Chapter 6
Life had lost a bit of its color. The news of Wanda’s brother’s passing quickly got around the palace, and no one was sure what to say or do besides offer condolences.
Wanda had gone blank. She was a shell of who she once was. The Queen encouraged her to take some time off of work, but Wanda lived at the place and was unable to truly leave. You had offered for her to come stay with you at your cottage, but she tiredly turned it down.
You began to see less and less of her as the days went on. On one particular morning, you had walked into the servant’s quarters to find many in disarray and panic. You found Natasha, who too was storming around, shouting things at random people. You caught her by the arm and slowed her down.
“Nat, what’s going on?”
“Wanda’s gone.” Your eyes went wide as you felt a surge of fear course through your veins. “We can’t find her. She went on a hike early this morning and hasn’t returned…”
“…Has anyone gone out looking for her?” You asked, trying to stay composed. Natasha nodded.
“We let the Queen know immediately. She sent out some guards looking for her in the city, as well as the surrounding woods. She liked to hike early in the mornings, and that’s where she said she was headed before she left. Prince Loki and Prince Thor both joined in the search…”
You could tell she was on the verge of a breakdown. She always seemed so strong, and was desperate to keep that façade, but you knew. You pulled her into an embrace and just let her breathe. Where in the world could Wanda have gone?
You saw as Bruce walked in your direction. He was fuming. It was odd seeing a man so calm and collected look so… dangerous. Natasha gave him a sad look as he passed, letting go of you.
“Nothing?” She asked helplessly. He shook his head.
“Not a word. If something has happened to her, so help me…”
“Bruce,” Natasha said quietly. He shot his gaze to her, which instantly softened. “What should we do?”
“Right… Just…” he ran a hand through his hair, “attend to your daily duties. There’s still work to be done, and perhaps the work will allow your mind to go somewhere else for a spell. We’ll continue searching. I’ll let you know if we hear anything.”
Natasha gave a small nod. Bruce opened his mouth to say something, but shook his head and shut it. He gave you both a sympathetic look before continuing down the hall.
The day passed slowly and quietly. Tasks seemed heavier than usual. No one was sure what to say. As the end of the day approached, the news hadn’t changed. Wanda was still missing. People had claimed to see he enter the woods for her hike, but the guards hadn’t been able to find anything or anyone out there. Guards had been sent out to her home district just to be sure she hadn’t returned unannounced, but they wouldn’t have news for days yet.
You didn’t see Loki after work that day, not that you expected to. You figured he was still out searching. You hoped he’d be able to find something. Anything. You just needed to know she was okay. If she did end up returning home, you’d understand. You just wanted the news that she’d been found alive and well.
After a few days, you were working in a guest chamber when you heard the door open. Glancing at the door, you saw Loki enter. Your hopes raised, as did your fear.
“What is it? Did you find her? Is she okay?” She quickly sputtered out. He took you gently by the forearms, quieting your rambling.
“Not yet. They’re still looking. No sign of her in her home district, nor in the forest. We’ve called in some trackers from a bordering kingdom, apparently they’re good at finding people. They should be able to figure out what happened. They should be here in a day or so. They’ll be staying in the palace during their time here, which really won’t be long. If anything, they’ll only be staying in the palace after their work is done.”
Your heart sank as you nodded, eyes growing blurry. Loki pulled you to his chest, wrapping good arms around you. You let yourself cry a bit.
“They’ll find her… they’ll find her…” he said quietly. It sounded as though he was trying to convince himself as well.
-
Loki wanted you and Natasha there when they welcomed the trackers to your kingdom. Apparently they were the best. You wouldn’t know it just by looking at them, though. In fact, they seemed incompetent in almost every aspect. They constantly bickered with one another. It left you worried.
“I’m Quill, leader of the Guardians. Pleased to do business with you, your Majesty,” a tall, brunet man said as he shook the Queen’s hand. He was cocky and seemed like he was making everything up as he went along, leaving you wondering what his next move could be, considering he didn’t even know.
“Welcome, Sir Quill. What a… lovely group you have with you.”
Quill stood among a woman (who for some reason had patches of blue covering her skin, as well as an intimidating look that seemed to pierce your soul) and a man covered in scars and tattoos. He seemed like he could do damage, but his mind didn’t seem to be all together.
“This is Drax and Nebula. We have a few others on their way, they got tied up, as usual,” Quill said, pointing to each person as he introduced them.
“I see. I hear you are the best trackers in the neighboring kingdom,” the Queen responded, nodding a hello to the others. Quill waved off the compliment, chuckling.
“Ahh, we’re pretty good. My buddy Rocket’s somehow able to find most anything. I’m sure we can find the maiden.”
“And, what is it the rest of you do?” Loki said, finally chiming in. He seemed to be skeptical of the group as well. Quill looked the Prince up and down before replying,
“We’re backup. Finding people, amongst other things, isn’t the easiest, nor safest job. We take on the brutes and get our man Rocket to wherever he needs to be. It’s called teamwork,” Quill retorted, obviously irritated. You could tell his ego was fragile, and it seemed like his group knew it too. The woman next to him, Nebula, rolled her eyes.
“Quill, enough. We’re here to help, not insult,” a voice called from behind the Guardians. You nearly choked as more people, if you could even call them that, walked up. If the woman with green skin wasn’t odd enough, a sentient tree and upright raccoon walked beside her, along with a woman who looked as though she was part insect. You shot a look to Natasha, who had her eyes wide with shock as well.
“Magic users?” The Queen said, unfazed by the newcomers. “It seems we’ve underestimated you, haven’t we, Loki?” She turned to look at him, Loki looking a bit embarrassed.
“Perhaps…” he muttered, folding his arms. “I simply want to see her found, forgive me for being so unbelieving.”
The Queen turned back to the Guardians. “It has been a long while since I’ve seen beings such as yourselves. Who trained you in magic?”
“No one, your Majesty. We all found each other,” Quill explained. “No one here can perform magic, just have had magic performed on them.” You noticed the green woman looked to the ground, almost hiding a sort of shame. You wondered why she would feel such a way. “This is Rocket, the one who’ll be finding your friend.”
The raccoon stepped up, giving everyone a nod. “That’s correct, I, the mighty Rocket, will be finding your friend, payment up front.”
“Rocket!” Quill hissed.
“What?!” The raccoon whined back. You saw the green woman place her head in her hand. Apparently you weren’t the only one growing weary of the group’s dynamic. She made her way to the front, pushing both the raccoon and Quill out of the way.
“I apologize, your Highness. They’re imbeciles. We will find your missing girl.”
The Queen looked over the woman for a moment before giving her a kind smile. “Thank you, good lady. I have the utmost confidence in you. Your name?”
“Gamora.”
“Well, Gamora, let’s get you all settled in, as well as get you the information you need.” As the Queen walked off, you could hear her say, “Are you sure you aren’t the leader?”
“He likes to think he is…” you heard Gamora chuckle.
“Ahh. As does my husband,” the Queen laughed.
As the Guardians walked off with the Queen, you stayed behind with Natasha and Loki. All three of you stayed silent for a moment, attempting to work through what you had just been privy to. Finally Natasha broke the silence.
“Was that woman green?”
“A curse,” Loki said simply. Natasha only nodded in response.
“I wasn’t even aware that magic was a real thing…” you said quietly.
“Well, there’s lots of things to discover beyond the borders of your district. You never really left, so seeing things such as magic use would be unusual,” Natasha said. “There was a well known magic user in my district, though he kept to himself so much, many believed him a myth. But I knew he was real.”
“Wondrous world… perhaps one day I can see more of it.”
Silence once again grew as the three of you watched the horizon. Your mind spiraled on and on about Wanda and her whereabouts. What if someone had her? What if… what if she was dead…? You shook away the thought and the accompanying tears. You couldn’t think like that. She was out there somewhere. She had to be…
“I apologize for consistently coming up empty handed,” Loki said, gaze still fixed on the horizon. “I wish for nothing but her safe return…”
“We know… you’re trying your hardest,” Natasha said.
“You’re not to blame for her ongoing absence, Loki,” you said quietly. “Grief can lead us to make some wayward decisions. She’ll be found.”
Loki continued his onward gaze before chuckling gently. “And here I thought it was my duty to comfort you…” He looked at you both and nodded his head in the direction of the palace. The three of you walked back silently. You noticed lately there really wasn’t much to say.
-
You were tidying up in a large corridor later that day when you heard footsteps approaching. You turned to see Loki walking to you, dressed in clothes that made you sick to your stomach. He was leaving, wasn’t he?
“They want me and Thor to accompany the Guardians. I came to bid you farewell, for the time being.”
It was hard hiding your disappointment, and that made you feel rather guilty. Wanda needed all the help she could get, so sending Loki was a good thing, a great thing even. You just hated that you wouldn’t be able to see him everyday. He brought you a great deal of comfort. Not only that, but it could be dangerous... What if you lost him too?
“How long will you be gone?” You asked, trying to reign in the shake in your voice.
“As long as it takes,” he said. He gave you a sly smile. “Why? Can’t stand the thought of being away from me for more than a day?”
You softly scoffed a laugh. Of course I can’t… You stared at the floor in silence, feeling the bristling of tears at your eyes.
“Just… you better come home to me,” you said quietly.
Loki furrowed his brow in confusion. You heard him clear his throat. “What?” You met his eyes, fighting the urge to break down entirely.
“I’ve lost too many people in my life. My Mother, my Father, my whole district, and now Wanda. Don’t you dare make me mourn your loss as well. Promise me you’ll come home.”
Loki sighed and gave you a soft smile, placing one hand on your cheek.
“I am simply going out to look, I’m not going out to fight. I will be fine.”
“You never know…” you whispered looking in any direction but into his eyes. He lifted your chin to make your eyes meet.
“I will return to you. I swear it.”
You felt your cheeks heat up slightly, his gentle yet firm hand still holding your face in place. You couldn’t break your gaze from his soul-piercing eyes that made you want to melt in his arms. Mentally you scolded yourself. You hadn’t realized how far your infatuation with the Prince had gotten, but here it was, practically screaming at you. You never thought you’d let it get this far, but the way he looked at you sometimes… it made your heart flutter.
“When do you leave?”
“Immediately.”
“Then I shall not take any more of your time. Wanda needs you,” you said gently.
“I shall be back as soon as I possibly can, but we will spend as much time as required to solve this.” His hand moved from your chin back to your cheek, bringing your face forward to kiss your cheek. You felt shockwaves course through your body, but managed to maintain composure. He looked you deep in the eyes and smiled. “Until we meet again, darling.”
And that was that. He turned and left, off on his quest to find Wanda. You waited a moment before sitting down on a bench in the corridor and letting a few tears slip. Should something happen to him… well, you weren’t sure you could handle another loss.