The Avengers: Rayne

Chapter 7

Part 7
 
​Loki and I were both handcuffed before being escorted downstairs to the lobby of the building. The cuffs were definitely Asgardian, because they were much stronger than normal handcuffs. Thor accompanied us as we were loaded into the back of an armored truck with several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
 
“Where are you taking us?” Loki glanced over at me, his eyes meeting mine, but he couldn’t speak because of some gag device Thor put on him.
 
“Asgard”, Thor said gruffly.
 
I raised my brows, “Asgard? I can’t go to Asgard.”
 
Thor glanced over at me, pity in his eyes, “The plan was to take the Tesseract back to Asgard and lock it away so that Midgard would not be tempted with its power. Now that there is no Tesseract anymore…” He trailed off, but I knew what he meant. The Tesseract was gone, and I was the one responsible.
 
I felt something touch my hand and looked down to see Loki’s hands. Although we were both handcuffed, he grasped my fingers and held them tightly. I thought of the vision I had of him, lying broken at the bottom of a cliff. I never wanted to feel that cold, empty feeling again. His green eyes met mine and I could almost see the warmth in them. I’d always wanted someone to look at me like that.
 
​The van finally stopped and the doors opened. S.H.I.E.L.D agents grabbed both of my arms, practically yanking me out of the van. A flash of anger shot through me and I felt my power flare up in response. Blue energy blazed to life in my hands and along my arms, crackling wildly like fire. The agents immediately released me, backing away as if I was an explosive. I didn’t feel the amount of control that I normally felt. The power felt so much more magnified than it did before, like it was burning through me. After a very apparent struggle, the energy disappeared from my arms. I could still feel it thrumming within me though, waiting to be released. The agents once again grabbed my arms, although they were more gentle this time. We were led to the center of a courtyard, the circumference completely swarmed with agents. Director Fury himself was waiting for us in the center, accompanied by Dr, Banner. It seemed that the rest of the team was absent.
 
“Director Fury”, I said, “I’d wave, but…” I help up my hands to display the handcuffs on my wrists. His face was the mask of indifference, no expression crossing his face, but I knew he was pissed.
 
“What did you do?” He said the words evenly, anger lacing his words. “Your mission was to retrieve the Tesseract.”
 
“I don’t know what I did, it just happened.” I shook my head, “I can’t go to Asgard.”
 
Fury let out a sigh, “My hands are tied. It’s not safe for anyone for you to be here. If you had another accident it would do more than level an apartment building this time.” He turned to leave.
 
Anger surged through me at his words, “So much for phase 4 then”, I said just loud enough for him to hear me, venom lacing my words. He paused briefly, without turning around, and then he disappeared into the sea of agents around us. My attention turned to Dr. Banner, who I realized was holding some type of tube-like contraption. He looked between me and Loki, a forlorn expression on his face, but he made no comment. Thor took the device from him and passed it to me.
 
“What is this?”
 
“The bifrost on Asgard is still under repair. This was supposed to be for the Tesseract, so now, you’ll have to use it.”
 
“So you’re telling me that you want me to take us back to Asgard?” Thor nodded. I glanced between Loki and him, “I can’t do that, I’ve never done anything remotely like that before.”
 
“Well you did kind of just absorb the Tesseract”, Bruce interjected. I sent a glare his way, energy crackling in my eyes. He help up his hand as if to placate me, “I mean, the cube could be used to travel through space, so theoretically, you should have that same ability. The device does all of the work for you, you just have to twist it.” I nodded, it seemed simple enough. Not that I wanted to go to Asgard, but at least Loki would be there. Bruce backed away from us, and Thor placed his hand on my shoulder and also grabbed Loki’s arm.
 
I held the handles tightly and sharply twisted it. Blue energy engulfed my entire body, it felt so much more potent than it ever had before. A large beam of energy surrounded us, beaming us into the sky. Air rushed all around me, moving so fast that I couldn’t even breathe in.
 
Suddenly, I felt solid ground beneath my feet once again, causing me to stumble. The tube fell from my hands, skittering across the shimmering rainbow floor. Looking around, I could see that we were on some kind of bridge, the end of it broken off. All around us was sparkling blue water, that seemed to pour off the edge into space. I let out an audible gasp as I looked up at the city. The towers gleamed in the sunlight, sparkling gold. It was breathtaking. Someone held out their hand to me and I took it. They lifted me from the ground with ease. However, it as not Loki or Thor that had helped me up, but a man adorned in ornate, golden armor. His dark skin was a stark contrast to his golden colored eyes that seemed to peer into my soul.
 
“Thank you”, I said, meeting his intense gaze.
 
“Heimdall”, Thor said to the man in greeting. “The bifrost seems to be coming along rather nicely.” I looked over to see Loki’s gaze focused on my. I grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly, an action that did not go unnoticed by Heimdall.
“I see that the Silvertongue has found something other than trouble on Midgard.” I felt my cheeks burn as Thor laughed. Horses suddenly arrived to the bridge, with Asgardian soldiers. They too wore a golden armor, but not as ornate as what Heimdall wore. A few moments later, I was atop a horse and we were being escorted to the palace.
 
As we walked into the grandeur of the palace’s entryway, I suddenly became aware of how I looked. My clothes had tears all over and dust everywhere. My hair I’m sure looked like a mess, the glowing white locks tumbling unbound to my waist in waves. Next to Loki, who didn’t even have a hair out of place, I looked even more unkempt.
 
Thor removed Loki’s gag before placing shackles on him- on his ankles, wrists, and neck. He sent a devilish smirk my way before they led us further into the palace. As we got closer to the throne room, I became aware of the energy I could feel thrumming in the air. I had felt it earlier when we first arrived, but it had been faint then. The energy within me seemed to start pulsing in response. I clenched my fists tightly, trying to keep the energy from breaking free. This was the most out of control I had ever felt with my powers, even when I had first gotten them. It felt like there was so much energy in me that my body couldn’t contain it.
 
The guards ushered us forward into the throne room, leaving Thor behind. The room was large- I wouldn’t really call it a room, more like a hall. At the far end of the room was a raised dais with a large golden throne sitting upon it. An older man sat on the throne, dressed in golden armor, complete with a matching golden eyepatch. His white beard was what stood out the most amongst all of the gold. I could only assume that this was Thor and Loki’s father.
 
​A woman dressed in an elegant gown stood off to the side of the throne. Her fair hair was perfectly styled and she held herself with grace. Her eyes locked onto us when we came into the room, and upon seeing Loki, her eyes filled with warmth. She came over to us, as close as the guards would allow her to get, "Loki", she spoke softly.
 
​"Hello mother. Have I made you proud?"
 
​"Please, don't make this worse." Her eyes flicked over to me, taking in my appearance. At the moment, I wanted nothing more than to be able to instantly make myself clean.
 
​Loki gave her a smug grin, "Define worse."
 
​Odin's voice rang out through the hall, "Enough! I will speak to the prisoners alone." The woman gave Loki a sad look before turning on her heel and exiting the room. Loki, seemingly unaware of the security detail, or either he didn't care, stepped towards Odin and laughed.
 
​"I really don't see what all the fuss is about", he said humorously. I narrowed my eyes at him; he knew this was not the time to be goading Odin.
 
​Odin also narrowed his 'eye' at Loki, "Do you not truly feel the gravity of your crimes? Wherever you go there is war, ruin, and death."
 
​"I went down to Midgard to rule the people of Earth as a benevolent God. Just like you."
 
​"We are not Gods. We are born, we live, we die. Just like humans do."
 
​"Give or take 5000 years", Loki muttered.
 
​"All of this because Loki wanted a throne", Odin said warily.
 
​"It is my birthright!"
 
​"Your birthright was to die! As a child. Cast out onto a frozen rock. If I had not taken you in you would not be here now to hate me."
 
​"If I'm for the axe then for mercy's sake, just swing it. It's not that I don't love our little talks, it's just, I don't love them."
 
​"Frigga is the only reason you're still alive, and you'll never see her again. You'll spend the rest of your days in the dungeon." I saw the flash of hurt in Loki’s eyes, no matter how quickly he hid it.
 
​"And what of Thor? You'll make that witless oaf King while I rot in chains."
 
​"Thor must strive to undo the damage you have done. He'll bring order to the nine realms and then, yes, he will be King." Loki fell silent, a sneer on his lips. I felt a flash of anger towards Odin. Didn’t he see that if he had truly loved Loki as his own he wouldn’t have felt the need to seek out respect elsewhere? I know it didn’t excuse what he had done, but it made sense.
 
Blue energy flared to life in my hands, causing Odin to turn his attention to me. He motioned to the guards who grabbed my arms tightly. Another guard came over to me, fastening a pair of silver bracelets to my wrists, and the guards released my arms. The bracelets lengthened, conforming to the shape of my wrist and forearm, until they resembled bracers. A sharp pain jolted through me, the energy vanishing from my skin like a snuffed flame. A small cry of pain escaped my lips as another pain shot through me, causing my vision to blur. My knees hit the floor before I could stop myself from falling. I felt hands on my shoulders and looked to see Loki helping me up, concern etched across his face. I laid my head against his chest, relying on him to hold me up, while I waited for the room to stop spinning.
 
“What the hell is this?” he hissed, his anger seething through his words.
 
“These will contain her powers so that she cannot escape. It will also keep everyone safe.”
 
“By causing her pain?”
 
“It is a small price for the protection of the nine realms.” He waved another hand at his guards, “Take them to the dungeons.” I felt hands grab my arms, practically dragging me from the throne room and taking us deep into the palace.
​
The dungeons were long lines of solid white cells spreading in all directions. Rather than bars, shimmering barriers with golden filigree closed off each cell. The guards took Loki into a large cell, larger than all of the others, and the only one that was furnished. It had to have been his mother’s doing, as an ornate bed, chaise lounge, and other furniture made his room resemble a small bedroom rather than a prison cell. They released his chains and left him in his cell, the barrier going up as soon as they stepped out of the cell. They led me into a smaller cell, directly across from Loki’s, although mine was furnished with only a small cot, like all of the other cells. Obviously being a prince had its perks. One guard grabbed my wrists, unlocking the cuffs from them, but he made no move to take the bracers off.
 
“Aren’t you taking these off?” The guard only shook his head, offering no explanation as he left the cell, the barrier going up behind him.

Thankfully our cells were just the slightest bit away from the rest of the cells, so it was quiet in our corner of the dungeons. I slid down to the floor, I didn’t want to get the cot dirty from my clothes. Loki took a seat on the floor of his cell, looking up to meet my eyes. I absentmindedly traced my fingers along the cool metal of the bracers, feeling the filigree that was carved into the metal.
 
“Loki”, I called softly, breaking the silence that had overcome us, “What happened? On Earth, I mean, with the spear.” His emerald eyes trailed down to the bracers on my wrists before meeting my gaze again. I noticed that the shadows under his eyes were gone now.
 
“To be honest, I’m not entirely sure myself.”
 
“But you have a theory.”
 
He nodded, “My spear and the Tesseract are similar in power. Therefore they are similar to your power since you received your power from the Tesseract. So when you touched the spear, your energy reacted differently.”
 
“I felt like I was somewhere else”, I shuddered as I pictured the vision I had seen. “It felt so real.”
 
“To us, you looked like you were sleepwalking. You were interacting with us, but what you saw was all in your head. You were seeing what the spear wanted you to see.”
 
I nodded, that made sense to me. “And what about the Tesseract?”
 
“I believe that since you had already bonded with the Tesseract you were able to absorb all of its power. Those gauntlets are probably the only reason that you’ve been able to control the power. That is, if they last.”
 
“What do you mean if they last?”
 
“The bracelets weren’t made to withstand that much power. They may be containing it for now, but they may end up only dampening the power in time.”
 
I turned away from him, looking at the cell that was to be my home. “I don’t like this”, I whispered. “It reminds me of when I was locked up in Germany.”
 
“It’s best that you’re here with me, rather than on Earth.” I looked up to meet his gaze. “At least you’re safe here.” There was a distant look in his eyes, like he knew something that I didn’t. Before I had a chance to question him though the barrier to my cell vanished and two guards came in.
 
“The queen has requested your presence.” My eyes widened, looking over to Loki, who looked equally shocked. I nodded, quickly getting up from the floor and following the guards out of the dungeons. After going down many winding corridors, I was finally led into a large sitting room.
 
The queen was seated on a small sofa, but upon us coming into the room, she stood. As she stood she smoothed the skirt of her burgundy gown, making her look like royal perfection.
 
“Leave us”, she firmly commanded the guards. They hesitated briefly, but after a stern look from Frigga, they left the room and closed the door behind them. She smiled warmly at me, motioning for me to come closer.​ She surprised me by embracing me when I came closer to her.
 
“Thank you”, she said softly. I pulled back to look into her honey-colored eyes.
 
“I’m sorry, for what?”
 
“I can see how much he cares for you, and how much you care for him in return. His father has made some mistakes when raising Thor and Loki, and he seemed to see himself inferior. But you treat him as your equal. In the short time you’ve known him, you’ve already changed him for the better. I’d be honored to call you daughter one day.” I felt my cheeks burn and I gave her a look of surprise. She laughed.
 
“Anyway, I noticed that you perhaps needed a change of clothes and possibly a bath. Just can’t let my husband know about this.” I nodded. She went to leave the room, but she turned back to face me, “It was nice to meet you Rayne, I only wish it was under better circumstances.” Then she was gone from the room and three servants took her place.

They showed me to a bathroom where I quickly bathed, scrubbing all of the filth from my body. When I was done with my bath I found a royal blue gown in the dressing room, which I quickly put on. The material was light and flowy, like chiffon, with sheer sleevs that went almost to my elbows. The bodice fit snugly to my figure, the neckline just barely showing a bit of cleavage. At my waist the skirt flared out, the soft material flowing to the ground. The gown was embroidered all over with silver thread, weaving swirling designs on the material. It felt like something a princess should be wearing, certainly not me. The guards came back to the room as I was pulling a pair of silver sandals on and they escorted me back to the dungeons.
 
When we got to the dungeons, it was dark. All of the lights had been put out so I assumed it must be night on Asgard. The only light came from the barriers of the cell and the dull glow that my hair gave off. The guards took me back into my cell and then left the dungeons. I looked over to Loki’s cell; I could see that he was laying on his bed, but I couldn’t tell if he was awake or not. After taking the sandals off, I laid on the cot, covering up with the thin white blanket provided.
 
“Goodnight Loki.”
 
Just as I began to drift off, I heard his voice, “Goodnight Rayne.”