It makes her sick, the way sadness is addicting. Sadness is familiar. It's comfortable and it's easy in the sense that it comes naturally to her. But everything else about it is hard. The way her body aches with self-hatred. The way her mind spins a...
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"We are still unable to restore the palace shields. Our Artillery cannot detect them. Even Heimdall cannot see them." Fandral spoke, as they looked at a gold hologram of the castle and Asgard. Athalia stood in the room with her father, Fandral, Volstagg, and two other guards. She listened to what they said, not speaking up herself, staying quiet as she leaned against the wall. Fandral glanced back at her before looking back at Odin. "My King, we are all but defenseless."
Thor entered the room, "She's your prisoner now?" he asked his father, cutting into the meeting being held. Odin turned to look at his son. "Leave us." The men bowed at the king before making their way down the stairs to leave through the same door Thor had entered from.
Athalai stayed silently leaning against the wall, an emotionless look on her face. She looked at the ruble behind her brother—the broken pillars and walls of the castle that had crumbled during the fight. "I do not wish to fight with you," Odin told his eldest son.
"Nor I with you," Thor replied as his father walked past him toward the broken stone. "But I intend to pursue Malekith."
"We possess the Aether. Malekith will come to us." Odin stated, his voice echoing around the large room.
"Yes, and he will destroy us."
"You overestimate the power of these creatures," Odin told him as he continued walking. Athalia shook her head, letting out a weak, dry laugh which caused her father to stop in his tracks to turn and look at her. Thor looked back at his sister as well.
"No, he values our people's lives... unlike someone," Athalia told the old man. Pushing her body weight off the wall, she slowly stepped down the stairs. "We could take Jane to the Dark World and draw the enemy away from Asgard. When Malekith pulls the Aether from Jane, it will be exposed and vulnerable. Then, we will destroy it and him."
"If you fail, you risk this weapon falling into the hands of our enemies."
"The risk is far greater if we do nothing," Thor said. Odin held his head high, using his one eye to star dead at his son. "His ship could be over our heads right now, we would never even know it."
"If and when he comes his men will fall on 10,000 Asgardian blades."
"And how many of our men shall fall on theirs?" Athalia asked, now standing next to the blonde princes.
"As many as are needed!" Odin yelled. Athalia scoffed, rolling her eyes. To all these people who thought that their king was a good person, she wished they were here to see him now. She wished they could see how they treated her, her brothers, her family, and the guards. She wished they could see how little he seemed to care about Asgard, he didn't care how many warriors died, as long as he won. "We will fight! Till the last Asgardian breath. Till the last drop of Asgardian blood."
"Then how are you different from Malekith?" Thor asked, softly shaking his head. Odin chuckled.
"The difference, my son, is that I will win."
●○●○●○●○●
Athalia sat in a pub next to her brother. She swirled the red wine that they'd poured around her glass watching as how the deep red looked brighter when light hit it. She could smell the hints of cranberries and pomegranate on her lips, the taste of it dancing on her tongue. The two sat in silence as they listened to the conversations around them.
Heimdall entered the pub, "You were not at Odin's war council." Thor told his best friend. Heimdall removed his helmet, sitting it on the table before he sat down, joining them at their table.
"The Bifrost is closed by your father's orders. No one is to come or to go." Thor slowly nodded his head at his friend's words. "We face an enemy that is invisible even to me. What use is a guardian such as that?"
Malekith will return, you know this." Thor spoke as Athalia took a sip from her wine. She looked at Thor, then looked back at Heimdall. "We need your help."
"I cannot overrule my king's wishes. Not even for you two."
"We are not asking you to." Athalia explained, "The realms need their Allfather strong and unchallenged whether he is or not. But he is blinded, Heimdall, by hatred and by grief."
"As are we all,"
"Well, I see clearly enough."
"The risks are too great," Heimdall told him.
"Everything we do from here on is a risk," Athalia told the guard. "There is no other way." Heimdall lowered his head for a moment. He sighed, looking back up at the two siblings, the bright sun shining in his golden eyes.
"What do you require of me?" Thor started to explain the plan to Hemidall as he listened carefully.
"What we're about to ask of you is treason of the highest order. Success will bring us exile and failure shall mean our death. Malekith knew the Aether was here. He can sense its power. If we do nothing, he will come for it again but this time, lay waste to all of Asgard. We must move Jane off-world," Thro repeated for Sif, Fandral, and Volstagg. It was dark outside now. The pub was lit with candlelight instead of the open rises from the sun.
"The Bifrost has been shut down and the Tesseract locked away in the vault." Sif reminded Thor.
"There are other paths off Asgard. Way only known to a few." Heimdall said leaning against the wall of the pub. Athalia spoke up, correcting the guard.
