Things written like this are kinda like a voice-over in this chapter.
Naturally, Tony was no match for Stane. He tried, but failed in his attack, while his uncle took him by the arm and pulled him closer.
"Now Tony, that's not how Prince's should act," the older man smirked.
"This isn't how Kings should either!" Stark yelled.
"Oh but it is. Just in a better way than your father did," Stane pulled the boy after him, making their way out of the secret passage.
"Now, time to deliver you to our guests."
"Okay. Those two in danger - could have bet on that. Sam...Above us?" Clint who just came upstairs, stopped at a window and leaned outside as far as possible and looked to the sky.
"Is that a...bird? Ah...uhm- okay no that's Sam. Why is Sam flying? How?" Clint was amazed and confused at the same time, but got back into the house anyway, getting out of the armor - at first throwing the helmet away (well, not exactly throwing, because that would have made too much noise) "Damn that thing was squeezing my brain...you okay, Wanda? What are we going to do now? Is that great force on our side? Ah- stop asking so many questions, Barton. You're getting ahead of yourself. I will go and search a way to a house where i got a clean sight on wherever Barnes and Rogers are, and am close enough to get to them fast enough..." And with that the Archer, now only in his normal clothes, made his way out of the house, making a beeline to the spot in a house where he could see the place Rogers and Barnes where held captive.
'Aw crap Steve…' he thought seeing his friend move. 'C'mon Barnes, you wanna die like a dog?' he gritted his teeth and found more of his consciousness. From the corner of his eyes he saw something in the air, but couldn't tell what it was.
"Oh Captain," Skull smirked as he watched Rogers.
"Now I'm actually thinking about keeping you as a pet as well," he smirked and got in the way of Steve.
Rogers spit to the ground before Skulls shoes, glaring at him, but saying nothing. He looked around, accidentally looking upwards (he really didn't knew why). He barely could stop himself from looking too surprised, when he saw someone flying there...'Sam? If he's here, maybe the others too...' He thought, searching the houses for other faces he knew. He found one, when he looked towards the house a bit left of them, on the what seemed to be the second floor - it was Barton. 'Wanda has to be here too...and Sharon then too...' he thought.
"Schmidt!" came a call as everyone turned their attention there.
"Stane. I see you have the prince," Johan grinned as Obadiah carried Stark over his shoulder.
"Put me down you bastard!" Tony yelled until he was dropped onto the mud, right next to Steve.
"Yes, are things prepared here?" Stane asked and raised an eyebrow at the two chained people.
"They are," Skull answered before following his gaze.
"Adorable are they not? If only Rogers was as obedient as his friend," he sighed and turned towards Zola, but not before grabbing Steve's chains and pulling him along.
"Let's make a show shall we?" Stane grabbed Stark again as both prisoners were put atop the execution plat form.
"Try and escape," Skull smirked at Rogers.
"And your friend will suffer more than you believe possible."
'C'mon, where can they be?' Wilson asked, losing altitude slowly. And then he managed to see a few figures on the main yard – four or three looking very familiar.
'Oh shit!' he panicked seeing two were about to be hung.
"Wanda, you feeling alright?" Sharon asked after the witch seemed to relax.
"Yes, I'm fine… But we should get out as well… There are men arriving," she smiled slightly while Carter helped her to her feet. A few seconds later, cries and screams could be heard as metal clashed with metal inside and outside the walls.
"Leave none standing!" Rhodes called, stabbing a Red and turning around.
"Take the wounded away! Any who can, get to the inside! Secure the Prince!" he ordered and the knights complied.
"So? What do you say?" Nat asked, not backing down from the large dragon.
"Hmm… tempting…" Loki seemed to smile.
"But is there not more you can do?"
"Okay you know what? Screw it. You don't want my offer, fine. I can work without you," she turned to leave when a large, scaly leg stopped her.
"I never said no…"
"So?"
"…I accept."
"Good. Let's go."
Clint was frowning. Well, this was not looking good. From what he could see, Barnes was more or less half-dead, and Rogers was going to hang in a few minutes. The Red were fighting against the Soldiers from the front line, obviously, outside the gates - oh, well, that actually was a sort of good kind of news, he guessed. "How do I take out everyone around the execution platform and don't end up getting those two or three killed...?" He whispered to himself, bow and arrow at the ready, but not aiming yet.
"We really could use some help here...damn it Natasha, whatever you plan, it better be good..."
Barnes finally managed to get the cloth out of his mouth, but that pretty much felt like he ran a marathon. Taking a few deep breathes, he moved slightly.
"Hey… Skull…" James managed. He had to buy more time. For anyone to do something. But as luck would have it, Schmidt was ignoring him.
"C-C'mon… big guy…" he had no idea where he found strength to speak, let alone smile.
"Didn't you… say somethin'… 'bout makin'… me watch…?" everything hurt but he got what he wanted as Johan turned around, an amused look on his face.
"A last attempt to try something? It'll fail," despite that, Red shrugged and nodded to one of the guards to pick up the Winter Soldier and bring him closer, not to gently.
"Fool," Skull smirked before turning his attention back at the two on the plat forms.
"Begin," he ordered and Zola moved the crystal next to his master.
"People of the Iron Kingdome," he started his voice and face appearing in everyone's heads, even those who were fighting.
"Today is a new dawn!" a shadow moved out of the cave and moved its large wings, the woman holding tightly onto its neck.
"Today… the old ways die!" Sif and the Warriors Tree were making their way into the field with soldiers, some who kept fighting, but most were just too dazed to move.
"Today, I become your new lord and master!" Sam took a deep breath before he dived down, not sure where he was going to hit as the Skull was before his eyes.
"Today, all you know changes!" Wanda and Sharon were looking with horror out the window, but they couldn't move.
"Today… The Red becomes your new master!" with that, new images appeared, those of Steve and Tony on the platform, the ropes already around their necks.
"Today is the day your Prince dies!" Rhodes froze at his spot seeing Tony like that.
"Today you legendary knight dies!"
Steve's mind was oddly calm. Not what he would have expected when someone just told the folk that he would die, rope already around his neck. He even thought about smiling (though it was merely a weak smirk). At least he was the one who died, and even though it was selfish, he was glad that he didn't have to see Buck die again, since that was far worse than a broken neck thanks to some rope could ever be. It was like his soul got frozen, and then shattered to pieces, with some pieces missing - they had fallen down the canyon with Buck. He had thought that it was irreparable, but now that Buck was back and alive (even though he was sort of dying again), Steve felt strangely at ease upon facing death.
Meanwhile, Clint did anything but feel at ease. He was aiming now, at the rope which would undoubtedly soon be taut, when the ground beneath Rogers would vanish. He also pretty much ignored the Skull's speech, claiming it to be something boring about 'yeah I'm your new king you peasants' or something along those lines in his head.
Far into the mountains, Thor tensed up. He felt a great power nearing, something so powerful, dangerous, he hadn't felt in a long time. Originally he had thought that this mighty power had been long since forgotten...
Okay, so maybe reminding Skull he had to watch wasn't his smartest move. It sure as hell didn't make him feel better – only worse. So, was this how Steve felt? Helpless and scared? But then he recalled – they weren't alone.
"What is the matter boy?" Skull seemed to have caught on.
"…End of the line…" he smiled as something fell from the sky down at Zola and crushed the crystal he had in his hands.
"What-?" Schmidt turned quickly, shocked as he saw a man stand up.
"Okay, that went better than I thought," Sam felt dizzy.
"HANG THEM! NOW!"
"Sharon, get ready. We're needed," Wanda said, turning to her friend.
"Right," Carter nodded, grabbed her sword and the two quickly made their way outside.
With the crystal broken, the illusion disappeared and the men outside were still somewhat lost.
"FOR THE KINGDOME!" Rhodes yelled, cutting off a head. The others, both enemy and ally recovered and their battle continued.
"This is the place!" Nat called, seeing the Iron from above.
"Ah, this place… It brings back memories", Loki roared and came down, his shadow covering the men battling outside.
"Remember-"
"Only the Reds," and with that, the dragon opened its mouth to breath out fire, killing many of the Red Empire soldiers.
He couldn't help but grin when he heard Buck's words - and then everything went fast. Sam crashed down, destroying the crystal, but Steve didn't even have the time to properly react surprised to it. Within the split of a second he lost the ground beneath his feed and felt how the rope was strangling him. 'So it will be the slower death by suffocation, no broken neck...' were his thoughts.
Well. That was until an arrow happened to cut the rope he was dangling from.