

"I'm not good enough."

Frey frowned at his daughter's statement, especially when her eyes filled with tears. "What do you mean? Of course, you are."

"I don't know. It's silly. I just don't feel good enough at all: for Loki, for Asgard. I know I was never good enough for you," she whispered. A chill swept down her spine because she'd finally said what she'd always been too afraid to admit.

The king of Vanaheim was silent for a moment. "You remind me too much of your mother, Maeve. It's a blessing and a curse. Other than the height, you look just like her."

"Everyone's always told me that," she said quietly, letting a small rosebud wrapped around her finger bloom and retreat into its petals over and over again. "I loved it."

"Saga - your mother - is actually why I'm here. She would have wanted you to have this."

He pulled out a small box from inside of his robes and lifted a golden necklace out of it. What caught her attention was the small, pale pink rose that hung as a pendant. Her fingers brushed the petals and she felt the familiar trace of magic on them, like dust on a surface.

"It's still alive," Maeve said in awe. "I've never seen magic used to suspend life like that."

"Your mother was a very powerful sorceress along with her position leading the royal army. She liked to experiment," Frey explained, smiling fondly at the memory of his beloved wife. "This little blossom was in her bouquet at our wedding, long before you or the boys were even a thought."

"That's incredible."

Frey took the chain from Maeve's hands and held it up questioningly. "May I?"

After a moment of silence, she nodded.

Delicately, he fastened the golden necklace around her neck. She touched the flower with a gentle finger, feeling closer to her mother, and turned around.

"I miss her."

Her father nodded. "I know. I do, too."

"She should be here."

"I know," he replied, a faraway expression on his face. "But never doubt how proud she would be of you, Maeve."

Fear coursed through Maeve, but she still wanted to do something that scared her. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around her father. After a minute of surprise, he embraced her back.

"And I am also proud of you."

She wiped a stray tear from under her eye. "Thanks, Papa."

They separated seconds later, both still slightly unnerved by the affectionate moment they had just shared. Frey smiled at his youngest child once again. Perhaps they could one day rebuild their crumbling relationship after all.

"I've taken up enough of your time, lass. Let's get you to your wedding."

Four guards flanked the father and daughter pair all the way to a chamber near the throne room. A passing servant asked for Frey's opinion on something, leaving Maeve to attempt to sit on a small bench with her big dress.

And she waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Maeve actually thought she was going to faint. Her hands felt colder than ice and her breath was uneven. She didn't think the corset was the cause, but it couldn't have been helpful. The anxiety that had built up in her for months finally spilled over a half an hour before the wedding.

She looked around for someone - Asmund, Sif, Thor, Frigga - anyone. All of these people whisked past her: attendants, servants, guests, and yet she couldn't find a single familiar face. No one to reassure her, to calm her worries.

Somehow, Maeve slipped away from all of the commotion and ran down the hallway as quickly as she could in her gown. She didn't even know where she was going, choosing to let her feet and heart lead her where they wanted. Once she stopped, slightly out of breath, she knocked on the door.

"Thor, go away!" Loki called from inside of his room. He glanced at himself in the mirror for what felt like the hundredth time that day and readjusted his emerald and black robes.

"No, it's me."

He immediately crossed the room at the sound of Maeve's voice, but he hesitated, his fingers dancing on the knob.

"Are we supposed to see each other?"

"I don't know. No, no we're not." Her voice hitched in her throat and Loki pressed his ear to the door. She sounded close to tears. "I don't think we're supposed to, but I don't care. Please let me in. I need you."

He quickly opened the door and his eyes widened. There stood Maeve, an angel in white, and she looked absolutely beautiful.

"Maeve, flower, what's wrong?" Loki questioned. She ducked into the room (an impressive feat, he thought, because he didn't know if her dress would successfully make it through his doorframe) and sat on the edge of his bed, staring down at her hands.

"I don't know," she whispered shakily. "I've just been really anxious all morning, and I was just sitting there waiting, and it finally got to me, and I guess I just feel calmer around you than I do with anyone else, so I came here. I'm sorry. I know we aren't supposed to see each other until the ceremony, but-"

"It's perfectly fine. Don't apologize." Loki knelt in front of his princess and lifted her chin with a gentle hand. "We're in this together. You have nothing to be worried about, I swear. All right?"

Maeve swallowed and nodded, a smile breaking onto her face as some of her negative emotions subsided. "You look really handsome, Lo."

"Do I?" He asked with a mischievous grin, his voice a purr in her ear as he offered her a hand up. "Well, my queen, you look positively ravishing."

"Thank you," she replied, "although I'm not a queen."

"Maybe not, but you're my queen."

And then his lips were crashing onto hers and the rest of her worries melted away. All that mattered was his touch, his fingers tracing the lacy bodice of her dress, resting on her hips, and her hands draped around his neck, playing with his soft black locks.

This was the man she was meant to be with for the rest of her days.

Regretfully, the couple broke apart. Maeve grinned. "I suppose we should go get married."

"I suppose we should."

Later, Maeve's father walked her down the aisle to Loki, who she winked at and pretended she hadn't been with five minutes prior. Along with Maeve, Frey also handed the prince an ornate sword. It was an old tradition, one that symbolized the responsibility to protect the bride shifting from her father to her husband.

Maeve and Loki joined hands as they repeated their vows. A thin golden rope of magic bound their wrists again, reminding the princess of their betrothal engagement ceremony and how much she hated the man she now loved. Maeve couldn't focus on anything except Loki: she'd never been so happy.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. My prince, you may kiss your bride."

Loki grinned and cupped Maeve's face with his hands before leaning down and kissing her deeply.

At the reception, the newlyweds occupied seats of honor at the banquet table right next to the kings and queen. They could barely swallow a bite of the delicious meal because of the constant flow of well-wishers. It was the one night that the introverted prince didn't care about how many people came up to talk to him.

They finally caught a moment without guests. Maeve leaned her head on Loki's shoulder and he kissed her on the forehead.

"Happy, my love?"

"Absolutely," she sighed, nuzzling closer to him. "You?"

"I've never been better."

Maeve and Loki danced the night away, laughing and stealing kisses the entire time. Odin and Frigga watched their son and Frey watched his daughter with proud smiles, grateful for the union between Asgard and Vanaheim as well as two souls that so clearly deserved to be together.

When the reception reached its eventual end, the wedding party (consisting of Thor, his friends, Sif, and Maeve's brothers) carried the newlywed couple to Loki's suite, yet another Asgardian marriage tradition. Both were too overflowed with happiness to protest this one, and everyone had been drinking, too. Laughter filled the halls and the merry group paraded through them.

"Here you go!" Thor yelled. He and Fandral tossed Loki off of their shoulders while Corey and Asmund carefully lowered Maeve to the ground. "Adieu, lovebirds!"

Maeve embraced Sif, giggling at the death glares every single one of her brothers was sending at Loki. She grabbed his arm and pulled him in before any real damage could occur.

Once the door was shut, Loki grinned at her. "We're finally alone."

"Finally. There were way too many people there," Maeve laughed. "I'll be right back. I'm going to wash my face."

In the bathroom, she rinsed the makeup off of her face. She also found a nightgown in there, almost as if it was meant for her. She slipped it on, loving the way the silk felt, and walked back into the bedroom, where she found Loki reading a book on the loveseat. He looked up at her as she sat. She closed her eyes and Loki's gentle fingers ran through her curls.

"We're married," she whispered, eyes still shut. He kissed her softly on the cheek.

"Indeed we are."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

WEDDING! Let me know your thoughts! I had so much fun writing this chapter! It was probably my favorite in this story so far :)

Thanks for reading! Please vote and comment!