Chapter 4
Tony was in his lab. Whenever he felt agitated, he would spend all his time there, as it eased him. Bruce entered the lab to find Tony working on something.
"Tony, what happened?" Bruce asked.
"What?" Tony snapped.
"You looked very angry before," Bruce said.
"Bruce, why did we go through all this effort? To bring back our prince, right? And now we're going to marry him off to some other prince? Do you really think Stephen will be allowed to rule the country by Asgard? He's just going to be the trophy wife of a prince!" Tony lashed out.
"Tony, King Odin is a noble man. He promised us," Bruce said.
"What if the prince doesn’t treat him well? Stephen deserves the best," Tony said.
Bruce looked at Tony with an all-knowing smile.
"Why are you smiling?" Tony asked, frowning.
"Tony, I think your old feelings came back when you saw the prince again," Bruce said.
"I don't have feelings for him," Tony said, frustrated.
"We all saw how you treated Stephen when we were kids."
"That’s because it was my duty to do that," Tony said.
"No, it's because you always loved him. You still love him," Bruce said.
Tony fell silent. He knew it was the truth.
"Tony, Stephen is a prince. He will only marry a prince or king. You should stop having feelings for him," Bruce said.
"Why should I? I saved him from the evil sorcerers. I'm ready to protect him from any danger for the rest of my life. Why does he have to marry a prince?" Tony said.
"You can't marry him, Tony. Wake up to reality. We should focus on our duty, which is to kill Kaecilius and take back the country," Bruce said sternly.
Tony knew Bruce was right. He shouldn’t have feelings for Stephen. Besides, Stephen probably didn’t see him as anything more than a knight.
Stephen was with Victor in the chamber assigned to him. Once the boy came out of his shell, he hadn’t stopped talking, which amused Stephen.
Maria entered the chamber, and Stephen stood up
.
"What are the two brothers talking about?" Maria asked.
"I was telling Stephen about the time Tony and I went horse riding through the meadow," Victor said.
"Is that so? Victor, it's late. You should go to bed and let your brother sleep," Maria said.
"But I have so much more to tell Stephen," the boy frowned.
"You can tell him tomorrow. Stephen isn't going anywhere," Maria said..
"Okay. Goodnight, Stephen," Victor said, kissing Stephen on the cheek.
"Goodnight, Victor," Stephen replied, kissing him back.
Victor left with May, and Maria sat on Stephen's bed.
"Do you like it here?" she asked.
"Yes, Aunt Maria. I feel safe here," Stephen said
.
"You will be. I swore to your mother that I would take care of you. You’re like my Tony, and I want the best for you," Maria said.
"I don't want a kingdom or power. I just want a peaceful life. Now that I have my little brother back, that’s all I want," Stephen said.
"Stephen, you're a prince. You have responsibilities to your nation and its people. You should be in power; you were born for it," Maria said.
"I can't defeat Kaecilius. I don’t want people dying for me," Stephen said.
"You’re not alone in this, Stephen. We’re all with you, and we’ve got a new ally," Maria said.
"Who?" Stephen asked.
"Asgard. But there’s something you need to do," Maria said.
"What would that be?" Stephen asked.
"You should marry the prince of Asgard, Thor Odinson," Maria said.
"I don’t know... I’m not ready for marriage," Stephen said, confused.
"Stephen, Prince Thor is a very kind person. I’m sure you’ll like him. And Asgard is a powerful country. No one would dare touch the Queen of Asgard or his people," Maria said.
"If my country will be safe because of this marriage, I’m ready," Stephen said.
"Thank you, Stephen," Maria said, smiling as she kissed his forehead.
"Get some rest. We’ll inform Asgard of your consent to the marriage tomorrow. Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Stephen said.
After Maria left, Stephen lay on his bed. He wasn’t sure what he had just agreed to, but if it would save his people from the evil sorcerers, he would do it.
The next morning, Steve, Tony, Bruce, Nat, and Clint were discussing their plans.
"Our spies informed us that Kaecilius has begun searching for the prince. We need to be prepared," Steve said.
"What’s the update on Asgard’s army?" Bruce asked.
"They’ll be here as soon as we inform them of Stephen’s consent. It all depends on him now," Steve said.
"If he doesn’t want it, we can’t force him," Tony reminded them.
"We won’t have to force him. Stephen has given his consent," Maria said, entering the room.
"He did?" Tony asked, feeling a little disappointed.
"Yes. Steve, Tony, you should leave for Asgard today," Maria said.
"Of course, Mrs. Stark," Steve said.
"Mom, can’t we give Stephen some time to think it over?" Tony asked.
"Tony, we don’t have time to lose. This is for the good of everyone," Maria said.
"Steve and I will go," Tony said.
"Good. That’s settled," Maria said, leaving the room.
"Where is Stephen?" Kaecilius shouted as his men tortured Wong.
"I don’t know," Wong groaned.
"I know you helped him escape. Where is he?" Kaecilius demanded.
"Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you. You can kill me," Wong said, smirking.
"I won’t kill you, Wong. I’ll torture you until you beg for death," Kaecilius sneered.
"I want Stephen back, alive. Go and find him!" Kaecilius yelled. His sorcerers scattered to search.
Steve and Tony arrived in Asgard. The king, queen, and princes Thor and Loki sat in court. Tony and Steve approached and bowed.
"Captain Rogers and Stark, I expect good news," King Odin said.
"Yes, your majesty. Prince Stephen is ready for the wedding," Steve informed him.
"Good. Our army will depart for Ironland tomorrow. Prince Thor and Prince Loki will lead them. Thor, you may meet your future husband," Odin said.
"Thank you, Father," Thor said cheerfully.
"The guards will show you to your chambers. You may stay for dinner and leave in the morning," the king said.
"Thank you, your majesty," Steve and Tony said, bowing once more before heading to their chamber.
"Everything went well, didn’t it, Tony?" Steve asked once they were in their room.
"Yeah," Tony replied.
"This time, we’ll defeat Kaecilius," Steve said.
"Yes," Tony agreed.
"What’s wrong?" Steve asked, frowning.
"Nothing," Tony said.
Steve was about to ask again when Thor entered.
"Your highness, you could have summoned us to your chambers," Steve said, standing.
"Steve, I’m not here as a prince. I came as your old friend," Thor said, smiling.
"Tony, we should duel again," Thor said.
"Sure, if you’re ready to lose again," Tony said.
Thor laughed heartily. "That’s why I like you so much," Thor said.
"Why are you here, your highness?" Steve asked.
"I wanted to ask about Prince Stephen. Is he still as beautiful as before?" Thor asked.
"Yes, he is. He’ll be a great match for you," Steve said.
"I know. I always wanted him to be my queen since we were young. Father knew about it, which is why he proposed this," Thor said, chuckling.
"We’re happy for you," Steve said.
"Thanks. Guys, I need your help, especially you, Tony. You know Stephen better than anyone. I want to know what makes him happy. I want to give my best to my queen," Thor said.
Tony didn’t like any of this. Thor was a nice person, but he had no right to Stephen. Stephen wasn’t his.
Tony remained silent.
"Sure, your highness, Tony will help you," Steve said, breaking the awkward silence.
"Steve, stop calling me that. Call me Thor. We’re friends," Thor said.
"Sure, Thor," Steve said.
"Alright then. I’ll leave you to rest. Goodnight," Thor said before leaving.
"What do you think of Thor?" Steve asked.
"Why do you care about my opinion? You’re the captain; you can decide whatever you want," Tony snapped, heading to his own chamber.
Steve was confused by Tony’s behavior but chose to let it go.
The next morning, Tony and Steve returned to Ironland with the two princes and their army. Tony hated how nice Thor was. The man hadn’t stopped talking the entire trip and seemed overly eager to meet Stephen.
"Tony, remember when I visited Kamar-Taj with my parents? Prince Stephen was a kid at the time. I wanted to play with him, but he started crying when I got near. He didn’t like me then," Thor said.
"Prince Stephen was just a child then, Thor. He’s grown now. If he didn’t like you, he wouldn’t have agreed to this marriage," Steve said.
"Yes, you’re right, Steve. And I have time to woo him, don’t I?" Thor said.
"Brother, can you be quiet for some time? If you keep talking like this, the prince is never going to like you," Loki said, rolling his eyes.
"Brother, I know you're just jealous about me getting married," Thor said, chuckling.Loki scoffed at that.
"I'm actually feeling sad for the prince," Loki said."Shut up, Loki," Thor replied.Loki just chuckled.
Stephen was walking through the garden near the tower when Maria joined him.
"Stephen, aren't you happy here?" Maria asked.
"Yes, I am," Stephen replied.
"Prince Thor will be coming today to meet you," Maria said, smiling.
"Oh," Stephen responded.
"You two can get to know each other before the marriage," Maria added.
"Mmh... sounds good," Stephen said, disinterested.
"Are you okay?" Maria asked.
"Yes, I'm okay," Stephen replied.
"Stephen, if something is bothering you, you can talk to me," Maria said."I'm just nervous about meeting the prince, that's all," Stephen explained.
"You don't need to be. He is the most cheerful person you will ever meet," Maria said, smiling.Stephen smiled a little.
"Victor was asking for me. I need to go," Stephen said.
"Sure, Stephen. But be ready to meet your future husband," Maria said, smirking as she left him.
Yes, he was about to meet his future husband, a stranger, which scared him the most.