ALL CHARACTERS ARE PROPERTY OF MARVEL INC. AND THEIR RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES. THE RAIDERS AND ALL TEAMMATES ARE MY IDEA AND BASED ON MARVEL CHARACTERS, BUT ARE IN NO WAY MY CHARACTERS NOR DO I MAKE ANY PROFIT OFF OF THEM. (if I did, would I be writing fanfiction?)
Skip to the next scene (after the gap) if you want to avoid romance!!! You have been warned!!!
I looked into the room, leaning against the doorjamb with my arms crossed. There was nothing I could say to stop him. Any attempt would be futile. I wished it weren't so, but he was a warrior. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.
“Balder, you're not healed.”
“Neither are you.”
“You shouldn't go back yet.”
“I must.”
He lifted the heavy chain mail over his head and let it fall over his white undershirt, then I walked over and picked up his cape. My sweater didn't completely block out the chill, and I pulled the warm fur over my shoulders. “The days grow colder,” noted Balder, trying to hide it as he cringed, lifting his arm to pull on his purple tunic. I grabbed the pins that held his cape on his shoulders and draped it over him, pinning it in place. Left, then right.
He held the sides of my face and looked me in the eyes. “I wish it did not have to be this way,” he said.
I jumped, then carefully wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging him. “I wish you didn't have to go.”
“Such is a warrior's burden. To leave behind a pretty girl to do battle,” he joked lightly with a chuckle.
He held my head gently, dropping his belt to cradle the small of my back. He kissed me, his lips soft against mine, but still insistent and demanding.
I wish I could better describe that place, in his arms and against his lips, but frankly, there weren't a lot of words for it. I loved him. There was nothing to describe that.
“So he's going back and leaving you here?” demanded Sophie.
“Yeah,” I shrugged.
“Ugh! Just like a man,” she huffed.
“Sophie, this goes back to the, 'he's king of Asgard' thing? Meanwhile, I'm sitting here eating cheesecake and ignoring my destiny and yadayadayada. I shouldn't have let him go alone. But I couldn't go with him.”
“He wanted you to,” thought Katy.
“I wanted to.”
“Then why don't you?” asked Agea.
“Because I feel like every time I think about it I just. . . I get stuck. We don't even know what caused them to attack Asgard in the first place!” I sighed.
We all stood up suddenly as we heard screaming from farther in the city. A dangerously long, silent pause followed, in which all of our hearts beat five times as fast. “The Avengers aren't here,” said Katy.
“Well we gotta do something,” said Sophie as she pulled her iPod out of her pocket and started running her finger over the touchpad in a very specific way, like a code. “Bob, engage emergency protocol 616—supervillain attack.”
“Anthy!” I heard, in a familiar booming voice.
“Thor!”
“We Avengers have other business to attend elsewhere, thus it must be you four who stops this menace.”
He handed me a sword in a sheath, a belt, and wristguards which I strapped on. “Thanks Thor!” I called, turning, running, then leaping into the air and flying straight for the danger alongside Katy. Agea and Sophie were ground control, as Sophie was locking her gauntlets to her wrists, huge metal bracelets designed to look like Iron Man's suit. They were even that same sexy red color.
“Who are we up against!?” called Katy.
“Not sure yet!” answered Agea, with a rather satisfied face. “But something tells me that this is gonna be nice and fun!”
As she said that, a car flew past, thrown by an opponent from around the corner. “Holy. . .” muttered Katy.
“Enchantress!” I shouted, and she turned her blonde head as a huge man with metal skin threw another car.
“Ah, I see that our attempts to draw the fair maiden out of hiding have succeeded,” she said, her hands starting to glow with that greenish energy. “Um, should we leave that to you?” asked Agea, who was at my side. Her favorite black heels had smallish white wings on the ankle straps, which enabled her to fly, like hip Hermes magic sandals. Only rock 'n roll three in high heels.
“Please,” I answered firmly.
Why wasn't I totally scared? Why wasn't my heart beating like crazy? Why was I so sure that I could fight?
I clicked the belt around my waist and drew the sword just in time for Enchantress to rush at me. I blocked her attack and pushed her back, then flew straight at her. The sword Thor had given me was light and weighed almost nothing, and gleamed in the light like it was made of pure silver.
“So, you have become fearless, have you child!?” she demanded playfully.
“Nope,” I answered, and instead of holding the sword with two hands, I held it with one, the way that Fandral had taught me. This left my free hand available to grab her hand by the palm and push it away, then catch her in the side with my blade.
She screamed, then flew back. She wasn't used to a foe that was as fast and agile as she was. Her hand moved from her side and she gasped as she stared at the red drops that fell from her palm.
“You little whore!”
“If I'm a little whore, what does that make you?” I asked, and Agea laughed.
“Ooh,” called Sophie as she caught X-Ray by the hands and then, using the power her gauntlets gave her, lifted him up and threw him down like a rag doll, slamming him into the ground.
Enchantress came back, but I blocked again, and we continued this dance, over, and over, and over, until both of us were panting and exhausted. Suddenly, her glowing hands changed color. The energy became more intense, and there was a palpable heat to it as it brushed past my face. She raised both her hands above her head, and I swore.
“Look out below!” I called, and the girls all threw down the U-Foes and flew off, as Enchantress released a blast of energy that was hot enough to burn my skin. I felt it as I hit the concrete, and she continued to hit me with it.
The pain! God, the pain was bad, it felt like the worst burn I'd ever gotten from hot side of the oven, all over. I screamed, and just before I thought I'd pass out, the burning finally stopped.
I panted, gasping, as I opened my eyes and looked up.
I wasn't dead.
And now that I was cooling off, I wasn't hurt.
How was I not dead or hurt?
My indestructible tunic was fine, but my jeans had been shredded, and my wristwarmers had been obliterated. My sneakers were gone.
“Hey Anthy!” I heard, and a pair of black shorts flew by. Katy had picked them up from a demolished store, and I pulled them on before leaping into the air again and going back at Enchantress, who had exhausted herself out. I'd lost my sword, but all it took was a block, a kick, then a punch, and she was down for the count. She slammed into the ground so hard that concrete shattered and any leftover windows shook.
I hovered above her, above the buildings, looking down at Enchantress, my bloody knuckles the only wound I had to show for what had just happened.
“Dude,” breathed Katy. “You just. . . you just beat the Enchantress.”
“Anthy, I don't know if I should be leader,” admitted Agea suddenly, as she flew up next to me and Katy, Sophie on the other side. “Not if someone like you is on the team.”
I looked at her and the other girls and then heard a sound I hadn't heard in days – a horse's gallop.
“Anthy! Fair lady, Anthy!”
“Fandral!” I answered, gliding to the ground to meet him, Hogun and Volstagg.
“Odin's eye. . .” he gasped, looking at me and then at Enchantress.
“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing just now,” I said.
“Anthy, something very grave has happened, you must tell us--” began Volstagg, before he was interrupted by a calmer, more gathered Hogun.
“Did you steal Gungnir and Brinsingamen?”
“Um. . . bless you?” I retorted, still not used to an Asgardian's foreign tongue.
“Anthy this is serious!” thundered Thor, and I gasped and jumped back as he landed near me, static in the air. “Did you take the spear of my father Odin and the necklace of Freyja!?”
“No!” I shouted, jumping back into Volstagg's gut as Thor's rage rang out in the sky as huge peals of thunder. I trembled with fear and anger. How could he ask me that!? He knew me! “Thor I would never steal anything from Asgard!”
“Then why were you seen brandishing Glitnir!?”
“You gave it to me!” I screeched back.
“Thor, we saw you give it to her!” snarled Agea after her spear whizzed past Thor's head, getting his attention.
Katy was at the ready, unfamiliar with the mighty Avenger's wrath. Sophie was trembling, scared and confused.
“I did no such thing!”
“Then who did?” called the reasonable voice of Captain America as the other Avengers approached cautiously. I turned to Volstagg's gut and was led away by broad, strong hands, comforting in meaning but somehow all the more accusing.
Oh hayl no!!! What is going on!?! New Powers? New Foes? Who's been stealing from Asgard!? Who framed Anthy? And who is the only one that Agea thinks can help? Find out next time in: Midguardian, chapter 4.
By the way, the songs Heads Will Roll by the Yeayeahyeahs and The choice is yours but Black Sheep served as the music I listened to while writing the Enchantress/Anthy fight.
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