26 Joyous Occasion
(Odin POV)
We went to war. All against all and all ... against Asgard. Alliances were made and broken by the hour, but never with the Nothing-ones. The Nothing-ones was what the Angels of Heven were called since they never gave anything for nothing.
The word was out. Any befriending Asgard made enemies of all Angelkind and none dared to do that. Interestingly enough, Nidavellir was more in favour of us but tried to be seen as neutral. Alfheim didn't want to involve themselves in this war. That didn't matter to Asgard though. I made sure to direct the important decisions in the right direction while also showing up every once in a while to show my prowess and improve the morality of our troops.
Heven had truly started a war with Asgard but they weren't making any progress whatsoever. The army of Asgard had been completely changed over the years. There is something I call the 'bench' that is used in the army. What the 'bench' means is that similar to sports, which will be popular on Earth in the future, there are reserve troops that are just as numerous as the ones that are currently fighting.
Any injured soldiers or tired ones will be replaced by others who are just as qualified and fresh. This creates a cycle that can change, depending on who Asgard is currently fighting. A positive development is that there are far fewer deaths than before. And by that, I am talking about a death rate of 0.1%. Those who now die are the few who are hit directly and die instantly. Because other than death, there isn't that much anymore that our medical department can't heal.
I am very thankful for that because at this moment Gaea is going through labour and even though I have all this power, even though I know that she won't die due to childbirth, I can't help but be nervous. I walk around nervously. The war has been forgotten by me and no matter what anyone says, I will always prioritise my family over anything else. If things are looking too bad, I use my powers to end it simply.
.
After hours of waiting, the door finally opens and the doctor comes out and smiles at me. I make my way into the room where Gaea is holding my daughter, my firstborn... I smile brightly when I see this picture and sit next to her on the bed.
"Look my love, our daughter.", Gaea says and shows me the face of our sleeping baby. I fall in love immediately. I never would have guessed that I could feel something like this for someone else than Gaea. Seeing the future doesn't do this justice. Gaea carefully places our daughter in my arms and smiles at my attempt to be as careful as possible.
When I hold her in my arms, she unconsciously grabs my finger with her tiny hand. I smile again and must look like a fool. I understand the strength my daughter possesses and will possess in the future.
"What should we name her, love?", Gaea asks.
"How about ... Aldrif?", I ask her. She can say no to this, but I feel that it fits my daughter perfectly.
"Aldrif? Aldrif Odinsdottir ... I love it.", she smiles at me and I smile as well. I pick up Aldrif with my hands hold her up and announce her birth to the ten realms proudly.
"Hear, for Aldrif Odinsdottir has been born. The goddess ... of the hunt and nature!", my voice sounds all over Asgard and the people cheer loudly. This move might seem stupid to me, to announce the birth of my daughter but no one will get to her. I will protect my family with my life and with my power, I know that no one would succeed anyway.
.
The war went on after the birth of my daughter. I was fine with that. I have all planned and the war is good for Asgard and its army. It shows why we make sure to train everyone as hard as we do. Asgard is doing very well in this war. If parts of the army weren't absent, no one would notice that we were waging war against multiple realms.
The Vanir have agreed to unite with the Aesir fully and to show that I mean it, I created a permanent opening from Vanaheim to Asgard. I protected Vanaheim similarly as I did Asgard and the change and improvement of the infrastructure was already underway. I offered the Vanir to live in Asgard and create things like agriculture and natural habitats for animals in Vanaheim.
This was accepted by most and so things began. I know that in a few years, no one will even know the difference between Aesir and Vanir. It was going well in that regard.
There is a young man that I already mentioned to Freyr, called Heimdall. He has a precious gift. Heimdall's sight, hearing, and smell are enhanced to the point that they qualify as extrasensory. Heimdall can see and hear as far as creation. He can look across space and is able to detect the approach of most beings within hundreds of miles. Heimdall can sense the life force of Asgardian gods throughout the Nine Realms and can willingly focus his senses on certain sensory information and selectively block the rest of it from his consciousness.
And Heimdall is a Vanir. So in order to get us closer together, I offered Heimdall the important position of Guardian of the Bifrost. His powerful senses made him perfect for the job, and I can tell that his loyalty is genuine. The only one whose sight is more powerful than his is my own.
Heimdall can't see the future or the past. But he can see almost everything in the ten realms. Apart from that, Heimdall was a very gifted fighter and a powerful commander of the army.
.
.
2 years passed since the birth of Aldrif and another joyous occasion happened. Gaea was again pregnant with our second child. I was very happy when she told me about it, even though I already knew about it. Gaea knew about my nigh omniscience but still acted as though I didn't know. I was happy about that because otherwise, we would never talk.
I love her dearly since she understands the burden of this power well. My cute Aldrif is growing well. She is still a baby but a very energetic one. I spend as much time as I can with her and Gaea. The war is running itself and I like to see the progress and increase in experience in my army.
No matter what, we are pushing on all fronts and Heven is getting desperate. I can see what will happen but I want to see whether Heimdall can see it and if so, when he will notice the movements.
And indeed it happened. I am currently in the room with Gaea, playing with Aldrif.
"Come in.", I say before the knock can happen. The door opens and a maid stands outside and bows her head.
"Pardon my intrusion, your Majesty, but I have been notified that there is something which concerns the safety of Asgard.", she says and I nod my head. I know that and simply stand up reluctantly. I look at Aldrif who clings to my pants and looks up at me with a sad face. It seems I will be just like any other father in this regard ... weak against this look.
"Fufufu ... it doesn't look like she wants to let you go. So what will the powerful All-Father, who has limitless willpower do?~", Gaea giggles and teases me. She knows the answer already. Seriously the intuition of my wife ... it borders on a supernatural ability.
"Haha, I guess you are right, love. Do you think she is old enough for her first war meeting?", I ask in jest and she laughs lightly.
"Why not? She is our daughter after all.", she says and I nod my head.
"Well then my sunshine, would you like to come with Papa to see some men sit around in a half circle and talk some boring things?", I ask Aldrif who smiles and bobs her head up and down. This makes me smile and I pick her up.
"Well then, let us go.", I say and look at Gaea holding my hand out for her to grab. I always take her to attend these meetings when possible. Her authority is only second to my own and I want to get that point across. I let her talk whenever there are meetings to show that I not only fully supported her, but that what she says has merit.
When we united the Vanir and the Aesir, there were recommendations from some of my advisors to marry Freyja, the eldest daughter of Freyr. But I shot that idea down as fast as it left his mouth. I was not only not interested in marrying again, but I also was against marrying a child. That day, Gaea showed why she was an Elder God and pressured the entire room with her presence. It was very hard for me to control myself in that moment. If I hadn't already, I would have asked her to marry me then and there.
No matter how powerful I am, every creature craves to be desired. Getting the feeling that you are wanted and that someone loves you, is a basic need everyone shares. And I am no exception.
.
We walked into the throne room and I led Gaea to her throne which was next to mine. Her throne wasn't really smaller than mine. I was not a 'macho' who needed to show everyone and especially himself that he was superior to his wife. Only weak men do that. I saw Gaea as my equal in everything but power. We were one unit and that was all that mattered to me.
I sat Aldrif on my legs and motioned Heimdall to start.
"All-Father, I have seen the Heven is preparing to invade Asgard. From what I have been able to observe, they are gathering their army to try and trick our troops and instead of fighting head-on, they will attack Asgard directly. They are probably hoping to catch us off guard.", Heimdall said.
"I see. What have you done to prevent that?", I ask him. I am trying to test Heimdall whenever possible. I want him to get the necessary experience to fulfil his role as Guardian of the Bifrost as well as he possibly can.
"I have notified the general who is currently stationed in Asgard and also the Guards of the Realm who are responsible for protecting Asgard at all times. At this point in time, the necessary steps should be taken to ensure that we are prepared when they come.", Heimdall said.
"It shouldn't take more than one, maximum two hours, your Majesty. The Guards of the Realm are always prepared and their equipment can hold Asgard indefinitely if necessary.", someone said and I had to agree with him. The Guards of the Realm were the Asgardian version of the king's guards only on an entire realm scale.
I nod my head and think for a moment. These mercenaries have served their purpose long enough. I think I shall take the necessary steps to ensure they understand never to be so arrogant again.
"Good. Prepare all things to protect Asgard in any way possible. Beware of underhanded attacks or tricks from their side. Pull back all the guards who want to fight the approaching army. It is time that I deal with this pest ... permanently.", my deep voice demanded respect and I could see the admiration and respect of everyone present.
Everyone understands what my words mean. I will show why I am the All-Father and put them in their place. Even if not the entire army from Heven will arrive at Asgards doorsteps, it will be hard for them to recover from this for thousands of years.
"As you command, your Majesty."
