Swan Song ✧ STEVE ROGERS [✓]

11 - Worth It

STEVE AND RAEVANNA RETURNED TO THE BASE WITH HEAVY HEARTS. The loss of Bucky had taken a toll on them, and the only comfort they found was in in each other. Raevanna kept her hand in Steve's even after they returned, hoping that her presence would somehow help heal his broken heart.

Raevanna hadn't known Bucky as long, so she hadn't been as close to him as Steve had been. But she still cared about Bucky; he was a good, kind man, and he had such a long, full life ahead of him.

He hadn't deserved to die. It should have been Zola, not Bucky.

Raevanna knew she shouldn't have been thinking that way, but she couldn't help it. She hadn't told Steve (or anyone for that matter), but she had sensed Gurak's influence when they were on the train. He had most likely been the one that had revived the HYDRA trooper, which had led to Bucky's death. And Raevanna couldn't help but feel responsible.

A few days after Bucky's death, Steve suddenly vanished into the night without so much as a word to anyone. Raevanna had to admit she was worried; they were in London, and one of the nearby cities had been destroyed by bombs. She had no idea if more bombs would drop or if any shells were lying around, and with Steve by himself, there was no telling what could happen to him. So she thought of the one place where he might be and went there.

Raevanna found him in the ruins of what was formerly the bar where Steve had enlisted the Howling Commandos. She followed the voice of a radio through the rubble, coming across Steve. He was sitting at the bar in the exact same spot that he and Bucky had sat in, pouring himself a drink.

Steve looked up when Raevanna found him, but his eyes didn't light up like they usually did when he saw her. Instead, they were cold and dull, void of any happiness and warmth. It broke Raevanna's heart to see it.

"Dr. Erskine said that... the serum wouldn't just effect my muscles, it would effect my cells," Steve said as she approached him. "Create a protective system of regeneration and healing. Which means, um... I can't get drunk. Did you know that?"

Raevanna nodded. "Your metabolism burns four times faster than the average person. He thought it could be one of the side effects." She took a seat next to him and put her hand on his. "Steve, it wasn't your fault."

"Did you read the reports?" Steve asked. When Raevanna nodded, he went on, "Then you know that's not true."

"You did everything you could," Raevanna told him. "Did you believe in Bucky? Did you respect him?" Steve looked at her as if to say yes, so she continued, "Then stop blaming yourself. Allow Bucky the dignity of his choice. He damn well must have thought you were worth it." She sighed, looking down. "And besides... it's my fault he's dead."

Steve started, looking at her in concern. "What are you talking about?"

"I..." Raevanna shook her head. "I haven't been completely honest with you." She looked up at him. "I thought I was alone when I came here. But it turns out... my past has come back to haunt me. You see, one of my responsibilities as Champion is keeping the peace, which includes keeping the creatures known as Orcs in line. Before I was born, they went on a rampage through Elyon, destroying everything in their path in the hopes of conquering the land and ruling over us. But the dark fae were the ones who stopped them, and used their magic to seal them in a dark corner of the island known as the Wastelands. Ever since then they've been escaping, little by little, wreaking havoc on my people. And it's my job to make sure they don't do any serious damage." Raevanna closed her eyes. "I've had to kill most of them to do it. And now, one of their leaders, a sorcerer named Gurak, has followed me here, and is determined to make me pay for all the lives I took from his people." She opened her eyes, meeting Steve's gaze. "I met him back at the HYDRA base... and I sensed him on the train." Steve's eyes went wide, but she went on, "He was the one that revived the soldier that killed Bucky. If he hadn't followed me here, Bucky would still be alive."