Chapter 28
Thor rushed Jane to go under Eir’s care. Darcy was connected to his energy signature with a copy of the device that Jane had kept. Darcy was looking round Asgard, but it was not an expression of wonder on her face, Thor idly wondered, but a blank mask he had been trained from birth to put on when he did not want his emotions shown, not that he use it very often, his father did so much more often.
Jane was placed on the soul forge Eir directed him to, as Eir turned it on to examine what exactly was within Jane.
Eir sent off one of her assistants. “Get the Midgardian ambassador and the Allfather.”
“This does not require them, surely, Lady Eir?” Thor asked.
“Well, doesn’t this kind of need to be ironed out now, given the treaty yet was signed less than a year ago between the US and Asgard does not have allowances for this, specially as without a special court-mandated emergency exception based on good samaritan laws, this breaks a few of our laws, and the fact that you’re first in line for inheriting the position for the King of Asgard, this could create a very potentially fragile political situation of not ironed out first.” Darcy explained. “That and the limited information that has come through so far about your laws, it’s also sort of illegal, the sort of coming from you guys lacking laws banning royal nepotism.”
“That is an unusual but accurate explanation,” Eir confirmed idly as she continued operating the soul forge to examine Jane.
Dudley came into the room, following Odin. “Why did you bring your midgardian lady here?” He asked. “She should have stayed on her home world.”
“My Lady Jane is hurt with something that is not Midgardian of origin and I suspect Lady Eir may be able to help identify it.”
“Thor, Midgard has its own medicine, let them handle it.” Odin said. “You will not break yet another important interplanetary treaty.”
“It really all depends on what she is injured with. It's Asgardian in origin, so I can make a few calls. Doctor Foster is a very important figure, for her world-changing research. If she has contacted something from here, not even the best of doctors will likely be able to heal it back on Earth, yet, at least, and if it heals here, it shouldn’t b e a problem.” Dudley said. “It all pivots on the diagnosis.”
“I cannot detect what it is within her.” Eir said, and Jane, awake now, listened very carefully. She did not understand the fragile political situation past the fact that it was so, so she didn't say anything to avoid messing it up, seeing even Darcy was quiet.
“Then take her back, Thor.” Odin said, but something exploded from within Jane, and Dudley noticed how the projection of Darcy flickered as her eyes widened.
Odin walked up to her carefully, extending his minimal magic to see what was within her. “She will likely not survive that.”
‘What is it?” Jane asked.
And so Odin explained about the Aether, and Darcy, under the guise of checking the WiFi, Jane and Dudley would be the only ones who knew that was false, and they would let her do it, sending off a private patronus to Lilith. She needed to know this, and know this now.
“What do we do?” Jane asked and nobody had an answer.
The attack on Asgard came suddenly. “Keep my Lady Jane safe.” Thor told his mother as he rushed off to fight.
“Hope, remember the wristband Lilith gave you?”
“The one your cousin said was for protection.”
“Put it on. It’ll keep you safe, because I know I can’t stop you following me.”
“This place has plenty of soldiers.”
“These soldiers can go to fight. But no invading army goes on only one front, and do you think any of them have arc reactor blasters over juiced for months?”
“I’m coming.”
“Fine.” Dudley said, handing her the gun.
They stayed out of the edges, and close to Jane and Frigga, though they did blast a few before they got close, though both of them not having much experience with guns missed more often than they. Hit their targets, but they still got a couple of dark elves down each, saving the lives of a few Einherjar as well.
When Frigga was getting stabbed, Hope didn’t want to risk shooting in her direction in case she missed, but Dudley acted on instinct, and shot at the thing that was about to stab her through the back. He thanked his luck that he made the shot, and resolved to beg Lilith for some Felix’ in case he ever got into a dangerous situation like this again.
The shot hit, but the creature held on. It didn’t stab Frigga, instead, the machete-like knife shot straight at Dudley. He gasped, and Hope dropped her gun, sprinting over to him. For her, it felt like everything went in slow motion.
Dudley gasped, the knife had gone through his throat, as his blood poured out, and he choked on his own lifeblood. “Ow.” He managed to choke out.
“No, no, no, no, no, no. You are not dying on me. No, Dudley, hold on, please, Dudley, please, look at me. Please, Dudley. Come on. Don’t die. You can’t. No, no, no, no. This cannot be happening. Dudley!” Hope kept on saying frantically, panicking. “Help!” Her breaths re co-sign out faster. “No, no, no, no. No. No, no, no. No. Not Dudley. No!” His breathing stilled.
She found herself calming as she felt a melody in the background. How could she be calming when Dudley was fading, on the brink of death, as she held onto him and his faint pulse. There was a flash of flame, and there was someone sle kneeling next to her, pushing her back. Hope was in shock, she didn’t struggle.
He had stayed grasping Dudley’s wrist. There were muttered words, but she focused on his pulse, falling in her hand, and then it sped up. Jump started. Stronger. Good. Strong. Correct. Alive. The pounding of the pulse filled her ears. Dudley was alive. Then her eyes widened as she finally registered the blood vanishing.
The wound on Dudley’s throat was sewing up, as the one kneeling over him muttered, “vulnera sanentur. Come on. Vulnera fucking sunentur.” His throat was sewing up, but his pulse was fading again. How blood kept rushing out just as it disappeared. “Damn enchanted blades.”
“No. Dammit. Fawkes.” She stated. A brilliant bird with fiery plumage appeared on her shoulder, and then, to Hope's even further shock, cried into Dudley’s throat.
His pulse strengthened again, and this time, it stayed that way. His healer, and Hope finally recognized Lilith Stark, hefted the machete as she examined it. She muttered something, and the knife was gone, as well as any trace of Dudley’s blood.
“Lilith…” He started.
“No, let me. This is not happening again.”
“Don’t. I’m good, and it’ll hurt you.”
“Dudley, it won’t hurt me, not really. Not like real pain.. Let me do this. I won’t lose you. Not you too.” Lilith said, as she got out a small blade from somewhere, and cut both the pad of her ring finger and Dudley’s. She pressed hers to his, and then chanted something, some that felt like it reeked of magic, of power, and Hope didn’t know where she recognized that from, given that she didn’t know what either felt like.
Then Lilith withdrew, and Dudley’s wound closed up. “Lilith…”
“Dudley. I have to go.”
“Lilith, you don’t have too-“
“No. I really do.” And the bird on her shoulder emitted a burst of flames and both Lilith and the bird disappeared from the halls of Asgard just as the sounds of fighting reached nearer.
“We must stay here.” Frigga said.
Reluctantly, the three humans obeyed, as the sounds of fighting continued.
It took what felt like eternity in the moment, but Thor rushed in, eyes finding Frigga and Jane, and rushing to embrace both.
“Thor, what happened?”
“I know not. There was a lot of fire, and then I do not know what happened.”
Frigga nodded, and brushed past. Thor rushed after her and out of Jane’s hug when he heard Frigga’s anguished cry.
There was Odin, dead, dark elf knives sticking out of his corpse. A haze of red descended over Thor’s vision. He rushed out, there would not be a single dark elf left alive in Asgard if he had anything left to say about it.
He didn’t get to it, as even in his rage he stopped as he got to the main section of the palace where the Dark elves were facing off against the Einherjar.
The ceiling had collapsed already, so Thor saw the skies above Asgard where Dragons, extremely powerful creatures considered extinct for millennia, appeared in the sky with a portal that somewhat resembled the tesseract’s, but was still completely different.
There was an army of Dragons in the sky over Asgard, and as Thor did a double-take, he saw each of them had riders. The lead dragon, the biggest one, pitch-black and vicious with all it’s natural attack weapons, roared, and then there was a hail of attack dragons. None of the Dark Elves survived the encounter, none of them making it to their ship, much less to the convergence portal in the sky to escape. There was not a single Dark Elf left that was not barely visible, burnt, clawed, chewed through, or somehow otherwise killed and disfigured by a dragon.
Thor’s jaw dropped, as did all those of the Einherjar, and every other Asgardian who was still there.
When that was done, the dragons landed, and their riders dismounted, as the dragons bowed their heads to allow for easier climbing down. The leader, a young woman in her 20’s, said, “Reinforcements have arrived.”
“A legion mounted on dragons?” Volstagg whispered. awed. “Who sent you?”
“We’re from Earth.” She said. “I’m Commander Eugenia Zemo of the Dragon legion, and the Order of the Phenix sends it’s support.”
“I thank you.” Thor said, solemnly. “You have saved many lives on this day.”
“Your welcome.” Eugenia said. “My orders are to stay and verify all the Dark Elves have been defeated and aid as necessary until Iam called back. Do you have Dragon stables?”
“You may use the courtyard in the north wing.” Thor said. Then, he remembered his father, and he turned and and rushed to him to check on him, Frigga following.
Odin All father’s body had already cooled. The Einherjar got down on one knee. “May his soul rest in eternal peace in Valhalla, home of the brave.” Thor, Frigga, Tyr, and the Einherjar chorused.
Then, Thor froze in shock, as Tyr and the Einherjar, still on one knee, stared, “All hail Thor, son of Odin, rightful King of Asgard.”
Frigga handed him Gungnir.
“Mother….”
“Asgard needs it’s King.” Frigga said. “We must have our father’s funeral, and then upon the next morn, you will be crowned.” She said, following the tradition to not enunciate the names of the dead until they had been sent off to Valhalla.
“All hail King Thor.” Everyone hailed, and reluctantly, in the moment he had trained his whole life for but was nothing like he had expected, grasping Gungnir, feeling the power of Asgard running through him.
“All hail King Thor.” Frigga said, and Thor realized this was reality now. He was the King of Asgard, over his father’s grave.
Tony placed a hand on Lilith’s shoulder as she paced. “There’s blood all over you.”
“It’s not mine. Dudley’s, but he’s alright now, Fawkes helped out.” She said, idly waving her hand to vanish the blood on her clothes.
“What happened?”
“The convergence, it reawakened both the Aether, the reality stone in liquid form, and the Dark Elves, a sentient species obsessed with ending the world and reclaiming the Aether. The Dark elves are now extinct, but they went out trying to seize Asgard.”
“Is that good or bad? Are Dudley, Hope, and Thor alright?”
“I sent in a legion from the Order, led by Eugenia Zemo, a teleporter. She’s good. I’m just waiting on news.”
“Can’t you look for it? Your magic that I still don’t get?”
“That’s the nature of magic. And the only way available to me would be scrying, which Asgard is normally blocked against. I could do it, but that would not only allow for detection if anyone was looking, but also highlight my bloodline specifically, which I can’t afford. Then there’s also the fact that connection could be traced back, and a capable mage like the queen of Asgard would be able to do so without a problem. I'm good but I don’t have millennia of practice, I have a century in a time dilation at most, and even then I wasn’t exactly training my scrying. And then there’s the fact that Asgard’s cells only block against active magic, so he could trace me just as well and if it’s one thing that would give him the justification to get out…”
“We’re talking about the same guy, right?”
“My deadbeat absentee bastard of a father who only came back to try and murder everyone? Yeah, him.”
“But he’s locked up tight, right?”
“Tony, trust me. You have not seen his full potential. I was trained by him and hel, did he like to show off. He could get out of those cells even easier than I can, I wouldn't be surprised if it’s his own magic powering them. But the only wise thing he ever told menus to ever give up a source of information, especially first hand. He’s in there for the information, but if he realizes Lilith Stark, Iron Man's arm candy is his own firstborn, he will get put. And I’m not even talking about if anyone at all finds out about even a small range of my power, magical or people-based. Tony, I’m walking barefoot on a razor-thin wire, and honestly I would prefer if it was literal and not metaphorical, less factors to account for.”
“What can I do to help?” It wasn’t often Tony discarded his pride, but Lilith needed it and on these rare occasions he would do so.
“Get Romanova and Barnes.” Lilith suddenly said. “Send them to the Scamander Sanctuary. It’s about time to get both of them a familiar.”