It had taken a few days, but Asgard was pretty much as good as new. Most of the damage had been on the outskirts of the city or in the palace, so it was easily contained and dealt with.
The traitors from Niflheim had been put through a trial and dealt with fairly. It pained me to punish many of my own people, but it had to be done.
Thor was currently the acting king, taking over as a benevolent ruler and promising to be a better king than any prior to him. His official coronation was scheduled for about a week and a half after Hela's defeat.
Surprisingly, Loki did not seem all that affected by his brother's rather sudden rise to power. I was glad that he wasn't mad about not being king.
"When is the coronation, again?" I asked Loki. We were at the stables getting ready to enjoy the scarce peace we could find in the countryside.
"Tomorrow night," he sighed. "I've told you this a dozen times."
"I know; I just don't want to not show up. People already have a bad enough opinion of me."
"They don't have a bad opinion of you," he assured me. "They're just resistant to the unknown."
"I highly doubt that."
"You saved their lives. Besides, that little girl is basically your daughter."
Loki was right. The little girl I had talked to before the battle lived with her widower father, who was a soldier in Asgard's army. He was frequently away from home, and the girl, named Rienna, was alone much of the time.
In the last week, she had come over to the palace library to visit nearly every day. Rienna loved to hear stories that were old news on Midgard but hadn't made their way to Asgard yet.
Without a better counterargument to present, I swung myself up into the saddle and left Loki behind in the stable.
"Where to?" I asked when Loki finally caught up to me.
"Wherever the wind takes us," he said with a smirk, quoting a conversation we'd had more than a year ago.
I glared at him and took off at full speed towards the edge of the city.
"Alright, Omega, what do you think?" I spun out of the closet with a dramatic flourish.
"It's shorter than most of the dresses," Rienna, whom I had nicknamed Omega, said.
"How am I supposed to fight in a floor-length gown?" I protested.
"You shouldn't have to fight, Mayhem. It's a coronation." She was surprisingly wise for one so young.
"Fine." I made the dress longer so that the back slightly dragged on the ground.
"Can you teach me how to do that?"
"Maybe when you're older." I fiddled with the gold belt. "I feel like I'm going to be out of place."
"You definitely will be," she assured me. "You're royalty, and royalty should stand out."
I would definitely stand out, that's for sure. The dress was similar to the one I had worn on Sakaar but instead faded from green to black as opposed to the other way around. The sleeves extended to my wrist and the back of the dress had a cutout that exposed my shoulder blades. A thin, warrior-style belt added a gold glint to the dress. It was a sleek combination of Asgard, Niflheim, and Asgard.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Mayhem?" Loki asked through the door. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yes!" I said, sounding strained as I attempted to shove my feet into the black flats I was wearing for the coronation. "One moment."
"Tell me everything that happens," Rienna said.
"You're not going?"
"No," she said sadly.
"Why?"
"My father forgot to request my attendance."
"That's stupid. You're one of the most mature people I know. You can converse with more adults than me at your age." A silver dress shimmered to replace her ordinary clothing. "I am personally inviting you."
"I don't think you are allowed to do that..." she said nervously.
"I don't usually like to use this excuse, Omega," I whispered, "but I'm Mayhem."
"Valid."
I opened the door to Loki leaning against the wall, looking bored.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Ready as we'll ever be," I said.
"Although three more hours would have been nice," Rienna said.
Loki laughed and picked her up, setting her on his shoulders. Rienna didn't see Loki as often as she saw me, but when she did, she would insist that he "let her be a giant."
When we arrived at the throne room, Loki and I had to go stand in the front in full view of everyone. Personally, I think that that made me too much of a target, but it's not like I got a choice. As both a representative of Niflheim and a warrior in what was now known as the "Death War," I had to be there. Not to mention my friendship with the brothers.
Heimdall was running the ceremony, as he was the wisest in Asgard now that Odin was dead. Thor had already solemnly walked the length of the room, an eyepatch covering his right eye. The Warriors Three, Sif, Frigga, Loki, and I were standing along the steps that led up to the throne.
"Do you swear to guard the nine realms?" Heimdall asked.
"I swear," Thor said.
"Do you swear to fight for and preserve the peace when it returns?"
"I swear."
"Do you swear to cast aside all selfish ambition and pledge yourself only to the good of all the realms?"
"I swear."
"Then, on this day, I, Heimdall, Guardian of Asgard, proclaim you king of Asgard."
A cheer erupted throughout the room.
"May your days as King bring peace and prosperity to Asgard and its people," Heimdall added.
The celebration that took place afterward would probably be one of the merriest Asgard has ever seen. There was an abundance of feasting, drinking, and happiness in general. Little Omega struck up a conversation with Sif and Thor, Volstagg won the eating competition, and I ended up throwing my uncomfortable shoes against the wall and illusioning new ones onto my feet.
Towards the end of the party, when the moon had already risen through the window, Loki pulled me aside to the balcony, away from the noise and craziness of the dining hall.
"I do love parties," I said, "but I have to say, I prefer the peace and quiet."
Loki was silent.
"Is something wrong?" I asked. "Did I do something?"
"No, no," he assured me. "I'm just thinking."
"About?"
"How to ask this."
"How to ask what?"
"How to ask you to marry me."
I did a double, triple, quadruple take. "What?"
"Mayhem," Loki said, now down on one knee, ring in hand, "will you marry me and become my now, only, and infinity?"
I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face. "You didn't expect me to say anything other than 'yes,' did you?"
"I wanted to make sure."
"Then yes."
He slipped the gold ring with two small black stones on either side of a slightly larger emerald onto my finger.
"I will admit, I was a little worried that--"
I cut him off with a joyful kiss. "Worrying about the past won't do you any good."
A loud crash sounded from inside, followed by unintelligible chanting.
"We should probably go deal with that," I said, taking Loki's hand in mine. "It sounds like another war might have begun."
He smiled. "I've had enough wars for a lifetime, fiancée."
Now, this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. -Winston Churchill