Chapter Four
He should’ve known.
You were the niece of Lord Pym, after all, and he was infamous for being stubborn, and difficult to deal with. The problem was that if he failed to save your life, Lord Pym would surely take his.
Steve paced the flagstones of the main hall, his fingers running over his shield. It bore a royal blue star on a crest, etched into silver. The red had long faded into rust, which he had brushed off, as if it meant nothing more to him. As if it was only a reminder of his past, not a haunting memory.
Closing his eyes, Steve still saw the battlefield. Men cried out, as they fell like dominoes, one by one. They were no more than tin soldiers, crushed under the harsh grasp of violence. The rain lashed at his face, the mud yielding beneath honest men’s feet, forcing them into a helpless crawl-faces bloodied and bruised, unrecognisable. People he had known. Friends.
How can it be so long ago, and feel like it happened yesterday?
The ache ripped once more at his chest, and he took a deep breath. If he treated it as nothing more than a nightmare, would it go away? He could only hope.
But you?
He remembered you.
You had been young, your hair braided and face light with glee as you played and talked with your cousin. He had only just come into this strange, new world, and seeing such familiarity, such closeness made his heart burn. As if he could ever have something like that.
That was before shield found him, of course. Before that, he didn’t really have a purpose, aimlessly drifting between the prison of his mind and the bracing reality of what lay beyond it. In these in-between moments, he still lingered in that place.
**
Your words still echoed in the air, and Scott still waited in the doorway, red and out of breath. He had obviously run to get there.
“What are you doing here?” You thundered, stalking towards him and dragging him into the room. Snowflakes spotted his hair and shoulders.
“Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to wander around outside?”
“I didn’t know!” He protested. “Not until she told me.”
“Who?” You demanded.
“She had red hair. That’s all I can remember.” Scott’s brow creased. “There were others with her. I thought I should warn you.”
Your frustration grew, painting the room with confusion and fear.
“What others?”
“I only saw them momentarily.” Scott was shaking his head. “I'm not sure how many there were."
You cast your eyes to the heavens, as if you would find some answer to all this confusion there. It didn’t come.
“If I could interject,” Dr Rhodes said, directing his question at Scott, “did they look dangerous?”
“No,” Scott said, “no, they seemed pretty harmless.”
“They seemed harmless?!” You exploded, feeling agitation build inside you -
“I think you may be overreacting, my lady.” Wanda told you, her voice calm. “Perhaps we should alert Sir Rogers.”
“I’ll go.” Said Bruce, before anyone could say anything. You sank back into a chair, the wood painfully hard beneath you. All you wanted to do was collapse onto your bed and sleep for centuries.
Dr Rhodes hastily made his excuses, and left the room, telling Pietro and Wanda to keep an eye on you. Not that you needed it, or anything. Scott, having sensed the tension in the room, followed quickly at Bruce’s heels. It wasn’t that you didn’t get along - you had known Scott since you were a child, that wasn’t the problem - it was everything.
A wave of fear overtook you where you sat, and you trembled.
It was mounting and spiralling.
Questions, and questions. Blank spaces instead of answers. Ice in place of the warmth of company.
Exhaustion stabbed at your eyelids, and your head drooped forward. The room seemed to darken, spinning in and out of focus. You didn’t hear your friends leave the room one by one to allow you some peace, or the concerned mutterings exchanged amongst them. All you heard was the gentle crackling of the hearth fire, lulling you into a restless slumber.
**
Steve had still been in the main hall when they came. Almost instantaneously, he drew his sword, and his shield for defence - before a smile spread across his face.
At the sight of the approaching man, dressed in the same armour as him, he moved forwards, embracing him.
“Took you long enough,” he murmured, clapping him on the back. Drawing back, the other man fixed him with a steady gaze. “We were held up. The boy’s with me.”
Steve nodded, and after a pause, “should I be worried?”
“Only for the mercenaries.” The man said. “They won’t know what’s coming for them.”
The two men turned as they heard fast footsteps echo down the stairs. Scott burst into the main hall, angling straight for Steve.
“Sir Rogers, forgive me - I came to tell you, there are intruders, I’m not sure who or how many-”
He faltered, catching sight of the other man. “Who is this?”
“Sir Sam Wilson. He’s one of shield.”
Sam frowned at his friend. “Don’t go telling that around.”
“This is Scott Lang. He can be trusted, I know him.” Steve reassured. Scott appeared as if he had just been given the holy grail, a satisfied smile creeping onto his lips.
“I didn’t dare dream I would one day be validated by the captain-”
Sam rolled his eyes. “You couldn’t kiss up to him more if you tried, Lang.”
Before Scott could respond, Steve caught sight of Dr Rhodes, the handmaiden and her brother coming down the stairs. Dr Rhodes smiled as he greeted Sam and Steve in turn, much to Scott’s surprise. There was no end to it, that night.
“You know each other?”
Steve just looked at Rhodes, knowing that it was up to him whether or not he wanted to reveal his truth.
“Yes. They are my...accomplices.”
Not so forthcoming, then. Sam informed him that the surrounding area of the castle was secure, much to his relief. The gales were blowing in at the northern gate, and they seemed to deter the interlopers. He could hear the wind even now, wailing in the trees and howling through the stained-glass windows. There would be more blood that night, he was sure of it. Steve could almost taste it, metallic on his tongue.
Without really knowing why, he prayed that it wouldn’t be yours.