Between the Lines

Her...

May 4th, 2012 

            Above the metal-clad billionaire, the brilliant light beam from the Tesseract tore open a void into the vastness that surrounded the asteroid belt of Sanctuary. A breath of relief washed over me as the Chitauri began to descend from the heavens carried in their chariots, their energy blasters with similar blades to that of the scepter on the end. I had done it, I had brought them to Earth, I was the general no one ever thought I would be and soon I would be the king I always should have been, and not just to Asgard. The metal man dodged and wove, firing all of his little toys at the Chitauri to little avail. My army was vast and his friends, such fallen heroes, had yet to arrive. The dice were already stacked in my favor, all I had to do now was remain patient as I stood upon the tower that would soon become my home.

    As I stepped out onto the balcony once more, my Seiðr washing over me as it returned my ceremonial armor to its proper state, my horned helmet adorning my head once more. I moved, standing where Stark had, the golden ring surrounding my feet as I looked out over the destruction and chaos being created. My chest rose and fell, the pride surging in me as I thought of how proud He would be, He who had seen my true potential. Once more, the sheer radiance of the situation overcame me as I looked out over the vast city beneath me. Soon the mortals would kneel, soon they would know true freedom!

    To my left, a great thud came, my arms falling as I heard his voice angrily demanding that I turn off the Tesseract; as if I had such an option available. "You can't. There is no stopping it." Lifting the scepter pointedly as I stared down at him, I froze. Standing there beside him was a familiar-looking young woman, her wild auburn hair braided intricately down her back to brush against her full backside, her hips having somehow grown wider, womanlier since the last time I had set my eyes upon her freckled face. "Eibhlin..." My heart swelled as I said her name, my legs like lead as I froze there, mid-step just staring at her. She stood tall, Thor still towering over her by over a foot, dressed in armor that almost mirrored mine in its coloring, yet was softer, more suited to her splendid figure. The leather pants seemed to mold to her muscular legs and supple thighs, what looked like dragon's scale cupped her knees, diagonally laid stripes of black and green leather layered in a soft V-shaped pattern over the top of it. Thick leather boots with the same shape came to rest at the middle of her pleasing calves, the edges trimmed in gold. The shimmering black underdress of the armor almost glimmered like a pool of oil, an iridescent sheen illuminating her face as the bodice with its green dragon's scale that made her eyes seem more emerald than moss and black leather-trimmed in gold plate around the high collar and keyhole neckline that cupped her breasts the way my hands had once longed to. I felt my mouth move yet the words didn't matter; my heart ached for her... She was safe.

    Her plump lips quivered as she nodded, her eyes never leaving mine as a mixture of emotions swirled within them. "Turn it off, please..." her lilting voice echoed clear in my mind, the soft white bird soaring in my peripherals once more. "Call them off, return what was given to you, and let us go home... Together..." she pleaded softly, her voice rife with emotion.

    I watched her, her chest heaving as if she was on the edge of tears as she stared at me. This woman, no longer the girl I had met ninety-three years ago, had haunted my memories all these long months. I had longed for her more than anyone else and now, here she stood, against me beside my brother who held tightly to her waist. Anger seared within me. The treacherous little creature; had she feigned her interest and affections all this time? Was she just as manipulative as I had once accused her of being, just another pawn to the false All-Father?

    Her resolve seemed to solidify as I asked if that was just what she was. Like the good little soldier she too had been brainwashed to become, she attempted to persuade me that she was anything but, while accusing me of being the one in the wrong, the one who was away with the fae as her people would say. "You would know all about the fae now, wouldn't you, Little Dove?" My voice was still, yet the contempt was palpable, her nickname coming back to me with enough force to ruin my life if I allowed it. "The Tesseract has shown me many things; including much about you, your ears, and your pitiful excuse for powers." I pointed the staff at her, the blade focused on Thor's hand holding her back. My brother would not take one more thing from me; if I could not have her, no one would! "I know what you are, Eibhlin Béatraís Walsh, daughter of Darragh." The look of defeat in her eyes, the building terror that I knew... It stirred something in me... The way she took a small step back, her eyes unblinking until she forced them shut to look away from me it made me...