Hi, guys! I was so excited to get my first follow and first favorites last week! Now if I could only get a review... :) I hope you enjoy Chapter 6!
Ch. 6
—Fadrielindë—
I fall through the air, hurtling toward the ground. Panicked, I search my mind for a slowing spell. I remember a Thu'um! Slow Time! I draw in a deep breath and try to concentrate. I almost smile as I feel the power rip through my body.
"Tiid klo ul!" Time slows, and I slowly near the ground. I land softly on my feet as time resumes. I gaze around me and find that I am in an evergreen forest, similar to the forests surrounding Riften. I follow sounds of combat to a small clearing. The man who stole Loki is fighting the shield man. I desperately search for Loki with my eyes and feel relief surge through my body when I find him watching the fight from a high rocky ledge. I am about to reach out to him with my mind when a loud blast draws my attention back to the fight. Stark has fired a missile at the ground, sending the shield man and the other man flying backwards.
That other man is my brother…Thor, I suddenly hear in my mind. I look back at Loki and see that he is gazing directly at me. I start to wonder how he spoke into my mind, when I realize I was already in his. My instincts kick in. I need to defend Thor.
Fadrielindë, no! I leap into the clearing, Mace at the ready. One second passes. Then everyone springs into action. Thor stands to the side as Stark and the shield man pounce. I easily deflect their blows, making sure to be more aware of where they are. Thor seems to realize I am fighting against them and he joins them. What?! Now I am fighting three skilled fighters at once—something I have done before. But these men are far more skilled than most of the enemies I have faced in Skyrim. I feel myself starting to lose. I am outnumbered. Why isn't Loki helping me? I decide to use the one power I know these men do not have. I draw in a deep breath, still avoiding their strikes. Raw power runs through my veins as the unearthly voice rips through my throat.
"FUS RO DAH!" The men are flung back, and trees snap in half with the force of my Thu'um. A crater forms around me. Fallen trees and destruction surround me. The Thu'um leaves a ringing echo in the cool air. I fall to my knees in exhaustion as the last of my energy leaves me. I hear rustling behind me but cannot move quickly enough. A blunt object strikes the back of my head, and I lose consciousness.
—Loki—
I watch in worry as Fadrielindë collapses to the ground, Thor standing behind her with his blessed hammer poised to strike again. Fadrielindë is carried away, not very gently, by Stark. Thor appears behind me. I wordlessly follow him to the landing plane. Once seated inside, Stark fits restraints onto my wrists. Across from me is Fadrielindë, shackled as well. Her head hangs limply. I can see a purple bruise forming where Thor struck her. Another thing to hate him for. They fastened her harness tightly, and a gag is tied around her mouth. Now they know about her Shouts…this is not good. Now that they know of her strength, they will monitor her more closely and she may not be able to return to Skyrim. I notice that she is in a different seat than last time. I look at her original seat and grin when I find the harness shredded to bits. Thor and the others are quietly conversing at the front of the plane. No doubt discussing Fadrielindë's abilities. A knot of dread forms in my stomach. What do they plan to do with her? I hate myself for falling in love with her, but at the same time, I am glad of it. I always believed that no one could ever love me, yet she does.
After flying for what seems like ages, we land on a helipad high in the sky. Their base! I remain in my seat as Captain America undoes Fadrielindë's harness. He lifts her out of her seat and carries her out of the plane. My eyebrows knit in worry. I feel someone's gaze upon me and turn to see Thor looking at me, suspicion in his eyes. I narrow my eyes in hatred. A group of guards enter the plane and lead me into the SHIELD base. As we parade through the hallway, I see Banner in the lab. I smirk as we make eye contact. Little does he know what I have planned for him. We enter a large room down the hall. I am guided into a clear cylindrical cell in the middle of the room. The door slides close and locks as Fury strides into the room. He walks to a control panel in front of my cell.
"In case it's unclear, you try to escape, you so much as scratch that glass," he pauses, hitting a button. The floor opens up below the cell, giving me a clear view of a coast thousands of feet below.
"Thirty thousand feet, straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?" He gestures to me. "Ant." He gestures to the button. "Boot." I laugh, just to irk him.
"It's an impressive cage. Not built, I think, for me," I say.
"Built for something a lot stronger than you," Fury replies, trying to look cool.
"Oh, I've heard." I look into a camera focused on the cell. I know the others are watching the footage live. "The mindless beast, makes play to be the man. How desperate are you? You call on these lost creatures to defend you," I taunt. Fury raises his eyebrows.
"How desperate am I? You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace and you kill 'cause it's fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did," he banters. I resist the urge to roll my eyes.
"Ooh," I continue, irking him on. "It burns you to come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share, and then to be reminded what real power is." I can tell Fury is having trouble remaining calm.
"Yeah, well, let me know if Real Power wants a magazine or something," he says as he leaves the room. I smirk at the camera, knowing they are all watching, while trying to hide my worry for Fadrielindë. Where did they take her?
—Fadrielindë—
My head is filled with strange dreams of Alduin and Sovngarde. I move my head around, trying to shake off the blackness. I open my eyes and immediately regret doing so. A bright white light shines into my eyes, and my head pounds. Bright lights and head injuries seem to have become a recurring theme. I am laying down on a soft surface. A bed? I try to move my hands to my temples, but realize my wrists are strapped down at my sides. I try to move my legs, but they are strapped down as well. I open my eyes and will them to adjust to the bright light. I feel a rough cloth against my face and realize it is a gag. I strain against the restraints but to no avail. I am trying to blink away the spots in my vision when I hear a door open, and someone enters the room. I can see that it is the red-haired woman, but it is hard to focus on her face. She sits down next to me on a stool, saying nothing. I have so many things to say to her. Most of them are Thu'ums. I suppose that is the reason for the gag. I am reminded of Ulfric that day in Helgen. Did he feel this helpless without his Voice? She finally speaks.
"My name is Natasha Romanov," she begins. At least I know her name now. She shifts in her seat. "I understand Loki found you after you fell through a portal?" She waits for a response from me. Not able to do anything else, I nod slightly, my head spinning. I can see her thinking. Not much can get worse so I decide to project into her mind.
I am too weak to Shout, if that is what you are worried about, I say in her mind. She jerks at the sound of my voice in her head. I blink, my vision still swimming. She nods and reaches around me to remove the gag. I cough once it is off; my throat burns. Natasha must notice, because she lifts a glass of water to my lips. I drink gratefully.
"Thank you," I get out. She gets right to the point.
"Why did you decide to stay with Loki? You do know what he is planning, right?" she inquires. I squeeze my eyes shut, wanting my head to stop throbbing. It has never hurt this badly. Not even when I fell out of the sky a few days ago.
"Loki told me everything," I reply. When she doesn't reply, I reopen my eyes.
"Was everything he told you the truth?" she presses, not seeming to believe me. I furrow my brow. What is she talking about?
"He told me that he is going to use the Tesseract to bring order and peace to Earth," I say slowly. Natasha says nothing, cocking her eyebrow. Loki would not lie to me…right? I recall his demeanor on our first encounter. He showed no signs of deception. Or did he? I squeeze my eyes shut, thinking back. I picture us sitting on the bed.
"The Tesseract is an unlimited power source. I intend to use it to help the Earth," he had said. His face shows no expression.
"Help the Earth how?" I had asked.
Without hesitation, he had replied, "The people of Earth are extremely volatile and disorganized. They need someone to lead and guide them. With the Tesseract, I will be able to show them how to maintain peace on their planet." He had told me that the Tesseract is a portal between worlds. "If the humans decide to attack, I need to make sure I have an army to restore the peace," he had said.
He said the humans were a primal race…yet here I am speaking to one, and she is definitely not a volatile, primal being.
"You were going to help him use the Tesseract?" she asks. I shrug. "Did he give you an incentive or something?" I feel betrayed.
"He told me that if I helped him, he would use the Tesseract to send me back to my world," I say, the truth beginning to dawn on me. "I suppose I blocked out the truth because I am so desperate to get back to Skyrim," I confess. Natasha nods.
"Do you want to hear the real story?" she asks. No, yes, I do not know. I sigh, not wanting to accept the reality.
"I suppose…" I cannot believe this. I feel so naivë and stupid. Natasha notices my expression.
"Well, first of all, you can trust us. We're the good guys," she studies my face then continues. "Loki stole the Tesseract from one of our most secure SHIELD bases. He means to use it to wage war upon the Earth by opening a portal to another world. There is an army waiting for the portal to open, and once it does, it will destroy Earth. Loki only wants to rule. You are just another pawn in his game," she explains. I feel empty. She studies my fallen face and says, "I'm sorry." I open my mouth to reply, but find there is nothing for me to say. I just nod. She gets up and turns to leave.
"Oh, one more thing," she says, turning back to me. I meet her gaze. "What is your name?" she asks simply.
"Fadrielindë," I reply softly. She nods briskly before leaving the room.
I lay back and stare at the ceiling. How could this have happened? To me! A master of speech craft! He lied to my face and I completely fell for it. I never let myself get clouded by emotions. I actually thought he was in love with me. How stupid! I mentally kick myself. Looking back, I know that I should have been more wary of him. But he somehow wormed his way into my heart and basically forced me to care about him. I have never felt so used. He blatantly used my own emotions against me. I sigh, letting my head go limp against the bed. I feel tears threatening to spill over. No! I refuse to cry over him. I'm not some weak little lovestruck girl. I am the legendary Dragonborn! I do not expose myself to emotions. Except you did, a small voice reminds me in my head. You fell in love with a lying, manipulative stranger and look what happened. When will you learn, Fadrielindë? After everything that has happened to me, you'd think that I'd know by now to never trust anyone. Or fall in love with them. The one time I let myself slip…the one time I thought it was real…I shake my head. He ended up being just like the rest of the conniving filth that I run into on my travels throughout Tamriel. I close my eyes and try to distance myself from feeling. Now I know. My emotions will stay tucked away. I will build a wall around them. And no one, no one, will break it down.
"Did you talk to her?" Fury asks as Natasha struts into the main hangar. She sits down at the table with Stark, Rogers, Banner, and Thor.
"Yes," she replies. Everyone looks at her curiously.
"What did she say?" Rogers asks.
"Well, first of all, her name is Fadrielindë," Natasha starts.
"Bless you," Stark remarks. Natasha gives him a look that makes him raise his hands up, feigning innocence. Thor speaks up.
"Did she say why she was with Loki? He didn't use mind control on her."
"He manipulated her, plain and simple," Natasha replies. "She looked really upset when I told her."
"Did she say where she is from? Or what species she is?" Stark asks.
"She mentioned a place called Skyrim," Natasha recalls, looking at Fury. He shakes his head.
"I've never heard of it."
"Maybe I should go talk to her," Thor offers. "I might be able to get more information out of her." Everyone turns their attention to him.
"I know how Loki is and how manipulative he can be. I am sure she feels betrayed," he continues. Fury throws up his hands, exasperated.
"Sure, go ahead," he agrees reluctantly. "Maybe you can get her to ask Loki what he is up to." Thor nods and leaves the room. Fury looks around at everyone else.
"This is a mess."
—Fadrielindë—
My eyes fly open when I hear the door open once more. It is Thor.
"May I?" he asks, gesturing to the stool by the bed. I move my hand as much as I can with the restraints, inviting him to sit. He plops down. He is a huge man, with muscles rippling throughout his body. Contrasting his masculine appearance is shoulder length blond hair. He is wearing black and red armor, complete with a red cape. In his hand is a giant hammer. His eyes study my face. He almost winces when he sees the giant bruise on my head. He points to it.
"I am really sorry about that," he apologizes. I close my eyes. Why is he even here? There is a long silence.
"Listen, I grew up with Loki. I have known him since I was born. I know how manipulative he can be…" Thor tries to reassure me. I say nothing and keep my eyes shut. All of my emotions are safely put away again. I feel nothing. I open my eyes and jerk when I feel his hand on my arm. I turn my head to look at him. I can see a deep sadness in his eyes.
"I do not know what has made him this way, but I am deeply sorry that he has done this to you," he says troubled. I open my mouth and speak for the first time.
"Thank you for trying to make me feel better, but it is not that simple," I tell him. He nods.
"We have a proposition for you," he says. Fantastic, another deal. "If you help us stop Loki, we will return you to your world," he finishes. I think about this.
"How do I know that you are the good guys?" I ask, using the phrase that Natasha had used.
As if on cue, another man enters the room. He is wearing a long black trench coat. An eyepatch covers one of his eyes.
"Sorry to interrupt," his voice is commanding and loud. Thor stands up, looking annoyed at the interruption. The man takes Thor's seat. "I am Director Fury," he says. "I take it you're not from around here?"
"Why do you ask?" I inquire, not trusting him. I would much rather speak to Thor. He seems to genuinely care.
"Loki used your unfamiliarity for Earth against you. He is going to wage war on this planet and kill thousands of innocent civilians. We need you to help us stop him," Fury stops to see my reaction. I regard him with caution. "You can trust us," he adds. I raise my eyebrows and look pointedly at the wrist and ankle restraints.
"You want me to trust you, yet you can not trust me in return?" I ask harshly. Thor speaks up.
"I can see where she is coming from," Thor supports me. I give him a small smile. Fury sighs and looks to the ceiling.
"Fine," he says huffily. He unfastens my wrists while Thor undoes the restraints on my ankles. I sit up and rub my wrists painfully. "We had to take necessary precautions," Fury defends himself.
I glare at him. "You never answered my question."
"If you help us stop Loki, we will have the Tesseract once more in our possession. We can then use it to return you to your home world," Fury explains.
"What would you have me do to help?" I ask carefully. I need to be careful who I trust.
"The first thing you can do is find out what Loki plans to do while onboard," Fury tells me. Thor pipes up again.
"We think he got captured on purpose. We need to find out why." I consider this. It will be hard to face Loki, but I will have to eventually.
"Fine," I agree. "But I will not be your prisoner. I need to have free reign." I cross my arms. Fury nods.
"Okay." He turns and leaves the room, leaving the door open. That was easy. I turn to Thor.
"Do you trust them?" I ask. For some reason, I find it easy to trust him, of all people. Thor furrows his brow.
"No, but we actually need to stop Loki. For once, they are fighting for an agreeable cause." He moves out into the hallway. "Follow me. I will take you to meet the others."
—Loki—
I pace my cell, thinking about Fadrielindë. Where did they take her? What are they going to do with her now that they know of her powers? This was never meant to happen. I wince, recalling the hard blow Thor made to her head. I mentally kick myself for caring about her. I was sent here to rule Earth, not to fall in love. How did I become so sidetracked? I should have left her lying in the cornfield after she fell through the portal. I picture her waking up, disoriented and confused, in a strange new place galaxies away from her home. I shake my head vigorously. No, I could never have left her. I continue pacing back and forth, deep in thought. What is it about her that made me fall so deeply in love? I imagine her beautiful face, piercing emerald eyes, and teasing smile. I love her strength and independence. Her determination to fulfill the prophecy. I love that she started as an orphan, raised on the streets, fighting her way to the top. And now she is a savior to thousands. I smile softly. And to me. I never thought I would find anyone who would love me. I never thought I would love anyone ever again, especially after everything that happened with my "family". I hate caring so much for a single person, but I cannot help but love her. I think of the reason I am here. I am to get the Chitauri through the portal to Earth. I remember the threats whispered to me. If I fail, he will do something so horrendous that I will crave death. I shudder, unable to think of anything worse. I shoo the dark thought from my mind and focus on the task at hand. I only need to wait for Barton and the rest of the men to find the helipad and steal the Tesseract back. I stop pacing and sit on a bench at the back of my cell. I will be waiting a while.