Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the Avengers.
Authors note: Thank you to those of you who reviewed and welcome to the new followers and favourites.
Chapter 37
"It's been three days, she should be awake now," Dahlia vaguely heard. She wanted to open her eyes, she wanted to move but her eyes felt heavy and her whole body felt like she had been run over by the Hogwarts Express, without her Aesir powers of strength and resistance.
She managed a painful moan and sensed people coming closer to her.
"Sweetheart, can you hear me?" she heard her father speak and felt someone sit beside her, stroking her hair. "I need you to wake up. I need you to open those beautiful green for me, come on, sweetheart."
"We're here, Dahlia," she heard her serpent brother.
"We all are," she then heard her eldest.
"Sister, wake up. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I should have gotten to you faster," she heard her sister speak. "I should have taken better care of you and your security. I promise I'll do better, please wake up, I need you."
"Not…not…" Dahlia managed to mumble.
"Not what?" her father asked.
Dahlia struggled but she managed to slowly open her eyes, blinking away the new light and looking around. She was back in her room on Niflheim, her father sat on the bed beside her, holding her hand as he gazed at her, her brothers sat in chairs on one side of the bed, Isolda on Fenrir's lap, all looking worried and at the end of the bed stood the healer Saida and two of her assistants. To the right of her bed, Hela sat in a chair with Falcon standing beside her with a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder. She was more than worried, she was upset, riddled with guilt and Dahlia could tell.
She reached for her hand and Hela saw her struggle and reached to hold it. "Not…not your fault."
"It was," Hela said tearfully. "I tried to open a portal but I was so tired I couldn't. I told King Zandr and he sounded the alarms and we ran but we were attacked."
"The baby?" Dahlia asked weakly.
"The baby is fine, we're all fine, just worried about you."
"Micah!" Dahlia gasped, her eyes widening a little more so she was able to stay awake. She tried to sit but struggled.
"Be careful, let me help," Loki said and helped her sit and put another pillow behind her so she could sit up.
"He's okay," Falcon said as Loki finished helping her sit up. "Cuts, bruises and broken ribs but he's okay."
"They had a sword to his neck," Dahlia gasped, trying to speak.
"Drink," Saida said bringing her a cup of water and Dahlia took slow sips before nodding that she was okay.
"He tried to keep me safe. There was this gas, it didn't hurt Micah but my nose started to bleed, I could hardly move or breathe, I tried to teleport but I couldn't. I only had enough power to throw some spells and use the killing curse when one got close and I…I don't know what happened. I passed out. What happened? How did they get in?"
"We all thought it was protected," Falcon said. "The Kree didn't come on that day, it seems they hid in the tunnels created during the days the Kree ruled. The royals thought all the tunnels were destroyed but it seems there are some they didn't know about and the Kree hid there until they decided to attack. They're destroying them as we speak and doing a full scan of all the land to make sure there are no more surprises."
"Emperor Aldohr of the Kree is claiming he didn't send them and that despite the bloody history of their worlds and the tense relationship they have, he doesn't wish anyone on Durilia harm. Especially during a wedding where an attack could lead to many worlds attacking his empire," Hela said.
"Do you believe him?" Dahlia asked.
"He's claiming a rogue faction is behind the attack," Loki said. "It wouldn't be the first time. The Kree are known for having rogue factions doing whatever they please and unless it affects the Kree empire, they don't get involved and allow these factions to cause destruction in the name of the Kree empire. Your sister sent an envoy to Hala, their planet, and she believes what they're saying."
"Why?"
"Because there was a ship seen fleeing after the attack and it wasn't of Kree origin. It was something you'd see a bandit use, not one of the Kree empire," Falcon said.
"And?" Dahlia asked looking between them all. "Well, what happened to the ship?"
"It should have hidden better," Hela said darkly as she raised Dahlia's hand she was holding and kissed it. No one needed to ask what happened, Hela happened.
"Why? If the Kree didn't order it and if it could cause problems with their empire, why attack?" Dahlia asked.
Everyone was silent and looked between each other, even the healers avoided looking at Dahlia when she looked their way.
"Dad," she looked to Loki and he couldn't avoid looking at her. "Dad, what did they want?" she asked nervously as she could guess what they wanted.
"Everything's going to be okay," Loki said calmly, not for himself but for her.
"They wanted me, didn't they? For what? Did they want to kill me? What was that gas?" Dahlia asked almost frantic.
"Calm down," Loki said and moved to sit beside her so he could wrap an arm around her and he kissed her forehead. "You're safe."
"Tell me," Dahlia said looking to Hela. "Sister, please."
"…They didn't come to kill you," Hela said after a moment of hesitation. "The gas they drugged you with, we found the canister and…" the queen nodded to Saida.
The healer glanced down at a silver glass tablet, Dahlia believing she was looking at whatever results of who knows what tests she ran on her while she was unconscious. "We tested the container and found several substances but two more than any," Saida said looking to the princess now. "The first being sangkerszy".
"What's that?" Dahlia asked.
"It's a drug that specifically targets those whose biology is on the colder side. It targets cells in the body, causes the blood to boil until it leads to death."
"My frost giant side. But it didn't feel like I was boiling, it felt like I was weak, dizzy, almost paralyzed until I passed out."
"Because you are not only frost giant. If a pure-blooded frost giant was exposed to this drug, it could very well kill them or bring them close to death if they couldn't get somewhere cold enough to lower their temperature enough to stop the drug from taking effect until it clears their system. Due to your mixed biology, it would affect you differently, still attacking some cells, causing your symptoms and the nose bleed but due to your warm-blooded Midgardian biology, it wouldn't have affected your temperature and it certainly wouldn't have caused your death. I'm still running tests on the effects it had on you but if anything, I believe it would have left you unconscious for a few hours at most, especially with the morphine added to it."
"Morphine? That was the other substance?"
"Yes. Not the strand you would find on Midgard, one targeted for a humanoid of similar Midgardian biology but more advanced."
"It explains why Micah fought like he did, the sangkerszy wouldn't have affected him but the morphine would," Falcon spoke. "He said he felt weak, not enough to notice at the time with the adrenaline and trying to keep you safe but when we arrived, he struggled to stay conscious as it began to take its affect."
"So, they targeted me. They were going to take me. For what?" Dahlia asked glancing to everyone.
"Ransom," Jörmungandr suggested.
"Power," Fenrir said.
"Fear," Hela said. "Rumours of you have reached far and wide, it's possible they feel threatened, especially with our close friendship with Durilia. Unfortunately, there are also bounties out on you, people wanting the child of two realms. Most people wouldn't dare even think about doing it, let alone actually attempting it. The Kree on the ship, they were following orders, to kidnap you and that was all they knew, they didn't know what was going to happen to you or where to take you. Their leader was a Kree that went after you and Micah."
Dahlia felt her father tighten his grip on her, kiss the side of her head and leaned his head on the side of hers, almost breathing her in. Her presence calming him, assuring him that she was safe in his arms.
"I'm okay, dad," Dahlia said and snuggled into him. "I'm here, I'm okay."
Loki hummed, not trusting himself to speak.
"What happened after the attack started? You guys must have been right outside the door to save Micah," Dahlia said looking to her sister and brother-in-law.
The King and Queen were hesitant though and shared a look with others before Hela confessed. "Dahlia, we didn't save Micah."
"One of his palace guards then?" Dahlia asked knowing he was saved, they said he was okay so someone saved him. She wanted to thank the person who did.
"No…Dahlia, it was you. You saved him, you saved everyone."
"What?" she gasped in disbelief. "No. I passed out, I couldn't move, the drugs like Saida said."
"Which is why she is running more tests to try and explain what happened. The tests so far are saying one thing but what people saw, what happened, is something else," Falcon said.
"What happened?" Dahlia asked, looking only to her sister and brother-in-law as they were the only ones there.
Loki tightened his arm around her, she knew she wouldn't be able to move even if she wanted to as her sister explained. "We all have more questions than answers unfortunately. We were fighting, trying to get to you, then this light came from the tower. People swore they saw a figure in the light but it was only for a second before the light was too bright that they couldn't see. It was you. The light was bright but then it spread across the city, the closer it got, it looked like flames of blue and red. It didn't hurt anyone innocent or damage anything but the Kree…we saw it with our own eyes, a Kree in front of us frozen by ice as soon as the light touched it but within the thick layer of ice was fire. It was burning the Kree to ash and once it did, the ice melted away and the ash was lost in the wind. No evidence was left behind except those who witnessed it. We found you and Micah in the tower, he was barely able to talk about what happened to you, he said the light blinded him so he couldn't see and the next clear thing he saw after the light began to clear was you on the floor, unconscious."
"Magic," she mumbled and looked down to her right hand.
"What is it?" Loki questioned.
"Magic, it felt different," Dahlia said glancing between her siblings, father and healers. "Right before I passed out, I tried to help Micah, they were going to kill him. I wasn't calling for anything specific, I couldn't think about any spells, I just wanted magic to save him. My hand glowed but it wasn't purple like my Aesir magic, it wasn't a white glow like when I use my goddess powers, it wasn't the colour of any Midgardian spell I know…it was this blueish red and it felt different. It felt like it was part of me but it still felt new and powerful."
She looked up to her father who was still holding her.
"What did I do?"
"We'll figure it out," Loki said confidently but she could sense he was worried.
"Maybe it's her Jotun side," Jörmungandr said offering up a theory to calm everyone. "As much as you don't like talking about it, papa, we are part frost giant, no matter what Odin did to keep that part of you away, it is part of all of us. It could explain the ice."
"Yes," Fenrir said encouraging the theory. "Yes, and creating fire isn't too hard with magic, both Aesir and Midgardian wizards can do it. It's possible, right?"
They looked to Lady Saida who had much more experience with biology, analysing Dahlia, and experience with spirits of other realms, including those of Midgardian magic. "It's possible," Saida answered. "We don't yet know how exactly your Jotun side was kept away, only being triggered once exposed to something or someone from Jotunheim takes power. Although, there was nothing with the princess at the time that could have triggered her Jotun side, it is possible that the danger and need to protect triggered it to be released. But it also wouldn't explain what happened to the microbots. They wouldn't break under the cold temperatures of a frost giant. I'd need to run more tests."
"Wait, what happened to the microbots?" Dahlia asked quickly as she thought they were still in her bloodstream, due to be taken out when she returned from Durilia.
"I removed them as it has been a month and I believed they would offer us answers into what happened. Princess, they were destroyed. We're trying to repair what we can, recover any data but due to the damage, it will take time."
"Everyone's trying," Hela said. "I've got everyone who could possibly help working on it."
They all sat in silence, waiting for Dahlia to speak but when she did, it was something none of them wanted to answer. "How many? How many people did I kill?"
No one answered, no one wanted to.
"I think it's time she gets some rest," Loki said and people began to agree.
"I need to know," Dahlia said looking to her father.
"We'll talk. Alone," Loki said and unwrapped his arms and climbed off of the bed as he walked to the door. The healers were already leaving as Saida wished her well in recovery and that she would check on her later that day. They could all hear Loki stopping a servant and telling them to find Eva and tell her that Dahlia was awake and to bring her something to eat and drink.
Jörmungandr was the first to hug her goodbye, followed by Fenrir who was holding Isolda on his hip as she was holding several pieces of parchment. "She's been drawing you some pictures," Fenrir said and Isolda handed them over.
Dahlia looked to see a few pictures of the family being drawn, along with a couple of just herself. All wishing her well and love. "These are amazing, thank you," Dahlia said and reached out for Isolda who reached into her aunts' arms and they hugged tightly, Dahlia placing a few kisses to the young wolf's head before handing her back to her father.
Falcon was next and finally Hela, who hugged her sister tightly and apologised yet again. "I'm sorry. I really should have made sure guards followed you."
"We both thought it was safe and that the wedding was guarded enough. You're not to blame. Micah and I thought it was safe with guards in the tower, he just wanted to show me his world's history. I should have teleported before I was exposed to the gas."
"We'll be more careful in the future," Hela said then whispered quietly. "Your belongings from the trip have been put away but your souvenirs and a certain teleport beacon that was found is in your wardrobe. I doubt you wanted to lose that."
"Thank you," Dahlia said then the two sisters pulled away and Hela took Falcon's offered hand and left.
Closing the door, father and daughter were alone and he walked to the bed to sit crossed legged on it, before he took her hand and kissed it, assuring himself once again that she was alive and there. "Please, please, no more. No more close calls of danger, please, I beg you," her father said sounding fearful and pleading, begging, almost breaking.
It brought tears to her eyes that her father was in such a state because of her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause any trouble."
"I know, it wasn't your fault. I just wish I could have given you a simpler life, safer, far away from the realms, away from danger. I wish I took you away long ago before anyone found out about you and posed a threat."
"I don't. Dad, our family is here, our friends and if you had taken me away before anyone found out about me, we wouldn't have the life we have. We wouldn't have our family together; we would have suffered being apart. All this danger, it's worth it because of the joy of being together and I know you agree."
"I do, I just…if they intended to kill you, if they had killed you and you died trying to protect that prince then…then…"
"Then I would have gone to Valhalla," Dahlia said realising where his mind was at. "I will die one day, we all will, and I can't be certain how it will happen but I will try my hardest not to go to Valhalla. As much as I want to see mum again, I don't want to lose all of you either. I can't promise this won't happen again, I can't control and monitor every single living being and their actions but I promise I will always fight to come home to you. Always."
He raised her hand and kissed it again, holding it tightly to his chest where she felt his heart rapidly beating still.
"I know you love me; I know you worry and I know you'd do anything to protect me but I need you to answer my question. How many did I kill?"
"I don't see why that matters".
"I don't want to be a monster."
"We've talked about this before, many times, you are not a monster. You are not bloodthirsty, you do not kill for fun, you kill in order to defend yourself and others. A monster does not feel love or reg-"
"Or regret," she interrupted. "I remember you telling me that, four months ago when I just got these powers and was learning control, then I killed all those people in Hogsmeade. I know it was justified and to protect people, I allowed my grief and anger at seeing you hit with the killing curse take over me, but it was also the first time I had blood on my hands. You tried to calm me, keep me safe, protected from the truth…Dad, I know how many people I killed that day and I know you tried to keep that number from me."
"How?"
Dahlia shrugged. "We live on the realm of the dead, all those people who died came here. Once I got my head around what happened, I went looking and being who I am, I got access to a bit of information. Of the two hundred people who died that day, I killed seventy-two. They were the first but not the last. Being a goddess, I've led people to their deaths, thirteen. Not many but everyone counts. I may not have killed them with my own hands but I led them on paths which led to their deaths, knowing they would die. I don't want to be a monster."
"You're not."
"But some think I am or think I will become one because of what I was born. You don't understand," Dahlia said moving her hand from her fathers.
"Then explain it to me."
Dahlia twiddled her thumbs together as she thought about how to word what her mind was telling her. "It's…it's complicated. Sometimes my mind and magic, it feels like sometimes, they don't agree on what's best. Sometimes I feel my magic growing and it feels like it wants me to set it free, like it wants me to let go of control. Sometimes I feel like I should but the one time I did was Hogsmeade and look what happened. I wasn't raised with stories of children of mixed realms like you but it doesn't mean the stories I've been told haven't scared me. I don't know what's in my future and I don't want to look. All stories have to have even a little bit of truth to them and I don't want the truth of the children of mixed realms stories to be truth. That they couldn't be controlled, that they became power hungry and killed. I don't want that. However powerful I am, however powerful I might one day be, I refuse to be a monster and part of that is accepting responsibility for my actions. I might not remember what happened on Durilia but that doesn't mean I shouldn't accept responsibility for the lives I took and I know I killed them to protect but it doesn't mean I shouldn't remember their lives and feel some sense of guilt. I wont ever know all their names but I can remember a number. Please, I know you know and I can easily find out myself."
Loki sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. Looking back at her a few moments later, he could see her stubbornness to know and he knew she would know the truth by the next day if he didn't tell her himself.
"From what I have been told, it wasn't a particularly big invasion, not big enough to go up against Durilia and all the guests. But they likely found it enough to follow through with their mission of getting to you. With the lack of bodies due to how they died, then the Kree that were killed by others-"
"Dad…just tell me," she said knowing he was trying to prolong answering.
"Three hundred at most. Like I said it is difficult to number when there aren't any bodies and just going off of witnesses. It could be less."
"Or more," Dahlia said and took a deep breath. "385 in just four months. Wow."
"I've killed more, so has your sister, Falcon, Jora killed more during his time on Midgard and Fenrir, while locked away, does have not have clean hands."
"The big difference is they've been alive for more than a thousand years, have lived through wars, people hunting them, wanting to hurt them and Hela is the goddess of Death, Falcon is death, they kill god knows how many people in a day."
"Sweetheart."
"No. I'm fine, I'm okay," Dahlia said holding in her emotions. "Can I just be alone please?"
"No," Loki said with a slight shake of his head. "Eva will be here soon and I need to make sure you have something to eat and I won't let you bottle this up, I won't let you hide your emotions away from me. I love you, sweetheart, and I don't want you to feel alone. So, if you need quiet time to think, I'll be sat just over there," Loki said while pointing to the chairs near the fireplace. "And if you need me, whether or not it's just to talk or you want a hug, I'll be right here."
He leaned close and kissed her forehead before getting up off of the bed and walking to sit on the chair beside the couch so he could glance her way to check on her but he also grabbed a stray book, clearly from her classes and began to read.
Dahlia lied down and found her stuffed bunny Bonnie hidden between her pillows and brought her close, hugging her as she glanced to her father to see he was still on the same page even more than a minute later. She knew how fast of a reader he was, he wasn't reading, just trying to give her the privacy she wanted while keeping an eye on her. She couldn't help but give a small smile as tears built up in her eyes as she thought about what she had done, about not knowing truly what she did, that she lost control and even her memory this time because of her actions. But the smile, it wouldn't easily leave her face as she knew her father wanted to hold her but wanted to give her space, she knew she wasn't alone and she never would be as long as her father was by her side.
Two days passed and Dahlia was finally able to leave the constant watchful eyes of her father and siblings. She had accepted what she had done but questions about what happened could only be answered by one man, Micah. He claimed that he saw little, that the light blinded him and once it cleared, he found her on the floor unconscious but during her time of isolation and reflection, he had messaged her and told her he needed to see her soon, that he could not tell her what for but that they needed to speak soon.
She feared he was breaking up with her, it wouldn't be a surprise if he did after seeing what she had done and they hadn't been together long for him to have any kind of devotion towards her. The least he could do was tell her what he saw as she suspected he saw more than what he was saying. He was adamant against meeting on Niflheim or Durilia so she teleported to Midgard and used the beaconing device to bring him to her.
She chose a hillside near mount Fiji, a place which held no significance to her but she had seen it in her visions when someone needed her help and she thought it beautiful. She was experiencing more of her birth world over the last few months and if the conversation with Micah led to where she believed it to, she didn't wish to be somewhere that meant something to her but at the same time, she wanted to be somewhere with a view. She looked towards the mountain in the distance as the sun was soon to be setting and the few boats on the waters of the lake showing little life around. Glancing at the device in her hand, she pressed the button in the centre and it lit blue, sending her coordinates and connecting them.
Only seconds later, a quick flash of light lasting not even a second snapped in the air not too far from her and she looked to see Micah. He looked tired, dressed in his casual clothing but there were bags under his eyes and as he appeared from teleporting, he flinched as if wanting to clutch at his broken ribs but he didn't. Instead, he looked to her and quickly walked to her, taking her into his arms as he wrapped his arms around her and she quick to follow, clearly her thoughts of him breaking up with her were wrong.
"I'm not ending our courtship," he said then pulled away, keeping his hands on her arms as hers rested on his too.
"What?"
"I'm not ending us. I know you, Dahlia, and I know when things like this happen, when you lose control, you fear the people around you will leave you. I will not abandon you, especially when what you did not only save my life, but the lives of who knows how many of my people. I should be on my knees thanking you," he said then with a smile tried to kneel but she pulled him up smiling.
"Don't," she said and moved her hands from his arms and to his neck to rest there as he slid his hands to her hips. She pulled his head down slightly and rested his forehead on hers. "Thank you."
"For what? I told you I should be thanking you."
"For knowing me well enough to know what I was thinking before you got here. For saying just what I needed to hear."
"I've told you before, I trust you. Dahlia, I trust you, I care for you and I have gone into this courtship with my eyes wide open, knowing the danger of us being together, the danger that you face and knowing that there are many questions about your life, mostly about your powers and what you are capable of. I want to be with you despite all of that. I cannot tell you what the future holds for us, only you can see the future-"
"I don't want to see my own future, especially ours, I don't want it to affect how I act or how we are with each other. It could do more harm than good."
"I know. But I cannot see it, yet still I am certain that if I continue to feel the way I feel about you, there would be very little you could do to change my mind about us."
Dahlia blushed then grinned. "I couldn't have those very little reasons for not being with me written down, could I?"
He laughed enough that he moved his forehead off of hers. "Well, I wholeheartedly doubt that you would attack my world or my family while being of sound mind."
"So, if I wasn't of sound mind I could?" she teased.
"If something was controlling your being, controlling you to hurt others," he raised a hand and moved a strand of hair out of her face, his fingers grazing her cheek before going back to her hip. "I would fight for you and when you returned to me as the light hearted girl willing to help strangers that I know you are, I would not hold your actions against you. Why, are planning on hurting them?" he teased the last sentence.
"Never. Anything else on that list?"
"None that I can think of. I'll tell you if I think of more," he said then leaned down to kiss her. "Now, I need you to remember everything I've just said because we need to talk about what happened and I don't want you to hide how you feel about it."
"That's why I called," Dahlia said, the happy loving atmosphere turned serious. She moved out of his arms and paced slightly as she played with her bracelet. "I wanted to make sure you were okay, I needed to see you myself to make sure but I also needed to talk to you. No one knows what happened, not really. Hela told me what she says happened but she wasn't in the tower, she doesn't know and she said that you didn't see anything because of the light. If its true, that you didn't see anything-"
"I did," he cut her off. "I saw more of what happened, what you did."
She stopped pacing and faced him. "Why didn't you tell Hela?"
"Because it wasn't my place and you asked me to give you a message," he said as he reached out for her as she was just within touching distance and his fingertips grazed her cheek, close to her eye. "Your eyes, they were green, not as they are now but glowing, as if all the light can be taken from the universe and your eyes would still glow."
"I don't understand. You said I gave you a message."
"The Kree were about the kill me, I tried to get to you, you tried to help me but you passed out. You were on the floor across the room one second, the next there's this sudden wind and I look to see you stood, eyes glowing green, hands glowing with your white magic but then it turned, not purple like your Aesir but one hand red, one hand blue and it no longer looked like magic but fire and ice. You kill the Kree then turn to the windows and walk to them and this light comes out of you. At that point, I could barely see you but the light, it kills the Kree and when it started to fade, you walked towards me, eyes still shining and told me to tell you that you were not alone, that you never have been and that the people that love you will not turn on you. She, you, said you have to keep them close, the people you love, and to be wary of those who you trust and that the war wouldn't stay in the shadows for long."
"I need to see. I need to see what I did," Dahlia said then raised a hand to his head. "May I?"
He nodded, knowing she wanted to see into his mind, to see the memory of that day.
He placed both his arms by his side as she stepped closer and raised her hands to rest on either side of his head. "I don't want to go completely into your mind," she said. "Focus on that memory, that memory alone and I'll be able to see it. Trust me?"
"Always."
Her hands glowed their Aesir purple as she closed her eyes, specks of light were floating into his head as the connection was made. One second she was surrounded by a beautiful mountain and a lake on Midgard, the next she was back in the tower looking over her unconscious body.
Micah tried to fight against the Kree holding him. He was off the floor and on his knees, bloody and bleeding as one Kree stood behind him, holding his arms back to restrain him. He had a foot on Micah's back as if he wanted to rip the young prince's arms off. Clearly the Kree was struggling to hold him as his arms shook as Micah clenched his fists and tried to pull for freedom.
The other Kree held Micah's curved ceremonial sword to his neck and taunted him. "I am told her suffering shall be long and she will suffer in ways she cannot imagine and her soul shall not return to that which she knows. You can carry that knowledge to your grave, of your inability to protect her."
He raised the sword and was about to strike when the wind picked up and a soft but powerful voice spoke. "Or you go to your grave."
Dahlia witnessed it herself, one second her past self was on the floor, the next, in the blink of an eye, she was stood.
Eyes shining like magic, the piercing green so different yet so similar. It was as if there was light behind her eyes, shining to get out and reveal itself. Her white magic shined but soon turned. Her right hand turned red and flames quickly appeared, travelling up her arm until it reached her shoulder, her clothing safe from the flames. On her left arm, it turned blue and spikes of ice began to appear.
The leader of the Kree went to take a step towards her but before he could, she raised her hands and both flames and ice joined together. Naturally enemies yet they joined together, curving around each other as if giving each other what they needed before striking not just the leader but the Kree holding Micah and the bodies of those who had fallen. Their bodies turned to ice and beneath the ice, if you looked close enough, you could see their final scream, the final moment of their life filled with agony as the flames engulfed them and turned them to ash.
Dahlia quickly moved away from her past self to the fallen Kree and Micah to see him unharmed, in fact the fire and ice curved around him, getting to what it needed without harming him. It was as if there was a shield surrounding him. She watched as the Kree turned to ash then the ice melted away, not even leaving a puddle behind and the wind that so suddenly picked up, carried away the ashes of all the Kree in the room.
"Dahlia," Micah said dropping his hands to the floor. "What are you doing?"
Dahlia turned and walked to the shattered windows and looked out at the city before raising her hands. The fire and ice moved around her body covering her completely before expanding, forming a large circle around her before she pushed her hands outwards towards the city and the flames and ice formed a purple light, violet, like Dahlia's power but it was only as you got close you could see the fire and ice that formed the light.
Dahlia raised her hand to cover her eyes, the light got brighter the closer she looked to see her past self and it seemed Micah was doing the same.
The light soon dimmed and they could hear cheers from the city below but Dahlia, still with shining green eyes but no longer holding ice and fire, walked towards Micah. "You did it, you can hear the people, you did it. You can calm down now, Dahlia," Micah said.
"You must give her a message," Dahlia said.
"What?" he asked confused then his eyes narrowed and teeth clenched. "If someone is inside of her, get out of her now," he seethed as he reached for his sword and used it to help him stand. "Who are you?"
"We are Dahlia."
"The past."
"The present."
"The future."
"What could have been."
"What could be."
"What should have been."
The voices, each one similar but different, all speaking from the same mouth but their tones were different. Some lighter, others torn and broken.
"If you are who you say you are, why not let yourself be known to her yourself? Give her the message yourself? You clearly have the power," Micah said.
"We are, through you," the voice that was soft and powerful spoke. "The Dahlia you know is humble, brave, loyal, will go to extreme lengths for the ones she loves and will take a stand against evil and protect all those who cannot protect themselves, even if she has to go against the rules."
"I know all that."
"But she is not without fault. Her past has led her to paranoia, low self-esteem, nervousness, anxiousness, she will try to find ways to defend those who have done wrong, even if the wrongdoing is against herself. She is emotionally dependent on those she loves which she struggles to handle as she does not wish to return to a time without those she loves but also fears that they will one day leave her or fear her. So sometimes she pushes them away only damning herself in the process. The power she has is far greater than she knows and yet, she fears it. It has caused her great hopelessness and social isolation. Our message, she is not alone, she has never been alone, the people she loves and who love her will not turn on her, their love is unconditional and it always will be. She need not fear but she must keep them close as she will need them now more than ever. Be wary of those who try to earn her trust but trust in those she loves, lean on them, for the war that is brewing in the shadows will not remain there for much longer."
Dahlia caught the glowing greens eyes glancing at her, knowing she was there as the younger version of herself turned to walk away.
"Wait," Micah said. "If you are her, a version of her from the future or past or whatever, tell me the future. Tell me how to protect her, how to end the war."
"We cannot," Dahlia said then collapsed in the same spot she lay before.
Dahlia turned and went to pull out of his mind but as she turned away from the view of herself and Micah, a being was stood behind her, dressed in a black robe with a thick hood. The being grabbed her before she could even see beneath the hood and pushed her backwards.
She expected to fall on the floor but as she fell, the world around her changed. Gone was the tower on Durilia as she landed hard on ash filled land, rolling down the barren hill of the land. Stopping her face inches from a body of what seemed to be an elf, face torn in half, brains still dripping with blood. She quickly stood, running up the hill that seemed to not be a hill but a trench. Standing at the top she looked over the land that was covered in the dead. She saw beings from across the realms, creatures dead, a plate of armour found here or there, a wing of a dragon but no dragon, the swords and weapons laid on the surface.
The land was anything but quiet, the air which would normally carry the sounds of birds, rivers and wildlife was now thick with the scent of death and decay and the sounds of screams as the men, women and children were fighting. All the faces of the fighters were grim with anguish, strained, their spirit seemed almost broken. Dahlia began to cough, the air was thick with the mist of weapons as the ships in the sky continued to fire. It was only as she looked up above the dark battlefield did she see the sun, burning and shimmering like never before but it was not in joy but despair. The sun too seemed to be losing itself to battle, she could sense that the sun itself would soon die like all beings in this battle.
Beside the sun in the sky, she could see eight large boulders of rocks close to this world and at first, she did not know what they were until part of the mist cleared and she could see they were not simply boulders but worlds. Worlds breaking apart, fracturing. Something then grabbed her dress and pulled and she was about to jump and attack when she looked down to see the small hand of a child, lying on the ground, his body bleeding from his wounds but as she looked further down, she could see he was missing his legs.
She dropped to her knees and brushed back his dark hair but as she brushed it with her hand, she could see as the dirt and blood was now on her hand that his hair was truly blonde. The boy was no older than eleven, who wore some form of armour, he still held tightly onto the gun in his hand as he began to bleed from his mouth.
"I did my best," the boy croaked and groaned. "I…fought…I…"
The poor boy began to struggle so Dahlia shushed him and moved to hold him in her arms as tears filled her eyes. "It's okay. Everything will be okay now; you'll be at peace."
"Peace…" he gasped and his eyes shifted to one of the planets in the sky before looking back to her. "Life…life after…ha…has gone."
"What do you mean?" she asked as she continued to stroke his hair.
"Gone…a…all gone…"
"What?" she said and looked to the world he had been looking at before it dawned on her.
It wasn't the right size or shape but she knew that world, she had seen it before. Only days ago, did she set ship from that world. It was Niflheim.
She looked at the other worlds, one hint of blue, another red, the others too torn apart to describe but she knew what she was seeing. "The nine realms," she gasped as the tears began to fall and she looked back to the boy.
A ship in the sky not too far from her shot the ground, bursting with debris, as she leaned herself over the boy trying to keep it from going on him. When she pulled back, the boy was gone. His eyes still open. Cold blue eyes stared back at her as the eyes of an innocent child who should have never seen war became a victim of it.
"Dahlia!"
She heard someone shout her name in the wind as the tears streamed down her cheeks but as she looked around, she couldn't see anyone.
"Dahlia…Dahlia, please…pull out!"
The battlefield around her faded and she was wrapped in the arms of Micah as they were on the hilltop, him wiping her tears away as they were sat on the grass.
"What happened?" he asked stroking her hair as she gripped at the shirt on his chest as she cried. "Something happened, I know it. I felt you in my mind then you were gone."
"Something else was there. I saw what happened that day, I saw it all but then there was someone in the memory, dressed in black robes. It pushed me away and I appeared on a battlefield. It was the nine realms, destroyed, I could see them, destroyed and broken," she wept.
"A vision?" he questioned.
Dahlia pulled her head back to look at him but kept a tight grip on his clothing. "I think it was of the future. The war, the war in the shadows like I, the other version of me talked about."
"But the war is about your family. Voldemort and the others are after your family, why would the other realms be involved? I understand Niflheim and Midgard but all of them?"
"I don't know, but whatever happens, all of the realms are involved and suffer."
"You need to tell your father, your sister, the rest of your family," he said urgently.
"I know," she said then stood. "But first I need to do something I should have done months ago. Your mind, your memories."
"I will not forget you," Micah said and took a step away from her.
She shook her head quickly. "No, not that. The other me told me to keep the people I care about close, that includes you. You don't have powers, but yet you know a lot and I tell you secrets I probably shouldn't tell others. Your mind, although brilliant, is fragile. Voldemort can get into people's minds, Angrboda is a sorceress and I have heard stories about what Thanos is capable of. I know I can trust you but if they were to get their hands on you, I know they wouldn't hesitate to attack your mind and pull out every secret I have told you. If I can put barriers up, teach you how to use them to defend your memories and thoughts, it offers you some protection."
"Do it."
"You're not even going to ask if it'll hurt?"
"I trust you."
"I'll need access to your mind, full access so I can build barriers around it, especially the memories concerning me and my family. I'll try to be as private as possible but I don't know what memories I might stumble across."
He reached out for her hands and took her by the fingertips and brought them back to his head. "I want to be someone you can turn to and ask for advice and confide in without fear that anything can go wrong. Do it…if you see any memories of me acting foolish or flirting with other girls, however, may I say that was all before I met you."
For the first time since the memory, Dahlia smiled. "I promise I won't hold anything against you. We should sit, it won't be easy and it will feel weird for the both of us."
Returning to Niflheim, Dahlia hoped to return before anyone knew she left. Just because she was no longer under the watchful eyes of her family didn't mean she was allowed to leave. She teleported back into her room, the same spot she left and went to change but before she could take a step, a cough alerted her that she wasn't alone. Turning quickly, she found her father sat on the chair in front of the fireplace.
"I-I-I," she stuttered.
He stood and walked towards her. "You said you were resting. Where have you been?"
She closed her eyes for a moment then sighed. "I was with Micah. I had to make sure he was okay."
"You were told he was fine. What is with you and this boy? Whenever you are together something happens."
"That's not fair and totally not true."
"He was there at Hogsmeade when it was attacked and now this kidnapping attempt."
"That's just two incidents."
"And yet both incidents could have led to your death and both happen to be notable events in your life."
"And on both occasions, Micah has fought to protect me and become injured himself. I had to see him, he's my friend and I needed to know what he saw."
"Hela already told you he didn't see anything."
"He lied."
A moment of silence passed between them. "What?" her father asked firmly.
"He lied," she repeated and he went to leave, no doubt to see Micah but her next words stopped him. "He did it to protect me."
Dahlia gestured to the couch for them to sit and reluctantly he did. She then told him the truth, told him about the attack and the Kree, the different versions of herself in the vision and the message they passed on. She then told him about the vision within the vision, of the war and the little boy she held as he took his final breaths. She even showed him through her own mind what she saw.
By the end, Loki was sat with his back against the arm of the couch so he was facing her and looked at her in wonder, worried and terrified of what this could all mean, but in wonder. "Micah wanted me to know first," Dahlia explained. "I know you feel like he should have told you but he wanted me to know first and for me to think about it and get my head around it. He didn't see the harm in holding off. He's still recovering from his injuries and he should be resting but he wanted to see me and he wasn't going to leave it long before telling me. He has even allowed me to put barriers up in his mind and I've started teaching him how to use them so no one can get into his mind. He doesn't mean harm; he is trying to be a good friend."
"I still should have been told."
"I know. Which is why one of the first things he said after the vision was that I had to tell you. Have you ever heard of anything like this before?"
Loki ran a hand over his face before he answered. "I have heard of people who can manipulate time but not by much, but I have never heard of someone calling forth versions of themselves from time. But your power involves time, you can see people's future, their destiny, you are the Goddess of Destiny, the first of your kind, so it stands to reason that you would be sensitive to time. Theoretically, just as you can see people's lives, you can see your own and could very well help yourself. As your powers grow, who knows what you will be capable of."
"And the war? The realms?"
"I see no reasons for the other realms to be involved," he said then reached out for her and she moved close so he could wrap his arms around her as she leaned against his chest. "Sweetheart, we knew this war would not be simple. For now, we could almost fool ourselves into believing we are not at war but just as we plan to keep everyone we love safe and hunt those who wish to hurt us, they too are planning in the shadows. We don't know what but if they wish to take on the army of the dead, then it must be big."
"I tried to find them," she said as she turned her head against his chest to look up at him. "I tried to find them with my powers but I can't. I thought with Voldemort and his most trusted followers being with them I could but I couldn't."
"I know," he said kissing the top of her head. "I tried too, as did you sister, believing lies, mischief and death would be needed by them. Clearly, they have found a way to shield themselves from us. We will get through this, the vision you saw of the realms will not come to pass."
"And if it does?"
"Then I hope we're all together," he said wrapping his arms tighter around her as he kissed her head again as they both fell into a peaceful silence.
Authors note: Please review