Hearts Divided

Chapter 6: The Accords

Elsa's POV

In the weeks after Lagos, I felt my ice queen mask slowly start to slip into place again. I couldn't help but blame myself for what had happened. I should have moved faster to get to Rumlow, I should never have let myself get shot in the shoulder by his 'god killers'. I am Asgardian, I should have been better than that and yet, I fell for his stupid taunts. I fell right into his little trap. People died and their blood was on my hands.

Even though it was only eight in the morning, I was already on my fourth HARM room simulation of the day. I had already worked through the battle of New York, Hydra taking over Washington and Sokovia. Running out of options, I set the HARM room to a random setting and found myself in what looked like a suburban house being attacked by undercover Hydra agents. Gripping my staff a little bit tighter, I sent a blast at one of the agents which shattered the bed in front of me. Just as the 'Hydra agent' rolled off the bed, someone powered down the simulation. I had a feeling who had stopped the simulation even before I turned around.

"Come on, dad! Seriously!" I complained as I turned to see him behind the glass separating the HARM room from the observation room with his arm crossed.

"Oh, I am completely serious, Elsa Margret Rogers," dad said, making me cringe at the use of my full name. "Out. Now. And I mean it."

I knew there was no point in arguing with him when he was in full 'dad mode', mostly because he knew what was going on in my head and that's because he had been where I was. But what I wasn't expecting was to find Cedric standing in the room behind dad, standing in the exact same position with his arms across his chest.

"Okay, what is this? Gang up on Elsa day!" I asked as I threw my hands up in the air.

"Were worried about you, love," Cedric sighed as he walked over to me. "You have been shutting everyone out for the past few weeks because you are blaming yourself."

"Of course, I'm blaming myself!" I yelled. "Once again I fell for Rumlow's stupid mind games! Now, because of me being an idiot, people are dead. All because I let Rumlow get under my skin!"

"That's what Rumlow does best, Snowflake," dad said, trying to put his arm around me but I shrugged it off and walked away from both him and Cedric. "He got under my skin as well. He said Bucky and I just...shut down."

"You have saved so many lives, so don't sell yourself short," Ceric told me.

But I still couldn't shake the waves of guilt that continued wash over me, over and over again. Sensing my downward spiral, dad grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the HARM room.

"That's it, I'm going to get through to you. The both of you, if it's the last thing I do."