Memories
Crusading Dragon
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If you want to use Tora, or any of my other characters, PM me.
"Oh for Pete's sake!"
Hulking turned from his rant at Quicksilver to see Dragon with Poison standing looking rather shame-faced behind her.
"Pietro, you should flipping well know better! And Wiccan! What was that!? Let me tell you, Doom is not the sort a semi-trained young sorcerer should go up against, no matter who his mother and grandfather happen to be! And Hulking, be a little nicer to this family, they've gone through a lot and they have to put up with the Eisenhardt eyebrows."
"What?"
"The Eisenhardt eyebrows. Quicksilver has one of the best examples I believe. Basically, anyone with eyebrows like that is at least partially related to Magneto."
Both Speed and Wiccan suddenly found people staring just above their eyes.
"Tommy's got them and Billy sorta has them…"
"Right, now you've scrutinised your teammates' eyebrows, can we go to bed? You lot will need a lot of sleep as right now I'm planning our attack method and researching secret tunnels. Shoo! To bed! I have work to do and waiting up for you lot isn't helping!"
The Young Avengers had suddenly discovered why the Young X-Men feared Dragon's authoritative teacher voice. You were too scared to disobey so they shot back into the house. Tora caught Wiccan's arm as he went passed and gently tugged him in to whisper something in his ear.
"Tonight. Outside. Half eleven. I'll be waiting. I know Doom's castle pretty well."
And she released his arm and sauntered back into the house, leaving Wiccan blinking in the night.
"She didn't…"
"She did."
"TORA!"
Wiccan's eyes adjusted in the dark and he saw the shape standing close to a tree. He hurried over and Tora nodded.
"Why do you want to help me?"
"Because I don't trust some of the people here."
"Magneto?"
"No."
"Quicksilver?"
"No. I don't trust Patriot. He's too loyal to the Avengers. And loyalty may be a wonderful thing, but misplaced loyalty is exceptionally dangerous."
"Why are you helping us? Isn't your loyalty misplaced?"
"Let me tell you the Avenger's darkest secret. Walk with me."
They walked away from the building and Tora sighed before beginning.
"We had met, the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four. The Big Three, they called us. The three teams who saved the world. And that gave them the arrogance think we had the right to decide on Wanda's fate. Whether she should die for destroying the Avengers. I…I argued against. I said that it was a bad idea. I said, send me. Wanda trusts me, I can heal her. And they refused. I left, preparing to go to Genosha myself, ahead of the execution party. Because that's what it was. They had decided she was too dangerous to live and must be killed. And they trapped me, tricked me into entering a room with an inhibitor field… I couldn't get out, not when I was unable to heal. The adamantium… it would kill me unless I healed… I was suffering from adamantium poisoning when Curtis got me out… I was trying to get to the Blackbird hanger when the reality warp happened. I was too late. I could have stopped it, if only they had let me…"
Wiccan was staring at her.
"They… They stopped you? Why?"
"Because… Because they were scared. They feared Wanda, and what she could do and in a way they were afraid of me and whether I could deliver what I promised. And what it would mean to them if I could. You have to understand, Doctor Strange and Professor X had failed terribly to try and keep Wanda sane. If I was able to snap her back to reality, what did that say of me?"
"That you're a really good person?"
"No. Well, maybe. But what it said to them was that I was putting myself above one of the top psychics in the world, capable of linking together the whole of humanity; as well as above the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth. I was too powerful."
"Just like the Scarlet Witch…"
"Just like the Scarlet Witch."
She stared off into the distance and Wiccan could see she was deep in thought.
"What was she like?"
"Pardon?"
"What was the Scarlet Witch like?"
"Wanda? Oh, Wanda… She was so contradictory. You always had to be fully aware when talking to her. One moment she'd be rather shy and nervous, looking to Pietro to protect her; the next she'd be this cheeky, funny, vibrant character. She wasn't mad, no matter what people said. No, she was just…Wanda… You could always rely on her to be there, although you'd never know how powerful she'd be until she started flinging hexes. Sometimes she could barely move stuff. Other days she could move mountains. Literally…"
She smiled softly.
"Wanda was a good friend. She… she was expecting Tommy and Billy, the first ones, about the same time I was going to have Jamie and we were both bored stiff. Seriously, never let Beast be you obstetrician. He smothers you."
"Er… I don't… Thanks for the advice."
"And we were both so bored we ended up escaping together. I cared deeply for Wanda. I would die for her without a second thought and I know she would do the same for me."
Wiccan stared up and suddenly Tora grabbed his shoulders and pulled him around.
"What are you prepared to sacrifice for her? Answer me!"
"I…I want to… I… I will sacrifice what she is worth and no more."
Tora nodded.
"A good answer. But how will you know what she is worth?"
"When it comes to that… I'll know."
She sighed.
"Such burdens we place on you for our own failings. Shall we?"
He caught her hand and closed his eyes.
"IwanttogotoLatveria, IwanttogotoLatveria, IwanttogotoLatveria."
They arrived, froze at the Doombots then Wiccan took command.
"Excuse me, can you direct me back to my room? I seem to have gotten lost. And my friend here doesn't know her way around."
Tora followed him, cursing under her breath as she tripped over the skirts of a Latverian peasant.
"I hate you for this."
They stepped into a room, exchanged nervous glances then the spell dissipated. Then Wiccan fell from a square right hook and then Tora was standing staring at the woman who was pinning the boy down.
"Wanda…?"
"Who are you? And what are you doing in my room?"
Tora was standing stock still, eyes fixed on Wanda's face.
"Wanda… You're alive… At times I didn't think… Please… Oh, Wanda…"
"Who are you, why are you in my room and why are you both dressed like that."
Wiccan gulped.
"Well…aside from the fact that you just knocked me flying with a pretty impressive right hook and she's just standing there looking slightly horrified… We're actually superheroes. Well, she is. I'm just in training."
"Really?"
"And we're sort of here to rescue you and your brother is probably going to kill us for leaving him behind and I feel like a real idiot."
"I'm sorry, I don't understand. My name is Wanda Maximoff and I haven't got any idea why you're here."
"But…"
"She's telling the truth Wiccan. She's amnesiac. I can sense that."
"Oh… Well, we're still here to rescue you."
"Well…I'm not really wanting to be rescued. You see, I'm getting married in the morning."
Tora stiffened and Wiccan gulped before asking "To who?"
"To me."
Tora turned and claws chikted out.
"Victor."
"Tora."
"Are you going to tell me your plan first, or shall we just throw energy at each other for a while until one of us proves to be the strongest? And then you either drag me of to your dungeon or cheat, knock me out with some electric charge and drag me of to you dungeon from which I will almost certainly break out of, come after you and probably smash your head through a wall. Or two."
"My dear Tora, I must ask why we always end up meeting like this. You are a charming woman, a true jewel of mutantkind. Why do we always end up fighting?"
"Because you're an egomaniac dictator who tried to kill my son when he was less than six months old."
"Tora, Tora, Tora. That was years ago…"
"I don't forget easily. You'd do well to remember that Doom."
"Nor, it seems, do you forgive. Now my dear, why are you here?"
"Well… I could have just turned up for the wedding of one of my dearest friends but actually I'm here to rescue my friend from you and quite possibly hurt you grievously in the process."
She span around, a ball of water growing between her hands as she prepared to throw it at Wanda but Doom was too quick. A single blast of magic caused her to freeze.
"Now my dear, unless you want me to trap you in the same way I once trapped Storm, then do not try and break the spell."
Tora's eyes flashed angrily for a second but she didn't struggle, an oddly defeated look in her eyes as she revolved in the air.
"Now. Wiccan, is it?"
The fight was short, brutal and had no real question about the victor. Doom stepped back and stared at Tora who was turning towards him again.
"If you promise to move quietly, I will release the spell. But rest assured, if you fight, both you and the sorcerer child shall spend the rest of eternity as statues."
She didn't move and the spell was released. Her eyes darted up.
"They're coming for her, you know? My husband in particular. He'll find her and kill her and I'm the only one who can stop him."
"Really? You forget I once halted your husband with a touch. Stand."
She was jerked upright by the spell and then Doom shook his head.
"Actually, I need you out of the way until tomorrow morning. Sleep."
Her eyes rolled up in her head and she fell back down, the discord of metal bones sounding heavily on the floor.
"Wiccan on the other hand…"
"Should I be worried?"
"Oh yes. Be afraid. Be very afraid."