Chapter 1374: Aftermath (Part 2)
The faint morning light jumped down along the magnificent roof of the Asgard, landing on the smooth and bright helmets of the tall guards around the square, and then slid down along the wide arm armor like a child, playing and laughing, shuttling between the horse's hooves and the shoes stained with wet mud, and then jumped into the water of the fountain with the same enthusiasm as the Asgardians, and was thrown high along the fountain.
The burly warrior fell from mid-air, was caught by his comrades, and then was thrown up again amid cheers. When the young warriors turned their heads, the goddesses in white long skirts held water pitchers and fruit baskets on their heads, passed through the crowd like swimming fish, smiled and greeted all the guests, and put the wreaths on their arms on people's heads.
The layers of buildings in the distance have the quaint flavor of Asgard in ancient times. At that time, the glorious Golden Palace had not yet been built. The people of Asgard made a living by boat. They built castles with mud, arranged tiles neatly on the roof, and then hung their national flag under the wooden window frames.
The buildings of interstellar civilizations that can travel through the universe rarely retain such primitive and simple sentiments. Most civilizations have simplified all unnecessary components in countless technological iterations. That is what they pay for their weak bodies, but the gods do not have to.
Therefore, this is a wonder in the eyes of the guests. Many residents of Asgard still live in brick houses. The wooden doors creak when they are pushed open, but when countless crowded houses are piled up on the skyline, they show a sense of orderly beauty.
The morning light flows between the roofs, and it slides carefully across the flags connecting the roofs like walking on a tightrope across the river. The tavern owner who is hanging the end of a string of colorful flags on the eaves feels a regular vibration from the ladder under his feet.
"Da Da Da, Da Da Da, Da Da Da."
The sound of rapid horse hooves came from afar, and a pair of knights in gorgeous armor galloped from the end of the street. The leader wore a double-horned helmet and held a tall flagpole. At the top of the flagpole, the flag of Asgard fluttered in the wind.
The children imitated the knights' postures, running through the crowds of people coming and going, listening to the laughter and scolding of the people behind them, and the low horns coming from afar.
The horn player standing on the watchtower in front of the Asgard Palace put down the huge horn in his hand, turned his head and looked at the flocks of white doves flying on the skyline. The white birds flapped their wings, flew over people's heads, attracted everyone's attention, and then flapped their wings again and flew to the highest point of the Asgard building.
On the highest balcony facing the square, Sif was wearing a silver Asgard dress, which was made of delicate silver fabric that emitted a faint glow. She was covered with thin light armor from the neck to the chest. The long skirt on her hips was draped with a thin chain. Her long hair was tied up and she wore a white wreath on her head.
Then she stretched out her hand to let the white dove land on her arm, and took a branch from the white bird's mouth, turned to Thor and said, "This is the blessing of the world tree. Balder is saying hello to us."
"He is my eldest brother, and I should certainly accept his kindness." Thor took the branch and pinned it to the buckle at his waist. Thor was wearing a complicated armor with a dark red sturdy cotton lining. Each piece of the fish scale armor on his chest had dark patterns created by the dwarves after countless tempering. The belt wrapped around his thin waist. There were three silk ornaments above the leg armor, and diamond-shaped fish bones below.
Thor did not wear a helmet, but let his golden hair down, and wore a special crown on his head, which was inlaid with nine different gems, from different races of the nine kingdoms, symbolizing the unification of the nine realms.
Sif held a scepter, but Thor did not hold a sword. Instead, he held a long piece of cloth that almost fell to the ground with one hand, on which a fat fish was outlined with a special dye.
This is an indispensable part of the traditional Asgard wedding. Young sailors will catch the strongest and fattest sea fish for their lovers. This is the best gift of love. If the girl accepts the courtship, she will make jewelry out of the fish bones left after cooking and give it back to the suitor. If she has a string of fish bone necklaces from her lover, she will be admired by everyone.
When they came to Asgard, this tradition was still retained, but the fresh sea fish was replaced with cloth with fish patterns.
Under the gaze of the guests in the square and the residents of Asgard who were shoulder to shoulder on the street, Thor held up the cloth and handed it to Sif. Sif took the long cloth, put one hand over Thor's chest, hugged his back, and kissed him on the cheek.
The crowd cheered enthusiastically. Thor took Sif's hand and raised the scepter in her hand, which was like raising his own scepter. This meant that the God King and God Queen would rule Asgard as equals, becoming the father and mother of all gods, resisting powerful enemies like a country, and being warm and harmonious like a family.
Odin and Frigga also stood in the square, holding hands and watching the newlyweds.
"Is this the end?" Odin said to himself, and then he answered himself: "No, this is just the beginning. When Thor really became a father, he just began to understand me."
"But he is destined not to walk the same path as you." Frigga turned her head and looked at Odin's handsome face, which was still as handsome as a sculpture.
"There are thousands of ways for a king, but only one for a father." Odin looked at Thor and Sif on the balcony. Surprisingly, this mighty god king was much more emotional in private. He almost shed tears, but Frigga was calmer.
"First to have, then to protect, and finally to be reluctant to watch them leave. In the lonely years, guarding the memories and going to death, this is the life of a father."
Loki looked at the god king and queen on the high ground, watching them walk down the platform, enter the crowd, and then get on the carriage to start the parade.
"Perhaps it's not that I can't have it, or that I can't protect it, but leaving will eventually destroy everything I have. Just thinking about it, I almost lost all my courage. I still think so. Thor's strength lies in that he dares to be the last one to leave."
"Asgard is about to step onto a bigger stage. One day, the world tree will no longer be the fulcrum of the nine kingdoms, just like every grown-up child has to leave the arms of his parents."
On the second floor of the tavern next to the street, Strange leaned on the railing of the terrace, watching the crowd below cheering for the upcoming royal carriage. He took a sip of wine and then sighed: "In the long river of time, no matter how wise the king is, he will always be the king of the world. The king will also turn into dust one day, but just like a father, the new life he leaves behind is the beginning of another journey. "
"If you talk about marriage, you can't just talk about marriage, you have to talk about society, responsibility, and humanity." On the tall cargo box next to the door of the stable, Stark listened to the noise in the distance, took a sip of Asgard's strong liquor, and said: "And love and interests."
"I thought you only talked about love." Schiller leaned against the wall next to him, stubbornly holding a glass of red wine brought from Earth. He looked up at Stark's brown eyes, and the darkness that emerged when he turned his back to the bright and blazing sunlight seemed to be melted into honey again.
"Tony, you deliberately let Stephen hint at me with that untouched glass of wine, when did he do the real work? Since you want to go against me, why leave room? I thought that after he came, your sentimentality would be slightly worn away."
"You are wrong, we both think this is my sharpest weapon." Stark smiled and looked at Schiller and said, "It's not just the other you who likes small favors. This is your common characteristic. Although you have a questioning tone, you are still flattered by my concession, aren't you?"
Schiller raised his head slightly, took a sip of wine and said, "I don't mind making myself more worldly and being happy for my friends' deliberate flattery. This is also a part of my life, and I deserve the enjoyment."
"You see, it's not just endless gains that make you happy." Stark's tone was brisk as if he was telling a humorous story. Despite his cynicism, Iron Man rarely really relaxed, and the person in his mind was the same.
But when the dew from the parade carriage splashed on his shoulders, he still laughed in a low voice, his eyelashes fluttering like a golden butterfly in the sunlight through the gaps in the awning, and then Schiller laughed too.
In the streets and alleys, burly warriors put their arms on each other's shoulders, overlapping their arms to form a human wall, and the rough and bold singing resounded over Asgard for a whole night.
When the bonfire was lit, the goddesses in traditional Asgardian costumes turned their arms continuously, raised their legs and lifted the sides of their boots, dancing to celebrate the harvest. The airflow brought by their flying long hair made the ashes of the burning flames dance.
The royal family, humans and mutants of Asgard, even Thanos, Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon raised their glasses, and the foam rippling from the tops of the glasses that collided together looked like the particularly shining fountain water under the morning light.
No matter how many conspiracies and interest exchanges there are, they are not as good as indulging in the concentration and dedication of the celebration at this moment.
The enthusiasm from the crowd will eventually become a cup of intoxicating wine, making all the lonely people who think they are cold-hearted and cold-hearted unable to refuse this vulgar excitement.
But there is only one person missing in the crowd. At this time, in the office of the dream school that looks like Hogwarts, the soul of Lilandra, the queen of the Shi'ar Empire, leaned on Charles' side and cried.
"I came to you just for the reform of the Shi'ar Empire! At most, it was just for the crystal. Even if we take a step back, nothing happened between us, right?! He actually, he actually..."
"Okay, Liland, your union was just the product of an exchange of interests. Why bother about it? The Shi'ar Empire is still counting on you."
"Shi'ar Empire?!" Lilandra raised her voice and said, "Fuck the Empire! I'm never going back! Whoever wants to be the queen can be the queen!"
"That's what you said, Your Majesty." Schiller walked out of the portal with a smile, still smelling of alcohol on his body, obviously just out of the celebration.
Lilandra raised her head and stared at him, and Charles sighed helplessly.
Lilandra turned around and saw Magneto's dead face that had never changed for thousands of years, and Mystique who had just walked out from behind Magneto.
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