Imagine If You Assembled The Avengers: Volume 3

Sorcerer Supreme (Stephen Strange x reader)

Medieval AU

The woods behind the palace had been forbidden for you to enter since you were a little child; it was the one rule that had never changed in generations, and there were no signs of it changing in your years either. Your parents had told you stories of monsters who roamed there in the night just waiting to prey on wandering children, ready to eat them without a thought. It didn't help that your room had been facing the menacing forest, the moonlight casting shadows that left you with many nights sleepless and filled with the terror that they were the beasts just waiting to clamp their jaws around your young frame and drag you into their lair.

But as you grew into adulthood and your parents had left the kingdom in your keeping as its Queen, those fears waned and faded, though only somewhat; the stories had been fairly gruesome and persistent in their presentation, and the traces of those memories stuck even now. Each night you would stand on your balcony, looking out into the dark foliage, trying to convince yourself to walk into them the next morning, but the walk was yet to happen. You were about to resolve yourself once more when something deep in the woods caught your eye; a swirl of orange, sparks, and then...nothing.

"Your majesty, trouble sleeping?"

"Um...yes," you replied hesitantly, turning to your Lady-in-Waiting as she stood by your door with hands clasped and an almost stern look. "I believe that a walk shall do well to soothe my unjustified energies. I'll return shortly, please, do not wait up for me." You hurried back into your room, passing by her and into your closet, slipping on a pair of boots that were hidden by the hem of your nightgown, and a heavy shawl to cover your shoulders, yet large enough to pull over your head in the event of inclement weather or a need to hide your identity.

"Majesty, I must insist-"

"I must insist that you don't," you answered curtly. "I've made it perfectly clear that I'll return shortly, so do not challenge my decision again."

~~~

The sounds of early fall crunched beneath your feet, no matter how much care you were taking to move slowly and to step lightly. There were the beginnings of a chill in the air, leaving you to wonder if you should have taken more care in your choice of cover as your hands began to shake. You weren't paying them much attention, however, as your sights were trained to the center of the forest, where you had seen the strange colors light up the darkness and just as quickly disappear. Your drive to find them had left you filled with inquisitiveness, leaving your years of fear nearly forgotten. You had reached what had to be the center, where you were certain that you saw the lights originate, when you began to decide that maybe you hadn't seen anything at all, and turning back was a wise idea.

"Who are you?" Came a quiet whisper, but you couldn't see from where. The voice seemed to come from all around. You jumped with a yelp, slapping your hand over your mouth quickly to muffle it before any palace guards might hear it and hurry to your aid.

"Who are you? What are you doing in the forest at such a late hour?"

"I might ask the same of you, Majesty. Wandering into the woods alone must be ill-advised."

"If you know that I'm the Queen of these lands, then why do you ask such an inane question? Also, knowing that I am Queen answers your second concern as well, as I am free to roam wherever and whenever I so choose."

The man took a cautious and slow step closer to you, and when you didn't flinch, he took another, and another, until his features came into view under the moonlight. He was of tall stature, with dark hair streaked with grey at the temples, a well-groomed beard, wearing heavy robes and a cloak that seemed to have a mind of its own. "My name is Sorcerer Supreme Stephen Strange," he finally introduced, though quietly, "and I'm sorry to have drawn your attention. It wasn't my intent."