Survivor's Guilt ~ A Marvel Story

~ 10 ~

I followed what Loki had said and we ended up in the back of the Midgardian soldiers' ship. I wanted to figure out why Loki did this but I knew he had a plan so I trusted it. We were strapped into their ship by belts that the two of us could've easily escaped from if needed. But still, we didn't. 

The group was talking quietly and I noticed that there was a girl with red hair driving the ship. I didn't tune into their conversation too much as I was just thinking about what possible positive outcomes being captured by the enemy could provide.

I was jolted out of my thoughts by a strike of lightning. Loki's eyes flew to the windows to look at the darkening sky outside.

We knew who it was immediately. 

"What's the matter? Scared of a little lightning?" The soldier said in a degrading way. Anger filled me.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows," Loki responded. 

Something heavy fell on the roof. He was here.

The man in a metal suit of armor made the mistake of opening the door leading out. The wind gusted into the ship and I braced myself as a recognizable red cloak appeared on the opening door.

Thor hit the metal man with his hammer, sending him flying back into the cockpit of the ship before grabbing me and Loki by the collar of our armor, keeping us in a tight grip before flying out of the grasp of the enemies.

As much as I didn't want to see Thor, he reminded me of home. He smelled like home.

Thunder still rumbled around us as we came upon a mountaintop. Thor threw Loki to the stone ground on his back, while he kept me in his arms. He let me go once both our feet touched solid ground.

Loki started laughing as Thor asked about the location of the tesseract. "I missed you, too," Loki said snarkily.

"Do I look to be in a gaming mood?" Thor's voice thundered, bouncing off the stone and echoing around us.

"You should thank me," Loki announced as he began to sit up. "With the Bifrost gone, how much dark energy did the Allfather have to muster to conjure you here? To your precious Earth?" His voice was slick with anger.

Thor dropped his hammer mere inches from my feet before grabbing Loki and holding him at the edge of the stone. My heart raced, scared he was going to push him off. 

"I thought you dead."

"Did you mourn?" Loki asked. The moonlight caught on his cheeks and I swear I could see a glisten of tears underneath his eyes.

"We all did. Our father..." Thor began but Loki cut him off with a finger.

"Your father." I knew the venom in his voice was meant for Thor but Odin was technically my father as well. If he was distancing himself from Thor for that reason, that meant in some way he was distancing himself from me. "He did tell you my true parentage, did he not?"

Loki began to walk away and I was unsure of where to go. 

"We were raised together. We played together, we fought together. Do you remember none of that?" I remembered and I knew Loki did as well. 

Loki turned around and glared at Thor. "I remember shadows. Living in the shade of your greatness. I remember you tossing me into an abyss. I, who was, and should be King!"

"So you take the world I love as a recompense for your imagined slights?" Thor asked, his voice getting angrier. "And you, what's your reason for being here?" He doesn't let me answer before going back and digging on Loki. 

But I thought about his question. What was my reason? 

To be queen without anyone questioning my skills to rule. To be respected. And Midgaurd is the only realm that doesn't have a leader set in stone. Even the tenth realm, Heven, has a leader.

I watched Loki storm past me. Something Thor said made him upset. 

"I've seen worlds you've never known about. I have grown, Odinson, in my exile. I have seen the true power of the tesseract, and when I wield it-"

"Who showed you this power?" Thor asked, approaching him. "Who controls the would-be king?"

"I am a king!" Loki yelled.

"Not here!" Thor spat back, grabbing his shoulders.

"Stop!" I screamed at the two, scared either one of them was about to make a poor mistake. My pleas were ignored.

"You give up the tesseract, you give up this poisonous dream!" Thor screamed. He looked back at me. "You come home. Both of you."

Home.

Loki laughed, shaking his head. "I don't have it," He admitted about the tesseract. "You need the cube to bring us home but I've sent it off, I know not where."

"You listen well, brother," Thor begins before a blur of smoke and lights takes him away with a thud. 

Loki looks at me and cracks a smile. "I'm listening."