One
I opened my eyes, and was greeted with the familiar barren wasteland and dead trees that made up the world of the Dark Elves. As with every other time I had woken here, I made my way down the bleached, gray sandy hill. The stale, dead breeze ruffled my hair slightly, and the smell of sulphurous gases, on-top of dark magic made me want to vomit.
I tried to breathe as shallowly as possible, taking my usual route across the withered landscape, preparing to see the face of a certain Dark Elf, who had been plaguing my dreams. Every night for the past month, I had returned here, and stumbled through the sand, to hear Malekith murmur the same phrase over and over, until I woke.
'Don't believe...'
I was broken out of my reverie, when a pained cry reached my ears. Without thought, I broke into a sprint, and the sight that met my eyes after reaching the crest of the hill nearly broke me. Dozens of bodies (Dark Elven bodies) littered the ground, heads caved in, chests, sides and backs gaping open, their black blood staining the sand a gruesome dark purple. This wasn't what stopped my heart, or froze the breath in my lungs.
A giant stood in the midst of this chaos, a sword sticking straight through his chest, swaying on the spot while blood oozed from his front. And hanging from the end of this sword, the tip of which had pierced through his sternum, while he twitched and grimaced in pain, was Loki. He let out a soft grunt, as the giant yanked him from the blade, and he fell to the ground, eyes closing.
"LOKIIIII!" I screamed, and threw myself down the hill, covering the distance between us in a few seconds. I was aware of Thor kneeling by his side, and Loki talking in broken whispers to him. I just stared at him, hands cradling his face, my own face frozen in an expression of shocked horror. Tears blurred my vision, and Loki's head turned to look at me.
"Evelyn..." he croaked, coughing softly. His skin was turning an ugly gray-blue, and the vivid colour in his eyes drained away, as did his life.
"No... no no no no..." I whispered, shaking my head. "You said there would be a next time... Please, no Loki... I should have stopped this..."
"The Lady Evelyn is not here, brother. I shall tell her of your brave deeds this day..." Thor murmured, his hand squeezing Loki's pale one. Loki ignored him, and kept his eyes locked with mine.
"It's not your fault, love... I love you..." Loki's frame was wracked with coughs again, and I let out a wail, burying my head in the crook of his neck.
"Stay with me, please!" I sobbed, chest constricting tightly, throat aching with my choked emotion. I felt his small smile and the trembling pressure of his lips on my forehead.
"Now and forever..." His chest stopped moving, and everything was sucked away into blackness...
I shot up in bed, screaming, hair matted, tears marring my cheeks, Loki's blood staining my hands, chest, and sheets. My dad burst into the room, looking around frantically, before his eyes found the blood. I curled over myself, my mouth fixed open in a horrified wail.
"Evie, what-?"
"HE'S GONE!" I shrieked, turning my bloodied hands over and over, while they shook erratically. "HE'S DEAD! HE'S-!" I choked, and turned over, retching, and my dinner splattered on the wooden flooring, while I shook, and cried, eyes squeezed shut.
"Who, Evie, who-?" My dad stopped, and I felt the dip in the bed, as he climbed on next to me. His hand reached forward, and he snagged my wrist, examining the two charms that hung from my bracelet. I stopped crying, hand going to cover my mouth as my eyes met the trinkets. I then speedily turned, and threw up again, my body rejecting this final confirmation of my lover's passing.
The golden snowflake had twisted, and warped, looking as though it had melted, fading to an ugly, tarnished silver colour. And the emerald heart... that had turned to a corrupted, uneven black, and spider web cracks laced across the surface, originating from one clean hole through the middle of it. My body shut down, and I welcomed the escape the gaping abyss offered.
I was faintly aware of my body toppling from the bed, the two charms shattering on the hard-wood floor, and my dad leaping to his feet, screaming for help...
I tried to go about life normally. I really did.
I busied myself with mundane tasks: cooking, cleaning, shopping, washing clothes; all used to try and ignore what I knew to be true... but that all ended on the fourth day. Thor arrived in the late hours of the night. One look at his face had me spiralling into a pit of sorrow and despair.
I bolted back to my room, and put it under lock-down. I curled up on my bed, and cried myself to sleep: my first second of rest since that disastrous dream/vision. It only lasted a few hours. I woke a short time later, screaming bloody murder, my long nails raking across my face and throat. There were shouts and lots of banging from the other side of my door, but I refused to let them in. I couldn't stop screaming, and I continued clawing at my throat, trying to stop the noise.
There was a loud crash, and my wall caved in, causing my screams to cut short. Thor barrelled into the room, closely followed by the other Avengers, who were all suited up. I stared at them blankly, blood streaming down my throat, and dripping from my nails. Natasha was the first to realise what had happened, and she came forward slowly, so as not to startle me.
"Oh sweetie, I'm sorry..." she whispered, wrapping me in a tight hug. I broke down, and cried on her shoulder, my chest feeling empty, head and throat aching, body too sensitive, and too numb, all at once. The Other Guy shuffled forward, plucked Nat away from me, and drew me into his chest, curled up like a cat. He lumbered into the living room, and sat down heavily, with me still tucked against him.
He made soft humming and cooing noises, trying to comfort me. I giggled tearfully, and nestled my head against his chest. His large fingers reached up, and carefully stroked my hair into submission, smoothing it away from my face. He set up a steady rocking motion, while the others filed into the room.
"Evie, are you okay?" My dad's face-plate had pulled back, and his face was drawn and tired, creased in worry. I didn't deign him with an answer, and instead chose to curl further into the warmth of the Hulk's chest.
"Safe..." he rumbled, arms closing more securely around me.
"Thanks, Big Guy," I croaked, smiling shakily. My smile then faded, and I fought to hold back tears. "But he's not..."
"Lady Evelyn, he died brav-"
"NO!" I spat, turning to glare furiously at Thor. "Don't you dare finish that sentence! He shouldn't have died at all, and... and..." I was hyperventilating now, and Natasha sighed heavily.
"Jarvis, give her something to calm down..." she whispered, so quietly I almost missed what she said. I started to protest, but the smell of ice and parchment was already in the air. I caught the scent of drugs, masked behind the pleasant aroma, and I glared at Nat, even though my eyes were already closing.
"Fuck... you..." I breathed, already relaxing into the Other Guy's hold.
"You'll thank me later..." muttered Black Widow. I relinquished my hold on consciousness, and spiralled into sleep.
My life was meaningless now, time lost all relevance, and I never spoke. Not that I ever really had an opportunity to.
I stayed shut up in my room, curled in a ball, staring at a blank stretch of wall. I didn't eat, I didn't drink, and the need to use the restroom faded quickly. I grew thin, my hair lifeless, and my body was wracked with illness. My magic was the thing that saved me. I had fallen into a dozy sleep, head pounding, skin burning with a raging fever, and ready to die, when Bruce walked into the room.
"Evelyn?" His loud voice cut through my haze, and I groaned, sluggishly turning my head away from him. He cursed, and dropped at my side, hand resting over my forehead. His hand ripped away suddenly, and was placed underneath my knees instead. His other hand supported my back, and he jerked upright, rushing me out of my room.
I was laid on a table, and I felt all manner of tubes and needles being shoved under my skin. I twitched, and wriggled, trying to get away. I didn't want all this fuss. I just wanted everything to stop.
"Come on Evelyn, you can get through this..." Bruce's encouraging voice drifted down to whatever hazy level of thought I was occupying, and I scoffed internally. I didn't want to get through this. I was so close. I could see Loki again...
"What's wrong with her, Banner?!" asked my dad, his voice frantic. His fingers brushed some hair away from my face, and I squeezed my eyes more tightly shut against the harsh lighting.
"Fever, malnutrition, dehydration, she's delirious... And if you don't move out of the way, and let me work with her, we're gonna lose her..."
Finally... I muttered, letting a small smile surface.
No! A soft voice cut through my head. The beeping of the heart monitor stalled for a solid second, causing my dad and Banner to fall silent, before it started back up. No, Evie, you are not leaving me! What happened to 'now and forever'..?
Loki? I breathed, face going slack in shock, breathing stopping.
"SHIT!" cursed Bruce and Dad in tandem. I started breathing raggedly again, trying to make sense of what was happening. Was I already gone..?
No, love, but you will be if you don't heal yourself. Don't do this to me, Evelyn, stop being so selfish! You fight on, because I'm coming for you soon..!
What do you mean?! I cried, heart clenching painfully.
I love you... And then he was gone. My anger flared inside me, and my magic woke up, coiling around me, tendrils seeping into my skin and fixing my damaged body. My eyes flew open, and I gasped a few times, while my magic ripped the tubes from my arms. I sat up, checking my newly flushed skin, then collapsed back on the table, eyes rolling into my head.