"Dead?" She says in disbelief. Thor nods. "What happened? He was fine when I saw him a few hours ago!"
"Rhiannon." Thor says softly. "You were gone for almost three days."
"Three days!" She gasps as she traces on of the scars on her arms. "Was I really gone for that long?" She whispers to herself as she notices Thor glance at her scars. Rhi puts an illusion over them and shamefully looks away. "How long was I out for?"
"Only for a few hours."
Rhi nods. "So, are you here to take me back to Asgard?"
Thor shakes his head. "Odin pardoned you."
Rhi looks at him confused. "Why?"
Thor sighs. "Shortly after you two vanished, Loki came back to the palace and turned himself in. He asked to let you go free in exchange for himself." He pauses for a moment. "He...he said he had enchanted you, took over your mind and that's why you fought against Odin and..." Thor trails off
"He didn't mind control me! I willingly fought against Odin! And I would do it again!"
"I know..."
That's why he didn't come back and stop me...
"Rhiannon?" She looks up to see Tony standing in the doorway.
"Hey Dad." She smiles weakly
He rushes over and wraps her in a hug. "I thought we lost you for a second there, kiddo."
"Nope, still here unfortunately."
Tony pulls away and looks at her with concern. "Thor filled us in on what happened. How are you...really?"
Rhi puts on a fake smile. "I'm fine."
"I know that's a lie."
"What do you want me to say, Dad?" She shrugs. "Loki and I didn't just have a psychic link. Our souls were bound together."
"What!" Tony exclaims in disbelief
"Really?" Thor asks at the same time. Rhi nods. "You said you were soulmates, but I had no idea you meant that you actually bound your souls together."
"It was actually a happy accident." Rhi chuckles "But it doesn't matter, at least not anymore. Now that he's gone, I, well I don't really feel anything anymore, just...numb."
"Rhiannon..." Tony says sternly with concerns
"Don't worry, I'm not going to off myself...I promise." She smiles. "What did I miss while I was gone?" She asks in an attempt to change the subject, but then notices Thor and Tony shift nervously. "What happened?" She says more sternly.
Tony sighs. "Well to make a long story short, Rumlow tried to blow up Steve with a bomb. Wanda tried to stop it, but instead ended up blowing up a building killing most of the people inside. The UN passed the Sokovia accords, legislation designed to control and regulate S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers. That, resulted in Steve's friend Bucky, aka the Winter Solider bombing the UN, killing the King of Wakanada in the process. Plot twist, Bucky was the one who killed my parents, your grandparents."
Rhi gasps. "Wow."
"I know, right? Anyways Bucky was framed for the bombing. It was actually a man named Helmut Zemo who planted the bomb. Turns out, his family died during the battle with Ultron in Sokovia, so he wanted revenge. To tear us apart." Tony chuckles. "It worked though."
"What do you mean?"
"Steve found out where Zemo fled to and wanted to apprehend him. But doing so without the approval of the UN, was in violation of the accords. Fast forward, a fight broke out and now most of the team is in hiding."
"Is Wanda ok?"
"As far as we know, she's with Vision so I'm assuming yes."
Rhi smiles. "And Nat?"
Tony shrugs. "You know her, she's somewhere off the grid. When she wants to be found, she'll let us know."
"I need to get out of here." Rhi says as she uses her magic to change her clothes and tries to hop off the bed. But almost falls down as her muscles are still a bit weak. Thor and Tony catch her before she hits the floor.
"You're not going anywhere until you've rested for a little longer." Tony says
"I've rested enough!" She rips out of their grip and teleports to Loki's room. Looking around at the empty room, she lays in his bed and sighs as his smell still lingered on the sheets.
What if my pain was the last thing he felt...
Rhi clutches one of the pillows trying desperately to cry, or feel any sort of emotion at this point instead of this...numbness.
Eventually, Thors walks in and sits on the bed next to her. "Thought I might find you here."
Rhi sits up and clutches her knees to her chest. "You heading back to Asgard?"
Thor nods. "Only to inform Odin that you are alright. Then if he allows it, I'm off to travel the realms. Care to join?"
"Tempting, but no."
"Very well." He pulls her in for a hug. "Take care of yourself."
"I'll try."
She walks with Thor outside and watches as the bifrost carries him away.
* * *
"Anything I can do to convince you to stay at the compound or at the house with Pepper and I?" Tony says as he leans against the doorframe of her room.
Rhi shakes her head. "If it means I'd have to eventually sign those damn accords." She tosses the stack of documents to the edge of her bed. "Then I think I'll pass."
"I take it you read through them then."
"Magic has it perks." She winks. "But thanks to the accords, I wouldn't have any freedom because of it." Tony opens his mouth to say something but Rhi cuts him off. "Dad, I understand the need for accountability, but the accords was not the way to go. People like me would have to be evaluated to determine how "dangerous" we are, and have our whereabouts tracked at all times, no thanks."
"It seemed like a good idea at the time. But after everything that's happened, I see now that it wasn't the way to go." Tony sighs. "I'm sorry."
"What for exactly? The accords, treating me like a kid, or pushing me away after Sokovia?"
Tony shrugs. "All the above. But especially, for not trusting you about Loki, sooner. Maybe if I did, things could've turned out differently for the two of you. Maybe even the team as well."
"He was the God of Mischief. Our relationship was bound to end in some form of heartache or disaster." Rhi pauses for a moment to chuckle to herself. "I knew the risks, but I loved him, so I didn't care."
"You sure you won't stay?"
Rhi sighs. "Too many memories here. I need a fresh start."
"I understand." Tony pulls her in for a hug. "Keep in touch."
"I'll try." She pulls away and then smiles before teleporting away.
* * *
A few hours later, Rhi was sitting at a random dive bar somewhere outside the city, throwing back shot after shot.
"Don't you think you've had enough?"Asks the bartender with concern.
She laughs. "Trust me, this is nothing." She then slides him some more cash. "Another round."
As the bartender pours her a drink, Rhi turns her attention to the other side of the bar where she sees a man slip something into a unsuspecting woman's drink.
Using her magic, she discreetly knocks the drink over onto the man's lap and throws back her last shot before she then walks over to him with a napkin.
"Here, let me help you with that." Rhi flirts as she uses the napkin to pat him dry, making sure to nudge at his groin.
She slowly starts to turn and walk away but the man wraps an arm around her waist. "What's the hurry, sweetheart? Let me at least buy you a drink."
"Thank you." She smiles.
The bartender brings over their drinks and Rhi pretends to look away as she watches the man drug her drink.
Idiot
Thanks to a little magic she's able to make it look like she was drinking it and pretended to be affected by the drug.
* * *
"Thank you for the drinks, but it's getting late so I should really get going." Rhi says as she pretends to slur and stumble a bit as she gets up. "Oops." She giggles.
"Here, let me help you." The man says as he wraps his arm around her waist.
"You're too kind." She smiles sweetly at him.
They walk out of the bar and he leads her down an alley way.
"Oh, um my place is that way." She says as the man backs her into the wall.
"You're not going home just yet." He says as he presses her against the wall and starts kissing her neck and groping her.
"No! Stop!" She cries and internally rolls her eyes.
"Don't worry sweetheart, I'll be gentle." He whispers in her ear as he starts to hike up her dress.
The man then suddenly yells out in pain as Rhi stabs him in the groin and kicks him down to the ground.
Something dark was awakening inside her, but she didn't care. In fact, she welcomed it with open arms.
She watches and laughs to herself as he hopelessly tries to drag himself away.
"Help!" The man cries out, but it was no use as Rhi already had an illusion placed over them. She makes her way over to him and crouches down to hold her knife against his throat. "Sorry, sweetheart." She says as she slices his throat and watches him bleed out. "But, I like it rough."
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