Flowergirl |L. Laufeyson|

Chapter Fifteen

"Zoë, I believe you have to rest," Pepper murmured after some time.

The Asgardian opened her eyes immediately. "I am fine, I don't need to-"

"Flowergirl," Tony cut in, "sleep. Take some rest."

Zoë protested no more. She watched as Steve, Tony and Pepper left the room, the latter sending her a smile before closing the door. The blonde let out a sigh as she turned around so that she was not facing the door and closed her eyes, in hopes of sleeping.

Perhaps that was all she needed to clear her head from things. Perhaps, after sleeping, she would be able to think of a way to actually bring her beloved back.

"Seeing memories," Pepper mumbled, "I doubt that she would make that up."

"She would not make anything up," Tony shook his head. "She just needs to rest for a bit."

"And then what?" Steve asked. "She will try to find a way to revive Loki again, and in all honesty, I do not know if I want him alive. He was the man that had killed eighty people in New York some years ago."

"Perhaps he is different now?" Pepper suggested, but as soon as she noticed the looks of disbelief on the men's faces, she shook her head. "Maybe not."

"It's only been some years," Steve shook his head, "how could one's character change so drastically?"

"Thor still believes in him, doesn't he?" Pepper pointed out. "That's got to mean something."

"Yeah, it means that he is a lunatic," Tony shook his head. "Let us forget about Loki for some time."

Steve nodded in agreement as they got to the room Zoë had mourned Loki in just the previous night. The rest of the team was there.

"How is she?" Rocket asked as he hopped on Rhodey's lap. The man looked at the animal in bewilderment, but said nothing.

"She will be fine," Steve assured him, "she is just sleeping. She needs some rest."

"Good, that means that we can actually talk without her around," Natasha spoke up. "Does anyone know how she got exiled?"

"You still don't know?" Bruce asked as he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Bruce, don't," Tony intervened. "She will tell them if she wants to."

"Come on, Tony, we've got to know who she is," Rhodey protested.

"You really don't."

"Come on Stark, get on with it," Natasha huffed. "Just tell us."

Tony pursed his lips but said nothing. Pepper frowned, but it was Bruce who actually replied.

"If I do tell you, you'll stop being so suspicious of her," he said, no hint of a question in his voice. His decision was final. Slowly, those who did not know nodded. The doctor decided to actually let them know.

"Her father, after killing her mother and brother, tried to kill her, and she killed him on accident as she tried to defend herself," he mumbled.

"Her father had been drunk," Tony supplied, and the doctor nodded in response.

"Her king thought that she was dangerous, and so, he banished her from Asgard."

Those in the room did not speak as Bruce stopped talking. Steve was the first to react in some way.

"We have to apologise," he shook his head, "she did not deserve such treatment from us."

"We would have understood her struggles if she revealed why she had been exiled," Rhodey mumbled. "You are right, though. We shouldn't have been so quick to judge."