The Valiant (The Seventh Avenger)

Chapter 66

My eyes slowly open to a different view, the island of Asgard in space with water flowing off into the abyss of the universe. Smoke and flames erupt from the structures and in the distance, I can hear screams, chills run through me when I realize I don't really know what I'm getting myself and Evan into. I unbuckle the two of us and lean Evan against the wall before shaking Thor awake.

"What are we even doing here?" I ask him, he groggily looks over at me before jumping up and looking at Asgard. Coldness erupts around me, I look around but only find Evan to be sleeping, so what is making my body shiver? I look over at Thor and recognize what is actually happening. I put my hand on his shoulder in condolence. Despite this whole new feeling, somehow I knew what it meant.

"We're here to defeat my sister," he says.

"Ok, where's Odin? Why didn't he just put her in a time out?" I ask crossing my arms, but I knew I must have said something wrong. Thor looks down at his hands and a deep pang in my chest begins to spread its way throughout my body. "I'm so sorry Thor I didn't know..."

"How could you have known?" Thor puts on a mask of a smile over his face, but his eyes say otherwise. I can't imagine what he's been through in the past few years since Ultron, even since I've met him. He's been through the most of all of us and we seem to overlook that a lot since he is a god, but that doesn't mean he can't go through things. "Let's just take care of this and get my home back."

I nod my head and leave the conversation there, I find myself next to my brother and gently shake him awake. I almost pull my hand away from the coldness that fills my hand, but I gently shake him awake. His eyes pop open and flames automatically appear around his arms which only triggers me to do the same.

"Evan! Evan! Take deep breaths, you are okay," I grab his hand and force him to look me in the eyes. His breathing calms down and I nod my head. "You're okay, you're safe."

His eyes return back to their normal and he sighs before hanging his head, I rub his back before shaking my head.

"He's in no place to fight," I look over at Thor who only looks down.

"What no, I'm fine. I can fight," Evan jumps up and I try to herd him down but he only smacks my hands away. "I am fine, I can fight. Don't become one of the creatures on my list that try to control my life, Grace."

I nod my head and remorse fills my chest, I wasn't trying to be like them, I was just trying to help him have some breathing space before being thrown into this life like I was. Thor pats me on the shoulder before sitting back down. Bruce and Valkyrie stirred awake and quickly got up to go in the back as Thor descends the ship onto the ground. Thor leaps down and I follow him, I'm not sure how much longer I could push the lump in my throat down.

"It's been a long time since I've been here," I say after admiring the designs on the empty hallway walls. Memories play in my mind of training with Lady Sif and Loki with my abilities, of Frigga showing me kindness and Odin showing me what the true cost of being a king is. We descend a staircase before Thor stops in his tracks.

His gaze speaks a thousand words as it looks over the horizon of Asgard in flames. He looks down at himself before looking back out, his fists are clenched and anger replaces the sadness in his eyes.

"Thor?" His gaze travels down to me, a chill sweeping its way through me from the look of this god, the new ruler of Asgard. He just walks away and into a room, I wait outside to give him some space to contemplate what had happened. How he had lost numbers in his people, how he lost most of his family, how Loki had betrayed him again.

I found myself to be gazing back out at the horizon; where flames and smoke rise above the buildings in the distance, where crashed ships and bodies lay at the gateway to the rainbow bridge, where the bodies lay... My chest tightens and I collapse onto my knees as gasps and wheezes erupt from my mouth. Visions explode into my vision, creating a whirlwind of emotions and pain to shatter and rebuild in my body.