Reign

Chapter 26: Sif and the Warriors Three

Sif and the Warriors Three were getting along rather well with the Avengers considering it had only been less than a day that they had arrived.

Sif and Natasha had done a bit of training together, getting a feel for each other's strengths and weaknesses.

Ash had walked around the castle, finding her friends randomly through out.

Hogun was hanging out with Tony and Bruce as they worked their science. He was taken by their Midgardian ways.

Volstagg and Fandral were talking and drinking in another room with Steve and Clint. Steve was telling them of what had been happening on Midgard over the past month with Loki.

Ash sighed as she walked through the throne room, making her way to the front gates of the castle. She stopped out side the doors of the castle as she stood in the sunlight, with her hair slightly flowing through the wind.

Thor approached her from behind and asked, "You spoke with my mother?"

Ash glanced at him before looking out at the gate. "I did..."

He stood quietly for a second before taking the chance of asking, "What did she say?"

"Well..." She hesitated for a moment, looking down. "She's worried about Loki." She shifted her foot around in the grass as she watched the blades of grass move under the slight pressure of her foot. "She said... that I should reach out and help him."

Thor crossed his arms as he looked out and shook his head. The frown on his face showed the disappointment in his eyes. "She has so much faith that my brother can be saved..." He clearly lost all faith in Loki.

"He can be." Ash turned towards him with determination. "It just requires the right motivation. Don't you...?" She trailed off on her question and looked down.

Thor furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at her and questioned, "You are sure your judgment will not distract you upon your confrontation with Loki?"

Ash swallowed as she closed her eyes and breathed, "I can handle Loki... I won't be afraid."

He nodded his head as he continued, "Well you will have to convince my friends of that. They are skeptical to believe that a simple Midgardian girl could handle a God such as Loki. They were training in the gardens last I saw them. They wished your presence so they could discuss what is to happen when Loki arrives."

Ash sighed and nodded her head as Thor led her to the gardens where she noticed Fandral and Steve facing off, as well as Sif and Tony. As she sat beside Volstagg she noticed that Tony was getting his butt kicked. She chuckled to herself before turning and facing those who were already sitting beside her. She noticed that they were all eating sandwiches. She didn't know it was time to eat already.

Clint suddenly walked in front of her and said, "I've ordered the gardens cleared. No eyes should spot any of us here."

"How'd you manage that?" She questioned with a confused tone.

"Queen's orders." He replied with a smirk before walking back to his seat near Natasha.

Volstagg's deep voice suddenly asked beside her, "So Loki's chosen you as his Queen of Midgard as well? You're but a mortal!"

Ash looked up at him and noticed he looked rather surprised. She gave him a studying look for a moment. "I am from Midgard. But do not mistake me for a mortal." The tone of her voice changed to something more threatening as she stared at him. He looked at her too, as though feeling the heaviness of her eyes on him.

The other Avengers suddenly shouted as their sandwiches were dropped to the ground. Ash and Volstagg looked over to them and noticed that small insects had infested their food. Ash then lightly chuckled as she stood from her seat, saying again, "As I said, I am not a mere mortal." She moved beneath a tree and she leaned on it. The insects disappeared from their food with a mild glow, but they were no good now on the ground. They were all looking at Ash in annoyance but she didn't pay attention to that. She was irritated where she was.

Ash had many thoughts in her mind. Just how could she not think about the day of Loki's arrival? She was still mentally debating with herself on what she was going to do. She already decided to heed to Frigga's words, but how could she convince Loki of her intentions?

As Sif walked past her, she commented, "It seems you've picked up Loki's tricks."

Ash bit her tongue as she didn't want to go too far to defend Loki. She had chosen to help the Avengers. She couldn't defend Loki if her side was with them. She sighed in irritation. 

Natasha suddenly leaned beside her on the tree and gave a glance to her. "Don't worry, Ash. They just don't understand who you are exactly. You're just... different."

Ash looked away from her as she put her back against the tree and muttered, "It's not like I haven't heard that before..." She kicked the stump of the tree. "'You're different, Ash', 'You're adopted', 'You're such a freak, Ash', 'Why are you...'" She trailed off of her sentence as she took a deep breath. "I can't help that he's the only man who's loved me so... He did all this to make me his Queen. Queen Ash of Midgard... I didn't want all of this but he made me feel no different than him..."

Natasha cleared her throat, catching Ash's attention. She glanced at Natasha, only realizing that the others had gathered to begin planning their attack. Ash nodded her head and looked down.

Steve commented, "You know... Ash... If you aren't feeling up to this you don't have to. You could always leave it to us."

"So you could kill him while I'm not there?"

Thor slightly tilted his head as he defended, "Lady Ash, you know that is not our intentions."

She sighed as she conceded, "I know. But I have to be there... I have to do this... You know I'm the only reason he's coming back anyway. He's coming for me."

"But what are you going to do?" Sif questioned, having almost a change of heart towards Ash, "The minute Loki suspects anything you would be put right in the middle of the danger."

"Surely you could use my help in some way!" Ash looked down at the ring on her finger and then looked back up saying, "What about all of those people that Loki has mentally trapped as his slaves? Couldn't I help free them like what I did with Thor?"

Tony shook his head and commented, "Too many of them. You practically need a worldwide nuke for that to work."

"I could do it!" She pressed with desperation in her voice.

Steve lifted an eyebrow and questioned, "After all that teleporting between Asgard and Earth weren't you exhausted? I don't think you should try it."

Ash glanced around at all of them and was disappointed that none of them had taken her side for it. She rolled her eyes and shouted, "I'm not weak like you all think I am! I am not going to be regarded as a petty mortal that would only get in the way of things!" She turned and left frustratedly while muttering under her breath, "I can't wait for Loki to come back..."

Thor glanced at Tony as Ash stormed away to her room.

The moment she stepped into her room, she shut the doors and sat on her bed with a huff of anger. She shouted to the blank space of the room, "Why do you have to leave me like this?!" She screamed her frustrations out. "Damn you!" Sure, yelling at a nonexistent Loki was a pretty dull thing to do but there was nothing else for her to calm her nerves. This was all Loki's fault anyway. She supposed the Avenger's were also to blame. It was their fault that she was mentally breaking down. They were the ones who didn't want her to get involved. She was going to do just the opposite of what everyone told her to do. They want to leave her out... She was going to show them just how strong she was.