~Song Start: Guy Michelmore - Hulk vs. Thor Main Title~

Taerelyn, the lost realm, had come out of hiding and made contact with Asgard after many ages of silence. It had been a great shock when Taerelyn suddenly made contact with Odin. Ruled by the Nenkonee, a race of feline like humanoids, Taerelyn, from what Heimdall had been able to see of the realm, appeared to be a lush world with buildings that appeared to a mix of Midgardian medieval style and advanced technology, a world in which technology and nature seem to stand in perfect balance as do the two social classes.

The two social classes among the Nenkonee are the Miqo'te and the Vorsanin.

Miqo'tes live more in tune with nature then their Vorsanin brethren, spending their days out among the lush greenery hunting prey and gathering nature's bounty. Built lean and agile, able to see well in low light and hear far better than the Vorsanin, they are natural born hunters, and with their senses more attuned to nature they are also the best caretakers for crops, rarely ever failing to produce enough fruits and vegetables to keep their people fed and healthy.

The Vorsanin, however, are skilled crafters and leaders. The crafters are able to take all the Miqo'te bring in and produce some of the finest works one could ever hope to find throughout the realms, even Odin himself had to admit to being impressed with the craftsmanship of the gifts the Nenkonee messenger had brought to him. Fine silks, high quality gems, armor able to withstand even the strongest of blows, and more can be found on Taerelyn within the shops of the Vorsanin crafters. The Vorsanin leaders, however, are clever and able to guide the Nenkonee with ease in both daily life, as well as on the battle field. Quick on their feet strategy comes easy to them and thus they are the natural choice for leaders.

One thing, however, that Odin did not like however, was that the Nenkonee appear to marry based on an alpha/beta role system. Some are born alphas, and some are born betas. The alphas choose to engage with the beta and though the betas can reject alphas, the alphas still maintain the top positions in their hierarchy. And with the rulers of Taerelyn being a king and queen with one alpha and one beta child there was little chance of Odin arranging for Thor to marry into that line. He could 'just' imagine how Thor would end up offending the alpha princess and thus starting a war with the Nenkonee, a war he did not want nor need at this point in time.

Still, the Nenkonee had reached out to him, or rather their royal family did. This could mean good things for Asgard, if handled right. He would extend an invitations to the royal family to visit Asgard, arrange for talks to bring about peace and trade between the two realms, and perhaps set up a possible future marriage between his grandchild and theirs.

So Odin sent the invitation to the royal family, along with a selection of gifts from Asgard, and waited to hear back from them. It didn't take long before he got the confirmation that the royal family would be coming to Asgard in a week's time to meet and negotiate terms. Odin was looking forward to this meeting and set to work readying Asgard for the visit.

~w~

~Seven days later~

The day had arrived. After fretting over every little detail for the last seven days the Nenkonee royal family had finally arrived.

The Nenkonee king, a Vorsanin man, had jaw length dark hair that, despite his current age, appeared to only contains a few strands of grey here and there, a short, neatly trimmed dark beard sat on the man's face with a few streaks of grey to it, his cool blue eyes appeared to be locked onto Odin, but there were moments when they would flicker elsewhere if one was quick enough to catch the movement. The dark furred cat like ears on the top of his head had the royal family crest displayed in the right one in the form of a clip. His clothes were simple, yet held regal notes to them that clearly marked him as important. As near as Odin could tell, the man had to stand at six feet four inches in height.

The Nenkonee queen, a Miqo'te woman, had slightly wild shoulder length brunette hair that reminded Odin of a lion's mane with the way it curled around her head and soft forest green eyes. Though rumored to be the same age as her husband, the queen appeared more youthful in appearance, a trait Odin chalked up to her more active life style as she, apparently, was going out hunting and gathering with the rest of her people. The queen was wearing a simple gown with a slightly short skirt that had slits to make movement easier. Much like her husband, the queen also had a royal crest clip in her one ear, but hers was in the left one. She also had a pair of fang earrings dangling from her ears. The queen seemed to also be shorter than the king, at possibly five foot six inches.

Their first born child, a young prince, had his mother's brown hair but had clearly brushed it before tying it back in a short braid and had his father's blue eyes. The prince's skin was slightly tanned, a sign that the young man spends a fair bit of time outside. Dressed in a plain blue tunic and dark leather pants, the prince appeared to be fussing slightly with a sewing needle and some cloth in his hands, yet he did not falter in his steps as he followed his family into the throne room, clearly this wasn't the first time the boy had done something like this. Standing at five foot ten inches in height he'd clearly gained some of his father's height.

And finally, there was the princess. The second born daughter with her father's dark hair, though she'd added red to it here and there, and her mother's green eyes. The princess was paler then her brother, but Odin had heard that she spent more time outside with a group of Miqo'te friends, whereas the prince spends his time sitting outside crafting. The princess was wearing a corset style top with a pair of dark pants covering her legs. Unlike her brother and father she was looking around the room, as if trying to see everything there was to see and her face showed excitement at being in a new place, an almost childlike excitement that brought back to Odin fond memories of when his sons were little and wanted to show him everything and anything they found that appeared amazing to them. The princess was just a little taller than her mother at five foot eight inches.

Standing beside Adrette, was a tall man, he had to have been about eight feet tall minimum, nine at most. He had white hair with red highlights in a short ponytail with bangs hanging down in front of the right side of his face. His skin was dark grey with scale like patterns around the jaw, neck, and arms, and possibly in other places that Odin currently couldn't see, and he had two horns, pointing down towards his chin. His eyes were a fearsome shade of red with pink irises. His eyes were also slanted, giving him an angry look all the time, though granted, he was indeed angry at the moment.

Beside him stood a woman who entered not long after him, clearly the same race as the tall man, but shorter by at least three feet. She had the same eye colour and hair colour, even the same hair style, but having black freckles on her face that gave her a 'cute' look.

The appearance of these two alongside the Nenkonee royal family left Odin both confused and reeling. These two look like their parents had bred with dragons, and there they stood with the royal family, clearly loyal to them in some way. If the Nenkonee royal family had dragon people warriors amongst the Nenkonee, clearly Asgard would have to tread carefully until they know the full extent of these dragon people's power and strength. Pushing aside the questions and concerns regarding the dragon twins, Odin turned his attention to the royal family before him.

"Welcome to Asgard," Odin greeted the family once they were close enough.

The king smiled, revealing short fangs. "Thank you for the kind invitation to your kingdom. My family and I did so enjoy the trip over here. You city is very lovely."

"Our children were most excited for the chance to see a new realm." The queen added.

Odin gave the queen a pleasant smile before turning to Frigga. "Allow me to introduce my wife, Frigga. My love, this is King Esegar, his wife queen Vren, their eldest son, prince Mar, and their daughter, princess Adrette," Odin introduced.

Esegar smiled and gave a light bow to Frigga, Vren smiled and shook Frigga's hand, Mar lifted his eyes from his cloth and gave Frigga a polite bow before returning to his work, Adrette gave a cheery wave and smile to Frigga before her eyes seemed to lock onto something over Frigga's right shoulder.

Frigga turned her head to see what Adrette was looking at and smiled when she realized the young princess had her eyes locked onto Thor and Loki. Taking a moment to wave her two sons over Frigga turned back to the visiting family. "These are our sons. Thor is the eldest, and the bigger one, and Loki the youngest, and the slender one," She introduced as she noticed it wasn't both sons Adrette was looking at at that point, but Loki. Thor and Loki gave their greetings to the visiting family, and Frigga couldn't help but notice the look of interest Mar sent Thor from behind the cloth he was still working on. Clearly the two visiting royal children had taken an interest in both of her sons, this would prove amusing to watch.

"Fine boys you both have," Vren commented. "Perhaps one day they might come visit us in Taerelyn."

"I think that would be a wonderful idea for the future," Frigga agreed. She had a feeling that Thor would enjoy hunting with the Miqo'tes and believe that Loki would enjoy spending time around the Vorsanin crafters or strategists.

"Come now, you must all be hungry after your journey here. I have had a light lunch made ready for us!" Odin announced before leading the group to the door that would lead to the dining hall.

Frigga held back a little and was able to overhear Mar and Adrette whispering without making it obvious.

"Don't think I didn't see you staring big brother," Adrette chuckled. "You always did have a thing for golden hair." She teased.

"At least I wasn't openly staring like you, dear little sister. I take it then that you are going to pursue Prince Loki?" Mar questioned.

"Why not? After all I'm certain that Odin would want a political marriage between our families. So why not have me marry his youngest son?" Adrette shrugged.

"True, it does seem more logical given that, as you are a female, you at least can birth children for both kingdoms. I however have yet to show if I could carry a child. Perhaps that is why I have yet to gain a spouse."

"Right Mar, and it's got nothing to do with you being picky," Adrette chuckled.

"I want a good spouse, that is not much to ask for," Mar dismissed with a shrug of his shoulders.

"So, we're both going to try to win over one of the Odinsons. I look forward to seeing you woo Thor," Adrette grinned.

Mar sighed, "I doubt he is use to males wooing him, but I shall not give in easily. My skills as a crafter will serve me well. My works are among the best our people have to offer. I shall shower him with handmade gifts and show that I am a prized beta that wants him to be my alpha."

"As you say Mar, you are a great crafter, there is no doubt about that. Whoever the alpha is that gains your heart they will never want for anything."

Frigga stopped listening then, a smile on her face at hearing that both Nenkonee heirs had an interest in her sons. Though certainly Thor would not know what to do with Mar's advances, it would be amusing to see Thor being pursued rather than doing the pursuing.

~w~

~After lunch~

Loki had met a few princesses in his time, but none were anything like Adrette, who seemed more at home out in the forest hunting and gathering with the Miqo'te, rather than doing any of the normal things princesses tend to do. Adventurous, strong, and unafraid, part of that Loki felt had to do with her being an alpha, though he had yet to truly learn much about alphas and betas but was looking to expand his knowledge. He had thought to ask Adrette to tell him more about her people, but her response surprised him.

"So you wanna learn about my kind do you? Well you're gonna have to figure out how to ask me right for it," She teased.

Loki almost rolled his eyes at that. That sounded just like the typical princess thing to say. "If you are expecting me to flatter you then I am going to have to disappoint you," He said dismissively. "Perhaps I'll go ask your brother instead," Anything else Loki was going to say was cut off as Adrette grabbed him by the throat and slammed against the wall.

"Do I look like some silly little beta bitch to you? Like some dumb little thing that needs someone to flatter her and give her a sense of purpose?" She asked him. "I'm an alpha, a top tier bitch who doesn't give a shit if someone thinks she's pretty, smart, strong, or whatever. You want something from me, you're gonna have to learn how to correctly ask an alpha for something!" She then smiled, "Well, how to ask one that you aren't married to…" She then leaned in a little. "But if you were to marry me, I would treat you so good, of that you can be certain of," She then let go of this throat and walked away.

Loki stared after her, unsure about what make of that.

"Do not take Adrette's actions the wrong way," Vren commented as she walked up to him. "She knows what she wants, and she's not afraid to go for it, the behavior of a typical female alpha in her prime."

"Knows what she wants?" Loki questioned before thinking on her last words to him. "You mean to tell me she wishes to marry me?"

Vren chuckled at that. "I have not seen her take an interest in another as she has you. Normally, she would be running off to town and whatever fields and woods she can find, and yet here she stays, in the palace. That is very out of character for her, only a possible mate could make her be willing to stand being trapped inside like this."

"Wouldn't Thor be the better choice for her?"

Vren shook her head. "Thor is clearly more like an unyielding alpha, the sort of man that will fight her at every turn and thus lead to a life that is more pain for all then joy. You, however, though still an alpha, are more agreeable. The sort to know when to fight against one's spouse and when to bend the knee, the kind she can learn to live happily with as she learns to also bend the knee when needed. She would not have chosen to go after you otherwise."

"Is it common place for women to be so bold in Taerelyn?" Loki questioned curiously.

Vren smiled, "It is the alpha way my dear. But worry not, for our kind do not force ourselves on anyone. You may reject her if you do not wish to be with her and no ill shall befall you. Even the betas back home have the right to refuse an alpha, and any alpha whom refuses the beta's right is severely punished for their crime," She assured him. "Even a member of the royal family is not allowed to force someone into marriage."

Loki thought on this information. Princess Adrette was attempting to show her interest in him, an interest that was not a cover for an actual interest in Thor it seems. Not only that, but he had the right to refuse her and not fear any trouble from her family or people for it. Should he entertain her interest? Perhaps even express some interest back? This could be a good way for him to learn more about the Nenkonee people. He would have to think carefully on this matter before doing anything, as the last thing he needed was to gain an annoying pest when he already had Thor and his friends to deal with.

~w~

~Meanwhile with Odin and the others~

Odin was very curious about the two seemingly Dragon hybrids. As such, he asked King Esegar about them.

Esegar smiled, "Ah the twins! Adrette's dearest friends from Sevyke. They are Xaindruss and Ælfgifu Azoranth, members of the Au Ra race. We made contact with their people long before my line ascended to the throne and their people like to come to our home to join in annual hunts for the great beasts that roam the lands. The hunts are natural for keeping the numbers of those beasts down, and the Au Ra do so enjoy a good fight. The twins have been friends with my daughter for many years now, and insisted on coming with us to ensure nothing happened. Personally, I think they just don't want Adrette having fun here without them," Esegar finished with a chuckle.

Vren, who was rejoining them after getting some air, overheard their discussion and smiled, "Don't forget that Xaindruss has had a crush on Adrette since they were children, dear," she smiled.

"Oh? He still has that crush after all this time? I had not realized," Esegar had thought that Xaindruss had out grown that crush as many childhood friends often do.

Vren smirked, "I believe our daughter is aware, but holds no feelings for him other than as a friend," Vren said sadly, she was fond of Xaindruss after all, he was always so attentive to Adrette.

Esegar sighed, "Many childhood crushes go unreturned, and each one that does, is always painful to watch. However much we all wish that such pain does not happen, we can do naught to prevent it, for the only way to prevent it would be to force those crushes to be returned, and that would go against our nature and free will. We can only hope that Xaindruss will find another love who shall return his feelings." He commented. "The young man is a fine warrior and a true friend to all. I am certain he will find someone to take Adrette's place in his heart one day."

Vren smiled, "I am sure he will meet his future mate eventually," she smiled.

Frigga decided to speak up on what she had overheard earlier. "I happened to overhear Adrette speaking about Loki. It seems she finds herself taken to him and intends to pursue him."

Odin's eyes widen a little at that. He had not expected the young princess to take a liking to Loki, then again he hadn't really thought of Loki as being a possible choice for a political marriage. While it wasn't quite what he had been hoping for, this could still turn out best for Asgard.

"Oh really? My young daughter and your young son?" Esegar said thoughtfully. "Yes. From what I've heard tell of the young man he would fit in amongst our people and be a welcomed addition to our family should this courtship take strong roots."

Vren rolled her eyes with a fond smile. "It would seem my husband approves of this courtship, and I look forward to seeing what will come from it."

~w~

~With Xaindruss and his sister~

Xaindruss sighed as he saw Adrette walk away from Prince Loki.

"Still pining after the one who got away brother?" Ælfgifu asked with a smug look.

"Just because we are long lived like these Asgardians, due to our draconic heritage, doesn't mean that we can't find love, its just harder, dear sister," Xaindruss said with a droll tone.

"At least I never chose someone who doesn't love me back," Ælfgifu countered.

"Hmp," Xaindress chuckled, "As I recall, that one beta Miqo'te you showed interest in was so 'terrified' he had to go into hiding!" Xaindruss said smugly.

Ælfgifu blushed before shooting her brother a glare, "Just because I was too forward when I was younger doesn't mean I am undatable dear brother!" she snapped before walking away, her brothers laughter in her ears, though once she was out of earshot, the laughter stopped as Xaindruss saw Thor, who'd been standing some ways away from the siblings seemingly waiting for something, start following his sister out. "Foolish prince, thinking my sister will be interested in him any time soon."

~w~

~That evening~

When Odin had summoned Loki to him, Loki hadn't known what to expect, but what he was told made him both shocked and angry.

"You want me to marry princess Adrette? Without any care for my thoughts nor feelings on the marriage?" Loki questioned.

"She has clearly taken a liking to you and a marriage between our family and hers could only serve to strengthen Asgard," Odin told him. "Her father is in favor of this union and I believe it is for the best of everyone."

"And you thought not to consult me on this matter? To see if I wanted to get married?" A part of Loki was questioning why he felt surprised by this choice. It wasn't like he hadn't been thrown into things he didn't want to do in the past. But this time, he might have to leave Asgard, his home, as a result of what he was being told to do.

"We all must make sacrifices Loki, for Asgard," Odin reminded him.

Loki bit back the remark about how the only one that seems to be sacrificing is him.

Frigga, who had been silent up to that point walked over and held Loki's face in her hands. "This isn't just a matter of politics. We are both worried for your future as you have shown little interest in finding a wife. You cannot continue to live your life alone."

He wanted to tell her that he was actually a widower. Having had a wife on Midgard as well as a child, but he feared what Odin would say on the matter. Odin had damn near forbidden travel to Midgard after the last war, and Loki did not want to risk punishment for going against him again. Thinking about his late wife, Loki realized that she would not want him to be lonely for the rest of his life. The woman had been challenging at times, and had a fiery temper about her when she wanted, but, she had wanted the best for him, which was why she had agreed to wait for him to get everything ready in Asgard before he would reveal her and their daughter. Where she there now, she would most likely push Loki to at least try to get to know Adrette, and see if perhaps a marriage could work between them.

"I suppose I could try courtship with her. However I make no promises!" Loki compromised. Though he said that, Loki knew that Odin would push for marriage after so long, but perhaps when that time came, he might not mind so much. Only time would reveal if he and Adrette were suited for one and other.

~w~

Loki found Adrette staring out a window in one of the palace halls. At first he thought she was longing to leave the palace but when he looked where she was he saw she was watching her brother, Mar giving Thor a tailored vest of some kind.

Adrettte, having noticed Loki approached gave a small chuckle. "My brother is a beta, and he has his eyes set on Thor," She explained to him.

Loki stared at her for a moment before giving a small laugh. "This is part of his attempts to court Thor?"

"Only the beginning. Mar is one of our greatest crafters you see, and he plans to shower Thor in hand made gifts in the hopes that he will marry him," She confirmed. "Though Thor clearly has yet to see that that is what is happening."

"He might not ever realize it. My brother can be...quite... dense ...when it comes to such things when they are not spelt out to him," Loki laughed.

"That will not discourage Mar, I'm afraid. Until Thor makes it clear he's not interested, my brother will continue to pursue him." Adrette smirked amusedly.

"I kind of hope Thor never learns what Mar is doing, so that I can keep laughing at him, though it is a shame that Mar has to put up with him." Loki truly did feel bad for Mar, but this was going to provide him with no shortage of amusement for some time.

"And what of you?" Adrette asked as she turned from the window to him. "Have you figured out how to ask an alpha female?"

Loki gave her a small smile. "No I have not. However, I believe I have some knowledge as to how to go about courting one..." he replied mysteriously.

Adrette's smile grew at that. "Oh? Is that so?"

"Well, that's if the alpha female is truly interested in a courtship with me. So tell me, are you?" Loki couldn't deny a certain level of excitement that was running through him, though nothing could replace his last wife, Adrette was something new and unknown to him.

"If you have to ask, I must truly not be making myself clear," Adrette commented. "Yes Loki, we can begin a courtship. Just keep in mind, that you are the one who has the power to end this at any time while we are courting, and should we marry, we will remain so until one of us dies."

"Understood," Loki replied. It was kind of nice knowing that he could end this with any trouble, though he was still a bit annoyed that this wasn't completely his choice in the matter. He would just have to make the best of this and see what comes of it.

"Adrette, a moment of you time my dear?" Esegar called as he stepped out into the hall, then he spotted Loki. "Unless you two are busy...?" he added in a questioning tone.

Adrette gave Loki a grin. "No dad, I think Loki has made his intensions to me clear. However, I won't be like any other princess he's seen before, but I won't make this too hard on him. After all," Adrette leaned in a little and lowered her voice, "I like him too much to want this to fail." She then walked past him and followed her father down the hall way.

Loki shook his head as he stared after her. "Well, at least you won't be boring."

"I take it things are going well with your pursuit of Loki?" Esegar whispered to Adrette as they walked away.

"We've just moved into courtship officially when you approached and he seems to truly be interested. However only time will tell if he truly wants to be my mate," Adrette reported, "One step at a time father."

"I know my dear. However I do hope to see you and your brother settled down with mates before your mother and I leave this life. But let's not speak of that now. I have some things to go over with you before the feast tonight."

~w~

~With Xaindruss and his sister in the Training Yard~

Ælfgifu was shooting arrows so fast that they were looking like they were teleporting to the target. The sheer anger she was radiating had caused many of the Asgardians to eye her warily, along with fear of her skills with a bow. Especially since she kept aiming for the crotch region of the target.

Xaindruss, who had just come from the kitchens after getting a light snack of mutton on a stick, looked at his sister with amusement. "Still angry that Thor tried to hit on you dear sister?" he asked.

Ælfgifu growled and stopped mid shot, "Fuck off, Brother," she said angrily, "Thor will have his day to meet me in training spar or an archery contest, regardless, I will claim his tongue as my prize, that, or his honor..." she finished threateningly. She had really not liked the comparison Thor had made while trying to flirt with her by saying he would mount her like some conquered beast.

Xaindruss chuckled, his sister had a collection of things from the various sentients they had met who had tried to force themselves on her in one way or another, and he knew it was only a matter of time till Thor tried the same, after all, Thor was the 'type' in Xaindruss's mind to force himself on those he fancied. "Anyway, the feast will be starting soon, I have reserved seats beside Adrette and her family for us, in case you're interested that is..." he then took his mutton, finishing it off before throwing the stick with all his strength, nailing the target in the head, "Just remember, I am the 'tank' of our family dear sister, I have the size and endurance to take the hits," he reminded her as she shot him a glare before firing more arrows at the target, while he walked into the great hall for the feast.

~w~

~Four hours later at the feast~

As Xaindruss sat down next to Adrette, he shot a smirk towards Loki. He would not give up without a fight of some sort. As he turned to Adrette, he whispered, "Thor tried hitting on my sister earlier, hence her absence from this party," he finished, making Adrette aware that her best female friend was absent.

Adrette gave a small hum in thought at that. "I'll be sure to pass this news on to Mar. He's been working on something else he plans to give Thor as part of his courtship attempt, and I'm sure this news will spur my brother into not letting Thor have a moment alone for some time. That should make your sister happier I think," She whispered back in amusement.

Xaindruss let out a small laugh at the news that Mar had finally found someone who peaked his interest, "Figures he would be Mar's type..." he muttered, "Sorry to say, but, if Ælfgifu has her way, Thor will be losing that which makes him a 'man'," he chuckled.

"That's fine, cause I don't think Thor has any idea what my brother's interest in him really is, and when he does learn, I fear my brother is in for a hard let down. I just hope my brother doesn't bury himself in his projects when that happens, like he normally does," Adrette sighed. "My brother sure knows how to pick the sort that won't return the feelings, doesn't he?"

Xaindruss snorted in amusement, "Understatement of the century my dear friend," he chuckled, "Anyway, Loki looks a might peeved that I took the seat next to you," he smiled.

"Yeah, I noticed the tension in his shoulders once he saw you approaching me. I guess he's a bit of the jealous type after all," Adrette mused with a smile. "Might leave him to his thoughts on this for a bit, see what he does and how long it might take him to act," She then leaned into her friend. "It's also a fair bit of fun toying with him like this a little," She chuckled.

Xaindruss smiled a tad bit sadly before covering it up with his usual smile, "Well, far be it from me to ruin your plan then my dear," he said as he began to dig into the food, making a good impression of that Volstagg fellow, even if he wasn't as large, width wise, as Volstagg.

"Oh come now, when have I ever had the chance to tease a possible mate before? Also, Loki doesn't yet fully know about my kind and thus he doesn't know that we pursue only one possible mate until we are mated. So I will tease him a little until he acts, then after he does so, I will explain it to him," Adrette explained. "I just want to have a little fun with the guy to see how he handles something like this. He is more of an alpha but one that is willing to bend the knee when the situation calls for it."

'So could I...' Xaindruss thought to himself sadly, maybe he would find someone who would interest him in the future then, at least he could still be Adrette's friend, and what a friend she had been over the years. Shaking his head of the thought, he looked up at Thor, who had just entered; looking to all the world like someone had used him as a training post. "Well," Xaindruss said, "She might not have left a permanent injury, but it seems stupidity really does run through Thor..." he finished before taking a sip of some Asgardian Mead.

Adette gave a snort. "He's so going to try again with her before long. Gonna claim she's 'playing hard to get' or something...My brother likes em blonde and clearly stupid," She joked.

Xaindruss nodded, then, as everyone else took notice of Thor's...'condition'...Odin was the first to react.

Odin was shocked, it took a lot for Thor to bleed like this, let alone show it at a feast like this. "Who did this to my eldest, to my first born!?" he demanded angrily.

Thor, however, smiled happily at his father, "Why, the dragon woman who came with the royal family from Taerelyn," Thor said with a smile, "And, what's more, she is the woman I wish to marry father!" he finished proudly with a stupid grin on his face, all the while Xaindruss tried to hold in his laughter.

Adrette nearly fell off her chair as she started laughing at him. "You want to marry Ælfgifu? And you actually think she's gonna want to marry you?" Adrette had to take a second to get herself under control before she could say anything else. "Xaidruss here was just telling me how much his sister hates you, and how she's promised to unman you if you keep making attempts on her honor. Take a hint, she's not interested and she will sooner get in bed with a bilgesnipe then she would ever get in your bed with you!" Adrette was a little proud she managed to get that out before breaking down into laughter once more.

"Thor," Loki spoke up, "Your current state is a testament to how correct Adrette appears to be. I dare say, the only reason you are still standing, is because Ælfgifu did not wish to possibly ruin relations between Asgard and Taerelyn before they have even begun. Please do the wise thing and leave the poor woman alone," Loki advised his brother, even though he already knew the response.

"Actually, Prince Loki," Xaindruss began, "My sister and myself come from Sevyke, the Au Ra homeworld," he continued, "What's more, both myself and my sister are twins and both in line for the royal throne of Sevyke!" he finished with laughter.

"Which for those of you too slow to work it out on your own," Adrette chimed as she grinned, "Means that while the twins are not officially here to represent their world, they will be informing their family and people of Asgard and voicing their thoughts on future relations with this realm!" Adrette then glanced over at Odin. "Ya might want to get your boy here to back off on Ælfgifu, if you ever want peaceful trade with Sevyke in the future that is," She flat out told him.

Loki had to duck his head to keep the chuckle and smile at that news as concealed as possible. He had always known that Thor would one day ruin things for Asgard, but for one of the people Thor had been annoying to turn out to be a secret princess was just too priceless to him.

Xaindruss nodded, before getting up, turning to Odin and saying, "I knew your son was an idiot, no offense to you King Odin, from the moment I caught him eyeing my sister, and when I heard him try flirting with my sister, saying something about 'mounting her like some beast', well, it left a foul taste in my mouth that he would say such things to a Lady," he said sadly, shaking his head in disgust.

Thor at least had the decency to look guilty, as his mother gave him that very disapproving and upset look of hers.

"Clearly, Thor has not been taught how to speak to women, and thus only sees them as things of pleasure," Adrette noted dryly. "Glad I chose to pursue the better brother then, for he at least knows how to hold his tongue," Adrette sent a flirty wink to Loki.

Odin pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed, "Thor, to your room, we will be speaking of your behaviour later!" he commanded.

Thor looked shocked, he had not been ordered to his room since he was only a century old, and least of all by his father, but, scared by this unprecedented event, he listened and left with an air of defeat.

Xaindruss eyed Thor as he left, and once he was gone, turned to Odin and said, "I think he needs more than a 'talking to', King Odin," he sighed, "Regardless, if he does not clean up his act, we will encourage our friends, the royal family of Taerelyn, not to trade with Asgard, and we will do the same on the principle of Honor!" he finished proudly before turning to King Esegar to hear his thoughts.

Esegar gave a slow nod of his head. "I fear Xaindruss has the right of things Odin. My people will not do business with those who have insulted our allies, and we have had a long standing relationship with the Au Ra people for many years now. Should we have reason to believe that your son will continue to act the way he has to Ælfgifu, and most of all should we have reason to believe your people can not get along with the Au Ra, then we shall have no choice but to end things here and now with you and your people," Esegar warned.

Odin sighed, "I will ensure to do my best to curb his... more outspoken outlooks, you have my word he will change, one way or another..." he replied. "If you allow, I will take my leave while my lovely wife remains to watch over the feast," he said diplomatically asking if he was allowed to leave and educate his son better.

Esegar and Vren voiced their approval for Odin to deal with this now, as both knew that it was best to deal with such a problem as soon as possible before a stubborn child is able to convince themselves that everyone else is the problem.

When Odin had left the table Vren sighed and turned to Frigga. "He calls telling a woman that one wishes to mount them like a beast an 'outspoken outlook'. I am not sure he understands just how great of an offense this is to an Au Ra woman." Vren was disappointed in Odin's choice of words and hoped it was merely a slip of the tongue rather than his actual thoughts on the matter.

Xaindruss nodded, "We are a proud race, who value honor," he added in agreement, "Best not let Ælfgifu know of what occurred other than to say that Thor will no longer harass her anymore," he said wisely.

"Regardless of what my husband says on the matter to you or to our eldest son, I assure you that when I am done with Thor he will never dare to utter such things again! I am shocked and deeply angered that he would even think to say something like that to anyone. I thought we had raised him better, clearly not all of my lessons were remembered," Frigga told Vren. "I am ashamed of him for speaking to a friend of your family in such a way and shall do all in my power to make sure he keeps his distance from Ælfgifu from this moment on." She then turned to Xaindruss, "Please pass along my apologies to your sister and my promise that this will not happen again."

"Of course your majesty," Xaindruss said while bowing his head respectfully to Frigga, "Shall we now all return to the feast?" he asked with a smile, glad that things would be well handled by those it should be.

Frigga smiled, "Yes, let us try to enjoy tonight at least a little."

While the royals returned to their meal, Sif and the Warriors three were having a different discussion.

"That should be me being propositioned by Thor!" Sif whispered angrily to the Warriors Three.

Hogan shot Sif a queer look before shaking his head and heading over to talk with Xaindruss.

Volstagg, meanwhile, was stuffing his face, as per usual. And as for Fandral, he was subtly eyeing Sif out of the corner of his eye as he chatted up some of the maids.

~w~

~AN: Ogremen: Me and Oracle have been butting heads on this, we hope you enjoy this chapter, lol And look forward to more. Now for a word from the Queen of fortune telling and darkness herself! ^w^

Oracle: If only you knew the amount of head butting over this chapter. Also real sorry for the long wait, we wanted to get a good sense as to the feelings of everyone towards a rewrite, then both Ogremen and I went to a convention to meet up, him for a day and me for four days, and right now I have bug wearing me down. So writing might be limited for a bit while I get over it, sorry bout that. Also please give feedback on this chapter, if will help moving forward with it and we really want to get your thoughts on it. Just to be clear though, the names Miqo'te and Au Ra are indeed from Final Fantasy XIV (or 14 for those who don't know their roman numerals), as those two races were the inspiration for these races. No this doesn't mean we are bringing in a lot of Final Fantasy stuff into this one, just that we wanted to use those two races and this is the best way we could find. Adrette is based off my Miqo'te character in FF14 and both Xaindruss and Ælfgifu are based off Ogremen's characters. Just to give you a little back story behind how they came to be. Anyway, please share your thoughts on this chapter and everything in it and we'll see what happens in the future.