Avengers Generations

Chapter 34

Einmyria shivered in the vaulted stone room. A delicately-formed chandelier held small white candles far above her head, and cast a pale glow on her white skin as it dimpled with goosebumps. There was a large, curtained bed in the room, as well as two tall windows overlooking the Asgardian forest. On the bed lay a velvet dress, the color of the deepest ocean, and it looked fitted to her own figure. The princess, shivering in her woven S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform, quickly undressed and slipped into the gown. The material rustled as she let it fall over her delicate frame and tied it in the back. As soon as she had done up the lacing, the great stone door - which had been far too heavy for her to move - opened with a powerful creak.

"It fits you well." Hrimthurs spoke quietly in his hauntingly deep voice.

Einmyria gasped and spun suddenly to face his dark face. She felt her heart tremble in her chest and a wave of anxiousness washed over her. "I shudder to think of how you acquired my measurements." She replied after a moment of shock, lifting her chin and not meeting his eye.

Hrimthurs did not respond, but he looked at her with dark eyes, and smiled sadly. "I have prepared this room for you," he said, changing the subject "I hope you find it suitable."

"It is quite comfortable," Einmyria responded softly "For a prison." She stepped stiffly to the window and looked out over the trees - which seemed both familiar and hauntingly distorted to her. She didn't turn to look at her captor, but she could feel his dark presence watching her and evaluating her every action. She felt as if she should say something, but her mind felt blank and afraid. Her arms hung by her side, but she worried that they looked stiff and uncomfortable, and she didn't know how else to hold them.

Hrimthurs stood silent for far too long as he watched her from behind. Einmyria wondered if he felt the tension as well, or if he could possibly read her thoughts. Finally, she felt his huge hand on her back, which startled her - she hadn't heard him move toward her. She prayed he couldn't feel the obvious pounding of her heart.

"Come dine with me." He said. He had said it as a command, but Einmyria felt as if he was offering her a choice. "You must have an appetite."

Einmyria didn't want to admit how hungry she really was, but she couldn't resist the offer of food. "What shall I wear?" She asked him coldly and quietly, knowing the velvet dress was hardly suitable for dinner.

"I shall have another gown made for you," The giant responded "If you accept my invitation."

"I shall accept your invitation," Einmyria turned and faced him boldly "If the dining room has a lit fireplace."

"A fair deal." Hrimthurs said, smiling his thin, bloodcurdling grin, which caused the princess to shiver.

Hrimthurs turned, causing his robes to swirl and billow with the movement. "I shall see you upon sundown." He said, and walked through the door, which closed with a thunderous sound behind him.

Einmyria crumpled into a shaking mound on the cold, stone floor and tried to control her quick breathing. She couldn't believe what she had just agreed to, and felt nauseated as she thought about it. The Jötun had given her a choice - a say in her fate - and she had consented to spend precious hours of her waning life as his pet. Why had she said yes?

The princess sat on the floor in her chambers for hours, watching her own Asgardian sun sink out of view below the treetops. The hours seemed like days to her as her mind calculated her chances of escape, though it found no means by which to live.

"I have brought you a dress." A voice said behind her. Einmyria turned herself and looked at the woman who had spoken. The newcomer looked at her with a glazed expression on her plain face, and a garment draped over her outstretched arm. The stone door was ajar behind her, though it hasn't made any noise.