Banished| Book One In The Series | Avengers Fan-fic| ****ON HOLD****

30. Aftermath

Hey ya'll!

Okay. This is it.
We are halfway done with this book.
*collective gasp*
I know, I know, but it's pretty awesome!

Anywho, Enjoy!

Meira:

It was sunny when I woke.

Sunlight spilled in through the windows and made the whole barn feel warm. Birds chirped outside and the trees shook in the light breeze. It was early, I could tell from looking around and seeing everyone else asleep. The fire had gone out and only a few, small embers glowed faintly under the burnt logs. Despite the calm atmosphere, something felt deeply wrong.

When I looked down at my bloodied shirt though, I suddenly remembered. The shouting, the running, the fighting, the blood, and the smell of smoke coming from all directions. It was too much, it was all too much to think about.

I slowly sat up, my head still pounding and whole body aching. Lee's arm fell from across my stomach and he woke instantly.

"Hey, you're up." Lee rubbed his eyes and rolled over onto his back, scowling before sitting up next to me. "How are you feeling? Do you need anything?" I pulled the bronze sword into my lap, tracing my fingers down the blade.

"A shower." I rasped and then coughed. My throat burned and my eyes watered. Lee stood and helped me to my feet, and after many protests I finally let him take the sword and gently placed it against the wall. Lee led me to the showers and brought me back some clothes from my bag.

"I'll go get the others up and we'll get some breakfast going, okay kid?" Lee said. I nodded and he left. I stepped into the shower room which was at the very back of the barn as though it had been added on not long ago. I stepped into the steaming water, watching the blood rinse out of my hair and down the drain. It was almost hypnotic.

I get out once the water turns cold and dressed into a shirt, a thin hoodie, and some jeans. I swallowed down the vomit threatening to spill out of me as I bundle up the bloodied clothes. The sight of blood isn't what makes me nauseous; it's the fact that I am the cause of it being spilled.

I dump the clothes in the empty trash bin outside the shower room and head back to the front of the barn. I don't feel as bad as I did yesterday, in fact I feel nothing. Honestly, I did not know Ylva well enough to feel this kind of....grief. I met her and concluded to myself that she did not enjoy the company of others. Yet when I saw her, willingly give up her life to save mine......

"Meira."

I look up at Bruce, who looks like he just woke up. I've noticed he tends to shift on his feet a lot and have a nervous air about him. I'm standing at the wall corner and realize that I've been standing here for a few minutes, staring at the hay covered floor.

"How are you feeling?" He asked me, watching my face carefully.

"Much better." I lie and step past him. I walk towards where Lee and Tony are arguing about what they should have for breakfast.

"Restaurant. Five miles away - who's in?" Tony looks around the room, clapping his hands together. Natasha shrugs and Steve doesn't say anything. Clint is still asleep and so is Aaron. 

"I need you guys need to do something for me first." I say quietly. Lee turned to me and I looked back over to the sword.

"Get the other two up," I said. Silence stretched in the room. "And someone help me find some flowers."

~

Natasha and I tied together the last bright red flowers and small white flowers with black middles together, making a small wreath. It didn't take long because surprisingly, she knew how to do this. It made me wonder about the past of the red haired woman.
 
We were all outside now, some ways behind the barn in a wheat field. It was a bright, windy day, and all of us were working hard. I gave the task of finding the rocks to Lee, Clint, and Aaron, who begrudgingly agreed to help. Steve and Tony were busy making a large circle small holes where the rocks would be placed in. Bruce was wrapping the sword in a thin cloth like I showed him, being careful not letting it touch the ground.

We had been working since for a good thirty minutes when the guys came back, all struggling to carry the semi large rocks in their hands. Once the mini boulders were fixed in the holes, I made each person stand in a line a few yards away from the circle. I whispered into Bruce and Natasha's ear, telling them what to do.

I waited.

The sun burned my skin.

I waited.

No one spoke.

I waited.

Third Person POV:

Meira stood there, barefoot, staring out across the field. Her blinding white hair flowing behind her. Finally, she slowly rose her arm, and to the others surprise it lit on fire. But this was no ordinary fire, it was a bright blue.

This obviously shocked Meira as well, for she stopped to stare at her blue flaming hand. Though she quickly shook it off, and then began to light each of the rocks on fire until it was just a ring of blue flames.

Meira held out her hand and Bruce stepped forward, handing the sword to her. Meira looked down at the sword and sighed, beginning to speak.

"I do not know the past you held," she said. "Nor do I know the battles you have fought; but you saved my life. For that, I give my forever thanks."

Meira paused. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the hilt even tighter and pulled away the cloth. The blood of  Ylva was still spotted onto it and deep scratches lines made its way down the sword. Angry suddenly erupted inside her and a new feeling:

Clarity.

Meira's eyes blazed and a burning taste of revenge sat in her mouth. "I promise you," Meira said, loud enough for the others to hear. "That I will survive. I will drive my sword into the one who has taken too many innocent lives on this planet. I will make him feel your pain. I will survive. I will return to Thorix and the kingdom will be revived again."

The bronze sword done in the light as she held it above her. "And I will never let anyone fall at my doings again." Meira whispered. With a flash, the sword was struck down into the ground. Natasha slowly stepped forward and helped Meira place the wreath over the hilt where it now rests.

They stared at the memorial for quite some time. Meira, after the sun had long since reach the middle of the sky, turned on her heel and started for the barn.

"Well come on," she called over her shoulder. "The food isn't going to make its self."

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~Athena.