The Girl with the Blackbird Tattoo

-4-

"Do you want to know what I really see?" When I spoke, Loki let go, the dagger dropping from my hand, as he watched me with curiosity. "Enlighten me." It was an order, albeit an amused one.

"You're afraid, I don't know what happened that drove you here, but I'll find out." I stated, piecing together everything I'd experienced since I'd met him.

The mood shifts, his almost empty mind, with only a glimmer of hope at the other side, clouded by darkness, by pain.

"I know not what you think you see, but I can assure you, you're wrong." Loki spoke slowly, and I folded my arms, not backing down.

"Am I? I've seen the footage from when you arrived, the pale skin, the sweat, the fatigue, the sunken, dark eyes, signs of dehydration."

"And wh.."

"I didn't understand before," I cut him off, stepping closer, "but I see it now. How do you torture a frost giant? With heat."

"You know nothing." Loki was gripping the sceptre tighter, but it didn't stop me.

"Loki, when I was on a mission, I was shot with a gun that functioned from heat, it basically spat lava, now I know what I am, I unde..."

"Nonsen..!"

"I was weak for days!" My shout caught him by surprise, "Loki, you can't hide it from me! That sceptre is controlling you and I will not let you lose to it!" I was screaming at him now, and he stepped forwards, rage fuelled as he placed a hand around my throat.

"You will kneel, or you will die."

That's when we heard a thud behind us, "Loki! Let her go!" Thor shouted, Loki just laughed.

"She is here willingly, brother."

"That's why you have her held captive." Thor gripped mjlonir, prepared for a fight.

"Go ahead, ask her." Loki let me go, but all I could see was the man inside the beast, calling out for help. In that moment, my view of him changed. Even when I tried to block it out, the stone revealed more to me than I thought possible, it was controlling Loki, and it was controlling me, we were both players in the mind stone's game. Then, my eyes drifted, meeting those of Thor. He didn't see it, no, of course he wouldn't, too caught up in his self-righteousness to see the blue that infected his brother's eyes. What he said was true, no matter how much I hated Loki, I was always with him willingly, he'd never truly forced me to go with him. "Turn off the teaseract or I'll destroy it." Thor warned.

"You can't, there is no stopping it. There is only the war!" Loki shouted back.

"So be it." Thor responded, before charging at us.

I watched as the two brothers began to fight, the Chitauri flying past, Stark at the lead. Then a quinjet rose, turning towards us, and in that moment I made my choice. I let go, jumping down beside the brothers and creating a shield around the three of us, absorbing the bullets. "My greatest warrior." Loki's voice echoed through my head, before he shot the jet down, and Thor pinned him. "Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule?" Thor spoke first, and I watched the younger god play soft, knowing all too well it was just another trick.

"It's too late to stop it," Loki looked around, before meeting my eyes as a small green dagger materialised in my hand.

"No. We can together," Thor was almost pleading, and then I let it go. The dagger lodged into his side, and I froze, Loki smirking as he jumped onto a chariot passing by.

Then Thor turned on me, just the two of us as the war raged on. "I do not wish to fight you, Danrelle." He gripped mjlonir right, preparing for an attack.