Hey, everyone! Here is Chapter 5 to Blackheart! I'd love to hear your thoughts, so please review!
Ch. 5
—Fadrielindë—
We end up staying awake all night exchanging stories about our lives on our worlds. At one point in our conversation, the topic of significant others comes up.
"I have never been in a relationship," I answer his question. He raises his eyebrows.
"Never?" he asks. "How? You are so beautiful, I assumed that all the warriors in Skyrim would be after you." I blush when he says that I am beautiful.
"Well, warriors are after me, but not in a loving way. They are mostly bandits who just want to kill me for my gold," I reply, laughing. "What about you? Have you ever been in a relationship?"
"Nothing serious, just a few childhood romances. If you can even call them that," he replies. He gazes into my eyes and I feel heat rush to my cheeks. His eyes are so deep. I feel like he can see straight into my soul.
I hate to admit it, but I actually like Loki immensely. He is intelligent and kind, with a hint of mischief. I have never met anyone like him in all my travels. Because of all the betrayal in my life, I have disallowed myself to feel my emotions. But somehow, this strange man has forced me to face them. I have met plenty of men in Skyrim, whether I was fighting alongside them or actually fighting them. No one has made me feel the way I feel now. And I have not even known him for very long. Is it possible to feel like this about someone I just met?
I find myself getting lost in his gorgeous jade green eyes. I can tell that he feels the same. His lips part as he leans into me. My heart pounding, I slowly lean in. I close my eyes as his lips touch mine gently. His hands travel up to my waist and one holds my cheek. The kiss is so sweet and gentle; I do not want it to end. It ends much sooner than I would like. I open my eyes and stare into his face. He is beautiful. We lean into each other again, but this kiss is different. It is full of passion and fire. By Talos, I never want it to be over. We finally pull apart. I cannot help smiling. He smiles back.
"Well, Dovahkiin, for never being in a relationship, you certainly know how to charm," he says teasingly.
"It is all part of being a Master Thief," I reply, laughing.
"And an assassin," he adds, kissing my neck.
"And the Arch-Mage of the College."
"Oh yes, and do not forget Stormblade of the Stormcloaks."
Morning comes too soon. I dozed off for about an hour, but it was long enough for my body to recharge. When I awaken, Loki is nowhere to be found. I go into the bathroom and, after a long time trying to figure it out, I use the sink to wash up. I gaze at myself in the mirror, unable to keep a smile off my face. My green eyes are sparkling, and my cheeks are flushed. I finger-comb my long dark hair, the ebony strands easily untangling, and tend to my already fading cuts and bruises I had gotten from falling. My fingers trace the golden markings on my neck and I smile softly, remembering how I got them. I'll have to show Loki sometime, I think, smirking. I grab the Mace and attach it to my waist. As I enter the main room with the Tesseract, I immediately spot Loki standing with his back to me, facing the glowing cube. The corners of my mouth twitch with the beginning of a smile. Why am I so enamored by him? I wonder. I am never like this. I am the all-powerful Dovahkiin. I do not feel. All my emotions are safely tucked away; love never even crosses my mind. All that matters is the prophecy. But now? I just met him…but somehow I feel like I've known him forever. Loki must hear me laughing to myself because he turns around, his face radiating happiness at seeing me.
"Good morning, Fadrielindë," he says, kissing my cheek when I stride over to him.
"Good morning," I reply. "When are we leaving?" The archer and the older man walk into the room as I ask.
"We will leave in a minute or two," Loki replies. He gestures to the two men. "This is Agent Barton," he says pointing to the archer, "and this is Erik Selvig." He points to the older man.
"It is a pleasure to meet you," I say, bowing my head slightly. Erik smiles kindly.
"It is a pleasure to meet you too, Fadrielindë," he says enthusiastically. "Loki has told us of your involvement in today's plan." Agent Barton looks annoyed.
"I hope you are as good as Loki says you are," he says harshly. Loki glares at him.
It is fine. I take no offense at what he says. Loki jumps when he hears my voice in his head. I forgot to tell him that I could project my thoughts into other people's minds.
"Did I just hear you in my head?" he asks, his eyes widening.
I do not know what you are talking about, I reply in his mind. He smiles.
Can you hear me? he asks in his mind. I nod. Then I speak aloud.
"I can only hear you reply if I am still in your mind when you think of your response," I tell him. This seems to bother him a little.
"You can see into my mind?" he asks, his eyes narrowing.
"Yes, don't worry. I have not watched any of your memories. I did not feel it was my place to rummage around in your thoughts," I tell him the truth. He seems to appreciate my discretion because he kisses my cheek again.
"Thank you," he replies. I have to admit that I am immensely curious of his memories. I would never root around in someone else's mind only because of my own curiosity. I only ever break into someone's mind to see their motives or weaknesses if it is for the betterment of others. I convey this to him as we walk to a giant metal machine that resembles a bird. I stop in front of the door to take it all in. The machine is colossal! It is larger than a dragon and all made of metal. Loki notices I stopped following him to the strange machine and he turns back.
"This is a plane," he explains, coming up next to me.
"A…plane?" I ask.
"Yes, it is a vehicle that flies in the sky." Wow.
"Incredible." I follow him inside of the plane and sit down. I notice that Agent Barton is nowhere to be seen.
"Where is Agent Barton?" I ask Loki. He points to the front of the plane where Agent Barton is fiddling with some kind of control.
"He is operating the plane," Loki clarifies. I want to get closer to Agent Barton to watch him operate the plane, but Loki tells me that we are lifting off. I perch at the edge of my seat, which is directly next to Loki's, of course, as I feel a rumbling beneath our feet. The plane tilts back and suddenly we are airborne.
It is like riding a dragon, I project in Loki's mind.
"You have ridden a dragon?" he asks incredulously. Smiling, I nod.
"That is how I travelled to Sovngarde." I suddenly feel grim, remembering that I still need to go back to Skyrim to fulfill the prophecy. Loki strokes my hair.
"It will be alright, my love," he murmurs. I smile unconvincingly and lean my head on his shoulder.
"How long will it take to travel to…" I begin, forgetting the name of the place we are headed to.
"Stuttgart, Germany," Loki reminds me.
"Ah, yes."
"About ten hours," he tells me.
That is a long time, I reply.
Yes, it is, I hear him say.
—MEANWHILE—
"Have you found him yet?" Fury yells at his team. How hard is it to find an Asgardian God amongst humans?
"No, sir, we are still running the facial recognition," someone says.
"Well, do it faster! I didn't bring the Avengers onboard to wait around!" Fury storms out of the main hangar and into the lab where Tony Stark and Bruce Banner are working. They are in the middle of a scientific banter.
"It would only work at 300 degrees Fahrenheit," Banner is saying as Fury walks in.
"Unless it was already superheated when it was first manufactured," Stark argues. What are they talking about? Fury spots Steve Rogers leaning against the wall, clueless to what Stark and Banner are arguing about. When he sees Fury, he straightens up.
"Have you found him yet, sir?" he inquires, clenching his fists. "As much as I love hearing Stark and Banner fight about their science projects, I'd much rather be hunting down Loki." Stark and Banner glance up when they hear their names, forgetting their pointless banter.
"Unfortunately, we have yet to find the location of Loki," Fury informs them. "We are running the security footage from his arrival through a facial recognition program. If anyone sees him, we will be informed immediately." Stark cocks his head.
"You know, if I was running the search, we would have found him hours ago," he boasts. Steve rolls his eyes.
"I'm sure," Fury says sarcastically. Steve speaks up.
"What about the other woman? The one Loki took?" he asks.
"Oh yeah, the alien warrior princess?" Stark inquires. "What happened to her?" Fury shrugs.
"We haven't seen her either, but we are running her through the scan too," he replies. "Our only choice right now is to wait until there is a match." Right as he speaks, Natasha Romanov runs through the door.
"Sir!" she shouts at Fury. "We found him." There is a pause. Then everyone springs up and sprints to the main hangar.
—Fadrielindë—
We have been flying for ages. I lift my head from Loki's shoulder and find that he is fast asleep. He looks so peaceful. I hate myself for falling for him; there is something huge that he is not telling me. I have always viewed love as a weakness. What is he hiding? I tentatively reach into his mind. I feel awful, but I have to know. I blink, visualizing myself in his mind. Memories flurry by. A loving mother, but not his real mother. Living in his brother's shadow. Then a darker memory surfaces. A dark, desolate place. A blood red sky, black clouds swirling in the air. A threatening voice. All of a sudden, Loki awakens, and I fling myself out of his mind. I smile nervously when he looks over at me.
"Good morning," I say, as if I was not just rifling through his deepest thoughts. He replies with a kiss. The memories I just witnessed leave my mind as I am enveloped in his arms.
"Sir," Agent Barton interrupts us. We unwillingly part, and Loki waits for Agent Barton to finish.
"We are here."
Loki face breaks into a mischievous smile.
"Excellent." He leaps up and helps me undo my seat harness. My heart leaps when our hands touch. What is wrong with me? I stand up and follow Loki to the door. He hands me the Mace, and I take it, loving the way it feels in my hand. He picks up his scepter then turns to face me.
"Are you ready?" Loki studies my face.
"I have slain about a hundred dragons, assassinated the Emperor, and stolen countless priceless artifacts. This is nothing," I reply confidently.
"Ha! You are so humble," he laughs, sarcastically. I elbow his ribs. Tossing my hair, I stride past him out of the plane where Agent Barton and another man are waiting.
"You're with me," Agent Barton tells me. "And so is he." He gestures to the man. I incline my head in a silent greeting. But then I furrow my brow.
"Where will you be going?" I ask, turning to Loki.
"I am the distraction, remember?" he reminds me. I watch in awe as a golden glow surrounds his body. His armor disappears, replaced by a black suit and green scarf draped upon his shoulders. He laughs at my expression.
"You are not the only one who can do magic, love," he laughs. I hit him playfully and glide past him. He grabs my arm and pulls me close.
"Good luck," he murmurs. The corners of my mouth turn upward.
"Thanks," I reply softly. His lips cover mine and my heart pounds. We part too soon, always too soon, and I walk over to Agent Barton, who looks awkward. I salute Loki sarcastically, and he returns it with a laugh and a wave. I watch him walk confidently in the other direction, toward a huge mansion with soft classical music playing inside. Sophisticated-looking people mill around outside, all dressed in formal attire.
"Ready?" Agent Barton interrupts my observation. I grip the Mace and conjure flames in my other hand.
"Yes," I reply. He nods.
"Let's go." I sneak along behind him as we creep around the mansion to the back. I tap his shoulder when I see two guards up ahead. Both of them are holding odd looking weapons that sort of resemble crossbows. Agent Barton nods and gives me a look that says, "Go ahead." I smile wickedly, the assassin in me coming out. Leaving the two men behind me, I sneak up to one of the guards. I go behind him, completely undetected and knock him unconscious with the Mace. The other guard hears him collapse and anxiously looks around for the attacker. I deftly climb up to the ledge on which he is standing and strike his head with the Mace, knocking him out. I leap down from the ledge and meet Agent Barton past the now unguarded gate. We come to a locked metal door. When Agent Barton presses buttons on a pad next to the door, it projects the words "Retinal Scan".
"Now we wait," Agent Barton says.
—Loki—
I casually stride down the stairs into the party. Men and women walk around a hideous stone table, chatting about their dull lives. Everyone quiets down as the curator who is hosting the party begins to speak. Aha, just the man I need. I smile menacingly, gripping the scepter in my hand. In one stroke, I swing it, knocking the two security guards off of the staircase. Chaos ensues. The humans run around aimlessly. I grab the curator by his collar and drag him to the ugly stone table everyone was goggling at earlier. Taking the device Agent Barton gave me out of my coat, I hold the man down. I bring the device down into his eye and smirk as the humans scream in terror. How pathetic. I let go of the curator and slowly walk out of the mansion. A golden glow surrounds my body as my armor reappears. The humans are cowering in fear before me. This is what I am here for. For power.
"Kneel before me," I order the humans. They all stand there wide-eyed and motionless. Rolling my eyes, I yell, "I said, kneel!" I strike the scepter on the ground, sending vibrations throughout the ground. The humans slowly move to the ground. There we go.
"Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel." I cannot help but feel a slight bit guilty. What would Fadrielindë think of me if she saw me right now? I shake my head, shooing the thought from my mind. This is the real reason I came here. Not to fall in love with some strange Dragonborn from another world. An old man rises from the crowd, interrupting my indecision.
"Not to men like you," he spits. Raising my eyebrows, I smile.
"There are no men like me," I laugh maliciously. The man retaliates.
"There are always men like you," he states. No longer amused, I reply.
"Look to your elder, people. Let him be an example." I aim the scepter at him and send a burst of energy at the old man. I am suddenly thrown back as the power intended to hit the old man is deflected. I look up and see the soldier wearing red, white, and blue hooking his shield back onto his arm.
"You know," he says, "the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everyone else, we ended up disagreeing." I stand up.
"The soldier. A man out of time," I say, recognizing him. The civilians call him Captain America.
"I'm not the one who's out of time," he replies. He jumps at me, trying to hit me with his shield. I send a blast of power at him with the scepter, but he deflects it once more. We are engaged in combat when a plane descends, close to the ground. A woman's voice rings through the speakers of the plane, telling me to back down. Yeah, right. I strike Captain America with my scepter. Suddenly, loud music plays over the speakers of the plane. The one they call Iron Man flies into the square where I am fighting Captain America. He lands and holds out his arm. Guns and missiles come out of his suit, threatening to shoot me. I put my hands up in a surrender. Perfect. All according to plan.
Suddenly, I see Fadrielindë, a shocked expression on her face, running towards us. I can tell she has seen us fighting. She holds out her hand and flames shoot toward Captain America and Iron Man. They leap into action, engaging in combat with her. Even though she is currently ruining my plan, I cannot help but feel impressed as I watch her skillfully fight the two men. She fights both of them at once, deftly dodging Captain America's swings and striking Iron Man with her mace at the same time. She is so engaged in the battle, she does not notice when Captain America sneaks up behind her and strikes her with his shield. She turns in surprise as he strikes her again on the head. She falls to the ground, barely conscious.
I want to run to her, to see if she is alright, but Iron Man comes up to me and leads me onto the plane. I sit down and try not to look worried as Captain America practically carries Fadrielindë onto the plane. He sets her in the seat across from me and straps her in. He joins Iron Man at the front of the plane, probably to congratulate each other on capturing us. I gaze at Fadrielindë who is having trouble keeping her eyes open. I never meant for her to be captured. Barton's job was to keep her away while I got captured. Her eyes flutter open and close. Suddenly, I hear her voice in my mind.
Are you alright? she asks.
I am fine, I reply in my mind. I am more worried about you.
I am alright. I have been worse.
You should save your energy, I tell her. She smiles weakly.
I am already regaining it. I can tell. Her eyes are already more alert, and she straightens up in her seat. She gazes around, taking in her surroundings.
Who are they? she asks, referring to Iron Man and Captain America.
They are trying to stop my plans, I reply.
Hmm…if you can get one of them over here, I can Shout and we can escape, she plans. I shake my head slightly, so the others do not notice.
It would not work. They are trained in combat.
So am I. She smiles. I feel someone's gaze on us and see the red-headed woman looking at us suspiciously. Fadrielindë must notice too, because she stops responding. Suddenly, the plane jerks as a clap of thunder echoes through the air. Oh no. I gaze around worriedly. Captain America notices my expression.
"What's the matter? Scared of a little lightning?" he asks, mockingly.
"I'm not overly fond of what follows," I confess. Fadrielindë catches my eye.
What is going on? she asks. All of a sudden, there is a bang on the top of the plane.
"Someone is on top of the plane!" the woman yells, trying to navigate the plane through the rapidly forming storm. The door of the plane whips open, and, sure enough, Thor storms up to me. He grabs me by my collar and jumps out of the plane.
—Fadrielindë—
I watch in horror as the man rips Loki from the harness and jumps off the plane.
"Now there's that guy," the metal man remarks.
"Another Asgardian?" the red-haired woman flying the plane asks.
"Think the guy's a friendly?" the shield man asks. The metal one they call 'Stark' shakes his head.
"Doesn't matter. If he frees Loki or kills him," I suppress a shudder, "the Tesseract's lost," Stark finishes. He turns around and gets ready to jump off the plane.
"Stark! We need a plan of attack!" the shield man shouts.
"I have a plan. Attack." Stark jumps out of the plane and out of sight. I turn my head to see the shield man's reaction.
"I'd sit this one out, Cap," the red-haired lady says, trying to steady the plane.
"I don't see how I can," he replies, putting on a harness.
"These guys come from legends. They're basically gods," the red-haired woman counters.
"There's only one God, ma'am. And I'm pretty sure He doesn't dress like that." He jumps out of the plane, following Stark. I know I need to save my energy, but I need to make sure Loki is alright. I stealthily fiddle with the harness holding me to the seat. It will not budge! Fine. I remember a summoning spell I learned from the College of Winterhold and summon the Mace to my hand, slashing the harness apart as I catch it. The red-haired lady turns back, hearing the ruckus.
"No!" she shouts, as I dive out of the plane after the others.