Hi, everyone!

I'm happy to post that new chap.

No big battle yet. But some talks between Ward and Torunn... Interesting maybe? You'll see.

Thanks to all those who favorited, followed, reviewed... That's really important for me guys!

Now somebody I know in real life is gonna read it at some point, and I'm really, really stressed about it... Really.

Anyway... Enjoy our chap!


The young woman walked into the room. She found her 'prisoner' there, grumbling, charging his gun quite violently. His motions were not precise, he missed the barrel a couple of times. It really didn't improve his mood. Not the slightest.

He didn't look at her when she stopped next to him, looking at him. He knew it was her. Of course. Who else wore an armor, had that way to walk that quietly with her armored combat boots. Who else had that shadow of power whenever she was?

Right now, he didn't care about the sweet side he had seen during their late talks. He didn't care about the broken girl he felt was inside, about the puppet he felt she was in cruelest's hands. She was… She was the cruelest there. She was the one condemning his love, his family to death. She was the one who had looked at him with those serious eyes and killed her. Just there in front of him. She had sentenced Skye to death. He couldn't, he just couldn't look at her in any other way. She was a monster.

"You are heartless."

One blow to the chest.

It hurted more than it should have. Of course. She had started to think he understood her. She had started to think he saw her as more than that. As a friend.

It hurted more than it should have. She had hear it from numerous others. She had heard it from her fellow warriors on the battlefield. From her uncle. From her cousin. The two later times had been the ones with the most effect on her. It had been that taste of power, of invincibility. It had changed the way she saw the others. The way she behaved. She had to be ruthless. Merciless. Heartless.

"Because I can't spare the ones you want me to?"

"Because you don't understand what is love."

Another blow to the chest.

How dared he say that to her? He didn't know her. He didn't know what love had done to her life. To her parents. He didn't know. He didn't have the right to say that to her. Nobody had that right but her.

"You don't know…"

"Give me your irrefutable arguments, then. It won't change what I think about you, though. But you can try."

"First, you can't judge without all the parameters."

"What don't I know? Go, hit me with another whiny story about your past…"

She bit her lip to keep herself from replying more violently than she would like to.

"I won't. What you don't know is... That I gave orders to spare the girl."

His gun hit the floor. The sudden noise changed the atmosphere of the room. And basically everything else.

"What?"

His incredulous eyes met her serious ones. What had she done? What had made her change her mind? He felt kind of ridiculous after his former judgements on her. Maybe she wasn't that bad. Maybe…

"The soldiers know they have to spare the youngest of the female warriors they will meet. I count on you to tell us which one she is. It woud feel bad if we killed her by mistake."

"Why are you doing that?"

"Because… she might be interesting for us to keep alive. She's specialized in Midgardian technology, right?"

He couldn't think right. But one thing was important. She remembered. She remembered what he had told her. Until then, he thought that she had only listened to him because she was bored of her own misery. But no. Now, he saw that she had learned things form their talks. For the late hours they had spent, when neither could sleep. He didn't know what dreams haunted her but they seemed tenacious. Maybe like his. Maybe they weren't that different.

He had killed too. He had betrayed too. He had been heartless too. He was haunted by tenacious dreams too. He was broken by his past too.

Maybe. Maybe she wasn't that different.

He remembered too. He remembered her stories. The infinite sadness and loneliness pervading every memory of her childhood. The darkness of her past. The only light being her grandmother. He had seen that in her. He had seen the scared child, lost in silence. That's why he had thought she wasn't really bad.

Because maybe she wasn't. Maybe.

"And because I know you love her."

"Thanks."


"Come on, Skye!"

May urged the girl. They were training in the gym of the Playground. Well, May was training Skye. Who was starting to be breathless and to feel her heart beating in her head. Come on, Skye. She exhorted herself to fight, to continue even if she was exhausted. Even if she couldn't bear it anymore.

"Left arm, higher."

That was what he used to say. Ward. He always said that when they were training together. Left arm higher. She couldn't continue today. She always get discouraged at the same moment. When she started to feel anger rising. When she was exhausted. When she lowered her guard. When May told her these three words. When she lost her temper.

"I can't."

She stopped fighting. The woman sighed and looked at her. May was worried for the girl. The change was getting bigger and bigger. And the GH-325 seemed to have a role in that.

"Always at the same time, Skye."

"I know."

Her hands were starting to shake. It wasn't normal. She wasn't supposed to get used to it. She wasn't supposed to see that as just the sign she needed to carve. But it was true. It was the sign she needed to carve. To carve the symbols she saw every day on her ceiling. The symbols dancing behind her eyelids during her sleep. Whenever she closed her eyes.

It was getting worst and worst. The dreams, the carving, the hopelessness. The effects on her body, on her mind were too important. She had to tell someone. But she couldn't. She dreaded the aftermath of it all. The others never allowing to do a thing because of what was happening to her. She wasn't prepared to loose her freedom.

"Are you alright?"

May was frowning, eyes fixed at the shaky hands of the girl. Something was wrong with her.

"Oh… Yeah, yeah…"

"You are sure?"

"Listen, May. Thank you for worrying, but everything's alright, ok? I don't need you to look over me like I'm 5."

Skye stormed out of the gym, mumbling. She was getting angry easily these days. She was always on the edge, always about to explode. She ran into Tripp as she was making her way to her room. He caught her by the arm. It took all her self-control not to fight her way out his grip.

"What?"

"We found them."

Her eyes widened. They had found them. They had found Ward. She knew what it meant. It meant she would have to fight against him. Maybe bring him in. Be near him again. See him. After all this time.

"How?"

"Anonymous call. They are at an army base. Preparing for battle. Against us."


"You would like them."

"Who?"

She looked up at him. Everything was going soldiers were almost all ready, the arms were numerous and she could feel the call of battle in the rush of the men. She liked that. The call of blood, the battlefield screaming for her to join. She had always been fighting, all her life. She liked the adrenalin, the danger, the power… The control. Everything she loved in that made her an excellent warrior. But she was way too stubborn to follow commands. She was a freelancer.

"The team. Skye. And the others…"

"You don't often talk about them."

She wanted to know them. She felt like she had to ask.

"They are all so different… Skye is always running all over the place, always around electronics… Always… So tough on the outside, and sweet, caring on the inside…"

"That's the girl you love. You would made a great couple."

"Thanks…"

He laughed. But his laugh wasn't happy. Not at all. It was sad, melancholic maybe.

"There are Coulson, the leader. He is like the father of the team. Always checking out after us. And we worry for him. May… The badass fighter. You'll like her. She's right, extremely skilled. She never lets anything go. She is tough as nail."

"and then?"

"There is Simmons. She's…"

"Wait, Simmons is a girl?"

"Yeah. Her name's Jemma. But we call her Simmons. We do that a lot. You are the only one to call me Grant. The others call me Ward."

"That's strange…"

She frowned. She didn't understand that habit of Midgardians… Nobody ever call her Thorsdottir. Nobody did that on Asgard.

"She's… Well, she's our doctor… She's into biology. Alien or not. Always blaming herself. But I think she has… something else in her than what we see."

"Is there someone else?"

"And the last one is Fitz. He is… He is geeky, smart and brave. He would… He would accompagny me on a mission, even if he has no fighting skill at all. He is… I don't really know him. I think there is a lot hidden from view. He's kinda secretive. Same than Simmons.

"What's his name?"

"Leo. He would like your accent."

"Which accent?"

She was thinking about what he had just said. And she hated him right now. Because it made her want to spare them all. But she couldn't do that.

"When you talk. It's kinda British. But with a little thing else."

"If you say so."

She shrugged. When he talked about them, she saw how much he lovec his team. How much he regretted all he had done. It was sad to hear him talking about that.

"I'm sorry…"

It was barely a whisper, but he heard it anyway. He looked up at her, at the hand which had just landed on his shoulder.

"What I say is not important but… I'm truly sorry."

"It's nothing. Tell me about your family…."

She sighed, looked away. Her family. Tough topic.

"Oh… My family… I… My father is a prince. He is know in all the realms. He is… brave maybe. I would say… He is a coward. He couldn't face me. He couldn't face the fact that he had a daughter. That I was there. He just went away. Away from me. And to Midgard and this… girl he met. Jane Foster."

"I heard about her... "

"She… She stole my father."

Ward felt this was a sensitive topic. He remembered she often talk about another person from her family.

"You said you grand-mother was important…"

Of course she was. Frigga had raised her, loved her. She had taught her how to fight. She had been there when nobody else was. Torunn held her close to her heart.

"She was there. That's all I need to say. My mom left me with her too, jumping into the battle. Running away. She gave me a name, held me and went away. She came to see me sometimes. But the awkwardness…"

"You are not lucky."

"Oh yeah… Love is a weakness. That's what I learned. But maybe. Maybe someday…"

"Maybe someday… You'll find the one…"

She had a little sad laugh.

"Yeah. Maybe. Until then… I think it's time for us to fight."


Now guys... Leave some reviews if you like, tell me what you thought of it.

What you think about the beginning of friendship between Ward and Torunn, what is happening to Skye... Etc etc...

Until next time!

The Queen of Heart.