The Lost Princess of Asgard

Part II : Chapter XXXII

Part Two: Chapter Thirty-Two.

 Ladies First.

             The cuffs around my wrist loosened, giving me relief.  Go to Loki. Heal him...

             "The scepter!" A strangled voice choked out, snapping me out of my daze.

         "Erik?" I breathed, taking in the sight before me. It was him. The only man that I can love and trust with no fear. He looked tired and disheveled, but it was him and that's all that mattered to me at the moment.

       I rushed towards him, kneeling down as soon as I reached him. He struggled to sit up on his own, so I helped him. His eyes met mine, fading back to their original color. He was no longer under Thanos's spell and a small relieved smile formed on my face.

              My stomach dropped. But I am.

       "Are you alright? Are you injured?" I questioned worriedly, checking him for any injuring but I found no physical mark. He must be in a state of shock.

       I pulled him into a tight hug, relieved to have him back. I never been away from him this long, and these past days, have made me realize just how much reliant I am on him. And just how much I love him. He's the only one who hasn't lost my trust. Well, not by his will at least.

           "I've missed you and I need you...and I promise you that I will get him back for all he's done."

         “I thought I'd never see you again. I'm so sorry, Astryd. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I love you and you are my daughter...but we don't have much time. Loki’s scepter. The energy. The tesseract can't fight, but you can't protect yourself against it. I didn't-” 

          "Don't worry about that.  You didn't know what you were doing. I understand." I interrupted Erik, averting my gaze. A few moments ago, I wouldn't have understood what Erik has gone through. But now, I do. It's not something anyone would wish upon themselves or ever imagine themselves doing. It's like your fully conscious of everything, but as soon as an order comes to you, you lose control and seem to black out.

         "Actually, I think I did." He whispered, eyes wide. "I knew what I was doing and if I fought hard enough, I could crack through his control...I built in a safety to cut their power source."

     There's hope. The thought lingered in my mind, fueling my determination. If Erik could fight against the compulsion, then so can I. Wait a moment...

         I just did. I just broke through his compulsion, but a deep feeling in my gut told me that this wouldn't last for long.

       "The scepter." A voice -Natasha's- muttered in realization. I jumped to my feet, startled. She stood a few feet away, her short red hair whirling around her. She glanced up at me. "Steve sent me after you. He said you were a little...off."