The Prince and the Sol

Chapter 30

ELIZA'S POV

"Are you all right?" Loki whispers to me, putting his hands into the pockets of his black suit.

"Not really," I confess, glancing around. There's a massive congregation here for Tony's funeral, all gathered outside of his cabin. We're waiting for the family. A little ways away, I spot familiar faces. Bruce and Steve converse quietly, with Wong and Stephen behind them. Wanda, Sam, and Bucky are farther down, and both Scott and Clint are reunited with their families. I smooth my black dress. "I just... I can't believe he's gone."

"We'll heal, eventually. All of us." Loki's eyes are faraway as they sweep over the lake. It's a beautiful day, not too warm, and full of sunshine. If only he was here to see it. But Tony wasn't ever big on nature or landscapes. People usually try to romanticize the dead, but I don't bother. If Tony was here, he'd laugh at me for enjoying the view and drag me into the garage. And I'm okay with remembering that version of him.

"How do you know?" A single tear slides down my cheek. I've cried so much in the last few days I'm surprised I still can. But you always can cry more, because there is always something left to be broken. He wipes my tear away.

"Because life somehow goes on. And he'll live on, too, in all of us. We'll tell our daughter the stories of him, and she'll pass these on to her children, and so forth. It's how legends are made, love."

"He certainly will be a legend. He would have liked to meet her," I say, placing a hand on my small bump. "He would have been such a good uncle."

"I know."

The Stark family walks down the steps. Pepper puts on a brave face for little Morgan, but I know she's close to breaking all over again. Loki puts his arm around my waist, and I lean my head on his shoulder. Pepper places a wreath in the lake. It slowly starts to float away, but not before I read the words.

Proof that Tony Stark has a heart.

He did.

He most certainly did.

After the main events of the funeral, people mill around, exchanging hugs and stories. I use my magic to sweep around, see who needs comforting the most. "Loki, I'll be back. I have to talk to someone."

"Okay. I'll see you in a little while." He goes to join Thor, and I walk up to someone standing apart from everyone else by the water's edge.

"This isn't your fault," I whisper to Stephen. He sighs.

"It kind of is."

"No, it's not."

"If it wasn't for my meddling, he still would be here." Stephen's not a particularly emotional person, but guilt is bottled up inside of him, begging to be released. I saw his expression as he knelt for Tony. His guilt and anguish is even worse now.

"I wouldn't be here. You saved me. So many of us would be gone if you hadn't done what you did. You saved everyone else. That's what this job is. We save as many people as possible. You know that." Steve's words, but they seem appropriate.

"When I became a doctor, I took an oath to save lives, not sacrifice them. And now, I feel like I manipulated an innocent man into his death."

"Come on. You know that's not true at all." I make sure he's looking at me. "You knew we needed to live. You knew I needed to help with the gauntlet. You knew he needed to snap it. You saved everyone else. And if you had let Tony die on Titan, it would have been worse. You gave him five extra years, full of love and family and peace. And you saved everyone else."

"You're good at this," he mumbles.

"Stephen? I can tell you're not a hug person, but do you need one?" After a second of hesitation, he nods. I get on my tiptoes and give him a hug, taking a bit of his guilt away. He's stiff at first, but slowly relaxes.

"Thank you."

"You're not in this alone. We're all going to get back on track together. You should join us."

"Okay." The two of us walk back over and rejoin the main group. I haven't seen so many of these people in years. Embraces are exchanged, tears shed. At one point, someone tugs on my dress. Morgan. I bend down to be eye level with her.

"Aunt Liza?"

"Hi Morgan," I say, giving her a little smile. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

"Yeah." Her voice is so small.

"What's up?"

"Mommy said you're having a baby. Is it a boy or a girl?"

"A girl," I reply. "Here, give me your hand." I take her little palm in mine and put it on my stomach. "She's right here."

"Wow," Morgan whispers. "Can she be my sister?"

"Of course. You two can be best friends." She smiles, and so do I. It's the first time I've smiled in days.

"Pete's looking for you."

"Is he now? Show me where I'm going, then." She grabs my hand and pulls me through the crowd onto the porch.

"Hey Eliza," he says, getting up from the bench. Morgan trots off to Pepper and Happy.

"Hi. How are you doing?" It's all I've asked today, and I know the answer. His eyes are red and swollen.

"Better, I think. It's just... hard."

"I know," I say sympathetically. "I... I know it's hard now, but we have to believe that things will get better."

"You're right," he says quietly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He gives me a small smile. "Morgan said you wanted to tell me something?"

"Yeah. I'm leaving. I'm heading back to Queens with May in a few minutes, I just wanted time to say goodbye."

"Don't be a stranger, okay? You're welcome to stay with us any time, if you ever need to get away, or if you just want to. I don't really care. Bring a friend. Although if you come in a few months, you might be camping on the couch."

"I'm okay with that. That sounds really great, actually. Congratulations, by the way." He gives me a hug. "I'll see you soon."

"You better." I wave as he makes his way down the steps to find his aunt. "Bye, Peter." That kid has a heart of gold. And maybe I like him because he reminds me a bit of me.

"Still making your rounds? Comforting everyone but yourself?" Steve joins me on the porch, overlooking everyone else.

"No, I think I'm done with that for now," I reply. "When are you putting the stones back?"

"Later today. Bruce thinks the sooner we get them back, the better, and I agree with him. I'm ready to be done with it all."

"What'll you do? Without some galaxy-threatening disaster looming over us?" I joke. Steve's eyes soften, as if he's thinking of something or someone.

"I'll officially retire, I think. Finally get some peace and quiet. I haven't had that since the 1910s."

"True."

"Can I ask your opinion on something?"

"Steve, you're one of my best friends. What's up?"

He seems nervous. "If you wanted something for a long time - I mean, you really wanted it, more than anything - and you finally had the chance to get it, would you?"

"Well, yeah," I respond. "Can you be any more specific?"

"I don't know." He sighs, and I put my hand on his. "Maybe later."

"Whatever it is, I'm always here for you."

He smiles. "Until the end of the line."

Hey! Book's almost over 😭😕 that feels so weird to write. Even after it ends, stay tuned for a few bonus chapters I'm going to post, as well as the new book announcement! Aaaaaaa I'm so excited to share it with you.