Valkyrie (Complete)

4: The Dungeon

Her head feels heavy, her mouth is dry, and her hands are tied tightly together.

Those are the first three things she notices when she wakes up. The next things are that she's on something hard and uncomfortable, that the air is stifling and hot, and that she isn't alone. She sits up and realizes that she's in a dungeon. She was lying on a metal bed that juts out from the wall, the two far corners held by thick chains that connect with the ceiling.

She sees the other members of her team sitting silently around the room. They all look defeated as they lean against the wall and stare at nothing. She swings her feet off the edge of the bed and that seems to snap them out of the trances they were in.

Phoenix is the first to her, his hands tied tightly in front of them. "Are you alright?"

She puts her hands up to her forehead in an attempt to ease her headache, then nods. "I'm okay." Her voice is gravelly.

He hands her a cup of water and she drinks it quickly, the cool liquid waking her up. "Better?"

"Much." She hands the cup back to him and he sets it on a tray by the locked door. "Thanks."

Suddenly, his eyes change from worried to furious. "What the hell were you thinking?" He nearly snarls. "You got yourself captured! They almost killed you!"

She hangs her head. "I'm sorry."

He isn't expecting her to do that. He was expecting the familiar anger, her head held high with a defiant look on her face, not the weak submission she just gave him. It's unlike her and he suddenly regrets how harshly he spoke to her. He sighs and sits on the metal platform next to her. "This is why I said we should stay in the forest."

"I'm sorry," she says again, but her voice sounds different. She sounds like she's about to cry, only Valkyrie doesn't cry, right? He's never seen anything but the stony face of a warrior and the thought of her crying unnerves him.

He puts his hands under her chin and tilts her face towards his. She looks completely and utterly defeated, her eyes watering as she tries to look away. She pulls her face back and scoots back until she's leaning against the wall. She curls into a ball, her knees pulled to her chest with her arms on top, and her face buried in there. Her dark hair, previously pulled into thick braids, now falls messily into her face and is tied into knots. Sticks, leaves and dirt are wrapped in strands of hair and mud smudges her face. Her eyeliner is smeared and there's a purple bruise stretching from her cheek to the back of her jaw.

Suddenly, he realizes what the matter is. He was so preoccupied being angry and worried that the thought never occurred to him.

Her father is dead, and she watched him die.

Lord, how could he forget? It's what made her lose control in the first place.

He moves back so he's beside her and presses his hip and shoulder against hers. He feels a slight shake come from her, and he wishes his hands weren't tied. He looks down at the rope, then facepalms himself. Rope is flammable. He sets his hands on fire and the rope is gone in seconds. Then, he undoes Valkyrie's rope and then Kaj's and Eira's. They're both incredibly glad to have it off.

He goes back to Valkyrie only to find that steel cable is wound around her wrists. It didn't burn off, but the outside rope part did. He looks at it in shock.

She hasn't moved since she curled into the ball, and he glances back at the two other people. They exchange worried looks before Eira steps up and freezes the steel. "Try to break it," she says softly to Valkyrie. "It's more brittle now."

She still doesn't move and she feels someone grasp her hands before pulling them away from each other sharply. The metal does not give way, only cuts into the skin on her wrist. Pain blossoms, but she's too numb for it to register. Swearing follows the failed attempt, and now Kaj tries to force it to break. After all, metals are found naturally, so he should be able to control it. However, the more he tries to control it, the tighter it gets. It bites into her skin and blood seeps out, leading to more cuss words.

She lifts her head. "Leave it."

"But don't you want it off?"

She shakes her head. "I deserve it. I got you put in here," she says to Phoenix. "And I probably somehow got you two in here too. It's my fault, and this is my punishment." She shrugs. "And besides, what does it matter? We aren't getting out of here anytime soon, and even if we did, it's pointless for me. I have nowhere to go and no one to go to."

Her three teammates stare at her in shock. Of all the years they've known her, she had never once given up. Everything that had stood in her path was an obstacle to overcome and nothing more. She was determined and headstrong and always accomplished whatever her sights were set on.

Phoenix sits beside her and rests a hand on her shoulder blade. "I'm sorry," he whispers to her. "I'm sorry about your father, but there is nothing you could have done. Don't blame yourself."

She says nothing.

"Eira, Kaj and I are your family too, so you do have a reason to get out of here. You have to fight, especially now. You trained for your mother, and then for your father, and I'm asking you now to fight for us. We love you and you're more than just a teammate. I need you to pull it together and snap out of this little phase you're in, because we can't get out of here without you." He's slightly out of breath when he finishes his rant, but it's worth it. He gets the reaction he wanted.

She gets to her feet in front of him, her eyes blazing with fury. "'Little phase?'" She repeats. "'Little phase?'" She takes a step forward and he takes a small step back, moving off the metal bed as he fights to suppress a grin. "I watched my father die," she snarls. "I can't just snap out of that! You have no right to say that, especially when your family is fine. You have no idea what it feels like, so don't act all high and mighty with me."

Her eyes are changing colors rapidly as her powers turn on and off like a switch, each taking a turn. She does not lose control of them, but she does have to work to keep them checked. Her mouth is set into a determined line and her cheeks are set with the action. Her eyes are squinted ever so slightly and she looks beyond livid.

"I know I don't know," he murmurs, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Then why would you say that?" She snaps at him, looking as if she could spit fire.

He finally gives up on holding back his smile as he points to her hands. The metal binding is off, snapped into small pieces that are scattered around the room. She looks at him in confusion. "I knew if I made you angry enough, you could snap them. You're the only one with enough power to do that."

Her angry expression returns. "Whatever your reason was, your words were cruel. You cannot expect me to be fine after becoming an orphan."

He puts his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. It was insensitive and I didn't mean it. I just didn't know what else to do."

"You looked like you gave up," Eira chimes in. "It was frightening. I've never seen such a blank look before."

Kaj decides to pipe up as well. "We do need you to get out of here though. You're the strongest and the most unpredictable. We might be able to make it out without you, but the odds are much better if you're with us." He bumps his shoulder with hers affectionately. "Not that we would ever leave you here. No one is ever left behind."

She smiles at that and the determined look returns to her eyes. Her grin is malicious and suddenly her teammates almost feel bad for the Ankathians. "Let's go, then."