So this is my first Marvel fic, so please review and follow, tell me what you think x
Lillian picked up a handful of snow from the frosty ground and placed it in her mouth, wincing as the cold bit into her tongue. She made no sound, instead only twisting her face to show the pain that she felt. It passed momentarily, and she swallowed the water that had pooled on her tongue, and breathed out warily into the chilly air.
No steam came from her mouth with her exhalation, the snow having done its job. She was effectively invisible.
The low murmur of voices came from the corner of the large room that she was crouched in, and she jumped up, running silently to hide behind a large stone pillar in the opposite corner, her breath making no fog in the cold air.
Her contractor had warned her that Jötundheim was a difficult terrain to navigate, and he had been right. The frozen pathways and eerie blue lights that lit them would be difficult for any person to manage, even an Asgardian like herself.
She sneaked a glance around the giant stone pillar that she was standing behind, and her heart rate quickened as she saw four Jötun saunter into the large, high-ceilinged meeting hall. Their blue skin almost shone in the waning sunlight, and they were garbed in thick leather trousers, but no tunics, the cold obviously not affecting them as it did her. The tallest, Laufey, she recognised instantly as their leader. He was not the one that she was here for. He was flanked by two, smaller but broader Jötun, with long swords strapped to their belts, and mean - looking scars covering their faces. Guards.
A slightly shorter Jötun, still towering a good three feet abover her head, was identified by the thick silver pendant that hung low and heavy around his neck. The corner of her mouth twisted up into a smile that didn't reach her eyes, and her hand unconciously travelled to her belt, where a short but sharp dagger was hanging.
Jesban, the first advisor to Laufey, one of the most important men in Jötundheim.
He was why she was here.
The heavy weight of a large bag of coins weighed down the scuffed brown leather satchel that was slung casually around her shoulder, a constant reminder of why she was here. She had been paid to do a job, and she was going to do it properly.
"I do not advise taking that course of action." The voice was low and gravelly, and Lillian's breath quickened from behind her stone pillar. She glanced at her feet, her black leather boots almost ankle-deep in the snow that seemed to cover every surface on this planet.
"My Lord, I agree with Jesban," came another voice, one of the guards, and the sound of footsteps echoed around the room as the Jötuns heavily paced the icy floor.
"It is not your position to tell me what I should be doing, Lian." The booming voice was unmistakeably Laufey's, "I want what is mine, and I am not afraid to take it by force."
Lillian shifted slightly, confused at the turn their discussion had takem. She wondered what it was that caused Laufey such anger.
"I understand that, Sir," This voice was Jesban's, "But surely it would be better to wait-"
A crashing sound caused Lillian to jump where she was stood. The sound of breaking glass echoed around the room, and a thumping sound followed it, as Laufey slammed his fist on the large table in the room's centre.
"Don't you dare tell me what to do, Jesban. You are my adviser. You know what that means?"
"I'm sorry Sir-"
"It means that you advise me, Jesban, not order me around like a dog."
The frost in Laufey's voice matched the cold that was slowly seeping through Lillian's clothes. She had dressed for the weather, wrapping up warm in a sheepskin coat and thick leather leggings. A brown leather belt pinched her waist, hung with daggers and a nasty-looking sword, and her dirty blonde hair had been tightly plaited down her right shoulder, effectively keeping it out of her face. She was short, and slim, but strong. Her Asgardian blood gave her strength and stamina, and her many years training gave her all the skills that she needed. Her fingers tickled the dagger at her belt again, as Laufey continued to shout.
"I'm not going to stay here and be treated like a child!" The heavy footsteps of Laufey trailed out of the room, and there was a loud bang, as what sounded like a door slammed shut. Jesban sighed, and there was a nervous giggle from one of the other two men... it may have been Lian.
"You two can leave," said Jesban, and Lillian glanced around the pillar once more, to see him sitting on the table, looking crestfallen. The other two Jotuns stood in front of him, their arms folded. Mean looking daggers hung heavily from their belts, and Lillian stopped herself from taking a loud, deep breath in, worried by how heavily - armed they seemed.
"As you wish, Sir," one of them said, and they both walked out of the room, the blue skin on their backs scarred and marked from years of fighting. The door closed behind them, leaving Jesban on his own.
Or so he thought.
The guards would return soon, Lillian figured that she had ten minutes to do her job, maybe less.
Jesban stood up, and walkedd towards the door, his back to Lillian, and she stepped out from her hiding place, removing a small silver dagger from her belt, relaxing slightly as she felt the farmiliar weight of it in her hand.
She was short, for an Asgardian. Only 5"3, and the Jötun towered over her at close to 7", but she did not slow down. Her footsteps were silent on the snow-covered floor, and she was swift. Jesban still had his back to her, staring intently at the door that Laufey had closed behind him, and within seconds, Lillian was behind him. Before he had the chance to turn around, she took the knife and stabbed it deep into the side of his torso, right into his kidney. His skin yielded for the knife easily, and hot sticky blood quickly spilled from his side. He opened his mouth in shock, but before he could make a noise, Lillian leapt up, latching one arm around his neck, her legs dangling in the cold air. With a quick and presice movement, she dragged the dagger over the thin skin of his throat, feeling the warmth of his blood cover her hand and wrist. He fell to his knees, the dagger clattering to the floor as Lillian rolled sideways to protect herself from the impact.
She stood up, wiping her bloody hands on her tunic and picking up the dagger, tucking it back into her belt. She glanced at the body on the floor, jerking violently as his lifeblood flowed out of his throat, staining the snow crimson. She bent down, looking directly into Jesban's eyes as they turned black, and he stopped moving, immobile on the ground. Lillian reached into her satchel and opened her purse, a cowhide leather bag tied with strings. From it, she removed two silver coins and placed them over the eyes of the deseaced, for the ferry-man to carry him over to the afterlife. She said a quick prayer, and stood up again, placing her purse back in her bag.
She killed for a living, but that didn't mean that she had to like it.
She took a step back, before turning and walking away, towards the door on the other side of the room that led to the servants quarters. That was how she had got in, and she was certain that, if she pulled her hood up, she would manage to get out of the castle without detection. She began to walk, but spun around at the sound of a creak.
The door was opening again.
She ran towards the pillars in the corner of the room, but was too late. The pair of guards had returned, and took one look at the crumpled, dead body of Jesban, before immediately scanning the room for his killer.
"There!" One of them shouted, pointing to Lillian, who had not managed to reach the pillars in time. With a guttural growl, they both ran forwards, each removing a long sword from the sheaths on their belts. Lillian froze for a second, before doing the only thing that she could do.
She ran.
Kicking open the door to the servant's quarters wasn't very inconspicuous, but in all honesty, subtlety wasn't high on her list of priorities. Her face had been seen, something that she never allowed to happen. She pushed her way past servants, most of them women, in ragged and tattered dresses, carrying trays of food or buckets of dirty water. She shoved her way through the blue-skinned giants, clattering trays to the floor, occasionally glancing behind her. The two guards were still hot on her trail, weilding their swords. She ran faster, through the kitchens and out of a side-door into the freezing wasteland of the outside world.
The cold hit her like a train, pushing the air from her lungs and causing her to stumble slightly, but she kept running. What choice did she have in the matter?
"Stop right there!" Came yells from behind her, but she paid them no heed. Her Asgardian blood did her well, meaning that she could run fast, faster than the frost giants chasing her, despite her shorter stature. She continued to run for what seemed like hours, but was more likely only a few minutes, until she spotted a small cave in an icy rockface, and dove into it. The whirling blizzard outside made it impossible to see across long distances, even for natives, so she wasn't surprised when she heard the confused shouts of the guards.
"Where is she?"
"I can't see a bloody thing?"
"Where did she go?"
Lillian stayed silent, her arms wrapped tightly around herself for warmth in the freezing cave. She sat down, the snow melting with her contact, and cold water leaking into the seat of her leggings, but for the moment, she didn't care.
"We know your face, bitch."
She froze at their words, not at the offensive nature of them, but because they rung true. She had allowed the unallowable to happen. She had been seen.
"We know who you are, Asgardian. And we will find you."
Her heart race increased as she sensed the truth in their words, she was not a person who wanted her identity known.
"I know you can hear me!"
There was a stream of angry muttering, and then the sounds of footsteps walking away. Lillian breathed out a sigh of relief that she didn't even know she was holding in when the footsteps receeded to silence, and she was left alone. Reaching into her satchel, she pulled out her purse, emptying it into her hand, and counting out the coins. 48 pieces of silver, not including the two that she had placed on the eyelids of Jesban. A pretty price for five minutes of work, but as she sat in the darkened cave, shivering as the snow coated her hands and face, she wondered to herself it it was worth it.
"Heimdall?" She called out in the darkness, trying to force the words out through chattering teeth, "If you can see me, now would be a really good time to beam me up."
She waited for twenty seconds, and tried again, a bit louder this time, "Heimdall, It's me. It's Lillian. Please. I'm in trouble."
If anybody could help her now, it was Heimdall, the guardian of the rainbow bridge of Asgard. He was all-seeing, a powerful omniscient being with the ability to transport anyone from one world to the next. It had been years since she had seen him, but somehow, Lillian still held hope that he would help her in troubled times.
Her mind lit up with an idea.
"Heimdall," she was almost yelling into the swirling storm now, "Odin owes me a favour. Let this be it, huh?"
Her voice echoed around the roomy cave, but to no avail. She stayed exactly where she was.
She let out a sigh of dissapointment, and lay down in the snow on her back, crossing her arms over her chest. It looked like she was going to have to make her own way out of this one. As her eyes slowly closed, she felt a warm sensation run down her spine and legs, and she snapped them open again. All around her was light. Rainbow light that shone so brightly she had to shield her eyes to see it. Despite this, she couldn't help the grin that cam to her face, as she felt her body rise slightly, and the warmth from the light enter her veins.
Heimdall had listened.
She was going home.