Goddess of Light

Chapter 54 ~ The Carters

Steve and I arrived in London the day after, accompanied by Sam and Nat. They both wanted to support Steve and attend the funeral with him. 

Steve insisted that he would help carry the casket up to the alter at the start of the service so Sam, Nat and I sat in the benches towards the front. 

I never really understood that tradition here on Earth. On Asgard, if it was an important person who died, like royalty, they would be carried along the river that ran through the town from the palace and trailed out to the ocean, their body drifting out to the edge of the planet and turning into stardust. If they were a warrior, they would be buried in the catacombs beneath the castle and if they had lived a normal life, they would receive a regular burial in the mountains. 

I didn't understand the concept of people physically carrying their dead loved ones it was all a little strange to me. But Steve felt it was the last piece of honour he could give to Peggy and how could I disagree with that. 

The room was filled with people dressed in black that Peggy had greatly influenced in her long life. They were all quietly talking amongst themselves waiting for the ceremony to begin. 

From the back of the church, what sounded like an organ started playing music that rang solemnly throughout the hall. A choir then started singing and the doors opened revealing a group of men carrying a large coffin with a red, white and blue flag draped over it. 

Steve was walking slowly with the group, carrying the coffin on their shoulders. He was positioned around the middle, probably behind Peggy's husband and children. 

They walked along the middle of the church in time with the music, placing the coffin on the alter and finding their seats. 

I had saved a space next to me for Steve and once he was finished giving his condolences to Peggy's husband, he sat down putting his hand on my knee while I gave him a supportive kiss on the cheek as a man stepped up to a podium to start the ceremony.

A few relatives stood up to say prayers and tell stories about Peggy but there was only one that stuck out to me. It was the one that caused Steve, Sam and Nat to all shift awkwardly in their seats.

I would know this person if Sam knew her as well as Steve unless they met during their escapades in Washington DC, which caused me to get a little too suspicious. I had this weird gut feeling that I had a reason to as well. 

As she stepped up to speak, she swished her long blonde hair and looked directly at Steve, who of course wasn't looking. The priest had said before that her name was Sharon Carter, and I don't know why but her connection to Peggy made me feel even worse.

Before she spoke, Sam, Steve and Nat were lightly nudging each other, leaving me out of their moment. 

"Margaret Carter was known to most as a founder of S.H.I.E.L.D., but I just knew her as Aunt Peggy." Sharon spoke from the podium, and I felt Steve exhale deeply. He must be only figuring this out now. I hated not knowing what was going on.

I recognised her voice instantly. I had let her voice ring in my brain for weeks after I first heard it through the phone that Steve gave me. It completely confirmed my suspicions. The way she was looking at him now and the way she had his phone was enough to tell me that she had the potential to be a problem.

"She had a photograph in her office. Aunt Peggy standing next to JFK. As a kid, that was pretty cool. But it was a lot to live up to, which is why I never told anyone we were related." She continued and her lingering gaze on Steve made me realise that was directed at him.