Epilogue
"I don't think our men will be back before the end of the day," Loki declared in a relaxed tone, turning to the ladies Natasha, Sigyn, and Arwen walking by his side. A gentle breeze rustled the trees in the garden they were in. The sky was already tinted with shades of orange and purple, heralding the imminent twilight. Valinor stretched around them in all its splendor. The verdant lands seemed to extend endlessly, punctuated by tall trees and vibrant flowers that grew freely, evoking perfect harmony with nature.
"What makes you think that?" Aragorn's wife asked, intrigued by her friend's prediction.
Loki offered an enigmatic smile. "A storm is brewing, I can feel it. If my doubts are confirmed, they won't be able to return until tomorrow, or perhaps late into the night."
At the prospect, Natasha let out a sigh. "I can already see Bruce coming back all muddy, his inner Hulk doesn't take great care of his attire…"
"It's like hearing you talk about a child," Sigyn commented, an amused smile playing on her immortal face.
"You don't seem to understand," Natasha grumbled, sitting down in the grass with a pout.
At that moment, Antony and his friends, their faces beaming, rushed towards their respective mothers. The joyful cries of the children resonated as they proudly displayed their mud-covered clothes, trophies of their daring adventures in the heart of the garden.
"Mama!" Loki's son called, oblivious to his appearance, "Father and the others just got back from fishing!"
The women's eyes met with a glint of happiness.
"It seems your predictions aren't as reliable as they used to be," Sigyn remarked, sharing a knowing look with the Jotun.
Loki couldn't help but smile in response.
"Well, so be it," he said with a casual shrug, as if he gladly accepted this turn of events. "I like being wrong when it comes to weather."
His son's cheerful announcement had barely dissipated in the tranquil Valinor air when the familiar figures of Tony, Aragorn, Steve, and Bruce began to take shape on the horizon.
Soon, Tony Stark stood proudly before them, carrying the day's fishing trophy and holding his son with his free arm. He casually approached Loki before claiming his mouth in a greeting. Loki responded to the kiss with delight, his son expressing his disgust at the sight.
Bruce Banner, on the other hand, approached Natasha with a contrite expression. He was covered in mud, his clothes showing clear signs of an accidental encounter with slippery terrain. With polite courtesy, he took Natasha's hand and placed a kiss on it. "I apologize for the sorry state of my clothes, my dear…"
Natasha allowed herself to smile, shaking her head slightly. "You're forgiven, Bruce," more amused than bothered by the situation.
Aragorn and Steve also approached their children and wives with enthusiastic warmth. Radiant smiles and heartfelt embraces revealed the intensity of their familial and romantic bonds, solidified by the years spent together.
Indeed, it had been over ten years since they had made their home in these immortal lands. This place seemed most suitable for the quasi-divine beings they had become.
Aragorn had been cordially invited to embark on their ship, bound for Valinor. This was a chance he had accepted with gratitude. Fueled by the desire to be with his soulmate, Arwen, he had finally reached the timeless shores. The elves had witnessed their reunion and the birth of a son.
Surprisingly, the orcs had also been invited on this journey to their ancestral lands. Once symbols of conflict and hostility, they had been met with benevolent understanding. Bonds of camaraderie and forgiveness were woven between once-opposed races, highlighting the power of renewal and healing.
However, despite the happiness they had found here, Loki sometimes found himself thinking with a touch of melancholy about Earth. Memories of his adventures with the Avengers and his own wanderings through the cosmos haunted him from time to time. The ties he had formed with that world seemed so distant, almost unreal now.
Yet even in the midst of these melancholic thoughts, Loki was surrounded by his extended family. Stars sparkled in Valinor's night sky, a reminder that this place was now his home, where he could find peace and acceptance. The Avengers had made sure to bring Clint back to Earth after Thanos's defeat. Then they set out to find him. The stellar journey had been long, taking more than two hundred years to finally reach Arda. But time had become somewhat negligible for the gods they had become. Immortality had been obtained during a famous dinner in Asgard, where each had taken a bite of an apple without fully understanding the consequences of that act.
In Valinor, where time flowed endlessly and love was unchanging, Loki walked alongside his son, his husband, and his friends. Every day in this eternal world was a blessing, and the bonds that united them seemed unbreakable.
THE END