Troubled Mind | Bucky Barnes

Part 12

Alexi awoke to a dark room. So dark she couldn't see where anything was. For a moment, she forgot where she was and a small panic rose in her chest until it came flooding back. As her eyes adjusted, she sat up in the large, soft bed. She could make out the bed posts and the outline of some of the furniture. She reached over to the nightstand to grab her phone, remembering a second later that it wasn't good for much right now. Setting it back down she climbed off the high bed and went over to the heavy window curtains pulling them aside and letting the early signs of dawn flood in. The room was beautifully adorned with gold trims and majestically carved furniture. The view from the window was almost too incredible to believe. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. A landscape of rolling hills, a body of shimmering water beyond the horizon, and a city of the most amazing architecture she had ever laid eyes on. Thor was right, she thought, Asgard is beautiful.

She washed up in the attached bathroom and changed out of the nightgown a maid had given her and into the clothes she had brought with her. The sun was up now, and she considered leaving the room. Just before reaching the door, a sudden knock startled her.

"Come in," she called hesitantly. The door opened and the large, tall figure of Thor, appeared before her.

"Good morning, Alexi," he greeted beaming. He was dressed in his Asgardian clothing, a stark difference from the first time she saw him in a suit at the party. He looked like a powerful warrior now, with his bare arms showing off his bulging muscles and his long hair tucked behind his ears.

"Good morning," she answered.

"How did you sleep?"

"Great. This bed is amazing."

Thor laughed. "I'm glad. Now you must come with me and finish your story."

"I'm sorry I was so tired yesterday. I owe you an explanation. And my gratitude for bringing me to Asgard." Walking through the palace, she looked around at all the grand statues and carvings that adorned the walls and the colourful tapestries that hung along the corridors. She wondered what was in the rooms behind the beautifully decorated doors. She followed Thor to a small dining room just off his own bedroom, where they sat and ate some breakfast.

"Yesterday morning," she began, "well, maybe it was yesterday, I'm not too sure how time works here. But I was in some trouble on Earth. I wasn't sure where to go and I suddenly found myself running with no direction or destination. I looked up into the sky and I remembered what you told me. You already know I called out to Heimdall and next thing I know I was here."

"This I know, Alexi. How did you come to be in danger? What has happened to the other Avengers, are they in danger too?"

"No," she answered quickly. "I keep telling you, they're all fine. It's better if I start from the beginning." She proceeded to tell him her story, giving him all the important details about Hydra, Bucky, the serum, even her mission in Sokovia. She watched him carefully for his reactions, especially to learning she had almost tried to kill him several years before. He listened intently but said nothing until she finished. Coming to the part in the story where she feared she would be imprisoned for her crimes and deciding to run. Whether those crimes were committed knowingly or not, she knew she was guilty, but she couldn't go back to imprisonment.

Thor sighed heavily when she finished. "You've put me in an awkward position, Alexi. You're asking me to hide you and betray my friends."

"I know. I'm sorry." She looked down at her plate. It was still full as she'd hardly eaten anything. "I knew it would be safer for them...for everyone if I left. I'm still susceptible to the triggers Hydra put in me and I don't want to hurt anyone. Thor," she said looking into his bright blue eyes, "I know you don't know me very well, but I am asking for your help. Please."