Prologue
Strength has always been a concept of my life, one I haven’t really been able to understand till now. As I have recently realized, there are many different types of strength but everyone else mostly sees the main three.
There is physical strength which is what most people think about. They think of people lifting cars and fist fights that destroy buildings and the ability to lift mountains. They think that having that strength is what makes people superheroes and that to me is the dumbest thing ever. Physical prowess is not what makes people into heroes. A good heart and the inner yearning to protect people that can’t protect themselves is what makes us different from the general public, unnatural abilities just exist to help us fulfill our calling.
Mental strength is a type that relies on the mind. This is one people think I use the most because of my high IQ and general behavior, and don’t get me wrong, I am a certified genius. But mental strength is more than that, I’ve realized. It’s the ability to process everything that happens and be able to keep going no matter what horror you’ve seen or partaken in.
Emotional strength is the one very few people show. Everyone but one of those exceptional few bury this strength down as deep as they can for fear that if they show their ‘softer side’, they will be thought of as weak. It’s taken a long time to realize that the ability to show the more human side of myself is what makes me a better person and a better Avenger.
For years people have asked for my story and, unless they are one of my closest companions, I have always denied the request. That is, till now. After the events of my team’s Civil War as it is now called, I had a very frightening wakeup call at how easily it is for my life to be ended. Now granted, I thought I had learned that fact, but apparently I needed to do so again.
This most recent near-death situation made me realize that I don’t have forever to tell this story, my story. Sure if I died it could be told by family and friends, but that’s not the same. Hardly any of them even know the full story. I believe before this Everett, Rhodey, and my godfather are the only three that do know and that needs to change.
Now I can’t tell everything. Because of my position as a re-starter of SHIELD, current leader of the Avengers, honorary member of the UN, and friends to multiple political figures worldwide, I am bound by oath to keep several secrets dealing with things like global security. It’s my job to protect people and some secrets are necessary to do that, though may I state, I will never and have never kept information dealing with personal issues of someone from that person. I need that to be clear, especially when I start to bring in information about my current and former teammates. A lot of the pain and heartache involving the fighting between myself and Steve Rogers involves secrets that he kept, thinking that he was protecting me when all really did was protect himself.
I’ll cover that later though. Steve and I didn’t meet actually till my friend Loki’s dark days though he does appear over this story multiple times but with Howard Stark being my biological father and Peggy Carter my godmother, that shouldn’t really be surprising.
I’m rambling, a nervous habit I’ve had since my childhood, which doesn’t really work in my favor most of the time. I normally end up giving too much away at one time which causes confusion and since I don’t want to do that to whoever is reading this, I’ll go ahead and introduce myself and start my tale.
My full name is Antonia Eloisa Stark, though many may know me better by simply Toni or the Iron Maiden. On the surface I’m a genius, billionaire, superhero, ex-playgirl, and a philanthropist. If you dig deeper you find my softer side which is where I am called a woman, a mother, a lover, a sister or daughter by everything but blood, and a friend. Underneath all of that you find a girl with a heart that has been broken and abandoned way too many times. I’m a girl that used to have everything and nothing. I’m the girl that pretends to be okay when I’m dying inside and pleading for help but am too scared to ask because of my past.
I’m the girl with an iron heart and I’m finally ready to tell my story.